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We Rounded Up Great Political Writing You Shouldn't Miss - New York Times



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From The New Yorker:

“I was not born to run.”

In a 2016 profile of then-United States Attorney Preet Bharara, Jeffrey Toobin describes a charismatic and effective prosecutor with a flair for publicity and a reputation for going after the powerful on Wall Street and in Albany. Now that Mr. Bharara has been fired from his post in New York’s Southern District, it’s worth revisiting this piece and pondering what his next move might be.


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Preet Bharara in 2015. Mr. Bharara was fired last week from his post as United States attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Credit
Michael Appleton for The New York Times

From The New York Times:

“He is, at his core, a pragmatist.”

Andrew Ross Sorkin explains how, when it came to prosecuting financial crimes, Preet Bharara’s reputation as “the Sheriff of Wall Street” might be overblown.

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From BuzzFeed:

“...a spate of people, often with financial motives, have been peddling dirt on the president.”

You’ve heard about “fake news.” Now learn about an emerging market of phony documents intended to damage the president and his associates. The intended customers? Journalists, liberal activists and other people eager for any information on Mr. Trump.


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From The Guardian:

“Yeah I wrote that. I’m proud of that one, too.”

Have you ever read an angry internet comment and thought, “I wonder who this person is in real life?” That’s the premise of this 20-minute documentary, a short film that interviews internet trolls from around the world, face-to-face, and in their homes. As you might expect, the video contains graphic language.

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Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill last month.

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Gabriella Demczuk for The New York Times

From Stanford Law Review:

“I have seen him change his mind as a result of discussion.”

For those who want a “legally grounded analysis” of President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, the Stanford Law Review has assembled a collection of essays — including two personal notes from former colleagues — doing just that.


If you still want to know more about Mr. Gorsuch, read our article about his ties to the secretive billionaire Philip F. Anschutz.

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From The Atlantic:

“It’s a better time than ever to be a media mogul with a direct line to the president.”

You might see the name Chris Ruddy appear with greater frequency in your political news diet. That’s because in recent weeks, Mr. Ruddy — chief executive of the conservative media organization Newsmax and a longtime personal friend of Mr. Trump — has become the president’s unofficial spokesman across cable and online news channels. If you’re unfamiliar with this White House outsider, read this quick profile to catch up.


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From Newsmax:

“Trump has been acting in good faith, but he shouldn’t trust House Republicans.”

In light of Mr. Ruddy’s proximity to the president, you might be interested in the media mogul’s views on the House Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. Here’s a hint: Like many others on the right, he’s not a fan.


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From The American Scholar:

“You don’t have ‘different voices’ on campus, … you have different bodies, speaking with the same voice.”


Along with teaching at various elite liberal colleges, William Deresiewicz is a self-identified “atheist, a democratic socialist, a native Northeasterner, a person who believes that colleges should not have sports teams in the first place.” He also strenuously denounces the way students on college campuses police their own speech and that of their peers.


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From The New York Times Opinion:

“There’s nothing like a little violence to focus the mind.”

The professor who sustained a concussion during the heated protest on Middlebury College’s campus two weeks ago walks through her decision to moderate a discussion with the contentious scholar Charles Murray, and the violent events that followed.

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From Slate:

“This moment in American politics … proves that the victory of reason cannot always be assured.”


When rigorous debate and deployment of facts fail to stifle bigoted speech, one author for Slate argues, it might be permissible to restrict free speech.

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From The Weekly Standard:

“This is the free speech and privacy issue of the hour.”

Should nonprofit organizations that run issue-based ads during elections be compelled to reveal their donors? One writer argues why laws that force full transparency may inhibit free speech.

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From Los Angeles Times:

“Hollywood was a more pleasant place for conservatives during Obama’s tenure because Hollywood was in a good mood.”

These days, it’s tough to be a conservative in the entertainment industry. That’s perhaps why Hollywood’s largest conservative organization, Friends of Abe, keeps the identities of its roughly 2,500 members secret.


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Anthony and Shari Hunter at home in Utah with their daughter Valetta, 4. They cannot afford health insurance, but they pay $100 a month for cellphone service.

Credit
Kim Raff for The New York Times

From The New York Times:

“A cellphone is a lifeline.”

In a statement he has since tried to walk back, Representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah suggested that Americans should invest in health care rather than “getting that new iPhone.” For many poor families, like this one from Mr. Chaffetz’s district, living without insurance is hard, but living without a cellphone is impossible.


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From The Atlantic:

“Republicans are, likely, cringing in silence.”

The Republican congressman Steve King has a long history of saying things that his party members wish he wouldn’t. The only thing that has changed is how vocal Republicans are willing to be in their condemnation of his racist comments.

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From The Federalist:

“To be American is an ideal.”

At least one conservative isn’t cringing in silence. Here’s how a writer from The Federalist responded to the Steve King controversy.


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