Vox Quick Hits

Vox's Ella Nilsen joins Matt and Dara to discuss the overlooked implications of Biden's rescue bill, and the debate surrounding it.

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Law professor Jeff Kosseff explains the long history of Section 230, the law that made the modern internet possible. 

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Now that Jeff Bezos is leaving his role as Amazon’s CEO, everyone’s wondering what the future holds for one of the wealthiest people in the world. Will he finally step up in the philanthropy world?

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Nearly a year into the pandemic, the country still hasn’t quite figured out how to keep students and teachers safe at school. It’s largely been up to states, school districts, and teachers to figure out whether to keep schools open or switch to distance learning. Experts say measures like masks, ventilation, and testing can make schools safer — but those measures often require resources that schools don’t have. Vox’s Anna North explains what’s happening with schools during the pandemic, and whether the Biden administration can turn things around.

References: 

Anna’s story about reopening schools.

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Vox’s Andrew Prokop previews the historic second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.

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Welcome to the latest installment of Vox’s Ask a Book Critic, in which Vox book critic Constance Grady, provide book recommendations to suit your very specific mood: either how you’re feeling right now or how you’d like to be feeling instead.

In today's episode, a caller from Colorado is searching for books that find joy in the daily minutiae. Constance recommends:

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The Redditors of WallStreetBets should maybe take a look at the 1990s before piling into their next trade. The GameStop saga has shed a light on the growing individual investing trend, brought about by commission-free trading, gamified apps, and a lot of down time during the pandemic. But like so many trends, this isn’t new: Day trading was super popular in the 1990s, when people were also looking on chat boards for stock tips and making speculative bets. Recode’s Peter Kafka puts the current day trading craze into context.

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All Creatures Great and Small is PBS’s new adaptation of the book series about a young veterinarian in late 1930s rural England. It is comfort food TV right down to its bones, and it is comfort food TV that works. The seven-episode first season is full of heartwarming moments, camaraderie among townspeople, and adorable animals.

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Zack, Jenn, and Alex discuss the recent coup in Myanmar, in which the Myanmarese military deposed the country’s quasi-democratic government and detained its civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, along with hundreds of members of her political party.

References:

Alex wrote an explainer on the Myanmar coup.

Jen Kirby wrote about the laughable charges the military leveled against Aung Sang Suu Kyi.

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Ten years ago, a Tunisian fruit vendor set himself on fire and set off a revolution across the Middle East. The Independent’s Borzou Daragahi says the Arab Spring never ended.

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