The Angle

The Angle: Gay Villain Edition

Slate’s daily newsletter on the G-19, our sense of direction, and homophobic Trump jokes.

A man holds up a sign showing President Donald Trump kissing Russian President Vladimir Putin at a rally in Berkeley, California, on April 15.

Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images

Stop it: The now-ubiquitous liberal jokes about Trump’s “bromances” with various world leaders, his servility to Vladimir Putin, and his “sassiness” make Andrew Kahn uneasy. These jests draw from a deep reserve of cultural homophobia.

Without us: The G-19 (or, the G-20 without the United States) is forging forward, Josh Keating writes. On issues like climate, as well as former joint projects like African peacekeeping, the rest of the major world economies are ready to leave us behind.

The real issue: Fixing the maldistribution of health care is important, Nisarg A. Patel writes. But we should also be thinking about the quality of that care, and trying to improve health outcomes and lower costs.

Take a left: If apps have erased much of our sense of direction, Henry Grabar reports, apps might also be the ones to give it back to us.

For fun: Geezer thrusts slideshow upon nation.

Visionary indeed,

Rebecca