The Atlantic Daily: Osama bin Laden's Bookshelf
What reading material was found at the terrorist’s Pakistani compound, the benefits of being a jerk, and more
What's Happening: Osama bin Laden’s Bookshelf
What did the world’s most notorious terrorist read while holed up in his compound in Pakistan? As it turns out, a lot of Noam Chomsky. On Wednesday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a partial list of documents found during the 2011 raid that killed bin Laden.
Conspiracy theories galore: Amid digitized copies of Foreign Policy and sermons, bin Laden also showed an interest in the Illuminati, the global banking system, and (perhaps unsurprisingly) September 11th. Titles that were particularly critical of America’s Middle East policy also made the list.
Practical information: The collection included maps and dictionaries, but also documents in which bin Laden implored al-Qaeda affiliates to stop feuding and to improve relations with surrounding communities, all in service of a greater goal: focusing on America.
Snapshot
Quoted
- David Frum: “Barring some rip in the space-time continuum, Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee in 2016. She should be an easy target! But the one Republican least able to attack her is Jeb Bush, who shares almost every one of her vulnerabilities.”
- David Sims: “In his earlier days, Letterman came across as someone who had stolen a camera crew and broken into an empty studio. He was broadcasting during an era of unparalleled American exceptionalism, as Reagan's presidency crested, and he lived to deflate it.”
- Conor Friedersdorf: “Pity the police department of Waco, Texas, scene of the clash among rival motorcycle gangs that killed 9 people and wounded many more in a matter of minutes.”
Pop Quiz
1. According to a survey of 1,200 people in the financial-services industry, ______ percent reported having firsthand knowledge of misdeeds.
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2. David Letterman has been the host of the "Late Show" for _______ years.
(See answer or scroll to the bottom)
3. ________ bikers were arrested after Monday’s deadly shootout in Waco, Texas.
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Evening Read
In our June issue, Daniel Smith looks at whether Pixar director Pete Docter’s new movie Inside Out could change the way viewers think about their emotions:
“The idea was just this concept I had,” Docter told me. “My initial pitch to John”—John Lasseter, Pixar’s co-founder and chief creative officer—“was, You’re in a classroom, you see a kid, and the teacher asks a question. You see the kid almost raise her hand. Then all of a sudden—whoosh!—we zip into the kid’s head, and inside are her emotions.” Her emotions vie for influence. “Optimism says, ‘Oh, we know the answer. Raise your hand!’ Fear says, ‘What’re you, nuts? They laughed at that other kid. They’re gonna mock us right out of class!’ I wanted to dramatize the struggle in making a simple decision: Should I raise my hand or not?”
Verbs
David Letterman signs off, Kentucky primary contested, open carry laws debated, DEA cracks down, bathroom gun etiquette clarified, and high-dollar hooch heisted.
