NGL, Elon is terrible but that art makes him look like the hero of a sci-fi paperback. (Probably Heinlein. THE KETAMINE IS A HARSH MISTRESS or some such.)

Cardboard-box demand is slumping, flashing a potential warning about the health of the American consumer given that goods ranging from pizzas to ovens are transported in corrugated packaging. www.wsj.com/business/car...

"The U.S. should be looking for ways to reduce its overseas deployments and withdraw troops from pointless and unauthorized missions. Trump is doing the opposite by trying to bribe the Taliban to let the U.S. return to Bagram." daniellarison.substack.com/p/trumps-bag...

Lightspeed, You Black Emperor!

My piece in this morning’s @KCStar: How to keep young men from being radicalized online www.kansascity.com/opinion/read...

A US return to Saigon isn’t a bad idea

This is inspired by last night seeing a new vape shop go in across the parking lot from where a new vape shop opened a few weeks ago, about a block from my home.

It says something chilling to me about the American economy, or at least the economy of my town, that every single vacant storefront ends up filled by a vape shop.

At least Tesla is doing well.

Gattaca vibes from Claremont. americanmind.org/salvo/a-manh...

I need glasses and I still don’t wear them for 80 percent of my working and reading.

We’re ok with the oppression of women. It’s the real estate that matters.

As much as Americans hate how we got out if Afghanistan, they might hate getting back into Afghanistan even worse.

Trump "has also appointed some of the dumbest, most craven motherfuckers on the planet, and these underlings have no idea how to autocrat."

Book No. 25 of 2025:

Meanwhile, the possibility of World War III breaking out gets a tiny bit higher every day. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

In 2020 Barbara Bollier ran a campaign for Senate against Roger Marshall in Kansas that was full of ads of her being endorsed by Republicans. She lost.

Today I learned Bob Iger's wife is presently the dean of USC's School of Journalism 🙃

The most popular thing I've written this week was a comment I left on a friend's Substack. Humbling.

Missouri GOP lol. #moleg #mogov

Kind of think Kamala Harris isn't really going to run for office again if she's this willing to burn bridges.

I would have preferred a “we shouldn’t cross those lines” statement but this is the kind of cautious comment Jerry is gonna give you. #ksleg

Abusers want to slap their victims and be adored by them.

Journalistic ethics are not so hot on having undisclosed affairs, emotional, or otherwise, with the subject of your reporting

Sounds like stories from my childhood about bad people tricking you into consuming lsd via stamps.

Men: Don’t hassle young women working customer service. Just don’t.

It’s all A24 and Neon movies from here.

"The bad words will pass. Losing our rights? That might stick."

Gift link to my latest. Did you know that Margie Phelps, who has served as a major voice for Westboro Baptist Church, is employed by the State of Kansas? #ksleg www.kansascity.com/opinion/read...

I don't think the senator has much interest in truth. But also: The GOP's 2nd Amendment enthusiasm is rooted largely in a belief that violence is the ultimate backstop to political disputes, right? Guns - they've told us - are a hedge against an overbearing government.

(Clears throat.) We're victim-blaming here, a little bit. Maybe media companies need to "stop capitulating," but really *government shouldn't be pressuring them* to capitulate. Government has more power than companies, which are responding rationally to the abuse of government power.

My senator. #ksleg

Looking forward to a year from now, when a few brave souls are furtively passing each other thumb drives with old Colbert/Kimmel clips on them.

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way” is something an oversized movie gangster goon says right before he start working some poor sap’s ribs.

Brian Kilmeade of Fox said members of the unhoused population should be killed just last week. He still has a job, www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/b...

I don’t think we need to worry about who is going to succeed Lorne Michaels anymore.

"Then unprecedented" is redundant.

I haven't had a chance to read this, but looks to be Claremont's blueprint for going after left-of-center activists as terrorists: americanmind.org/memo/how-to-...

"Vance Delivers Remarks on Tax Policy."

That Rand report showed more than twice as many vets backed Q. Claremont isn't quite lying, but only on a technicality. www.rand.org/news/press/2...

Claremont: Antifa has the highest support of any extremist ideology from military veterans! (Tiny voice clause: Oh, QAnon is ahead of that, no biggie.) x.com/CenterForAWL...

I did a deep-dive report for @theklc.bsky.social on the growing shortage of volunteer firefighters and what that means for the rural places which survive on those volunteers to survive. klcjournal.com/the-voluntee...

A friend of ours left the country for France this week. Other friends are making legit not-just-talking-about-it efforts to emigrate.

Let's be clear: My fellow coffee drinkers are going to take a hit to the wallet because Donald Trump wants to punish Brazil for punishing a wannabe dictator. So: Authoritarian, but at least it hurts small local businesses.

TARIFFS! At the coffee shop. This morning, my shop is raising prices on bulk coffee bean sales - by as much as $3 or $4 a pound in some cases. Manager tells me she's eating some of the price increase, but has no choice to do these bumps. Thanks Trump!

In Kansas! #ksleg exhibits.lib.ku.edu/exhibits/sho...

I don't know if Jerry Moran is one of these guys - I feel 99% certain this is his attitude - or if he's too frightened to even say it off the record. #ksleg

I have zero questions actually.

The Midwest newsroom at @propublica.org is amazing. Fantastically talented, hard-working, good-hearted people who do this work for all the right reasons. And so much fun to be around. I love being part of it. Come join us! This is a **solid-gold journalism job opportunity.**

These are the stakes.