My Weekend Recommendations

What did you miss?

Save the date! On May 20, I will be speaking at Eastern Kentucky University Center for the Arts. The event is open to the public, and you can buy tickets here. I hope to see you there!

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The Biggest Story I’ve Ever Posted: The Messages That Broke Me

This story is personal. And it’s one in which I want to tread lightly, because I know some people will read it and their innate inclination will be to get their hackles up, to feel as though they are personally under attack. See what people are talking about:

SCOTUS to Decide if Religious Schools Get Taxpayer Money

This week, the Supreme Court heard one of the biggest cases about education since Brown v. Board. It’s one that could impact the nearly four million students who currently attend charter schools and tens of millions more who don’t. I walk you through the oral arguments and the question at the heart of the case.

"Step Aside:" Young Dems Are Done Waiting

David Hogg is only 25 years old, but he’s already one of the top leaders of the Democratic Party. And as the newly elected vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), he’s not following the usual playbook.

Speech Canceled: What Happened at the Naval Academy

Ryan Holiday has spent years studying Stoic philosophy. For several years, he has spoken to the Midshipmen of the US Naval Academy on these virtues. This year, the topic of his talk was the concept of wisdom. But moments before he was set to take the stage, the Naval Academy pulled the plug and sent him home. The reason? Book bans, and government censorship of criticism.

Trump's Plan: Raise Taxes on the Rich?

For decades, Republicans swore never to raise taxes. Trump might be the first to change that. Will he actually pull the trigger? And how did an aversion to tax increases harden into Republican orthodoxy?

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What I’m reading…

The Alabama Landline That Keeps Ringing

By Emily McCrary for Oxford American

When the James E. Foy desk opened at Auburn University in 1953, they used the Farmers’ Almanac and the Guinness Book of World Records to answer the public’s burning questions, which run from “Who is the most famous person in the world?” to “What is watercress?” The desk is staffed by university students and provides a vital service and source of genuine human connection to people who, for whatever reason, have decided to stay off or do not have access to the internet.

The horses and mules that moved mountains and hearts

By Shi En Kim for High Country News

Forest Service stock animals are indispensable to trail work on public lands in the West. Trump’s radical upheaval is accelerating the death of a dying art.

The Miscalculations of COVID School Closures

By Jessica Winter for The New Yorker

Millions of American children were denied regular in-person instruction for more than a year after the virus emerged. What did we get right—and wrong?

My Miserable Week in the ‘Happiest Country on Earth’

By Molly Young for The New York Times Magazine

Instead of visiting Finland at the rosiest time of year (any time except the dead of winter), Molly Young traveled with few plans at all during one of the bleakest months. Would the happiest country on earth still be so mirthful at its gloomiest?

What I’m listening to…

Seeking Closure 50 Years After the End of the Vietnam War

State of the World

Fifty years ago this week Communist forces seized the city of Saigon bringing an end to the Vietnam war. It was a war that defined a generation with effects that reverberate today. The State of the World goes to Laos where one man's search for closure takes him to the top of the country's tallest mountains.

Revisiting the fight over the Lakota language as Trump targets "divisive narratives"

Code Switch

How do we preserve our history and everything that builds it, like language? This episode is about the Lakota Nation in South Dakota and language — who preserves it, who has the right to the stories told in it, and who (literally) owns it.

Navigating Media Bias with Vanessa Otero

Here’s Where It Gets Interesting

How can you tell if your news source is reliable? In this episode, I spoke with Vanessa Otero, founder of Ad Fontes Media and creator of the Media Bias Chart, about how to better evaluate the reliability of your news. They explore the difference between fact-based journalism and misinformation, and why so much of our news falls somewhere in the middle.

What I’m watching…

The real-world danger of online myths

TED Talk

How do we protect ourselves from being misled online? Counter-terrorism expert Vidhya Ramalingam reveals how disinformation is weaponized to justify violence — increasingly against climate scientists — and introduces a powerful tool called "prebunking": a proactive approach that empowers people to recognize and reject manipulative messages before they take root.

Nazis at Nuremberg: The Lost Testimony

National Geographic

Never-before-heard trial testimony reveals shocking new details about World War II and the inner workings of the Nazi war machine. Head’s up — there are some graphic images in this, so be aware for younger audiences (and yourself).

Conversations I had…

Author helps provide 'just desserts' for famed Henrico educator Randolph, who built unintentional legacy by doing 'the next needed thing'

By Tom Lappas for Henrico Citizen

Almost no one would travel half the country just to see a 98-year-old cake – myself included. But getting to do so when I arrived at the Virginia Randolph Museum in Glen Allen April 25 was a highlight of my recent trip to Virginia.

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Thanks for being a Governerd — you’re my favorite part of the Internet.