From
nytimes.com
Email Address
nytdirect@nytimes.com
Sent On
Thu, Apr 25, 2019 12:01 PM
Email Preheader Text
View in | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. Thursday, April 25, 2019 . I use it to dis
HTML
View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book.
[The New York Times](
[The New York Times](
Thursday, April 25, 2019
[NYTimes.com/Kristof »](
[]
Elizabeth D. Herman for The New York Times
When Bill Gates first asked Melinda out, she blew him off. He had invited her out two weeks later and she replied that that wasnât spontaneous enough for her. Later he called her up and asked her out for that evening â and this time she agreed. She tells that story, and her own struggles in the male-dominated hyper-masculine early days of Microsoft, in a new book that [I discuss in todayâs column](. I use it to discuss gender issues in the workplace and the family, because we canât build a more equal world if we donât have more equal families.
When my wife, Sheryl WuDunn, and I wrote our book about gender inequity, âHalf the Sky,â we focused on the developing world because the injustices are so much more horrifying there. (One example: There are more males than females worldwide, because discrimination globally is often lethal.) But if we were doing it again, I think we would speak more about inequities in the U.S., both because they are all around us and because we donât have the moral authority to tell other countries to clean up their act unless we make greater efforts at home. So [hereâs my look]( through Melindaâs book, at some of these issues closer to home.
[My Easter column]( an interview with Rev. Serene Jones as part of my ongoing series of conversations about faith, was meant to encourage conversation across Americaâs God Gulf but instead generated an unfortunately toxic response. Jones is a distinguished scholar of Christian history and a seminary president, but she was accused by some religious conservatives of not having read the Bible and even was sent a photo of an ISIS beheading. She responded with [an eloquent Twitter thread]( about the need for tolerance in doctrinal disagreement. And some Twitter liberals returned the nastiness toward religious conservatives, with interest. I believe that faith is a huge part of American life, shaping politics and policy alike, and that opinion pages should cover it more fully â but any discussion of religion seems to quickly devolve into name-calling, and neither side has clean hands. Iâm still trying to figure out how to engage these issues in a way more reflective of the Sermon on the Mount.
Correction of sorts: In my last newsletter I mentioned that Iâd had previous such Q&A discussions about religion with a range of Christian leaders âincluding some like Tim Keller on the evangelical right.â That was too glib: Tim is evangelical and theologically conservative, but heâs not political and certainly not part of the Christian Right, and I didnât mean to convey that.
Joe Biden is likely to announce his presidential bid today, so what should we think of his propensity to touch people? Obviously #MeToo has added a new level of scrutiny, but let's distinguish felonies from misdemeanors from awkward behaviors that leave some uncomfortable. Iâd also note that [humans benefit from touch]( albeit within obvious limits. So while Bidenâs candidacy has various problems, including his age, I wish we looked as carefully at POLICIES as at his propensity to hug.
The media world has been puzzling over how to react to the news from the Mueller Report that the White House spokeswoman, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, makes things up. Should one ask for comment from someone who may simply fabricate? This may be a new problem at the White House, but my own take is that this is nothing new for many international journalists. I lived five years in Beijing, covering a government that routinely lied. We quoted government officials but also tried to fact-check them and make clear that we would not simply transmit lies. Whatâs appropriate in Beijing seems equally good journalism in Washington.
[Mujtaba Al-Sweikat.]
Mujtaba Al-Sweikat. Reprieve
Saudi Arabia has executed more than 100 people so far this year, and one recently was [a student, Mujtaba al-Sweikat]( who was arrested at age 17 as he was about to fly to the U.S. to begin his studies at Western Michigan University. He had attended a pro-democracy protest and then was convicted of terrorism on the basis of a confession produced under torture, according to Reprieve, the law firm. Remind me why we are best buddies with a regime that beheads young people who dream of democracy and a university education? My sympathies to the Sweikat family.
[]
Heroes: I met the other day with [Dr. Denis Mukwege]( an old friend from Congo who is one of my heroes â and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize last year for his work against sexual violence. Denis hopes the U.S. will encourage the new Congo president, Felix Tshishekedi, to stand up for democracy in Congo rather than let the previous president, Joseph Kabila, continue to control power. I also asked him about the Ebola outbreak in Congo, and he warned that if it reaches the city of Goma, âthat will be a catastropheâ â and may then become uncontrollable. People often ask me how I stay upbeat when I report on atrocities, and the answer is partly that I am so inspired by people like Denis Mukwege, their courage and their work. I know many of my readers have supported his [Panzi Hospital]( over the years; thank you all for doing so.
[](
More good news: I had [a column recently from the Colombia/Venezuela border]( that mentioned this little Venezuelan boy with a cleft palate. His dad couldnât get it treated in Colombia because of the crisis there. A couple of readers stepped up to help pay expenses and are working with Mercy Corps and Operation Smile to try to get the boy surgery in Bogota. I think itâs going to work out, but Iâll let you know.
And now [hereâs my column about Melinda Gates]( and, more important, the need to empower women not only in India and Niger, but also right here at home. Read!
ADVERTISEMENT
You can connect with me on [Facebook](. If you have friends who might enjoy this newsletter, forward this email or tell them they can [sign up here](. Send feedback or tech questions to kristof-newsletter@nytimes.com.
Recent Columns
[Reverend, You Say the Virgin Birth Is âa Bizarre Claimâ?](
By NICHOLAS KRISTOF
The president of Union Theological Seminary also discusses crucifixion, hell and a new reformation.
[âIf I Had Stayed in Venezuela, We Would Have Starvedâ](
By NICHOLAS KRISTOF
Venezuelans who fled to Colombia tell of harsh conditions, including the absence of food, electricity and hospitals with basic supplies.
What Iâm Reading in The Times
[Youâre About to Get Fewer Robocalls. But Maybe Not for Long.](
By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Telecommunications companies are adopting new technology to kill phone spam â but the spammers may stay a step ahead.
[Trump Is Wasting Our Immigration Crisis](
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
The system needs to be fixed, but âthe wallâ is only part of the solution.
ADVERTISEMENT
NEED HELP?
Review our newsletter [help page]( or contact us [for assistance](.
FOLLOW NICHOLAS KRISTOF
[Facebook] [FACEBOOK](
[Twitter] [@nickkristof](
[Instagram] [nickkristof](
Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »](
|
Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps. [Subscribe »](
ABOUT THIS EMAIL
You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Nicholas Kristof newsletter.
[Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise](
Copyright 2019 The New York Times Company
620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018
EDM Keywords (175)
year
wrote
would
workplace
working
work
wish
winner
way
wasting
warned
wall
venezuela
use
uncomfortable
try
treated
tolerance
today
times
time
think
terrorism
tells
tell
take
sympathies
supported
studies
struggles
story
stayed
starved
stand
sorts
someone
sky
signed
sign
sermon
sent
scrutiny
say
responded
reprieve
report
replied
religion
regime
reflective
received
reading
readers
read
react
reaches
range
puzzling
propensity
previous
president
political
policies
photo
partly
part
one
nil
niger
news
need
much
misdemeanors
microsoft
met
message
mentioned
melinda
meant
mean
maybe
may
males
looked
look
long
likely
let
leave
later
know
issues
invited
interview
interest
inspired
injustices
inequities
india
important
hug
hospitals
horrifying
home
heroes
herman
government
goma
going
get
fully
friends
focused
fly
fled
fixed
figure
far
family
faith
facebook
executed
evening
even
evangelical
engage
encourage
email
dream
discussions
discussion
discuss
democracy
day
dad
crisis
cover
courage
couple
countries
convicted
convey
conversations
connect
congo
comment
column
colombia
clean
city
certainly
catastrophe
carefully
candidacy
called
build
book
bogota
blew
biden
bible
believe
begin
basis
attended
atrocities
asked
arrested
appropriate
answer
announce
agreed
age
added
accused
absence