'A fog-of-war machine'

'X has become a vortex of false claims'

Scott Nover at Slate

Twitter always had problems, says Scott Nover at Slate, but its strength was "as a platform for news." It allowed professional reporters, citizen journalists, and eyewitnesses to provide urgent updates "in times of bloody conflict." The violence in Israel and Gaza shows how badly Elon Musk has degraded X, formerly known as Twitter. He dismantled the social media platform's content-moderation team and pays for viral content, which makes X "a vortex of false claims and doctored footage."

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'The Pioneer tie-up makes Exxon less vulnerable'

The Wall Street Journal editorial board

"Is Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods seeking protection from President Biden?" asks The Wall Street Journal editorial board. The energy giant is buying Pioneer Natural Resources for $60 billion, making it the biggest player in "the rich Permian shale basin that spans Texas and New Mexico." The Permian is one of the world's lowest-cost oil sources. Acquiring Pioneer is a huge "bet on U.S. shale fracking and hedge against the left's anti-fossil fuels policies."

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'Republican figures have leaned into the ethos and ideological aims of white nationalism'

Clarence Lusane in The Nation

"It's no wonder that America's racists, including the KKK, have fallen in love with the modern Trumpublican version of the Republican Party," says Clarence Lusane in The Nation. Top Republicans say all the things white nationalists long to hear. Former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke endorsed Trump in 2020 and probably will again in 2024 because he sees "Trump's attacks on immigrants” and whining about white victimization as proof they're on the same page. 

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'Kids themselves seem just as concerned with "adulting" as grown-ups are'

Pamela Paul in The New York Times

The "effort to improve America's woeful standing in student performance" might have gone too far, writes Pamela Paul in The New York Times. Schools have squeezed out "classes that used to cut into desk time," like physical education and "industrial arts." But "bringing back home ec and shop" might benefit students, and not just those entering a trade instead of college. "These are the kinds of 'adulting' skills many kids no longer learn at home."

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