Wanda Sykes is grateful her audience sticks with her
A note from Wild Card host Rachel Martin: I think comedians are the first to admit that they’re built differently than the rest of us, because standing on a stage in front of hundreds of strangers and baring their souls through jokes requires a ton of courage. But then when you look at Wanda Sykes’ career you realize that the courage doesn’t just show up onstage. She had to conjure it at every step along the way.
Quitting her government job to pursue comedy took guts. So did getting divorced and coming out publicly, as well as surviving breast cancer. All of it took guts. And when I watch her onstage, taking up space, saying all the taboos out loud and having the best time doing it, I think she makes everyone else watching feel a little bolder themselves. Wanda is getting onstage again for her new tour. It’s called Please and Thank You.
HBO’s new Billy Joel documentary is revelatory — even if it pulls some punches
The new two-part documentary, which premieres Friday on HBO, is a good example of the tension between access and objectivity that filmmakers face in making documentaries on celebrities.
A wildfire destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. It burned down once before
The Grand Canyon Lodge is the only hotel on the park's North Rim, which is closed for the rest of the season due to wildfire risk. The hotel was already rebuilt once, after a kitchen fire in 1932.
Why the Federal Reserve’s building renovations are attracting the White House’s ire
The Fed's $2.5 billion headquarters renovation is attracting mounting criticism from the Trump administration, which had been already attacking the central bank for not cutting interest rates.
Supreme Court says Trump’s efforts to close the Education Department can continue
The Trump administration had appealed a decision that had directed it to stop gutting the U.S. Education Department and to reinstate many of the workers the government had laid off.
24 states sue Trump admin to unfreeze more than $6 billion in education grants
The lawsuit comes two weeks after the Trump administration first notified states it was withholding previously approved funds for migrant education, before- and after- school programs and more.
Where to start? This week’s new releases are an all-you-can-read buffet
This week, new horror from Silvia Moreno-Garcia, a funny college do-over from Jeneva Rose, and autofiction from Hannah Pittard. Plus, stories about the American South, and a deep dive into the Earth.