This week, over a million Americans marched on Washington, DC and in cities all over the country to call for solutions to gun violence. The NRA, cartoonist Khalil Bendib notes this week, is none too pleased.
But while national lawmakers gridlocked over everything from banning assault weapons to putting them in classrooms, the state of Oregon passed a commonsense measure to keep guns out of the hands of people who abuse their kids and partners. It’s the 24th state to pass such a measure, as Aniqa Raihan reports this week.
In scarier news, Donald Trump tapped perhaps the most extreme figure from the George W. Bush era to become his top security adviser. Jill Richardson says it’s a genuinely scary moment. I say it’s ironic for a president who once distanced himself from the Bush era to bring back the people responsible for its darkest moments.
Also this week, Jim Hightower explains how some big businesses are paying their employees in games rather than, you know, money.
Finally, as warm weather approaches ever more incrementally, Sarah Anderson has some thoughts about mosquito season. Maybe you’ve heard of the wage gap or the wealth gap. But have you heard of the mosquito gap?
Khalil Bendib / OtherWords.org
- One No-Brainer Way to Bring Gun Deaths Down / Aniqa Raihan
Closing the “boyfriend loophole” would save lives without putting guns in classrooms or taking them off store shelves. - Bringing Back the Bush Era / Peter Certo
The president once distanced himself from the Bush legacy. Now he’s brought back the architects of its darkest moments. - The Mosquito Gap / Sarah Anderson
How poverty, climate change, and bad policy put poor people at greater risk from pest-borne diseases. - A Genuinely Scary Moment in Foreign Policy / Jill Richardson
The president’s newest advisers share his impetuous temperament and preference for bombs over diplomacy. - A Sick New Game from the Executive Suite / Jim Hightower
Would you rather play the lottery than get your bonus? Didn’t think so. - Give Me Liberty or Give Them Death / Khalil Bendib
