Trump Knows Kamala Harris Is An American. Ignore His Lies

Also: Toxic Nostalgia Explains Why Some People Won't Wear Masks ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [View in Browser]( | [Donate [WBUR]]( [WBUR](  [WBUR]( August 16, 2020 Dear Cog reader, The news is supposed to slow down in August. Not this year. The biggest story of the week was Joe Biden’s historic selection of Kamala Harris as his vice presidential nominee. President Trump didn’t waste any time launching attacks on Harris. Within minutes of her selection, he called her “nasty” and “horrible,” and then he declined to refute a lie that calls her citizenship into question. [Eileen McNamara’s not having it](. This week, McNamara also calls Harris "a tenacious, blunt-talking political campaigner," whose pick – as a Black woman – was [a long-time coming](. Constance Hale and Ella Bell Smith think Harris represents a [new generation of women leaders.]( We also have two must-read pieces about the ongoing rejection of science by a significant segment of the American population. (As a believer in science, it’s been a hard thing for me to wrap my brain around.) Jason Clemence looks at the relationship between [toxic nostalgia and anti-maskers]( while Julie Wittes Schlack argues that [QAnon is more than a kooky fringe movement]( – and that’s why it’s worth paying attention to. If you’d prefer to ignore politics and conspiracy theorists (even for just a bit!), read [Lara Wilson’s meditation]( about surviving cancer and a life lived beside a pond. Enjoy the weekend. — Cloe Axelson, Cognoscenti, editor newsletters@wbur.org Must Reads url[Trump Knows Kamala Harris Is An American. Journalists Should Ignore His Lies]( Mass death. Depression-level unemployment. A twisted autocrat’s need to debase the democratic process in a desperate bid to win re-election. That’s news, writes Eileen McNamara. Kamala Harris’s citizenship? Not. [Read more](   #%23%23[Twitter](  #%23%23[Facebook](    [Toxic Nostalgia Helps Explain Why Some People Still Won’t Wear Masks]( Toxic nostalgia is often rightly blamed for stubborn cultural worldviews, writes Jason Clemence, but it's also a key element in rejecting or mocking public health recommendations. That's been the case since long before the pandemic. [Read more]( [What Kamala Harris Shows Us About The New Generation Of Women Leaders]( Joe Biden's choice suggests that American culture is finally beginning to recognize the dignity and respect of strong, Black women, write Ella Bell Smith and Constance Hale. [Read more](  Support the news [Why You Should Care About QAnon]( The malevolent conspiracy theories pushed by QAnon are not shared just by a handful of kooks on the fringes of society, writes Julie Wittes Schlack. [Read more]( [Navigating Cancer, A Pandemic And Come What May]( Lara Wilson survived a stage III breast cancer diagnosis, in part by spending time in nature and practicing mindfulness. This spring, as she faced her third surgery, she turned to those comforts again. [Read more]( [We Can't Stop Pandemic Pods. But We Can Fight For All Kids To Be Included]( Rather than shame families for creating pods, the public sector needs to replicate their most valuable aspects and make them accessible to all families, no matter their income. [Read more]( Bookmarks “Joe Biden winnowed a large list of candidates to four finalists before settling on Kamala Harris, in a process shaped by questions of loyalty. He is eyeing other contenders for top administration jobs.” (“[How Biden Chose Harris: A Search That Forged New Stars, Friends and Rivalries]( The New York Times) "Most college students are at an age when the urge to socialize is especially strong. Whatever the rules may say, young people will have parties, hook up, and leave campus to have fun.” (“[Cancel College]( The Atlantic) “August 18 marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment — the largest expansion of the franchise in the country’s history. It is a celebrated milestone in the United States’s story of suffrage and equal rights for women. But in practice, that historic document largely granted voting rights only to those who were white and well-off. Sexism, immigration bans, and a patchwork of other discriminatory state laws barred Native, Black, Asian, and Latinx women from voting well into the 20th century.” (“100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment: Unpacking the Legacy,” [Teen Vogue]( “ What Biden turns out to be with this selection is a presidential candidate ready to acknowledge that the debt this country owes is not just to the rich white men who launched the American experiment. — Eileen McNamara, "[With Kamala Harris, Biden Makes History — And Starts Repaying A Debt]( ICYMI [A Community Theater Leader Disappears And Leaves A Path Of Deception In His Wake]( People will tell you Richard Bento is a good actor -- on and off the stage. Which is why many in New England's community theater scene think he's been able to do what he's done for so long: trick people and take their money, repeatedly in different states. Our newsroom colleague Quincy Walters reports wild story.      If you’d like to write for Cognoscenti, send your submission, pasted into your email and not as an attachment, to opinion@wbur.org. Please tell us in one line what the piece is about, and please tell us in one line who you are. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📨 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news [WBUR]( [WBUR]  [WBUR]( [95289b97-66e8-43d4-a174-3bc3520a79a9.png]( [Instagram](  [Twitter]( [Facebook]( Want to change how you receive these emails? [Stop getting this newsletter by updating your preferences.]( I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. [Unsubscribe from all newsletters.]( Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2020 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved. You signed up for this newsletter at wbur.org. 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