Weekly Bafflements

“I’m not Steve Bannon, I’m not trying to suck my own cock”

The best read of the week, and quite possibly our lifetimes, is this batshit insane Ryan Lizza piece recounting a conversation with Anthony Scaramucci. If you somehow missed it, well, buckle up because it’s going to get weird.

Maternal Mortality Rates Are Bigger in Texas

Also in The New Yorker this week, Jia Tolentino looks at the swift and brutal impact of defunding Planned Parenthood in Texas. “Texas provides a startling example of how quickly the women’s-health landscape can be wrecked by a withdrawal of resources—and how lasting that wreckage can be.”

ADAPT or Die

Over at the newly-christened Splinter, Emma Roller spent Thursday night with activists and organizers protesting the Senate bill. Read about these real-life heroes instead of a piece claiming John McCain saved everyone.

Another One Bites the Dust

News came down that VICE Sports is joining the ranks of every other site pivoting to video, so take a moment to appreciate one of our favorite pieces from them, on the glory of American Ninja Warrior.

Rod Dreher Is the Fucking Worst

Finally, there are countless takes on campus free speech, ranging from the silly to the tedious. This longread from The Chronicle of Higher Education, however, is essential. What happens when the right-wing media targets a black professor? Well, one thing that’s certain is Jonathan Chait doesn’t write about it.