I just spoke to Mitch McConnell for 20 minutes.

It was so moving to be in Boston this morning for the annual Declaration reading on the 250th anniversary of its adoption. The crowd was joyful, boisterous, and as welcoming as @wutrain.bsky.social proclaimed Boston will be for another 250 years. #America250 #Boston250 @revolution250.bsky.social

In ep 1, Jennie Lightweis-Goff & I talk with our editor @robinjames.bsky.social about the project and why we see the 250th anniv. of US independence and the 200th anniv. of Stephen Foster’s birth as an opportunity for a critical reappraisal of his legacy in popular culture. youtu.be/sD1IVbMp1QQ?...

The US remembers July 4, 1776 as its birthdate. 50 years later a boy was born in Pittsburgh who would forever change American popular culture. Stephen Foster at 200 deciphers the coded history of US popular music. Visit stephenfosterat200.com/subscribe to find it wherever you listen to podcasts!

What could be more American than a critical reappraisal of pop culture? Stephen Foster was born on July 4, 1826. I’ve got a new podcast coming out this July 4th that reappraises his legacy (edited volume coming later this year). Check out the trailer and subscribe at: StephenFosterAt200.com

Tartans on top!

I feel terrible for the Paraguayan player there was very little he could do. Made me think of the Colombian player who own goaled in ‘94 and got killed for it…

Jalen Brunson: “You’re allowed to think about the worst possible scenario. But you gotta go out there and do something about it.” A good mantra for fighting fascism too.

Truly this Mamdani / trump rivalry is one for the ages…

The way the commentators have spoken and the coverage has framed Taylor at an NBA game versus the NFL is an object lesson in intersectionality

LOL if you thought the Trump boos were loud on TV, wait until you hear them from inside MSG. Video courtesy of Evan Roberts from WFAN on X.

This quote is going to get a lot of mileage when future journalism historians get ahold of it…

Can’t believe this wasn’t at least an A level team…

Cannot wait for the era of orange supremacy to end

This will be unpopular if it’s seen as “his fault” the Bears leave, but it’s actually the right decision for a leader to make. The team is who they should blame

Uh, Ossoff 2028?

Ossoff: "While you pay more for everything, Donald Trump wants your tax dollars for what many are calling the Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Ballroom."

What I would not give for a Better Call Saul / Breaking Bad side story following the student film crew.

IMPORTANT: The Dutch invested €595 million annually on urban biking, resulting in €19 BILLION saved in public health care costs alone. That’s how smart governments do the math on investing in better mobility. Let’s be clear— it WASTES public money to NOT do it. #CityMakingMath HT @modacitylife.com

A pre-AI take on academic cheating (C.S. Lewis).

If true and widespread, this will have a significant impact on the Texas midterms

Hand to God is 🤌🏻

to = ➡️ two = 2️⃣ too = ➕ Toto = 🙏🌧️⬇️🌍

What a man. A dragon-man.

This is up there with “Baby shoes for sale, never worn”

Vance and Rubio collectively share one. Its name is in the language of Mordor which I will not utter here…

Kash Patel lacks the experience to be the head of the FBI. But he has a perfect life experience to be the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

Yep, nothing like admitting you’re a criminal.

In a recent survey, 65 nations named the United States as the greatest threat to their country—over six times higher than runner-up Russia. I’m confident I can get that number even higher. by J.D. Vance

Historian of abolition here, history tells us how we got here, to put it succinctly “John Brown was hanged for treason and Robert E. Lee was not.”

Sorry state we’re in when the president of the United States can call a reporter a bitch for asking a legitimate question about gas prices and the media says nothing… ? Shameful 😔

My 8yo asked if I would post something to Bluesky for her, then grabbed a piece of paper and made this So here is your advice for the day:

They’re not hiding it anymore.

I joined NY’s Cutest on the Bergen Bike Bus that they ride to school every Wednesday, rain or shine. We’re adding bike boulevards and more pedestrian space on Bergen and Dean Street, from Court Street to East New York Ave. It was a wonderful kind of day.

Y’all will find any way to blame a black man

Feels like the con justices have more than just an ideological stake in this based on the unheard of levels of corrupt rulings. What new evidence will we uncover about Thomas, Alito, Kavanaugh, and Roberts if Dems when the midterms and start prosecuting GOP lawlessness? apple.news/AveFwDVCcTH2...

The portion of the American electorate clambering for the government to be run like one of his businesses is about to get exactly what they asked for, and it sucks that the rest of us have to suffer for their stupidity.

I regularly see people wondering how it's possible that there are so many musicians and writers and film makers and artists from a tiny nation like Iceland. And the answer is really simple: State funding for art education and artists. I literally get a salary from the government to write books.

Every splashy New York Times profile of a right wing influencer.

Jim Crow Didn't Die. It Went to Law School. #CivilWarMemory open.substack.com/pub/kevinmle...

Few things in life bring me more joy than a great Cuban coffee

Got to see the fabulous @rhiannongiddens.bsky.social tonight and among the many instruments she played was a viola which got me thinking if a violin in folk music is a fiddle then shouldn’t a folk viola be a faddle?

Interesting that he also wants to pass a voting act effectively requiring millions of American women to get a passport to vote…

Whether it's Pete Hegseth using taxpayer money to fly on Army Apache helicopters with Kid Rock or Lloyd Austin being Black, both secretaries of defense have done things the other side finds unacceptable.

What’s the quickest way to get an administrative appointment? Write some piece for the Chronicle criticizing higher ed. No solutions need be proposed, just dunk on the humanities and you’re hired!

Recovery crew opening the hatch and welcoming the Artemis II crew home after a nearly 700,000-mile journey. Video: Reid Wiseman

Mel Gibson pictured with his doctor in 2004