Morning Coffee (7/24/19)

As Adam Serwer wrote, the cruelty is the point: Trump administration proposed rule would cut 3 million people from food stamps

Human rights groups lead chorus of alarm over new Trump administration commission

Of course: Trump sues House panel, NY to protect state tax returns

Bill Wehrum, an Architect of E.P.A. Rollbacks, Faces New Ethics Inquiry

Behind the Scenes of the House Democrats’ Twitter War

“Likability” ratings in a recent New Hampshire poll show just how tough female candidates have it

Amy Wax, “national conservatism,” and the dark dream of a whiter America

FaceApp Is Everyone’s Problem

New Taylor song!!!

Mitchell Feigenbaum, Physicist, Dies at 74; He Made Sense of Chaos

Morning Coffee (7/10/19)

Migrant kids in overcrowded Arizona border station allege sex assault, retaliation from U.S. agents

Judge Rejects Justice Dept. Request to Change Lawyers on Census Case

"It was supposed to be an exclusive party at Mar-a-Lago, Donald J. Trump’s members-only club in Palm Beach, Fla. But other than the two dozen or so women flown in to provide the entertainment, the only guests were Mr. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein."

President Trump cannot block his critics on Twitter, federal appeals court rules

A new human rights commission sounds nice but don't be fooled: this administration is redefining human rights and probably who gets to be human.

And in gross local news: Sununu Auctions Copy Of His Paid Family Leave Veto At Republican Fundraiser

Warren Rising: Massachusetts Progressive Announces $19 Million Fundraising Haul

Ross Perot, Brash Texas Billionaire Who Ran for President, Dies at 89

Support for legal abortion matches its 24-year high: Poll

Everything in this article is great: In 2003, an 8-year-old Rose Lavelle dressed as Mia Hamm for a third-grade book project

Morning Coffee (3/14/19)

GOOD: California Death Penalty Suspended; 737 Inmates Get Stay of Execution

NOT GOOD: Military Officially Moves to Bar Over 13,700 Transgender Members

New York Charges Manafort With 16 Crimes. If He’s Convicted, Trump Can’t Pardon Him.

Prosecutors Seek Records on Cohen’s ‘Back Channel’ With Giuliani

America’s Defining Divide Isn’t Left vs. Right. It’s Old vs. Young.

‘Safety’ In U.S. Schools Means More Cops And Fewer Counselors

YAYYY, Alaska Native musher Pete Kaiser won the Iditarod!

Oooh: Hugh Jackman to Lead Broadway Revival of 'The Music Man'

Spotify Files Anti-Competition Complaint Against Apple in Europe

Pig Remains Show How Far Prehistoric People Traveled to Visit Stonehenge

Morning Coffee (7/1/18)

It’s official: The Trump administration has replaced family separation with indefinite family detention

Agents Seek to Dissolve ICE in Immigration Policy Backlash

An ICE attorney made almost $200,000 stealing immigrants’ identities. Now he’s going to prison.

Scoop: Trump's private threat to upend global trade

Inside the White House’s Quiet Campaign to Create a Supreme Court Opening

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on her Catholic faith and the urgency of a criminal justice reform

Supreme Court rules that warrant is needed to access cell tower records

Wow: Four to face trial over Hillsborough charges

ABC Pulls ‘The Proposal’ Episode After Woman Says Contestant Was Involved In Sexual Assault

Can Crows Make Mental Pictures of Tools?

Morning Coffee (6/29/18)

Okay, we REALLY need some happy stuff this Friday.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Red Lipstick Is a Symbol of Change

Starbucks announces unprecedented, comprehensive health benefits for trans employees

IMPORTANT SCIENCE: Mac & Cheese May Be The "Perfect Food," According To This Study That Evaluated Carb & Fat Ratios With Satisfaction

Aah, Discovery of Witches trailer!

Ooh: Inscribed seventh-century window ledge unearthed at Tintagel

This is great: Paul Simon’s ‘What Not to Bring’ List for Farewell Concert Is Astonishingly Thorough

Even the Queen is excited to meet David Beckham.

5 Wine and Cheese Pairings You Need To Try This Summer

Huh: Oreo’s New Cookie Is Better Than A Deep Fried Oreo

Let's run off to a castle.

Morning Coffee (6/25/18)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

I know everything is terrifying, but this is terrifying: Trump Calls for Depriving Immigrants Who Illegally Cross Border of Due Process Rights

I'm sure Trump will be praising him at any moment: Erdogan’s Victory in Turkey Election Expands His Powers

Buyers tied to Russia, former Soviet republics paid $109 million cash for Trump properties

Sinclair Forces Stations To Air Commentary Arguing ‘Liberal’ Reports of Child Detention Were Exaggerated

Why Rank-And-File Evangelicals Aren’t Likely To Turn On Trump Over Family Separation

The Limits Of Trump’s Cruelty Are Only Just Being Tested

Whoa, go watch the trailer for The Hate U Give.

Encouraging: Hate group tried to argue in court that trans students threaten privacy. It didn’t go well.

Wow: Chinese figure skating judges banned for bias at Pyeongchang Olympics

I didn't know this was a debate, but it's fascinating: New human gene tally reignites debate

Morning Coffee (6/21/18)

The executive order Trump claims will end family separation, explained

This is the reporting that made Rachel Maddow break down on Tuesday night's show: At least 3 tender age shelters set up for child migrants

Trump admin's 'tent cities' cost more than keeping migrant kids with parents

‘Womp Womp’: Corey Lewandowski Mocks Child With Down Syndrome Separated From Mother

WHAT. Trump ‘threw’ Starburst candies at German Chancellor Merkel during summit: ‘Don’t say I never gave you anything’

Another great piece from Adam Serwer: Trumpism, Realized

I Am Still Grieving the Presidency We Don't Have

John Kelly reportedly doesn’t even care if Trump is impeached

At least six people close to Trump almost certainly knew about offers from Russians of dirt on Clinton

Huh! Extreme Weather on Venus Might Change the Length of Its Days

Morning Coffee (6/20/18)

If you're looking for a way to help the victims of Trump's family separation policies, join me at Kid Lit Says No Kids In Cages.

And then find your local Families Belong Together event.

Welp: “A cesspool of political bias”: the US announces it’s quitting the UN Human Rights Council

Exclusive: how asylum officers are being told to implement Sessions’s new rules

More than 600 United Methodists file formal church complaint against Jeff Sessions

And: Jeff Sessions tries to beat back Nazi comparisons, gets literally everything wrong

Meanwhile here in Nashua: Former BOE president sues city for $1.5M

Good: Federal judge blocks Arkansas law that effectively bans medication abortion

AMAZING: Kris Kobach ordered to attend legal classes for violating basic legal concepts

!!! Royal family's first same-sex wedding announced for queen's cousin

Morning Coffee (6/18/18)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

Let's start the week with some good news that is . . . obviously not from this country. Spain Sets a New Benchmark in Gender Equality: A Cabinet That's 65% Women

Two important pieces from Dahlia Lithwick: It’s All Too Much, and We Still Have to Care

And: Here’s How You Can Help Fight Family Separation at the Border

Extinguishing the Beacon of America

Documents Shed Light On Decision To Add Census Citizenship Question

Oh good: DNC Quietly Adopts Ban On Fossil Fuel Company Donations

Cecile Richards: Conservatives are fighting to roll back abortion rights. And they're winning — but not for long

All Politics Is National Because All Media Is National

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has been charged with criminal fraud

Ooh: Possible discovery of prehistoric settlement near Thurso

Morning Coffee (6/16/18)

2,000 children separated from parents in six weeks under Trump policy

AAP Statement Opposing Separation of Children and Parents at the Border

Inside Casa Padre, the converted Walmart where the U.S. is holding nearly 1,500 immigrant children

Defense Contractors Cashing In On Immigrant Kids’ Detention

But at least THIS is good: Judge Orders Paul Manafort Detained Amid Witness Tampering Allegations

And this! New York's Attorney General Sues The Trump Foundation

What a shock: Workers’ wages fall after passage of GOP tax cuts

Also a shock, obviously: Trump 2020 working with ex-Cambridge Analytica staffers

Also... never mind: Movie Critics Are Largely White & Male, New Study Finds

3,000-year-old sculpture leaves researchers scratching their heads

Morning Coffee (4/2/18)

Me elsewhere: Your TV news roundup.

How Trump favored Texas over Puerto Rico

March for Our Lives Will Have To Become A March Against the Filibuster

The Kushners Saw Redemption in the White House. It Was a Mirage.

More than 800m people need to travel 30 mins for safe water, report finds

Teen Dating Violence Is an Indicator of Gun Violence

THE FIRST: U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall Collection Will Get Its First Statue of a Black American

This is great: A historic home, rebooted as an incubator for women of color who code

Earliest Known Human Footprints in North America Found on Canadian Island

Galaxy without any dark matter baffles astronomers

A Few Species of Frogs That Vanished May Be on the Rebound

Morning Coffee (3/10/18)

I'm not TOO optimistic yet but this is a positive step: Supporters Optimistic As Transgender Rights Bill Passes N.H. House

The backstory here is as insane as you'd think and I'm very worried this is going to end TERRIBLY: North Korea Asks for Direct Nuclear Talks, and Trump Agrees

A top U.S. diplomat in Latin America leaves in protest, swelling an exodus

Of course: NRA sues Florida over new gun law in wake of Stoneman Douglas shooting

Russian propaganda is rampant on Reddit. Here's why that matters.

Your state’s teachers are underpaid. Find out by how much.

A New Publisher for Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Gaia Spacecraft Captures ‘Central Flash’ of Neptune’s Moon Triton

SIGH: Movie exec to Sorkin: If there's no sex, why cast Demi Moore in 'A Few Good Men' instead of a man?

I feel like they keep "discovering" stuff about her recently and now I'm skeptical of all of it: Amelia Earhart: Island bones 'likely' belonged to famed pilot

Morning Coffee (2/14/18)

ICYMI, yesterday's Oscar Project posts: Negative Space, Get Out, The Square

You don't say: Russian Threat To Elections To Persist Through 2018, Spy Bosses Warn Congress

These people are so evil: The Education Department Says It Won't Act On Transgender Student Bathroom Access

New Poll Finds That Everyone Is Miserable, for Some Reason

Tough but fair: Pack of Lions Ate a Poacher, Left Only His Head

One of the Oscar documentary shorts dealt with this and it was fascinating: Naloxone, the medicine helping fight the opioid crisis, explained

Is Pennsylvania blue or red now? This election obsessive might know.

Here's a fun map to track the Olympic medals.

Huh: Firefly canon to expand with series of original books

Ooh, I loved this book: ‘Downton Abbey’ Producer Carnival Films Adapting ‘The Awkward Age’ For The BBC

Human Skulls Mounted on Stakes Found at 8,000-Year-Old Burial Site in Sweden

Morning Coffee (12/12/17)

Rape and no periods in North Korea's army

No, the Pentagon Did Not Overrule Trump on the Trans Troops Ban

Uh... Right-wing group sends 12-year-old girl to interview Roy Moore

This is an important read on voter suppression: The Alabama Senate Race May Have Already Been Decided

That viral story about Alabama drivers license offices is from 2015, and it’s missing one key point

Mario Batali Steps Away From Restaurant Empire Following Sexual Misconduct Allegations

HA: This Is the Single Greatest Way to Get Out of a Political Conversation You Don’t Want to Have

The 23-Year-Old Who Dresses African Soccer Teams

Good advice: Don't Make These 6 Mistakes at Work During the Holidays

Ooh, first pictures from the new Mary, Queen of Scots movie.

Morning Coffee (11/20/17)

I'm traveling and compiled and scheduled this post in advance, so WHO KNOWS what's actually going on in the world by now. Back on Tuesday!

Eric Holder's Battle Against Gerrymandering

Canada Moves Closer to Gender Equity for Indigenous Women

Why Is Allergan Partnering with the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe?

This is very good advice heading into the holidays: Don't Win Arguments, Win Elections

Also useful going into the holidays: 8 Weekender Bags to Make You Look More Put Together

SCANDAL: Spelling Trouble: Did a Scrabble Champion Cheat?

From Owls IPA to Huddersfield’s Hat Trick: football clubs join the craft beer revolution

Ha: The “phantom reference:” How a made-up article got almost 400 citations

Conservationists Give New Life to 350-Year-Old Map of Australia

YEP: From 'Will & Grace' to 'NCIS,' Comfort TV Reigns Supreme

Morning Coffee (11/12/17)

Good news! Legal recognition for non-binary people planned in Scotland

Should we trust democracy ratings? New research finds hidden biases.

“This Is Total Surrender”: Is This the End of the House of Murdoch?

They're making a Pep TV show!! Amazon Teams With Manchester City for Behind-the-Scenes Soccer Series

!!! Aldi’s latest bargain is a 3D printer

Heh: Greta Gerwig Somehow Redeems Dave Matthews Band’s “Crash Into Me”

This project is fascinating: Visit Norway’s Future Library, Currently in the Form of a Baby Forest

'Once and Future Queen' Writers on Rethinking King Arthur: "The Future Isn't Straight White Men"

Found: A Celebratory Roman Sundial, Two Millennia Old

This sounds interesting: Tommy Mottola, Thalia Set Quinceañera Documentaries at HBO

Afternoon Tea (9/29/17)

Such a good, interesting read: This island is not for sale: how Eigg fought back

Playing Indian: How a fight over Native American symbolism in Oregon brought to light the conflict at America's core.

This about new translations of the Iliad is fascinating: The Art of Wrath

The Banned 1910s Magazine That Started a Feminist Movement in Japan

A Chorus of Mazel Tovs in Uganda

Morning Coffee (9/27/17)

Me elsewhere: Young Sheldon wasn't as bad as I feared.

!!! Saudi Arabia Says It Will End Ban And Allow Women To Drive

A New Study Shows Just How Many Americans Were Blocked From Voting in Wisconsin Last Year

Surprise! Trump’s tax ‘reform’ looks like tax cuts for the rich

I'm glad he's representing us so well on the world stage: Where is 'Nambia'? President Trump 'invents' African country

Of course: Alabama Senate Candidate Roy Moore Whips Out A Handgun At Rally

Undercover with the Alt-Right

Barbara Blaine, Who Championed Victims of Priests’ Abuse, Dies at 61

Goodbye, For Now, To A Vital Source For Native American News

Ooh! Lost Rubens portrait of James I's 'lover' is rediscovered in Glasgow (They're talking about the Duke of Buckingham and I'm not sure why "lover" is in quotes, as I think that relationship is pretty well-documented.)

Good. They should be better about this IN GENERAL because it happens to all sorts of authors, not just Hillary: Amazon Removed Hundreds of Reviews of Hillary Clinton’s Book From People Who Probably Didn’t Read It

Morning Coffee (8/29/17)

This is tough but a well-researched, important read: How Police Cracked Canada's Largest Child Pornography Ring

Good for the ACLU: We Are Taking Trump to Court to Stop His Illegal and Cruel Ban on Transgender Service Members

Of course he is: Racist Ex-Sheriff Pardoned by Trump Is Now Talking About Running for US Senate

Two Bankers Are Selling Trump’s Tax Plan. Is Congress Buying?

A good step! India's Supreme Court Determines Freedom of Sexual Orientation Is Constitutionally-Protected Right

Sexual harassment and the sharing economy: the dark side of working for strangers

Partisanship, Propaganda, and Disinformation: Online Media and the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election

Oh no: France faces worst wine grape harvest since 1945

!!! Collection of letters by codebreaker Alan Turing found in filing cabinet

Gunpowder looks fun and I'm amused that they're using "Autumn is coming" in the marketing.

Morning Coffee (7/27/17)

Slaves of Isis: the long walk of the Yazidi women

They kept us as slaves: AP reveals claims against church

I am SO ANGRY about this: Trump Says Transgender People Will Not Be Allowed in the Military

The Senate Health-Care Vote and John McCain’s Tragic Contradictions

Sen. Susan Collins Said Some Real Good Shit on a Hot Mic

SIGH: Having a woman on your team ruins your chances for VC funding

Australian Football Becomes an Unlikely Force in the Gay Rights Movement

This happened at my friend's library! Librarian Finds Live Civil-War Artillery Shells on Her First Day

Found: The ‘Cell’ of a 6th-Century Monk in Scotland (They're burying the lede here: They think it's St. Columba's!!)

An Experiment in Zurich Brings Us Nearer to a Black Hole’s Mysteries