George Packer writes that what lies behind the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo that killed 12 people is the assault on ideas. Via the New Yorker.
Jeffrey Goldberg writes in the Atlantic that Europe is under siege.
Christopher Hitchens, the militant atheist, wrote this much-quoted piece in 2006 on why religions must be mocked. Via Slate.
The New York Times tells of the four cartoonists killed at Charlie Hebdo and how they “represented a radical, crude and vital strain” of the French culture. And how French humor turned to tragedy.
The Washington Post collects cartoonists’ reactions to the murders at Charlie Hebdo.
Vox shows nine iconic Charlie Hebdo covers and how they explain everything about the newspaper’s satiric bite.
From Bill Moyers and Co: “On this date in 1964, President Lyndon Baines Johnson called for a “War on Poverty” in the US. During his time in office, LBJ launched Medicare/Medicaid, Head Start and the Job Corps, expanded Social Security and implemented the food stamp program. The share of Americans living in poverty dropped from around 23 percent to 12 percent.”
ICYMI: Remember the 2012 GOP war on polling? Well, say hello to “dynamic scoring,” or the Capitol Hill Republican war on math.