I just wrote an article about this and decided not to publish it yet. It is in the DOJ files (file got renamed after originally published and taken down. It’s online now). But too many unknowns about whether the letter itself is real or not. Some additional info though:

I’m reliably informed that three days before Christmas is the ideal time to post exciting professional news on social media, so: I’m hosting a podcast! About media! For @columjournreview.bsky.social! It’s gonna be fun; subscribe here: www.cjr.org/the-kicker

Per NY Times’s Michael Grynbaum on X, this is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her “60 Minutes” colleagues in full:

J.J. McCarthy had been making progress but another injury has derailed him. juddzulgad.substack.com/p/jj-mccarth...

who calls the shots where you get your news? defector.com/products

Further tests on J.J. McCarthy's right hand will be used to determine whether the quarterback suffered any ligament damage, per source. Coach Kevin O’Connell said after the game he was unsure if McCarthy was able to grip the ball on the strip sack that ended his day.

I’d say a total of about three teams felt like playing today

I feel so alone Gonna end up a big ol pile of

Ditto

I kinda like FOX’s fake snow effect but it also makes me feel tricked

A couple weeks ago I said Mike McDaniel probably saved his job. Go ahead and scratch that.

Browns star rookie Quinshon Judkins, who was carted off, suffered a broken leg in today’s game, sources say. He’s also being evaluated for a knee injury. Judkins’ promising season is over with 947 scrimmage yards in 14 games.

Announcer in the Broncos-Jaguars game: "Sean Payton is not into analytics. He's about people."

J.J. McCarthy had his right hand in a fingerless glove in the locker room. The #Vikings QB will have further testing tomorrow, a source said, but he appears to have avoided a broken bone.

We’re gonna win yayyy

“How many tables order this every night?” I asked. “Almost all of them,” she said, with just a hint of resignation. defector.com/two-nights-p...

Outside of literally two plays McCarthy looked really good in that half so of course he got hurt on the second of those bad plays

Well that didn’t go so well

That’s it for his career

Jonathan Vilma is wrong about almost everything he says, even circling things he was wrong about. But he says it with such conviction. You almost have to admire it.

Now we’re cooking with gas

I blamed McCarthy for the drops earlier this season but these ones aren’t on him. Catch the fucking ball, man.

Man Addison has sucked shit all season long. It’s highly irritating

Okay time to get ready for the three most important meaningless games of my Vikings fandom

Last Sunday morning Q&A before I fuck off for Christmas break. Ask me any serious question you have about the NFL in week 16 and I’ll answer it as best I can. Here’s your slate, courtesy of the JAMBOROO. defector.com/merry-christ...

Props to this crowd by the way I’ve never heard Soldier this amped up

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Dan Quinn

Man Love got tattooed on that play Jesus Christ

Still flabbergasted by that goal line call from Ben Johnson. Just run a normal fucking play, man.

The football today has really been quite bad

It should be like the baseball pickoff where you get to attempt this stunt twice before they bring the hammer down

We have to being it back because otherwise cool people will keep selling away every piece of themselves

At some point I’d like to see actors like McConaughey acting in, you know, movies again

I see very little evidence that Michael Irvin has stopped doing blow

The best part of this game Notre Dame sitting home furious about how terrible it is while they lost to BOTH of these teams

Real fart contest going on in College Station

This morning’s movie was The Host. It kicked major ass.

His throwing motion with that busted hand looks like a security camera glitch

Vikings will move LT Christian Darrisaw to injured reserve after all, Kevin O’Connell says, following “a lot of dialogue” this week. KOC notes again how significant the knee injury was and lauds him for the snaps he did play this season.

NEW: Here's what's actually in the DOJ's Epstein dump, which at a first pass is more notable for what's not in it than for what is.

The only way the files were gonna be released is if they were completely scrubbed of anything that could hurt the regime politically. Feels like a farce.

Watching Rudolph. Hermey’s dickhead boss is still the best.

He’s gonna rename it the Donald J. Trump White House. Mortal lock.

I'm very proud of all the work my colleagues did at WIRED this year. Selfishly I want to highlight a blog I worked on with @dmehro.bsky.social, @leahfeiger.bsky.social, and @couts.bsky.social:

Foundation is like if the Dune movies had time to breathe

✅ Paid ✅ Remote (if preferred) ✅ You get to hang out in Slack with a bunch of idiot bloggers. What else do you need from an internship? defector.com/would-you-li...

Tis the happiest season of all defector.com/the-2025-hat...

Fuck the doormat mom www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/a...

My last piece of the year. This Christmas, please don't be an asshole. www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/a...

'Tis the season for Drew Magary's Hater's Guide to the Williams-Sonoma catalog: defector.com/the-2025-hat...