Extra, Extra
Family Separation Sequel: No one covered the original family separation story better than Caitlin Dickerson. Sadly, there’s still more for her to cover. Things are different this time, but still awful. The Atlantic (Gift Article): The Babies Left Behind in America. “Whereas his first administration took children from their parents at the border to deter illegal crossings, the second is separating families living in the United States as part of a purge. Like last time, Trump officials claim that this is untrue.”
+ Oil Leak: Two factors that could be pressuring Iran to want a deal. WSJ (Gift Article): A U.S. Arm-Twisting Campaign Is Cutting Iran Off From the Rest of the World. And Reuters: Mideast oil exports rebound in September as Saudi Arabia boosts shipments.
+ Frat Row: “According to lawyers for the student, who filed a civil lawsuit against the university and her alleged attackers earlier in September, only two members of the Chi Phi fraternity were expelled after the October 2024 incident, in which she said she was drugged and repeatedly raped over the course of seven hours … None of the seven were arrested, they said, and the others were made to write essays, attend workshops or serve short suspensions.” Investigation of alleged gang-rape at Cornell University fraternity house reopened.
+ Get a Room: “On a spring day last year, Andrew Willoughby drove three and a half hours to a cheap motel in Nags Head, N.C. From the parking lot, he texted a stranger he had met online.” Yes, this is titillating. Just not in the way you’re thinking. In an $80 Motel Room, a Discovery to Shed Light on the Origins of Life. (Imagine what they could have discovered in a $1200 suite…)
+ Can Money Buy Love? “One of the ads — backed by music that repeats the words ‘love me’ — prominently features images of President Donald Trump while he says, ‘America will never be a communist country.'” (It’s not the first time Donald Trump paid for love. But this time, he’s paying with your money.) Taxpayer-funded Trump ads draw bipartisan scrutiny ahead of midterms.
+ Kruk and Kuip: “You do not become a legend in a major league booth without a finely tuned sense of timing. Krukow and Kuiper began polishing theirs when they were Giants players in the twilight of their careers and at the end of the dugout railing, entertaining themselves and their teammates with their mock broadcasts. When former Giants executive Corey Busch recognized their talent and they embarked on their second career in the broadcast booth, they continued to sharpen their comedic timing. They learned to avoid stepping on one another. But they became experts at so much more. Their emotional timing was exquisite, too.” (And Krukow’s farewell ceremony nearly broke me yesterday…) Andrew Baggarly: In good times and bad, Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper were the soul of Giants baseball. (Man oh man, were Giants fans lucky to have Kruk and Kuip. For decades, they were the soundtrack of our lives.)
