The Ledes

Thursday, July 10, 2025

New York Times: “Twenty-seven workers made an improbable escape from a collapsed tunnel in Los Angeles on Wednesday night by climbing over a large mound of loose soil and emerging at the only entrance five miles away without major injury, officials said. Four other tunnel workers went inside the industrial tunnel after the collapse to help in the rescue efforts. All 31 workers emerged safely and without significant injuries, said Michael Chee, the spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. The Los Angeles Fire Department said that no one was missing after it had dispatched more than 100 rescue workers to the site in the city’s Wilmington neighborhood, about 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles.” 

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INAUGURATION 2029

Commencement ceremonies are joyous occasions, and Steve Carell made sure that was true this past weekend (mid-June) at Northwestern's commencement:

~~~ Carell's entire commencement speech was hilarious. The audio and video here isn't great, but I laughed till I cried.

CNN did a live telecast Saturday night (June 7) of the Broadway play "Good Night, and Good Luck," written by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, about legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow's effort to hold to account Sen. Joe McCarthy, "the junior senator from Wisconsin." Clooney plays Murrow. Here's Murrow himself with his famous take on McCarthy & McCarthyism, brief remarks that especially resonate today: ~~~

     ~~~ This article lists ways you still can watch the play. 

New York Times: “The New York Times Company has agreed to license its editorial content to Amazon for use in the tech giant’s artificial intelligence platforms, the company said on Thursday. The multiyear agreement 'will bring Times editorial content to a variety of Amazon customer experiences,' the news organization said in a statement. Besides news articles, the agreement encompasses material from NYT Cooking, The Times’s food and recipe site, and The Athletic, which focuses on sports. This is The Times’s first licensing arrangement with a focus on generative A.I. technology. In 2023, The Times sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, for copyright infringement, accusing the tech companies of using millions of articles published by The Times to train automated chatbots without any kind of compensation. OpenAI and Microsoft have rejected those accusations.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I have no idea what this means for "the Amazon customer experience." Does it mean that if I don't have a NYT subscription but do have Amazon Prime I can read NYT content? And where, exactly, would I find that content? I don't know. I don't know.

Washington Post reporters asked three AI image generators what a beautiful woman looks like. "The Post found that they steer users toward a startlingly narrow vision of attractiveness. Prompted to show a 'beautiful woman,' all three tools generated thin women, without exception.... Her body looks like Barbie — slim hips, impossible waist, round breasts.... Just 2 percent of the images showed visible signs of aging. More than a third of the images had medium skin tones. But only nine percent had dark skin tones. Asked to show 'normal women,' the tools produced images that remained overwhelmingly thin.... However bias originates, The Post’s analysis found that popular image tools struggle to render realistic images of women outside the Western ideal." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The reporters seem to think they are calling out the AI programs for being unrealistic. But there's a lot about the "beautiful women" images they miss. I find these omissions remarkably sexist. For one thing, the reporters seem to think AI is a magical "thing" that self-generates. It isn't. It's programmed. It's programmed by boys, many of them incels who have little or no experience or insights beyond comic books and Internet porn of how to gauge female "beauty." As a result, the AI-generated women look like cartoons; that is, a lot like an air-brushed photo of Kristi Noem: globs of every kind of dark eye makeup, Scandinavian nose, Botox lips, slathered-on skin concealer/toner/etc. makeup, long dark hair and the aforementioned impossible Barbie body shape, including huge, round plastic breasts. 

New York Times: “George Clooney’s Broadway debut, 'Good Night, and Good Luck,' has been one of the sensations of the 2024-25 theater season, breaking box office records and drawing packed houses of audiences eager to see the popular movie star in a timely drama about the importance of an independent press. Now the play will become much more widely available: CNN is planning a live broadcast of the penultimate performance, on June 7 at 7 p.m. Eastern. The performance will be preceded and followed by coverage of, and discussion about, the show and the state of journalism.”

No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land. -- Magna Carta ~~~

~~~ New York Times: “Bought for $27.50 after World War II, the faint, water stained manuscript in the library of Harvard Law School had attracted relatively little attention since it arrived there in 1946. That is about to change. Two British academics, one of whom happened on the manuscript by chance, have discovered that it is an original 1300 version — not a copy, as long thought — of Magna Carta, the medieval document that helped establish some of the world’s most cherished liberties. It is one of just seven such documents from that date still in existence.... A 710-year-old version of Magna Carta was sold in 2007 for $21.3 million.... First issued in 1215, it put into writing a set of concessions won by rebellious barons from a recalcitrant King John of England — or Bad King John, as he became known in folklore. He later revoked the charter, but his son, Henry III, issued amended versions, the last one in 1225, and Henry’s son, Edward I, in turn confirmed the 1225 version in 1297 and again in 1300.”

NPR lists all of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize winners. Poynter lists the prizes awarded in journalism as well as the finalists in these categories.

 

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Email Marie at constantweader@gmail.com

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The Commentariat -- July 12

Poor David Brooks, who is dumber than a post, and who got his ass whupped by Krugman yesterday, writes, "The world economy is a complex, unknowable organism." ...

... I've added a Brooks page to Off Times Square. You might want to help out Our Mister Brooks, the Chauncey Gardner of the op-ed world. I've done my best. AND thanks to Driftglass, who has given up on "The Greatest Fraud in American Journalism," for the heads-up. ...

Art by Driftglass.

... Economics Nobel Laureate Joe Stiglitz in TruthOut: "... a resurgence of right-wing economics, driven, as always, by ideology and special interests, once again threatens the global economy – or at least the economies of Europe and America, where these ideas continue to flourish. In the US, this right-wing resurgence, whose adherents evidently seek to repeal the basic laws of math and economics, is threatening to force a default on the national debt." Thanks to commenter Carlyle for the link. ...

... History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes. -- Mark Twain  ...

... Historian Robert McElvaine in a Washington Post op-ed: "To the extent that our current history sounds like the 1930s, it is because of the lack of sense on the part of politicians. We know better than to slash spending and allow the rich to become even richer in a weak economy, but we’re set on doing it anyway. If there is a new Great Depression, it won’t be without rhyme, but it will be without reason." Thanks to Trish R. for the link. ...

... New York Times Editors: "A balanced [deficit reduction] plan, like the one Senator Kent Conrad is circulating among Senate Democrats, would cut spending and raise revenue equally, and would make it possible to pay for programs that kick-start the economy. Americans need to hear the hard economic truth that there is no way to both cut the deficit and revive the economy without finding additional sources of revenue." CW: a reminder: Kent Conrad, a ConservaDem has a plan that is more liberal than the one Obama is pushing. ...

... Mark Landler & Carl Hulse of the New York Times write an interesting report on Monday's debt ceiling negotiations. Unsurprisingly, the talks did not go well. ...

... President Obama Doesn't Care about Poor People. Igor Volsky of Think Progress: "... five separate sources with knowledge of negotiations have said that 'the president offered an increase in the eligibility age for Medicare, from 65 to 67, in exchange for Republican movement on increasing tax revenues.'" CW: okay, not just poor people, but anyone whose work involves physical labor. Volsky doesn't mention that raising the eligibility age would prove an inconvenience for many white-collar workers in the 65-67 age group, but it would work a true hardship on older blue-collar workers whose bodies are no longer adept at physical labor. In addition, it would force millions of older Americans to stay on the job for a few extra years, hanging onto jobs they don't want -- jobs younger Americans need and would often be more able to do. If these "five different sources" are right, this is one stupid & callous move on Obama's part. ...

     ... AND in his June 12 column, Paul Krugman explained why raising the eligibility age is a costly, terrible idea. CW: it now looks to me as if President Obama is just as smart as Joe Lieberman. And Joe Lieberman "isn't actually all that smart." ...

...NEW. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) has introduced a Senate resolution to protect Social Security & Medicare (from President Obama's proposed "bipartisan" cuts). You can painlessly "write" to your senator in support of Whitehouse's resolution at this CREDO site. ...

... Dave Weigel of Slate wonders why President Obama is so bad at explaining the debt ceiling to the public. "How many Americans realize, for example, that if Paul Ryan got everyone drunk on $350 wine and got his budget signed into law, we would still exceed the debt limit many times into the future?" CW: well, Dave, maybe it's because he "isn't actually all that smart." ...

... Derek Thompson of The Atlantic poses a pretty good reason not to govern by opinion polls: "The massive financial bailout, which Americans still hate, could still make a profit of more than $100 billion. Meanwhile, not raising the debt ceiling, which Americans have supported, could cost the economy more than $100 billion."


Nelson Schwartz of the New York Times: "Tens of thousands of Bank of America’s most distressed borrowers could be evicted and lose their homes more quickly as a result of a proposed settlement between the bank, which is the country’s largest mortgage servicer, and investors in its troubled mortgage securities.... While powerful investors stand to benefit from the $8.5 billion settlement over the bank’s bundling of shoddy mortgages as securities, the fallout for the nearly 275,000 borrowers who took out those loans depends greatly on how deep they are in the foreclosure process and whether they earn enough money to dig themselves out.

Caesar's Wife. Keli Goff on the legacy of Betty Ford & the impossible standards First Ladies are supposed to meet:

... Rick Perlstein writes a lovely memorial to Ford on the New York Times op-ed page: "... few Americans changed people’s lives so dramatically for the better."

Nate Silver: "... first-term Republicans are considerably more conservative, relative to their districts, than those who also served in the 111th Congress." For this reason, and because the 2010 electorate was skewed Republican (the "enthusiasm" factor), their seats are highly vulnerable. CW: let's do something about that, Libruls!

Ahmed Sharai & Joseph Braude in a New York Times op-ed: "Morocco appears to have found a new model for political transition," a power-sharing arrangement, backed by a new constitution, between the king & a prime minister chosen by the parliament's elected majority.

An Interesting Aside: Saeed Shah of the Guardian: "The CIA organised a fake vaccination programme in the town where it believed Osama bin Laden was hiding in an elaborate attempt to obtain DNA from the fugitive al-Qaida leader's family.... CIA agents recruited a senior Pakistani doctor to organise the vaccine drive in Abbottabad.... The doctor, Shakil Afridi, has since been arrested by the Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) for co-operating with American intelligence agents."

Right Wing World *

"Pray Away the Gay" (Then Deny You Tried Any Such Nonsense):

     ... Here's the print story. AND here's an earlier, more extensive, story from Mariah Blake of The Nation. ...

 

 

 

... "Her record of accomplishment is nonexistent":

     ... Conor Friedersdorf of The Atlantic: "Pawlenty is right.... [Bachmann] has no foreign policy experience, no executive experience, has never sponsored or co-sponsored a bill that became law, has never chaired a committee or subcommittee, and cannot even claim notable success outside the public sector like Mitt Romney." ...

... AND Bachmann calls the police. A lot. Marc Caputo of the Miami Herald pulls her complaints. Like the one where a former nun held Bachmann against her will in a ladies room. Uh-huh. Punchline: "None of the inquiries resulted in arrests."

* Where the definition of "gay" is "happy to be straight."

News Ledes

New York Times: "House Republicans on Tuesday failed to advance a measure that would repeal regulations that increase efficiency standards for light bulbs, rules that they have assailed as an example of government overreach.... But Democrats, despite being in the minority in the House, were able to defeat the repeal on a vote of 233 to 193 because the measure was brought up under rules that require a two-thirds majority for passage.

The BBC reports on former PM Gordon Brown's remarks re: the Murdoch empire's hacking of his personal information:

Guardian: "Rupert Murdoch will face the humiliation of the Commons issuing a unanimous all-party call for his scandal-ridden News Corporation to withdraw its £8bn bid for BSkyB, the great commercial prize he has been pursuing to cement his dominance of the British media landscape. In an extraordinary volte-face, David Cameron will disown the media tycoon by leading his party through the lobbies to urge him to drop the bid. Murdoch can defy parliament and press ahead with the bid, prompting a Competition Commission inquiry, but he risks finding himself ostracised by a political class that once scrambled to bend to his wishes." CW: oh, pardon my schadenfreude. ...

... Washington Post: "Parliament summoned [Rupert] Murdoch for questioning next week along with top executives overseeing his British subsidiary: his son James Murdoch, 38, and Rebekah Brooks, 43, a former editor of two of his papers."

Armageddon:

President Obama & Vice President Biden met with Congressional leaders to discuss you-know-what this afternoon. Update: New York Times post-meeting report: "From the White House and Congress to financial centers, pessimism spread on Tuesday about the prospects of a debt-limit deal between President Obama and Republicans, prompting the Senate Republican leader to propose a 'last-choice option' that piqued the administration’s interest but angered conservatives in his own party."

President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to Army Sgt. Leroy Arthur Petry this afternoon. Washington Post post-event story here. New York Times story here.

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: "Voters get their first chance Tuesday to weigh in on the recall fever that's swept the state for the last four months when they vote in six primary races pitting Democratic recall challengers against 'fake' or 'protest' Democrats put up by the Republican Party. As election day approached, some activity was reported in favor of the Republican-backed candidates in at least four of the districts, but Democrats said they're confident their get-out-the-vote efforts will help their candidates survive."

Politico: Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), who is running for president for a third time, will not seek re-election to the House.

Washington Post: "A sprawling coalition of Wall Street and Main Street business leaders sent an unmistakable message to lawmakers Tuesday: ... Get the debt ceiling raised. The message [was] sent in a letter to President Obama and every member of Congress.... Republicans rely heavily on corporations for political support and have regularly cited the opinions of these 'job creators' in their opposition to new tax revenues. Many of the House GOP freshman most opposed to a compromise were swept into office with the help of financial support from groups behind the letter."

Politico: Senate leaders from both parties are trying to figure out ways to cover their asses on some kind of complicated (everything in the Senate is complicated) series of voting procedures. CW: not exactly the wording of the reporters, but close enough.

AP: "Afghan President Hamid Karzai's powerful half brother [Ahmed Wali Karzai], a lightning rod for criticism of all that is wrong with the Afghan government, was assassinated by a bodyguard Tuesday at his home in the southern province of Kandahar, officials said." New York Times story here. ...

     ... Washington Post Update: "In the months before his death by an assassin’s bullets on Tuesday, Ahmed Wali Karzai had quietly rebuilt his relationship with the United States and emerged as the most influential ally for American commanders and diplomats seeking to quell the Taliban insurgency in southern Afghanistan. They believe Ahmed Karzai, President Hamid Karzai’s half-brother and the leader of Kandahar’s provincial council, had started to evolve earlier this year from a self-interested strongman to a regional leader willing to take nascent steps to share power with political and tribal rivals. U.S. officials were initially skeptical of Taliban claims of responsibility for the assassination but now believe that the killer, a trusted Karzai security official, was a Taliban sleeper agent."

Waste, Fraud & Abuse. Who Cares? AP: "The federal government's systems for analyzing Medicare and Medicaid data for possible fraud are inadequate and underused, making it more difficult to detect the billions of dollars in fraudulent claims paid out each year, according to a report released Tuesday. The Government Accountability Office report said the systems don't even include Medicaid data. Furthermore, 639 analysts were supposed to have been trained to use the system — yet only 41 have been so far, it said."

Washington Post: "Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has lost the legitimacy to rule after pro-government demonstrators stormed the U.S. Embassy in Damascus on Monday in what U.S. officials described as an orchestrated attack. Regime supporters hurled rocks, smashed windows and tore down the American flag at the embassy, triggering the strongest U.S. condemnation yet of the Syrian government."

AP: "The United States and its partners in the international diplomatic 'quartet' on the Middle East failed on Monday to reach agreement on how to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, dealing a blow to urgent efforts to avert a looming confrontation at the United Nations over recognizing Palestine as an independent nation..... A Monday night meeting between Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, E.U. foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was unable to produce a unified statement on how to proceed."

AP: "Michelle Obama and three former first ladies were among dignitaries heading to Palm Desert to pay tribute to Betty Ford at a funeral focusing on her twin passions: politics and her world famous Betty Ford Center for substance abuse and alcohol treatment." CW: read this one; it's interesting.

New York Times: "Shortly after Scotland Yard began its initial criminal inquiry of phone hacking by The News of the World in 2006, five senior police investigators discovered that their own cellphone messages had been targeted by the tabloid and had most likely been listened to. The disclosure, based on interviews with current and former officials, raises the question of whether senior investigators feared that if they aggressively investigated, The News of the World would punish them with splashy articles about their private lives. Some of their secrets, tabloid-ready, eventually emerged in other news outlets." ...

... NEW. New York Times: "Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown brought new and alarming charges on Tuesday to the broadening scandal enveloping Rupert Murdoch’s media empire in Britain, accusing one of the most prestigious newspapers in the group of employing 'known criminals' to gather personal information on his bank account, legal files and tax affairs." ...

... NEW. The New York Times' The Lede is following the latest developments on the Murdoch scandal. It's really a saga of one horrible intrusion after another. Includes videos.

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