'We already have the tools to do better'
'America's roads are killing us'
Andrew Rogers at The Hill
For "generations, America has approached road safety with a reactive mindset: wait for fatalities, then fix the road," says Andrew Rogers. This has "left us with roads built for speed and sprawl, not safety and sustainability." Americans "need to stop looking in the rear-view mirror when it comes to safety — and start seeing risk before it becomes tragedy." Drivers "interact with smart traffic signals, adaptive speed enforcement, telematics and digital sensors." These "patterns reveal design flaws we can fix."
'Like Michelle Obama, I lost my mother last year. Here's what the year has taught me.'
Desiree Cooper at MSNBC
Exhausted "mothers never retire. If they live long enough, they become matriarchs," says Desiree Cooper. Michelle Obama "isn't having it." It's a "cruel twist to tell a woman she needs to become the top trad-gran after she's already dedicated the lion's share of her life to her family." If Obama "doesn't want to become her tribe's connective tissue, then she may also need to use her time in therapy to define what it means to be a matriarch."
'Kamala Harris 2028? Hard pass.'
Liza Featherstone at The New Republic
The "most important factor in Donald Trump's win was that Kamala Harris lost," says Liza Featherstone. Harris is "not lacking in charisma," but she "embodies the stereotype of the out-of-touch political elite that Democrats should be rejecting." Her "proximity to the Silicon Valley rich kept her from embracing even a Biden-level of populism and helped her lose the 2024 election." The "next party leader should not come from the social circles of the coastal superrich."
'I work with sex trafficking victims. Here's how Diddy's trial could help them.'
Beck Sullivan at USA Today
With "Sean 'Diddy' Combs' trial for sex trafficking charges now underway, the public will be exposed to a rare, high-profile human trafficking case," says Beck Sullivan. But there is an "invisible audience paying close attention: current victims of human trafficking who don't yet recognize their own exploitation." When "inaccurate media representations become our cultural standard for human trafficking, real victims will continue to go unseen." It's "crucial we resist the urge to fit victims into familiar molds."