Ben Mirin

Ben Mirin is the project coordinator for Slate Custom. He is a producer, field ornithologist, and musician living in Brooklyn. Follow him on Twitter.

TODAY IN SLATE

Politics

Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.

Eric Cantor’s defeat is a warning to all Republicans.

By John Dickerson

Colleges Should Pay a Fine When Students Default

By Reihan Salam

Why Pretty Much Everyone Underestimated David Brat

By David Weigel
“Cantor pandered ubiquitously, which was annoying to all, satisfying to none.”
Politics

“Dead Broke”

To voters, Hillary Clinton’s stupid comment doesn’t reveal a lack of empathy. It reveals a lack of honesty.

By John Dickerson
THE SLATEST SEE ALL
  • One of New York's Most Legendary Catholic Figures Was Also Jewish
  • Watch the Attack on Washington's NFL Franchise That Will Air During the NBA Finals 
  • Oregon Attack is 74th School Shooting Since Newtown, Fourth Mass Shooting in Six Days
  • "Al Qaeda-Inspired Militants" Now Control Two Major Iraqi Cities
Science

Forensic Science Isn’t Science

Why juries hear—and trust—so much biased, unreliable, inaccurate evidence.

By Mark Joseph Stern

“There’s No Way You Can Capture How Horrible It Is”: The Catastrophe of the Syrian Refugee Crisis

What Will Be Your Song of the Summer? Let Us Pick One Just for You.

By Chris Molanphy and Chris Kirk
Wow—the Other Three Verses of “The Star-Spangled Banner” Are Really Bad
This Marvelous New Transit App May Lead Me to Ditch My iPhone
Jurassic Park Was Almost Made Without CGI. Here’s What It Would Have Looked Like.
  News & Politics
Weigel
June 11 2014 1:00 PM The Real Reason Immigration Got Cantor In Trouble Boer Deng
If You’re Sentenced to Life as a Juvenile, What Does It Take to Get Parole?
Don’t Eat the Whole Thing! How Edibles Became the Marijuana Industry’s Biggest Headache.
How Did the Leader of the GOP Opposition Become a Tea Party Trophy?
The Libertarian College Professor Who Won’t Raise the Debt Ceiling and Will Replace Eric Cantor in Congress
Eric Cantor Loses: The Official Live Thread of the South Carolina and Virginia Primaries
Mississippi Panic Time
  Business
Moneybox
June 11 2014 12:17 PM The Startup That Conquered Facebook Sales Tom Foster
The Failure of Austerity, in a Chart
China Reaches a Millionaire-Studded Milestone
Is Walmart Any Match for Amazon?
A Republican from Wisconsin Has the Best Plan for Fixing Our Student Debt Crisis
Get Ready for Some Regulations in the Sharing Economy
Amtrak Might Speed Up Its Slow Internet
  Life
Outward
June 11 2014 1:01 PM Oklahoma Tea Party Candidate Supports Stoning Gay People to Death Mark Joseph Stern
How Eisenhower Handled McCarthy's Threat to a "Middle-of-the-Road" GOP
Germans Have a Really Hard Time Saying "Squirrel"
How Has Social Media Impacted Scandal?
The Gated Community for People Who Talk to the Dead
Why Do Gay Men Sometimes Call Each Other "She" and "Her"?
What Does the Cloud Look Like? A Designer Takes Us Inside.
  Double X
The XX Factor
June 11 2014 12:23 PM The WNBA Finally Recognizes Its Lesbian Fans Amanda Hess
Britney Spears Is a Feminist Role Model All of a Sudden
Marriage Will Not Save Women From Male Violence
A New App Wants to Weed the Creeps Out of Online Dating. Can It Be Done?
If You Must Affix a Symbol of Your Love to a Bridge, Here Are Some Better Options
Paid Parental Leave: What Would Jesus Do?
Can the Female Condom Ever Catch On?
  Arts
Behold
June 11 2014 11:17 AM Behind the Ancient Art of Nigerian Dambe Boxing  David Rosenberg
After 20 Years, the Trailer for Dumb and Dumber To Is Finally Here
Watch Dave Chappelle's First Late-Night Appearance in More Than Six Years
This Man Made a Hilarious Video About Being Stuck Overnight in a Vegas Airport
Thank the Rock Music Gods, Because Spoon Is Back
Louis C.K. Has Talked About Stealing for Drug Dealers Before
Already Watched Orange Is the New Black Season 2? Then Join Our Spoiler-Filled Discussion.
  Technology
Future Tense
June 11 2014 12:19 PM The Brief, Weird Tale of My Mexican-Pop-Star-Worshipping Twitter Doppelgangers Katy Waldman
India’s Heat Wave Is Unbearable
An iOS 8 Tweak Will Make It Harder for Marketers and Trackers to Follow You
The Grizzly History of Bear Pepper Sprays
When Is a Real-World Response to a Cyberattack Justifiable?
The New Legend of Zelda Game for Wii U Looks Beautiful
Report: Another Chinese Military Unit Has Been Hacking U.S. Systems—This Time Satellite Networks
  Health & Science
Wild Things
June 11 2014 1:01 PM Chew On This Fantastic New Fossil Jane Hu
The Smallest Star
Why Most Male Spiders Castrate Themselves During Eight-Legged Acts of Love
A Gorgeous (Non-Polar) Vortex
People Who Shrug and Share Lies on Facebook Are the Problem
These Gruesome Dollhouse Death Scenes Helped Create Forensic Science
A Cosmic Tadpole Struggles in a Bad Neighborhood
  Sports
The Spot
June 10 2014 5:21 PM Striking Images of Brazil’s Anti-World Cup Protest Movement Juliana Jiménez Jaramillo and Jeremy Stahl
Will Argentina Ever Truly Love Lionel Messi?
The U.S. Men’s National Team Needs a Nickname. I’ve Got the Perfect Choice.
How to Watch the World Cup Online Without Cable? Step 1: Learn Spanish.
How the Brazilian Government Tried to Stamp Out the Country’s Soccer Protests
Watch John Oliver Explain Perfectly Why You Should Hate FIFA
Pick Your World Cup Bracket Based on Population, FIFA Rankings, and Animal Power