Guns, germs, and deal.
The White House and Democrats seem resigned to the likelihood that Congress can't reach a stimulus deal amid the economic crisis. / The Washington Post
Note: Congress can’t even agree on the kind of thermometer to use to test lawmakers for coronavirus symptoms. / The Washington Post
Incidentally, the “White House” in that first headline does not include the United States’ supposed deal-maker of a president, who’s currently on vacation. / The New York Times, Towleroad
Teachers say their classrooms are becoming “collateral damage” in the protracted stalemate. Meanwhile, up to 40 million Americans face eviction. / The New York Times, CNN
Basically: Trump’s “America First” policy has been the world’s worst bouncer. / The Lincoln Project
Protesters clash with Lebanese security forces at anti-government demonstrations around Beirut. / BBC News
Some remarkable footage finds a Beirut bride’s photoshoot disrupted by the recent explosions. / The Morning News
Deutsche Bank, subpoenaed by New York prosecutors, hands over documents supplied by the Trump Organization to acquire loans. / CNBC
Analysis finds that by embracing Trump, the GOP abandoned its 2013 "autopsy" for short-term gains and long-term failure. Now, some conservatives want Trump to embrace more anti-transgender issues to improve his poll numbers. / NPR, Politico
Perhaps better than Trump's National Garden would be a monument to American nothingness, similar to Roman altars to the "Unknown God." / The New York Times
Jason Zengerle: Today’s political allegiances are determined “less by affection for one party than by hatred of the other." / The New York Times Magazine
Kanye West doesn’t deny his plans to run for president are meant to take votes away from Joe Biden. / Forbes
A civil lawsuit seeks to dissolve the NRA after an 18-month investigation finds extensive financial misconduct. / BuzzFeed News
Global funding for police training from the United States has increased to about $146 million in 2019 from $4.3 million in 2001. / The Ballot
A survey of rents during the pandemic: falling in San Francisco, Denver, New York; rising in Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Reno. / Wolf Street
The modern radiator was invented to fight epidemics like 1918's Spanish Influenza, heating housing without sharing airflow. / Bloomberg CityLab
As a racist term, "master bedroom" is on its way out among realtors. Many home builders dropped it years ago for "primary suite." / MarketWatch
NPR’s “Code Switch” does a good video episode to explain why, until recently, it’s been easier in the running community to talk about safety for white women than for runners of color. / The Morning News
A new study says the 2009 hit Born to Run suffered from “the fallacy of the athletic savage.” / Outside
An interview with photographer Jeremy Grier about how he's made his artistic process therapeutic. / It's Nice That
In Portland, "Caesar the no drama llama" brings to protests a calm demeanor and lots of hugs. / The Washington Post
A correction: Yesterday's newsletter included the wrong link for the story about a young man in Atlanta who lost both parents to COVID-19. Here's the proper link. / WSVN
And now a brief chat with a recent Sustaining Member, J.P.!
Hi, J.P. When did you start reading TMN? I stumbled across TMN in the early 2000s. At the time I was starting my career in web design and following New York City-centric designer/bloggers. Links to TMN articles would pop up often. The humor, variety of articles, and quality of writing was unlike anything I had read before. TMN is directly responsible for making me skeptical of what I read on the internet. Chalk it up to being young, sheltered, and somewhat naive but... dammit folks, I was rooting for Gary Benchley to rock out.
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