This Week in the Preamble

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A lot happened this week. Let’s recap:

Congress Shut Down Over a Baby

Six big stories in this piece: starting with an internet-famous conspiracy theorist somehow getting meetings in the Oval Office, and House Speaker Mike Johnson shutting down Congress to block a bill he doesn’t like. The White House is admitting they screwed up and mistakenly sent a dad to a notorious Salvadoran prison known for torturing prisoners… and they don’t want him to come back. Oh, and tariffs? PLUS: Signalgate the Sequel.

How Trump—and Musk—sparked a backlash in Wisconsin

What do the elections in Florida and Wisconsin this week tell us about politics in America? It’s predictable — and fascinating.

The Order That Could Block Millions From Voting

A new executive order could block millions from voting in the next election.

Inside the Minds of Trump Voters

I asked Trump voters to weigh in on how the president is doing, and we got a lot of responses. Thousands, in fact. Here’s what they had to say.

Who is Viktor Orbán -- And Why Does the American Right Love Him?

When Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visited Mar-a-Lago last year, he posted photos with Donald Trump and Elon Musk, captioning them: "The future has begun!" Few Americans might recognize this European leader, but for the American right, Orbán has become something of a political cult hero.

What I’m reading…

Quieseeds

By Christina Rivera for Longreads

In this excerpt of Christina Rivera’s book, My Oceans: Essays of Water, Whales, and Women, takes a new intelligence test. And what she discovers changes her.

The Last Face Death Row Inmates See

By Brenna Ehrlich for Rolling Stone

The Rev. Jeff Hood has made a career of fighting to save men the state wants to kill — and it doesn't matter if they're innocent.

The Worm That No Computer Scientist Can Crack

By Clair L. Evans for Wired

Why, in the face of everything our precarious green world endures, of all the problems out there to solve, would anyone spend 13 years trying to code a microscopic worm into existence? By way of an answer, the author offers one of the physicist Richard Feynman’s most famous dictums: What I cannot create, I do not understand. To truly understand life, you can’t just break it down. You have to be able to put it back together, too.

What I’m listening to…

Pivot Point

This American Life

People talk about living in that in-between moment before everything changes.

Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight with Julia Sweig

Here’s Where It Gets Interesting

Lady Bird, a whip-smart Southern woman, met Lyndon Johnson in Austin, Texas where he proposed to her at the end of their first date (she said no!). Discover Lady Bird’s real first name, the complexities of her marriage to LBJ, her relationship with the Kennedys, environmentalism, and her propensity to document the details of her life.

Marathon runners' bodies have a surprising snack — their own brains

Short Wave

Running an entire marathon takes a lot of energy. Neuroscientist Carlos Matute knows this: he's run 18 of them. He wondered how runners' bodies get the energy they need to make it to the finish line. The answer may lie in the runner’s own mind.

What I’m watching…

The Psychology Of Parenting Through Your Own Mental Health Challenges

Ask Lisa

Rich Roll and Lisa Damour explore how parents can discuss their own mental health challenges with teenagers, emphasizing the importance of timing, honesty, and focusing on your child's needs. They share practical coping strategies and insights on navigating family history and past struggles, while also stressing the need for parents to protect their own mental well-being.

Lisa Kaltenegger: Are we alone in the universe? We're close to finding out

TED Talk

Astrophysicist Lisa Kaltenegger explores the thrilling possibility of discovering life beyond Earth, highlighting how cutting-edge technology like the James Webb Space Telescope lets us analyze distant planets for signs of life in unprecedented detail. Could examining these "alien earths" uncover evidence of new life forms and transform our understanding of the cosmos? We may be closer than ever to finding out.

Something else I wrote…

No crime such as Eichorn is accused of comes without additional victims

In a column for the Minnesota Star Tribune, I talk about the disgraced state Sen. Justin Eichorn and the ripple effect the actions he is accused of taking have on his family. The Minnesota GOP wasted no time in rallying the troops to expel Eichorn — and for good reason.

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