Extra, Extra

You Be Fronting: Robin Wright in The New Yorker: How Ten Middle East Conflicts Are Converging Into One Big War. Related: “The U.S has designated the Houthi rebel group as a terrorist organization, a move that comes after the Yemen-based militants launched scores of drone and missile attacks on U.S. military ships and commercial vessels operating in the Red Sea.”

+ At Least They’re Enjoying the Ride: “Trump’s party is signing up for the ride, knowing exactly what the ride is. Pro-Ukraine senators are working to elect a president who will cut off Ukraine, knowing that he will cut off Ukraine. Pro-NATO senators are working to elect a president who will wreck NATO, knowing that he will wreck NATO.” David Frum in The Atlantic (Gift Article): The Ruin That a Trump Presidency Would Mean. (The enablers know how bad this all will be. And they support him anyway.) Meanwhile, Trump is back in court where he almost got kicked out. Agitated Trump says ‘I would love it’ after judge threatens to boot him from E. Jean Carroll defamation trial.

+ Heavenly Bodies: ‘Sexual pleasure a gift from God’ but avoid porn, Pope Francis advises. (I’m Jewish, but I suddenly feel compelled to confess…)

+ Character Traits: WaPo (Gift Article): Forget 10,000 steps. 7 surprising tips for step counters. “The notion to take 10,000 daily steps stems from a marketing ploy: As the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics approached, a Japanese researcher decided to nudge his nation to be more active by offering pedometers with a name that loosely translated as ‘10,000-step meter.’ (The Japanese character for the number 10,000 looks a little like a person walking.)” If only the Japanese character for 10,000 looked like a guy sitting on his couch…