David Friend

Contrib Editor @VanityFair; author, Naughty 90s; Watching the World Change; The Meaning of Life; Emmy-winning producer, “9/11,” @MLKFBI @lakotanationdoc

[Mark McKinnon @mmckinnon]

Texas: A Real Case of the Blues?
https://t.co/Trg1ZwOUah

[David Friend @DavidMFriend1]

EAST SIDE ALIENS Cult: Director Chris Smith on his latest, HBO’s “Bring Me the Beauties”
@MarieBrenner @danmadler @HBO #cult #1980s
https://t.co/ubBMxiGCLL

[James Pethokoukis ⏩️⤴️ @JimPethokoukis]

"Having treated pancreatic cancer for 16 years, I actually started crying" when first seeing the study results," said Dr. Rachna Shroff of the University of Arizona Cancer Center, who wasn't involved with the research

[David Friend @DavidMFriend1]

Centennial Year for these people born in 1926…
💯

[Dan Diamond @ddiamond]

Amazing kicker in the NYT’s list of the 100 Best Restaurants in NYC @ligayamishan

[Covie @covie_93]

Who did this???? 😂😂😂

[Brian Allen @allenanalysis]

BREAKING: A federal judge is now signaling the Trump administration’s so-called “weaponization fund” may have emerged from collusive litigation and could potentially amount to fraud on the court.

That is nuclear-level language from a judge.

“Fraud on the court” is not normal criticism.
It is reserved for situations where a court believes it may have been manipulated, misled, or used as part of a coordinated scheme.

And the judge reportedly pointed to two giant red flags:
- the massive $1.8 billion settlement amount
- and concerns the opposing sides may not have actually been acting as true adversaries

Translation?

The court is openly questioning whether this lawsuit was partially engineered to create a taxpayer-funded political compensation machine.

That is an absolutely extraordinary development.

[World's Amazing Things @Hana_b30]

“She Saved Me With Books.” — Denzel Washington Secretly Flew to Georgia to Visit the 99-Year-Old Librarian Who Kept Him Off the Streets in Mount Vernon. "She gave me my first book." Denzel Washington unexpectedly cleared his Hollywood schedule to secretly fly to a nursing home for a reunion 50 years in the making.

[CBS News @CBSNews]

A football field-sized American flag is being displayed on the Hoover Dam, alongside a light show, to celebrate the United States' 250th birthday.

It will stay on the historic dam, weather permitting, through July 4.

[derek guy @dieworkwear]

great essay and incredible photos. what a stylish time

[David Friend @DavidMFriend1]

The swamp within the swamp
https://t.co/xJD9xlkq3e

[Leyla @LeylaKuni]

The most demoralizing chart you will see today

[David Friend @DavidMFriend1]

Sonny Rollins wrote a new essay about jazz. Today, VF published it, exclusively—a day after his death, at 95–along w/Steve Schapiro’s photos, from his new book, JAZZ. @sonnyrollins @SchapiroPhoto #jazz #jazzphotography #sonnyrollins
https://t.co/nOoM3yKGkj

[The New York Times @nytimes]

Breaking News: Sonny Rollins, a jazz great with a forceful and imaginative approach to the tenor saxophone, has died at 95. https://t.co/Q6nXktuJ2L

[Karen Hao @_KarenHao]

The Pope has weighed in: AI isn't magic. It is produced by a currently deeply exploitative, extractive supply chain. It challenges human dignity; it could fuel a new colonialism. And among the greatest challenges of our time will be to redirect its path of development.

[Mike Levin @MikeLevin]

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the DHS Inspector General just opened an audit into a $38 billion warehouse-to-detention scheme that Kristi Noem and her top adviser Corey Lewandowski rammed through.

ICE bought 11 vacant warehouses in a matter of months, paying 11 to 13 percent above market value.

The properties weren’t even zoned for detention. No working plumbing for thousands of detainees. But Noem and Lewandowski pressured ICE to open them by year’s end anyway.

The result? At least $1 billion already spent on nine facilities. Nearly 50 contractors paid $1.7 billion since Trump took office.

Companies with zero immigration detention experience suddenly winning massive federal contracts.

One firm that didn’t even exist until June 2024 got a $6 million DHS contract this January.

Noem is gone.

Lewandowski is gone.

But the bill is still landing on the taxpayer, and the IG investigation is just getting started.

Accountability cannot end when the perpetrators walk out the door.

Every contract needs scrutiny.

Every dollar needs to be traced.

Every official who steered money to inexperienced contractors needs to answer under oath.
https://t.co/GGvxSniGqM

[Tymofiy Mylovanov @Mylovanov]

Petraeus: Ukraine went from 3.5M drones last year to 7M this year. If it finds enough pilots, it can reach 20,000 drones a day.

Next come truly autonomous systems and drone swarms — and the West does not really have a solution yet.

[Sara Sanchez @BCB_Sara]

The 2026 Chicago Cubs are innovators, y'all

[David Friend @DavidMFriend1]

Reconsidering MILES DAVIS at 💯— @briggsjimmie

https://t.co/J2t6pIx0nD

[David Friend @DavidMFriend1]

@statfax Untrue. 7 in a row. You dicks.