Album of the day daily.bandcamp.com/album-of-the...

Asking again because no one else is: How much $ could be saved if Congress would end ACA subsidies for millionaires? This is a popular entitlement for affluent early retirees. Advisers talk it up. Press is blind to it, missing a damn good story that could spark outrage.

Sam Koff (SKOFF) has some new and rearranged electronica, house & jazzy music out today, a side project with friends. I haven’t had a chance to listen fully but I hear I’m on it. open.spotify.com/album/0Cp7Nq...

@williamsburgindie.bsky.social 2. I appreciate what you do. But I find no one is putting this all in terms that are clear: What did it cost me, & what’s it gonna cost me with the newly approved budget? Show me over 3 or so years. That would be a big public service.

@williamsburgindie.bsky.social 1. Can you put numbers to the rising JCC property tax load, using average or median home prices, so we better understand the changes? Take a home valued at X. What did owner pay before new assessments? (Back out the reassessment.) After? And now with new budget?

Have the big Cleveland law firms steered clear of backing Perkins Coie? Looks like it. www.mto.com/wp-content/u...

Et tu, @repmarcykaptur.bsky.social?

McKinley Dixon - "Sugar Water" McKinley Dixon is the best rapper you've never heard of. I had the pleasure of seeing him twice at Mile of Music 4-5 years ago, and he was a expert mc then. Since then, he has become a master.

Take a short break and listen to this. (Yeah, that co-producer is related.) www.stereogum.com/2297685/mcki...

Talk about an album that stands the test of time. Simple, understated playing (except the orchestral stuff) and production, brilliant songs. And “Alabama” is a masterpiece protest song that works on every level, from lyrics to vocals to guitar. youtu.be/d1neNOmxGAc?...

If you're inclined to write "far from the stereotypical..." and then some ethnic group -- literally any ethnic group -- maybe rethink that

Great analysis from Bloomberg Law of a Trump action that has to thrill large companies. They disdain this agency & have tried for years to declaw it. news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-...

Does anyone know whether/how this will affect the Brent Spence Bridge, tying Cincinnati to Kentucky? Took a long time to get this funded. Kentucky voted hugely for Trump, so if you’re looking for irony, there’s that. www.politico.com/news/2025/01...

Sure with more reporters would catch up with this. I know the sheer number of EOs is overwhelming, but this, too, deserves coverage.

An open-air bazaar has replaced a black market of influence-peddling. It’s unsettling to reporters who are used to having to dig around for evidence of pay-to-play, but it’s fascinating to watch everyone say the quiet part out loud. www.semafor.com/newsletter/0...

In a first-of-its-kind ruling in #Florida, an appeals court said a drug-sniffing dog’s alert did not justify police searching a car because the dog could not differentiate between medical marijuana and illegal pot. www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2...

A perfect Costco boycott would be when too few do it to hurt Costco financially, but enough do it so that crowds thin out and you never have to wait in line again for more roasting chickens ($4.99) to finish.

2. Having been in all those roles, I never read those stories because I see the cynicism behind them. Telling reporters to go find a good evergreen is more rewarding for all, especially the readers.

1 Not such a secret, but these year-end stories recapping big stories of the year? They’re assigned in advance so editors have stuff to run. Newer reporters are OK with it, but editors want everyone to participate, & veteran reporters sigh & say Oh, crap, a made-up story for when we’re out of news.

A perfect New Year’s Eve-morning album to end any year, especially this one.

Played music tonight and came home to catch up on news. Bad, sad, contentious stuff was happening. But then I turned on Austin City Limits and Lucius was on. So glorious that none of this other sh*t mattered.

I have failed to stop anyone from writing “long, strange trip” in Dead stories — as a device, it lost its cleverness long ago — & recent weeks were insufferable. But speaking of lyrics in stories, the lede in this Dylan biopic review is a doozy. wapo.st/3Du5Dmp

Went I open email each morning & see all the Substack notifications & teases, I think this, too.

Government shutdowns (and then, reopenings) are expensive for taxpayers. You'd think the head of the new govt efficiency commission would know this

Many Americans have no clue about specifics of White House actions & accomplishments. While you can question who’s to blame for that, you might as well change this headline & lede to, “Uninformed folks have uninformed opinions.”

US Capitol Police chief says there were 700 threats against members of Congress in just the past month, reports @jennifershutt.bsky.social of @statesnewsroom.com 's DC Bureau covering a Senate hearing today. www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-c...

Insurers in the ACA marketplace denied 17% of claims in 2021. Consumers appealed just 0.2% of those denials. www.kff.org/private-insu...

Checking the market for Trump guitars, I found this. reverb.com/item/8575371...

Trump Asks Macron When Football Game Starts at Notre-Dame

Funny. But I’d seriously read it if it were real.

As Americans realize all we import from Mexico, we should remember the boycott of Anheiser Bush beer that put Mexico’s Modelo ahead. I suspect Trump will back down on his threat of tariffs. Do conservatives want to give up their principle and go back to Bud Light? people.com/bud-light-co...

I learned a lot from this piece, and I say that as one of the reporters who covered the Art Modell/Browns saga. (I still contend Mike White should not have insisted on keeping the team’s drab, depressing colors.)

How could I not follow someone with a sense of humor like this?

Only the best people

I asked somebody involved in this if he knew when the new EA soccer game and its awesome, expansive playlist would come out. Turns out it has been out for a couple of months. youtu.be/rAvqsplsPAY?...

I cannot stop thinking about this. Age (I’m not THAT old) beings loss. I hope you showed those present love and appreciation.

Absolutely.

Pondering Kraftwerk & techno led me to think about the Thilo in the Netflix series Kleo, and finally to this, which explains a lot: www.feralclo.com/blogs/news/e...

You likely grew up with many of her songs, the call and response inspired by the long tradition of communal Black music (gift link)

@craasch.bsky.social, looks like this high school football scandal blew up this week. Still lots of questions for the superintendent who shut down a request to look into it. Wonder if the Post ever investigated. www.fairfaxtimes.com/articles/exc...

Driving by the College of William& Mary today (I live nearby), we discussed famous graduates. My wife cited Glenn Close and Jon Stewart. I mentioned Matt Gaetz. Turns out a lot of students and faculty don’t like that legacy. www.wavy.com/news/wm-law-...

Whoomp, there it is. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

I get it, & was not directly engaged anyway. But tuning out & turning to one’s own life — home, hobbies, family — is appealing.

This guy knows how to get my attention. I meant to check out the new Kim Deal record today but turned to the Pixies first (guess I’m chronological) and never returned.

Nonprofits known as 527s can raise unlimited sums for political spending. We built a database so you can more easily search these organizations' finances — which we just updated with a total of ~350k new contributions and expenditures: https://propub.li/4i01FSv

This man has meant so much to Richmond, VA’s hot music scene. He’ll still be part of No BS! Brass, thankfully. www.styleweekly.com/a-parting-gi...

These important independent news resources, including Ohio Capital Journal, ProPublica and others. Follow them.

If I see ANYBODY on stage with one of these monstrosities, consider musical war declared. I will throw tomatoes & bags of poop at you, & then proceed to out shred you, & then go home with your girlfriend. Just say no to Drumpf guitars