Three points
Kareem Abdul Jabbar writes that Baltimore is not an anomaly and that the economic conditions in cities like Baltimore mean there are more Baltimores to come. Via Time.
New recruits
What separates ISIS from other militant Islamic groups: It has become a magnet for recruiting young people from non-Muslim backgrounds. As many as 1 in 6 Europeans going to the Middle East to join ISIS in violent jihad are converts from non-Muslim faiths, including Christianity, as well as from non-religious backgrounds. The most dangerous kind of radical, reports The Washington Post, is one with a Western passport.
Tough stuff
Advice to pundits writing about Hillary Clinton’s slight move to the left on criminal justice issues from Radley Balko of The Washington Post: This isn’t 1968. Hillary Clinton isn’t Mike Dukakis. And the issue, in case anyone missed it, is not about being “soft on crime.”
100 percent
Bernie Sanders may be little known and he may be without much charisma and he may be well to the left of the average American, but don’t underestimate him (say both Sanders himself and writer Peter Bienart for The Atlantic). His message on the 1 percent will get heard.
Water bill
Will the water shortage force California cities to copy the example of Santa Fe, N.M. and go to multitiered pricing. In Santa Fe, the more water you use, the higher rate you pay. And guess what: It has worked. Via The New York Times.
Still stuck
As the British go to the polls, it’s worth noting that the political process – campaigning and vote-counting – is almost entirely different from what happens in the United States. But the end result – the chance for political paralysis – may be much the same. Via The European Institute.
Chatter matters?
Everyone is talking about Jade Helm and how Obama plans to take over the Southwest, although no one seems to be sure about why. OK, not everyone is talking. Only the conspiratorial nutcases and the politicians (Texas Gov. Greg Abbott; Texas Sen. and presidential candidate Ted Cruz) who enable/exploit them. Via The Washington Post.
Bleak future
In Deflategate, the real deflation is of Tom Brady’s reputation. The Wells Report said that Brady and the Patriots (although not necessarily Bill Belichick) are “probably” guilty. In a 243-page report, there are lots of reasons to “probably” think so. Via The New Yorker.
R.I.P.
Jack Shafer writes in Politico that Brian Williams knows he’s dead – and that all that’s left is for his lawyers to negotiate the terms of his burial.
Photo Credit: *JP, Creative Commons, Flickr.
