Inflation Nation: I cover a lot of stories. Right now, one story is the focal point for most Americans. It’s this one: Inflation soars to an over 40-year high.

+ Have Suitcase, Will Travel: US will end Covid-19 testing requirement for air travelers entering the country.

+ I’ve Got the Brains, You’ve Got the Ron: NYT: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested Wednesday that he might urge the state’s child protective services to investigate parents who take their children to drag shows.” It’s so stupid it’s almost funny. But that’s how this shit sneaks up you.

+ Running on Venti: “The coffee company opened its bathrooms to the public in 2018 after two Black men were denied use of the bathroom in a Philadelphia Starbucks while they were waiting for a friend to arrive. When they then sat down in the store without ordering anything, a Starbucks employee called the police, and they were arrested for trespassing.” Starbucks may close its bathrooms to the public again.

+ Idiotarod: “Sarah Palin is running, though many Alaskans would rather she weren’t. A man named Santa Claus is running. One bottom-tier candidate’s stance on abortion rights hinges on reversible vasectomies for “sperm creators.” Another lives in a remote town of five people and in 2017 pleaded guilty to threatening to assault employees of the Bureau of Land Management, because, he says, they were obstructing his mining ambitions. The volume of candidates means that one could theoretically squeak into the finals with just a sliver of the vote.” Alaska is having the wildest election of 2022. Palin is Real. Santa Claus isn’t. I wish it were the other way around.