Short List
- Heather McGhee in conversation with Ezra Klein, What ‘Drained-Pool’ Politics Costs America
Drained-pool politics — if “they” can also have it, then no one can — helps explain why America still doesn’t have a truly universal health care system, a child care system, a decent social safety net. McGhee, the former president of the think tank Demos, offers a devastating tour of American public policy, and she shows how drained-pool politics have led to less for everyone, not just their intended targets.
- Miriam Pawel, California Wakes Up From Its Dream
California is facing limits, and the wrenching process of learning to live within them will test its leaders and redefine the state. The staggering reality of 2020 has demanded a reckoning: to ignore the urgency will condemn Californians to decades of pain, a burden that will fall most heavily on those least equipped to cope.
- New York Times, Inside the Capitol Riot: An Exclusive Video Investigation
What we have come up with is a 40-minute panoramic take on Jan. 6, the most complete visual depiction of the Capitol riot to date. In putting it together, we gained critical insights into the character and motivation of rioters by experiencing the events of the day often through their own words and video recordings. We found evidence of members of extremist groups inciting others to riot and assault police officers. And we learned how Donald J. Trump’s own words resonated with the mob in real time as they staged the attack.
Also Worth Reading
- Daniel Cusick, ‘In hell’: Nowhere has been drier than this stretch of Texas
- Lisa Held, Can Land Conservation and Dual-Use Solar on Farms Coexist?
- Hurubie Meko, Tilling north St. Louis, planting for a healthier future
- Garry Wills, The Bishops Are Wrong About Biden — and Abortion
- Daniel Drezner, The devolution of the contrarian class: Being contrarian for contrarian’s sake is no way to go through life.
- Chad Orzel, A Kick in the Ass: Sometimes it’s the right intervention