Full Steam a Fed: “The Federal Reserve on Wednesday enacted a quarter percentage point interest rate increase, expressing caution about the recent banking crisis and indicating that hikes are nearing an end.” (And so far, the market seems cool with that.)

+ Socal Studies: The closures are “impacting more than 565,000 students in the nation’s second-largest school district.” The massive Los Angeles public school worker strike, explained.

+ Against the Wind: Bay Area residents got a break from the endless rain and instead got some insane wind. How much wind? Well, a big rig blew over on the Bay Bridge, an Amtrak train hit a tree and derailed, shards of glass fell from skyscrapers, and the guy who was going to remove the fallen tree from my backyard had to reschedule because he had too many other fallen trees to deal with.

+ Guarding Harding: We know that most of the culture war crap is used to distract voters from fiscal issues. But it’s rarely this obvious. “A former Florida lawmaker who sponsored a bill dubbed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law by critics has pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 relief funds … Harding faces up to 35 years in prison, including a maximum of 20 years on the wire fraud charge.”

+ Case Not Closed: Of interest to those who followed the Murdaugh case and documentaries: “The death of Stephen Smith, whose body was found in the middle of a road in 2015, is being investigated as a homicide.”

+ It’s Just Win, Baby: “Being at their show at the time had the same energy as being at church in front of a priest. We were all there, in front of them, glorifying them. They were… I don’t want to say gods… but they were so highly respected and loved!” After allegations against Win Butler, an existential crisis lingers for Montréal. (Arcade Fire is one of my favorite bands. I skipped their last show in SF.)

+ Sound Byte: While you’re worrying about ChatGPT, consider the vocal deepfakes with which we now have to contend. They’re unreal.

+ The Viper and The Diaper: The Trump Protests So Far: Mostly Press and Also Someone in a Diaper.