• Roger Lowenstein on the failure of the bond-rating agencies. One of the three essential articles for understanding the financial crisis.

• US diluted loan rules right before crash.

• Are cows worse than cars?

• Birthright’s hidden costs.

Ezra Klein is a former Prospect writer and current editor-in-chief at Vox. His work has appeared in the LA Times, The Guardian, The Washington Monthly, The New Republic, Slate, and The Columbia Journalism Review. He’s been a commentator on MSNBC, CNN, NPR, and more.