Will Rahn

senior editor @thefp

#lgm

[The Free Press @TheFP]

The Kennedy family was never a political dynasty; it was a flash of light brilliant enough to still be illuminating American life after six decades, writes Will Rahn. https://t.co/XLONC90fgJ

[Kris Pursiainen @krispursiainen]

In between pressers at MSG, a scrum broke out around Fat Joe and Jadakiss.

Fat Joe with an all-timer on this Knicks run:

“I seen Hasidic Jews break dancing with Black kids. This is the greatest unification of the city since 9/11”

[Liam Donovan @LPDonovan]

It remains darkly hilarious that Graham Platner is the last minute ringer to replace the blue collar MESEN recruit with too may skeletons https://t.co/s3IQU74EpK

[Ross W Berman IV (Philosopher Pirate) @RossWBermanIV]

They're calling the run from Minority Report to Munich "the most anyone has ever processed 9/11 ever. "

[Will Rahn @willrahn]

Do yourself a favor and read @opinion_joe on Louis Armstrong https://t.co/As1XVF23Bh

[Will Rahn @willrahn]

All that aside, McMorrow would probably be a good DNC chair, telegenic and on-message

[Political Polls @PpollingNumbers]

New - Senate poll - Michigan

🔵 El-Sayed 34%
🔵 Stevens 31%
🔵 Mcmorrow 19%

Lake R #B(🔵 El-Sayed internal) - LV - 5/28

[Matthew Sitman @MatthewSitman]

"...on Sunday afternoons we had to study The Westminster Shorter Catechism for an hour and then recite before we could walk the hills with him while he unwound between services. But he never asked us more than the first question in the catechism, 'What is the chief end of man?' And we answered together so one of us could carry on if the other forgot, 'Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.' This always seemed to satisfy him, as indeed such a beautiful answer should have..."

[Joe Nocera @opinion_joe]

really great story by @SulkinMaya https://t.co/X03V4FSUce

[Derek Thompson @DKThomp]

This has quietly been a miracle month in medicine.

In the last 5 weeks we’ve got news on:

- retatrutide, the triple agonist GLP-1 from Lilly, basically melting fat and body-wide inflammation at record levels
- RevMed’s new pancreatic cancer drug showing unprecedented abilities to extend life
- small trial of a one-and-done PCSK9 gene editing therapy for slashing LDL cholesterol
- Mayo’s AI-assisted radiology showing vastly improved cancer detection
- this new therapy for metastatic solid tumors

This stuff is at varying levels of evidence. Retatrutide is ~100% on its way, other stuff needs more clinical trial data. But put it together and we’re maybe on the verge of majorly reducing the mortality of heart disease and cancer, the two leading causes of death in America.

[Reihan Salam @reihan]

My colleague @stephendeide's early assessment of Mamdani’s municipal socialism in action is worth reading in full. Two observations stand out.

First, Mamdani has reframed New York's structural deficit as a problem of under-taxation rather than overspending. Because the budget is projected to remain imbalanced indefinitely, taxing the rich becomes not a one-time fix but a recurring annual debate — which is the point. The deficit isn't a problem to be solved. It is, as Eide puts it, the occasion for an ongoing effort to "forge class consciousness."

Second, while Mamdani and his allies seem less interested in competing with the low-tax meccas of Texas and Florida to attract and retain employers, investors, and entrepreneurs than serving as a moral exemplar for urban America. "Virtuously socialist New York," as Eide puts it, "will lead by example." The strategy assumes that the city's economic base will take care of itself, in a city where net job creation has been flat to negative.

"Complacency," Eide concludes, "is a vice."

Read the full piece at The Bigger Apple, MI's (excellent, and yes, I'm totally unbiased) newsletter on New York policy.

https://t.co/UpgHKMGoFP

[Jeff Maurer @JeffMightBWrong]

I join the chorus of New Yorkers saying that I have never once heard anyone call LIRR "Lurr" and if anyone had said "Lurr" to me, I would have reported them as a Russian spy.

[Will Rahn @willrahn]

@bendreyfuss It will be on Criterion any day now

[Emily Zanotti 🦝 @emzanotti]

The Vatican getting much better at crisis comms.

[Caitlin Flanagan @CaitlinPacific]

If you go in for this kind of thing, come over to the Catholics. We’ve had graven images since Jesus left Chicago and they’re of saints

[Will Rahn @willrahn]

Adm. Gallaudet: https://t.co/xUgLbHWL1d

Avi Loeb: https://t.co/iv4fsbk6l7

Michael Shermer: https://t.co/gGBPGdDFGb

[Will Rahn @willrahn]

Some of my recent UFO stuff in @TheFP, including my interview with Retired U.S. Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet, astrophysicist Avi Loeb and skeptic Michael Shermer. Links in next tweet

[The Free Press @TheFP]

The Pentagon began a historic release of declassified UFO files today, following a directive from President Trump for “maximum transparency.”

So what should smart people think about UFOs?

Get caught up on @WillRahn’s reporting on the topic:
https://t.co/eyGXZn5HJ7

[Oliver Wiseman @ollywiseman]

Sorry to see that we have once again disappointed Cathy Young.

If you're curious what The Free Press thinks of the Kimmel saga, I'd point you to this editorial from September:

https://t.co/zL9TsRoeht

And as for FCC shenanigans, it is, in my opinion, never a bad time to re-up @nickgillespie:

https://t.co/yoX6NEIFeq

Okay, one more for the weekend reading list: The day we ran our profile of Sarah Rodgers, we also published this piece by Sharon McMahon, who was yanked as a commencement speaker after conservatives took offense at her comments about Charlie Kirk:

https://t.co/9ioXqoxzQJ

[Will Rahn @willrahn]

So far the best I've seen from the new tranche of UFO files released today

[Joe Murgia @TheUfoJoe]

This one is pretty cool!

(UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)
01.01.2024

Courtesy Video

All Domain Anomaly Resolution Office

The United States Indo-Pacific Command submitted a report of an unidentified anomalous phenomenon to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) consisting of one minute and 39 seconds of video footage from an infrared sensor aboard a U.S. military platform in 2024. The reporter did not provide any oral or written description of the observation.

[Aaron Rupar @atrupar]

Obama: "One of the things you learn as president is government is terrible at keeping secrets. This idea of conspiracy theories -- if there were aliens or spaceships under the control of the US government that we knew about, seen, photographed, I promise you some guy guarding the installation would have taken a selfie with one of the aliens."