TheNewsGal, Edition No. 73

What a week! Here's what you missed.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Next week’s edition of the TheNewsGal will arrive Monday, 5/3, instead of Sunday, 5/2.

All the things

• They hacked McDonald’s ice cream machines — and started a cold war. Couldn’t put this down. (Andy Greenberg, Wired, ~28 min.)

• We know a lot about Covid-19. Experts have many more questions. I’m fascinated. (Helen Branswell, Stat, ~15 min.)

• My grandfather fled the Nazis. I moved to his old neighborhood. Wait … what? (Laura Moser, New Yorker, ~18 min.)

(Jimmy Thomson, Capital Daily)

• The Man Who Stole a Hotel: A fugitive from the U.S. started fresh on Canada’s Vancouver Island — then bilked new victims out of millions of dollars while law enforcement refused to act. Heartbreaking, infuriating, and worth every minute. (Tori Marlan, Capital Daily, ~57 min.)

• The U.S. is not ready for high-speed rail. Poor little U.S. (Aaron Gordon, Vice, ~12 min.)

• Steven Yeun’s New Frontier: He got famous a decade ago on The Walking Dead. But how well do we really know him? Finally watched Minari last night, and boy, what a star turn. (Chris Gayomali, GQ, ~28 min.)

• The Fort Bragg Murders: At least 44 Fort Bragg soldiers died stateside in 2020 — several of them were homicides. Families want answers, but the Army isn’t giving any. Stunning. (Seth Harp, Rolling Stone, ~38 min.)

(John Filo, Getty Images)

• The Girl in the Kent State Photo: In 1970, an image of a dead protester immediately became iconic. But what happened to the 14-year-old kneeling next to him? What a life story. (Patricia McCormick, Washington Post Magazine, ~23 min.)

• A distinctly American problem needs systematic investigation: Every police killing, like every plane crash, warrants careful review by a federal agency. If only ... (Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, ~6 min.)

• A Doctor’s Dark Year: In the heart of the pandemic, a trauma surgeon travels to the edge and back. Don’t miss this. (Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, ~24 min.)

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If you read one thing this week

(Justin J. Wee for New York Times)

• Why the Filet-O-Fish is my gold standard for fast food. Just excellent. (Jane Hu, NYT Magazine, ~4 min.)