Crema of the crop
The Supreme Court decides President Trump can fire independent regulators at will, though not at the Federal Reserve. / NPR
In ruling that prison staff can’t be held financially liable for violating religious freedoms—specifically, for cutting a Rastafarian man’s hair—the Supreme Court would seem to run roughshod over the law, Congress, and itself. / The Associated Press, The Nation
Former employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recreate a climate-data website shut down by the Trump administration. / NPR
Across Europe, approximately only a fifth of homes have air conditioning. / Maarten Boudry’s Substack
In the UK, more than nine in 10 homes are not insulated to keep out heat, “while by 2050 there is forecast to be a daily shortfall in water supply of five billion liters.” / The Guardian
A woman uses artificial intelligence to produce documentary-style, time-traveling travel videos. / YouTube
AI platforms are becoming a common way to search for future soccer stars in Brazil. / The New York Times [$]
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A round-up of observations from European fans about the suburban United States’ extremes. / The Wall Street Journal [$]
What if the World Cup wasn’t about soccer but things like happiness and life expectancy? / Dataguessr
An interview with Team USA’s official barista: “It’s nonstop from 6:30-9:15am and 2-5pm. Definitely hitting around 200 drinks on high energy days!” / Sprudge
Los Angeles’s three new museums are said to be “watershed examples of large-scale curvature as built form.” / Places Journal
James Turrell’s 100th “skyscape” installation opens in Aarhus, Denmark. / Colossal
A former chief music critic of the New York Times reviews himself at 93. / Bernard Holland
After five months without pot, “the guy” Ben Sinclair reflects on whether biking or weed was his true muse for discovering New York City. / Low Maintenance
Unrelated: The Wikipedia article on British economist Guy Standing “includes a photo of Standing seated.” / Futility Closet
And now a brief chat with new supporter Ben T.!
Hi, Ben. Thanks for supporting! How long have you been reading TMN? I think I found TMN back in the blog era, 2004 or so (did it exist that long ago?). I half remember getting my wife a ToB T-shirt with a sort of kaiju squirrel looming over the Kentile sign in Brooklyn.
We love that shirt—maybe we should bring it back? Out of curiosity, what keeps you reading, 20-plus years later? I keep reading because it connects me to work I wouldn’t find otherwise, by actual people.
Awesome. Finally, any particular reason you decided to support today? I’ve been making an effort lately to give more support to idiosyncratic sources of information and creativity because it seems like they’re harder to find and I want them to stick around.