Cowardly dogs: On Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence published a Wall Street Journal op-ed praising a Republican senator who refused to vote to impeach President Andrew Johnson. According to Pence (and apparently JFK), Edmund G. Ross was a “profile in courage” for bucking his party in opposing Johnson. This, according to historian Brenda Wineapple, is “historical bullshit,” and in a conversation with Mark Joseph Stern, she tells why.
Man-made: Yet another crisis is devastating Puerto Rico: Hundreds of small earthquakes have caused mass evacuations and long-term power outages, causing citizens who already suffered from the effects of Hurricanes Maria and Irma to endure further hardship. But what’s happening in the commonwealth is not just the effect of “natural” disasters—it’s the result of U.S. policy that has long abused the land and its people, and messed with its economy. Jonathan M. Katz explains how the region’s crises are shaped from far away.
Ship of fools: As the country prepares for the impeachment trial, our president has gathered a team of all-time swampsters to defend him against the Democrats. Jeremy Stahl explains who this team consists of, what they’ve done in the past, and how they will go to bat for their boss.
Suite: Judy, the Judy Garland biopic that could net Renée Zellweger an Oscar, covers a significant chunk of the singer-actress’ life under the exploitative Hollywood system of the Golden Age. But how much of the movie stays true to her life? Violet Kim read all the books so she could break it down for you.
For cringe: A woman asks our sex advice columnists whether she is wrong for thinking that cheating makes her a better spouse.
People are strange,
/>Nitish
