FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2026...Brando admired "the girl:" Her name at birth was actually Saint. The leading authority offers this overview of the life of a widely admired person:Eva Marie SaintEva Marie Saint (July 4, 1924 – October 6, 2026) was an American actress......She made her f … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026There's no known cure for this: Yesterday, the sitting president said it again--or did he? To see what he said, you can just click here. We'd transcribe it like this:PRESIDENT TRUMP (10/7/26): If you want to see trauma, you want to see problems—And I sa … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2026The bombing of San Diego: Most Americans will remember the time when we were honored, admittedly by one only person, as “the best close reader in the media today.” The statement was attributed to Dan Kennedy, as quoted by Steve Twomey in a somewhat pec … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2026...and soothe the wounds they found there:" The gruesome news from Cornell has had us thinking about one of our favorite movies. Rather, it's had us thinking about one part of that high profile film. The film in question is The Horse Whisperer. Here's … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2026He may be wrong about this: We're grateful to Joe Scarborough for the cable news show he has built. It seems to us that Morning Joe features the most intelligent discussions found anywhere in daily cable news programming. That said, we think he may be so … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2026Then too, there's President Trump: What was the sitting president talking about? If anything, what did he actually mean by what he said?It starts with the way you might decide to transcribe his remarks. In this report at Mediaite, we'd say the transcriptio … | Continue reading
MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2026The story starts right there: We've chosen VALUES as our touchstone this week. It could simply have been CORNELLWe admired Jessica Weiner's guest essay in yesterday's New York Times. Headline included, her essay started like this, online headline included:I … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026CEO enters Hall of Fame: Good God! If we survive the likely madness of the next few years, our flailing nation is going to be badly in need of healing. In recent weeks, that had us thinking about that passage from Carl Sandburg's famous biography, Abraham L … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2026In search of ways to heal: It's a favorite set of lyrics for us—lyrics from all the way back at the end of our days in the Baltimore City Public Schools. In truth, you have to hear these lyrics as they were actually sung. You can do so by clicking here. … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2026We don't love Friedman's answer: We Americans! Assuming we escape disaster, we'll need to know how to heal. What kind of disaster might we face in the two years and two months which follow November's elections? In this morning's New York Times, Thom … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2026...we consider the need for healing: As you've probably noticed, we aren't all that "well read." But it's one of our favorite passages from literature—from literature of a certain type.The passage comes from Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years, the two-v … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2026Much as we've recently said: We don't expect to be posting again until next week, much as we've recently said. Then again, you never quite know.In the meantime, we're glad to see the new AMC at Mediaite, making such statements as this. | Continue reading
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2026Where we all are at this point: Who were we kidding? We misjudged the time it would take to complete an alternate project in which we're engaged. (No, it isn't medical.) We look forward to returning to a version of full services, and we know what our … | Continue reading
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2026...about president's future conduct: Exactly as we told you on Friday, full services will resume some day this very week! In the meantime, Mediaite, reporting on Axios and the Wall Street Journal, invites us to think about this:‘Beginning of the End’: Tr … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2026Such as those services are: On Monday, we expect to return to something resembling normal services, such as those services are. Meanwhile, here's the headline on a report at Mediaite—a report in which several journalists start talking about apparent me … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2026The latest "Deplorables moment?" The president's meltdown seems to be picking up speed. As it does, our journalists still refuse to discuss what seems to be taking place right before everyone's eyes. If he attacked someone on Fifth Avenue, would even o … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026"What, us add to the debt?" For heaven's sake, who are we kidding?We'll expect to be back to our usual task of saving the world by the start of next week. For today, as the madnesses keep piling up, we'll start by directing you to this report about th … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2026Psaki, O'Donnell score points: Returning from our own private south of France, we expect to resume light posting tomorrow. Also, we're looking for a way to adjust the tone and subject matter of this incomparable site—to adopt a new attitude.In our view, … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2026...on this September 11: We don't expect to be posting again until next week. On this specific September 11, here's the report we'd recommend:Conservative Fmr. Appeals Court Judge Explains How Republicans Are Trying to ‘Steal’ Midterms in Shocking Column … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2026But also, the president's "mental health:" She appeared last night with Lawrence O'Donnell, but who is Mary Peltola? Who the heck is Mary Peltola? When it comes to pure Americanism—but also, when it comes to Americanism with a smile—that was a truly be … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2026Isn't it phony to think so: They don't know how to report it, he said. We're speaking of Lawrence O'Donnell. He said it last night at 10:05, one minute into his opening monologue on his nightly program, The Last Word.We're willing to give him a B for … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2026Reliable information: We've been reliably told that Labor Day weekend is officially over. On the other hand, we'll be off campus until midday—on a mission of national import. though then again possibly notIt seems to us that a certain situation out in th … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2026Our stay in the Little Boxes: We start today, as we often do, with the latest expressions of the madness—rather, of the dueling madnesses—which now threaten the nation and the world. (We're using a colloquial term.) Construction first, permission later! … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2026Mental illness, conjured as insult: There he went again.For starters, there's no reason to assume that anything the president said was actually accurate—true. There's no reason to assume that the president actually has a friend who is "very obese" but i … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2026Wehner sidesteps Trump: Is it possible that the sitting president, in an act of rage, could go ahead and destroy the world? Almost everything's possible! As concisely reported by Kathryn Wilkens, here's what one medical specialist has now said: Nobe … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2026...when we saw Psaki speak with Pat Ryan: The late John Frankenheimer began his career with several remarkable movies. We'll let the leading authority explain:John Frankenheimer John Michael Frankenheimer (February 1930 – July 2002) was an American fi … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2026 But first, the rage of Vance: We applaud the news judgment on display in this morning's New York Times. The report in question appears online, but also in print editions. Yesterday afternoon, we briefly cited this inexcusable, dangerous incident: … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2026...for being compared to a cow: Last night, during Segment 3, Greg Gutfeld once again recited the dumbest, phoniest rationalization in all of human history. Once again, he was explaining why it didn't matter! Why it didn't matter in the good old days w … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2026Red rage in a dangerous time: In Wallace Stevens' famous poem, his protagonist "dreams a little, and feels the dark encroachment of that old catastrophe." Within a totally different context, Michelle Goldberg seems to be imagining the possibility of ano … | Continue reading
MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2026What the good person Sellers said: This very morning, we emitted an inexcusable thought. We referred to something Caroline Sunshine said on CNN last Thursday night. We admired her for having said it. This was our own account, this very morning, of what was … | Continue reading
MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2026Rage of Laura Loomer: Has the United States (E pluribus unum) somehow become two different nations, one Red and the other one Blue?Does an incipient state of war obtain? One week ago, in Sunday Opinion, Michelle Goldberg, who's very sharp, was observed floa … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2026"Clinically insane," anchor says: Is it possible that the sitting president is "clinically insane?" The question arose last evening on MS NOW's The Last Word. After his opening monologue, Lawrence O'Donnell began to introduce his first guest. For the record … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2026...our Blue stars refuse to respond: This morning, we posted a key part of Michelle Goldberg's column from Sunday's New York Times. We're big fans of Goldberg's work. In this passage, she's portraying what we would regard as a dangerous state of affairs:W … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2026So says the sitting president: We had planned to focus our reports this week on Michelle Goldberg's column for the New York Times. In our view, Goldberg is an increasingly valuable observer of the increasingly dangerous scene. In print editions, her col … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2026...was recorded by Dolly Parton: As far as we know, it's generally regarded as Woody Guthrie's last significant song. This might be the right day to hear it. Yesterday, we listened with interest to Shima Oliaee, co-creator of the nine-part series, Dol … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2026Let's discuss "the girl" instead: Given the "mental decline" of the sitting president—but also, given his "continuing, demented fit of rage:" Given those present-day manifestations, is it possible that the Kennedy Center could be the next landmark to g … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2026Except when it comes to this: Bill Maher and Scott Galloway recently hooked up at a club. Luckily, we're speaking here of Club Random, Bill's online extended chat room. As we noted yesterday, we hugely admire what Bill has done in his many years of blend … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2026...who wasn't willing to ask: Is something wrong with President Trump? We've called it the one remaining question.Last night, we'd have to say it was Senator Whitehouse (D-RI) who was refusing to ask. We'll detail his refusal below. It came during his ap … | Continue reading
MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2026Lightly stoned, Bill defers: We're glad to see DePaolo and Gilmour covering the things that get said on Morning Joe. In the segment reported here, Joe Scarborough asks the relevant question—the question the other kids aren't sharp enough to conjure:Scarboro … | Continue reading
MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2026But is anyone willing to ask? We'll admit it! At the time when this question appeared, we don't think we ever heard about it:Did Trump's motorcade drive through the newly painted reflecting pool? We admit it! Within the endless tsunami of crazy behaviors … | Continue reading
SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2026Citizen Heilemann, please! Should Natalie Harp be subject to ridicule? On balance, we'd say no. That said, we told you the ridicule was going to come. Starting yesterday afternoon, here's a sample, from Mediaite alone: Natalie Harp Seen Running Behind … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2026Unless you're watching Fox: Who will control the Senate next year? We have no idea. If we were somehow forced to bet, we'd bet that the GOP will retain control, but it seems to us that old rules of thumb concerning such predictions have never seemed quite … | Continue reading
FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2026We Blues most likely won't: "Jesus Christ is down here on the waterfront?"We ourselves don't hold religious or cosmological beliefs, aside from the belief that we humans don't know what we are or where we are or how we happen to be here. Other people do ha … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026And he's very good at flagpoles: "I'm very good at flagpoles," the sitting president said. He said it yesterday, during a 32-minute press corps excursion. On CNN, Kasie Hunt described as "an impromptu tour of his various White House construction project … | Continue reading
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026Unless you were watching The Five: Another day, another poll—though of course, it's only one poll. The new Michigan poll is only one poll. But here's what the new poll says: SHOCK POLL: El-Sayed Opens Up 7-Point Lead Over GOP Rival After Recent Data S … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2026...is a chance to talk about this: We had planned to write, this afternoon, about the remarkable strength of the rhetoric.The remarkable strength of Jon Ossoff's rhetoric. The remarkable strength of this:SENATOR OSSOFF (8/16/26): In this White House, the … | Continue reading
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2026Compagno does it again: In our view, Emily Compagno belongs on major "cable news" shows the way a flounder belongs on a bicycle. That doesn't mean that she's a bad person. By normal standards, the vast majority of people, ourselves included, would be u … | Continue reading
TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2026Timpf sat in for Gutfeld: We didn't know that Rosie O'Donnell was guest hosting for Jimmy Kimmel last night. You can watch her 15-minute monolog here. We're not even sure we endorse her approach, but she was just plain very good. We had a different reacti … | Continue reading