10 Ways to Get Smarter Over Breakfast
Keeping up with current events may seem like a lot of work. There is so much going on in the world and who has time to sit down with a newspaper and flip through it all (and if you do, well lucky you). With a rapidly increasing number of media companies offering "morning briefings" to be read quickly over a cup of coffee or while waiting on line, "I don't have time to stay informed" is no longer a good enough excuse. Think of it as working out for your brain - just 10 minutes every day quickly adds up to make a difference. So next time a "that kid" brings up Theresa May and Brexit or the AT&T/Time Warner merger, you'll know what's up.
1. theSkimm: "Making it easier to be smarter" is the big idea behind theSkimm, a daily email newsletter beloved by Oprah, Trevor Noah, Reese Witherspoon, Olivia Culpo, and Leslie Odom Jr. Covering politics as well as current events, it's an easy way to keep up to date on all the biggest headlines of the day. Think of them as your slightly more knowledgeable, sassy older cousin keeping you in the loop. Plus you get cool Skimm swag for free through a simple referral program. Sign up here!
2. Maroon newsletter: Stay on top of all the latest happenings on campus and around Chicago with the Chicago Maroon's newsletter which goes out on Tuesday and Friday mornings. You can also stay on top of events happening on and around campus on their new events page.
3. Refinery29 This AM: Refinery29's app is sleek and easy to use. Simply swipe through the 8 cards to read the biggest headlines in politics, pop culture, sports and entertainment in less time than it takes to order your morning triple venti half sweet non-fat caramel macchiato at Starbucks.
4. NYT Morning Briefing: Get the best of the best in journalism with a daily briefing on the biggest stories of the day. You can choose other free newsletters covering a wide variety of topics - from weekly travel deals, op-eds, staff TV recommendations, personal finance to science.
5. Morning Brew: Similar to theSkimm but a little less snarky and with a greater focus on markets, Morning Brew is daily newsletter with updates about some of the world's largest and most relevant companies with links for more stories and stocks.
6. Economist Espresso: The accompanying app to the news magazine is published 6 days a week, focusing on current events and markets and a Saturday issue dedicated to sports and culture. Slightly lengthier, but with clear (and sometimes witty) prose, the Economist Espresso is pretty much the only coffee I consume on the regular. Bonus, it's free in the App Store.
7. Recode Daily: A daily email newsletter from tech site re/code, this one has a more tech/media focus, keeping you in the loop of the latest in those industries as well trending stories on their site for more leisure reading.
8. WSJ MoneyBeat: This newsletter is more markets focused, covering the biggest stories affecting Wall Street, stocks to watch as well as links to other articles for more market coverage. Definitely more of a leisurely breakfast read rather than scan the screen as you scurry across the quad but a must for those interested in finance! The WSJ also offers other specific daily newsletters covering the White House, Brexit, tech and more.
9. AP News: Keep up with the day's breaking stories with this news app from the Associated Press. Set customized alerts for updates on stories you care about and explore more in depth context about topics that matter to you with their "topic hubs".
10. Vox Sentences: Read through a curated briefing on a wide variety of topics with one to two sentence headline summaries and check out links to more comprehensive articles if you have extra time.
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