Federal prosecutors now admit that the reflecting pool damage was actually the result of a "botched" installation. Prosecutors are dropping charges against David Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist accused of vandalizing the pool. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/u...

Charges to Be Dropped Against Ex-Olympian David Hearn Accused of Damaging Reflecting Pool

President Trump had repeatedly accused vandals of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. On Friday, federal prosecutors acknowledged it was “the result of flawed installation.”

nytimes.com

NEW: Bryan Kohberger is seeking to reopen the Idaho murders case, saying his guilty plea last year was based on “false promises and blatant disinformation.” He phoned me from prison, saying he was innocent but declining to discuss the evidence against him. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/u...

Bryan Kohberger, Convicted in Idaho College Killings, Seeks to Take Back Guilty Plea (Gift Article)

In an interview from prison, Bryan Kohberger said he had filed a petition to reopen the case. He blamed his guilty plea on ‘false promises’ and wrong information.

nytimes.com

AP photo by Lindsey Wasson after a shooting at a Seattle food festival killed 2 people and wounded 5 others apnews.com/article/seat...

NYT sources: President Trump was so enraged by NYT coverage of Air Force One security issues that the White House directed Kash Patel to oversee a leak investigation. Patel began running the probe from inside the White House instead of FBI headquarters. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/u...

White House Directed Patel to Oversee Investigation Involving Times Reporting

The F.B.I. director spent about eight hours at the White House Friday focused on the effort, which led to the subpoenaing of several Times reporters who wrote about the security of Air Force One.

nytimes.com

The atmosphere here is incredible, rivaling the Super Bowl parade from just a few months ago. What a year for Seattle and football.

What a terrible loss for Portland and for journalism. I don't know of anyone who loved the city more than Zane. He put himself in harm’s way and told hard truths. He documented realities that undermined a world’s worth of Portland mythmaking. www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...

Zane Sparling, reporter for The Oregonian/OregonLive, dies of cancer at 33

“He wanted his identity to be a reporter, and that’s what it was,” his father said.

oregonlive.com

JUST IN: Brand new research on adolescent screen time finds a correlation between screen hours and sleep deficiency. Data collection, analysis and chart via my middle schooler. n= 50

15% of high school seniors in Washington State say they had an alcoholic drink in the prior month. That's down from 40% in 2010.

This shooting in Colorado happened several years ago, but the details have stuck with me ever since. Here is the story on what happened when several men with guns converged in the town square. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/u...

Shootout in Olde Town Square: A Cop, a Killer and a Good Guy With a Gun

nytimes.com

Just 6 days after securing his latest NASCAR victory, Kyle Busch has died from an illness at the age of 41. www.nytimes.com/athletic/729...

Kyle Busch, NASCAR great and 2-time Cup Series champion, dies at 41 after illness

Busch, whose 234 national series race wins are the most in NASCAR history, died Thursday after falling ill. He was 41.

nytimes.com

Each day, Americans are spending about $800 million more on gas and diesel than they were a year ago. The total increased fuel cost since the Iran War began? $45 billion. www.wsj.com/economy/cons...

This is a fascinating story about Seattle’s socialist mayor, Katie Wilson. Last year, she called on people to boycott Starbucks, one of the city’s major corporations. Now she has some regret. The comments, she said, “caused more harm than good.” www.nytimes.com/2026/05/17/u...

Seattle’s Socialist Mayor Taunts the Rich as Rift With Starbucks Widens

nytimes.com

Oh boy. In March, as we prepared an article about the political influence of billionaires, Sen. Tim Sheehy preemptively attacked my reporting. Numerous influencers then amplified the senator’s post, including Trump Jr., Riley Gaines, and DC_Draino. But there's a twist... 1/5

Reading scores have plummeted in school districts around the country. Over the past decade, 1 out of 3 districts have seen scores drop by an ENTIRE GRADE LEVEL. The only states to see improvement: • Hawaii • Mississippi • Louisiana www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/u...

Poll about sports betting finds that for men ages 18-49: • 52% have an online sportsbook account • 35% of users have accounts with 3+ sportsbooks • 68% of users bet at least once a week • 36% of users have bet $500+ in one day • 64% of users have bet against favorite team

Highly recommend this new Evelyn Iritani book about the civilian exchanges that occurred during WW2. It’s a little-known part of the war that has greatly interested me for years, and she does an outstanding job detailing how it happened.

46 minutes after attacking Pope Leo, the president has posted an AI image of himself healing someone in the style of Jesus Christ. (The heavens, meanwhile, feature a war plane, bald eagles and a somewhat demonic-looking figure)

🚨 !!! 🚨 The great @johncarreyrou.bsky.social has been on the trail of "Satoshi Nakamoto," the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin. After compiling a wealth of evidence pointing to one man, he flew to El Salvador to confront him. No paywall link: www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/b...

My Quest to Solve Bitcoin’s Great Mystery

nytimes.com

There is some MAGA opposition to Trump's "whole civilization will die" plans: • Alex Jones: "🚨🚨WAR CRIME ALERT!!🚨🚨" • Marjorie Taylor Greene: "This is evil and madness" • Joe Kent: "reckless rage and destruction" • Candace Owens: "The 25th amendment needs to be invoked."

Breaking News: President Trump warned that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran does not meet his deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran War Live Updates: Trump Issues Grave Threats as Hormuz Deadline Draws Closer

President Trump warned that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran does not make a deal by 8 p.m. Eastern. He has pressed Tehran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil route, or face a wave of strikes on critical infrastructure.

nyti.ms

The Waffle House employees say they have seen it all. Except this. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/u...

“We are moving toward a system where transparency is just optional" The 10 largest donations to the midterms total $300 million. But who actually provided the money is shrouded in secrecy. by @teddyschleifer.bsky.social and @datab.ae www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/u...

Wealthy Donors Are Hiding Political Money in Secretive Nonprofits

nytimes.com

Yikes

For more than a century, U.S. currency has featured the signature of the U.S. treasurer. It will soon feature the signature of Donald Trump. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/u...

Trump’s Signature to Be Added to U.S. Dollars

nytimes.com

Hegseth reads prayer at the Pentagon: • "Pour out your wrath" • "Let every round find its mark" • Asks for "overwhelming violence" • "Let justice be executed swiftly and without remorse — that evil may be driven back and wicked souls delivered to the eternal damnation"

2025 season: 1.97 ERA 2026 season: 67.50 ERA

Headlines less than a week apart

It’s insulting to see that this cruise with The Atlantic will spend most of the journey not in the Atlantic. www.theatlantic.com/press-releas...

The Atlantic and Seabourn chart exclusive, three-year partnership for events and subscriptions

Events to be held in 2026 and 2027, culminating in a 12-day Seabourn Conversations cruise with The Atlantic in 2028

theatlantic.com

Today in the $1.8 trillion private-credit market: • So many investors are withdrawing from Apollo and Ares funds that the companies are now blocking full returns. • Moody’s downgrades a KKR/Future Standard fund to junk. • European Central Bank to scrutinize bank exposure.

Gas prices are approaching $4 per gallon (via GasBuddy national average)