Good morning! Have a happy and safe Memorial Day. Here are a few things to read while you wait for the grill to heat up.
Stat of the day: 38 percent — how much New Jersey’s uninsured population declined between September and March, according to a study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Honoring our vets –> At The Nation, John Nichols writes that they need funding and accountability from the VA rather than political slogans — and that Bernie Sanders is trying to give them both.
Lethal misogyny –> Salon’s Katie McDonough looks at the toxic subculture that attracted Santa Barbara shooter Elliott Rodgers. Meanwhile, one victim’s father laid blame for the horrific shooting spree at the doorstep of “craven, irresponsible politicians and the NRA.”
A biggie –> Jonathan Cohn writes at TNR that Obama’s forthcoming limits on emissions from coal-powered plants are going to be a really big deal — and will precipitate an even bigger political fight.
Lots of election news –> The European far-right scored big wins in EU elections in the UK and France. Paul Taylor and Robin Emmott have some analysis at Reuters. Meanwhile, the far-left opposition party won in Greece. At Bloomberg, Marcus Bensasson and Nikos Chrysoloras explain what that means. And the “Candy Man” — billionaire candy mogul — appears to have won in the first round of Ukraine’s violence-marred presidential elections. Nataliya Vasilyeva and Peter Leonard have the details for the AP.
Slavery –> The director of a Florida Bible college was charged with multiple counts of forced labor after making foreign students work long hours for no pay. David Wren reports for the Myrtle Beach Sun. ALSO: Ian Urbina reports for the NYT that the federal government uses thousands of jailed migrant workers and pays them $1 per day or less.
“I was the NRA” –> At The Raw Story, Tom Boggioni has an interesting essay about how a shifting American gun culture destroyed his childhood passion for hunting.
Not unheard of –> At Vox, Dylan Matthews explains that reparations for past crimes have been paid to victims and their descendants six times, including four times in the US.
