Chris Newman

Proud member of ILA Local 1242 and native New Orleanian!

[Chris Newman @UptownWhoDat]

If you want to live like a Republican, then vote like a Democrat. —James Carville

[New Orleans Pelicans @PelicansNBA]

"If you love this city, it'll love you back ... Me & my family, we experience that love every day here. I love this fanbase."

AD feeling all the love on his birthday 🥹

[Elad Strohmayer @EladStr]

I was humbled to join Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, for Shabbat services last night to stand with the Jewish community after a horrific antisemitic terror attack against the synagogue.

During my remarks to the congregation, I shared that Israel stands with the community, now and always, just as the community has always stood with Israel.

Antisemitism must be confronted, condemned, and combated wherever it appears.

[Ben Sasse @BenSasse]

Friends-

This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I’ll cut to the chase: Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die.

Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence. But I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do.

I’m blessed with amazing siblings and half-a-dozen buddies that are genuinely brothers. As one of them put it, “Sure, you’re on the clock, but we’re all on the clock.” Death is a wicked thief, and the bastard pursues us all.

Still, I’ve got less time than I’d prefer. This is hard for someone wired to work and build, but harder still as a husband and a dad. I can’t begin to describe how great my people are. During the past year, as we’d temporarily stepped back from public life and built new family rhythms, Melissa and I have grown even closer — and that on top of three decades of the best friend a man could ever have. Seven months ago, Corrie was commissioned into the Air Force and she’s off at instrument and multi-engine rounds of flight school. Last week, Alex kicked butt graduating from college a semester early even while teaching gen chem, organic, and physics (she’s a freak). This summer, 14-year-old Breck started learning to drive. (Okay, we’ve been driving off-book for six years — but now we’ve got paper to make it street-legal.) I couldn’t be more grateful to constantly get to bear-hug this motley crew of sinners and saints.

There’s not a good time to tell your peeps you’re now marching to the beat of a faster drummer — but the season of advent isn’t the worst. As a Christian, the weeks running up to Christmas are a time to orient our hearts toward the hope of what’s to come.

Not an abstract hope in fanciful human goodness; not hope in vague hallmark-sappy spirituality; not a bootstrapped hope in our own strength (what foolishness is the evaporating-muscle I once prided myself in). Nope — often we lazily say “hope” when what we mean is “optimism.” To be clear, optimism is great, and it’s absolutely necessary, but it’s insufficient. It’s not the kinda thing that holds up when you tell your daughters you’re not going to walk them down the aisle. Nor telling your mom and pops they’re gonna bury their son.

A well-lived life demands more reality — stiffer stuff. That’s why, during advent, even while still walking in darkness, we shout our hope — often properly with a gravelly voice soldiering through tears.

Such is the calling of the pilgrim. Those who know ourselves to need a Physician should dang well look forward to enduring beauty and eventual fulfillment. That is, we hope in a real Deliverer — a rescuing God, born at a real time, in a real place. But the eternal city — with foundations and without cancer — is not yet.

Remembering Isaiah’s prophecies of what’s to come doesn’t dull the pain of current sufferings. But it does put it in eternity’s perspective:
“When we've been there 10,000 years…We've no less days to sing God's praise.”

I’ll have more to say. I’m not going down without a fight. One sub-part of God’s grace is found in the jawdropping advances science has made the past few years in immunotherapy and more. Death and dying aren’t the same — the process of dying is still something to be lived. We’re zealously embracing a lot of gallows humor in our house, and I’ve pledged to do my part to run through the irreverent tape.

But for now, as our family faces the reality of treatments, but more importantly as we celebrate Christmas, we wish you peace: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned….For to us a son is given” (Isaiah 9).

With great gratitude, and with gravelly-but-hopeful voices,
Ben — and the Sasses

[Elad Strohmayer @EladStr]

“This is not about politics. It is about morality. About whether we stand with the victims of terror, or with those who perpetrate it. We must not stay silent. Each of us must speak out, stand up and demand the immediate release of every hostage.”

It’s 6:29 a.m. October 7 in Israel right now.
Exactly two years ago, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel murdering more than 1,200 innocent people and kidnapping over 250 men, women and children into the tunnels of Gaza. Two years later, our hearts are still aching and our grief endures. We remember the victims, honor the survivors and call for the immediate release of the 48 hostages still held in Gaza. 🎗️🇮🇱💔

[Philadelphia Phillies @Phillies]

All for October.

#RedOctober

[LLCOOLJ @llcoolj]

Dear Philly….

[non aesthetic things @PicturesFoIder]

They need to play this video at the DMV

[SPORTSRADIO 94WIP @SportsRadioWIP]

The no commentator version of the Rojas catch is perfection.

[Tommy Vietor @TVietor08]

This is incredibly dangerous rhetoric. Half of Gaza's population is kids. Your position can't be that Hamas is worse than ISIS, but also that there are no innocent civilians because a bunch of women and children should have risen up and defeated them. That is madness.

[SPORTSRADIO 94WIP @SportsRadioWIP]

Xfinity Live was ABSURD last night 👀

[Jono Barnes @JonoBarnes]

The Saints will have you doing the dumbest shit I swear

[UAW @UAW]

"When the UAW finally organized Chrysler, after a long sit-down strike in 1937, the workers marched out of the factory led by the marching band. The rhythmic pounding of the drum added to the sense of triumph!" — #UAW Archivist Gavin Strassel #StandUpUAW

[More Perfect Union @MorePerfectUS]

As @UAW went on strike, union president Shawn Fain said:

"The cost of labor that goes into a vehicle is 5% of the vehicle. They could double our wages. And they could not raise the price of vehicles and they would still make billions of dollars."

[UAW @UAW]

During the eight and a half minutes @GM CEO Mary Barra appeared on CNN this morning, she "earned" more money than any autoworker makes in a full work day.

And that's how the Big Three wants to keep it.

#StandUpUAW

[UAW @UAW]

This man made $21 MILLION DOLLARS last year.

[Sammy Berman @sammy_berman]

I am extremely excited and grateful to announce my commitment to the University of Maryland. I want to thank all of my coaches, family, and teammates who helped me get to this point. Huge thank you to the coaching staff for believing in me. #dirtyterps🐢

[Elad Strohmayer @EladStr]

I know what I’m reading on the plane back to @Israel! Thank you @jaketapper, I can’t wait to read your new book. It was a pleasure working with you! Aside from our shared love to Philly (let’s go eagles!), I was impressed with your Hebrew skills! Next time @TheLeadCNN in Hebrew?

[Elad Strohmayer @EladStr]

5 years, 3 Israeli Ambassadors, 3 Israeli Prime Ministers, 2 Israeli Presidents, 2 American Presidents, 5 Israeli elections, 3 peace agreements, numerous high level visits from Israel and one pandemic disrupting it all. It has been an honor to be the spokesperson of @IsraelinUSA.

[Jono Barnes @JonoBarnes]

Saints fans are the most unserious fanbase in the NFL 😂⚜️

[Barstool Philly @BarstoolPhilly]

GREASE THE POLES MEDIA LITTLE LEAGUE (PA) HITS A WALK OFF HOMER TO GO TO THE LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES