Donald Trump’s bankruptcies reveal how fat cats win

Donald Trump's bankruptcies reveal how fat cats win:

Donald Trump has declared bankruptcy at least four times. No, that sentence isn't exactly true. Four times during his business career, Trump has availed himself of the protection of the bankruptcy laws so that businesses he owned could continue operating without paying all their debts. via Pocket

The Revenge of Scott Walker

The Revenge of Scott Walker:

Only weeks after giving up on his lackluster presidential campaign in the face of national indifference, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin is back to making mischief in his home state. Last Friday, Mr. via Pocket

Why Self-Driving Cars Must Be Programmed to Kill

Why Self-Driving Cars Must Be Programmed to Kill:

When it comes to automotive technology, self-driving cars are all the rage. via Pocket

Why It's Time To Reassess Walter Mondale's Place In History

Why It's Time To Reassess Walter Mondale's Place In History:

Even for those with more than a passing interest in American political history, the name Walter Mondale usually symbolizes one and only one thing: one of the worst electoral defeats in the history of the presidency. via Pocket

The Future Of The Democratic Party Will Be Decided By The Supreme Court

The Future Of The Democratic Party Will Be Decided By The Supreme Court:

Matt Yglesias published a widely shared piece arguing that the Democratic Party is in "deep trouble" Monday morning. The piece is excellent and you should read it. Yglesias's piece, however, ignores what may be the greatest looming threat facing Democrats in the years following 2016. via Pocket

Guess Who Else Is a Socialist?

Guess Who Else Is a Socialist?:

One of the side benefits of a well-watched national political debate is the exposure it brings to something obscure and forgotten — like Denmark. Who doesn't love a country that gave us a dish of frikadeller and rugbrod to go with paid parental leave and universal health care? via Pocket

Yes, Soda Taxes Seem to Cut Soda Drinking

Yes, Soda Taxes Seem to Cut Soda Drinking:

For about a decade now, policy makers and the soda industry have been fighting about the idea of a big soda tax. Proponents say it would fight obesity by reducing consumption of sugary drinks. A leading objection by the industry is that the tax simply would not work. via Pocket

Prison phone companies charging “endless” fees to families of inmates

Prison phone companies charging "endless" fees to families of inmates:

The Federal Communications Commission is poised to cap the rates charged for phone calls made to and from prisons, saying inmate calling services are overcharging prisoners, their families, and attorneys. via Pocket

The War on Women Is Over—and Women Lost

The War on Women Is Over—and Women Lost:

When she was 20 years old, Renee Chelian began every Friday with a predawn drive to an airplane hangar outside Detroit. There she met an abortion doctor, and a pilot who flew them to Buffalo, New York. This was 1971. Roe v. via Pocket

Slavery’s Long Shadow

Slavery’s Long Shadow:

America is a much less racist nation than it used to be, and I’m not just talking about the still remarkable fact that an African-American occupies the White House. via Pocket

Kristof: Lessons From the Virginia Shooting

Kristof: Lessons From the Virginia Shooting:

The slaying of two journalists Wednesday as they broadcast live to a television audience in Virginia is still seared on our screens and our minds, but it’s a moment not only to mourn but also to learn lessons. via Pocket

Why do we have allergies?

Why do we have allergies?:

Allergies such as peanut allergy and hay fever make millions of us miserable, but scientists aren’t even sure why they exist. Carl Zimmer talks to a master immunologist with a controversial answer for Mosaic. For me, it was hornets. via Pocket

Taking down the Confederate flag isn’t enough

Taking down the Confederate flag isn’t enough:

In the wake of the June 17 mass shooting by Dylann Storm Roof in Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church, the nation has debated the pervasive influence of racism throughout American society. via Pocket

The high cost of being a Minnesota legislator

The high cost of being a Minnesota legislator:

Branden Petersen hit his peak income at the age of 23. He was the youngest sales manager for home improvement chain Lowe’s in the Midwest region, and he was moving up fast. He was one promotion away from a mid-six figures salary. via Pocket

Tearing Down the Confederate Flag Is Just a Start

Tearing Down the Confederate Flag Is Just a Start:

Suppose African-Americans marked their heritage with flags depicting Nat Turner’s rebellion of 1831, in which slaves massacred about 60 whites before the uprising was crushed? The flag wouldn’t be celebrating the murder of whites, via Pocket

It’s Not Just About Bad Choices

It’s Not Just About Bad Choices:

WHENEVER I write about people who are struggling, I hear from readers who say something like: Folks need to stop whining and get a job. It’s all about personal responsibility. via Pocket

Scott Walker and the Fate of the Union

Scott Walker and the Fate of the Union:

On his first day of work in three months, Randy Bryce asked his foreman for the next day off. He wanted to go to the Capitol in Madison, Wis., and testify against a proposed law. via Pocket

This Age of Derp, Kansas Edition

This Age of Derp, Kansas Edition:

Menzie Chinn notes the continuing failure of the Kansas experiment with supply-side tax cuts. And yes, it is an experiment — Gov. via Pocket

The Insecure American

The Insecure American:

America remains, despite the damage inflicted by the Great Recession and its aftermath, a very rich country. But many Americans are economically insecure, with little protection from life’s risks. via Pocket

Can Bruce Bartlett save the GOP by bursting its 'bubble'?

Can Bruce Bartlett save the GOP by bursting its 'bubble'?:

Bruce Bartlett has 24-karat conservative credentials. He worked in the Reagan White House, the George H.W. Bush Treasury Department, for former Texas Rep. Ron Paul and the Heritage Foundation. via Pocket

​Food deserts: why it costs much more to try to eat on $29 a week

​Food deserts: why it costs much more to try to eat on $29 a week:

Much has been said recently about Gwyneth Paltrow’s Twitter post showing the $29 worth of food she attempted to live on last week in order to raise awareness about cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the food stamp program. via Pocket

Fraternity of Failure

Fraternity of Failure:

Jeb Bush wants to stop talking about past controversies. And you can see why. He has a lot to stop talking about. But let’s not honor his wish. You can learn a lot by studying recent history, and you can learn even more by watching how politicians respond to that history. via Pocket

Obama’s Advance Team Should Be Fired

Obama’s Advance Team Should Be Fired:

The Obamas are proving singularly inept at choosing appropriate venues to highlight their initiatives. In June 2011 Michelle invited giant retailers, including Walmart to the White House to launch her effort to persuade the country’s largest retailers to move into inner city “food deserts. via Pocket

What ‘Wild’ Has Wrought

What ‘Wild’ Has Wrought:

ON THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL, Calif. — THIS is arguably America’s greatest hiking trail, a 2,650-mile serpentine path running through desert and wilderness from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. via Pocket

A question for Scott Walker about Iran: What’s your alternative?

A question for Scott Walker about Iran: What’s your alternative?:

It’s probably too soon to take Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker seriously as a possible next president. He looks strong in the latest polls. via Pocket

Enjoying the Low Life?

Enjoying the Low Life?:

The United States is the most powerful colossus in the history of the world: Our nuclear warheads could wipe out the globe, our enemies tweet on iPhones, and kids worldwide bop to Beyoncé. Yet let’s get real. All this hasn’t benefited all Americans. via Pocket

It Takes a Party

It Takes a Party:

So Hillary Clinton is officially running, to nobody’s surprise. via Pocket

De Blasio's big microphone, and the little party pulling Democrats back to the left

De Blasio's big microphone, and the little party pulling Democrats back to the left:

The agenda of a political party you’ve likely never heard of, one with just a handful of members and that’s never elected a candidate of its own to an office higher than state senator, is driving much of the national conversation. via Pocket

Economics and Elections

Economics and Elections:

Britain’s economic performance since the financial crisis struck has been startlingly bad. A tentative recovery began in 2009, but it stalled in 2010. via Pocket

Denmark’s Drug-Free Pigs

Denmark’s Drug-Free Pigs:

PRESIDENT OBAMA didn’t need to issue a $1.2 billion National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, which he did last week, to figure out how the United States could reduce the antibiotic-resistant bacteria created by the country’s agriculture industry. via Pocket

A Little Respect for Dr. Foster

A Little Respect for Dr. Foster:

ONE sign of a landmark shift in public attitudes: A poll last year found that Americans approved more of gays and lesbians (53 percent) than of evangelical Christians (42 percent). That’s partly because some evangelical leaders were intolerant blowhards who give faith a bad name. via Pocket

Mornings in Blue America

Mornings in Blue America:

Two impossible things happened to the U.S. economy over the course of the past year — or at least they were supposed to be impossible, according to the ideology that dominates half our political spectrum. via Pocket

Hidden Healthcare Horrors

Hidden Healthcare Horrors:

One of the odder subplots of the health reform saga has been the almost pathetic efforts of Republicans to come up with Obamacare horror stories. via Pocket

The Other Biological Clock : How Old Will Your Kids' Grandparents Be?

The Other Biological Clock : How Old Will Your Kids' Grandparents Be?:

A few months ago I was sitting in the vast dining room of an assisted-living home in Washington, D.C., watching my 5-year-old niece bounce like a pinball between tables of seniors. It was a startling sight–that small, smooth blond blur amid a hundred crinkly faces. via Pocket

Charlatans, Cranks, and Cooling

Charlatans, Cranks, and Cooling:

Branko Milanovic notes Lee Kwan Yew’s explanation of the success of Singapore and other Asian economies; partly Confucian culture, partly air conditioning. If you’ve ever tried to walk around Singapore, you know whereof he speaks. via Pocket

Trillion Dollar Fraudsters

Trillion Dollar Fraudsters:

By now it’s a Republican Party tradition: Every year the party produces a budget that allegedly slashes deficits, but which turns out to contain a trillion-dollar “magic asterisk” — a line tha via Pocket

When Liberals Blew It

When Liberals Blew It:

Fifty years ago this month, Democrats made a historic mistake. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, at the time a federal official, wrote a famous report in March 1965 on family breakdown among African-Americans. via Pocket

Can One Union Save the Slumping U.S. Postal Service?

Can One Union Save the Slumping U.S. Postal Service?:

Let’s begin with the bad news. The U.S. Post Office, the oldest, most respected and ubiquitous of all public institutions is fast disappearing. In recent years management has shuttered half the nation’s mail processing plants and put 10 percent of all local post offices up for sale. via Pocket

Building the First Slavery Museum in America

Building the First Slavery Museum in America:

Louisiana’s River Road runs northwest from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, its two lanes snaking some 100 miles along the Mississippi and through a contradictory stretch of America. via Pocket

The qualified 'miracle' of Minneapolis

The qualified 'miracle' of Minneapolis:

A recent article in the Atlantic magazine — “The Miracle of Minneapolis,” by Derek Thompson — brought out the anticipated reactions. via Pocket

Who Decides?

Who Decides?:

Who decides? Conservative Republicans in Texas are split on the issue. Darren Hodges, a Tea Party councilman in the West Texas city of Fort Stockton, fiercely defends his town’s recent decision to ban plastic bags. via Pocket

The Miracle of Minneapolis

The Miracle of Minneapolis:

No other place mixes affordability, opportunity, and wealth so well. What’s its secret? If the American dream has not quite shattered as the Millennial generation has come of age, it has certainly scattered. via Pocket

Unconscious Racial Bias Taints the Legal System

Unconscious Racial Bias Taints the Legal System:

In the wake of the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, angry demonstrators and subdued academics alike have charged that the American legal process is tainted by racism. But polls suggest most white Americans don’t see things that way, leading to something of a standoff. via Pocket

Dying To Be Free

Dying To Be Free:

The last image we have of Patrick Cagey is of his first moments as a free man. He has just walked out of a 30-day drug treatment center in Georgetown, Kentucky, dressed in gym clothes and carrying a Nike duffel bag. via Pocket

Why chicken is making so many of us sick

Why chicken is making so many of us sick:

This content is made possible by the generous sponsorship support of UCare. Foodborne illness is a huge health problem in the United States. According to the U.S. via Pocket

The case for mandatory vaccinations

The case for mandatory vaccinations:

Should vaccinations be mandatory? Measles outbreaks and recent remarks by presidential hopefuls Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie that they should be voluntary have thrust this question into the center of American politics and policy debate. via Pocket

Smart Guns Save Lives. So Where Are They?

Smart Guns Save Lives. So Where Are They?:

BOULDER, Colo. — JUST after Christmas, Veronica Rutledge of Blackfoot, Idaho, took her 2-year-old son to a Walmart store to spend holiday gift cards. via Pocket

Fake Engine Noise Is the Auto Industry's Dirty Little Secret - Slashdot

Fake Engine Noise Is the Auto Industry's Dirty Little Secret - Slashdot:

I don’t know why, but I find the idea of pumping in engine noise fascinating. Good discussion about whether external noise is a safety issue for pedestrians, and whether silence in cars is golden.

Kicking Dodd-Frank in the Teeth

Kicking Dodd-Frank in the Teeth:

The 114th Congress has been at work for less than a week, but a goal for many of its members is already evident: a further rollback of regulations put in place to keep markets and Main Street safe from reckless Wall Street practices. via Pocket

Save the Honeybee, Sterilize the Earth

Save the Honeybee, Sterilize the Earth:

A decade ago, people started panicking about the collapse of the honeybee population and the crash of our food supply. But today there are more honeybees than there were then. We have engineered our way to a frenzied and precarious new normal. via Pocket

Social Programs That Work

Social Programs That Work:

WASHINGTON — HARDLY anyone knows it, but since its earliest days the Obama administration has been pursuing the most important initiative in the history of federal attempts to use evidence to improve social programs. via Pocket

The Radical Case for Cities Buying Sports Teams, Not Sports Stadiums

The Radical Case for Cities Buying Sports Teams, Not Sports Stadiums:

And this isn’t an uncommon scenario. The city of Miami and Dade County spent more than $800 million in 2009 on a new stadium for the Marlins… via Pocket