Spite pardon: Make no mistake, Michelle Goldberg writes. President Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio mostly (solely?) to make us mad. The president’s announcement on Friday, Mark Joseph Stern adds, bodes ill for those pursuing the investigation of his ties to Russia; Trump has shown he’ll use his power to circumvent judicial oversight. But hey! The pardon, Frank Bowman argues, could be grounds for impeachment since Trump has so misused the power of his office.
Suffering city: Houston’s urban planning (or lack thereof) made it uniquely vulnerable to Hurricane Harvey, Henry Grabar writes. And since its planning officials seem determined to deny that climate change is a problem, it seems likely nothing will change before the next semi-yearly “unprecedented event” hits the area.
Double duty: Could the increased presence of dentists in poor communities help solve not only tooth problems, but also medical issues? Nisarg A. Patel thinks it could.
For fun: This week’s Worst Person in Westeros is a classic.
The GOAT,
Rebecca
P.S. Here’s the last episode of this season’s Game of Thrones recap podcast. Just for Slate Plus members!
