Hello, I’d like to report a murder. While the plot has been in place for some time, the actual killing just took place today in Washington, DC. I’m reporting the homicide here, in this independent media source, because I’m not at all sure that the Washington paper of record still has anyone on the murder beat. Across local, international, and sports desks, the Washington Post is laying off more than 300 journalists. According to the NYT, “The cuts are a sign that Jeff Bezos, who became one of the world’s richest people by selling things on the internet, has not yet figured out how to build and maintain a profitable publication on the internet.” This point of view assumes that Bezos’ goal in owning the Post was to build a profitable publication on the internet. But it’s been a long time since we’ve seen any signs the Amazonian billionaire’s prime concern was associated with such trifles as achieving a rounding error-sized profit in a vanity project which, at $250 million, cost him roughly half as much as his yacht (which also doesn’t turn a profit). No, this was never about turning bauble into bling. It was about power and access, and sometimes those are best achieved through failure. What could make the current administration happier than the demise of the paper that exposed Watergate? Hence, the decision to go postal on the Post. As Ian Bremmer succinctly explains: “The Washington Post is a political access play for Bezos, it’s not about supporting independent media or promoting democracy. This should have been clear to all for years now. But it’s impossible to ignore today.” Under Bezos’ watch, the Post adopted the tagline, Democracy Dies in Darkness. By now, we all know better. It gets bludgeoned to death in the cold light of day. 2Clown with Crown Wants Frown Upside Down“’I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile,’ Mr. Trump said in a sarcastic tone, while sitting at the Resolute Desk. ‘I’ve known you for 10 years. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face ... You know why you’re not smiling? Because you know you’re not telling the truth ... You are so bad. You know, you are the worst reporter. No wonder. CNN has no ratings because of people like you.’” In keeping with his quiet piggy tradition of misogynistically debasing the office and the country, Trump Scolded CNN’s Kaitlan Collins for ‘Not Smiling’ (while she was asking a question about Epstein’s victims). On one side of the desk, politicians stood by silently as Trump personally attacked Kaitlin Collins. On the other side of the desk, her colleagues did the same. A country doesn’t fall this far this fast without teamwork. 3Old Man and the Sea Change“Sixteen years ago, at age 66, López García first tried running a mile. He’d recently retired after spending his entire working life as a car mechanic in Toledo, Spain. In all those years, he’d never trained as an athlete or exercised much at all. He couldn’t finish that first mile. He could barely start it.” Well, he improved. A lot. Now, he’s a world-record holding ultramarathoner. He can probably teach us a lot more about health and longevity than the longevity bros selling their supplements on social media. WaPo(Gift Article): At 82, he’s as fit as a 20-year-old. His body holds clues to healthy aging. 4Baby Sitcom“Laughter does more than increase pleasurable social contact; infant laughter, especially when it occurs in response to humor, signals a cognitive achievement. When an infant laughs at Dad wearing a spoon as a mustache, it reveals the baby’s knowledge about spoons and mustaches, as well as about the person wearing it.” NYT (Gift Article): The Evolutionary Brilliance of the Baby Giggle. (At this point, it’s pretty refreshing to see news coverage of babyish behavior that’s actually coming from babies...) 5Extra, ExtraPulling Out: “The Trump administration will withdraw 700 federal immigration agents from Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday. The move comes weeks after agents killed two U.S. citizens, sparking protests across the country.” (A drawdown is good, but there will still be more than 2,000 agents left in a city with 600 police officers. And this move follows two killings captured on video...) 6Bottom of the News“Down the block of working-class homes, more than a dozen chairs of various shapes and vintages were securing their own rectangle of space: a sturdy dining room chair, an office chair on a swivel, two bar stools, a wrought-iron patio love seat, an orange plastic lawn chair. In Pittsburgh, it’s parking chair season.” WSJ (Gift Article): Whatever You Do, Don’t Mess With Pittsburgh’s Parking Chairs.
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Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Prime Suspect
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