You can’t afford this inauguration, but...

The White House works to contain potential damage from allegations in John Bolton’s forthcoming book. 1/25

How long can Republicans really play dumb about Bolton? 2/25

Here’s a view we don’t endorse, but do appreciate: Your vote doesn’t matter, also you’re likely to harm others. 3/25

The AP crops a black climate activist out of a photo with Greta Thunberg and other young white women. 4/25

The NPR-Pompeo fight escalates when a journalist gets kicked off a State Department trip. 5/25

The Washington Post suspends a reporter for retweeting a well-reported article about Kobe Bryant’s rape case. 6/25

Related: A round-up of Kobe remembrances. Also, Nike suspends online sales of Kobe merch. 7/25

In baseball news, with the Astros busted for cheating, the Dodgers seethe over losing the 2017 World Series. 8/25

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in China reaches 4,515, but the World Health Organization isn’t declaring an international emergency. 9/25

Something else social media is bad at: spreading information during outbreaks. 10/25

A reporter and a photographer spend five days joining "the river of humanity" fleeing Venezuela on foot. 11/25

Stockton, Calif. is the most racially diverse city in the US, scarred by its past but fast recovering from public disinvestment. 12/25

A story about the fight between France, Florida, and the original "salvor" of La Trinité, "the most important shipwreck ever found in North America." 13/25

Here’s where Americans want to go (Denver, Baltimore, San Diego) and here’s where Americans want to leave (Orlando, Detroit, Chicago). 14/25

Maps show where nitrous oxide—nearly 300 times stronger than carbon dioxide at trapping heat—is being emitted. 15/25

A brief graphic history of route maps distributed by commercial airlines. 16/25

San Diego, home to the largest mass surveillance operation in the country, appears to be selling its citizens' info to Big Data. 17/25

Everyone is filming themselves in the bathroom, especially if they go to high school. 18/25

A list of classical music concerts with an unruly audience response. 19/25

A short film for your lunch break this week: ”The Driver Is Red,” by Randall Christopher. 20/25

The most admired and despised classic novels, according to users of Goodreads. 21/25

People started getting precious about books in the 18th century because marketers wanted them to. 22/25

Related: “I Can’t Afford These First Editions, but I Buy Them Anyway.” 23/25

Visiting a local library remains the most common cultural activity Americans engage in—10.5 trips annually. 24/25

Here are your 2020 Tournament of Books brackets! 25/25

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