Party of One, MTV is Back?
Guess who’s coming to dinner? No one. In the early days of NextDraft, my tagline was dinner party prep. I dropped it for a couple reasons. First, these days, the last thing anyone wants to have spoil their appetite is a discussion of the news of the day. And second, no one is having dinner parties, anyway. “Until 1975, half of Americans said they entertained guests at their home every month. But then something changed. Americans stopped throwing parties. Even more fundamentally, they stopped visiting each other. Between 1975 and 1998, the share of Americans who gave or attended a monthly dinner party declined by half. The share of Americans saying they never entertained people at home tripled.” And since just about every other form of in-person socializing has decreased in the 21st century, it probably won’t surprise you to learn that the numbers continued to slide. “In the last 30 years, Americans have seen double-digit declines in practically every measure of socializing. They are less likely to play cards; attend a sporting event; go to the bar; volunteer; or work on a community project. When it comes to hosting people at home, the declines are particularly stark. Since 1995, the share of Americans who say they’ve hosted guests or attended a dinner party has declined by about 20 percent.” Derek Thompson: You Are No Longer Invited to Dinner. Thompson goes through a few possible factors for the dinner decline — all of which I’m going to consider as soon as I get done with the latest streaming series I’m watching alone, in a dark room, while eating delivered food. Don’t feel bad if you’re doing the same. At least with the death of parties comes the death of FOMO.
All Too Human
In the latest signs of concern over artificial intelligence, OpenAI Scrapped the Release of a New AI Model Over Safety Concerns. And in the leaked prospectus for the upcoming Anthropic IPO, the company warns that rogue AI agents pose uncertain legal risk for the company, “citing the possibility of irreversible actions such as data deletion or financial transactions.” I worry about the technology. But I worry more about the humans running it. You might feel the same after reading about the long-running feud between Dario Amodei and Sam Altman. Kevin Roose in The Atlantic (Gift Article): Inside the Biggest Feud in Artificial Intelligence. “Workers at both companies have noted the irony that although their bosses train AI models to be kind and compassionate, they can’t stop trashing one another. For now, it seems, the ‘machines of loving grace’ will be built by humans of bitter spite.”
+ NYT (Gift Article): “Months before OpenAI’s artificial intelligence went rogue, two employees raised an alarm with top executives. They were ignored.” (Guess who ignored them? Yup, humans.)
Mr Smith Goes to Washington
“History teaches that the rule of law is rarely destroyed all at once. It is often weakened by attacks on the institutions in the public servants sworn to uphold it. Since January of 2025, we have witnessed precisely such an effort including the vilification of the agents, prosecutors and staff who worked on my team simply because of their unwavering dedication to the rule of law. I myself have been threatened with jail by the president of the United States.” Jack Smith, Who Charged Trump, Testifies in Combative Hearing. The hearing quickly devolved into a shouting match with Trump sycophants trying to make the case that the prosecutor is actually the criminal. The people who launched and carried out an insurrection are freed and celebrated, and the people who attempted to bring justice to those responsible “have been targeted illegally, lost their jobs illegally, and had their lives turned upside down.” That’s what happens when the criminal wins the election. But it’s not Trump doing the attacking today. It takes a village to raise a tyrant.
Live to Tell
Last night, my daughter was playing Madonna remixes on TikTok. I felt like I was in a time warp. And I might be. She was listening to them because Madonna appeared on the MTV (still a thing) Video Awards (still a thing). Variety: VMAs Attract a Combined 8.4 Million Viewers, Making it the Most-Watched Since 2015 and Up 51% From Last Year.
+ “Last week, Ella Langley’s ‘Choosin’ Texas’ broke the record for the most weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The record was previously held by Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You,’ which is a song I’ve definitely heard before and could reliably hum the melody of. ‘Choosin’ Texas,’ not so much.” Ryan Broderick in Garbage Day on Why Choosin’ Texas doesn’t feel like a hit.
Extra, Extra
CECOT in a Cycle: “A year and a half ago, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 31-year-old Salvadoran man, was deported to El Salvador and detained in a maximum-security mega-prison known as CECOT. Abrego’s deportation, which was in violation of legal orders, prompted a public backlash and a federal judge’s intervention; he was ultimately returned to the United States. But as public attention has shifted elsewhere, El Salvador has continued imprisoning deportees sent from the United States, including many who have not been charged with any crime.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): ICE Deportees Are Vanishing Into Salvadoran Prisons. Meanwhile, ICE Plans 5,000 New Hires to Help With Deportation Drive.
+ Strictly Business: “This new initiative, which is still in its early stages and has not been previously reported, promises to advance several of Trump’s goals at once. It would help reintegrate Russia into the global economy and broaden Trump’s talks with the Kremlin beyond the intractable war in Ukraine, which his envoys have failed to end after more than a year of diplomacy. It would create a path for the U.S. to sign lucrative deals involving Russian oil, diesel, rare earth minerals, and other commodities. As a bonus, the release of prisoners on humanitarian grounds could bolster Trump’s case for his long-coveted Nobel Peace Prize.” Trump’s Latest Appeal to Russia Could Outrage Even His Allies. (Oh, I’m sure they’ll make a major stand…)
+ School Paper Trail: “Ever since we’ve posted the secondary coverage as well as the editorial, there’s been an absolute outpour of similar stories hitting my inbox and the sexual-misconduct tip line. There are also the ones that really relay a sense of kinship, solidarity, and relatability to the Jane Doe account. The response has been widespread and really multifaceted. There is this shock and outrage that this culture still permeates.” The Cut: How Student Journalists Broke the ‘Cornell Seven’ Case.
+ Fluid Situation: A lot more oil is getting through the Strait of Hormuz. “The crucial question: How long can the status quo hold up? The US military is expending tremendous resources in the region just to get oil through – all while global inventories continue to shrink toward operational lows and the price of fuel remains at or near record highs. Meanwhile, Iran, backed into a corner, is starting to fight back.”
+ Actor Factor: “A counter-terrorism operation near RAF Fairford in the UK was mired in confusion on Tuesday after police released five suspects on bail, prompting concern and surprise from the US president and secretary of state. Five British nationals from London were detained on suspicion of explosives offences and terrorism after three suspicious vans were reported to police in the early hours of Sunday, outside the base in the village of Whelford, Gloucestershire.” Rubio says foreign actor was ‘clearly’ behind suspected RAF Fairford plot. (That would be massive news. But given our administration’s track record, we can’t be sure if it’s true, which is scary.)
+ Truth Be Trolled: The newly-launched, AI-powered America.gov site has one major flaw. It tells the truth. Trump touts America.gov, but its government-sourced AI answers undercut many of his statements. (But don’t worry, they quickly fixed it.)
Bottom of the News
“There’s no way to sugarcoat this, so I’ll just come right out and say it: They’re trying to ban British guard hats. This kind: 💂. Eighteen members of Parliament wrote a letter last week urging the government to adopt an alternative. Their reason? It turns out that the hats, which are known as ‘bearskins’ in British military terminology, are made out of the skins of bears. ‘Bears,’ the MPs wrote, ‘are still being shot with crossbows’—what???—’and killed, their cubs orphaned, and their pelts used to produce new caps.'” The Ringer: Eight Burning Questions About the Fight to Ban British Guard Hats.
+ If that’s too intense a delve into the animal kingdom, try this: Selections From the 2026 Audubon Photography Awards.
