Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
Donald Trump is both addicted to media attention and prone to lying to suit his own needs. There is no reason—none—for journalists to allow him to harangue them off-the-record. So stop. What, exactly, is accomplished by “off the record” meetings between journalists and political figures? A simple breakdown: Politicians gain: A chance to convince journalists…
Choristers of St Paul’s Cathedral sing Christmas carols on Monday at the cathedral in London. If something is not done soon, these people of faith will soon be grabbing Chinese food and a movie! (Luke MacGregor/Reuters) Spoiler Alerts will mostly be on hiatus for the rest of 2014. But before I wish you all a…
I deactivated my Twitter account today. It was more of a spontaneous impulse than a New Year resolution, although it does feel like a juice cleanse, a moulting, a polar-bear plunge, a clean slate (except the opposite – like throwing your slate into a volcano and running). One moment I was brains-deep in the usual…
Andrew Cuomo wants to be loved. He wants to run for president. He is also the embodiment of a morally bankrupt Democratic Party that has failed, at every juncture, to live up to any of the ideals it purports to hold dear. Andrew Cuomo is a snake. He should be allowed nowhere near the 2020…
Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the majority leader, at the Capitol on Tuesday. He opposed the move against the Office of Congressional Ethics. Credit Stephen Crowley/The New York Times WASHINGTON — It was supposed to be a triumphant morning for Republicans on Capitol Hill — a moment to demonstrate the merits of unified party rule…
The Entire History of the World—Really, All of It—Distilled Into a Single Gorgeous Chart /header The Vault is Slate‘s history blog. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @slatevault, and find us on Tumblr. Find out more about what this space is all about here. This “Histomap,” created by John B. Sparks, was first printed by Rand McNally in 1931….
Casey Affleck accepting the award for best actor for “Manchester by the Sea” at the Critics’ Choice Awards in December. Credit Chris Pizzello/Invision, via Associated Press LOS ANGELES — This was supposed to be the awards season when Hollywood, having been scorched by consecutive #OscarsSoWhite years, avoided tumult over race. Not so. In heated conversations…
Amid a wave of criticism on Monday, House Republicans are reversing course on a plan to kill the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), an independent body created to investigate unethical wrongdoing by lawmakers. House Republican met in secret on Sunday evening and voted to rein in the OCE by subjecting it to oversight from the…
Farmer Challenges French Immigration Laws Cédric Herrou from the Roya Valley near the Italian border is on trial and igniting debate for having helped bring people into France illegally. NICE, France — At times it was hard to know who was on trial, the smuggler or the state. The defendant, Cédric Herrou, 37, a slightly…
The troubled blood testing company Theranos has announced another 155 layoffs, just months after cutting 340 staff in October. In total the company, which was once one of the country’s most valuable tech startups, has cut about 70% of its staff in the last three months. Theranos said about 220 employees will remain in the…