In this column, I’ll be giving you pointers to some of the most interesting articles and studies I’ve recently come across. I’ll be aiming for things that are “less than a book, but more than a newspaper article” — readings that are a bit of a mental workout to take in but that expand our perspectives and make us better informed in our daily lives. I’ll also try to pick items that share the joy of reading outside your area of expertise: articles not so technical and arcane that they are incomprehensible but that still give us a glimpse of how experts think about work in their own field.
My 7-year old daughter asked me why Donald Trump ignored warnings about the Coronavirus until it was too late. No matter how I try, I cannot think of a suitable answer. Can you help me?
Seattle made national news Monday in a way nobody could have anticipated: A formal memo from U.S. Attorney General William Barr, the nation’s top law enforcement officer, purporting to lay out a legal rationale for withholding federal money from cities whose Black Lives Matter protests have grabbed Donald Trump’s attention — meaning they’ve been covered, luridly, on FOX News. Barr’s memo was a response to a memo early this month from Trump, who first used the “anarchist jurisdiction” terminology then, probably unaware that the phrase itself is an oxymoron. By definition, anarchists don’t have government jurisdictions.
Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA 9th Congressional District, including South Seattle), chair of the House Armed Services Committee, answered questions from journalists at a press conference on Tuesday about President Trump’s call to utilize the U.S. military to intervene to stop the “insurrection” of demonstrators protesting the murder of George Floyd by four Minneapolis police officers. According to Trump, states have been weak in handling demonstrators and he said he would call in the military if states don’t bring order to their cities soon. Many legal experts and communities are concerned about the constitutionality of Trump’s proposal to use the military in a domestic situation.
Should I stay or should I go? Be there or not to be there? Speak up or be silent? The characters in Tony Kushner’s drama A Bright Room Called Day ask themselves these questions and many others, but not at the beginning of the play. The audience, by extension, may ask themselves the same questions.
A sea of fake information continues to spew out of the White House and extremist or alt-right websites, making it harder for people to find accurate information on urgent issues, like Islamophobia or anything to do with Muslims. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is formulating its second go-round on an Executive Order banning refugees from seven majority-Muslim countries, something many call a Muslim ban.Continue reading Action Items For Those At a Loss, Part 3→
A so-called “emergency rally” was formulated as a Facebook event within the same week of its event date (Sunday, Jan. 29), but the emergency was exacerbated by President Donald Trump’s executive order, barring those from “particular countries” on immigrant, student, or employment visas from entering the United States — even if they were already living and working here, or were already approved after completing the tedious visa process. Continue reading Thousands Show Solidarity with Immigrants at Westlake Rally→
Following the release of President Donald Trump’s executive order popularly referred to as the “Muslim ban,” the nationwide airport protests that followed, and an emergency rally and march at Westlake Park in Seattle, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Monday morning that he’s filing a lawsuit against Trump, the Department of Homeland Security, and “highly-ranking Trump officials” regarding the executive order. Continue reading BREAKING: Attorney General Bob Ferguson Brings Trump to Court→
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article contained the name of the victim in Friday night’s shooting. We apologize to both the victim and the victim’s family as their name never should have been included in the article at the family’s request.
