Monthly Archives: April 2017

“[N]othing prepared us for the magnitude of this train wreck”

Los Angeles Times:

  1. Our Dishonest President

    “It was no secret during the campaign that Donald Trump was a narcissist and a demagogue who used fear and dishonesty to appeal to the worst in American voters. The Times called him unprepared and unsuited for the job he was seeking, and said his election would be a “catastrophe.“ “

  2. Why Trump Lies

    “Donald Trump did not invent the lie and is not even its master. Lies have oozed out of the White House for more than two centuries and out of politicians’ mouths — out of all people’s mouths — likely as long as there has been human speech.”

  3. Trump’s Authoritarian Vision

    “Standing before the cheering throngs at the Republican National Convention last summer, Donald Trump bemoaned how special interests had rigged the country’s politics and its economy, leaving Americans victimized by unfair trade deals, incompetent bureaucrats and spineless leaders.”

  4. Trump’s War on Journalism

    “In Donald Trump’s America, the mere act of reporting news unflattering to the president is held up as evidence of bias. Journalists are slandered as “enemies of the people.“ “

  5. Conspiracy Theorist in Chief

    “It was bad enough back in 2011 when Donald Trump began peddling the crackpot conspiracy theory that President Barack Obama was not a native-born American. But at least Trump was just a private citizen then.”

  6. California Fights Back

    “When Donald Trump threatened on the campaign trail to deport every single immigrant living in the country illegally, bring back offshore drilling and reverse the anti-pollution policies that help clear smoggy skies, Californians immediately understood that our state would be disproportionately affected — and disproportionately harmed — by the reckless policies he was hoping to enact.”

The Podcast everyone is talking about

In case you haven’t heard about it yet: The producers of This American Life and Serial have released a new series called S-Town. You can download all seven episodes. I binge-listened to them last week.

The New Yorker: “S-Town“ Investigates the Human Mystery. By Sarah Larson.

The Atlantic: S-Town Is a Well-Crafted Monument to Empathy. “The much-hyped podcast evolves from murder mystery and rural tourism into timely, humanistic biography.” By Spencer Kornhaber.

Vanity Fair: How S-Town, From the People Who Brought You Serial, Is Changing Podcasts All Over Again. “After releasing all seven of its episodes at once, S-Town in inspiring fierce devotion—but you’ll have to figure out your solution for spoilers on your own.” By Katey Rich.

Charlotte Observer: Professor featured in S-Town gives his take on hit podcast – and its central mystery. By Ann Doss Helms. (Includes a short video of the sundial John McLemore made for his Chemistry professor and which is described in the last episode of the podcast.)

And in case you’d like to listen a podcast about this podcast:
Longform Podcast: Brian Reed. (1 hour 13 minutes)

I’m going to listen to this while on a little roadtrip tomorrow.

Some links via MetaFilter FanFare.

“There were some things that just didn’t quite add up,“

Washington Post: These high school journalists investigated a new principal’s credentials. Days later, she resigned. By Samantha Schmidt.

“Under Kansas law, high school journalists are protected from administrative censorship. “The kids are treated as professionals,“ Smith said. But with that freedom came a major responsibility to get the story right, Smith said. It also meant overcoming a natural hesitancy many students have to question authority.”

“Bernie Sanders splintered and ultimately sabotaged the Democratic party – not because he chose to run against Hillary Clinton, but because of how he ran against her.”

The Guardian: The destruction of Hillary Clinton: sexism, Sanders and the millennial feminists. “In this extract from her book, Susan Bordo asks how the most qualified candidate ever to run for president lost the seemingly unloseable election”.