PROFILE
FROM Caitlin Dewey
4chan is broke. Should we care? The web message board sometimes called “the cesspool of the internet” is broke. 4chan was launched in 2003 and became the home of racist and sexist hate speech, inappropriate – if not illegal – pictures and memes like Pepe the Frog, now the mascot of the alt-right. To be fair, it has also featured some fun stuff, including lolcats and Rickrolling. So should we care if it’s forced to shut down?
Invisible Boyfriend Are you single? Tired of fielding questions about your love life? Here’s one way to shut everyone up: sign up for a new service called Invisible Boyfriend, which sends texts and photos from a fake significant other to your smartphone. We hear from a reporter who tried it.
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Why is Trump so behind on filling staff jobs, establishing concrete policies? Yesterday Donald Trump signed a “decision memo” to revamp the air traffic control system. But there was little legislative detail in the plan. There’s not much to other splashy announcements from the White House, including tax cuts and the arms deal with Saudi Arabia. And hundreds of positions are unfilled in federal agencies.
Why did Jared Kushner want a back channel with Russians? News broke Friday that President Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, tried setting up a back channel between the Trump transition team and the Russian government. What are the consequences for Kushner, President Trump, and the investigation into Russian meddling?
Revisiting showrunner Steven Bochco on his memoir Steven Bochco, the writer-producer behind record-breaking Emmy winners Hill Street Blues, LA Law and NYPD Blue, fought battles with everyone from out-of-control actors to network censors in his long career. He isn’t afraid to tell those tales in his memoir, Truth Is a Total Defense. This week we revisit the conversation where he shared some of his favorite stories with us.
How do Trump supporters feel about the Paris Accord? Globally and around the U.S., there are strong opinions whether or not the Paris Climate Accord is a good idea. The American exit is either a horrifying abdication of American leadership or a forceful and long overdue statement about U.S. sovereignty.