Martin Shkreli, the CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, announced a huge increase in the cost of his drug for a life-threatening disease. Then he backtracked. By analyzing his passive statements, you see exactly how a scoundrel evades responsibility. After acquiring the drug Daraprim, used to treat the sometimes deadly parasitic infection toxoplasmosis, Turing Pharmaceuticals hiked the price from $13.50 to…
When it comes to finding presidential nominees, we’re doing it wrong. Here’s what enables you to succeed — that is, to survive — as a presidential nominee in the early going: Ability to create striking soundbites in debates and other forums with no regard for whether they are factually inaccurate. Quick wit in criticizing other people…
There’s a lot more going on in Irving, Texas than a clever boy with a home-made clock and brown skin. Look close, and the story of #IStandWithAhmed — and the letter the principal sent to parents — reveals how America is cracking apart. [tweetthis]America is built on contradictions. They’re at the heart of #IStandWithAhmed.[/tweetthis] Here are a couple:…
You loved my post about how to disagree with people. But are you living it? Case in point: Kim Davis, a county clerk in Kentucky, has defied the Supreme Court and refused to grant marriage licenses to gay couple, based on her interpretation of the bible. I believe this is wrong. You don’t get to…
I set out to learn which party did a better job for the American economy. What I found out taught me more about data than politics. In a time of market-based panic and bloviating presidential candidates, we need thoughtful data analysis, not empty rhetoric. Here’s a challenge for you. Just for a moment, try not…
Two presidential contenders stand out from the crowd when it comes to expressing clear, unequivocal views: Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. We’ve already established that Trump’s forthright views, while clear, are often factually inaccurate. But what about Bernie? Senator Sanders’ biggest challenge in winning the nomination is black voters, who so far are more likely to vote for Hillary…
Jon Stewart inspires me. In my moments of absolute fantasy I imagine I am in some small way contributing to the work he began. So it gives me great pleasure that he devoted the final moments of his final show to the theme “Bullshit is everywhere.” He cites, for example: The bullshit of infinite possibility:…
Like many of you, I’ve been trying to answer the question “What in hell is Donald Trump actually doing?” I know now. I can also make a prediction about how he will change the 2016 election, and it’s not just “hand it to Hillary.” As he has all along, Donald Trump said things last night that…
Say what you will about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, but he finally figured out how to publish something clear on deflategate. Or putting it in the terms that the Wells Report used, it is “more probable than not” that you can actually figure out what Roger Goodell is saying. Look, Goodell is a mess. It took…