Morning Coffee (8/31/16)

A "safe zone" in Syria sounds like a great idea. It would be a disaster.

The Times is pulling no punches: Donald Trump to Visit Mexico After More Than a Year of Mocking It

Related: Stop getting played by Trump’s scam job on immigration

This piece about Clinton's and Trump's approaches to debate prep is FASCINATING (and yet again leaves me thinking "she's just like me!").

Maybe don't get too excited about those clickbaity SETI headlines.

Anthony Weiner’s sexts are being treated like a campaign story — they shouldn’t be

This was very interesting and not something I had thought about: Colin Powell’s foundation and Hillary Clinton’s are treated very differently by the media

How Facebook’s foray into automated news went from messy to disastrous.

Rick Perry is doing Dancing with the Stars?!?! (It actually seems like a more interesting group this time, or at least more tailored to my specific interests. [I still won't find time to watch it.])

I'm all in for Taylor Kitsch: cult leader.

Morning Coffee (8/30/16)

A Powerful Russian Weapon: The Spread of False Stories

The Trump campaign just admitted one of the scariest things about its candidate

I Spent 5 Years With Some of Trump's Biggest Fans. Here's What They Won't Tell You

I have such an aversion to gambling that this piece on what happened with the daily fantasy industry made me physically uncomfortable to read at times, but it's fascinating.

The first part of this L.A. Times true crime investigation is certainly compelling.

Breaking VERY OLD news: Ancestor, Lucy, Died After Falling From Tree

How to Arrange Your Kitchen: According to Julia Child

Are You Smarter than a 19th Century Midshipman? (No.)

Ooh: The secret libraries of history

Hee: Things We Hope Will Happen When Justin Trudeau Meets William, Kate, and the Royal Babies

Morning Coffee (8/29/16)

Me elsewhere: Your TV news for the week!

An adorable story to start your week: Marathon runner on reunion with missing dog, Gobi

Please please watch: AMC's Halt and Catch Fire is set in tech's past. But it just might be TV's future.

In Praise of the Private Email Server (if you aren't Hillary Clinton)

Crimea's champagne makers hope to recreate the Soviet glory days

Interesting: Why Artisanal Cider-Makers Hate the Fizzy Stuff Sold in Six-Packs (I like both kinds! For the record.)

A history of sorority shaming on the internet, from recruitment videos to selfies

From Shakespeare to rock music: the history of the word ‘punk’

The Strange Tale of JFK's Goat-Out-the-Vote Campaign

Huh, I didn't know about this: A Separate Australia

I genuinely don't care what these people are or aren't doing in their private lives, but this is funny: How on Earth Do You Spend Eight Hours With Joshua Jackson?

Morning Coffee (8/28/16)

Media False Equivalence Is Trump’s Best Friend in the Debate Over Racism

How the “Hipster Nazis” of the Alt Right Got Big Enough for Hillary Clinton to Denounce Them

Astronomers just found a new planet that could potentially support life — and it's really, really close

Leavenworth's Spygate

What Barack Obama Thinks of Donald Trump

Alyssa Rosenberg makes a lot of good points here: Academy Award voters have an obligation to see ‘The Birth of a Nation’

Fascinating: Prestel: The British Internet That Never Was?

Aaah, some pictures from the live-action Beauty and the Beast!

Jamie Oliver's new child's name is not quite what I thought before, but still terrible.

I don't actually want there to be bunnies in my grocery store but this is very cute.

Morning Coffee (8/27/16)

Important: There Is No Horse Race

How President Donald Trump could ruin his enemies’ lives

Hahaha. The Trump campaign found some voter fraud! Trump campaign chief Steve Bannon is registered voter at vacant Florida home

And not at all funny: Trump campaign CEO Steve Bannon reportedly abused his ex-wife

Of course he did: Maine’s governor unleashed an expletive-laden, homophobic tirade on a state representative

GOOD FOR HIM: Gary Johnson Changes His Mind on Mandatory Childhood Vaccinations

Boko Haram’s Doomed Marriage to the Islamic State

What the Amy Schumer Saga Says About Feminism and Compromises

OH NO: French wine production to fall 10% this year after fierce spring weather

Oh. Aston Villa’s Chinese owner says it’s important to listen to the people—just as Chairman Mao did

Morning Coffee (8/26/16)

Let's take a break for some happy Friday links!

Important international military news: Penguin Sir Nils Olav III promoted to Brigadier in Royal Norwegian Guard

This is not THAT kind of Penguin, but: Penguin-branded bookstore opens in Toronto

Vulture's Fall Entertainment Generator is nifty.

!!! BBC Greenlights Seven New Agatha Christie Adaptations

The Best Desk Décor: From Belgian Stationery to Japanese Scissors

The Fug Girls understand me on a deep level: A Summer of Celebrities in Stripes

And then: Translating the Trends for Fall 2016: Plaid/Tartan

Whoa: Insane D&D Diorama

Prince Alexander is very cute.

This mansion is perfect if you like being emotionless in the desert (I... I might? Because part of me LOVES THAT.)

Morning Coffee (8/25/16)

Important! The AP’s big exposé on Hillary meeting with Clinton Foundation donors is a mess

And! The AP’s defense of its bad Clinton Foundation story is also bad

Anne Holton would be the first wife of a president or vice president to use her birth name while he's in office.

Amazing: Former Miss Universe Becomes U.S. Citizen So She Can Vote Against Trump

I haven't had time yet but Alyssa Rosenberg made the first spouse cookie recipes: "Personally, I find the contempt implied by Bill Clinton’s laziness marginally refreshing."

All the US presidents' reading lists

The NASA chief wrote a lovely piece about Katherine Johnson, focus of the upcoming movie Hidden Figures.

Churchill, God and the Bomb

Oh no: Team Great Britain Thought It Was Being Helpful By Providing The Luggage

What a time to be alive: Disney Channel Greenlights Supernatural Vampire Pilot Starring Teen Boy Band

Morning Coffee (8/24/16)

Wow, there's a... lot here: Bernie Sanders' New Group Hits Major Trouble on the Launchpad

Saying Donald Trump is totally unlike mainstream Republicans could be the best way to beat them

This is great: Jimmy Kimmel asked Clinton to read Trump quotes with a straight face. She had to refuse one.

Deutsche Bank’s $10-Billion Scandal

Okaaaaaay: You may think the world is falling apart. Steven Pinker is here to tell you it isn't.

!!! Yes, please, put John Cho on my TV regularly: USA Network Developing Con Artist Drama Starring ‘Star Trek’s’ John Cho

The hunt for medieval kings

Heh: The Exact Moment Amal Clooney Realized She Settled

The alternate universe of ‘Fringe’ beat us to ‘Batman v Superman’

I would watch a movie about these retirees turned shipwreck hunters.

Morning Coffee (8/23/16)

Manafort's man in Kiev

Very interesting, from Max Read: Did I Kill Gawker?

Update from Brian Beutler: I Started the “Economic Anxiety” Joke about Trump—and It’s Gone Too Far Now

Your compelling longread for today: Dee Dee Wanted Her Daughter To Be Sick, Gypsy Wanted Her Mom To Be Murdered

Wow: China staff fined for not liking boss's Weibo posts

"I am sorry, Gandalf doesn’t do weddings." Amazing.

This is so cool: My 20-Year Quest To Find Carmen Sandiego

Huh: Do You Eat Like a Republican or a Democrat?

Some people should not be allowed to name children.

How Czech Wine Got Its Terroir Back

Morning Coffee (8/22/16)

Me elsewhere: The week's TV news!

Whoa: Publisher wins rights to Voynich manuscript, a book no one can read

This seems like a perfectly reasonably goodbye request from Gawker.

The final insult: Donald Trump is a bore

Ken Starr Leaves Baylor After Complaints It Mishandled Sex Assault Inquiry

Joseph Goebbels’ 105-year-old secretary: ‘No one believes me now, but I knew nothing’

This is scary: Chinese Court Upholds Ruling Against Historian Who Questioned Tale of Wartime Heroes

Sarah Dessen has a new book deal!!

The legal drama with the Rebecca Broadway show continues!

This story is insane: The Gucci wife and the hitman: fashion's darkest tale

'Mystery Monster' Found in Siberian Mine

Morning Coffee (8/21/16)

All our dreams have been answered: We've got a potential first spouse cookie battle! Should I try both recipes and report back?

It’s time to accept that Donald Trump is never going to learn basic stuff about the world

This story includes two of my favorite things to read about: YouTube star drama AND North Korea!

SIGH: Meeting the Free Speech Crusaders Who Want to End Political Correctness

This this this: Advocating for specific plot twists isn’t meaningful political activism

'We Don’t Need to Be Alone’: A Political Shift Has Poland Assessing Its Values

Here's a great profile of Senator Mikulski.

This defense of the bronze medal is fun.

Kafkaesque instructions on what to do with Franz Kafka’s manuscripts produce a Kafkaesque legal battle

Shifting Sands in Britain Reveal a 100-Year-Old Shipwreck (Not for nothing, but I feel like shifting sands have been revealing more things than usual recently.)

Morning Coffee (8/20/16)

This is huge: Justice Department says it will end use of private prisons

And huge in another way: Gawker.com to End Operations Next Week (Gawker certainly always had its problems, but I can barely imagine the Internet without it.)

Wired's endorsement of Hillary Clinton is probably the best I've read, especially but not only if you're into tech stuff.

Paul Manafort's resignation shows Trump's problem is Trump

Jared Kushner's Second Act

YOU GUYS THERE IS A WALDEN VIDEO GAME. "As the writer, you’ll be able to take your laundry home to your mother and go put your feet up at Emerson’s house." Hahahahaha.

This essay by Sara Benincasa in response to an anonymous stranger asking why she'd gained weight is important and wonderfully written.

Jürgen Klopp Has Found His Tackling, Ball-Hunting, Overwhelming Secret Weapon

Aw: Runners Help Each Other After Fall: ‘Get Up. We Have to Finish This.’

The Forgotten History of Female Athletes Who Organized Their Own Olympics

Morning Coffee (8/19/16)

Friday! Let's take a break for some happy links.

This looks SO GOOD: Watch the Trailer for Hidden Figures, About the Black Women Behind NASA’s Early Days

Scandinavia’s largest library wins title of public library of the year

In the spirit of happy Friday, let's ignore the swimmer nonsense and just look at all their abs.

Please tell me we're getting this here: ‘Great British Baking Show’ Winner Will Judge Adorable Children in Spin-Off Series (Also in there: Tamal is doing a show about not self-diagnosing yourself online. I LOVE HIM.)

Leslie Odom Jr. in Murder on the Orient Express? SURE.

Eee, Max Crumm and Laura Osnes reunited for "You're the One That I Want" at Ham4Ham.

Whoa: Make Ice Cream Cones Out of Rice Krispies Treats for Instant Happiness

Interesting: Finland tops podium for most Olympic medals won per capita

Need a romantic movie to watch this weekend? The Fug Girls are on it.

Heh. The Onion: Queen Elizabeth Hoping She Dies Before Having To Knight Any DJs

Morning Coffee (8/18/16)

Wow: North Korea’s No. 2 Diplomat in London Defects to the South

Washington's Sunni Myth and the Civil Wars in Syria and Iraq

Oh, fascinating: Ultra-Orthodox paper ‘makes history’ with partial photo of Hillary Clinton

Donald Trump’s plan to subject immigrants to “ideological tests,” explained

Mikhail Baryshnikov: Donald Trump's Rhetoric "Reminds Me of the Soviet Union of My Youth" Baryshnikov! His first public endorsement! Let's go watch The Nutcracker.

Donald Trump is totally going to launch his own TV network when he loses

Insurance companies really are the worst: Aetna CEO Threatened Obamacare Pullout If Feds Opposed Humana Merger

GOOD FOR THEM: NPR Website To Get Rid Of Comments

This was so funny it derailed my whole afternoon yesterday: "Author Philippa Gregory has said she now insists on a 'clause' in her contract with film makers to stop them changing historic facts in her work." There are NOT A LOT of historic facts in her books, you guys. She messes with history ALL THE TIME.

"What’s happening to our website? Who owns us now? Who’s in charge? Nobody knows. Why don’t you bring us a dog?"

Morning Coffee (8/17/16)

This is so scary: Scenes From the Terrifying, Already Forgotten JFK Airport Shooting That Wasn’t

Wow: "Mr. Trump is so reckless, the vice president said, that if his late son had planned to enlist in a Trump administration, 'I would have thrown my body in front of him.'"

Donald Trump's once-masterful "attention at any cost" strategy has turned into a disaster

The Very Strange Writings of Putin’s New Chief of Staff

This is a very important read from Dana Schwartz: Never Talk About Sexism (If You Want to Be Taken Seriously)

Seven questions the entertainment industry needs to answer about rape

Nifty: #ObamaJAMA: Obama Just Became the First Sitting President to Publish an Academic Paper

!!!!!!!!! ‘Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda & Alan Menken Duet On Disney’s Live Action ‘The Little Mermaid’

Also: Ben Whishaw in Talks to Join Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda in Mary Poppins Returns I'm all for Ben Whishaw being cast in anything and everything, but I'm a little wary of what they're going to do with Grown-Up Michael Banks here.

Shifting Sands Reveal 400-Year-Old Petroglyphs in Hawaii

Morning Coffee (8/16/16)

Secret Ledger in Ukraine Lists Cash for Donald Trump’s Campaign Chief

Hassles mount for journalists in Turkey after failed coup

This Is What An Actual Functioning Democracy Looks Like

Welp: Breitbart thought the polls were biased against Trump. So it did its own poll. Clinton won.

Gabby Douglas calls social media critics 'hurtful' after ending Olympic career

Gabby Douglas’s Olympics experience fits the pattern of how we treat black female athletes

Interesting: Will Data Help U.S. Sailing Get Back On The Olympic Podium?

UGH: Boyfriend of Olympic Silver Medalist He Zi Would Like Some Attention, Too, Please

You don't say: Black science fiction writers face 'universal' racism, study finds

Mark Twain Had a Lifelong Feud with the United States Postal Service, because of course he did.

Morning Coffee (8/15/16)

Me elsewhere: Your TV news for the week.

The Grinding Fight to Root Out ISIS in a Battered Libya

What I learned analyzing 4,000 Trump and Clinton tweets

This is so Ryan Lochte: “And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, ‘Get down’ and I put my hands up, I was like 'whatever.'”

It's always interesting to see how this stuff plays in other places: Rio Olympics: TV Commentators' Misogynistic Remarks Spark Outrage in South Korea

Fascinating: Inside North Korea’s propaganda summer camp for international kids

The nonsense on Twitter last week about whether librarians should read (at all, never mind diversely) was quite something.

Sady Doyle has interesting thoughts on the Carl Beijer Workout Video.

Whoa: Earliest Americans could not have arrived by dry land, study indicates

The real reason networks keep resurrecting old TV hits

During the Nazi Occupation of Norway, Humor Was the Secret Weapon

Morning Coffee (8/14/16)

Trump's long dalliance with violent rhetoric

Nobody Should Be Surprised That Paul Ryan Is Supporting Donald Trump

Simone Biles, not a TV commentator, decides who her parents are

You should read this piece about the Olympics refugee team but make sure you are ready to cry.

The Phelps Files

‘Politically incorrect’ ideas are mostly rude, not brave

I don't know enough to have a sense of which side is right (if any) but this is fascinating: Dog eat dog: is a troubled expedition to Kenya causing the Smithsonian to devour its young?

I love this: In Defense of Villainesses

Mysterious magic spells unearthed by archaeologists in Serbia

Heh. The Onion: Report: Some People Actually Very Happy

Morning Coffee (8/13/16)

Here is your most important weekend reading assignment: Fractured Lands: How the Arab World Came Apart (It's long, but worth it.)

This Daily Beast Grindr Stunt Is Sleazy, Dangerous, and Wildly Unethical

Gay Olympian Amini Fonua Has Words for the Grindr-in-Rio Journalist

Whoa: Arianna Huffington to leave the Huffington Post

At long last, The Wine Show premieres (for the U.S.) on Hulu today. This interview about it with Matthew Goode is a delight.

Vital and fascinating: My Crazy Year with Trump

“A Honeypot For Assholes”: Inside Twitter’s 10-Year Failure To Stop Harassment

Awesome: Goodbye to ‘Honeys’ in Court, by Vote of American Bar Association

OH NO: Brewers Are Running out of Pumpkin for Their Autumn Beers

How Left-Handed Penmanship Contests Tried To Help Civil War Vets After Amputation

Morning Coffee (8/12/16)

Let's take a break for some fun Friday links.

The President made us summer playlists. God, I'm going to miss him. Also, I'd been vaguely meaning to make a playlist all week and never got to it, so I am impressed, as the President is much busier than I am.

Simone Biles Has a Life-size Zac Efron Cutout, and Honestly, Zac Efron Should Be Flattered

I have never related so much to Michelle Obama, in that if I had the power to do so I would absolutely make Matthew Rhys sit next to me. I would probably also make him speak Welsh but I assume the First Lady's manners are better than mine.

Important military news: Italian Sailor Uses Mouth-To-Mouth to Revive Kitten

I'm a little burned out on essays about Hamilton but this one by Todd VanDerWerff is so lovely and the one I would recommend you read.

Speaking of: Lin-Manuel Miranda & The Rock teamed up to belt out a 'Beauty and the Beast' ballad for you. Of course they did.

This is perfect: Let me translate my emails for you.

I am relieved to report that Tonga's shirtless flag bearer seems like a good guy, as well as being hot.

The swimmers' grandmas continue being quite something: Watch Ryan Lochte's Grandma Carry an Olympic Torch in Her Nursing Home, Weep

PIKACHURRO.

Morning Coffee (8/11/16)

We got some Star Trek: Discovery news! Most excitingly: The lead will be female.

My friend Chris is in a horror movie called Found Footage 3D and the trailer is out. (If you like horror movies I very much think you should watch this one; I am a scaredycat who may not be able to handle it.)

Drop Everything: There Are 2 New Girl Scout Cookies And They’re Inspired By S’mores (They sound good but why do they have the same name??)

The Men in Blazers Premier League preview podcast is out! (People keep being surprised that I watch Premier League. What can I say? I appreciate a sport that airs on weekend mornings.)

Today in stories calibrated to my interests: When Tim Kaine met the Queen of England

This guy. Michael Phelps Tied A 2,168-Year-Old Olympic Record

Trump’s Wink Wink to ‘Second Amendment People’

This story about Hillary Clinton and money is fascinating on a number of levels, not least because of how baffling everyone (then and now) seems to find the idea of a woman whose husband's income is uncertain deciding to act based upon what would allow her to take care of herself and her child.

CNN's Brian Stelter: Fox News Sent A Staffer To Date Me And Spy On Me Ten Years Ago

Heh: What Would Happen if Aziz Ansari Narrated a BBC Nature Program?

Morning Coffee (8/10/16)

Donald Trump: 'Second Amendment' gun advocates could deal with Hillary Clinton

Trump's Assassination Dog Whistle Was Even Scarier Than You Think

The Polls Aren’t Skewed: Trump Really Is Losing Badly (The "Nate Silver is an evil witch!" segment of campaigns is maybe my least favorite segment.)

Why Hillary Clinton wouldn’t be a foreign policy hawk as president

Please? How Trump’s poll decline could lead to a self-perpetuating death spiral for his campaign

How lucky we are to be alive right now: Martha Stewart, Snoop Dogg Partner for VH1 Dinner-Party Series

New Bon Iver music is coming! But this message is coming to us by way of, like, MURALS, and 2016 is exhausting enough, everyone, please just release your music in a normal fashion.

I am all in on Michael Phelps this time around - comeback story! cute baby! meme! - and this Times profile is pretty good until the weird off-putting ending.

Olympic swimmer Dana Vollmer’s tart, honest take on pregnancy

I hear Fox's new baseball drama Pitch is very good and they're doing a nifty preview screening thing at minor league ballparks and perhaps you'd like to go. (I SHOULD go but the closest one is a Sunday night and I am not a huge fan of watching TV outside, for various reasons.)

Morning Coffee (8/9/16)

Wait, Ukraine did WHAT? (I haven't seen ANY gymnastics yet this year. It's very sad.)

Good for Susan Collins: "But the unpleasant reality that I have had to accept is that there will be no 'new' Donald Trump, just the same candidate who will slash and burn and trample anything and anyone he perceives as being in his way or an easy scapegoat."

Also: 50 G.O.P. Officials Warn Donald Trump Would Put Nation’s Security ‘at Risk’

Meanwhile, SIGH: About A Third Of Bernie Sanders’s Supporters Still Aren’t Backing Hillary Clinton

The Beauty of Joe Biden and Barack Obama’s Bromance

Whoa: From a Dacha Wall, a Clue to Raoul Wallenberg’s Cold War Fate

This piece was fascinating: The Beatles’ ‘Revolver’ Turns 50: A Psychedelic Masterpiece That Rewrote the Rules of Rock

Aw: Adam Peaty's grandmother is the cutest Olympic supporter

Interesting: 80 Years Ago: the Berlin Olympics in Words and Pictures

Nicole Cliffe, always a delight: "As you can imagine, I had a lot of feelings about this, and sometimes the best thing to do with too many feelings is to embark on an extremely grueling six-day-a-week workout regimen and refuse to eat any carbs that aren't sweet potatoes, a starch I personally loathe in all its forms."

Morning Coffee (8/8/16)

Me elsewhere: The week's TV news.

Trump’s “Rigged Election” Argument Comes Straight From the GOP Playbook

This is quite something: Meet a Rare Millennial Trump Supporter

Hahaha, perfect: Which egomaniac said it: Donald Trump or novelist Jonathan Franzen?

Today in things to worry about: Hackers Say It Would Be “Too Easy” To Hack The U.S. Elections

Pretty sure we all need This Is Fine toy dogs.

I love this: The Anne Boleyn Theory of Funny Women

Huh: Dick Wolf Asks SAG Awards to Consider All Four ‘Chicago’ Casts as One Ensemble If you start down that route... what about the CW's DC shows, say?

Ooh: Florida Company Gets Approval to Put Robotic Lander on Moon

Today in wonderful terrible movie reviews: Suicide Squad is worse than Batman v Superman. No, we didn't think it was possible either.

Heh. The Onion: New Poll Finds 80% Of Americans Would Just Fucking Destroy Pan Of Brownies

Morning Coffee (8/7/16)

This Vlogbrothers project is a great idea: How to Vote in Every State

Trump Boasts About Watching ‘Top Secret’ Iran Video, But His Campaign Confirms He Did Not

And the real story: The US did not pay a $400 million “ransom” to Iran. Here’s what actually happened.

The Religious Right’s Dangerous Bet On Trump

Frankly, I only care about this because they are using immigration talk against people: Gaps in Melania Trump's immigration story raise questions

What Hillary Clinton’s campaign songs say that she can’t

Um: The FDA just greenlit releasing mutant Zika-killing mosquitoes in Florida

I always love reading Todd VanDerWerff on the state of TV networks.

DELIGHTFUL: We Watched Kevin Spacey Play A Cat In ‘Nine Lives’ And Kept A Running Diary

Oops: Princess Anne nearly jabbed in face as Andy Murray struggles with flag-bearing duties

Morning Coffee (8/6/16)

President Obama wrote an essay on feminism and it is great and I love him.

This is big and worth a read: I Ran the C.I.A. Now I’m Endorsing Hillary Clinton.

This profile of Anne Holton made me like her a lot, and like Tim Kaine even more than I did.

Is Georgia Becoming A Battleground State?

Trump's economic team has no women or people of color but five white guys named Steve. (Also very few... economists?)

Would Donald Trump Really Consider Dropping Out? (No.)

How Clinton quelled an insurgency (By compromising and doing the work and not stooping to the level of others' immaturity, which are QUALITIES I WANT IN A PRESIDENT, for what it's worth.)

Twitter “progressives” bombard Jen Kirkman with death threats after missing the point of a joke

Aaah, exciting Tintagel discoveries!!

NOPE: Meet the Allens, the “Off-Grid” Family That Wants Your Support to Survive

Morning Coffee (8/5/16)

It's been a REALLY long week, huh? Time to take a break from current events with some happy Friday links!

The Vice President tweeted about the President's birthday WITH FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS. Never tell me this friendship isn't real; I couldn't take it.

A Wrinkle in Time, which is exciting for any number of reasons, is also a milestone: it makes Ava DuVernay the first woman of color to direct a movie with a budget over $100 million.

Oldman et al. are INDEED continuing their Le Carre adaptations with Smiley's People and EVERYTHING IS AMAZING.

Teaser for Dunkirk!

Trailer for Victoria!!

GOOD QUESTION: Why Don’t I Ever Run Into Shirtless Justin Trudeau While Hiking? (I mean, I don't hike much, and certainly not in Canada, BUT STILL.)

DELIGHTFUL: I Made a Shipwreck Expert Watch The Little Mermaid And Judge Its Nautical Merits

I love real life Last Tango in Halifax stories. He let her go 60 years ago because she was in college and he didn't want to hold her back!

Ooh, pretty libraries.

It's Friday. Let's ogle superheroes.

Morning Coffee (8/4/16)

How a Secretive Branch of ISIS Built a Global Network of Killers

This gets at a lot of why I'm so excited about Hillary Clinton's candidacy, specifically, beyond obviously wanting to support the Democrat and stop Trump: Hillary Clinton's Nomination Is a Victory for the Smart Girls

The New York Times relaxed their normal rules about acceptable language to print/portray and put an uncensored video together from Trump rallies. It is disturbing and terrifying and you should watch it.

This is fine: Trump Campaign Changed Ukraine Platform, Lied About It

Nothing to see here: Donald Trump Is Reportedly Very Interested in Using Nuclear Weapons

I cannot believe this is a real interview with a prominent mainstream party's presidential nominee.

If this kind of thing ends up happening it will be... quite something to observe, from a historical sense: A likely GOP Electoral College member threatens to withhold his vote from Trump

Missouri has cut funding for public defenders severely... and the director of the department had the best reaction ever. (Warning: That's a PDF.)

Ohh, interesting question: Who Should Play Donald Trump During Hillary Clinton’s Mock-Debate Prep Sessions?

Members of Fundamentalist Mormon Sect Re-Arrested While Awaiting Trial for Food Stamp Fraud (Are you watching Escaping Polygamy? It is fascinating and has made this case even more interesting to follow.)

Morning Coffee (8/3/16)

Me elsewhere: On this week's episode of The Fourth Wall, Holly and I - and special guest Katie Moest! - talk Comic-Con.

Here's how Khan's amazing speech happened.

!! Pope Appoints Commission To Study Possibility Of Women As Deacons

Trump’s already got an excuse for a November loss: the election will be “rigged"

Yesterday in Trump: He kicked a crying baby out of a rally, which is obviously a good punchline but the more important part here is that he humiliated and kicked out THE MOTHER just for having a baby who acts like a baby, which is yet another sign of his hatred and disdain for women.

Also yesterday: "I always wanted to get the Purple Heart — this was much easier."

And ICYMI on Monday he called Hillary Clinton the devil.

And so, it begins: The First Republican Member of Congress to Back Hillary Clinton

Also Meg Whitman. Meg Whitman!!

I'm angry about this: Some Bernie delegates say they sold their DNC credentials to anyone with enough cash after he officially lost, which means people could get onto the floor the night Clinton spoke without going through the normal security check. (There was still a metal detector, thank goodness.)

This is not how anything works.

Morning Coffee (8/2/16)

Me elsewhere: Your TV news for the week.

What It Was Like to See Hillary Clinton Make History

Hillary Is Poised to Make the ‘Impossible Possible’ — for Herself and for Women in America

‘Stronger Together’ and ‘I Am Your Voice’ — How the Nominees’ Convention Speeches Compare

"Forget about running a country, would you trust Donald Trump to even babysit a cashew? Are you 100% confident that if you gave Melania Trump a Starbucks order, she’d come back with actual coffee instead of a picture of someone drinking coffee?"

HAHAHAHA: Bernie Fans Abandoned DNC Protest Because ‘Microaggressions’ Made Them Cry

How Obama’s election sparked the white racial panic that’s powering Trump

The research is clear: electing more women changes how government works

Is Watching Gymnastics Worse Than Being an NFL Fan? (Everything is terrible!)

Good for her: The Political Passion of Eva Longoria

God bless Mallory Ortberg: Things I Believe Would Be True Of Me This Week If I Had Watched The Entire Series Run Of The West Wing Instead Of Just The Pilot On Three Separate, Non-Consecutive Occasions

Morning Coffee (8/1/16)

The political cats of Britain are really seizing their moment while the humans are in disarray, huh?

The Ice Bucket Challenge did not fund a breakthrough in ALS treatment. This is important: "There is real harm in trumpeting citizen fundraising campaigns as a source of scientific advancement, though: because of this long-term, incremental work, science requires sustained, long-term funding. As useful as the funds raised by the Ice Bucket Challenge are, they can't replace the big, institutional, steady spending that has been under assault since the Reagan era."

Why Michelle Obama's Convention Speech Was a Total Game Changer

The subtext of Bill Clinton’s speech: women have always done the invisible, thankless work

Three-fourths of evangelicals support Donald Trump. Blame the "prosperity gospel." (Vox always has me at "Max Weber.")

And/but: Trump Is Driving Catholic Voters Toward Clinton

So, the Alan Grayson campaign situation was weird to start with...

...AND THEN: Alan Grayson said he never hit his wife. Then he got physical with a reporter.

I have limited sympathy for people who do not get agreements regarding compensation IN WRITING in the first place, but this situation with child performers certainly reinforces how terrible Trump and his people are. (And, obviously, it's the adult who should have insisted on a contract and none of this is the children's fault.)

Cecile Richards was the first person to say "abortion" at the DNC. Democrats often don't.