Just One Thing
We spenda lot of time on "current events" on this show, and of course during election season there was a fair bit of politics, but is there any subject more important than how you spend the one thing you truly cannot buy more of? This Twitter thread about a recent study on how people spend their time over the course of our lives is fascinating:
Today's Guests
Michael Shermer is the founding publisher of Skeptic magazine and the author of a fascinating new book called "Conspiracy". You can probably guess what we'll be talking about.
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We'll talk with attorney (and morning show partner) Mike Burg of the law firm Burg Simpson about new developments in the remaining lawsuit in the Heather Gardens fatal gas explosion that occurred in Aurora in 2018.
Lawsuit filed in fatal Aurora Heather Gardens gas explosion - Sentinel Colorado
Burg Simpson National Law Firm
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Former Deputy National Security Adviser KT McFarland joins the show for our monthly conversation about international affairs. I'll also congratulate her on her daughter winning re-election in the Florida House of Representatives: Florida State House District 73 election results (heraldtribune.com)
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Other Stuff
I know I've said this a lot, but you can absolutely thank Donald Trump for yet another Senate Republican failure: Cortez Masto defeats Laxalt in Nevada, handing Democrats control of the Senate (nbcnews.com)
That said, I think it's worth noting that EVERY incumbent senator won re-election and every incumbent governor except the Democratic governor of Nevada won re-election. At the moment it looks like something around 10 incumbents lost in the House. In other words, even though I think MANY voters wanted change, there were different priorities among voters, leading to an election that looks like anything but change.
Oh, one more likely loss, although the GOP is still fighting: A "stolen election" #ultraMAGA candidate named Joe Kent running for an open seat (no incumbent in the general election) in Washington state looks like he's losing to a Democrat even though it's a very red district that went for Trump in the last election and even though he outraised and outspent the Democrat. This is the kind of guy who kept showing up on Tucker Carlson's show saying all sorts of faux-patriotic nonsense. As long as the GOP takes the house, it won't bother me if he loses. The GOP needs to learn thoroughly and quickly that they MUST jettison Trump and Trumpism in most districts and states.
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This occurred to me yesterday: I wonder how many Democratic members of the House retired rather than run in what they thought would be a "red wave" year. I wonder how many of them are kicking themselves.
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This is interesting in a border state with serious problems with our southern border. Arizona Dreamers are a step closer to getting in-state tuition | 12news.com
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This will not work out well in Denver, but then Denver voters are out of their minds: Denver sidewalk fee supporters declare victory with Initiated Ordinance 307 up more than 24k votes (denverpost.com)
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Fun bit of history: The Hare-Brained, Deadly Stunt that Helped Launch America as an Air Power - POLITICO
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Guess she won't need to work 9 to 5 anymore. (Not that she actually needed to before this, but I couldn't resist...) Dolly Parton receives $100 million Courage and Civility Award from Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez | CNN
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1 degree of separation: Slovenia elects Melania Trump’s former lawyer as first female president – POLITICO
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800 people test positive for COVID on cruise ship...but most have few or no symptoms: Sydney, Australia: Majestic Princess cruise ship with 800 Covid-positive passengers docks | CNN
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I would absolutely order these just to be on a 30-year waitlist, but they only ship within Japan: The Japanese beef croquettes with a 30-year waitlist | CNN Travel
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This story is not easy to read...be warned: Russian prisoner turned Wagner mercenary brutally executed while trying to desert (msn.com)
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We talked with Tom Mustin on Veterans Day about his remarkable US Navy family. Here's his great-grandfather's Wikipedia page...amazing man: Henry C. Mustin (1874–1923) - Wikipedia
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The only winner of the last (MASSIVE) Powerball lottery was in California. You might think that's very bad luck for the winner (the instant generational wealth not withstanding) because of state taxes. But you'd be wrong...as I was to think that. Because California is one of a handful of states that doesn't tax lottery winnings: The Best and Worst States to Pay Taxes on Lottery Winnings (thebalancemoney.com)
Today's Videos
I love that this artist is pseudonymous and that (s)he went to Ukraine to do this. Love the defiant ballerina, and the child defeating what we have to assume is Vladimir Putin in judo. It's all powerful, all wonderful.
Banksy unveils Ukraine gymnast mural on building shelled by Russia - BBC News