In its latest act of self-immolation, the Washington Post published another hit piece on itself. Apparently, incoming CEO Will Lewis, last seen reminding staffers their paper was stupidly partisan and (worse) irrelevant, along with Rob Winnett, Will’s new top editor, relied on stolen records in old reporting. According to journos, this is unethical, which comes as fascinating news for all the cheaters exposed by the Ashley Madison hack. But the change of heart is understandable: honest self-reflection’s difficult to manage when dad is telling you he’s cutting your allowance. To the Post’s credit, however, they’ve finally found a way to attract new readers: drama. And separate from the substance of their hit, a public civil war is smart. We’re living in the Bravo era now. Give us sex, give us scandal, just give us something. I’m a paying subscriber and haven’t considered you a neutral outlet for years. Put on a show or I’m changing the channel.

In an interview last week, Trump revealed he’s “had a speech rewritten by AI,” a technology he called “really powerful stuff.” Other sound bites: “the most beautiful writing… I said, ‘I’m gonna use this sucker!’... unbelievable, and so fast… this was so crazy.” While Trump also mentioned AI carries significant risks — he asked for Elon’s counsel on this — it’s safe to say he’s reaching for that Big Tech brass ring. But separate from the question of Hal 9000, the man’s clearly a fan of issues both Democrats and Republicans are arbitrarily weird about (Bitcoin, IVF), which cost him nothing to endorse. It’s a smart campaign strategy, if a little obvious, though it’s pretty strange there are still so many issue-based blind spots available for Trump to exploit. What is Biden doing? Find a weird midwestern tax on dairy or something to get mad about, or this November’s going to be a bloodbath. 

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is urging Congress to add parental warning labels to social media as the harms, he claims, are “no less urgent or widespread than those posed by unsafe cars, planes, or food.” Which, first of all, is just an unhinged thing to say. Is “Instagram makes me sad” an equivalent health concern to carcinogenic Marlboros? Is it even as risky as undercooked chicken? There’s not enough data here, and it’s frustrating “experts” continue to insist otherwise. Still, in fairness, not everything needs a study. You wouldn’t trust a babysitter who gives you the creeps, and you shouldn’t trust your teenage daughter to an audience of creepy adults. But that doesn’t mean we need new laws. That means parents need to take responsibility for their children. Good news: I’ve done a little research here and am pleased to report it is still technically possible to simply take away the tablet.

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this week, the crew joins ashley st. clair to talk elon making likes private on x. plus, ivf is back in the spotlight, an anon account is trying to take down all the influencers, nationalism is on the rise in europe, and why we’re seeing an anti-pride movement this pride month

the oakland defund movement seems to have devolved into a get-rich scheme for the well-connected — a case study of what happens when a moral panic produces a windfall for a fringe activist cause

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