Mental States: “Under the strongest form of this doctrine, members of each state’s legislative branch have unchecked authority to decide how elections for Congress and the presidency will be conducted in their state — indeed, a state legislature could potentially pass a law canceling the presidential election … Any state constitutional provisions that protect the right to vote, that limit gerrymandering, or that otherwise constrain lawmakers’ ability to skew elections would cease to function.” The deranged Supreme Court case that threatens US democracy. (Well known conservative legal scholars are as opposed to this as moderates and liberals. But this is not a normal court, so hold tight.)

+ Lights Out Shooter: “Asked if the attack was being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism, Cooper said only that ‘investigators are leaving no stone unturned.'” North Carolina electric grid shooter ‘knew exactly what they were doing,’ sheriff says.

+ Drag Reduction: “Neo-Nazis, Proud Boys, militiamen, Christian nationalists, and culture warriors in at least four states mobilized to shut down and intimidate events involving drag queens over the weekend.” And the American far right isn’t the only group obsessed with sexuality. NYT: Putin Signs Law Banning Expressions of L.G.B.T.Q. Identity in Russia.

+ Avenatti By Nature: “In pleading guilty earlier this year, Avenatti admitted to stealing millions of dollars from clients, including $4 million from a client with major disabilities.” Michael Avenatti sentenced to 14 years in prison.

+ Roidian Slip: “The viral TikTok persona known as Liver King, who gained 3.5 million followers by preaching the benefits of eating raw animal testicles and his own branded supplements, has confirmed he takes performance-enhancing steroids after vehemently denying it for months.” But he looks so natural…

+ Silent Knights: Wired: Park Rangers Are Using Silent Ebikes to Catch Poachers.

+ Sex on the Breach: “Indonesia’s parliament has approved a new criminal code that bans anyone in the country from having extramarital sex and restricts political freedoms.
Sex outside marriage will carry a jail term of up to a year under the new laws, which take effect in three years. The raft of changes come after a rise in religious conservatism in the Muslim-majority country.”

+ Hot Curry: “This is What Steph Curry did this year: He won his fourth championship. He won that Finals MVP award after scoring an efficient 31.2 points per game against the best defensive team in the league. He graduated from Davidson … He expanded his charitable reach: Since 2019, the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation he and Ayesha founded has served more than 25 million meals to food-insecure children, spent $2.5 million on literacy-focused grants and distributed 500,000 books … He has also provided seed funding for men’s and women’s golf teams at Howard University … and started the Underrated Golf Tour, a junior circuit designed to make the game more inclusive. He is co-chair of Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote initiative.” He’s also the Sports Illustrated 2022 Sportsperson of the Year.