An Open Letter to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Who Thinks My Daughter Is a Tragedy by Anaïs Godard

It’s remarkable how often the proudly ignorant string-pullers behind the current U.S. presidency managed to fill key appointed positions with the the absolute worst choice for the role in question. Giving the gravel-brained Robert F. Kennedy Jr. key responsibilities in managing and speaking to matters of public health is practically a terrorist action. Among other horrendous acts, the disgraceful huckster has wasted no time is spewing his hateful prejudice against neurodivergent individuals. Anaïs Godard, a mother of one of the children who Kennedy finds to be such tragic wastes, responds eloquently, movingly, and with a fighting spirit that’s immensely inspiring. This piece is published by McSweeney’s Internet Tendency.

The Media Will Never Stop Falling For It by Peter Shamshiri

Writing for his own blog, String in a Maze, Peter Shamshiri plainly calls out the mainstream journalists for their persistent inability to properly reckon with the current U.S. president’s manipulations. “Headline generation is Trump’s most pronounced talent,” Shamshiri writes. “He knows that the media will feel obligated to report what he says while hesitating to characterize his statements as dishonest. After all, the former is factual reporting, and the latter is editorializing.” I don’t think the lifelong criminal is canny enough to realize that this is what he’s doing, but he’s benefited from such irresponsibly rapt, unquestioning news coverage his whole misbegotten life. He rides its waves with muscle memory, remaining in power despite rampant corruption and laughable ineptitude at levels that would have gotten any of his predecessors correctly ousted from office. The whole nation suffers because of it.