The Trump Presidency: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

The Trump Presidency: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO):

One year after the presidential election, John Oliver discusses what we've learned so far and enlists our catheter cowboy to teach Donald Trump what he hasn't.Connect with Last Week Tonight online…Subscribe to the Last Week Tonight YouTube channel for more almost news as it almost happens: www.you via Pocket

Rigged: How Voter Suppression Threw Wisconsin to Trump

Rigged: How Voter Suppression Threw Wisconsin to Trump:

You can't say Andrea Anthony didn't try. A 37-year-old African American woman with an infectious smile, Anthony had voted in every major election since she was 18. via Pocket

America is facing an epistemic crisis

America is facing an epistemic crisis:

Over at the Gothamist, Jake Offenhartz has an astounding and richly symbolic story about the latest bit of "fake news" burped up by the alt-right. [Ugh, that link now goes to the "Gothamist is dead" page. Here's a Jesse Singal story about the incident.] via Pocket

The research is clear: Waiting periods can curb gun deaths

The research is clear: Waiting periods can curb gun deaths:

It's no secret this country is extraordinarily divided on the issue of gun rights, and common ground has been hard to come by. via Pocket

How test scores can block black students from the University of Minnesota

How test scores can block black students from the University of Minnesota:

The University of Minnesota is currently sponsoring an exhibit that examines the actions of university administrators from several decades ago. via Pocket

Trump Administration Puts on Hold an Obama-Era Desegregation Effort

Trump Administration Puts on Hold an Obama-Era Desegregation Effort:

The rule would have helped poor Americans move to more expensive neighborhoods with better schools. The zip code where a child grows up can have a huge effect on that kid's entire life. via Pocket

The Resegregation of Jefferson County

The Resegregation of Jefferson County:

In 2013, a flier began making the rounds in Gardendale, Ala., a suburb of Birmingham. via Pocket

Whites Have Huge Wealth Edge Over Blacks (but Don’t Know It)

Whites Have Huge Wealth Edge Over Blacks (but Don't Know It):

For every $100 earned by an average white family, how much do you think is earned by an average black family? Wrong. You're actually too pessimistic. Black families in America earn $57.30 for every $100 in white family income. via Pocket

The Only Problem in American Politics Is the Republican Party

The Only Problem in American Politics Is the Republican Party:

Political scientist Lee Drutman argues in a Vox essay that American politics is descending into what he calls "doom-loop partisanship. via Pocket

Our Broken Economy, in One Simple Chart

Our Broken Economy, in One Simple Chart:

The poor and middle class used to see the largest income growth. Note: Inflation-adjusted annual average growth using income after taxes, transfers and non-cash benefits. via Pocket

This miracle weed killer was supposed to save farms. Instead, it’s devastating them.

This miracle weed killer was supposed to save farms. Instead, it's devastating them.:

BLYTHEVILLE, ARK. — Clay Mayes slams on the brakes of his Chevy Silverado and jumps out with the engine running, yelling at a dogwood by the side of the dirt road as if it had said something insulting. Its leaves curl downward and in on themselves like tiny, broken umbrellas. via Pocket

City governments are raising standards for working people—and state legislators are lowering them back down

City governments are raising standards for working people—and state legislators are lowering them back down:

On August 28, 2017, low-wage workers in St. Louis, Missouri, became the latest victims of state preemption laws. "Preemption" in this context refers to a situation in which a state law is enacted to block a local ordinance from taking effect—or dismantle an existing ordinance. via Pocket

Comments | What if Steve Bannon Is Right? - NYTimes.com

Comments | What if Steve Bannon Is Right? - NYTimes.com:

via Pocket

Scott Pruitt Is Carrying Out His E.P.A. Agenda in Secret, Critics Say

Scott Pruitt Is Carrying Out His E.P.A. Agenda in Secret, Critics Say:

WASHINGTON — When career employees of the Environmental Protection Agency are summoned to a meeting with the agency's administrator, Scott Pruitt, at agency headquarters, they no longer can count on easy access to the floor via Pocket

Wall Street Profits by Putting Investors in the Slow Lane

Wall Street Profits by Putting Investors in the Slow Lane:

Wall Street has developed a new way, clouded in obscurity, to fleece the hundreds of millions of Americans who have money invested in company pension plans, mutual funds and insurance policies. via Pocket

The GOP’s Attack on Voting Rights Was the Most Under-Covered Story of 2016

The GOP's Attack on Voting Rights Was the Most Under-Covered Story of 2016:

There were 25 debates during the presidential primaries and general election and not a single question about the attack on voting rights, even though this was the first presidential election in 50 years without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act. via Pocket

How to Make Fun of Nazis

How to Make Fun of Nazis:

For decades, Wunsiedel, a German town near the Czech border, has struggled with a parade of unwanted visitors. It is the birthplace of one of Adolf Hitler's deputies, a man named Rudolf Hess. And every year, to residents' chagrin, neo-Nazis marched to his grave site there. via Pocket

A New Kind of Classroom: No Grades, No Failing, No Hurry

A New Kind of Classroom: No Grades, No Failing, No Hurry:

Few middle schoolers are as clued in to their mathematical strengths and weakness as Moheeb Kaied. Now a seventh grader at Brooklyn's Middle School 442, he can easily rattle off his computational profile. via Pocket

How to Take Down Kim Jong Un

How to Take Down Kim Jong Un:

At my Senate confirmation hearing a few years ago, I made a promise to the panel deciding my fate: never to use the phrase "there are no good options. via Pocket

The Return of Monopoly

The Return of Monopoly:

On July 15, 2015, Amazon marked the twentieth anniversary of its founding with a "global shopping event" called Prime Day. via Pocket