My daughter is in first grade, but she’s been doing “lockdown drills” since she was two years old – her pre-school started them a few weeks after the massacre of 20 children at Sandy Hook. She knows how to keep quiet when her teachers shut the lights, and that she’s hiding from “robbers” or “bad guys”; she’s not quite old enough to understand the full implications of what the drill means.

This week we mourned the one-year anniversary of the shooting at Pulse in Orlando that left 49 people dead, protested against Megyn Kelly’s interview with a man who believes the Sandy Hook shooting was faked, and tried to make sense of two mass shootings – one that left House majority whip Steve Scalise injured. And yet, in a time when shootings are commonplace, this week didn’t necessarily feel remarkable. It felt normal.

That makes me fear for my daughter more than any lockdown drill could.



Glass half full

It’s Pride month! PBS has a great collection of videos to celebrate and the pictures of parades are enough to lift my spirits, even considering the week we’ve had.

What I’m RTing

Glenn Thrush (@GlennThrush) Any debate about civility in politics begins with Trump. No one has degraded discourse more, while embracing the fringe. Fact, not opinion.

Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) So CNN has canceled Reza Aslan's show b/c he tweeted that Trump is a "piece of shit," but hired Corey Lewandowski AFTER he assaulted someone

Nelba Márquez-Greene (@Nelba_MG) Here you go @megynkelly - her name is Ana Grace Márquez-Greene. Say her name- stare at this & tell me it's worth it. @nbc #SandyHook pic.twitter.com/mKrU63KWmA

Benjamin Siemon (@BenjaminJS) If you say "Kamala Harris" into the bathroom mirror 3 times, an old white man interrupts you.

Who I’m reading

This incredible piece in the Washington Post looking at the psychological aftermath for children who witnessed a shooting; Sarah Kliff on the “lying and obstruction” behind the Obamacare repeal; and Fusion on the Trump administration’s decision to end Dapa, which protected the undocumented parents of American citizens.

What I’m writing

I wrote a piece about this week’s shooting at Marie Claire about violent political rhetoric and why we need to be honest about it.

How outraged I am

On a scale of one to 10, Donald Trump’s tweetstorm about being the target of a “witch hunt” have me at two – because he’s only hurting himself. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

How I’m making it through this week

The Strand Bookstore in New York – in response to Kamala Harris being called “hysterical” for, well, doing her job – put together a list of books by women. Full disclosure, my book is in there as well – but check it out for all the other amazing writers!

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