The Washington Post's tagline is Democracy Dies in Darkness. Many who work for the newspaper are likely wondering why owner Jeff Bezos turned out the lights by pulling the Kamala Harris for President endorsement at the last minute. The reaction from some opinion columnists was quick. So was the reaction from readers. According to NPR, more than 200,000 people had canceled their digital subscriptions by midday Monday. In his own op-ed (one that didn't get pulled), Bezos chalked up his decision to a hard truth: Americans don’t trust the news media. I'm guessing they trust it less now. His article doesn't do much to convince us his non-endorsement was the right choice. That doesn't matter. Neither to the unsubscribes that will likely hurt journalists more than Bezos. He can do whatever he wants. It's not just that he owns the newspaper, it's that his outlandish wealth is beyond the reach of any protest. The moment is a metaphor for a broader story in America that underpins nearly every other story: the vast and expanding economic divide that drives the way Americans look at politics, possibilities, and each other. Of course, the Murdochian trend of rich and politically active individuals owning big media brands is nothing new. But today, we have a handful of billionaires who own the newspapers and the town squares in which they're discussed. Trump owns his own town square called Truth Social (though he hardly needs it now that Twitter has essentially become it). Elon Musk, the biggest spending and possibly most influential political operative in our presidential election, has turned the former top platform for politcal discourse into his own megaphone. On Elon Musk’s X, Republicans go viral as Democrats disappear. What impact will Musk's partisan lying, Trump support, and phone chats with Putin cost him? Here's a hint: SpaceX prevails over ULA, wins military launch contracts worth $733 million. But don't worry, there's someone who can compete with Elon in the space race. Jeff Bezos. 2Nuclear Family"It’s made primarily of people who work elsewhere in the government—scientists, federal law enforcement personnel, and regulators—who all take time out of their day jobs to prepare for a nuclear incident. Think of it as a volunteer fire department – except the volunteers have high-level security clearances and they respond to nuclear threats." Meet America's secret team of nuclear first responders. 3Miscarriage of Justice"When the police showed up at her door, Patience Frazier assumed the officers had come for someone else. As a woman in uniform started asking her questions on a Saturday morning in May 2018, five men eyed Frazier from the driveway, most in heavy tactical vests, the words 'sheriff' and 'police' emblazoned on their backs. A few had already fanned out to survey her home’s perimeter, hands on their holsters as if bracing to shoot. Frazier told the female sheriff’s deputy that her boyfriend wasn’t home, guessing he was in some kind of drug trouble. Then the woman asked about 'Abel.' Standing on the porch steps in socks and black leggings, the 26-year-old had a terrifying realization. The officers were there for her." WaPo (Gift Article): She said she had a miscarriage — then got arrested under an abortion law. And this isn't about one of the new laws. "In Nevada, Frazier would eventually be charged with manslaughter under a unique 1911 law that supplements the state’s abortion restrictions, titled 'taking drugs to terminate pregnancy.'" 4Hemispheres and Loathing on the Way to Las Vegas"Put a different way, the lure of print, now, might present itself only inside of constraint—and the constraint of no Wi-Fi is rapidly disappearing. It was in a Wi-Fi void, inside of a highfalutin, high-altitude tin can, that the in-flight magazine once thrived, both opulent and casual, an object of simultaneous aspiration and reassurance." The Final Flight of the Airline Magazine. "United’s in-flight publication goes digital—and marks the end of an era." 5Extra, ExtraThe Other Fight for Democracy: "North Korea's foreign minister arrived in Russia on Tuesday for talks as the Russia-Ukraine war appeared to take a dangerous new turn, with NATO and South Korea expressing alarm that North Korean troops could soon be joining in on Moscow's side. NATO said on Monday thousands of North Korean troops were moving toward the front line, a development which has prompted Kyiv to call for more weapons and an international plan to keep those troops at bay." (As I mentioned yesterday, just imagine this story under a Trump administration. Two of his favorite dictators are teaming up against a NATO ally.) 6Bottom of the News"Will Rogers once said, 'The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.' Clippers owner Steve Ballmer agrees. He pounds his chest, sweat on his breast, and he agrees. 'The thing I hate most in life,' Ballmer once said, 'is arenas where you have to wait in line for the bathroom. I’ve become a real obsessive about toilets. Toilets, toilets, toilets.'" Into the Bowels of Steve Ballmer’s Toiletopia. "The Los Angeles Clippers owner has spent years hyping up the bathrooms at the Intuit Dome. Now open to the public, the 1,400 toilets are extreme, though not in the way you might expect." (Now this is how billionaires should be spending their money!)
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