Featured
There’s a storm coming. We all know it. And yet Americans are pretending that everything is normal. By Jonathan V. Last / The Bulwark
We are going to be confronted with an existential crisis eleven months from now. And the majority of Americans don’t care.
I want to connect the dots running from the monster Bob Kagan piece that Charlie talked about this morning to Bill Kristol’s interview with Jonathan Karl.
It’s dark and it’s urgent.
Buckle up. Read more
Related: Liz Cheney: The U.S. Is ‘Sleepwalking Into Dictatorship.’ By Lydia O’Connor / HuffPost
Related: Donald Trump and the Jefferson Davis Problem. By Mark A. Graber / NYT
Political / Social
Haley faces moment of truth in next GOP debate. By Julia Mueller / The Hill
GOP hopeful Nikki Haley faces a moment of truth in the next primary debate Wednesday in Alabama: Can she seize on her momentum and put in a top-level performance that will turn her into a real rival for the presidential nomination to former President Trump?
The former United Nations ambassador has seen boosts from her previous debate performances, and another standout showing could propel her ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who has long been considered Trump’s closest rival. Read more
Related: The Koch support for Nikki Haley is based on an absurd fantasy. By Zack Beauchamp / Vox
Why is Biden losing support from people of color? By Leah Askarinam, Holly Fuong, and Mary Radcliffe / ABC News
His numbers among Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans have reached a new low.
President Joe Biden is struggling in the polls one year before voters will decide whether to give him a second term in the Oval Office. And it’s the Americans who were most supportive of him at the beginning of his term that have turned on the president the most. Read more
Related: How screwed are Democrats with working-class voters? By Christian Pax / Vox
Georgia Republicans’ New Voting Maps Defy Court Order to Boost Black Representation. By Ari Berman / Mother Jones
Four Republican Georgia state senators vote in favor of their party’s plan to draw new voting districts, Nov. 30, 2023, at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta. Jeff Amy/AP
In late October, a federal court ruled that Georgia’s electoral maps violated the Voting Rights Act by discriminating against Black voters. US District Court Judge Steve Jones ordered the state’s GOP-controlled legislature to draw new congressional and state legislative maps that would result in new majority-Black districts. But instead of boosting Black representation, Republicans released a new congressional map on Friday that targets the district of Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath, one of two Black women representing Georgia in the US House. The map defies Jones’ order, voting rights groups say, and preserves the GOP’s 9 to 5 advantage in the House by diluting Black representation. Read more
This Documentary Shows The Huge Stakes Of Fighting For A Free Press. By Marina Fang / HuffPost
Watch a HuffPost exclusive clip of the new documentary “Bad Press.” Journalist Angel Ellis in the documentary “Bad Press.”
“Bad Press” begins in November 2018, when the Muscogee Nation’s National Council abruptly and narrowly repeals the tribe’s free press law, enacted in 2015. The tie-breaking vote is cast by Tiger, the council’s speaker. Overnight, Mvskoke Media turns into essentially a government publication. Without free press protections, tribal leaders get to sign off on what’s published each week. Most of the staff resign in protest. Read more
Edward Blum’s crusade against affirmative action has used the legal strategy developed by civil rights activists. By r/ The Conversation
During the 1930s and 1940s, the NAACP and its Legal Defense Fund, led by brilliant legal minds like Charles Hamilton Houston and future Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall, began to challenge the inherent inequalities of legal segregation by using what became known as test cases.
Blum and his allies are using similar strategies and have been widely successful in achieving their conservative political ideals. Read more
Related: HBCU student explains why he chose Morehouse over Harvard. By Randall Barnes / Clutchpoints
Pew survey: About 60% of Asian Americans face discrimination. By Ayana Archie / NPR
Almost six in 10 Asian Americans reported they have faced discrimination because of their race or ethnicity, and 63% said they felt not enough attention was given to anti-Asian discrimination, according to a new Pew Research Center survey released Thursday.
“For many Asian Americans, discrimination experiences are not just single events, but instead come in several often-overlapping forms,” the report said. Read more
Black Americans still struggle to access PrEP, a medication that could lower HIV rates in the community. By Chandelis Duster / CNN
Thousands of Black men could benefit from the medication, but relatively few are taking it.
After nearly a decade of working as an advocate for HIV and AIDS treatment, Michael Chancley said he came to a sobering realization. So, the 38-year-old said, he started using PrEP, which stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis, a medication that decreases a person’s risk of getting HIV from sex or injection drug use by about 99% when used as prescribed, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The medication can be taken via pill or shot. Read more
Ethics / Morality / Religion
Kamala Harris issues sharp rebuke of Israel for Gaza loss of life. By Josh Meyer / USA Today
In conversations with Israeli leaders, Harris said that she and President Biden have stressed that, “The United States is unequivocal; international humanitarian law must be respected. Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed.”
In her speech, Harris also called on Israel and other parties to show more restraint once the conflict is over. “No forcible displacement, no reoccupation, no siege or blockade, no reduction in territory and no use of Gaza as a platform for terrorism,” she said. Read more
Mike Johnson claims to hate the devil. Maybe he should look in the mirror. By Nathaniel Manderson / Salon
As a Christian minister, I believe in God and the devil — and I know whose side today’s pious Republicans are on
Where is that devil and what is he up to? First of all, like in any good horror movie, the devil is always right here in the house. In the case of the current evangelical political machine, the devil is all too often wearing pastoral robes and expensive tailored suits. For many years, the evangelical church has pointed to the devil outside in the world, but the devil is the one doing the pointing. Secondly, the devil is always up to the same thing: creating division through fear. Read more
Related: How American Evangelicalism Became ‘Mister Rogers With a Blowtorch.’ By Jennifer Szalai / NYT
There Is No Way to Live a Life Without Regret. By Lydia Polgreen / NYT
Born This Way? Born Which Way?
Race is not an exact parallel for gender identity, but as categories, we experience them in large part through the perceptions that others have of us, based largely on our outward appearances. Gender identity, many will argue, is fundamentally different, and medically or surgically altering your body to better align with your gender identity is a drastic intervention, especially for a child. But is it so different? Read more
Historical / Cultural
What to America is John Brown? By Ailish Hopper / Salon
Capture of John Brown in the engine house, Harpers Ferry, Virginia, USA, 1859 (c1880). Brown (1800-1859) believed that armed insurrection was the only way to end slavery in the United States. (The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)
On December 2, 1859, the United States saw its first execution of a prisoner convicted of treason: a white man who challenged slavery. Today, America still can’t imagine a nation of white people who dissent from white supremacy. That’s partly because we can’t imagine healthy dissent. Read more
The lesser-known history of the Monroe doctrine. By Benjamin Weber / Salon
Retracing the legacies of racism and colonialism on the 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine
Today marks the 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine, celebrated in history books for extending U.S. influence throughout the hemisphere. But few Americans are aware of its lesser-known predecessor – “The Jefferson-Monroe Penal Doctrine” – which first proposed using slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime to establish a national penal colony. At a time of continued reckoning over slavery in the United States, it is also a fitting moment to consider the roots of prison expansion in empire. Read more
US lawmakers push for federal holiday honoring Rosa Parks on the anniversary of her arrest. By Rikki Klaus / CNN
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a city bus after work in Montgomery, Alabama, and sat down. As the bus filled with passengers, the driver demanded the 42-year-old seamstress move further back into the segregated Black section of the bus so a White man could have her seat. Parks famously refused.
This week, members of the Congressional Black Caucus marked the 68th anniversary of Rosa Parks’ arrest by urging Congress to support a bill that would declare December 1, “Rosa Parks Day,” a federal holiday. Read more
Related: Black Women Public Intellectuals in U.S. History and Culture. By Robert Greene II / AAIHS
Black Music Sunday: Kabiosile (all hail) Chango! By Denise Oliver Velez
On Dec. 4, the sound of drumming and singing will fill the air across the Caribbean and Latin America, and in neighborhoods here in the States where there are practitioners of African diasporic religious traditions, often called “Santeria,” but more properly “La Regla de Ocha” or Lukumi. Because forbidden African religious and spiritual practices were masked behind Catholicism during enslavement, African deities were and are still celebrated on specific “saint’s days.” In the case of Dec. 4, that saint is Saint Barbara, who is the public face of Changó (or Shango or Sàngó), the Yoruba deity of fire and thunder, drums, and dance. This Catholic syncretism differs in Brazil, where Saint Barbara is syncretised with Iansã, the goddess of winds and storms.
I took a deep dive into the history and meanings of Changó back in 2011, in “¡Qué viva Changó!: West African deities in the Americas,” and have explored some of the music here in this series in “Afro-Latinas sing to the santos, the ancestors, and the culture.” Read more and listen here
‘Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé’ Is A Love Letter To The Beyhive. By
“Renaissance: a Film by Beyoncé” is not just a concert movie or a backstage pass into the psyche of the world’s greatest living entertainer. The film is a love letter to the Beyhive, Beyoncé’s fanbase, and the community — from Uncle Johnny to Blue Ivy Carter and beyond — that became an avenue for liberation. “Renaissance means a new beginning and a rebirth,” she said in the film. “After all that we’ve been through in the world, I feel like everyone needs… a safe space to connect and be in community together.” Read more
Tupac Shakur’ captures an icon’s spark and decades of Black history. By Jesse McCarthy / Wash Post
Staci Robinson’s authorized biography covers the rapper’s early life and private life as well as the years of global fame
The iconic rap artist the world knows as Tupac Shakur (and by his stage name 2Pac, and often, affectionately, just Pac) was born, as Afeni prophesied, into the chaos of a collapsing revolutionary movement that had sought to reshape the cultural consciousness and the communitarian political will of Black America. Read more
‘Thriller 40’ revisits Michael Jackson’s magnum opus. By Mellissa Ruggleri / USA Today
After 40 years and 70 million copies sold, “Thriller” remains an untouchable benchmark.
Michael Jackson’s stirring fusion of R&B with rock and pop is the biggest-selling album worldwide. It earned eight Grammy Awards, revolutionized MTV and spawned a record seven Top 10 singles, including “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” “Billie Jean” and the title track. “Thriller 40,” which arrives Saturday on Paramount+ with Showtime and Showtime (8 p.m. EST/PST), recognizes the endurance of the music and the accompanying elaborate videos through commentary from Usher, Mary J. Blige, Mark Ronson, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and onetime Jackson companion Brooke Shields, among others. Read more
She wasn’t the first, but Queen Latifah was special from the start. By Geoff Edgers / Wash Post
In her hip-hop debut, 1989′s ‘All Hail the Queen,’ a major talent was already ascending
There is a lot you can write about Latifah as she begins to get her just rewards, which include being recognized on Dec. 3 as a Kennedy Center honoree. There’s that multi-hyphenate stuff that comes when your trophy case includes a Grammy (rap solo performance for 1993′s “U.N.I.T.Y.”) and an Emmy (for 2015’s “Bessie”) and your résumé features an Oscar nomination (2002’s “Chicago”), a talk show, an action TV series (“The Equalizer”) and acting roles that range from Matron “Mama” Morton in “Chicago” to Sasha Franklin in “Girls Trip.” Read more
Sports
Deion Sanders, coach of a 4-8 team, wins SI Sportsperson of the Year. By Matt Bonesteel / Wash Post
Deion Sanders’s Colorado football team last won a game on Oct. 7. The Buffaloes had one of the worst defenses in the nation, allowing 453.3 yards and 34.8 points per game, and their offense nosedived after a thrilling start, failing to reach 20 points in four of their final five games.
And yet on Thursday, Sports Illustrated named Sanders — the coach of a team that finished 4-8 — its Sportsperson of the Year. Read more
How Miami Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. stands out among NBA rookies. By Ayrton Ostly / USA Today
The Miami Heat used one of the highest-scoring fourth quarters in franchise history Thursday night to beat the Indiana Pacers 142-132 and snap a three-game losing streak. As a team, Miami outscored Indiana 45-32 in the final frame to seal their 11th win of the season and keep pace in the Eastern Conference.
Jimmy Butler led the way with 36 points, but it was rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. who stepped up in a big way in the final quarter. He scored 14 of his season-high 24 points to power the Heat to victory. Read more
The Vikings are relishing Brian Flores running their defense as long as they can. By Dave Campbell / USA Today
The Minnesota Vikings stumbled to an 0-3 start, endured seven games without superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson and have started three different quarterbacks after king-of-durability Kirk Cousins went down with a season-ending injury.
How, then, have they managed to maintain control of a spot in the playoffs with five games to go? That’s a tribute to Brian Flores, whose bold debut as Minnesota’s defensive coordinator will undoubtedly put him in the conversation for head coach vacancies around the NFL when the next hiring cycle begins. Read more
Steph Curry Made NBA History In Clippers-Warriors Game. By Ben Stinar / Fastbreak
On Thursday evening, the Golden State Warriors are hosting the Los Angeles Clippers at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
During the game, Steph Curry made exciting NBA history by moving up on the all-time scoring list. Curry came into the evening with 22,187 career points, and he has now moved ahead of Clyde Drexler (22,195) for 34th on the list. Read more
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