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“[Supreme Court Justice] Thomas has attended at least two Koch donor summits, putting him in the extraordinary position of having helped a political network that has brought multiple cases before the Supreme Court.” — ProPublica, 9/22/23

The Supreme Court is a venerated institution that, since 1789, has been the highest court in the United States justice system. Like any large public institution, we have historically relied on federal funding for most, if not all, of our operating costs, which makes sense considering we are the preeminent body of one of the three branches of government.

With their abandonment of the military, it’s nothing but firewood It’s time for another scintillating Republican presidential primary debate in which a group of people with no chance to win the nomination will face off against each other at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley California on Wednesday. The front runner, Donald Trump, won’t lower himself to attend such an event with the lesser candidates but he’s rejecting this particular one for other reasons as well.

During a virtual public engagement forum, panelists outlined the process for choosing a Federal Reserve bank president and the kinds of candidates being sought for the St. Louis Fed role.

Spherical houses weren't a great idea.

Solidarity works Washington Post: Negotiators for Hollywood studios and the Writers Guild of America reached a breakthrough agreement after five straight days of negotiations — a tentative deal to end a strike that has halted most TV and film scriptwriting in the country. The terms of the agreement were not immediately shared by the WGA, which said in a statement Sunday night that the deal was “exceptional,” adding that it included “meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.” The union said it was immediately suspending picketing, though its more than 11,000 members were warned not to return to work until the deal is put into the language of a contract, then approved by WGA leaders and general membership in coming days. “We are still on strike until then,” the statement said. But the deal stillmarks the most hopeful sign of progress since May, when the WGA and a consortium of major studios and streaming services failed to renew their old contract. The sides were divided over issues such as pay for writers and the use of artificial intelligence to create scripts.

The Liberal Democrats have set out proposals for overhauling UK democracy, our Chief Reporter writes from Bournemouth.

  OK Fox is a self-described "old head scene queen" who's been programming shows and organizing cultural workers since teendom. In addition to co-hosting the…

No intervention in sight H. L. Mencken is not around to see history confirm his bleak, 1926 assessment of public wisdom. But nearly one hundred years later, his observation suggests that the mania of our age is not unique to it. Unlike Mencken, however, we are cursed today with having to live through it. Trumpism needs an intervention, but there is none in sight. The leading Republican presidential candidate for 2024 has no use for nor interest in learning what the Constitution says. Just elect him so he can again make a mockery of swearing an oath to uphold and defend it and be about pardoning himself for his federal crimes and wreaking vengeance on all enemies domestic and domestic. Especially on those who would dare prosecute him for crimes his presidential pardon cannot reach. Donald Trump thinks the Preamble begains, “ME the People.” Yet again Donald shows he has no idea of what’s in our Constitution. States run their elections as they see fit unless Congress overrides. Nothing in motor voter violates our Constitution. What it does is make our elections more representative of the people as a whole.

Firearms officers have handed in their weapons over concern that one of their own has been charged with the murder of 24-year-old Chris Kaba

Solow noted that DSGE models have “a single representative consumer optimizing over infinite time with perfect foresight or rational expectations, in an environment that realizes the resulting plans more or less flawlessly through perfectly competitive forward-looking markets for goods and labor, and perfectly flexible prices and wages” (Solow 2003, Emphasis added). This bizarre construct is … Continue reading "The “Anything Goes” Market Demand Curve"

When the Hunter’s Moon approaches… When the flowers begin to wilt with chill… When the coffee shops begin unveiling new and exciting lattes… That’s how I’ll know it’s the one week of the year it’s seasonally appropriate for me to wear my Sensible Fall Jacket.

I’ll claw my way to the back of my closet, past my Sensible Winter Snow Pants, my Sensible Spring Linen, and my Sensible Summer Hawaiian Shirt—for it is not yet their time. No, I am there to dress for the most elusive weather of all—uninterrupted high forties.

“Is it my week?” my Sensible Fall Jacket will ask. “Has it finally come?” “It has, old friend,” I’ll say. “What would you like to do with your one wild and precious week of Actual Fall?”

“Ooh, get some maple candy!” my Sensible Fall Jacket will bellow as we walk through the farmer’s market later. “That would fit perfectly in my interior flannel-lined pocket!” I’ll try to point out that all the flannel and body heat will probably melt it, but you know how it is: when a Sensible Fall Jacket wants maple candy, logic dies on the vine.

Today marks 15 full months that I’ve been working on a side project called Crafd. It’s a community for people who make things by hand: In that time … Resistance makes side projects hard

The post Resistance makes side projects hard appeared first on Zeldman on Web and Interaction Design.

For more than two decades, patients of an OB/GYN named Robert Hadden warned Columbia University that he was sexually inappropriate and abusive. One … How Columbia Ignored Women, Undermined Prosecutors and Protected a Predator For More Than 20 Years

The post How Columbia Ignored Women, Undermined Prosecutors and Protected a Predator For More Than 20 Years appeared first on Zeldman on Web and Interaction Design.

The Lever speaks with a lawyer suing the fossil fuel industry for its role in a deadly heatwave.

Seven-segment displays are a nifty and efficient solution to a design challenge, but is a better version possible?

- by Aeon Video

Watch at Aeon

My hard-nosed materialism led me to an existential crisis, but then I realised the difference between science and scientism

- by Jessica Tracy

Read at Psyche

In post-communist eastern and central Europe, history is intensely personal and economics is saturated with moral feeling

- by Till Hilmar

Read at Aeon

The New York Police Department touts the “transparency” of its officer database, but you’d never know about cops who rack up dozens of lawsuits and millions in payouts.

The post NYPD “Transparency” Site Leaves Out Misconduct Lawsuits Settled for Millions appeared first on The Intercept.

An approach to foreign influence that relies on identifying particular state threats risks shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted, writes Tom Griffin

Government austerity and savage cuts to council funding have decimated respite and short break services

While tariffs are relatively low for many U.S. industries, non-tariff trade measures—such as label and safety requirements—appear to be a pervasive barrier to trade.