The latest on booster vaccines is here

[View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter]( August 13, 2021 Happy Friday. Let's start the weekend with another round of musings and recommendations. Do: Take the time to read the [Atlantic's latest cover story,]( "What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind." It's the kind of piece—gutting, moving, haunting, and everything in between—that will stay with you for years to come. Do: Catch up on [The White Lotus]( before Sunday's season 1 finale. You're bound to feel extremely anxious after (in a fun way?) but fret not! That's largely due to the show's [excellent composer](, Cristobal Tapia de Veer. Don't: Go outside. While it's the opinion of your newsletter writer that summer is the greatest season, if you live near New York, you know that it is oppressively hot outside right now. Here's to hoping you stay as cool and comfortable as possible. And if you live elsewhere, well, good for you. —Inae Oh Advertisement [House Donations Ad]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [America Still Hasn’t Processed Its Original Sin]( In “How the Word Is Passed,” author Clint Smith reveals how we grapple—or not—with slavery and its legacy. BY MICHAEL MECHANIC [Trending] [FDA approves booster vaccines for immunocompromised as Delta rages across the country]( BY AJ VICENS [Restorative justice won't work without this crucial piece]( BY MADISON PAULY [The UN's big climate report buried some bad news about our eating habits]( BY TOM PHILPOTT [A small group of moderate Democrats threaten to derail their party's legacy]( BY KARA VOGHT Advertisement [House Subscriptions Ad]( [Weekend Reads] [Special Feature]( [The GOP could retake the House just by gerrymandering these four states]( A new study finds that Republicans could gain up to 13 seats in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas. BY ARI BERMAN [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( [Recharge] SOME GOOD NEWS, FOR ONCE [Don’t Fear Friday the 13th or Steve Buscemi]( Looming disaster and imminent peril or not, there’s a stack of good news in today’s archives. It was Friday the 13th when Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins [recorded]( “Friday the 13th” in 1953. An eerie start: Rollins was delayed by a car accident, and trumpeter Ray Copeland fell sick, so Julius Watkins filled in. The 10-minute jam was written on the spot, and it was one of Rollins’ most fulfilling collaborations. Full track [here](; Monk’s solo [here](. It was Friday the 13th when Evelyn Brier became the [first]( woman to receive an airplane instructor’s license. And Friday the 13th when President Lyndon Johnson [signed]( an executive order banning gender discrimination in federal employment. And Friday the 13th when Super Mario Bros. [entered]( the world, and Steve Buscemi [entered]( the world. Beyond bloodbaths Fargo, Reservoir Dogs, and The Sopranos, Steve’s good! He was a firefighter in New York City in the ’80s. One day after 9/11, he volunteered with his old firehouse to work 12-hour shifts digging through rubble in search of missing firefighters. “Very few photographs and no interviews exist because he declined them. He wasn’t there for the publicity,” a firefighter community [wrote]( in solidarity. Ten years later, he joined protests against firehouse closures under Mayor Bloomberg and has supported labor rights on a firefighters’ advisory board. The first dinosaur eggs were [discovered]( on Friday the 13th. NASA [announced]( water on the moon on Friday the 13th. [World Kindness Day]( is Friday the 13th. Share a word about kindness shown to you or by you at recharge@motherjones.com. And if today bellies up and Steve Buscemi knocks at your door in character, there’s always Saturday the 14th, unless you answer that door. —Daniel King Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755