(Art courtesy of Daisy)
It’s been four birthdays now since I officially retired from journalism so it seems like a good opportunity to reflect on what I am doing here.
Also, since a number of new subscribers have recently showed up (thank you!), they may rightfully wonder what this newsletter is all about.
Why, for instance, do I continue to sort through the news every day, sifting through hundreds of stories to link to two or three dozen of them? Well, I originally started doing that in 2020 at the request of friends who felt starved for an interpretation of the confusing early days of the pandemic.
And it quickly became apparent to me that being a journalist isn’t really the kind of career you can simply retire from. You may stop having an employer and getting paid for the work, but you’re still a journalist by temperament and outlook.
And you don’t lose your hunger for the news or for reporting it to people.
But there’s more to it than that. Once freed from the 9 to 5 responsibilities of a formal workplace, I also felt free to return to the original role that drew me into this line of work in the first place 57 years ago.
It was the story-telling. I like to tell stories, true stories.
When we are doing our work the right way, that’s what journalists do. And though I may be retired, something tells me that we in the U.S. need truth-telling right now more than ever.
So that’s the main reason I do this. To do my part in helping to counter the lies and disinformation and conspiracy theories that are polluting our public dialogue and driving us toward a place most of us really do not want to go.
Of course I’m far from perfect myself, so I’ll make mistakes from time to time but when that happens I’ll try to correct them quickly. Tell me whenever you notice something.
And most of all, thanks for sticking with me!
(The artist is my nine-year-old granddaughter.)
LINKS:
Sudan paramilitary group says it has seized presidential palace and Khartoum airport amid clashes with army (Guardian)
The Downside of Success? It Can Lead to Failure — Research on both basketball and business teams suggests that successful teams tend to rely too much on the stars (WSJ)
The Narcissists Who Endanger America (Atlantic)
The lessons from America’s astonishing economic record — The world’s biggest economy is leaving its peers ever further in the dust (Economist)
Tech Layoffs Reveal America’s Unhealthy Obsession With Work (Wired)
How One Mother’s Love for Her Gay Son Started a Revolution (New Yorker)
Liz Cheney says Greene should lose security clearance for defending suspect in Pentagon docs leak (NBC)
Tennessee Rep. Justin Jones tells GOP to 'stop using God to justify bigotry' (USA Today)
The Tennessee Expulsions Are Just the Beginning — Red states are trying to make their own rules. (Atlantic)
Politics Rooted in Protest Fuels ‘the Justins’ of Tennessee (NYT)
Thousands of Outraged Christians Demand Tennessee Republican's Resignation (Newsweek)
White House Republican hopefuls including Donald Trump will descend on Indianapolis for the annual NRA conference, highlighting the gun lobby's continued political potency even as the US reels from the latest spate of mass shootings. (Reuters)
Whitmer signs gun safety bills in wake of school shootings (The Hill)
Abortion Is Back at Supreme Court’s Door After Dueling Orders on Pill (NYT)
Washington judge smacks down Kacsmaryk, upholds abortion pill (MSNBC)
DeSantis, on cusp of presidential campaign, defies national abortion sentiments with signing of six-week ban (CNN)
In 2014, one of Texas billionaire Harlan Crow's companies purchased properties on a quiet residential street in Savannah, Georgia. It wouldn't be noteworthy if it weren't for the fact that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his relatives were on the other side of the deal. ProPublica unearths the first known instance of money, not just luxury vacations and superyacht splendor, flowing from Crow to Thomas. [ProPublica]
Schumer takes on AI rules (The Hill)
A future 'God-like AI' could destroy humans or make them obsolete if not properly contained, a prolific AI investor warned (Insider)
It sounds like science fiction but it’s not: AI can financially destroy your business (Guardian)
OpenAI’s red team: the experts hired to ‘break’ ChatGPT (Financial Times)
4 takeaways from Biden’s trip to Ireland (CNN)
Russia, China FM attend high-level conference on Afghanistan (AP)
They helped the CIA in Afghanistan. Now they’re suffering in America. (WP)
Send Tucker Carlson to Moscow (Politico Mag)
Russia’s elite units gutted by Ukraine war, U.S. leak shows (WP)
What China’s Falling Population Means for Its Future (Bloomberg)
India is estimated to have 1.4 billion people. It’s set to become the most populous country this month, but U.N. experts can’t say exactly when. China has had the most people in the world for centuries, but its population is shrinking. That could have huge social and economic consequences. (WP)
The Mirror Test Is Broken — Either fish are self-aware or scientists need to rethink how they study animal cognition. (Atlantic)
Across Indonesia and Malaysia, which produce 85% of the world's palm oil, growers are ramping up replanting after a decade of letting estates grow older, an ageing trend that threatens to tighten supply of the commodity that accounts for nearly 60% of global vegetable oil. (Reuters)
They fled Jim Jones only to be killed in their Berkeley home (SFGate)
NRA Convention Food Vendor Held Up At Gunpoint By 19th Customer In A Row (The Onion)
TODAY’s LYRICS
“Neon Moon”
Songwriter: Ronnie Dunn
When the sun goes down on my side of town
That lonesome feeling comes to my door
And the whole world turns blue
There's a rundown bar 'cross the railroad tracks
I got a table for two way in the back
Where I sit alone and think of losing you
I spend most every night
Beneath the light
Of a neon moon
Now if you lose your one and only
There's always room here for the lonely
To watch your broken dreams
Dance in and out of the beams
Of a neon moon
I think of two young lovers running wild and free
I close my eyes and sometimes see
You in the shadows of this smoke-filled room
No telling how many tears I've sat here and cried
Or how many lies that I've lied
Telling my poor heart she'll come back someday
Oh, but I'll be alright
As long as there's light
From a neon moon
Oh, if you lose your one and only
There's always room here for the lonely
To watch your broken dreams
Dance in and out of the beams
Of a neon moon
Jukebox plays on, drink by drink
And the words of every sad song seem to say what I think
And its hurt inside of me, ain't never gonna end
Oh, but I'll be alright
As long as there's light
From a neon moon
Oh, if you lose your one and only
There's always room here for the lonely
To watch your broken dreams
Dance in and out of the beams
Of a neon moon
Come watch your broken dreams
Dance in and out of the beams
Of a neon moon
Oh, watch your broken dreams
Dance in and out of the beams
Of a neon moon
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