Reflections on four weird years fact checking every word from Donald Trump
CNN · 6 min"I fact checked every public word Donald Trump said or tweeted for just under four years. The job was unrelenting. The job was unrelentingly weird."
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Today’s essential reads
The Forgotten People Fighting the Forever War
The Atlantic · 9 minA devastating incident in Afghanistan shows the perils of relying on Special Operations alone to fight the nation’s battles.
‘Like a Ghost’ in the White House: The Last Days of the Trump Presidency
POLITICO · 38 minIn the aftermath of the Capitol riot, Trump’s White House became an insular refuge for a self-absorbed leader detached from the people who had rejected him.
Just Move: Scientist Author Debunks Myths About Exercise And Sleep
NPR · 8 minWith the pandemic, many people are turning to at-home workouts and walks in their neighborhoods. That's good, says Exercised author Daniel Lieberman. "You don't have to do incredible strength training ... to get some benefits of physical activity."
The People the Suburbs Were Built for Are Gone
VICE · 17 minA new book documents the “retrofitting” of obsolete suburban malls, box stores, office parks, parking lots, motels, and more.
Fascinating stories
The Best Way to Fry an Egg
The Kitchn · 2 minOnce you try Spanish fried eggs, you’ll never cook them any other way.
The Hill We Climb: the Amanda Gorman poem that stole the inauguration show
The Guardian · 3 minThe 22-year-old poet wowed the crowd with her reading during Joe Biden’s swearing-in. Here’s the transcript of her text.
How will Trump handle life without Twitter and Facebook? Ask Alex Jones.
Vox · 6 minWhat happens when the former leader of the free world gets deplatformed? We’re going to find out.
The enduring allure of conspiracies
Nieman Journalism Lab · 14 minConspiracy theories seem to meet psychological needs and can be almost impossible to eradicate. One remedy: Keep them from taking root in the first place.
The Education of Josh Hawley
POLITICO · 17 minThe subversive senator’s college peers and professors don’t recognize the affable intellectual they once knew. But they do recognize his ambition.
The Russian Family That Cut Itself Off From Civilization for More Than 40 Years
Mental Floss · 6 minThe Lykov family left Russian society under persecution in the 1930s and remained hidden until 1978.
A Casino Card Shark’s First Time Getting Caught
Narratively · 13 minAs a struggling grad student, I happened upon a lucrative side hustle with an elite team of card-counters—and found the community I’d been looking for.
3 Questions And The Emerging Answers About COVID-19 Vaccine Protection
NPR · 4 minAnswers to these questions lie in our immune systems. And the answers aren't straightforward because our immune systems are both remarkably adept and remarkably challenging to predict.
Why One Neuroscientist Started Blasting His Core
The Atlantic · 7 minAn anatomical understanding of how movement controls the body’s stress response system.
Easter Island: A Popular Theory About Its Ancient People Might Be Wrong
Inverse · 3 min“Rapa Nui is not a story about collapse.”
The Mystery Is Holmes: Why We Return to Conan Doyle's Stories Over and Over Again
crimereads.com · 5 min"if Holmes’s thoughts were laid bare, if his methods ever became commonplace, then Holmes would lose his mystery..."
Inside the secret skill that fuels Stephen Curry's record-breaking career
ESPN · 24 minHow Stephen Curry's 'organized chaos' fuels his record-breaking career — and the Golden State Warriors' rebuild.
Stromatolites: The Earth’s oldest living lifeforms
BBC · 7 minIn Western Australia, 3.5 billion-year-old stromatolites built up the oxygen content of the Earth’s atmosphere to about 20 percent, giving the kiss of life to all that was to evolve.
The 50 Greatest Western Movies Ever Made
Vulture · 46 minA hard look at one of cinema’s oldest genres.
How To Wake Up And Not Feel Like Going Right Back To Bed
NYLON · 5 minFitness gurus share their morning routines.