This page features brief excerpts of stories published by the mainstream
media and, less frequently, blogs, alternative media, and even obviously
biased sources. The excerpts are taken directly from the websites cited in
each source note. Quotation marks are not used.
Source: New York Times
4/10/2023
Although ties to Jewish extremist organizations were suspected, the person who attacked a violinist in 1953, allegedly for performing the works of Richard Strauss, has never been found. The story resonates with conflicts in Israeli society today.
Source: TIME
4/4/2023
by Olivia B. Waxman
The lack of clear precedent about the relationship between the federal and state law enforcement systems and the timing of Trump's indictment and potential trial mean that the election will be ensnared in a potential constitutional crisis.
Source: Washington Post
4/5/2023
by Alyssa Rosenberg
Although book-banners have the attention of the media and are being used by politicians to create wedge issues, it's important to remember that the policy is unpopular, and can be resisted.
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
4/5/2023
Highly publicized incidents suggest that both liberal and conservative students are flexing their muscle to try to control the content of instruction. The reality is more complicated and more important to understand.
Source: Inside Higher Ed
3/30/2023
For Republicans, the problem is about "self-censorship" in a climate supposedly hostile to conservatives. For Democrats, its about the power of state legislation to ban topics and ideas from research and discussion.
Source: New York Times
3/30/2023
Russell's humor was a feature of a Washington where politicos and the press were more likely to enjoy a few bipartisan laughs. Asked if he had any writers helping him, he replied “Oh, yes — 100 in the Senate and 435 in the House of Representatives.”
Source: Texas Monthly
3/23/2023
Supporters of gender-related legislation deny that they want to eradicate transgender Texans, but members of that community fear that political rhetoric suggesting they are child abusers will encourage vigilantes who are already staging armed protest at LGBTQ events. Like other Texans, many are arming themselves.
Source: Slate
3/30/2023
Planners and politicians used post-WWII prosperity to remake Paris for cars, making it one of the most car-saturated big cities. Recent changes led by Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo have show what can happen when priority is given to air quality and public space (though not every Parisian agrees).
Source: National Catholic Reporter
3/30/2023
The Vatican acknowledged that certain papal bulls dating to the 15th century have been adopted to justify the abusive and even genocidal acts of colonizers, though it did also suggest that secular authorities manipulated and selectively interpreted church statements out of context for political reasons.
Source: The Atlantic
3/28/2023
There is a long history of refusal of scientific discovery; does this explain hesitancy or refusal of COVID vaccines?
Source: Fast Company
3/29/2023
by Kim Kelly
The CEO's reluctance to appear before a Senate Committee was made clear when Senator Bernie Sanders, labor law experts, and Starbucks workers confronted him with allegations that he violated labor laws in seeking to keep the coffee chain union-free.
Source: The New Yorker
3/23/2023
Years ago, a Department of Education official sent a joke in the form of a mock memo from Harvard's admissions office to the school's dean of admissions. The joke referenced Asian stereotypes. Its exact content, as referenced in a sidebar in a federal court trial, had been sealed, and then protected by mutual agreement between the trial judge and the parties. Why?
Source: Vulture
3/24/2023
The Plantagenet King Richard III was portrayed as a villain by the Tudor dynasty that supplanted him in 1485 (including by Shakespeare). Philippa Langley came to question his bad reputation, and began investigations that led to the discovery of his remains
Source: The Nation
3/24/2023
At the heart of the walkout of 60,000 education professionals is the reality that the school district's policies are keeping teachers and students in poverty that makes it harder to teach and learn, says a union official.
Source: Raw Story
3/24/2023
While the accusation that LGBTQ adults are a risk to the safety of children has recently reemerged in American politics, US evangelical groups have been encouraging it in Africa for years.
Source: Politico
3/24/2023
The closeness of the Florida governor's alliance with the fomer documentarian turned anti-CRT crusader shows DeSantis's commitment to claiming a position on the right of the culture wars. Who is setting the agenda?
Source: Polygon
4/27/2023
by Abraham Josephine Reisman
As politicians seek to control the teaching of history, Vince McMahon's reign at the top of pro wrestling offers a cautionary tale for a nation that can't face its past.
Source: NBC News
3/23/2023
In 1964, Piggie Park Barbecue defended its owner's choice no to serve Black customers by claiming racial integration violated his religious beliefs, a claim the Supreme Court later called "patently frivolous."
Source: Slate
3/23/2023
Although the nudity of Michelangelo's David might not be the root cause of a principal's firing, the board of the Hillsdale College-affiliated charter school at the center of the controversy has interesting views about the educational enterprise.
Source: TeenVogue
3/22/2023
Participants in these actions explain that the goal isn't only pay and benefits for graduate student workers, but returning public higher education to a state of accessibility for millions of students and opportunity for millions of workers after decades of budget cuts and privatization.
