Creepy campaigns
No secret: Political campaigns want data on voters. But the days of polling are now moving into a more subtle form of information collection: biometrics and neuromarketing. When the campaign ads you’re watching are watching back. Via The New York Times.
Death sentence
Unlike everybody else, middle-aged white Americans’ death rate is on the rise. And it’s not heart attacks and diabetes killing them. It’s suicide and drug and alcohol abuse. Via The New York Times.
Hire me
In a biting letter, Dana Milbank applies to be a GOP debate moderator who will meet the demands of the Party: cushy questions, plenty of pampering and all holds barred. Via The Washington Post.
Market solution
Political pressure from Bernie Sanders/Elizabeth Warren anti-Wall Street populism may have scared Big Wall Street into shrinking itself, all without regulation. Via Politico.
Religious authority
The New York Times digs into what happens when people sign away their right to legal proceedings and instead give arbitration authority to a religious body. Surprisingly, judges respect the original clause and often refuse to hear cases, a fascinating exercise in religious freedom — even when the person who signed the contract no longer believes.
Bad weed
Ohio may be on the brink of legalizing marijuana, but the way the state is doing it is raising some critics’ hackles. Via Politico.
Doors shutting
European nations mull over how to respond to the refugee crisis. Some say close the borders. Others say doing so would cause violence and chaos. Via The Washington Post.
Money maker
Private banks are making money off of recently released prisoners. Here’s how. Via Vox.
Photo credit: Allan Ajifo, Creative Commons, Flickr.
