A Monday Morning Link Roundup

(Mostly) stuff I read over the weekend, as well as a few things I read before the weekend.

Good morning. The Justice Department is threatening to cut off federal grant money to sanctuary cities.

[crying-laughing emoji 3Xs]:

“Should you consider what you’re about to do may help elect Donald Trump president?” an adviser asked him, Mr. Comey recalled recently at a closed meeting with F.B.I. agents.

He could not let politics affect his decision, he replied. “If we ever start considering who might be affected, and in what way, by what we do, we’re done,” he told the agents.

Should you feel like being fascinated and horrified in equal measures by something that has nothing to do with our current and ongoing political nightmare, you can learn about the humble shipworm, which brought many a proud vessel to a watery end. (I read this article on Saturday and may never be able to think about anything else ever again.)

I enjoy many Star Wars movies, I just don’t get as emotional about the franchise as I do about, say, 1990s figure skating. But this story is pretty darn great.

March for Science photo roundup

March for Science dog roundup

New fiction by our friend Brandon Taylor!

aw tiny blue planet

“Black women’s literature has filled in the crudely drawn lines of the dominant culture, correcting narratives that have defamed us, breathing depth and complexity into stilted stereotypes, creating space for us to see ourselves, to stand up, to expand.”

Seven activists share something they love about being autistic (h/t Emily Brooks)

My friend Lauren sent me this lovely story over the weekend, about a pianist struggling to hold onto his music in the face of a degenerative disease, and a fellow musician who helped bring his songs to life again:

The music was still in Steve Goodwin. It was hidden in rooms with doors about to be locked.

The task would be unlike anything she’d ever attempted. Steve would have to play what he could remember. She’d fill in the blanks, interviewing him, playing for him, trying to understand the music he heard but could no longer bring to life.

In many ways, she decided, the project was a spiritual calling. She believes every human has the ability to create and bring beauty into the world. Within each of us is something worth preserving . . .

And so began the partnership.

Naomi would be the fingers.

Steve would be the heart.

Yep:

“In many ways, Jess’s fate was never up to her parents, and that’s what a film like Bend It Like Beckham declares. Our autonomy is important for our own stories, and sometimes you just need to see someone who looks like you, and thinks like you, to win.”

After a quiet few months, today President Obama kicks off a series of public appearances:

Mr. Obama wants to talk with the young people onstage at the elite school about civic engagement, community organizing and the importance of not withdrawing from the challenges facing society. But the young people will be free to ask whatever they want, and they might choose to press the former president on topics like immigration, climate change or racial justice — all areas where anything Mr. Obama says is likely to be interpreted as a critique of Mr. Trump.

[IMPORTANT CAT CONTENT] Learn something new every day.

I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE

Catapult Staff Reads!

(Got a link I should share in one of these things? Let me know.)

Finally, are you aware that we send out a biweekly Saturday newsletter, The Slingshot, written by my colleague Mensah Demary? It’s the perfect way to make sure you don’t miss out on any of the wonderful work we publish. I think you’ll dig it if you sign up.