National news these days is coming at us fast and furious, overwhelming our ability to keep up, understand what it all means and wade through the useless noise. It’s no wonder so many of us are tuning out instead.
That’s bad — for our democracy, our sanity and our ability to fight for what we believe in and what we want to see for our country, our city, our communities.
We’re here to help.
As Citizen Co-founder Larry Platt wrote a few weeks ago:
The age of the editorial gatekeeper is over. You are your own editor these days. So each week from now on we’re going to provide you the must-read or must-see picks, without regard to ideology, that we think are worthy of your attention in an effort to get a handle on just what’s really happening in national affairs.
Here’s what to read this week:
Why Qatar is Bribing Trump by Judd Legum, Popular Information
“You can’t make this stuff up: Pres. Trump is ready to accept a $400 million luxury Boeing 747 from the Qatari government to replace Air Force One — and then give it to his own presidential library when he’s out of office. Is this legal? Well …” — Citizen Executive Director Roxanne Patel Shepelavy
U.S. Popularity Collapses Worldwide in Wake of Trump’s Return by Giovanna Coi, Politico
The world is more divided than ever, but there’s still something (nearly) everyone agrees on: The U.S. is unloved. Even China is more popular!
How to Sniff Out “Copaganda” by Alec Karakatsanis, Teen Vogue
An excerpt from Karakatsanis’ new book, Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News, which criticizes how the media covers — and enables — policing.
We can’t just be against Trump. It’s time for a bold, progressive populism by Robert Reich, The Guardian
As Reich says: “What would progressive populism entail? Strengthening democracy by busting up big corporations. Stopping Wall Street’s gambling (e.g. replicating the Glass-Steagall Act). Getting big money out of politics, even if this requires amending the constitution. Requiring big corporations to share their profits with their average workers. Strengthening unions. And raising taxes on the super-wealthy to finance a universal basic income, Medicare for all, and paid family leave.”
A Book Points to Biden’s Decline and Democrats’ Cowardice by Reid J. Epstein, The New York Times ($)
Six takeaways from Original Sin, Alex Thompson and Jake Tapper’s new book about the Biden presidency. Spoiler: Dems do not look good.
A Ragtag Group of Covid Truth-Tellers Go to Washington by Carrie McKean, The Free Press
A look at the citizens who questioned the government’s Covid data and policies and were ostracized for it — and are now influencing American health policy.
MLB Made the Right Call in Reinstating Pete Rose, But Should Have Done So Earlier by Frederic J. Frommer, The Contrarian
A hot take on the star Phillie from Frommer, who says, “He was a deeply flawed man and his baseball sin serious, but he was entitled to grace.”
Finally, a mystery worthy of the podcast treatment:
The Dave & Busters Anomaly, The Search Engine Show
“A highly entertaining one-episode mystery — why do iPhones refuse to send one phrase and one phrase only, “Dave & Buster’s”, when sending voice texts??? This internet mystery turned out to be a cool explainer about cybersecurity and AI.” — Citizen Staff Writer Malcolm Burnley
Previous Must-Reads:
Week of May 5
Bill Maher, Mike Pompeo, Nellie Bowles, and More on 100 Days of Trump The Free Press ($)
Quick takes from across the political and media spectrum on the 47th president’s “sprint.”
100 Days, 134 Million Views of False Claims About Trump Sofia Rubinson, NewsGuard
The fact-checking news site identified 20 untruths spread on social media, mostly by Trump supporters as “evidence of Trump’s support for the middle class. For example, the claim that Trump eliminated taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security benefits …”
Saving the University from Its Defenders by Glenn Loury
The Brown economist talks with journalist John McWhorter and political scientist Wendy Schiller about the state of universities — and The University, “an institution that employees experts to produce new knowledge and to teach young people and to train the next generation of researchers and scholars” in the time of Trump.
Trump vs. Amazon’s Brilliant Tariff Idea by Wall Street Journal Editorial Board ($)
Would it help or hurt American consumers — and President Trump — if the e-retailer spelled out in detail just how much of their purchase price is due to the president’s tariffs?
No Satisfying Alternative to Religion? Try Reality by Richard Dawkins, The Poetry of Reality
From Dawkins: There is joy in understanding, true joy, rising to little short of ecstasy. I suppose you could call it the poetry of reality. Peter Atkins concludes his lovely little book, The Creation, with a vision of the limitless future of science: “Complete knowledge is just within our grasp. Comprehension is moving across the face of the Earth, like the sunrise.”
Canada’s Historic Election by Isaac Saul, Tangle
“Tangle does a good job at unpacking the Canadian election results you’re like me and want to know what’s going on with our neighbors but don’t have time to get too entrenched in another country’s politics — because taking in everything in America right now feels like enough work as it is!” — Olivia Kram, Citizen Digital Media Marketing and Community Manager
Finally, an ode to spring:
Gardening as an Ode to Self-Discovery by Maria Popova, The Marginalian
If you haven’t already subscribed to Penn grad Popova’s arts, culture and literature newsletter, you should. It’s a beautiful reminder to stop and enjoy what gives meaning to life. Here’s a sample of her words: “You may or may not be able to stop a war by planting a garden, but each time you kneel to press a seed into the ground and bow to look at the ants kissing a peony abloom, you are calling ceasefire on the war within; you are learning to tend to fragility, to cultivate a quiet stubborn resilience, to surrender to forces larger than your will; you are learning to trust time, which is our best means of trusting life.”
Week of April 28
Trump is Acting Like It’s His Choice Whether He Obeys The Constitution, by Stephen Collinson, CNN
As Collinson notes: “In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker” that aired in full Sunday, Trump said for instance, “I don’t know” when asked whether he needs to uphold the Constitution, three months after swearing an oath to do so.”
What Will the New Pope Be Like, by Catherine Pepinster, The Guardian
“For those of us who didn’t play Fantapapa (or study the catechism), this post offers the perfect amount of historical, Catholic and cultural context on the world’s first American Pope, the newly elected Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost.” — Citizen Deputy Editor Lauren McCutcheon
The Wisdom of the Donald, by Matthew Continetti, The Free Press
President Trump gave the commencement speech at University of Alabama last weekend, offering graduates 10 pieces of advice that explain his success — and offer a glimpse into what drives him.
Why No One Can Win An Argument With Donald Trump, by Rich Lowry, National Review ($ after a few articles)
Self-assured bluster is always convincing, Lowry argues — even when that bluster is full of lies and dissembling.
How To Not Get Poisoned in America, by Talia Lavin, The Sword and the Sandwich
An in-depth and fascinating interview with Debra Blum, author of a book about American food safety, and another on poisons, and director of the Knight Science Journalism Center at MIT about our American food system that is being upended by RFK Jr.
Even Trump-Appointed Judges are Resisting Authoritarian Ploys, by Jennifer Rubin, The Contrarian
“Make no mistake,” Rubin says, “these judges are not squishy progressives. Their rulings on everything from discrimination to guns to reproductive rights to tort liability may have been averse to the interests of progressives. But on matters of fundamental democratic governance, the sanctity of elections, and due process, they have not shied away from upholding their constitutional oaths.”
Watch: James Carville vs David Hogg Battle in Epic Clash Over Democratic Party, Tara Palmeri Show, YouTube
“A potential showdown on the Democratic Party’s generational divide turns out to be more about what the young upstart and the geriatric message guru actually agree about.” — Citizen Co-founder Larry Platt
Finally, an exciting week for journalism:
The winners of this year’s Pulitzer Prize (like the Oscars for journalism) were announced this week, including for stories about the victims of war in Gaza, Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq; Donald Trump’s assassination attempt; deaths due to abortion bans; and a Washington Post cartoonist who resigned in protest when the paper refused to publish an image critical of the president.
Week of April 21
How a Reddit Meme Birthed a Nationwide Anti-Trump Movement by Tim Dickinson, RollingStone
The 50501 movement that’s spurred the “Hands Off,” “No Kings” and other nationwide anti-authoritarian protests since February has an online originator who, not unlike The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto The Citizen learned about this week, prefers to remain anonymous. Nonetheless, the movement’s leaders believe their decentralized network has the potential to become a long-lasting “living ecosystem.”
We Can Fix This: Our Politics Really Can Work — These Stories Show How by Meredith Sumpter and Alan Durning, The Fulcrum
Alaska and Portland, Oregon have enacted voting laws that have restored confidence in local democracies during a time when confidence is on a steep decline nationally? What are those changes, you ask? Well, none other than the open primaries and ranked choice voting that The Citizen has touted for all of our 10 years.
What the Sciences Say about Artificial Food Dyes Amid RFK Jr.’s Push to Ban Them by Teddy Amenabar and Rachel Roubein, The Washington Post $
An estimated 7 million American children have an ADHD diagnosis. Many parents and some doctors believe petroleum-based food coloring worsens these kids’ symptoms. The science isn’t conclusive, but getting rid of artificial dyes is a safe bet, say scientists.
Is the Era of Student Loan Forgiveness Officially Over? by Stacy Cowley and Michael Barbaro for the New York Times’ podcast, The Daily
A simple untangling of how the U.S. government got into the student loan business, how that business went awry, and how, after years of virtual forgiveness, at a moment when the Department of Education is understaffed, a sudden reversal is putting 9 million student loan holders in danger of personally (and nationally) catastrophic financial consequences.
What Trump Can Learn from George W. Bush on Immigration Strategy by John Yoo, for City Journal
Nearly 25 years ago, the Bush administration adopted aggressive wartime legal theories against foreign nationals in response to 9/11. In practice, the Trump administration’s actions look similar. Look closer, and they’re not. The current President can’t argue war, lacks Congressional backing, and is defying both due process and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Stephen A. Smith Will Not be the President by Malcolm Ferguson, The New Republic
“Former Philly columnist, now a national outspoken sports pundit Stephen A. Smith appears to be getting serious about a presidential run. Why not? (Everything else is weird, after all.)” — Malcolm Burnley, Citizen Staff Writer
Finally, because we need this right now:
Bradley Cooper Makes an Awfully Good Cheesesteak by Helen Rosner, The New Yorker ($; free to listen)
A five-minute review of Danny & Coop’s, the already-swamped new cheesesteak spot in the East Village from Angelo’s Danny DiGiampietro and the Rydal-raised actor-director, points out the latter owner’s piercing blue eyes, the Cooper (no relation noted) sharp cheese on the sandwich, and the undisputed fact that this and all cheesesteaks taste better in Philadelphia.
Week of April 14
Twenty Lessons on Tyranny, read by John Lithgow by Tim Snyder
Play this on repeat, make it a (10 minute, 27 second) mantra, act accordingly. Snyder, a historian whose study of 20th Century tyranny feels especially prescient, partnered with the actor John Lithgow to present this clear instruction manual for, surviving and protecting democracy in these scary times. — Citizen Executive Editor/Executive Director Roxanne Patel Shepelavy
A Top Democratic Official Plots to Take Down Party Incumbents by Shane Goldmacher, The New York Times ($)
Parkland High School shooting survivor David Hogg, now a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, is determined to unseat the party’s older lawmakers in primaries: “People say they want change in the Democratic Party, but really they want change so long as it doesn’t potentially endanger their position of power,” he said. “That’s not actually wanting change. That’s selfishness.”
The Attack on Shapiro Was An Assault On Democracy by Sen. Dave McCormick, The Free Press
Pennsylvania’s junior senator lays out what is undoubtedly true when he says “Shapiro is a Democrat. I’m a Republican who supports President Donald Trump. But this isn’t a moment for partisanship. It’s time for all Americans to disown, condemn, and make every effort to stop political violence. And we must likewise call on our political leaders to avoid language that vilifies those on the other side.”
Time for Accountability on the Covid Lab-Leak Coverup by Mike Gallagher, The Wall Street Journal ($)
A former Wisconsin congressman who is now head of defense for Palantir Technologies and a fellow at the Hudson Institute calls for a reckoning from former Chief Medical Advisor to the President of United States Anthony Fauci about what he knew and what he denied about Covid starting in a lab in Wuhan Province, China.
Trump’s Attack on Harvard Is Ridiculous. But It Still Needs to Change by Evan Mandery, Politico
Mandery, a Harvard alum and author of Poison Ivy: How Elite Colleges Divide Us, makes a clear case that two things can be true at the same time: Harvard and its wealthy ilk have failed to expand opportunities for a wide swath of Americans, and President Trump’s demands to essentially take over governance of the school’s policies is a brazen assault on democracy.
Finally, for all you parents out there:
Lighthouse Parents Have More Confident Kids by Russell Shaw, The Atlantic
Shaw defines the term, from CHOP pediatrician Ken Ginsburg, thusly: “Like a lighthouse that helps sailors avoid crashing into rocks, Lighthouse Parents provide firm boundaries and emotional support while allowing their children the freedom to navigate their own challenges. They demonstrate that they trust their kids to handle difficult situations independently. The key is learning when to step back and let them find their own way.”
