PicoBlog

Today inaugurates a new mixed-media feature where I go behind the scenes to dig a little deeper into a recent news story. It’s not part of the podcast series—just a 10-15 minute sound clip with an author or expert, and a little sample of the article. Have fun with it! And, of course, if you have a friend who loves to dish all things Trump, please: Share Joan Walsh has a long and distinguished career as a journalist.

Very few stories these days take my breath away, but this one did the trick: Cops in Kansas raided the office of local newspaper the Marion County Record Friday morning because of a complaint by a local restaurant owner named Kari Newell. She was unhappy with the outlet’s reporting on how she kicked out reporters from a recent event at her establishment with US Congressman Jake LaTurner (R-KS) and subsequent research they were conducting.

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of hosting Zachary Wagner at Truett Seminary on Baylor Campus. I first became aware of Zach through his book Non-Toxic Masculinity: Recovering Healthy Male Sexuality. I had the privilege of meeting Zach and his family this past July in Oxford and was so glad he was able to drive down to Waco for an afternoon while in San Antonio attending the American Academy of Religion/Evangelical Theological Society/Society for Biblical Literature conference.

Henry Rich and the Oberon team, who are owners of Rucula, June Wine Bar, and Rhodora, have soft opened Anais, a new natural wine bar on a quiet corner of Bergen and Bond in Boerum Hill.  “We wanted to bring a wine bar to the community in Boerum Hill,” Henry told me when we chatted on the phone yesterday. “We have had Rucola for 12 years, and it's where I got my start.

Welcome to Original Jurisdiction, the latest legal publication by me, David Lat. You can learn more about Original Jurisdiction by reading its About page, and you can email me at davidlat@substack.com. This is a reader-supported publication; you can subscribe by clicking here. Thanks! As I expected, I received a fair amount of criticism over my open letter to Crystal Clanton. But the content of the criticism surprised me. I thought I would receive complaints from readers who wanted me to speak more harshly about Crystal, a future law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas who allegedly sent racist text messages to a co-worker around nine years ago.

I originally shared this with paid subscribers, but due to popular demand, I’m re-releasing this conversation so that everyone can listen. Hi friend, Recently, I sat down with Jon Batiste, my beloved husband—and the Oscar- and Grammy-winning artist—to make something very special for you. Crosslegged on the floor of his studio, equipped with a couple of microphones and some powerful questions from this community, we dove in. As we talked, we did what we aspire to do when journaling—we showed up as our most unedited, unvarnished selves.

In the realm of cinema, few genres captivate audiences as profoundly as horror. Yet, within the chilling narrative of "Immaculate," lies a deeper exploration of themes touching upon faith, bodily autonomy, and the sanctity of life. Directed by Michael Mohan and brought to life by a stellar cast including Sydney Sweeney and Álvaro Morte, "Immaculate" ventures into the depths of psychological terror while subtly weaving a pro-life narrative that challenges societal norms and ethical boundaries.

I’ve spent the better part of my kids’ lives cultivating book-abundance because of the very few specific goals I have as a parent, one of them is to raise kids who love to read. We frequent the neighborhood library, a branch of which is luckily across the street from their school, and during the pandemic I would request and pick up piles upon piles of books on a weekly basis. I have run @kidsbookrecs, recommending curated picture books for years now, because I think some of the most free and imaginative thinking happens in the telling and illustrating of stories for children.

Growing up in Sacramento, California in a mixed race family, I did not have a lot of exposure to or experience with the Asian American community. Though I attended predominantly white Catholic schools my entire life, I had the privilege of participating in a Filipino cultural club, Pearl of the Orient, at my all-girls’ high school, which introduced me to the most Filipinos I’d ever met in my life at that point and my favorite cultural tradition, the tinikling dance.