To bear is human

“I want you to understand that every issue you care about—any hope of participatory democracy—is downstream of this.” I want you to understand Chicago. / Aphyr

One of DHS’s least-reported surveillance networks in the country is the one that operates every Saturday at college football games. / FOIAball

Jeet Heer: Less than a week after an electoral blue wave, Senate Democrats capitulated to Trump in the shutdown fight—it’s time for Chuck Schumer to go. / The Nation

Trump has issued fake pardons to his fake electors—many of the court cases are at a state level, where presidential clemency doesn’t apply. / Mother Jones

See also: The leader of the Oath Keepers is using his pardon to rebuild his white supremacist organization. / The New Republic

In a marked change from any previous administration, multiple Trump officials have moved to military bases, where they’re shielded from the public. / The Atlantic [$]

“We are not at war…but we are no longer at peace either.” Drone incursions and suspicious fires have Europe wondering if Russia is behind it all. / The Wall Street Journal [$]

“The Lord had said to me ‘I want you to go to Russia, you guys are to go to Russia,’ I said ‘Really, Lord?’ and he said ‘Yeah.’” The families who left woke Texas for Moscow. / Chron

Canada loses its measles-free status 28 years after achieving it, as cases surge to their highest since 1991. / Reuters

No other US company is as strongly associated with immigration raids as Home Depot, and it’s not going to be able to play dumb for much longer. / Bloomberg [$]

Chronicling the public frenzy that began last week when Starbucks customers camped out for a bear-shaped glass that quickly hit the resale market—“a holiday mascot turned speculative asset.” / Quartz

Sports betting is now a public health crisis among young men, due in no small way to how gambling companies have “rebranded isolation and obsession as dedication.” / STAT

You know who else minted coins of themselves while they were alive? Julius Caesar, as the republic ended and empire began. On Trump’s algorithmic presidency. / Hyperallergic

Exelon’s CEO says your electricity bills are higher for a lot of reasons—including “your big-screen TV”—but yes, the main culprit is data centers. / The New York Times [$]

Sony changed the face of technology and entertainment when it stopped making the “Compact Disc Compact Player” and introduced the first Discman. / Obsolete Sony

In the members area, unlocked links from the Atlantic, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and the New York Times ↓