The Angle

The Angle: Emoluments Clause Edition

Slate’s daily newsletter on an audacious lawsuit against the new president, the best way to count jobs, and Twenty One Pilots’ very modern brand of teen angst.

Josh Dun and Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots perform onstage during the 2016 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on Nov. 20, 2016 in Los Angeles.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Testing the emoluments clause in court: On Monday, an ethics watchdog filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump for his financial ties to foreign governments. Mark Joseph Stern argues that the suit is a risky gambit but one that should hearten liberals even if it fails.

How to count jobs: Donald Trump thinks the unemployment rate is a “fiction,” and he’s not entirely wrong. Jordan Weissmann offers a more meaningful stat for the president to use, if he’s actually interested in talking about the labor market.

Wish we could turn back time: Slate music critic Carl Wilson explains how Twenty One Pilots, America’s biggest new rock band, won over angst-ridden teens in the age of Trump.

Oscars not quite so white: The academy nominated more black artists this year than ever before. Even better, writes Aisha Harris, it recognized that not all black stories are about slavery or oppression.

For fun: How long would a liberal have to cry to fill a coffee mug with tears?

Now we’re stressed out,
L.V. Anderson