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MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE by Michael Wolraich Order today at Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Bookshop |
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Seeing lots of recommends, retweets and "likes" of this piece by various and sundry, it's definitely striking a chord.
By Jeremy B. White @ Politico.com, Dec. 5
Legislature aims to rebuff the White House on immigration, health care, the environment and even the president’s tax returns.
By Shubham Saharan @ ColumbiaSpectator.com (of Columbia Univ.), Dec. 4
Comedian and former Saturday Night Live writer Nimesh Patel was pulled from the stage by event organizers after telling jokes that were criticized as racist and homophobic during his performance at cultureSHOCK: Reclaim, an event held by Columbia Asian American Alliance on Friday night.
Patel, 32, was the first Indian-American writer for SNL, and has since been nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing. Patel has previously performed on Late Night with Seth Meyers and opened for comedians such as Chris Rock.
During the event, Patel’s performance featured commentary on his experience living in a diverse area of New York City—including a joke about a gay, black man in his neighborhood—which AAA officials deemed inappropriate. Patel joked that being gay cannot be a choice because “no one looks in the mirror and thinks, ‘this black thing is too easy, let me just add another thing to it.’'
About 30 minutes into Patel’s set, members of AAA interrupted the performance, denounced his jokes about racial identities and sexual orientation, and provided him with a few moments for closing remarks. Compared to his other jokes, ones specifically targeting sexual orientation audibly receive less laughter from the crowd.
Patel pushed back on the officials’ remarks, and said that while he stood in solidarity with Asian American identities [....]
By Carol D. Leonnig, Rosalind S. Helderman & Devlin Barret @ WashingtonPost.com, Dec. 4 at 8:57 PM
Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III on Tuesday recommended that former national security adviser Michael Flynn serve no prison time, citing his “substantial assistance” with several ongoing investigations, according to a new court filing.
Flynn was forced out of his post as national security adviser in February 2017 after the White House said he misled administration officials, including Vice President Pence, about his contacts with Sergey Kislyak, Russia’s ambassador to the United States at the time.
Since then, Flynn has been cooperating with Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 campaign, and his full account of events has been one of the best-kept secrets in Washington. He is one of five Trump aides who have pleaded guilty in the special counsel probe [....]
The author and academic discusses 2020, Trump and Jordan Peterson
Still a wacky thought-provoking iconoclast after all these years.
A highly original documentary project reveals how a couple of Beverly Hills billionaires “are willing to risk war in Iran and the Middle East — all in order to boost and protect their lucrative pistachio business.”
Interview by David Wallace Wells @ NYMag.com, Dec. 3
The environmentalist and former vice-president talks wildfires and Donald Trump.
Donald Trump is nearly as unpopular in small towns as he is in suburban areas and cities, signaling potential trouble for his re-election prospects, according to a survey that highlights the Republican president’s vulnerabilities. In rural areas -- not including those living in small towns -- 46 percent say they’ll definitely vote for him for a second term. But in all other geographic areas, there’s much higher skepticism about a second Trump term. Just 33 percent of those in small towns definitely plan to vote for him, while 27 percent in suburbs and 24 percent in cities say they will.
Interview @ NewYorker.com by Masha Gessen, Dec. 4
The chess grandmaster and political activist on Putin, Trump, and how we are living again through the eighteen-fifties. “We have entered a period of chaos,” Garry Kasparov says. “Putin didn’t invent the chaos. He just sort of helped it along.”
By John D. Dingel (Represented Michigan in Congress for over 59 years) @ TheAtlantic.com, Dec. 4
Abolish the Senate and publicly fund elections.
By Tal Axelrod @ TheHill.com, Dec. 4
Former Vice President Joe Biden fueled speculation he might make a 2020 bid for the White House, saying Monday night that he believes he is the “most qualified” person to take on President Trump.
“I'll be as straight with you as I can. I think I'm the most qualified person in the country to be president,” Biden said at a stop for his book tour in Missoula, Montana. “The issues that we face as a country today are the issues that have been in my wheelhouse, that I've worked on my whole life.” [....]