Just One Thing: Farrah
I haven't talked or thought about Farrah Fawcett in some years until she came up briefly as a topic of conversation in yesterday's show. A listener who heard the podcast sent me this story. In short, deceased actor Ryan O'Neal who was with Farrah for years (though they never married) owned an Andy Warhol painting of Farrah that was the subject of a big lawsuit between O'Neal and the University of Texas. The University claimed it was bequeathed to them; O'Neal said it was his. O'Neal won. O'Neal's Malibu home was destroyed in the Palisade Fire. Actress Tatum O'Neal (Ryan's daughter but her mother is not Farrah) said "It’s the saddest ever so sad I could cry. My father’s house is gone Malibu gone." But the painting wasn't there...
Ryan O’Neal can keep Andy Warhol portrait of Farrah Fawcett, jury says | CNN
Ryan O'Neal's Warhol: What Happened To The Farrah Fawcett Portrait
Ryan O'Neal's daughter says Malibu home he shared with Farrah Fawcett was destroyed in LA fires
Why the painting wasn't there: Andy Warhol’s Farrah Fawcett portrait sells at steep discount
If you need more old celeb gossip: Andy Warhol painting exposes truth about Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal romance | Celebrity News | Showbiz & TV | Express.co.uk
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Today's Guests
Adam Michel is Director of Tax Policy Studies at the Cato Institute and former deputy staff director of the Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress. We'll discuss some possibilities for Republican/Trump tax legislation and why there's a great case to be made to cut the corporate tax rate.
The Case for Trump’s 15 Percent Corporate Tax Rate | Cato at Liberty Blog
Adam N. Michel | Cato Institute
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Alex Seidel is a James Beard Award-winning chef. He recently pain the painful decision to close his wonderful restaurant, Fruition, after 18 years. One of my kids and I ate there on Saturday night, the next-to-last night ever for Fruition. We'll talk about Alex's journey with Fruition and why he decided to shut it down.
An Ode to Fruition Restaurant As It Closes Its Doors After 18 Years - 5280
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Other Stuff
The hearings for Donald Trump's cabinet nominees kick off today with Pete Hegseth. He is among the three remaining "controversial" nominees, along with Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F Kennedy, Jr. You might throw Christy Noem in there. The fact that Hegseth is still in the running is a testament to Trump standing behind his guy even as a raft of bad news stories were dumped on Hegseth. I neither like nor dislike Hegseth. But it's hard to see how he's the right guy for this job. A VERY messy personal history but also apparently a history of mismanagement at one or two non-profits that he was involved with. No relevant large-organization management experience. Sure, he shares Trump's values on issues like getting "wokeness" out of the military -- a goal I also support -- but it has to be possible to find someone with the right mindset who also has a relevant skill set.
All that said, presidents should almost always get their nominees confirmed. It is not a proper role of the Senate to disapprove of a choice because of a policy disagreement. The choices should be approved unless there is strong evidence that the person was selected out of bribery or nepotism or that the person is manifestly incompetent. I think Hegseth and Kennedy come very close to the latter, but enough to say no? I'm not sure.
Keep an eye on GOP Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa. She's a veteran and a victim of sexual assault and her initial reaction to Hegseth was negative but she moved toward a more neutral public position after MAGA got mad at her.
Useful for knowing when various confirmation hearings will take place: Axios Confirmation cheat sheet
Trump team sets red line on Hegseth's FBI background check
Pete Hegseth confirmation: Pledges to restore Pentagon "warrior ethos"
Hegseth confirmation hearing: Full text of his opening statement
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I'll believe it when it happens (and maybe not even then): Israel and Hamas at "closest point" yet to a Gaza ceasefire deal, Qatar says | AP News
Israeli officials say Hamas expected to release 33 hostages in emerging Gaza ceasefire deal | CNN
That said, Hamas's support system is gone and unless they are truly 1000% committed to dying for their cause, and I bet some but not all are, they need a deal. And of course they'll try to use the time to regroup and re-arm, and Israel will need to kill them eventually.
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If I asked you which state has the worst drivers, what would you say? The first two that come to my mind are two of the top three on this list: New Study: This U.S. State Has the Worst Drivers—See Where Your State Ranks
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Now THAT is "going viral": A.J. Brown's sideline book skyrockets to top seller on Amazon - ESPN
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A good realization but it's only half of what needs to be said: Folks like him also need to acknowledge that they were wrong, scientifically and ethically, to spend years telling the public that climate change poses an existential threat. It's a giant grift. I'm sure some people actually believe it, but mostly they're being played by people making money off of scaring people: From Idealism to Realism - by Roger Pielke Jr.
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Don't let the door hit you on the way out: Chuck Todd plans to leave NBC when his contract is up: report
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Speaking of Congress, this is a funny story: The U.S. government runs on Celsius. Just ask anyone on Capitol Hill. - The Washington Post
Will Californians ever tire of their politicians’ lunacy? California Gov. Newsom expands special session to address LA wildfires
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More wolf stuff: New wolves landed in Colorado. A Facebook group broke the news. - The Colorado Sun
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Keep on cutting! 2025 will be the year of the budget cut at the Colorado Capitol - The Colorado Sun
Interesting info here: Home | Colorado State Budget
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Biden administration is trying, on its way out the door, to implement a rule to reduce the nicotine content in cigarettes. Biden administration to release nicotine reduction rule
Law enforcement (and probably lobbyists for tobacco companies) are warning of potentially spurring a black market for higher nicotine content cigarettes.
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Makes sense to me, not that I go to Starbucks: Starbucks reverses its open-door policy | AP News
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Some folks don't want the Palmer Lake Buc-ee's: Buc-ee's lawsuit filed against town of Palmer Lake over annexation plan | Business | gazette.com
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Salacious but mostly sad: Months After Hamptons Tragedy, Widow Contends With a Tangle of Debt – DNyuz
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I find "forgiving" student loans -- which just means making taxpayers pay for them -- for people just because they decided to work in government to be outrageous: Joe Biden announces student loan forgiveness for 150,000 borrowers
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Today's Video
Thanks to listener Dale for sending this...it's quite remarkable and beautiful:
More if you're interested in wolves:
Not the usual stuff I watch but listener Greg sent it and it's kinda interesting. Also, she and I are the same age. I remember going to Princeton for a football game and walking around campus a bit to try to see her. No luck.