In Letter to my Son, Ta-Nehisi Coates writes of acts of violence against black people: “The destroyers will rarely be held accountable. Mostly they will receive pensions. There is nothing uniquely evil in these destroyers or even in this moment. The destroyers are merely men enforcing the whims of our country, correctly interpreting its heritage and legacy. This legacy aspires to the shackling of black bodies.”
Reni Eddo-Lodge writes in this piece on race and prejudice: “Not seeing race does little to dismantle racist structures or improve the lives of people of colour. In order to do so, we must see race. We must see who benefits from their race, who is affected by negative stereotyping of theirs, and on whom power and privilege is bestowed – not just because of their race, but also their class and gender. Seeing race is essential to changing the system.”
A profile of the United States Attorney General William Barr, in his second stint in the role, after first serving in George H.W. Bush’s administration in the early 1990s. His successor from his first incumbency had this to say on his influence in the Trump administration: “Those who think he’s a tool of Donald Trump are missing the point..If anything, it’s the other way around. Barr is vastly more intelligent than Donald Trump…Bill has longstanding views about how society should be organized, which can now be manifested and acted upon to a degree that they never could have before.”
Wherever there is political and economic uncertainty, it’s a fair bet that there are people somewhere trying to make money from it. This story looks into the companies in the market for goverment contracts to supply protective equipment, including VPL Medical LLC, a company that was awarded a $6.4m contract from the Department of Veterans Affairs four days after it was incorporated.
The story of MedMen, a buzzy US cannabis startup that ran into trouble.
Mona Chalabi is an enormously talented data journalist and illustrator who has worked with all sorts of prestigious organisations. Her Instagram feed is a trove of original work telling powerful stories with data and illustration. The piece linked to here compares the cost of 1 year’s NYPD micdonduct law suits, with the cost of 1 year’s free bus journeys for every New Yorker.
A calm and simple experience, that takes the listener through the soundscape of a British forest throughout the course of the day, accompanied by beautiful illustrations. Relaxing.