Opinion

In this April 30, 2015, file photo, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk unveils the company's newest products, in Hawthorne, Calif.

Is AI More Threatening Than North Korean Missiles?

12:56pm August 18, 2017

by Alva Noë

Tesla CEO Elon Musk last week warned that AI is an enormous threat. There can be no doubt that the advent of smart, rather than smart-ish, machines, is a long way off, though, says blogger Alva Noë.

Virginia State Police in Charlottesville, Va., on Sunday, the day after a "Unite the Right" rally ended in violence and the death of a 32-year-old woman.

Music & Culture

Spotify Removes Racist Music In Response To Charlottesville

8:11pm August 17, 2017

by Andrew Flanagan

Streaming services, blogs and musicians have been busy this week distancing themselves from white supremacy.

Bears in roadside zoos can suffer in the summer if they don't have the proper conditions, says Barbara J. King.

Bears Can Face Summer Challenges In Roadside Zoos

12:10pm August 17, 2017

by Barbara J. King

Even when the Animal Welfare Act is followed, bears may not live in conditions that many would find reasonable for such large, intelligent animals to flourish, says anthropologist Barbara J. King.

Here I am in 2015 confidently posed by the weeds I was ready to conquer.

National

How My Little Community Garden Plot Went From Flop To Flourish

7:00am August 17, 2017

by Carolyn Beans

Two years ago, Carolyn Beans — plant biologist, flower farm worker and daughter of a veggie-grower — thought she had what it took to coax a bounty out of her tiny urban garden. She was wrong.

While doctors and nurses have an ethical duty to treat all patients, they are not immune to feelings of dread when it comes to patients who are hateful or belligerent. A well-known article from the 1970s spoke to this.

After Charlottesville, A Doctor Reflects On Hateful Patients And His Own Biases

1:15pm August 16, 2017

by John Henning Schumann

Medical professionals take pride in their commitment to care for all patients. But that pride doesn't shield them from the difficult ones.

CNN political commentator and Prince devotee Van Jones is fusing hip-hop into his #LoveArmy.

In Midst Of Racial Hatred, Van Jones Still Pushes Love

11:23am August 16, 2017

by Rodney Carmichael

Roc Nation's latest signee delivers hard rap about black America's moral obligation in the era of President Trump.

Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer Talks About How Protests Were Handled

12:29am August 14, 2017

Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer defends local police, calls protests "terrorism," and blames President Trump for mainstreaming hate.

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Christopher LaMothe in Mineville, N.Y., says he hates Nazis and white supremacists, but he thinks Black Lives Matter is just as bad.

Trump Supporter: 'He Called For Unity, I Never Saw Obama Call For Unity'

11:08pm August 13, 2017

by Brian Mann

The White House tweaked its reaction to the events in Charlottesville, Va., saying the president condemns white supremacists, KKK, neo-nazi and all extremist groups. Trump supporters are reacting.

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As Rhetoric Ramps Up, Are Today's Kids Worried About Nuclear War?

7:39am August 12, 2017

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon remembers the era of "duck and cover" and making grisly jokes with other kids about nuclear war. But he also remembers the nightmares, and hopes kids aren't simlarly troubled now.

Week In Politics: U.S. Trades Threats With North Korea

6:14pm August 11, 2017

Tensions are on the rise between the U.S. and North Korea. NPR's Audie Cornish talks to our regular political commentators, E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Brookings Institution and David Brooks of The New York Times, for more on this story and the rest of the week in politics.

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