My Weekly Recommendations

Here’s what to read, watch, and listen to

There’s so much happening right now, and it’s time for a weekly catch up.

Is Bipartisanship Dead?

Turn on C-SPAN pretty much any hour of the day, and you’ll probably be greeted by the sight of Democrats and Republicans in Congress at loggerheads, fighting over all these issues, plus many more. Which is why one email this week stopped Gabe Fleisher in his tracks.

How Does Elon Musk Have So Much Power?

Recent seismic shifts in the federal government all have one person in common: Elon Musk, and his new “Department of Government Efficiency.” How does Musk, who is neither an elected official, a government employee, or a Senate-confirmed appointee, have this much power over the United States government?

Three Things to Think About

There’s new hope for tens of thousands of people on the kidney transplant list, Jimmy Carter is posthumously honored, and why American bald eagles are making a comeback.

Project 2025 Was, and Is, the Plan

What’s happening now and what's going to be served may not be called Project 2025 – the nearly 900-page playbook for a conservative presidency that Donald Trump distanced himself from during the campaign – but it’s what’s for dinner.

Who is JD Vance?

From growing up in what he describes as a “hillbilly town” in rural Ohio, JD Vance’s journey to becoming one of the youngest vice presidents in history has been marked by contradictions, including a deep pride in his Ohio hometown – and his desperate desire to leave it behind.

What I am reading…

The Constitutional Crisis Is Here

By Jonathan Chait for The Atlantic

If Congress won’t stop Donald Trump and Elon Musk from arrogating its power over federal spending, who will?

Trump Cabinet Confirmation Hearings: Schedule & How to Watch

By Margaret Hartmann and Chas Danner for New York Magazine

Here’s the Senate confirmation hearing schedule so far, with links to how to watch the hearings online, followed by the full list of Trump Cabinet picks.

Three must-knows from today's big-deal jobs report

By Jed Kolko for Slow Boring

This week we got the jobs report we’ve been waiting for, with the annual benchmark revision to the payroll survey and the annual population adjustment to the household survey. The big news from this jobs report is not the month-to-month changes, but rather how the revisions and adjustments shift our underlying view of the labor market. Kolko served as the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs in the Department of Commerce.

My Quest to Find the Owner of a Mysterious WWII Japanese Sword

By Kevin Chroust for Outside

When the author was a kid, he was fascinated by a traditional katana my grandfather had brought home from Japan in 1945. Years later, Chroust decided it was time to find the heirloom’s rightful owner.

What I am listening to…

What in the World with Leanne Morgan

Here’s Where It Gets Interesting

How did Leanne Morgan go from a small-town mom to one of the biggest comedians in the country? I chatted with the hilarious Leanne Morgan about doing comedy in a parking lot, her love of Costco (because, of course), how she survived a 200 city comedy tour, and never giving up on your dreams. It took more than 20 years, but Leanne now has her own Netflix special, a sitcom in the works, a movie alongside Reese Witherspoon, and a NYT best-selling book. If you want to laugh while also being inspired, don’t miss this episode.

Anne Applebaum: Outside the Rule of Law

The Bulwark Podcast

If the Chinese hacked the U.S. government the way private citizen Elon has, it would be a major act of cyber warfare. And since Elon is a government contractor, he's now in a position to make policy calls that benefit his own companies and hurt his competitors—following the Russian oligarch model. We are in a completely lawless realm, and this is likely to continue until he is stopped. Meanwhile, government employees are being forced to choose between conforming or protecting the public.

What I am Watching….

Rhaina Cohen: Why friendship can be just as meaningful as romantic love

TED Talk

With Valentine’s Day coming up, ​​​​​​we tend to consider romantic partners and family ties to be our most important relationships, but deep friendships can be just as meaningful. In a perspective-shifting talk, author Rhaina Cohen introduces us to the people unsettling norms by choosing a friend as a life partner — and shows why we're all better off recognizing there's more than one kind of significant other.

Conversations I had this week…

Sharon McMahon Talks Political History, Headlines, and Histrionics

Mastering the Room

Casey Burgat and I explored the art of making history matter in today’s fast-moving digital world. We unpacked the challenges of creating high-quality educational content in an era of short attention spans, the impact of fear and conspiratorial thinking on political discourse, and the crucial role historians play in making sense of current events. From memorable conversations with political figures to lessons from historical changemakers like Septima Clark, this episode is a compelling deep dive into why understanding the past is key to shaping the future—and how working with adversaries might just be the secret to progress.

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As always, thank you for being a Governerd.