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In torrid weeks like this, the benefits of being a Labour cabinet minister might seem few and far between. But all those at the government’s top table have an advantage not so readily available to politicians in rival parties: thanks to the Labour Party’s unique formal connection to the union movement, they have the perspectives […]

As someone who has spent my entire adult life in the Labour Party, I have read countless column inches and watched endless hours of broadcasts about supposed Trotskyist takeovers. From Militant to Momentum, and everything in between, the shrieks of alarm have been a constant soundtrack. Yet none of these apocalyptic predictions ever came to […]

“Hi, my name is [NAME], and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP].”

Here, you will let out an extremely long, exasperated sigh. Really milk it, like you can’t even believe you have to make this call. Like, your reps should be doing something about stuff already, without you having to take time out of your busy day to tell them that you’re a voter who votes and will vote for somebody else if they don’t get off their ass already. You’ll vote for anybody, as long as it’s not them. Maybe you’ll even primary them yourself; that’s how deep and exasperated this sigh should be. You should sigh for about as long as it takes to read this entire paragraph. I should have warned you to take a really deep breath. If you’re light in the head or dizzy or your vision is going black or something, I’m sorry. If you’re done reading and also still conscious, you can move on to the next part of this script.

“I mean…”

The FBI director was arrested twice in his youth for alcohol-related incidents that he said were “not representative of my usual conduct.”

The post Kash Patel Got Arrested for Public Urination After a Night of Drinking appeared first on The Intercept.

This is an excerpt from McSweeney’s contributor Hayley DeRoche’s new book, Dress Your Baby in Sage and Taupe: A Handbook for the Sad Beige Parent, available now!

When planning a sad, beige child’s first birthday party, it’s important not to lose sight of what’s most important: love laughter aesthetics. Make sure your little one’s birthday is filled to the brim with ennui Instagram-worthy fun with this handy checklist. And remember, don’t fret if you don’t check off every item; your utter failure as a parent and person will be forgiven by your child in time.

Maybe.

You know, with many long years of therapy.

So get to work! The stakes have never been lower higher.

Invitations: This is your guest’s first taste of the party that awaits; make sure you let them know your finger is on the pulse of trends like nobody else with these tried-and-true themes.

Acceptable themes (PICK ONE):

Twenty donors to the Southern Poverty Law Center said the alleged “fraud” being prosecuted in their name was exactly how they hoped the group would spend their money.

The post “We Knew They Were Paying Informants”: SPLC Donors Reject Trump DOJ Fraud Claims appeared first on The Intercept.

Military contractor Palantir has been paid more than $130 million by the IRS to analyze sensitive federal databases.

The post Palantir Is Helping Trump’s IRS Conduct “Massive-Scale” Data Mining appeared first on The Intercept.

You want to know what I was like in the ’90s, kids? Take a deep breath and imagine Snapchat doesn’t exist, and the only way to find out who’s having a party tonight is to press *69 on a landline phone and ask someone’s mom.

We were built differently back then. I once had a three-hour argument in a mall food court about which actor was in that one movie with the bus, with absolutely no way to resolve it other than unearned confidence. I wish you knew what an indie record store basement smelled like vs. the charcuterie-catered, Instagram-worthy parties we’ve been throwing for you since you were eight.

I wore belted, baggy jeans, not for the silhouette but because they covered the fact that my primary source of nutrition was gas-station pretzels and lukewarm coffee. I wasn’t doing beach waves with an automatic curler from Sephora. My look was more “I passed out with wet hair on a radiator last night.”

Intercept staffers discuss the themes emerging this midterm election season.

The post “Me Too” Comes Back to Congress appeared first on The Intercept.

The fear of missing out can fill us with unease over a perceived lack, but it might also serve a valuable social purpose

- by Bex Rowson

Read on Psyche

Stripped of easy moralising, literature makes us relish the search for truth in an age when many believe truth to be dead

- by Flora Champy

Read on Aeon