The worst aspect of these journalists’ demands for “neutrality” is the conceit that they are actually neutral, that they are themselves not activists. To be lectured about the need for journalistic neutrality by Politico of all places — the ultimate and most loyal servant of the DC political and corporate class — by itself illustrates what a rotten sham this claim is. I set out my argument about this at length in my 2013 exchange with Bill Keller and won’t repeat it all here; suffice to say, all journalism is deeply subjective and serves some group’s interests. All journalists constantly express opinions and present the world in accordance with their deeply subjective biases — and thus constantly serve one agenda or another — whether they honestly admit doing so or dishonestly pretend they don’t.

Ultimately, demands for “neutrality” and “objectivity” are little more than rules designed to shield those with the greatest power from meaningful challenge. As BuzzFeed’s Adam Serwer insightfully put it this morning, “‘Objective’ reporters were openly mocking Trump not that long ago, but Ramos has not reacted to Trump’s poll numbers with appropriate deference… Just a reminder that what is considered objective reporting is intimately tied to power or the perception of power.” Expressing opinions that are in accord with, and which serve the interests of, those who wield the greatest political and economic power is always acceptable for the journalists who most tightly embrace the pretense of “neutrality”; it’s only when an opinion constitutes dissent or when it’s expressed with too little reverence for the most powerful does it cross the line into “activism” and “bias.”

—Glenn Greenwald
Jorge Ramos Commits Journalism, Gets Immediately Attacked by Journalists

For years, in response to political pressure, the Centers for Disease Control have been effectively prohibited from researching gun violence as a public health and safety issue unto itself. Two months ago, in the immediate aftermath of the Emanuel AME church massacre in Charleston, South Carolina, when a powerful House panel torpedoed a piece of legislation that would’ve permitted the Centers for Disease Control to study the root causes of gun violence, House Speaker John Boehner defended this sort of interference.

Guns are not microbes, but neither are automobiles, unhealthy foods, slothfulness, or any number of other unhealthy things that the CDC researches, unencumbered. When a bullet pierces human flesh, that body becomes extremely ill right away, no less than when a body flies through a windshield or experiences a severe electric shock. But where government actively regulates cars and construction sites — indeed is applauded for doing so — it simultaneously takes steps to abstract guns from the harm they cause, and silence public officials who refuse to play along.

—Brian Beutler
More People Should See Vester Flanagan Kill His Coworkers on Live TV

It is true that Sanger was a proponent of eugenics, and pro-choice advocates do themselves no favors by attempting to whitewash this fact and paint Sanger as some infallible feminist hero. Sanger was passionate about contraception — perhaps to a fault — and her fervor about promoting her birth control agenda led her to align herself with eugenicists, along with racists and an assortment of people of questionable character.

But it is simply untrue that Margaret Sanger wanted to exterminate the Black race. This is a flat-out lie. Yet it is one that is repeated ad nauseam, both by anti-choice activists and the politicians who support them, most recently Ben Carson.

In propagating this lie, anti-choicers infantilize Black women and strip them of their agency: they portray Margaret Sanger’s birth control agenda as something that was done to Black women, rather than something in which Black women and much of the Black community as a whole enthusiastically participated.

—Imani Gandy
How False Narratives of Margaret Sanger Are Being Used to Shame Black Women

The water market will never be a “free market” in the true sense of the word. A plea to the water authority (ie, government) to price water more rationally is a plea for policy reform towards a better use of incentives. Free markets only exist when there is no government regulation of buyers and sellers, no taxes, no subsidies, and no nothing. An efficient free market for water is a difficult thing to pull off since it is a common-pool resource. It is easier for the pizza market to operate efficiently since pizza is a private good.

I don’t think adaption to climate change can be accomplished efficiently by government taking a hands off approach. You can’t privatize much of the natural environment.

—John Whitehead
Water Pricing, “Free” Markets and Climate Change

Latino means: from Latin America. Latin America refers mostly to everything below the United States of America, include the Caribbean.

Hispanic means: from a country whose primary language is Spanish. But not every country in Latin America speaks Spanish primarily.

—Terry Blas
I’m Latino. I’m Hispanic. And They’re Different, So I Drew a Comic to Explain.

You’re making a big mistake. This isn’t how you win. There have been two Republican landslides in the last century: Nixon and Reagan. And it was by appealing to the white vote. Specifically, the white working-class vote. That’s your base!

—Ann Coulter
Quoted in Ann Coulter Has Fallen From Grace — and the Reason Why Is Terrifying

The Post’s Michael Gerson says “establishment Republicans” must “make clear that [Trump] has moved beyond the boundaries of serious and civil discourse.” He loathes the Trumpites as much as Will.

But if the GOP has no room for Trump’s followers, it has no future. For there simply aren’t that many chamber-of-commerce and country-club Republicans.

—Pat Buchanan
GOP Elites Plot to Purge Trump

CNN is hosting a Republican presidential debate, and everybody’s invited! Everybody but Jim Gilmore, who is supposedly the former governor of Virginia. Hadas Gold reports the debate will include “the entire GOP field, minus Jim Gilmore.” According to CNN, it’s nothing personal, just that Gilmore is polling at 0.0 percent.

The 16 candidates will probably use the debate to make fun of Gilmore behind his back.

—Jonathan Chait
CNN to Host Non-Gilmore Presidential Debate