Six Stories for Your Weekend
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Our editors compiled six stories to serve as your weekend reads. Spend time with articles about why grandparents are reaching their limit, an 'impossible' disease outbreak in the Alps, the Trump administration's many conflicts of interest, and more.
I Should Have Seen This Coming
When I joined the conservative movement in the 1980s, there were two types of people: those who cared earnestly about ideas, and those who wanted only to shock the left. The reactionary fringe has won.
By David Brooks
An 'Impossible' Disease Outbreak in the Alps
In one tiny town, more than a dozen people were diagnosed with the rare neurodegenerative disease ALS. Why?
By Shayla Love
Kleptocracy, Inc.
Under Trump, conflicts of interest are just part of the system.
By Anne Applebaum
The Retired J.P. Morgan Executive Tracking Trump's Deportation Flights
A CFO turned activist has become a go-to source for understanding the administration's immigration crackdown.
By Nick Miroff
A Defense Against Gaslighting Sociopaths
If you can recognize their signature move, then forewarned is forearmed.
By Arthur C. Brooks
Grandparents Are Reaching Their Limit
Older Americans might be doing more child care than ever.
By Faith Hill
The Week Ahead
Thunderbolts*, a Marvel film about a ragtag group of antiheroes (in theaters Friday)
The Four Seasons, a comedy-drama show starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey (premieres Thursday on Netflix)
Girl on Girl, a book by the Atlantic staff writer Sophie Gilbert about how pop culture and hypersexualization transformed a generation of women (out Tuesday)
Essay
The Worst Job in America
By Rose Horowitch
It makes for a most tempting 'Help Wanted' ad: Earn $5 million a year to lead one of the nation's most powerful and prestigious institutions. Enjoy fancy dinners, almost unlimited travel, and a complimentary mansion in Upper Manhattan.
This is an incomplete list of the perks that the president of Columbia University receives. And yet no one seems to want the job.
Read the full article.
More in Culture
Ryan Coogler didn't want to hide anymore.
The triumph of a film that flips on us halfway in
Two murder mysteries' surprising window into human genius
What to read to wrap your head around the climate crisis
The Last of Us didn't soften the blow.
Catch Up on
Tesla's remarkably bad quarter is even worse than it looks.
Trump's plan to sell out Ukraine to Russia
The real legacy of Pope Francis
Photo Album
Take a look at the life of Pope Francis, in photos.
Explore all of our newsletters.
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Elon Musk's favorability among Republicans dropped 16 points since March, Quinnipiac says
Elon Musk's official role in the Trump administration recently came to an end. Many Republicans won't be sad to see less of him, according to the results of Quinnipiac University's latest public opinion survey. While a majority of Republicans still hold a favorable view of Musk, the number fell to 62% in the poll out Wednesday, down from 78% in March, Quinnipiac said. Overall, the Quinnipiac poll found that 30% of self-identified voters surveyed in the U.S. hold a favorable opinion of Musk, according to polling from June 5 to June 9. Republican and Democratic voters remain deeply divided in their views of the world's richest man, who contributed nearly $300 million to propel President Donald Trump back to the White House. Only 3% of Democrats surveyed said they held a favorable of view of the Tesla CEO, who was once seen as an environmental leader appealing to liberal values. Musk didn't respond to a request for comment. Musk and Trump had a very public falling out last week that started with Musk's disapproval of the president's spending bill and escalated into an all-out war of words that played out on social media. Musk said on Wednesday that he regretted some of the posts he made about Trump last week, adding that "they went too far." Even with a slide in his favorability, Musk is still popular among Republicans after his time running the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an effort to dramatically slash the size of the federal government. Among the Republican respondents to the early June poll, 80% rated Musk and DOGE's work as either excellent or good, while 13% said it was either not so good or poor. In the March poll, 82% of Republicans surveyed said they thought Musk and DOGE were helping the country. Read the full survey results here.
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Rally outside CBP office in Detroit condemns Trump's mass deportations
A small but vocal group of demonstrators rallied Wednesday, June 11, outside the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office on Michigan Avenue in Detroit to oppose ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and deportations, as large-scale protests unfold in Los Angeles. Organized by BAMN — the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration and Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary — the rally aimed to spotlight what activists describe as a coordinated assault on immigrant communities. "We're here to stand in solidarity with our fellow organizers and everybody in LA who's standing up. That's what we need to do in every city across the country to stop (President Donald) Trump's ethnic cleansing plan," said Nicole Conaway of Detroit, a BAMN organizer for the past 15 years. Earlier in the day, protesters also demonstrated in front of the Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building in downtown Detroit, down the block from where the evening protest was held. According to activists, five or six individuals — most of them believed to be Venezuelan — were detained after their immigration cases were dismissed in court, a practice that immigrant advocates say is becoming increasingly common. "That's happening more and more. Regardless of the outcome, people have been snatched up straight out of court — and we've known people that this has happened to," said Kate Stenvig, another BAMN organizer and Detroit resident. A spokesman for ICE did not comment specifically on the alleged arrests in Detroit, but said that ICE officers are permitted 'to conduct civil immigration enforcement actions in or near courthouses when they have credible information that leads them to believe the targeted alien(s) is or will be present at a specific location, and where such action is not precluded by laws imposed by the jurisdiction in which the enforcement action will take place.' The local protests come amid escalating tensions in Los Angeles, where Trump has deployed hundreds of National Guard troops to respond to public demonstrations against his administration's immigration crackdowns. State and city leaders have said the move has only heightened unrest. 'Trump is not just deporting criminals. He is just deporting anyone who's Black and Brown, pretty much,' Conaway said. 'It's a racist, white supremacist, fascist regime, and the way to stop it is mass collective organizing and mass action like we're seeing in LA right now.' More: ICE denies Detroit high school student's request to stay in U.S. until graduation Though Wednesday's rally in Detroit drew approximately 20 participants, it also drew support from passersby. Drivers honked their horns, and a group riding on The Michigan Pedaler cheered in solidarity. Protesters held signs reading, 'Defend your neighbors against ICE' and 'Immigrants make America Great,' while chanting, 'LA has shown the way, immigrants are here to stay.' In addition to street activism, BAMN also operates a legal wing that represents families facing deportation. Conaway said she's seen firsthand how families have been torn apart at the office they were protesting outside of. More: More foreign students in Michigan targeted for deportation, including 22 at U-M 'One of our legal clients went in for a check-in right here, to this building (on Michigan Avenue), and never came out. They were detained there,' she said. Conaway added that she believes what's at stake goes beyond immigration policy. 'If Trump can win this battle, then we're further down the road to fascism and him being a dictator and not leaving the White House without force,' she said. More: Detroit criminal deportation cases skyrocket in Trump's first 100 days A spokesman for ICE did not comment specifically on the alleged arrests in Detroit, but said that ICE officers are permitted 'to conduct civil immigration enforcement actions in or near courthouses when they have credible information that leads them to believe the targeted alien(s) is or will be present at a specific location, and where such action is not precluded by laws imposed by the jurisdiction in which the enforcement action will take place.' Several protests against ICE and Trump's immigration policies are planned throughout the country for Saturday, June 14 — the president's birthday. Organizers said BAMN, along with other activist groups, will lead a march beginning at 1 p.m. at Clark Park in Detroit. Free Press reporter Niraj Warikoo contributed to this report. Nour Rahal is a trending and breaking news reporter. Email her: nrahal@ Follow her on Twitter @nrahal1. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit activists protest ICE, show solidarity with LA demonstrations
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'No Kings' Detroit rally: What to know about the anti-Trump rally
The Brief Protests against the Trump administration are planned nationwide for Saturday, June 14. The protests coincide with President Donald Trump's birthday, Flag Day, and the U.S. Army's 250th birthday celebration. A protest at Clark Park in Detroit is one of dozens planned in Michigan. Hundreds of "No Kings Day" protests are planned across the U.S. - including in Michigan - on Saturday, June 14 to protest the Trump administration's policies. The 'No Kings' rally takes place nationwide on Saturday, June 14 and coincides with Flag Day and a massive military parade in Washington, D.C. to honor the 250th birthday of the Army and the 79th birthday of President Donald Trump. The parade will feature approximately 6,600 soldiers, 150 military vehicles, and 50 helicopters, according to the Associated Press. While the government plans the celebration, opponents of Trump and his administration are planning what they call a "nationwide day of defiance." What they're saying "In America, we don't put up with would-be kings." According to organizers, NO KINGS is a national day of action and mobilization in response to "increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption from Trump and his allies." Several grassroots political organizations — including 50501, Indivisible and Stand Up America — are joining forces June 14 "to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings," the site said. The Detroit rally is schedule for June 14 at 1 p.m. at Clark Park but there are dozens of other planned protests across Michigan, which are all listed on the organization's site here. The backstory The protests are in affiliation with the national coalition "50 Protest, 50 States, One Movement (50501)" and dozens of grassroots groups including Indivisible, American Federation of Teachers, Black Voters Matter, National Action Network, and Social Security Works. The movement is inspired by the "Hands Off!" and May Day demonstrations across the U.S. Organizers said action is being taken to reject the notion the country is ruled by a "king" and to show what democracy looks like: "people, united, refusing to be ruled." "This country doesn't belong to a king — and we're not letting him throw himself a parade funded by tens of millions of our taxpayer dollars while stealing from us and stripping away our rights, our freedoms, and the programs our families rely on," the release stated. The other side While speaking at Fort Bragg this week, Trump said Saturday would be a "big day" and noted "we want to show off a little bit." "We're going to celebrate our greatness and our achievements," he said. "This week, we honor 250 years of valor and glory and triumph by the greatest fighting force ever to walk the face of the Earth: the United States Army." Dig deeper Veterans are divided over the Army's big parade. Christopher Purdy, an Army veteran who served in Iraq, called the parade a facade that paints over some of the Republican president's policies that have targeted military veterans and current service members, including cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs and a ban on transgender troops. "It's embarrassing," said Purdy, 40, of Atlanta. "It's expensive. And whatever his reasons are for doing it, I think it's entirely unnecessary." Joe Plenzler, a retired Marine who fought in Iraq, said Trump wants to see troops saluting him on his birthday as tanks roll past. "It's just suspicious," the 53-year-old from Middletown, Virginia, said of the timing. "I absolutely love the Army from the bottom of my cold black Marine heart," he said. "But if the Army's birthday was a day later, we probably wouldn't be doing it. I'd rather see that $50 million take care of the men and women who went off to war and came back with missing arms, legs and eyeballs, and with damaged brains." For Gulf War Army veteran Paul Sullivan, Trump and the parade are inextricably linked. "This Trump tank travesty is all about stroking Trump's ego," said Sullivan, 62, who lives outside Charlottesville, Virginia. "If Trump truly cared about our service members, he would sit down with them quietly and say, 'What can we do with $50 million or $100 million to make your lives better?' He's not." The Source Information for this story was provided by the No Kings website and the Associated Press.