TheNewsGal, Edition No. 77
What a week! Here's what you missed.
All the things
Life Under Occupation: An eviction in East Jerusalem lies at the center of a conflict that led to war between Israel and Hamas. But for millions of Palestinians, the routine indignities of occupation are part of daily life. My heart. (David M. Halbfinger and Adam Rasgon, New York Times, ~13 min.)
A frustrated Black Lives Matter activist. A die-hard Confederate loyalist. A sheriff who won’t back down. In a place where protests are restricted and violence feels imminent, many cry: “We don’t want to die no more.” Fantastic reporting and storytelling, and worth every minute. (Carli Brosseau and Julia Wall, News & Observer and ProPublica, ~41 min.)
Who Cares? Before Covid-19, American women were already in crisis. Most excellent. (Sarah Jaffe, The Baffler, ~24 min.)
The Enemy Within: Race and white supremacy in American policing. This is ... horrifying. (Steve Volk, Rolling Stone, ~32 min.)
The filing cabinet was critical to the information infrastructure of the 20th century. Like most infrastructure, it was usually overlooked. A tour-de-force on the lowly file cabinet, and I am here for it. (Craig Robertson, Places Journal, ~19 min.)
The Shot-in-the-Eye Squad: As Black Lives Matter protests swept the nation, the rubber bullets and tear gas canisters started to fly. This epidemic of “blinding by police” inspired our unlikely network of survivors. Unlike anything I’ve ever read. (Wil Sands, Narratively, ~21 min.)
The Newest Status Symbol for High-Net Worth Homeowners: Trophy Trees. In search of the perfect garden, the super rich are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring in huge old trees by helicopter, barge, and flatbed truck. Wait … what? (Katherine Clark, Wall Street Journal, ~14 min.)
Hiding out in Montana with Bill Pullman. I’m a sucker for an easy-reading celeb profile. (Maxim Loskutoff, GQ, ~14 min.)
The man who didn’t invent Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. A real treat of a read. (Sam Dean, Los Angeles Times, ~24 min.)
Can Horse Racing Survive? In a time of changing sensitivities, an ancient sport struggles to justify itself. As good as longform journalism gets. (William Finnegan, New Yorker, ~44 min.)
2050 Is Closer Than 1990: A pair of new studies on sea-level rise show that a crucial climate clock is ticking now. The most hopeful climate change piece I’ve read in ... years? (Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic, ~6 min.)
Turns Out It’s Pretty Good: Enemies. Bahaha, just trust me on this one. (Louis Staples, The Cut, ~5 min.)
A Jewish case for Palestinian refugee return: As fraught and imperfect as efforts at historical justice can be, consider what happens when they do not occur. Fascinating. (Peter Beinart, The Guardian, ~28 min.)
Historic Character: My neighborhood’s fight for integration changed America. Now white neighbors are suing a Black pastor over his social justice work. Jeezuz. (Meg Conley, Medium, ~19 min.)
Saying Her Name: Remains that were found to be those of a Black teenager who was killed by Philadelphia police in 1985 were treated as an anthropological specimen. How was her identity known and then forgotten? Brutal. (Heather Ann Thompson, New Yorker, ~16 min.)
The free ride may soon be over for anti-abortion politicians. I’m listening ... (Linda Greenhouse, NYT Opinion, ~6 min.)
“I Feel Like I’m Just Drowning”: Sophomore Year in a Pandemic. A group of high school students and their teacher try desperately to make it through an isolated and dire year. Just stunning. (Susan Dominus, NYT Magazine, ~57 min.)
The bookseller of Bangalore. A gorgeous obituary for a local legend lost to covid. (The Economist, ~5 min.)
What Happens When Americans Can Finally Exhale: The pandemic’s mental wounds are still wide open. Master pandemic reporter Ed Yong is back! (Ed Yong, The Atlantic, ~13 min.)
“Who Is This Monster?” She went undercover to catch a rapist. Two decades later, she finally got her chance. This. Is. So. Good. And the first of three parts. (Catherine Rentz, ProPublica, ~21 min.)
Stages of Grief: What the pandemic has done to the arts. Everyone needs to read this. (William Deresiewicz, Harper’s, ~21 min.)
One episode at a time, please: Is a binge backlash brewing? Here’s hoping. (Joy Press, Vanity Fair, ~6 min.)
If you read one thing this week
One of the last survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre — 107 years old — wants justice. My god. (DeNeen L. Brown, Washington Post, ~9 min.)