Is this true? - “In America your identity is your work and your work is your identity.”

Wow! This read-along of the NYT moment-by-moment leading to the murder of Alex Pretti should shake everyone awake. He was a Good Samaritan. Agents fired at least ten shots in roughly five seconds. DHS and Pam Bondi claim Pretti approached them armed and intent on a “massacre.”

Bruce Springsteen reflects on his album "Nebraska" on CBS Sunday Morning www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fkq...

Bronchitis sucks.

I watched the Copenhagen Test this weekend and it is really good.

Ranking Member Shaheen Delivers Speech on the State of the Transatlantic Relationship at the University of Copenhagen www.foreign.senate.gov/press/dem/re...

"This site provides a history of all 91 U.S. Army divisions that served in World War II from 1939 to 1945. "> 91 divisions. Think about how big the Army was in WWII. By 1945 the Marine Corps organized 6 divisions. www.armydivs.com/infantry-div...

Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG... www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...

The Atlantic Charter, 1941 - “First, their countries seek no aggrandizement, territorial or other; “Second, they desire to see no territorial changes that do not accord with the freely expressed wishes of the peoples concerned”

In the mail…

Insane, illegal, illegitimate, immoral.

Finished my first book of 2026. “Our Jungle Road to Tokyo” by Robert Eichelberger, commander of I Corps and 8th Army during WW2.

The first music video that caught my eye was That’s All by Genesis www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzyn...

Not soon enough.

"For most people, the story of RAF Bomber Command in the Second World War begins and ends with strategic bombing. Yet for five years of war, Bomber Command also fought a different conflict — a sustained offensive of mine warfare against Nazi shipping" www.justcuriousjane.com/invisible-ca...

Leyte Campaign Operation Report - 776th Amphibian Tank Battalion cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/coll...

"The principal mission of an amphibian tank battalion is the assault of land­ing beaches and the shelling of those beaches after the lifting of naval gunfire."

"The United States must collaborate successfully with its allies if it is to compete with China in the global shipping industry." engelsbergideas.com/essays/marit...

"Silicon Valley says to skip college. This CEO of an AI company says that’s a huge mistake." www.fastcompany.com/91464762/sil...

Huge news: after many years, my bipartisan bill with Senator Todd Young to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force against Iraq was signed into law. This is a historic win for Americans and allows us to close the book on this forever war.

WATCH: Replica of the Statue of Liberty topples due to strong winds in Guaíba, Brazil

Do you want to learn how to spot originalist arguments, understand how they work, and respond effectively? Then we’ve got the guide for you: Countering Originalism. It’s written for lawyers, but it can help scholars, teachers, students, journalists, and commentators, too. bit.ly/4iQ1v0B

Last Call for Mass Market Paperbacks - The format credited with making books more accessible via low prices and widespread availability will all but vanish from the publishing scene in a few weeks www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

776th Amphibious Tank Battalion, Operations Report, Okinawa cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/api/...

Armored Amphibians of World War II www.mca-marines.org/wp-content/u...

I’ve been reading a lot recently about Army and Marine amphibious tractor, tank, and truck units in the Pacific. I totally forgot I had this book given to me by a Marine AmTank gunner after I interviewed him for our veterans oral history program.

I can’t think of anything less interesting than a conversation between Tom Friedman and David Brooks.

The Life and Death of Hollywood. Film and television writers face an existential threat. harpers.org/archive/2024...

"Es Devlin Builds a ‘Library of Us’ From the Books That Shaped Her. For Miami Art Week, Devlin has created an open-air installation for Faena Art that invites the public to turn her personal library into a communal one." www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/a...

"The humanities prepare students not just to get a job, but to keep it and excel while doing so." www.inquirer.com/opinion/comm...

This has made zero rounds through my mil-community. www.cjr.org/feature/mili...

Tom Stoppard, one of my favorite writers, has died. My mom took me to see the Real Inspector Hound when I was in junior high school and I was hooked. www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/n...

"The True Story Of The Fake Zombies, The Strangest Con In Rock History" www.buzzfeed.com/danielralsto...

“the arts and humanities are experiencing a Renaissance at UC Berkeley, with steadily rising enrollments.” ls.berkeley.edu/news/humanit...

In the mail - “Orchestrating Power” by @nathankfinney.com

What’s behind Silicon Valley’s psychotic break with reality? Welcome to Apocalypse Capitalism. As one prominent tech VC put it: “Maybe if you aren’t trying to destroy the world, you’re not trying hard enough.” www.thenerdreich.com/silicon-vall...

Residents of the West African city of Timbuktu smuggled out tens of thousands of priceless manuscripts over a decade ago as al-Qaida-linked extremists swept into this part of Mali. Now the manuscripts have been returned after years of digitizing and other measures.

Another movie to watch is the "Gallant Hours" with James Cagney as Admiral Halsey. It tells the story of Haley assuming command of the South Pacific. (on Tubi) tubitv.com/movies/30748...

Another good movie that I watched last night is “Away All Boats” which tells the story of an APA attack transport ship in the various amphibious operations across the Pacific. Also free on Tubi. tubitv.com/es-mx/movies...

I recently watched the movie “Task Force” with Gary Cooper. It tells the history of carrier aviation betwen the wars and during WW2 through the story of Cooper’s character. Its very good. It’s available for free on Tubi. tubitv.com/movies/10003...

Interesting article on Army and Marine amphibian tank battalions in the Pacific during WWII. www.mca-marines.org/wp-content/u...

The most consequential shift of 1776 “was not one of battle lines but of ideology: the rejection of monarchism as a core American value,” Edward J. Larson writes:

In the mail - Armies Afloat by John Curatola

Hard copies of "Orchestrating Power" are in the wild! I hear those that pre-ordered should be getting them soon. You only have a month left to pre-order and get your copies before the official release date: www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...

This is my favorite version of this song - Mandolin Orange - Harvest Moon www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4u0...

Just started watching the "Winds of War" miniseries based on Herman Wouk's novel. I watched this when it originally aired and it is still really good. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZAB...

My favorite non-James Bond Sean Connery movies are- Hunt for the Red October The Untouchables Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

I traveled to Erie, PA yesterday and today for a production and had a chance to view Lake Erie for the first time.

@bafriedman.bsky.social I recorded a TV interview today with Jason Bohm on the Continental Marines. Thanks for the tip!

This is an interesting documentary. I did not know that the De Niro and Pacino characters were based on real people. The Making of "Heat" www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrQd...