Brendan O'Connor · 10/03/15 03:00PM

“Rosy forecasts for American Dream also fly in the face of predictions that, ultimately, Internet shopping will all but eliminate brick-and-mortar shopping.” Just like The Great Gatsby!

Killed on Holy Ground: Dispatch from a Sea of Blue

W. Chris Johnson · 10/03/15 12:30PM

Memphis. July 17. A Friday. Carefree black boys call it a night. Darrius Stewart is just around the corner from his mama’s house when blue light hits the rearview mirror of the Chevy Malibu. A routine traffic stop. A simple thing. One week ago, Sandra Bland was stopped in Texas for a simple thing.

How 4chan Trolled Two of Its Friends by Framing Them for the Oregon Mass Shooting

Jay Hathaway · 10/03/15 10:12AM

In the hours between the shooting spree at Umpqua Community College and the moment news networks were able to name Chris Harper Mercer as the alleged gunman, crowds on social media clamored for a name to fill the informational void. 4chan gave them two, both of whom turned out to be alive, and neither of whom has been named by authorities in connection with the tragedy. For a couple of hours, though, mobs on Twitter and Facebook believed these were the guys, and openly speculated about what drove them to do it.

Jeb Bush Delivers Eloquent Speech on School Shootings: "Stuff Happens"

Andy Cush · 10/02/15 04:12PM

Jeb Bush, who try as he might just isn’t so great at the business of running for president, was at an event in South Carolina today, where he was asked about school shootings like the massacre in Oregon yesterday. The two-word key phrase at the center of his response: “Stuff happens.”

The Pope Hung Out With an Openly Gay Man the Day Before He Said "Hi" to Kim Davis

Gabrielle Bluestone · 10/02/15 01:26PM

Turns out the Vatican has one final burn for Kim Davis, the anti-gay clerk who flew a little too close to the sun when she released the news that the pope had acknowledged her existence. Not only was her meeting not a “real audience” with the cool guy, the day before, the Vatican confirms, the pope straight-up chilled with an openly gay man and his partner.