What sin have I committed that my child is picking out the tune to "The Final Countdown" on our piano

Unsolicited very strong recommendation of the day for the Jad Abumrad-led podcast on Fela Kuti. An absolute masterclass on how to tell a story — many stories — in audio. (And, of course, I adore Fela, as complicated and problematic as he is.) www.audible.com/pd/B0FRCQHHX...

ICYMI

I suggest reading to get the full statement that DHS gave me today re Bad Bunny. (But also broadcast today on All Things Considered.)

An @npr.org exclusive: four Democratic senators are urging the Smithsonian to resist White House attempts to “bully” the institution. Our report:

Today is one of those days I am happy to have studied Russian (with the dashed hopes of reading all the greats in their original language). My favorite letter continues to be Щ, as in the composer Щедрин — Shchedrin — whose name I wrote out in phonetics for our Newscast team as <<sh-cheh-DREEN>>.

ICYMI: Once a prominent musician in New York City, Julian Wachner was working as a grade school teacher in Indiana. Prosecutors have accused him of possessing abuse imagery of young children. www.npr.org/2025/08/28/n...

The Kennedy Center has announced its new head of dance programming, Stephen Nakagawa. Per his bio, he does not seem to have any experience as a curator or arts administrator. His predecessor believes she was fired bc she supported unionization efforts. My reporting:

A small tip to publicists: I’m sure the idea of putting black text against a dark brown background seemed like it would give your pitch a cool, dark academia vibe. But it was unreadable and I do not have time for nonsense

The White House said that after the administration eliminates "woke" culture from the Smithsonian, it would expand to other museums around the country. Would that be possible? By @anastasiat.bsky.social

At a time when a majority of U.S. adults say that they are concerned about the cost of food, a new generation of home cooks on social media are teaching cheap, easy and filling recipes -- folks like Your Barefoot Neighbor & Kiki, aka the Recession Recipes Lady. More on @npr.org Morning Edition

Best typo (?) or faulty auto-correct (?) or neologism (?) I’ve come across in a long time: Hors d’oeuvres ➡️ hour-devours

A great pleasure to reconnect with composer Michael Abels to talk about his music-making, from orchestral works to opera to those Jordan Peele scores like “Get Out.” www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/a...

Thank you to the many folks who have, especially in recent months and weeks, expressed support for public media in the US. If you'd like esp to support stations that have lost more than 50% of their revenue due to the federal cuts, please look at this fabulous resource. adoptastation.org

My kid the completist is now four movies into watching the entire James Bond series. However, he took time out of his busy schedule this morning to try to get his bestie to watch Pride & Prejudice with him during their next sleepover. (His enduring fave adaptation: 2005.)

It was another wild day yesterday inside & outside court at the Sean Combs trial. More here & this afternoon on @npr.org Weekend All Things Considered. www.npr.org/2025/06/27/g...

Defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo called the tumultuous relationship between Combs and singer Cassie Ventura "a great modern love story," and sought to dismantle the credibility of key witnesses. By @anastasiat.bsky.social

After 29 days of testimony and more than 30 witnesses, the government has rested its case against Sean Combs. Here's our attempt to suss out where and how the myriad witnesses' statements map out to the federal prosecutors' accusations. www.npr.org/2025/06/24/g...

How does public funding for NPR actually work? My colleagues over at The Indicator explain. The near-death of NPR and the birth of the public radio funding model : The Indicator from Planet Money

Prosecutors are scheduled to begin their arguments today against the rap mogul, who is accused of racketeering and sex trafficking. Here is an overview of Combs' career and the charges he faces. By @anastasiat.bsky.social

SO excited to see the next cohort of Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellows announced today! What an impressive group. I wish them all a year just as professionally and personally transformative as I was blessed to have! wallacehouse.umich.edu/announcing-t...

My weird oven wants to talk to me today about International Jazz Day, so I will count that as a win.

My response to creators who don't like critics is always the same: You're not supposed to. Which doesn't mean you are specifically supposed to not like them, but you're not specifically supposed to like them, and whether you like them is beside the point. Criticism is not advice or correction.

Michigan weather never misses the opportunity for rain. 4% chance in the forecast? 6%? Baby, you better bring that umbrella.

I was not emotionally prepared for the April thundersnow in Michigan

This hearing is scheduled to begin this morning at 10 am ET.

In the grocery store tonight, they’re playing “Wind of Change” by Scorpions. Do you know the amazing Patrick Radden Keefe podcast about this song and its alleged writing by the CIA? You should. Hugely entertaining. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...

Still processing our visit to Srebrenica last week.

US friends: any leads on where I can watch the 2022 Irish documentary " An Buachaill Geal Gáireach/The Laughing Boy"? It looks like my only option is a long clip only (sigh) via RTE.

The Associated Press says the White House blocked it from covering an official event on Tuesday because it did not refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. By @davidfolkenflik.bsky.social

I mean, that a minor necklace?

i checked NPR’s system and i’ve written 110 tiktok ban stories since 2019. and gotta say, never really thought it would happen. it felt sort of like the government shutdown. the threat always looming and sometimes reaches a fever pitch but 11th hour deals always come to rescue. not here. just wild.

A modest proposal: rather than feeding FOMO, making 2025 the year of JOMO — the joy of missing out. (I just learned the term JOMO today from a friend today who I think would haaaate to be ID’ed publicly. JOMO in full force.)

Question for those who love books and/or work in publishing: if TikTok does indeed go away, what's the next step (or destination, I guess) for #BookTok, given what a HUGE driver of sales that's been?

Winter break has become an epic journey into Jane Austen fandom for our 10-year-old, extremely cis-coded son. It all started on one family movie night, when he & his college-aged sister were debating watching the 2005 “Pride and Prejudice” w/Keira Knightly & Matthew Macfadyen vs. “Die Hard.” 1/

Knight-Wallace Fellowships offer accomplished journalists two rare things: time and resources. Journalists eager for growth and deeply committed to the future of journalism spend an academic year at UM to access the resources of a world-class university and dive into a journalism project.

Very sad to share the confirmation of Ustad Zakir Hussain’s passing. His family has confirmed his death in a statement, which I & others received. He was a phenomenal musician and creative mind. On a personal note: he was also very kind to me over the years… 1/ www.npr.org/2024/12/15/n...

I am hearing that the reports from Indian media re Zakir Hussain may not be accurate. Please do not share what is circulating — and this is exactly why I was asking for confirmation.

Seeing reports from India that the beloved Zakir Hussain has died in San Francisco. Confirms of this sad news would be appreciated. (I’m not working during my leave — otherwise I would chase!) I always have enjoyed working with him so much. www.deccanherald.com///india/tabl...

This is the great good news of today. Really looking forward to what David has in store.

It’s the most wonderful day of the year: Books We Love is out! Kudos to my amazing NPR colleagues for this incredible selection. NPR : Books We Love apps.npr.org/best-books/#...

Rules from artist (and nun) Sister Corita Kent’s Ten Rules. These used to hang over my desk at NPR, back when I had a desk pre-COVID. (Merce Cunningham also kept them up in his studio.)

Oh, hey there all you new followers & friends. 👋🏼 I’ve been largely off the socials — esp since I am on a year-long fellowship — but here I am. Speaking of this AMAZING fellowship… I am the inaugural Arts Journalism Fellow. Come be the second! wallacehouse.umich.edu/knight-walla...

Today’s onslaught of press releases included one heralding a music “jaugernaunt.” Took me three tries to realize that the word they (from an ostensibly professional PR joint) were going for was “juggernaut.” Or maybe…an aunt with Jägermeister?? Something else? Unclear.

Eeeeeeeverybody seems to need a proper pronouncer on”Yorgos” tonight: YOUR-gohs, not YOUR-goss (Or, more properly, YOUR-ghos with a rather gutteral “gh”)

A newly arrived press release invites me to meet — and this is a direct quote — “a rare living Sony Classical artist.” Not that this person is a rarely talented performer; not that they are an artist signed to Sony. The fact that they are signed to Sony AND…alive.

Live from NPR News, we’re now on Bluesky 👋🎙️

Was not expecting Alice Coltrane to be referenced in a paean to patty melts, but Pete Wells did just that.

Notes from the critic’s chair tonight: “…as sparkly as the rhinestones adorning the back of Yannick N-Z’s Louboutins.”

You know, the days when you just want to smudge your inbox with sage