The story about releasing the Epstein files is like Trump’s version of Frankenstein’s monster. He created it, but he can’t figure out how to kill it. NYT (Gift Article): After Trump Split, Epstein Said He Could ‘Take Him Down.’ “By turns gossipy, scathing and scheming, the messages show influential people pressing Mr. Epstein for insight into Mr. Trump, and Mr. Epstein casting himself as the ultimate Trump translator, someone who knew him intimately and was ‘the one able to take him down.’” Will Epstein achieve after his death what he didn’t achieve during his life? At this point, it’s hard for close observers to believe any scandal could take Trump down. You may be wondering, Wait, Are the Epstein Files Real Now? “Trump was meant to courageously release all of the available evidence for public scrutiny. Instead, this scandal has turned out to implicate him personally. (This is a risk inherent in building a personality cult around one of the worst human beings in the United States—almost any moral violation you pick will, statistically, have a high likelihood of appearing somewhere on his résumé.)” But this never-ending, particularly bleak Epstein scandal is different than the never-ending (and ongoing) other scandals. As Karen Tumulty explains in WaPo (Gift Article): “The MAGA base has had little trouble looking the other way when it comes to Donald Trump’s trampling of norms and ethical standards: the coarseness; the indictments; the retribution against his enemies; the self-enrichment while in office; the unprecedented claims of executive power. His administration’s handling of information regarding the horrific crimes of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is different. Bringing to light what lies within the Justice Department’s so-called Epstein files is the most persistent issue to have driven a deep wedge into the president’s base — to the point where some who embrace the MAGA label have even been willing to make common cause with Democrats.” 2Dignity Indignity“The bishops, who were often divided by American politics in the Pope Francis era, showed a united front in standing behind Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States, who has spoken out for immigrants and urged U.S. bishops to do the same.” Catholic Bishops Rebuke U.S. ‘Mass Deportation’ of Immigrants. “In a rare statement, the bishops framed the immigration crisis in starkly moral terms. ‘We feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity.’” 3Trading Places“The better policy would have been no policy at all. Imagine what the economy would look like right now if Trump had never started the trade war.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): What Tariffs Did. (Ironically, the Supreme Court could end up helping Trump even if they rule against him in the tariff case.) 4Where The Action Is“One day last year, Adebowale Akinyemi Wilson lost an opening round match at the World Table Tennis Contender tournament in Lagos, Nigeria. It was an obscure contest on the far-flung outskirts of professional sports. But 5,000 miles away in New Jersey, four gamblers were keeping a close eye on it.” WaPo (Gift Article): From table tennis to darts, small sports draw big bets — and corruption. “As the betting industry booms and scandals engulf major leagues, sportsbooks in the United States and around the world have expanded their menus, enabling big-money bettors to converge on small-money sports newly available on gambling apps, from international table tennis and lower division soccer to darts and surfing.” 5Extra, ExtraHouse Hunting: “In a major shift, HUD’s plan would direct most of the $3.5 billion in homelessness funds away from Housing First to programs that prioritize work and drug treatment.” Trump Administration Expected to Drastically Cut Housing Grants. (First food, now shelter. They’re trying to get rid of Maslow’s entire hierarchy.) 6Bottom of the NewsNaked man making phone call after steam and shower at local health club. Any guy who’s hit the locker room after a workout at the gym knows the guy I’m talking about. He dabs with a towel a bit, but he prefers to air dry. While waiting for evaporation to work its interminable magic, he takes a few calls in front of his locker, often with one leg up on a bench, pausing long enough to make small talk as he stands a little too close to you (with a towel wrapped around your waist and your undershirt wet from being pulled on before you completely dried off). Naked man making phone call after steam and shower at local health club is the reason you have a home gym. But is he suddenly an endangered species? In The Atlantic (Gift Article), Jacob Beckert reflects on the The End of Naked Locker Rooms. “Though public nakedness isn’t completely gone, many of the everyday spots where Americans once encountered unclothed bodies—locker rooms, school showers, public pools, bathhouses—have either vanished or shifted away from collective nudity.” This article suggests the downside of this trend. As a person who sleeps in jeans and a t-shirt and doesn’t feel comfortable disrobing in front of myself, it makes me think I might want to join a gym again. I’m not even worried about the PTSD I could experience by re-encountering Naked man making phone call after steam and shower at local health club. I probably won’t even recognize him with his clothes on.
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Thursday, November 13, 2025
Files and Tribulations
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