Taking a flight. Renting a car. Sending a package. Hailing a car. Watching a movie. Buying insurance. It may not seem like it, but all of these things are political acts. Among other things, Donald Trump is a values clarifier. His presidency forces people to choose sides. Everything is political. That's true for individuals. And, as we've seen with the corporate reaction to the NRA in the wake of Parkland, it's increasingly true for corporations. From Derek Thompson in The Atlantic: The politicization of the public sphere is compelling nonpartisan companies to take one partisan stand after another. "Uber is not an immigration firm. Disney is not a climate-advocacy organization. Merck is not a civil-rights group. But under Trump, they have completed their development into activists on the issues of migration, carbon emissions, and white racism anyway. Trump's language often forces companies to take sides in political debates, and his unpopularity makes it safe—even necessary—to side against him." The rise of corporate influence in public discourse is either great news or terrible news depending on whether or not you agree with the corporation.

+ Georgia's Lt. Gov. threatens to kill tax break for Delta Air Lines amid NRA spat.

"The sun hasn't shone on Cape Morris Jesup since October 11. These should be among the coldest weeks of the year for the cape. But over the weekend, the weather station there recorded an air temperature of 43 degrees Fahrenheit, more than 50 degrees above normal for this time of year." Everyone is more sensitive to weird weather these days. But few places can match what's been going on in parts of the Arctic, a place that "shows no sign of returning to [the] reliably frozen region of recent past decades."

+ "We have a responsibility to manage and cultivate, harvest the natural resources that we've been blessed with to truly bless our fellow mankind." Is Scott Pruitt is gutting the EPA because he thinks it's god's plan? And, Scott Pruitt vs The Pope.

"The supplies from North Korea include acid-resistant tiles, valves and thermometers, according to a report by United Nations investigators. North Korean missile technicians have also been spotted working at known chemical weapons and missile facilities inside Syria." The UN Links North Korea to Syria's Chemical Weapon Program.

"Although Roberto was never as extravagant as his brother, he was accustomed to flying on private jets, and sent his children to a Swiss boarding school. Once, during an extended hike through the forest to elude capture, he threw a briefcase containing a hundred thousand dollars into a river, because it was heavy." These days, Roberto Escobar has a more pedestrian lifestyle. He's a guide in the increasingly popular industry of Pablo Escobar tourism. The New Yorker's Jon Lee Anderson on The Afterlife of Pablo Escobar. He's as popular as a tourist attraction as he was as a coke dealer. (But the margins aren't nearly as good.)

"He might say he's in one city when he's really in another. That quick trip he says he's taking to McDonald's could be to meet his dealer at Burger King. When he's used heroin, he's explained the bruises on his arm by telling people he has diabetes or an infectious disease. He once told a pharmacist he was a science teacher in need of syringes for experiments. He's invented the deaths of family members to get days off." CNN's Jessica Ravitz takes you inside the secret lives of functioning heroin addicts. "About 85% of people can take a pain pill ... and never crave it again. This is a story about the others."

"Type 'depression' or 'depressed' into YouTube and it won't be long until you stumble upon a suit-clad white supremacist giving a lecture on self-empowerment. They're everywhere. For years, members of the alt-right have taken advantage of the internet's most vulnerable, turning their fear and self-loathing into vitriolic extremism, and thanks to the movement's recent galvanization, they're only growing stronger." The Outline: The Alt-Right Is Recruiting Depressed People. (It's hard to remember that, often, the first victims of these groups are the members.)

+ The Guardian: Antisemitic incidents in the US soar to highest level in two decades.

Some politicians want to give them guns. But what most teachers want is "a living wage and insurance they can actually use." That's especially true in West Virginia where a massive work stoppage has shuttered schools across the state—with ramifications for workers everywhere.

How do you top your year's achievement when you recently became the first woman ever nominated for a cinematography Oscar? If you're Rachel Morrison, you also become the first woman to shoot a movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Black Panther). At this point, Morrison would be considered an over-achiever in Wakanda...

"The clearest conclusion in the field is that we cannot yet draw clear conclusions." We're seeing more and more emotional support animals in offices, restaurants, and planes. But do they actually help the people they accompany? From Vox: The surprisingly weak scientific case for emotional support animals. (One of my cats sits on my pillow and meows directly into my ear all night long. I need emotional support because of my animals.)

"The units come fully furnished; there's a laundry room and a yoga studio. But more, there are the things you might ordinarily need to leave your apartment for—an espresso bar and trendy eateries and happy hours. Most critically, WeLive comes stocked with neighbors who intend to become your real-life human friends. This one building, your home, has everything you could ever need, is the idea, including a built-in community." If you're a misanthrope, your dystopia is already here. It's called WeLive.

+ NYT: How Tiny Red Dots Took Over Your Life.

+ Jia Tolentino: The seductive confinement of a weighted blanket in an anxious time.

+ "An overuse of touchscreen phones and tablets is preventing children's finger muscles from developing sufficiently to enable them to hold a pencil correctly."