At large
The white gunman who walked into a black church in Charleston, SC and killed nine during evening prayer services has still not been detained. The city’s chief of police referred to the killing as a hate crime. Among the dead: state Senator Rev. Clementa Pinckney. N.A.A.C.P. President Cornell William Brook wrote in a statement, “There is no greater coward than a criminal who enters a house of God and slaughters innocent people engaged in the study of scripture.” Via the New York Times.
Church history
Sarah Kaplan tells the tumultuous history of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church – a 200-year-old congregation founded by people escaping racism. The church has faced arson and earthquakes and has been a focal point of civil rights struggle. Via the Washington Post.
National history
Conor Friedersdorf wrote in the Atlantic about the historical context of the attack on Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and the legacy of violence against black churches during the civil rights era and as recently as the 1990s. “But today, as the nation mourns the victims of Charleston and awaits details about the perpetrator of the attack, black Americans will be most awake to the reality that there are bigots who want to see them dead. What they’re owed by their fellow Americans is vocal solidarity, so that they’re as awake to the depth and breadth of the belief that black lives matter.”
Strike out
The al-Qaeda leader in Yemen was killed by a “signature strike,” which means that the CIA was aiming its drone attack at a target where the occupants were suspected of military activity. In other words, they didn’t actually know that the “high-value” target that they killed was the person they were targeting. Via the Washington Post.
Goodbye subsidies
Here’s a look at the House GOP plan if the Supreme Court shoots down Obamacare subsidies, via the National Journal. If you like Obamacare, you’re not going to like what you see.
Bubble popped
The housing bubble made Jeb Bush’s Florida economy look better than it actually was. You might want to check what happened just after he left office. (Hint: It might remind you of what happened as his brother was leaving town.) Via the Washington Post.
Bernie journey
Hillary Clinton heading to South Carolina where she’ll run into some Bernie-mentum. Could Sanders make this a race? Via Politico.
Targeted investigation
This may surprise you, but the committee supposedly investigating Benghazi is really only interested in investigating Clinton. Or how else do you explain the nine-hour interview with Sidney Blumenthal, who, everyone agrees, knows nothing about Benghazi? Via Vox.
Coffee party
David Brooks thinks the Democratic version of the Tea Party is killing Obama’s trade deal. Via the New York Times.
New face
Some woman, as yet unknown, will appear on a redesigned $10 bill. That’s not the strange part. The strange part is that the as-yet-unknown woman will appear on the bill alongside Alexander Hamilton. Can that possibly work? Via the Washington Post.
Progress now
Kale is on the menu and George Will doesn’t understand why McDonald’s wants to be a “progressive burger company.” Via the Washington Post.
Shifting positions
The jury is in on Brian Williams. He loses his job. He keeps his job. He’ll remain at NBC, but he won’t be the anchor anymore. Via the New York Times.
Photo credit: Surveillance footage from the Charleston police.
