The Weekly Town Crier (06/12/20)

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All the week’s news that’s fit to cry about (06/12/20)

Read “Bonnie Pointer, Pointer Sisters Singer, Dies at 69” at Spin.

Read “When Christians won’t acknowledge racism, protest becomes church” at Religion News Service.

Read “An open letter to my fellow white Americans” at America Magazine.

Read “Why White Evangelicals Won’t Rise To This Moment” at Colorblind Christians. ““It is probably not possible for evangelical leaders to please at once the enthusiastic Trump supporter and the black lives matter protestor. If the past is prologue, white evangelical elites are likely to try to thread the needle anyway. Crucial to their calculations will be the knowledge that there are far more Trump supporters in their midst than black lives matter activists.”

Read “Unliked Likes: Pastor Chris Hodges, Church of the Highlands, and Twitter's Wrath Some social media "likes" gets Church of the Highlands kicked out of some public schools they were renting, but such cancel culture is the wrong answer” at Christianity Today.

Read “A Person You Flee At Parties; Donald And The Devil” by David Bentley Hart at First Things.

Read the opinion piece “Ignore the optics. Trump’s executive order could jump-start the cause of global religious freedom” at America Magazine.

Read “The Christian Martyrdom Movement Ascends to the White House A former professor of Kayleigh McEnany, Trump’s new press secretary, explores her enduring obsession with religious persecution and death” at New Republic.

Read “Is There a Religious Left? Why progressive activism rooted in faith is so often misconstrued” at The New Yorker.

Read “Tim Keller Asks for Prayers for Pancreatic Cancer The New York pastor and author announced his diagnosis Sunday and begins chemo next week” at Christianity Today.

Read “Justice Too Long Delayed It’s time for the church to make restitution for racial sin” at Christianity Today.

Read "A Soul Check for White Christians In the words of MLK, "There comes a time when silence is betrayal” at Christianity Today.

This week in the president’s Bible-Photo-Fiasco:

  • Read “What I’d like to say to President Trump about the Bible I’d tell him a secret I learned from Eugene Peterson” at Christian Century.

  • Read “Catholic Archbishop Criticizes Trump's Visit To St. John Paul II Shrine” at NPR.

  • Read/Watch “The crackdown before Trump’s photo op What video and other records show about the clearing of protesters outside the White House” at Washington Post.

  • Read “More than 1,250 former Justice Dept. workers call for internal watchdog to probe Barr role in clearing demonstrators from Lafayette Square” at Washington Post.

  • Read “Breaking News: The top U.S. military official, General Mark Milley, apologized for taking part in President Trump’s walk to a church photo op. “I should not have been there.” at New York Times.

Read “African American Alumni Call on Jerry Falwell Jr. to Step Down Thirty-five faith leaders who went to Liberty University released a letter criticizing the college president's rhetoric, including his recent blackface mask tweet” at Christianity Today.

  • Read “Liberty’s Jerry Falwell Jr. apologizes for tweet; director of diversity resigns” at Washington Post.

Read “Raise your signs and voices. Then raise your church's race awareness” at Religion News Service.

  • Read “Preaching Against Racism Is Not a Distraction from the Gospel The pulpit gives a record of our witness” at Christianity Today.

  • Read “White Pastors: Our Decision to Show Up Matters It takes humility to be an ally. Even if we make mistakes, we need to do it” at Christianity Today.

  • Consider “When protest becomes prayer” at America Magazine.

Browse “Anti-Racism For Kids 101: Starting To Talk About Race” at Books For Littles.

Read “There Is a Stench’: Soiled Clothes and No Baths for Migrant Children at a Texas Center” at New York Times.

Read “Native Americans Want to be Included in Race Talks” at Voice Of America.

Read “Drake University grad gets Merriam-Webster Dictionary to update 'racism' definition” at Des Moines Register.

Read “An Empirical Analysis of Racial Diiferences in Police Use of Force” by Roland G. Fryer, Jr. at https://scholar.harvard.edu/.

Learn about the Tulsa Race Massacre (1921) at History.

  • Meet “The Last Surviving Witness To The Tulsa Race Riot Of 1921” at NPR’s Codeswitch.

Learn about the Rosewood Massacre (1923) at History.

Read “Hundreds of Thousands Sign Petitions Urging the U.S. Government to Declare KKK a Terrorist Group” at Newsweek.

Read “The Familial Language of Black Grief Black people feel the pain and loss of black life as if it were our very own blood that had been brutalized—because it easily could have been” by Jemar Tisby for The Atlantic.

Read “Ohio State Sen. Steve Huffman, a Republican, has been fired from his position as an emergency room doctor after using racist language to question whether people of color are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus because of poor hygiene” at Cleveland.com.

Read “The White House is preparing a speech on race relations written by Stephen Miller, who crafted the Trump Administration’s immigration plan along the southern border with Mexico” at American Urban Radio Networks.

In the “You mean this didn’t exist before” category, read: “Band-Aid launches bandages for different skin tones.

This week in traitorous, white-supremacist Confederate monuments (and/or Columbus monuments):

  • Read “U.S. Marine Corps Orders Confederate Flag Ban Including on Bumper Stickers, Mugs And T-Shirts” at Newsweek.

    Read/watch Tennessee "lawmakers vote down removal of Nathan Bedford Forrest bust” at WSMV.

  • Read “Protests Are Bringing Down Confederate Monuments Around The South” at NPR.

  • Read “NASCAR’s Bubba Wallace wants Confederate flags banned from races” at Fox 59.

  • Read “NASCAR bans Confederate flags from all racetracks” at ESPN.

  • Ever wonder “Is There a Racist Monument In Your Town? Check This Map to Find Out The Southern Poverty Law Center has tracked Confederate monuments for years, but the map has taken on a new utility now” at Vice.

  • Read “What Are We to Do With Cinematic Monuments to the Confederacy?” at Vulture.

  • Read “Protesters Topple Jefferson Davis Statue In Richmond, Va.” at NPR.

  • Read “J. D. Greear Urges SBC to Retire Historic Gavel from Slaveholding Preacher” at Christianity Today.

  • Read “'Homage To Hate': Pelosi Calls For Confederate Statues Removed From U.S. Capitol” at NPR.

  • Read “Black Lives Matter Protesters Topple Slave Trader Statue and Dump It in Harbour The much-hated statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston now lies at the bottom of Bristol Harbour” at Vice.

  • Read “Congress Heads Toward Clash With Trump Over Removal Of Confederate Symbols” at NPR.

  • Read “Cuomo declines to call for removal of Christopher Columbus statue” at The Hill.

  • Read “Beheaded Christopher Columbus Statue In Boston Will Be Removed From North End Park” at Boston CBS.

  • Read “Tennessee Republicans Rally To Preserve Statue And Holiday For KKK Founder” at Forbes.

This Week in Protest News:

  • Read “Why these protests are different There have been uprisings against police brutality and racism before, but this is the country at its exasperation point” at Vox.

  • Read “Police abolitionists find fuel in the protests As more people lose faith in the state, organizers offer alternatives” at Chicago Reader.

  • Read “DC Mayor has “Black Lives Matters” painted in massive letters on street leading to The White House” at Brooklyn Vegan.

  • Read “Kanye West joins Chicago protests after donating $2M to families of Floyd, Taylor & Arbery” at Brooklyn Vegan.

  • Read “Phoenix Police Chief Marches With Protesters, Faces Criticism” at KJZZ.

  • Read “Show Taper/Defense Attorney Represents George Floyd Protesters Pro Bono Dan Lynch, founder of NYCTaper, has been offering pro bono services to arrested demonstrators” at Rolling Stone.

  • Read “Iowa City protest leader jailed after unlawful assembly case” at Associated Press.

  • Read “Officers slashed tires on vehicles parked amid Minneapolis protests, unrest” at Star Tribune.

  • Read “Mitt Romney Joins Evangelical Racial Justice March in DC” at Christianity Today.

  • Read “The New White House Fence Is Getting Covered In Protest Art” at DCist.

  • Read "Amherst man pushed by police responds after Trump tweet: 'Black Lives Matter' at Democrat and Chronicle.

  • Read “Ohio protester dies two days after exposure to tear gas, pepper spray”

  • Read “Understanding the LRAD, the “Sound Cannon” Police Are Using at Protests, and How to Protect Yourself From It” at Pitchfork.

  • Read “How The Antifa Fantasy Spread In Small Towns Across The U.S. Rumors of roving bands of Antifa have followed small protests all over the United States. Why are people so ready to believe them?” at Buzzfeed News.

  • Read “Rev. Al Sharpton criticizes Trump's response to peaceful protesters” at MSNBC.

  • Read “White Signs at Black Protests The jovial, jokey messaging I have witnessed at New York protests illustrates my profound discomfort with how I feel white people are approaching this critical moment” at Vanity Fair.

  • Read “All Lives Matter protesters re-enacted George Floyd's death as a Black Lives Matter march went by” at CNN.* *(Editor’s Note from Holiday at the Sea: This has nothing to do with asserting that "All Lives Matter" and everything to do with White Supremacy.)

  • Read “The 'Concerned Citizen Who Happens To Be Armed' Is Showing Up At Protests” at NPR.

  • Read “Amazon pauses police use of its facial recognition tech for a year” at Reuters.

    Read “Microsoft says it won’t sell facial recognition software to police until there’s a national law ‘grounded in human rights’ at CNBC.

George Floyd:

  • Read “Trump says he hopes George Floyd ‘looking down’ and seeing today’s jobs numbers as ‘a great day for him’ at The Independent.

  • Read “George Floyd protests: Trump says ‘MAGA loves the black people’ after being accused of stoking racial violence” at The Independent.

  • Read “Texas GOP chairwoman faces calls to resign after she pushed a conspiracy theory that George Floyd's death was staged to hurt Trump” at Daily Mail.

  • Read “Minneapolis Will Ban Chokeholds After The Killing Of George Floyd” at Buzzfeed News.

  • Read “Megachurch pastor Joel Osteen joins Black Lives Matter march with the family of George Floyd” at Charity Institute.

  • Read “'Stop the pain': George Floyd's brother testifies on policing reform Philonise Floyd appeared before the House Judiciary Committee' at ABC News.

Breonna Taylor:

  • Read “FBI opens an investigation into the death of Breonna Taylor” at ABC News.

  • Read “Louisville police release the Breonna Taylor incident report. It's virtually blank” Courier-Journal.

  • Read “Rand Paul introduces Justice for Breonna Taylor Act to ban "no-knock" warrants” at Axios.

Read “Racial Injustice has Benefited Me - A Confession” by Phil Vischer (Veggie Tales).

Read “A Look At Housing Inequality And Racism In The U.S.” at Forbes.

Read “Dear Companies: Your BLM Posts Are Cute But We Want To See Policy Change” at Forbes.

Read “Starbucks Won't Let Employees Wear Gear That Supports Black Lives Matter Because It Is Political Or Could Incite Violence” at Buzzfeed News.

Read “The Head Of CrossFit Has Stepped Down After Telling Staff On A Zoom Call, “We're Not Mourning For George Floyd” In a recording obtained by BuzzFeed News, Greg Glassman can also be heard sharing wild conspiracy theories about Floyd and the coronavirus” at Buzzfeed News.

Read “NFL players spoke, and Roger Goodell responded. Now what? Here's what we know” at ESPN.

Read “Rex Chapman: If fewer opportunities come from me speaking out about racism, ‘so be it’” at MSNBC. "I've been in cars with black friends on my way to NBA games before, high school games," says fmr. NBA player Rex Chapman. "Been pulled over, guns are drawn. It's a way different experience than being pulled over in a car full of white people."

Read “The Embarrassment of Democrats Wearing Kente-Cloth Stoles” at The New Yorker.

  • Read “A Thoughtful Rumination on Lawmakers' Performative Wearing of Kente Stoles to Unveil the Justice in Policing Act of 2020” at Very Smart Brothas.

Read “For Black Americans, Using Social Media Means Risking PTSD” at Slate.

Read “School’s Food Drive to Help Those Affected By Looting in Minneapolis Turns Into Tsunami of Grocery Bags Deliveries” at Good News Network.

Read “White Supremacists Take on Trappings of Religion” at Christianity Today (originally published in 1986).

Read “Reading James Baldwin can help heal the wounds of racial division” at America Magazine.

Read “5 Questions About Reparations: Answered” at Ben and Jerrys'.

Read “Nike to recognize Juneteenth as an annual paid holiday” at Yahoo.

Read “Air Force general confirmed as first black military service chief in American history” at 5 News Online.

Read “Ella Jones To Become The First Black Female Mayor Of Ferguson” at Elle.

Read “Candace ‘Black Karen’ Owens’ GoFundMe Account Suspended Over George Floyd Comments” at The Root.

Read “Michael Jordan's brand donates $100 million to organizations fighting racism against black people" at CNBC.

Read “Walmart CEO in email condemns racial violence and pledges $100 million to address systematic racism” at Business Insider.

This Week With the Police:

  • Read “American police shoot, kill and imprison more people than other developed countries. Here's the data” at CNN.

    • Read “Protests spread over police shootings. Police promised reforms. Every year, they still shoot and kill nearly 1,000 people” at Washington Post.

    • Read “Barr Says There Is No Systemic Racism in Policing The attorney general’s remarks, which mirrored those of other administration officials, came as the president was scheduled to meet with law enforcement officials at the White House” at New York Times.

    • Read “San Francisco may stop hiring cops with records of misconduct” at PBS News Hour. (Emphasis mine).

    • Read “Florida police organization offers to hire 'Buffalo 57,' 'Atlanta 6' cops who were fired, resigned over police misconduct” at ABC7 Chicago.

    • Read “Brevard sheriff ‘embarrassed,’ suspends lieutenant who tried to recruit cops from departments accused of brutality” at Orlando Sentinel.

    • Read “Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Jeff Merkley propose creating a national database of cops with a record of misconduct” at Business Insider.

    • Read “Confessions of a Former Bastard Cop” at Medium. “I acted as a violent agent of capitalism and white supremacy. Under the guise of public safety.”

    • Read “Minneapolis Police Chief Takes on Union, Promises Reform” at New York Times.

  • Read/Watch “Minneapolis City Council members intend to defund and dismantle the city's police department” at CNN.

    • Read “Defund the police? Here’s what that really means” at Washington Post.

    • Read “Confessions of a Former Bastard Cop” at Medium.

    • Read as Joe Biden argues for more ineffective incrementalism: “Biden: We must urgently root out systemic racism, from policing to housing to opportunity Federal dollars should not go to departments that violate people’s rights or turn to violence as a first resort, but I don't support defunding police” at USA Today.

    • Consider this Tweet from Johnathan Wilson-Hartgrove: “If you’re uncomfortable w/ calls to “defund the police,” consider that calls for smaller government over the past 40 yrs have meant defunding education, public health & anti-poverty programs.”

  • Read “New York passes bill to unveil police disciplinary records” at PBS News Hour.

  • Read “Democrats Unveil Police Reform Legislation Amid Protests Nationwide” at NPR.

  • Read “Police unions dig in as calls for reform grow” at CNN.

  • Read “Jami Resch steps down as Portland police chief, asks African American lieutenant to fill the job” at Oregon Live.

  • Read “All 57 members of Buffalo's Emergency Response Team RESIGN in 'disgust' over the suspension and criminal probe of two cops for shoving a peace activist, 75, to the floor during protests” at Daily Mail.

  • Read "Former Chief Of Reformed Camden, N.J., Force: Police Need 'Consent Of The People' at NPR.

  • Read “This city disbanded its police department 7 years ago. Here's what happened next” at CNN.

  • Read “‘Cops’ Canceled By Paramount Network, ‘Live PD’ Return Evaluated By A&E” at Deadline.

  • Read “Oakland school board and superintendent back elimination of district police” at San Francisco Chronicle.

Read “America is changing, and so is the media The media has gone through painful periods of change before. But this time is different” at Vox.

Your Weekly Coronavirus Roundup:

  • Read “U.S. Hits 2 Million Coronavirus Cases As Many States See A Surge Of Patients” at NPR.

  • Browse “Average Daily New Cases per 100,000 people.”

  • Read “Arizona's Largest Hospital System Nearing ICU Bed Capacity” at KJZZ.

  • Read “Survey: Many Arizonans Still Reluctant To Resume Normal Activity After Coronavirus” at KJZZ.

  • Read “Former Arizona health director: State could need new stay-at-home order” at KTAR.

  • Read “Covid-free New Zealand: There are now ZERO active Covid-19 cases in the country” at The Spin Off.

  • Read “14 states and Puerto Rico hit highest seven-day average of new coronavirus infections” at Washington Post.

  • Read as Slate wonders “How Much Should You Be Worried About a COVID-19 Spike From the Protests?”

  • Read “Alarm grows as Arizona continues with days of high case increases, deaths and hospitalizations: 28,296 cases, 1,070 known deaths” at AZ Central.

  • Read “NYT Poll: Most Epidemiologists Wouldn’t Attend A Concert For A Year Or More” at Stereogum.

  • Read “Lollapalooza Canceled Due to COVID-19 The Chicago festival will instead offer a weekend-long livestream” at Consequence of Sound.

  • Read “Maricopa County urges masks and individual precautions to slow the increasing spread of COVID-19” at AZ Central.

  • Read “U.S. Hits 2 Million Coronavirus Cases As Many States See A Surge Of Patients” at NPR.

  • Read “Harvard health expert anticipates 200,000 US coronavirus deaths by September” at The Hill.

Read “Colin Powell announces he'll vote for Biden, saying Trump "lies all the time" at CBS News.

Read “George W. Bush and Mitt Romney won't support Trump in 2020, while some GOP officials consider voting for Biden” at Yahoo.

Read “Trump to restart MAGA rallies this month despite coronavirus The president and his team believe the massive protests in recent weeks will make it harder for critics to single him out” at Politico.

Read “That Trump Tweet? Republicans Prefer Not to See It.” at Yahoo.

Read “Market Meltdown: Dow Dives 1,800 Points On Worries Of 2nd Coronavirus Wave” at NPR.

Read “Is This the Last Stand of the ‘Law and Order’ Republicans? A punitive brand of conservatism embraced by Trump and some GOP hardliners is rapidly falling out of step with public opinion” at Politico.

Read “Justice in Policing Act: What’s included in Democrats’ police reform bill?” at MSNBC.

Read “Sen. Susan Collins Loses Endorsement Of Major Gun Control Group Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund supported the Maine Republican in 2014. This year, they’ve thrown their support behind Democrat Sara Gideon” at Huff Post.

Read “Don Jr. cost taxpayers at least $75,000 with hunting trip to Mongolia to shoot the world's largest sheep” at Daily Mail.

Read “The Case of Reality Winner” at Texas Orator.

Read “Georgia Betrays Its Voters Again” at The New Yorker.

Read “FCC failed to monitor Chinese telecoms for almost 20 years: Senate report” at Ars Technica.

Read “A Closer Look: The CARES Act Sent You a $1,200 Check but Gave Millionaires and Billionaires Far More” at Pro Publica.”

Read “Outsider Tapped in Flynn Case Calls Justice Dept. Reversal a ‘Gross Abuse’ of Power A former federal judge said that the attorney general gave special treatment to a presidential ally, undermining public confidence in the rule of law” at New York Times.

Read “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Denies Impropriety in Firing State Department Watchdog” at Time.

Read “Zoom closed account of U.S.-based Chinese activist “to comply with local law” at Axios.

Read “Fed Officials Project No Rate Increases Through 2022 Central bank says it will maintain current pace of asset purchases to sustain growth” at Wall Street Journal.

Read “Trump administration proposes toughest asylum rules yet” at Axios. Under new asylum rules, the U.S. will now reject asylum seekers looking for protection from: - terrorists - gangs - 'rouge' government officials It's now effectively near-impossible to receive asylum in the U.S.

Read “As Trump Administration Restricts Legal Immigration, It’s Expanding A Class of Vulnerable Guest Workers. Farmworker and labor advocates say these workers are among the most exploited in the country” at The Appeal.

Read “Tom Morello, Serj Tankian Address Disillusioned Fans Who’ve Just Learned Their Music Is Political at Stereogum. And read my Tweet: “I just don't understand all these people who somehow thought a band called Rage Against The Machine would support their "Conservative" worldview. I would ask: "Who are these people," but unfortunately, they all drive big trucks with blue-stripe license plates in my neighborhood.”

Read “Sex Pistols' John Lydon Reveals He's Now a Full-Time Carer for His Wife with Alzheimer's "For me, the real person is still there. That person I love is still there every minute of every day, and that is my life" at Exclaim!

Read “90% of Independent Music Venues Could Close Due to COVID-19 The National Independent Venue Association is asking Congress for longterm financial assistance” at Consequence of Sound.

Read “The Dalai Lama to Release Album of Teachings and Mantras, Shares First Song “Compassion”: Listen” at Pitchfork.

Browse “This Is How I Feel: A Playlist By Young Black Listeners We asked: Is there one song helping you address your feelings right now?” at NPR.

Read “Third Man Records Unearth Original Stooges Lineup’s Final Concert for Live LP Live at Goose Lake: August 8th, 1970, featuring a full Fun House performance, marks bassist Dave Alexander’s last gig with band” at Rolling Stone.

Read “Watch Flaming Lips Perform “Race for the Prize” in Bubbles on Colbert The entire band and a live audience are all in the same room, and they’re all in individual bubbles” at Pitchfork.

Read “‘We Are Regretful And Embarrassed’: Lady Antebellum Changes Its Name To Lady A” at Pittsburgh CBS.

Read “The Power and Necessity of African American Literature” at Christ and Pop Culture.

Read “The Underground Kitchen That Funded the Civil Rights Movement Georgia Gilmore’s cooking fueled the Montgomery bus boycott” at Gastro Obscura.

Read “Planned Obsolescence: The Products You Buy are Designed to Break” at ACH News.

Read “That Fresh Sea Breeze You Breathe May Be Laced With Microplastic Researchers have discovered that the ocean is burping tiny plastic particles, which then blow onto land—and potentially into your lungs” at Wired.

Read “Coca-Cola and Carlsberg Will Switch to Plant-Based Bottles That Break Down Within a Year” at My Modern Met.

Read “Arizona 'Karen' is slapped in face by woman after screaming at her to 'go back to your own country' in racist rant at gas station” at The Daily Mail.

Read “Live Music Has Returned to Some Metro Phoenix Bars – Here’s What We Know” at Phoenix New Times.

Read “Tempe Mural Memorializes Local Musicians Lost — From Chester Bennington to Doug Hopkins” at Phoenix New Times.

The Weekly Town Crier (06/05/20)

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All the week’s news that’s fit to cry about (06/07/20)





Read “Amid pandemic, the Wichita Kenyan community unites virtually through food and family” at Religion News Service.

Read “'Cannabis burned during worship' by ancient Israelites - study” at BBC.

Read “‘How long, O Lord?’ Psalm 13 is the cry of black Americans” at America Magazine.

Read “Dear Evangelicals, You Must Know What You’ve Done To be Healed” by Kyle J. Howard.

Read “Southern Baptists see historic drop in membership” at Washington Post.

Read “Bishop at DC church outraged by Trump visit: 'I just can't believe what my eyes have seen' at CNN.

  • Read “Peaceful Protesters Were Gassed Outside The White House So Trump Could Get A Photo Op At A Church” at Buzzfeed News.

  • Read “Ahead of Trump Bible photo op, police forcibly expel priest from St. John’s church near White House” at Religion News Service.

  • Read “The Bible Is Not a Prop. Its Teachings, Though—about the Gospel and Justice—Are What We Need Right Now A Bible in a photo opp was not the Bible we needed” at Christianity Today.

  • Read “Barr personally ordered removal of protesters near White House, leading to use of force against largely peaceful crowd” at Washington Post.

  • Read “The president is dragging the church into a culture war. We shouldn’t let him” at America Magazine.

  • Read “An 'ANTIFA' Twitter account that called for looting 'white hoods' was actually run by white nationalist group Identity Evropa” at Business Insider.

  • Read “American Bible Society leader: Don’t use the Bible as a political ‘prop’” at Religion News Service.

  • Read “Amid protests, US Faith leaders engage racism and politics” at AP News.

  • Read “Trump Favorability Slips Among White Catholic and Non-College Americans During National Unrest” at PRRI.

Read “Liberty University’s Director of Diversity Retention Has Resigned” at The Way of Improvement.

  • Read “Black Liberty U. alums rebuke Falwell after blackface tweet” at AP News.

Browse “Antiracism Books for Christians – A Reading Guide” at Englewood Review of Books.

Browse “75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice” at Medium.

Unrest erupts worldwide in response to systemic racism in the U.S. manifesting in police brutality:

  • Read “Pentagon puts military police on alert to go to Minneapolis” at Associated Press.

  • Read “The History Behind 'When The Looting Starts, The Shooting Starts' at NPR.

  • Read “The Revolution Will Not Be Videoed What Paul and Silas might have said about George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor and and and …” at Christianity Today.

  • Read “Why Do They Riot? Rioting & The Overflow of Racial Trauma” by Jemar Tisby.

  • Read “JAY-Z Called Minnesota Governor About Justice for George Floyd, Issues Statement” at Pitchfork.

  • Read “Killer Mike Delivers Emotional Speech to Atlanta Protesters at Mayor’s Press Conference” at Pitchfork.

  • Read “In Some Cities, Police Officers Joined Protesters Marching Against Brutality” at Forbes.

  • Read “Cities on Edge as Fires Burn Near White House” at New York Times.

  • Read “Music Industry to Observe ‘Blackout Tuesday’ in Solidarity with Nationwide Protests” at Relix.

  • Read “A Reporter’s Cry on Live TV: ‘I’m Getting Shot! I’m Getting Shot!’” at New York Times.

  • Read “Op-Ed: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Don’t understand the protests? What you’re seeing is people pushed to the edge” at Los Angeles Times.

  • Read “As cities burned, Trump stayed silent — other than tweeting fuel on the fire” at Washington Post.

  • Read “Protest, Uprisings, and Race War” at Counter Punch.

  • Read “Martin Luther King Jr.’s scorn for ‘white moderates’ in his Birmingham jail letter” at Washington Post.

  • Read “The terror of wearing both a press badge and black skin’: Black journalists are carrying unique burdens” at Washington Post.

  • Read “What Does “Blackout Tuesday” Actually Mean for the Music Industry?” at Pitchfork.

    • Read “What Major Music Companies Actually Did on “Blackout Tuesday” at Pitchfork.

  • Read/Watch “Thousands protest in downtown Phoenix for 4th straight night, people being detained” at AZ Family.

  • Read “When Rioting Is the Answer” at Time.

  • Read “The additional violence of George Floyd’s autopsy report” at Christian Century.

  • Read “Minneapolis police union president releases letter criticizing city leaders following civil unrest” at KSTP.

  • Read “The DEA Has Just Been Authorized to Conduct Surveillance on Protesters” at Buzzfeed News.

  • Read “Trump calls governors ‘weak,’ urges them to use force against unruly protests” at Washington Post.

  • Read “Colin Kaepernick sets up legal defence fund for George Floyd demonstrators” at The Independent.

  • Read “Minnesota Files Discrimination Complaint Against Minneapolis Police Department” at NPR.

  • Read “How to Safely and Ethically Film Police Misconduct” at Teen Vogue.

  • Read/Watch “Massive protests defy local curfews, Trump threats” at MSNBC.

  • Read “All four former officers involved in George Floyd's killing now face charges” at CNN.

  • Read “Social media cracks down on sick challenge mocking George Floyd’s death” at New York Post.

  • Read “If You Are White And Anti-Racist, This Non-Optical Allyship Guide Is Required Reading” at Vogue.

  • Read "A Soul Check for White Christians In the words of MLK, "There comes a time when silence is betrayal” at Christianity Today.

  • Read “‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ Cast, Showrunner Donate $100,000 to National Bail Fund Network” at Variety.

  • Read “They Wanted A War, They Got One” Inside Trump’s Militarized Occupation of Washington D.C.”

  • Read “Institutionalized Racism: A Syllabus How can we help students understand George Floyd’s death in the context of institutionalized racism?” at Daily JSTOR.

  • Read “Final autopsy report reveals George Floyd had CORONAVIRUS but died from 'cardiopulmonary arrest' after Minneapolis cop knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes” at Daily Mail.

  • Read "Jimmy Carter on George Floyd protests: 'Silence can be as deadly as violence' at CNN.

  • Read “New Yorkers Said ‘F**k The Police,’ So The Police Rioted A historic uprising against police brutality in the city has seen the arrest of nearly 2,000 people, including me” at Huff Post.

  • Browse “Resources in the Fight Against Police Brutality and Systemic Racism” at Pitchfork.

  • Read “3 more Minneapolis officers charged in George Floyd death, Derek Chauvin charges elevated” at NBC News.

  • Read “The Problem With Research on Racial Bias and Police Shootings” at City Lab.

  • Browse “Antiracism Books for Christians – A Reading Guide” at Englewood Review of Books.

  • Read “1968-2020: A Tale Of Two Uprisings” at NPR.

  • Read “Tear Gas Is Way More Dangerous Than Police Let On — Especially During the Coronavirus Pandemic In the middle of a respiratory pandemic, law enforcement agencies have used tear gas in especially dangerous ways. The chemical agent also seeps into homes, contaminates food, furniture, skin and surfaces, and can cause long-term lung damage” at Pro Publica.

  • Read “A Dubious Legal Doctrine Protects Cities From Lawsuits Over Police Brutality” at Slate.

  • Read “Floyd Protesters Met With Armed Bystanders During Indiana March” at Time.

  • Read “Law Enforcement Seizes Masks Meant To Protect Anti-Racist Protesters From COVID-19” at Huff Post.

Protests against police violence . . . produce more police violence?

Read “A church returns land to American Indians “This is decolonized land,” a young woman said. “This is a liberated zone” at Christian Century.

  • Read “Standing Rock Tribe Wins in Court After Years of Perseverance” at Earth Justice.

Read “Virginia governor to announce removal of Lee statue” at AP News.

  • Read “Robert E Lee statue: Virginia governor announces removal of monument” at BBC.

Read “K-Pop Fans Have Hijacked #WhiteLivesMatter on Twitter to Teach Racists a Lesson” at News 18.

Read “Study: White people react to evidence of white privilege by claiming greater personal hardships” at Raw Story (from 2015).

Read “Minneapolis Police Union President: “I’ve Been Involved In Three Shootings Myself, And Not A One Of Them Has Bothered Me” at The Intercept.

Read “White New York socialite calls police on black woman for sitting on a bench” at Indy 100.

Read “Racism, Police Violence, and the Climate Are Not Separate Issues” at New Yorker.

Read “Ahmaud Arbery was boxed in by 2 trucks as he tried to escape, suspect used racial slur as he stood over body, evidence revealed in court shows” at Chicago Tribune.

Read “No, I'm not okay By Neal Lester, PhD.” at Ahwatukee Foothills News.

Read “Portland Public Schools will discontinue regular presence of school resource officers” at KATU.

Read “Breonna Taylor lived and died in a part of the U.S. where rights do not matter” at America Magazine.

Read “Atlanta-Based Organization Advocates For Rest As A Form Of Social Justice” at NPR.

Read “Putin decides to announce federal emergency due to fuel spill in Norilsk at RBC.

Read “About Face Death and surrender to power in the clothing of men” at Popula.

Weekly Coronavirus Roundup

  • Read “Social Distancing Is Not Enough We will need a comprehensive strategy to reduce the sort of interactions that can lead to more infections” at The Atlantic.

  • Read “Praying in a church is more important than buying flatpack furniture” at The Telegraph.

  • Read “A pastor’s pandemic diary” at Christian Century.

  • Read “Hydroxychloroquine, a drug promoted by Trump, failed to prevent healthy people from getting covid-19 in trial” at Washington Post.

  • The U.S. death toll passes 110,000.

Read “What comes after the ‘Trumpocalypse’? America has a chance to be reborn” at The Star.

  • Read “Donald Trump Appears to Have Committed Felony Voter Fraud” at Slate.

  • Read “Trump, Lacking Clear Authority, Says U.S. Will Declare Antifa a Terrorist Group” at New York Times.

  • Read “'I wish you the best': US military adviser resigns after Trump's controversial photo op at church” at Business Insider.

  • Read “James Mattis Denounces President Trump, Describes Him as a Threat to the Constitution In an extraordinary condemnation, the former defense secretary backs protesters and says the president is trying to turn Americans against one another” at The Atlantic.

  • Read “History Will Judge the Complicit Why have Republican leaders abandoned their principles in support of an immoral and dangerous president?” at The Atlantic.

Read “Iowa Rep. Steve King defeated in GOP primary” at Axios.

Read “Colorado Democrats Announce a New Bill To Hold Law Enforcement More Accountable As mass demonstrations against police brutality continue throughout America, a group of Centennial State lawmakers has put forth a set of legislative solutions” at 5280.

Read “Carole Baskin wins control of Tiger King star Joe Exotic's former zoo” at Yahoo.

Read “Formation of The Bob Weir Band-Fall 1977 (Enter Brent)” at Lost Live Dead.

Read “Music Industry to Observe ‘Blackout Tuesday’ in Solidarity with Nationwide Protests” at Relix.

Hear “Bob Mould Rage Against the President and Evangelicals on ‘American Crisis’ Track will appear on artist’s upcoming Blue Hearts LP, due out this fall” at Rolling Stone.

Read “This Is How Much More Money Artists Earn From Bandcamp Compared to Streaming Services” at Pitchfork.

Read “The Apollo Theater Schedules Free ‘Let’s Stay In Together’ Benefit with Dionne Warwick, Gary Clark Jr., Warren Haynes and More” at Relix.

Read “Sturgill Simpson Announces Livestream Show At Empty Ryman Auditorium” at Jambands.

Read “The Osbick Bird: Edward Gorey’s Tender and Surprising Vintage Illustrated Allegory About the Meaning of True Love” at Brain Pickings.

Read “The Court Case That Killed the ‘Ladies Menu’ Upscale restaurants once listed prices only for men” at Atlas Obscura.

Read “How ‘Shoebox Lunches’ Made Black Travel Possible During Jim Crow Humble shoeboxes allowed African-Americans to dine with dignity” at Atlas Obscura.

Browse “The extraordinary Polaroid diary of German filmmaker Wim Wenders” at Far Out Magazine.

Support FilmBar Online.

Read “10 Black-Owned Businesses To Support In Downtown Phoenix” at DTPHX.

Read “First Amendment Lawsuit Filed Over Terrorism Lesson At Scottsdale Community College” at Fronteras Desk.

The Weekly Town Crier (05/01/20)

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All the week’s news that’s fit to cry about (05/01/20).

Read “BREAKING: Fela's Ex-drummer, Tony Allen, Dies In France” at Sahara Reporters.

Read “Knock Knock. It's Weird Evangelical Twitter. Online, millennial Christians embrace the absurd” at Christianity Today.

Read “Can Staying Home Help Us Regain a Sense of Place? How rediscovering creation around us can deepen our connection with God” at Christianity Today.

Read “America's billionaires have become even richer since Donald Trump became president, and it says a lot about the country's record-high wealth gap” at Business Insider.

Read “Microsoft Word now flags double spaces as errors, ending the great space debate” at The Verge.

Read Pentagon Officially Publishes Tom DeLonge’s UFO Videos Confirming what DeLonge's known since Enema of the State -- that "Aliens Exist" at Consequence of Sound.

Read “'This is no damn hobby': the 'gangsta gardener' transforming Los Angeles” at The Guardian.

Read “The Great Gatsby and Catch-22 among classic books banned from Alaska classrooms Works from Maya Angelou, Joseph Heller, Tim O'Brien, Ralph Ellison and F Scott Fitzgerald erased from curriculum” at The Independent.

Read “Land O’Lakes quietly gets rid of iconic Indian maiden mascot” at Minnesota Reformer.

Read “We are living in an apocalypse” by David Dark at American Magazine.

Your Weekly Coronavirus News Roundup:

  • Read “Tom Cotton: Ban Chinese students from learning science so they can’t ‘steal’ coronavirus vaccine” at Raw Story.

  • Read “Miami goes seven weeks without a homicide for first time since 1957” at CBS News.

  • Read the opinion piece “Lysol and UV Rays: Running A Pandemic Like A Reality TV Show” at Empty Wheel.

  • Read “Tennessee Restaurants Reopen As State Sees Biggest 1-Day Jump In COVID-19 Cases” at NPR.

  • Read “How Some Phoenix Record Labels Are Surviving the Coronavirus” at Phoenix New Times.

  • Read “States Warn That Workers Will Lose Unemployment If They Refuse To Return To Jobs” at The Intellectualist.

  • Read/Watch “The dangerous global flood of misinformation surrounding COVID-19” at PBS News Hour.

  • Read “How Are Rich People Getting Richer During the Coronavirus Pandemic? Jeff Bezos has reportedly made another $25 billion since the beginning of the year” at GQ.

  • Read/Listen to “Grief is Everywhere in the Age of COVID-19” at WNYC.

  • Read “King Crimson’s Robert Fripp Launches “Music for Quiet Moments” Quarantine Series” at Consequence of Sound.

  • Read “THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS 'I Am Mourning The Loss': Two-Thirds Of Artists Report They're Now Unemployed” at NPR.

    • BUY MUSIC, SUPPORT ARTISTS (Listen to music. Love Your Neighbor): Beginning this Friday, May 01, Bandcamp will again waive their revenue share for everything sold. Until otherwise stated, they will be doing this on the first Friday of each month. Please use these chances to support artists during this difficult time.

Read/Listen to “How Will Chief Justice And Supreme Court Conservative Majority Affect 2020 Election?” at NPR. “Chief Justice John Roberts has worked hard to persuade the public that the Supreme Court justices are fair-minded legal umpires — not politicians in robes. But that image was tarnished by the Court's decision on Wisconsin's election earlier this month.”

Read “Here are the largest public companies taking payroll loans meant for small businesses” at MSNBC.

  • Read “U.S. Citizens Married To Immigrants Are Blocked From Getting Stimulus Checks” at Yahoo.

Read “Trump’s History With the Word Sarcasm Is Littered with Excuses and Ignorance When Trump uses the sarcasm excuse, it’s because he knows he’s gone too far but can’t bring himself to admit it” at Rolling Stone.

Read “Nancy Pelosi Endorses Joe Biden: “The Personification Of Hope And Courage, Values, Authenticity And Integrity” at News and Guts.

Read “Hillary Clinton Endorses Joe Biden” at News and Guts.

Browse the 2017 piece “11 Warning Signs of Gaslighting Gaslighting is a manipulation tactic used to gain power. And it works too well” at Psychology Today.

Read “I Love Phish Concerts, and I Can’t Wait for Them to Come Back”: Trey Anastasio Speaks About Quarantine, Tour Plans and ‘Sigma Oasis’ in New Interview” at Jambands.

Watch “Post Malone Performs Nirvana Covers With Travis Barker” at Consequence of Sound.

Read “Quarantine Creativity Interview Series: Ethan Miller” at Savage Henry.

Read “Library of Congress Launches Open-Source Hip-Hop Sampling Tool Producers will have access to the library's vast audio collection, which dates back more than a hundred years” at Consequence of Sound.

Read “This Is Heartbreaking For Us": Amoeba Music's Original Hollywood Location Permanently Closed” at Okay Player.

Read “Tori Amos Believes the Muses Can Help A conversation about music, politics, and what you learn about America from being on the road” at New Yorker.

Read “How Do You Sell Concert Tees Without Concerts? Merch Companies Are Up Against a Wall “I was thinking this is a bulletproof business,” says one of many merch execs who have lost their biggest revenue stream” at Rolling Stone.

Read “PJ Harvey, Nick Cave, More Sign Letter Calling for Creative Industry Funding From UK Government” at Pitchfork.

Read “It Has to Be About Need :: The Mysteries of Lucinda Williams’ Good Souls Better Angels” at Aquarium Drunkard.

  • Read “Lucinda Williams on the Music That Made Her The venerable singer-songwriter talks about the artists and albums that have meant the most to her—Sade, Audioslave, Tricky—five years at a time” at Pitchfork.

Read “Live Nation Updates Ticket Refund Policy” at Jambands.

Read “Stephen Malkmus on Traditional Techniques :: We’re Just Going To Wing It” at Aquarium Drunkard.

Read “Charlie Parker's Story to Be Told in Graphic Novel 'Chasin' the Bird' at The Hollywood Reporter.

Read “European Cities Launch Drive-In Concert Series With Great Success” at Live For Live Music.

Read “Watch Fiona Apple Give a Rare TV Interview on Democracy Now!” at Pitchfork.

BUY MUSIC, SUPPORT ARTISTS (Listen to music. Love Your Neighbor): Beginning this Friday, May 01, Bandcamp will again waive their revenue share for everything sold. Until otherwise stated, they will be doing this on the first Friday of each month. Please use these chances to support artists during this difficult time.

Read “For this year only, movies that had to go streaming will still be eligible for Oscars” at AV Club.

Read “AMC Theatres Refuses to Show Universal Films Following VOD Release of Trolls World Tour Universal seemed to imply that the commercial success of Trolls was proof that VOD was the way of the future” at Consequence of Sound

Read “Museums are sharing their creepiest objects in apparent attempt to digitize ancient curses” at AV Club.

Read “In Thailand, Funeral Cookbooks Preserve Recipes and Memories Though their origins are tragic, the books provide invaluable inspiration” at Atlas Obscura.

The Weekly Town Crier (04/24/20)

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All the week’s news that’s fit to cry about (04/24/20).



Read “Henry Grimes, Bassist of Avant-Garde Pedigree and a Storied Return, Dies of COVID-19 at 84” at WBGO.

Read “Tex Earnhardt, colorful founder of car dealership empire, dies at 89” at AZ Central.

Read the opinion piece “Mohler's turn to Trump is the crowning flip-flop of his career” at Religion News Service.

Read “Grieving Is Leading I’d done everything I could think of to keep the church running. But I’d forgotten to mourn” at Christianity Today.

Read the opinion piece: “Evangelicals Have Abandoned the Character Test. The Competence Test is Next” by David French at The Dispatch.

Read “Good News? Are T4G/TGC Leaders Starting To Change Their Gospel? Is T4G shifting on the gospel? Looks like it” at Jesus Creed.

Read “Now Is the Time to Think About Nuclear Weapons Pope Francis condemns deterrence and the New START Treaty is set to expire. Where should Protestants stand?” at Christianity Today.

Read “Episode Eight (Daniel Smith of Danielson, Adam Again, Dylan’s Foul Murder, Salute to Prine and Withers)” at True Tunes.

Weekly Coronavirus Roundup:

  • Read “Member of church that bused in members to defy social distancing order dies of COVID-19” at LGBTQ Nation.

  • Read “Trump claims it's his call on when to 'reopen' the country. He's wrong. Only the states can give shutdown orders, and only the states can lift them, legal scholars say. Many governors agree” at NBC News.

  • Read the opinion piece: “COVID-19 is accelerating the Republican Party’s descent into authoritarianism” at Salon.

  • Read the opinion piece “Coronavirus didn't bring the economy down — 40 years of greed and corporate malfeasance did” at Business Insider.

  • Read “The Betsy DeVos connection to the protests against Covid-19 precautions in Michigan” at Eclectablog.

  • Read “Kentucky sees highest spike in coronavirus cases after lockdown protests” at New York Post.

  • Read the opinion piece: “These People Aren’t Freedom Fighters—They’re Virus-Spreading Sociopaths The “liberate America” protesters claim they just want to make their own choices about their health and safety, but they really want to force others to risk their lives” at The Nation.

  • Read "Bon Jovi Cancel Entire 2020 Tour with Bryan Adams Due to Coronavirus Pandemic "This will enable ticketholders to get refunds to help pay their bills or buy groceries" at Consequence of Sound.

  • Read “Here in Sweden we're playing the long game, and listening to science not fear” at The Telegraph.

  • Read/Watch “NBC News/WSJ Poll: Nearly 60% of Americans support keeping stay-at-home restrictions” at MSNBC.

  • Read “How Musicians Are Fighting Coronavirus by Turning Merch Into Masks” at Pitchfork.

  • Read “After Fauci urged caution in reopening the economy, Fox News turned to Dr. Phil for a second opinion” at Washington Post.

  • See “Video shows nurse facing down Colorado protester against stay-at-home order” at NBC News.

  • Read “Oregon town plans to deliver masks, door-to-door, to every resident in midst of coronavirus outbreak” at Oregon Live.

  • Read “Gov. Brian Kemp sets Georgia on aggressive course to reopen, putting his state at center of deepening national debate” at Washington Post.

  • Read “Trump suggests 'injection' of disinfectant to beat coronavirus and 'clean' the lungs” at NBC News.

  • Read “In New York’s largest hospital system, 88 percent of coronavirus patients on ventilators didn’t make it” at Washington Post.

  • Read “Trump reverses course, says it's 'too soon' for Georgia Gov. Kemp to reopen state” at NBC News.

  • Read the opinion piece “We Are Living in a Failed State The coronavirus didn’t break America. It revealed what was already broken” at The Atlantic.

  • Read “DOJ Would Support Legal Action If Governors' Restrictions Go 'Too Far,' Barr Says” at NPR.

  • Read “Parks and Recreation’ Cast Reuniting for One-Off COVID-19 Charity Episode” at Rolling Stone.

  • Read/watch “Trump suggests 'injection' of disinfectant to beat coronavirus and 'clean' the lungs” at NBC News.

Read “Virginia governor makes Election Day a holiday and expands early voting” at CNN.

Read “Trump says he will sign executive order temporarily suspending immigration into US” at The Hill.

Read “Mail-in voting doesn't benefit either party or invite more fraud, study says” at UPI.

Read “The Erosion of Deep Literacy” at National Affairs.

Read “Joe Pera Talks with You David Bazan (Pedro The Lion) on the Talkhouse Podcast” at Talkhouse.

Read “The Cure’s ‘Seventeen Seconds’ is a cold, eerie post-punk masterpiece” at Treble Zine

See “Kermit The Frog & Jim James Duet On ‘Rainbow Connection’At Newport Folk” at Jambase.

Read “Betting it all on 311” at AV Club.

Read Pitchfork’s first 10.0 rating in a decade: “Fiona Apple Fetch the Bolt Cutters.”

Read “Blanks And Postage: How To Build A Diving Bell, or Tape-Hunting Tips For Quarantined Gormandizers” at Aquarium Drunkard.

Read “Back To Sun City :: Sir Richard Bishop, Clandestine Quartet, Sun City Girls The Sun City Girls saga came to a sad end with the death of drummer Charles Gocher in 2007. But the band’s bizarre, inspiring spirit lives on in the recent work of SCG co-founders Rick and Alan Bishop (as well as a recommended live show just unleashed from the vaults)” at Aquarium Drunkard, and watch Sun City Girl’s Cloaven Theater right here.

Read “Alison Pill on the ‘Devs’ Finale and What’s Next for Katie” at Variety.

Read “Spike Jonze’s New Beastie Boys Movie Is No Fun” at Pitchfork.

Read “ Ozone hole three times the size of Greenland opens over the North Pole” at Live Science.

Read “How Arizona native Courtney Marie Andrews' new music video honors her Bisbee music mentors” at AZ Central.

Read “With the Live Music Industry at a Standstill, Indie Venue Owners Are Banding Together” at Phoenix New Times.

The Weekly Town Crier (02/07/20)

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All the week’s news that’s fit to cry about (02/07/20).

Read “Gang of Four’s Andy Gill Dead at 64” at Pitchfork.

Read “Ivan Král, Patti Smith Group Member, Dead at 71” at Pitchfork.

Read “Kirk Douglas, Hollywood Icon and Spartacus Star, Dies at 103” at People.

Read “For Those Who Feel Betrayed By Christianity” at Sojourners. "Since the election of President Donald Trump, many Christians are asking: How could so many Christ-followers agree with actions that are so decisively un-Christlike?"

Read “Christians are Supposed to Care About People” at John Pavlovitz. “I never once see a Jesus brandishing a “Don’t Tread On Me” bravado in the face of dire need. I don’t see him lecturing the poor and the afflicted to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” I can’t find him inviting war or celebrating bloodshed or reveling in loss of life for any reason.”

Read “Evangelicalism Is Dead. We Need A New Label For Our Faith” at Sojourners.

Read “State of the Church” at Barna.

Read “Faith formation in my world religions classroom Each year a Hindu priest asks my students to “worship our own, but respect all.” They find the second part easier” at Christian Century.

Read “Christian Nonprofits Reeling from Trump Cuts to Foreign Aid Work in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador was starting to bring change, agencies say” at Christianity Today.

Read “Richard Rohr Reorders the Universe” at New Yorker.”The seventy-six-year-old Franciscan friar Richard Rohr believes that Christianity isn’t the only path to salvation.”

Read “Capitalism Is Incompatible With Christianity” at Sojourners.

Read “Pope Francis Turned a Roman Palace Into a Homeless Shelter” at Global Citizen.

Read “U.S. Showing ‘Many’ Genocide Warning Signs Under Trump, Expert Says: ‘I Am Very, Very Worried” at Newsweek.

Read “Greensboro Sit-In: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know” at Heavy.

Read “Before the Bus, Rosa Parks Was a Sexual Assault Investigator Why has history left out this piece of Rosa Parks' story?” at History.com.

Read “US judge in Tucson overturns convictions of 4 border-aid volunteers” at AZ Central.

Read “Investors Buy Old Hotel and Convert It into 139 Mini-Apartments for the Homeless” at Black Business.

Read “Finland's Women-Led Government Has Equalized Family Leave: 7 Months For Each Parent” at NPR.

Read “Watch: News Anchor Shows Americans Real Size of Wealth Gap—Using American Pie” at Common Dreams.

Read “How Chaos at Chain Pharmacies Is Putting Patients at Risk” at New York Times.

Read “E.B. White’s Beautiful Letter to a Man Who Had Lost Faith in Humanity What sailors teach us about hope and the resilience of the human spirit” at Brain Pickings. "As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate."

Read “Steve Wozniak: When Apple got ‘big money’ Steve Jobs’ personality ‘changed’” at CNBC.

Read “Report: Where Parents Have More Choice, Schools Appear To Become More Segregated” at WBUR.

Read “J.Lo and A-Rod Just Donated a Year’s Worth of Meals to a Tennessee School” at Global Citizen.

Read “Excess Teacher Responsibilities are Stealing Bonding Time with Students” at Bored Teachers.

Read “It's official: Trump's tax cuts were an economic bust” at Business Insider.

Read “Trump administration ‘rolling back women’s rights by 50 years’ by changing definitions of domestic violence and sexual assault” at The Independent.

Read “Senate rejects witnesses in Trump trial, ensuring acquittal” at PBS News Hour.

  • Read “Which Republicans Had the Worst Excuses for Ending the Impeachment Trial With No Witnesses?” at Slate.

  • Read “Voting to acquit this noxious criminal is the point of no return for the Republican Party” at Salon.

  • Read “Sen. Kyrsten Sinema votes to convict President Trump on impeachment charges” at AZ Central.

  • Read “Mitt Romney: ‘Dishonesty Is Donald Trump’s Hallmark.”How Mitt Romney Decided Trump Is Guilty” at Sojourners.

    • Read “How Mitt Romney Decided Trump Is Guilty” at The Atlantic.

Read “Trump extends travel ban to 6 countries — but is OK with selling arms to those same places” at NBC News.

Read “Trump's sexual assault allegations: The full list of women who have accused the President” at The Independent.

Read “The Downfall of the Republican Party To see men and women who had a positive vision beaten down and broken by Trump is a poignant thing” at The Atlantic.

Read “'It was a total mess': Caucusing is long over, but Iowa still doesn't have a winner” at USA Today.

Read/listen to “'No Longer A Friend': Ukrainians Are Losing Faith In The U.S.” at NPR.

Read “Trump Administration Loosens Obama-Era Restrictions On Land Mine Use” at NPR.

Read “Pelosi rips up Trump’s State of the Union speech” at PBS News Hour.

Read “Attorney General Barr Issues New Rules For Politically Sensitive Investigations” at NPR.

Read “Rush Limbaugh Says He Has Been Diagnosed With Advanced Lung Cancer” at NPR.

  • Read “Trump Honors Rush Limbaugh With Presidential Medal Of Freedom” at News and Guts.

Read “Gen X Will Not Go Quietly” at Gen.Medium.

Read “Fully Armed Rally-Goers Enter Kentucky’s Capitol Building With Zero Resistance” at Rolling Stone.

Read: “The Reading Room: Where Politics and Country Music Collide” at No Depression.

Watch “Vampire Weekend Perform at Bernie Sanders Rally” at Pitchfork.

Read “Country music is ‘dead’: Icon Loretta Lynn trashes modern hits” at Lexington Herald Leader.

Watch “The Velvet Underground Played At My High School” at PBS.

Read “Read between the lines with Mike Doughty” and Aarik Danielson at Columbia Daily Tribune.

Read “From White Supremacy To Opioids, Drive-By Truckers Confronts 'The Unraveling' at NPR.

Read “Built To Spill Announce Daniel Johnston Covers Album” at Stereogum.

Read “Remembering Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, & The Big Bopper On ‘The Day The Music Died’ In 1959 (02/03) at Live For Live Music.

Read “Spike Lee To Direct Film Version Of ‘David Byrne’s American Utopia’ Stage Show” at Deadline.

Read “Soundgarden countersue Vicky Cornell over ownership of final Chris Cornell recordings” at Consequence of Sound.

Consider “Television’s Punk Epic “Marquee Moon,” 40 Years Later” at Pitchfork.

Read “ABBA intend to release new music in 2020 The iconic Swedish group's first material in over 30 years” at Consequence of Sound.

Read “In conversation: When Elvis Costello met Tom Waits” at Far Out Magazine.

Read “David Byrne to Appear as Musical Guest on ‘Saturday Night Live’” at Jambands.

Read “Prominent Malian Musician Alleges That TSA Destroyed His Instrument” at NPR. “Delicate and complex, koras can stand more than 4 feet tall. In a statement on Ballaké Sissoko's Facebook, an ethnomusicologist deemed the custom-made style irreplaceable.”

Read “Brian Wilson Opposes Mike Love’s Beach Boys Show at Trophy Hunting Convention Wilson points fans toward a Change.org petition that calls to boycott the Beach Boys until their performance is canceled” at Pitchfork.

Read “Pee-wee Herman's "Dark" Reboot: Paul Reubens Is Ready to Stage a Comeback” at Hollywood Reporter.

Browse “74 Ways Characters Die in Shakespeare’s Plays Shown in a Handy Infographic: From Snakebites to Lack of Sleep” at Open Culture.

See “Super High-Resolution Photo of the Sun Reveals It Looks Like ... Corn” at Mental Floss.

Read “15,372 Scientists Just Signed a Letter Calling Climate Change Impact ‘Catastrophic’” at Global Citizen.

Read “Record-breaking astronaut Christina Koch returns to Earth after 328 days in space” at 12 News.

Read “The Art and Science of Kashmir’s Pink Tea Green tea becomes rosy with the addition of a special ingredient” at Atlas Obscura.

Browse “Haunted by Cybersects A freaky tour of the extant websites of 1990s cults” at Baffler.

Read “Arizona Quietly Sells 16,810 Acres to Freeport-McMoRan for Mining Waste” at Phoenix New Times.