May 5, 2017

Romance novel cover model arrested in San Diego following cross-country dragnet sparked by a series of robberies. / Los Angeles Times

“Ever since the 1960s, the United States has been building and equipping a special set of planes whose sole purpose has been to evacuate the president in the event of a nuclear war and allow him to command a war from wherever he may be.” A secret fleet of aircraft is ready to whisk Trump away to Virginia’s Mount Weather in case of an emergency evacuation—all thanks, in part, to Jackie Kennedy’s social connections. / Politico

Trump praises Australia for its universal health care. Sanders appreciates the tip, going into the Senate’s debate. / MarketWatch

At some point today, take a moment to appreciate the multi-screen performances of Texas cellist Cremaine Booker, whose YouTube channel is a pleasure dome. / YouTube

Report from a decommissioned oil rig’s death march, which requires a thousand-mile journey in order to die. / The Guardian

“Several times during my visit Cowan reminded me that few people know what they actually look like and that even fewer would pay for a realistic painting of their true selves.” Nicole Pasulka profiles Ralph Wolfe Cowan, the artist who painted the Donald Trump portrait that hangs at Mar-A-Lago. / The Oxford American

Ahead of Sunday’s election, Le Monde’s Decoders project breaks down the fake news that mainly attacks Macron. / Le Monde

Some quiet drawings by Maximillian Quy. / Maximillian Quy Artwork

From the early modern era to the twentieth century, the word “nostalgia” primarily indicated a disease. / The Times Literary Supplement

“On Twitter and elsewhere, I am encountering more and more young people (mostly men) who openly yearn for a society where everyone is white.... They often cite Japan as their paradigmatic homogeneous society; some explicitly say they want a white version of Japan.” Noah Smith goes very long—and in pretty captivating fashion—in unpacking why the “siren song of homogeneity” is so misleading, and also what would happen if the alt-right types got their own whites-only island. / Noahpinion

The economic future of the NBA will likely reward individual performances over solid team play. / Bloomberg

Australian painter Matthew Dettmer embraces “flat realism” to “rework a person into my own style.” / It’s Nice That

Since 1988, the peak of school integration, the gains of Brown v. Board have been almost entirely reversed. / Newsweek

For your weekend pleasure: Music video for “Bersu d’Oru” by Cape Verdean singer Elida Almeida, from her 2017 EP Djunta Kudjer. / Wikipedia