“Individuals trying to support themselves via subscriptions are as dependent on the whims of the marketplace as those working for large corporations, and it’s not just the lack of health care and 401ks that make the career of a patron-supported creator precarious — it’s the rawness and immediacy of the relationship.”
“Will Women Rising in the Church of England Influence the Vatican?”
“Domestic violence nonprofits are winning against the Trump administration in court“. Hope that doesn’t jinx it.
“Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and Google have a lot riding on their relationships with the Trump administration. They all cut checks for the ballroom.”
“As the tortilla controversy has earned national headlines, there’s no better time to explore some of the wildest traditions in college football.”
“Reagan did, in fact, repeatedly emphasize the virtues of free trade. Like all modern presidents, he nonetheless imposed some tariffs for political reasons. But Reagan always stayed within the boundaries of the law, using his right to impose discretionary tariffs as pressure release valves rather than abusing his authority to make tariff policy an instrument of his personal whims.”
“What this video reveals is not only a hunger for domination but a fascination with blasphemy—with the pleasure of polluting what others still hold sacred.”
“To be frank, it looks a lot like someone just used AI to render a crappy facsimile of Mar-a-Lago.”
“And what follows from that is that no plan to recover from or even seriously battle with Trumpism can be in any way capable of succeeding unless reforming the Supreme Court is the first order of business. The dire corruption of the Republican majority governs everything.”
John Dickerson is departing CBS News. He won’t be the last to do so.
Taylor Sheridan >> David Ellison. And I’m not even a fan of his shows.
“We’ve known for decades that sugar doesn’t really make people hyperactive. The basic idea is reasonable—when you eat a lot of sugar, your blood glucose does tend to spike, which in theory should cause you to have more energy. In practice, though, we know that this just doesn’t end up being the case.”
How Norman Greenbaum made “Spirit in the Sky” is kind of a wild story.
“The coalition announced on Tuesday the creation of the Literary Arts Fund, which will distribute “at least” $50 million through grants to various nonprofit organizations across the country over the next five years.”
RIP, Prunella Scales, BAFTA-nominated actor best known for playing Sybil Fawlty in the iconic BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers. John Cleese is correct, she was absolutely perfect in that classic show.
“To be perfectly honest, I’d like nothing better than to get Donald Trump and Melania Trump under oath in front of a court reporter, and actually find out all of the details of their relationship with Epstein.”
“‘The Pitt’ Has Inspired More Organ Donation and End-of-Life Planning, According to USC Norman Lear Center Study”.
“Without Online Trolls, There Would Be No Donald Trump”.
“The end of SNAP-Ed exposes the chasm between the White House’s messaging and governance. Even as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voices concern about what Americans put in their bodies, the administration has dismantled SNAP-Ed, which helped low-income Americans eat better.”
Bats aren’t bugs but the do eat bugs, and that makes them welcome at pecan orchards, where they are a great alternative to pesticides.
The Pentagon doesn’t like the movie House of Dynamite.
RIP, Anca Faur, wife of Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
RIP, Margaret DePriest, actor and five-time Daytime Emmy Award nominee who wrote on numerous soaps.
“Marjorie Taylor Greene to Appear on ‘The View’“. Make some popcorn, I guess.
When you’ve lost Kirk Cameron…
Meet Nanotyrannus lancensis, the newest T-Rex on the block.
It’s important to always know which Bill DeBlasio you’re talking to.
Go ahead, let Trump abolish the filibuster. Make our day.
One bad development that happened last week was that the Border Patrol has been given control of ICE. Former Border Patrol agent and whistleblower Jenn Budd details in her book and in her Substack the many routine abuses of power and successful coverups committed by the Border Patrol. She says the following about the takeover –
“ The Border Patrol has just reached their goal as the national police force. With their management in control of ICE and CBP, they not only control in between the ports, they now control the ports, deportations and CBP’s vast surveillance of Americans. They are Trump’s private and secret police. Trump can trust the Border Patrol will violate American citizens’ constitutional rights because they have always done so. Buckle-up buttercups. The violence has just begun.”
I strongly encourage you to go read her substack, lots there that you didn’t know about how bad routine operations by the Border Patrol really are. If you have time to explore Substack, check out Legal AF, Danielle Moody, Joy Reid, Wajahat Ali(The Left Hook),All Rise News, Allison Gill, and Lev Parnas.
https://jennbudd.substack.com/