'More was at stake here than the name of a body of water'

'The AP's win against Trump shows principles still have power in the US'

Margaret Sullivan at The Guardian

A "victory in court for a news wire service might seem trivial," but The Associated Press' "win against the Trump administration this week is meaningful for two reasons," says Margaret Sullivan. It "underscores the judiciary's commitment to the First Amendment, and it suggests that standing up for one's principles may not be just a gesture made in vain." Trump is "willing to punish those who don't fall in line, yet, courageous voices are out there."

Read more

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

'College students don't read. But can they?'

Joseph Bottum at The Wall Street Journal

It's "certainly true that college students read fewer books than previous generations did, but most of the evidence of their incapacity comes from such anecdotal laments," says Joseph Bottum. We "know that the dissociated students don't read — which isn't quite the same as proving they can't read." What we "need is an experiment, re-creating an old-fashioned survey course: a reading-intensive trip, like a white-water raft's careen." That "will be tried this fall at the University of Colorado, Boulder," with a course in which "undergraduates tasked with reading a novel a week, plus critical literature."

Read more

'Tariff uncertainty is punishing California almond growers'

Erika D. Smith at Bloomberg

It's "tempting to believe the worst is behind both Wall Street and the White House," but for "millions of American farmers, the worst is just beginning," says Erika D. Smith. Farmers are "now at risk of becoming collateral damage in a trade war among some of the world's largest economies." In "California, this means almond growers." More "water to grow almonds means little when a global trade war" means there are "fewer customers to buy them."

Read more

'Telemundo's climate commitment'

Mark Hertsgaard at The Nation

New shows "underscore Telemundo's long-standing dedication to environmental coverage; the network also devotes a segment of every Thursday evening's broadcast to the latest environmental developments," says Mark Hertsgaard. This is a "savvy business move, given that surveys have long found that Hispanic people are the U.S. demographic group that cares most about environmental issues." Telemundo's "commitment to climate coverage is paying off," and it's the "fastest-growing broadcast news source in the United States in either Spanish or English."

Read more