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The Compassion of Nellie Bly  

Bly’s 1887 masterpiece Ten Days in a Mad-House reminds us that the ultimate test for public safety programs for the mentally ill is their impact on the most vulnerable.





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The Afghanistan Evacuation  

The Biden administration announced that it will accelerate plans to relocate Afghans who worked with the U.S. military. Their situation demands the most urgent response possible.









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Remembering John Lewis  

In a moment when Black Lives Matter has succeeded in bringing longstanding police abuses to public attention, Lewis’s legacy has never been more visible.





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Making the Monument  

At the dedication for the Lincoln Memorial, President Harding portrayed Lincoln as the president who “maintained union and nationality” rather than the president who ended slavery. Changing the monument’s meaning took political struggle.



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Roseanne in Trumpland  

At its best moments, Roseanne offered something Roseanne Barr’s tweets did not: empathy, nuance, and a portrait of white working-class life rarely seen on television.







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New York’s Homegrown Women’s March  

The 53 percent of white women who voted for Trump represent a major political constituency; but if Saturday was any indication, they may before long be outnumbered by the likes of the marchers I saw holding signs that said, “Women are not up for grabs.”



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Trump vs. Hamilton  

The Trump camp’s response to Friday’s statement from the Hamilton cast reveals a dangerous double standard on civility.