The Slatest for Dec. 20: Why Taking Trump off the Ballot Would Be a Disaster

The Colorado Supreme Court decided on Tuesday that the 14th Amendment bars Trump from appearing on the state ballot for president. Lawrence Lessig argues not only that this is legally unsound, but that keeping Trump off the ballot could create a disaster for democracy. He makes the case for why the Supreme Court must unanimously strike this decision down.

Plus, in case you missed it: Shirin Ali catches you up on a couple of other ways the Supreme Court is currently poised to weigh in on matters that could affect the 2024 election.

When has a president ever polled as badly as Biden is right now? David Faris took a look back at the history and found that the answer is, uh … never? He reflects on the underlying issues behind these historically bad polling numbers, and what hurdles Biden will have to overcome in order to stage a comeback.

The oil industry is governed by a false choice, Mia Armstrong-López writes, between surviving now and thriving tomorrow. But the people who know the industry best can point us toward a different future, today and tomorrow. She takes a look at what might happen if oil platforms belonged to the people who worked on them.

Two years ago, the Vatican declared that priests could not bless same-sex relationships. This week, Pope Francis made a complete reversal. How did such a big shift on a hot-button issue happen in a relatively short amount of time? Molly Olmstead explains the backstory behind the change, and what it tells us about the pope’s long game.

There is a reason why skiing has gotten so cheap for a few—and so expensive for everyone else. Gordon LaForge takes a close look at the two warring companies that ruined skiing for the rest of us.

The long-awaited Disney+ adaptation of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books is finally here—and it’s the adaptation fans deserve, Nadira Goffe writes. She takes a close look at what the series gets right.

Much has been said about the criminal charges Home Alone’s Kevin McCallister would face in court for his anti-theft hijinks. But what about the bigger offenders? Luke Winkie asked legal experts what would happen to Kevin’s child-neglecting parents.

… much like the movie The Holiday is to a certain contingent of viewers—making it, as Heather Schwedel writes, “a perfect candidate for fighting about with your loved ones.”

Thanks so much for reading! We’ll see you tomorrow.