Dead Charlie Kirk aside, the firings in Texas are really spooky.

1. Firings at Texas A&M (mentioned yesterday by LK) of the lecturer, head of English Department, and dean of Arts & Sciences over the teaching about the difference between gender identity and gender expression.

2. At Texas State, a history department member was fired over remarks he made. Transcript of his remarks and video.

I haven't personally read/listened yet, but my understanding is that there is no "inciting violence". They are deliberately misinterpreting phrases like "socialist revolution".

Violence is always bad. Let's dish!

So how do you think Epstein made his money, anyway? Blackmailing wealthy island visitors? Laundering money from Russian shadowy figures? Won a bet where he had to spend $30 million in 30 days?

Is this well-understood by anyone who is paying attention and thus I'm inadvertently tipping my hand, yet again?

I thought this post on climate journalism over the past two decades was interesting.

It's really nice because it's an insider trying to explain the scene to a layperson, and not a journalist quickly trying to master and summarize a topic as an outsider.

(It's also discouraging how little coverage there was in the 2000s. I have such a vivid visceral memory of that baffled feeling that we're heading towards a cliff, but nationally no one will take it seriously.)

Ezra making the case that Democrats should force a government shutdown. (Gifted link)

Why wouldn't they? Why isn't rescission something that requires nuclear pushback? How can you hammer out deals when rescission is on the table? What's even the argument for not shutting down the government?

I mean, I know a shutdown hurts Americans, so I guess that's the argument. But so does literally everything Trump does. (Besides the time he killed the penny.)