TheNewsGal, Edition No. 75
What a week! Here's what you missed.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Apologies for the delay, Mother’s Day festivities were … festive.
All the things
Americans will increasingly have to make their own judgments about covid risks. For better or worse, I guess. Ugh. (Joseph G. Allen, Washington Post Opinions, ~5 min.)
“I’d Never Been Involved in Anything as Secret as This”: The plan to kill Osama bin Laden — from the spycraft to the assault to its bizarre political backdrop — as told by the people in the room. Gripping. (Garrett M. Graff, Politico Magazine, ~77 min.)
Online shopping changed, and we barely noticed. It’s very sneaky and way too easy and just might be the death of me. (Terry Nguyễn, The Goods, ~11 min.)
The childcare industry was collapsing. Mrs. Jackie bet everything on an impossible dream to save it. What an incredible woman. (Lizzie Presser, ProPublica, ~25 min.)
The Violent Embrace: The Atlanta shooter comes from a culture that connects Asian women to sex and violence. It has its origins in U.S. wars — particularly the Korean War — and is fueled by our continued military presence in Asia. Excellent explainer and important context. (Jessie Kindig, Boston Review, ~21 min.)
What If Everything We Know About Gymnastics Is Wrong? In the wake of a seismic scandal, Chellsie Memmel and other gymnasts are done with inhumane coaching — and the idea that they have to peak in their teens. I’m still noodling on how to feel about this piece, but I can’t stop recommending it. (Lizzie Feidelson, NYT Magazine, ~26 min.)
Finding my Father Among the Astronauts: When Nicholas Schmidle was granted rare access to the test pilots at Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic space program, he hoped he might discover something about ambition and courage. He didn’t expect to confront the legacy of his own fighter ace father. This is just ... neat. (Nicholas Schmidle, GQ, ~16 min.)
How American Sports’ Covid Patient Zero Nearly Became a National Pariah: Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert speaks candidly. Love this. (Ben Golliver, Literary Hub, ~9 min.)
Burn All the Leggings: What do you wear to the reopening of society? OK, this made me laugh. (Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, ~10 min.)
Historical Clothing’s Comeback: A collection of sewing enthusiasts, dedicated to the anachronistic art of making old-fashioned clothes, stumbles onto a path that revives quality, comfort, ecological consciousness — and respect for the female form in all its varieties. Another compelling piece about a niche pastime! (Beth Winegarner, Craftsmanship Quarterly, ~20 min.)
It’s not their job to buy you cake: Working remotely for the last year has revealed just how much of office culture is accidental, arbitrary, and sexist. I’m all kinds of fired up about this. (Laura Hazard Owen, NiemanLab, ~6 min.)
If you read one thing this week
The battle for 1042 Cutler Street: As landlords and tenants go broke across the U.S., the next crisis point of the pandemic approaches. Nobody humanizes a headline better than Eli Saslow. (Eli Saslow, Washington Post, ~21 min.)