My Weekly Recommendations

PLUS: an important heads up!

Exciting news!

Tomorrow, we’re opening the doors to Governerds Insider, our one-of-a-kind book club and community. Every season, thousands of curious readers come together to explore bold, conversation-starting books, hear directly from bestselling authors, and join live workshops that make you think differently about the world. If you’ve been looking for smart, meaningful connection—you just found it. Watch this space tomorrow for the link to join.

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And now, let’s get you caught up on the week…

An Arson Attack, a Passover Seder, and the Past That Still Burns

Cody Balmer broke into the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg, PA, armed with a sledgehammer and beer bottles filled with an accelerant. His social media posts paint a disturbing picture, one full of anger toward the government. And this brings me to my question: What is it about Americans, particularly white men, that gives them a proclivity toward political violence?

Live with Sharon McMahon & Steve Vladeck

We talked about the Abrego Garcia case, due process, birthright citizenship, nationwide injunctions and district courts, federal firings, what’s keeping us up at night, and what’s bringing us hope.

The DOJ Whistleblower They Tried to Silence

Liz Oyer glanced at her notes. “I see only Democratic members here today,” she said into the microphone. “But this is not a partisan issue. I am here because I will not be bullied into concealing the ongoing corruption and abuse of power at the Department of Justice. The DOJ is entrusted with keeping us safe, upholding the rule of law, and protecting our civil rights.”

Answering Your Questions This Week

Declaring martial law, what we should be doing instead of the SAVE Act, violence at town halls, and my biggest piece of advice for this moment.

What John Adams Started, Trump Wants to Finish

Before there was January 6, 2021, there was May 9, 1798. Amid the specter of a potential war with France, President John Adams had set the day aside as a “National Day of Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer,” urging all Americans to ask God to protect the nation from foreign threats and domestic disunity. Instead, the opposite happened. More than 200 years later, Donald Trump is trying again.

Gold Is Soaring, Treasury Bonds Are Crashing — What Does It All Mean?

The bedrock of the global financial system trembled this week, and Americans are about to feel it in their wallets. US Treasury Bonds – the foundation of America's ability to borrow money affordably – are experiencing one of their most dramatic selloffs in decades.

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What I’m reading…

There Are Two Types of Dishwasher People

By Ellen Cushing for The Atlantic

Writer Ellen Cushing writes, “When the couples therapist inevitably asks, I’ll have an answer ready: The trouble began in August 2017, when my boyfriend and I moved in together, and I quickly revealed myself to be an absolute ding-dong at loading the dishwasher … and judging by the sheer volume of dishwasher-loading advice, commentary, and anxiety on the internet, I am not alone in any of this.” So what kind of dishwasher loader are you?

Radioactive Man

By Maddy Crowell for Harper’s Magazine
Frank Vera III doesn’t remember the exact time or month of the incident. He just remembers that it was hot, like many days at George Air Force Base, in California’s Mojave Desert—a landscape so desolate, he says, it felt like the loneliest place on earth. Crowell tries to (maybe) unravel a government cover-up.

Paul Revere Wasn't the Only Midnight Rider Who Dashed Through the Darkness to Warn the Patriots That the British Were Coming

By Ellen Wexler for Smithsonian Magazine

Revere, who was later immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem, was one of many riders who rode through the countryside, spreading the alarm on April 18, 1775.

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What I’m listening to…

Punished for Dreaming with Bettina Love

Here’s Where It Gets Interesting

We hear the word “reform” tossed around a lot when it comes to education, but what does it actually mean? And how does school segregation—both past and present—continue to shape our classrooms today? I sat down with Dr. Bettina Love, a professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, and author of “Punished for Dreaming.” From chronic underfunding and the overemphasis on standardized tests to teacher burnout and the devaluing of educators, it’s clear the system is struggling. So, where do we go from here?

Journalist Joy-Ann Reid revisits the legacy and marriage of Medgar and Myrlie Evers

Fresh Air

Reid's book, Medgar and Myrlie, tells the stories of the civil rights leader from Mississippi and his wife, who became an activist after Medgar's 1963 assassination.

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What I’m watching…

First Ever Black Tank Unit Enters WWII

History

The 761st Tank Battalion was the first all-Black tank squad to see combat during World War II.

Why your life needs novelty, no matter your age

TED TALK

To truly savor life, pursue "powerful first experiences," says storyteller and nonprofit founder Kenneth Chabert. Learn more about how to create these meaningful moments, where mundane routine is broken by novel experiences in small but significant ways — no matter how old you are.

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Thanks for being here. Happy holidays to those of you celebrating Easter and Passover.

See you tomorrow!