'It was also a gift to music-lovers'

'What would music be without the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson? God only knows.'

Alyssa Rosenberg at The Washington Post

If the Beach Boys "lost the 1960s culture wars, the band entered the pantheon of pop immortality anyway. The reason: Brian Wilson, who has died at 82," says Alyssa Rosenberg. Wilson's "songs were excellent short fiction about the inner and social lives of teenagers, companions to Beverly Cleary's young adult novels." His "later-in-life reemergence" was a chance to revisit the sonic innovations and piercing emotional clarity Wilson brought to surf bops and grand experiments alike."

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'The hidden barriers holding back cancer's most promising treatments'

Samir Khleif at Time

The "breakneck pace of innovation has slowed to a crawl" in cancer research, says Samir Khleif. The "easy explanation would be that we have reached the limits of what immunotherapy can do." But "instead, we're facing a perfect storm of scientific, economic, and cultural barriers." The "fundamental challenge isn't that we've exhausted immunotherapy's potential." But "finding them requires both exploring these unexplored pathways and deepening our understanding of the complex dance between tumors and the immune system."

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'Democrats have better ideas — that's why Republicans are trying to steal them'

Rep. Marc Veasey at MSNBC

The "problem for Democrats is that we've stopped connecting with the very people whose American Dreams are being thwarted by the GOP's policies," says Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas). Republicans are "stealing Democratic ideas like knock-off brands." GOP Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.) "introduced legislation to raise the minimum wage" and "suddenly, he sounds like a pro-union Democrat." But "where was he during the years we fought to expand health care access?" Even "more striking is the record he hopes we forget."

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'Terry Moran is the latest casualty in Trump's war on the media'

Joan Vennochi at The Boston Globe

With ABC's "decision to part ways with veteran correspondent Terry Moran, President Trump scored another big victory in his war against the press," says Joan Vennochi. Moran's "termination sends a chilling message about the latest instinct of corporate media to side with power." Pressure to "control news coverage is coming directly from the White House, and too many media owners are yielding to it." Going "up against the power of Trump means being prepared to lose your job."

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