Just One Thing: More Shootings (in the news)
it's very hard for a non-expert to judge whether "mass shootings" really getting more common or just are getting more attention. I'm not in any way downplaying the horror of these crimes. The pain they cause to families, friends, and entire communities is truly terrible. In my conversation with criminologist Alex del Carmen on Friday (from Tarleton State University in Texas), he said that data suggest that odds of a "copycat" shooting inspired by a recent shooting remain elevated for about two weeks after the first event.
I have no way of knowing whether the shooters in two different attacks this weekend were "copycats" or just terrible coincidences. One shooting was in Alabama (5 dead and many injured at a birthday party in a dance hall) and one in Louisville (two dead, several injured, with the shooter firing into a crowd of hundreds at a park) where, just a week ago, a young man with no criminal record murdered several of his colleagues at a bank before being killed by police officers.
I do know that one's position on Second Amendment issues does not lessen one's (my) reaction to these tragedies. I wish I knew of a public policy that is simultaneously constitutional and likely to make a difference. I think approximately none of the left's gun restrictions will make a difference. I can imagine a Red Flag law making a difference on rare occasion though I expect that to be more often regarding suicide than homicide. (Of course stopping a suicide is a good thing too.)
2 dead, 4 injured in Louisville shooting
-
Today's Guests
Peggy Little is senior litigation counsel with NCLA (the New Civil Liberties Alliance). They just scored an important victory at the Supreme Court against the federal government's claim that people challenging rulings of executive agencies must go through (unconstitutional) "administrative law judge" processes before they can sue in federal district court. SCOTUS said they can go straight to court.
Margaret A. Little - New Civil Liberties Alliance (nclalegal.org)
Court approves early challenge to agency proceedings (Scotusblog.com)
--------
I think that learning to debate is a great skill. The obvious is that it will help you win, well, debates, which can be useful. But since part of debate training is learning to make a cogent argument for either side of a proposition, it forces one to think about the perspective of the other side -- even if primarily for the purpose of overcoming it. I often think and occasionally say that if you can't make the other side's argument as well as they can then you don't understand the issue well enough. (That doesn't mean you need to believe anything they say.)
So I'm very much looking forward to having coach Anna Steed and several students from STRIVE Prep - RISE (a public charter school in Denver) join the show to talk about their soon heading to the national debate championships. Congratulations for getting this far, and let's wish them a lot of success at nationals!
Alexander Hernandez-Gonzalez (12th grader) - Team Captain - 3 time National qualifier, 2023 state title holder in Poetry Interpretation, Academic All-American - competes in both debate and speech events.
Ariana Nungaray-Arias - (12th grader) - Team Co-Captain - 4 time National qualifier, 2023 4A State Champion in Informative Speaking, #1 Informative Speaker in the US, Academic All-American
Denisse Gonzalez Marquez - (11th grader) - National qualifier in World Schools Debate, Academic All-American competes in both debate and speech events.
-
Other Stuff
It says a lot about our country that the biggest story, or maybe tied with the top-secret intel "leaker", is Bud Light's working with a transgender "influencer" to try to sell their "beer". It really is one of the worst business decisions I've seen since "new Coke" and Bud may be paying a price for at least a short time. That said, remember that the plural of "anecdote" is not "data" and it's possible that right-leaning media will just play up small numbers of Bud Light boycotts to make us think there's a lot of it. Wyoming news site finds more than a third of small-town bars surveyed are experiencing Bud Light boycotts (For the record, I think there will be a measurable decline in sales of Bud Light and maybe other Budweiser products, but I have no guess as to whether sales will quickly rebound or whether people who change brands to make a statement will stick with the other brand.)
I think Charlie Gasparino has it right: Bitter sip of woke at Anheuser-Busch (nypost.com)
Even more important, though, is this note from Gregory Angelo, a leader of the gay conservative group, Log Cabin Republicans: I Helped Make Corporations Woke, and I Regret It - WSJ NOTE: I will probably have Mr. Angelo on the show later this week.
Budweiser just put out a generic moderately patriotic ad about "The American Spirit" as they try to recover. Feels kinda transparent to me. You decide for yourself.
--------
Good news: Chinese foreign minister pledges not to provide lethal aid to Russia | Washington Examiner
--------
Not sure if this really deserves to be the lead article on the WSJ site, but it's interesting at least to wonder what has to be wrong with the brain of a former member of the US military to support Russia, and specifically in this case what caused the woman in question to be demoted two ranks prior to separating from the Navy. Social-Media Account Overseen by Former Navy Noncommissioned Officer Helped Spread Secrets - WSJ
--------
DeSantis has big problems based on both truth and lies. People believing harmful lies isn't nearly as bad as people believing harmful truths. When someone like this backs away, you know you have at least a bit of a problem: Peterffy Pauses DeSantis Support Over Social Stances, FT Says (msn.com)
I said on Friday that DeSantis must think A) that signing a 6-week abortion ban is popular nationally (which it isn't), or B) that it will be popular with the GOP base to help him win the primary and then he'll work over or around it to win the general (I think the first half is true and I think the second half is almost impossible), or C) that he's truly committed to signing the most aggressive anti-abortion legislation he can because it comports with his deeply held beliefs, or D) some combination of the above. I suppose it has to be D if he's running for president, but I think it's mostly C. He's too smart to believe A so he has to convince himself that B could work. Clearly it's not working with Petterffy.
That said, I am disturbed by Petterffy's apparent believe that Ron DeSantis has "banned books." That's simply not true. Although some school districts seem to be overreacting to new laws due either to legitimate fear (less likely) or wanting to make DeSantis look bad (more likely): DeSantis fights book banning criticism in Florida (floridatoday.com)
I mean, even if Petterffy isn't going to support DeSantis right now (and I don't care at all if he does or doesn't) he -- like the rest of us -- should make decisions based on truth, not lies.
--------
If I were Fox, I’d settle too: Judge delays Dominion and Fox News trial until Tuesday (The Guardian) This doesn't mean I think there's a strong chance of reaching agreement. But if I were Fox, I'd give a LOT not to go to trial, not to make the company's biggest money makers look even worse than they already look, not to have even more damage done to the brand.
--------
I suspect this basic point is right: Shut Up and Drive: Nothing could match the exhilaration of roaring away from school with a girl riding shotgun. So why don’t today’s teens want to drive? (TheFP.com) Note: Jean Twenge will be (back) on the show soon.
--------
On Friday, the Supreme Court temporarily permitted the abortion drug mifepristone to stay available under existing conditions, overruling (again, temporarily) the Texas federal judge who wants to ban it and the 5th Circuit which said it can stay but with further restrictions. Supreme Court blocks lower court rulings restricting abortion pills (Axios)
--------
I'm happy when stupid ideas fail: Newsom’s Walgreens abortion boycott flopped in a month (washingtonexaminer.com)
--------
Nerdy constitutional law stuff, but important: Court approves early challenge to agency proceedings (Scotusblog.com)
--------
Very interesting case coming to the Supreme Court this week: Supreme Court showdown over Sabbath could change workplaces across US - ABC News (go.com)
The Postman’s Sabbath and Federal Law - WSJ
--------
I have no idea if this story is true, but it is amusing: Man's life turns into 'horror movie' after finding hidden door in basement - Mirror Online
--------
Two cheers for Finland's new nuclear reactor. Awesome that it's online but the time and cost to get it there are unacceptable going forward. Europe's most powerful nuclear reactor kicks off in Finland | AP News
--------
First hybrid Chevrolet Corvette sold for $1.1 million. Here's why | Fox News
--------
I mean, I don't know if I could do this but it still doesn't really impress me all that much: Elite mountaineer emerges from cave after nearly 1.5 years (nypost.com)
I think something like 3 years of silence as some Buddhist monks do would be harder. I wouldn't want to try that either.
-
Today's Videos
This monologue from Steve Hilton (whom I don't normally like very much) is perfect. The adult-focused part of this story is a perfect example of stupid GOP overreach that will cost them elections: Missouri to limit gender-affirming care for minors, adults | AP News.
This also plays into it, in the sense that Republicans told the citizenry that all Dobbs really meant (when overturning Roe v Wade) is that regulation of abortion would return to the states: GOP’s Tim Scott says he supports 20-week federal abortion ban (msn.com)
Even if there could be a national consensus on abortion embodied in a federal law that 50% of the population (or even more) could support, that doesn't mean there should be.
Peter Zeihan on AI. Stick with it through the first 2 minutes; there's a bit of a surprise.
Key point: Especially (but not only) if your job is at risk from AI, you should learn to use AI to do your job better and add to your productivity so that it's not in the boss's interest to fire you.