June 23rd – The Day’s Most Fascinating News

Going undercover in the joint, C-Span goes viral, and Marshawn Lynch with the only advice you'll ever need.

“If you come here and you breathing and you got a valid driver’s license and you willing to work, then we’re willing to hire you.” Shane Bauer wanted to really understand life inside a prison. That’s not an easy task for a journalist to accomplish. So Bauer decided to take on another role. He got a gig as a correctional officer, and he definitely got a unique view of life on the inside, including stabbings, lockdowns, and inmates and officers pushed to the edge. From MoJo: My Four Months as a Prison Guard.

+ “The judge said he had arrived at his sentencing decision in part because of Mr. Loomis’s rating on the Compas assessment, a secret algorithm used in the Wisconsin justice system to calculate the likelihood that someone will commit another crime.” The NYT’s Mitch Smith on the backlash against using data to foretell defendants’ futures.

2

A Bang Up Job?

Still need proof that this is the most fascinating political year ever? C-Span just went viral. After 26-hours, House Democrats ended their gun control sit-in. The sit-in made for an exciting night for Congress and a big night for Twitter’s Periscope which was used to broadcast live shots that were picked up by cable outlets. From the NYT: For one day and night, the hottest drama on cable was on C-Span. (Update: C-Span just raised a 500K round on a $10 billion pre-money valuation.)

+ And from WaPo: Five things House Democrats’ sit-in on guns will change. And one it won’t. (Hint: guns)

3

Hard Eight

In a non-decision that President Obama described as “heartbreaking,” a deadlocked Supreme Court essentially blocked the administration’s immigration plan intended to “shield millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation and give them the right to work legally in the United States.” (The Founding Fathers really should have considered a Supreme Court with an odd number of justices.)

+ And in another big case, the court affirmed the constitutionality of the affirmative action program in place at the University of Texas.

+ In another closely watched legal battle, Led Zeppelin just won its Stairway to Heaven jury trial.

4

EU Genics

With the polls suggesting a tight race, the Brexit voting is finally underway in the UK. Follow along with the latest updates from the BBC, The Guardian, and the WSJ.

+ Voting shouldn’t take long with this very simple ballot.

+ “The idea was beautifully simple. On Wednesday morning, a day in advance of the referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union, a team of people would board the Eurostar train in Paris with six hundred croissants in tow.” (Hopefully the recipients weren’t gluten-free…)

5

Baltimore of the Same

“The decision is a massive blow to a prosecution team that has struggled to convict officers in the high-profile death of the 25-year-old black man.” In Baltimore, a judge acquitted Officer Caesar Goodson who was driving the van when Freddie Gray died. This is one of several related cases. So far, no convictions.

6

Alabama Shakes

“Burner phones! Secret tapes! The sex scandal currently engulfing the governor of Alabama has it all, except a typical villain. Robert Bentley was a kindly old grandpa and Sunday-school teacher. Then he got into politics and found that new temptations come with the keys to the governor’s mansion.” GQ’s Jason Zengerle on some of the unusual twists in a politics-as-usual story: The Love Song of Robert Bentley, Alabama’s Horndog Governor.

7

Reykjaviktory

Yesterday, Iceland advanced to the round of 16 of the Euro 2016 after beating Austria 2-1 by way of an extra time goal. And their commentator was excited. If you haven’t seen this, you will love it. And you’ll realize that you basically speak Icelandic.

+ Even before this big win, Iceland was “the smallest nation ever to reach a major tournament — not bad going for a lump of volcanic rock halfway to the Arctic with a population the size of Lewisham. This is the tale of their stunning journey.”

8

Long Division

Photographer Johnny Miller wanted to find a simple way to display the remarkable impact of segration and institutional racism. So he used drones to take overhead shots of South Africa and captured Apartheid’s urban legacy. I think he made his point.

9

Task Rabbit?

“Ding! It’s another picture from the first guy, the one who wants Dave to give his wife something he can’t. This time his wife is on her knees, wearing lingerie that covers nothing. ‘Gosh, Dave says, ‘this guy really wants to see his girl get f*cked.'” (Wow, in my world “ding” means one of my kids left the fridge door open.) John H. Richardson shares the secret life of America’s greatest swinger.

10

Bottom of the News

What is the ultimate 21st century word? It turns out it’s a simple pronoun: They.

+ This video showing how mail order companies compress mattresses into tight tubes makes want to order a mattress even though I don’t need one.

+ Former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch on the benefits of running though somebody’s face. This is technically not safe for work, even though it will be referenced during every board meeting from now until the end of time.

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