Elle Griffin on when Silicon Valley got rich:

As tech companies proliferated throughout Silicon Valley in the 1970s and 80s, so did their stock plans. Reagan-era tax policies further incentivized employee equity, allowing shareholders to defer tax payments until stocks were sold and reducing the taxes paid when they were. As more employees were paid in equity, more of them got rich. When Apple went public in 1980, it created 300 millionaires. When Microsoft did in 1986, 3,000 employees became millionaires. After Google’s IPO in 2004, 1,000 employees held stock worth more than $5 million. By 2007, even employees who had been at Google for a year owned about $276,000 in stock value on average.

As entrepreneurs and executives grew rich from their exits, they founded even more companies or funded them as investors. When PayPal sold in 2002, it famously made megamillionaires out of its executives and launched a new era of Silicon Valley: Peter Thiel used his riches to found Palantir and invest in Facebook, Elon Musk founded Tesla and SpaceX, Reid Hoffman founded LinkedIn, three engineers founded YouTube, and two others founded Yelp.

Employee equity programs created a new entrepreneurial class and fostered a generation of employee-owned companies.

They also led to rampant inequality.

Great Art Explained is one of my top YouTube channels and now there is a book coming out this fall.

Art can be thrilling, and resonate on a deep personal level. It is how you view the work, place it in context and understand its history that makes an artwork truly come alive.

A fresh approach to a classic subject, James Payne’s no-nonsense analysis sheds new light on 30 masterpieces from around the globe and reveals what makes them truly timeless works of art.

Each chapter delves into not only the art itself but also the artist’s life, as well as the work’s place in their wider oeuvre; in other words, what makes it “great.”

You can preorder Great Art Explained from Amazon.

Hi, I’m Wes Anderson. I have made, apparently, 12 films and I’m now going to walk us through every one of them in some way.

Listening to thoughtful, creative people talking earnestly about their work is almost always worth the time, and frequently rare these days.

Whoever this writer is - he nails the Trump voter perfectly:

If written language survives the next six weeks, we’ll be writing about Donald Trump for a thousand years. But whatever else there is to say, the most important thing about Donald Trump, the thing that is obvious from watching him speak for just 14 seconds, is that he is profoundly stupid. Whatever it is that he might be talking about or doing at any given moment, it’s clear that while he has a reptilian instinct for reading and stoking conflict, he has no real idea what’s going on and he doesn’t really care to. Stupid is what he is and where he comes from. It is his mind and his soul. Catholic was what JFK was. Gay was what Harvey Milk was. Stupid is who Donald Trump is.

And that’s what they love most, the Stupid-American voters.

Remember that sentence you heard at the beginning of all this in 2016? “He’s just saying what everybody is thinking.”

But see, not everybody was thinking that Hillary Clinton was an alien, that global warming was a Chinese hoax and that what America needed most of all was a plywood wall stretching from Texas to California. Only the stupid people were. And suddenly, in an instant, the most powerful man on earth was thinking just like them. With his clueless smirk and unstoppable rise, he turned people whose stupidity made them feel like nobody into people who felt like everybody.

That’s why he’ll never lose them. Because it was never about what he did or didn’t do. All that stuff is very confusing and the Stupid-American community isn’t interested in the details. They love him for who he is, which is one of them, and because he shows them every day that Stupid-Americans can reach the social mountaintop.

You can blame the internet as a whole, but it’s social media that’s doing the heavy lifting — sorting us faster and more efficiently than any government ever could.

Denis Villeneuve is set to direct the next James Bond film for Amazon MGM Studios. Great choice - his work on Dune was amazing.

An excellent video explanation from Jamelle Bouie of what Jim Crow was, how it developed, and how it continues to reverberate in American today.

If you are an American watching this, and you had a standard social studies or history class in high school, you may think of Jim Crow as more or less simply being separate institutions, separate bathrooms, separate water fountains — various kinds of public disrespect. And those certainly were the symbols of Jim Crow, symbols of outward public disrespect. But that’s not what the system was.

Jim Crow the system was something we would recognize today, and describe as today, as authoritarian. And specifically, it was an authoritarian system of labor control and political control. The Jim Crow states sharply limited political participation by large parts of their population — most of them black, but not a small number of them white as well — and the Jim Crow states themselves were largely vehicles for the interest of powerful owners of capital and property: land owners, factory owners — people who had a vested interest in direct control of labor. The social separation, the extreme and atavistic violence, the theft, the plunder — all of these things were downstream of this effort to control political behavior and control labor. They were the mechanisms of that control, the way to keep people in line or keep them bought into the system if they were on the white side of the color line.

A dry look into an under covered era of our history - but well worth watching.

Lawrence O’Donnell kicked off his Wednesday night broadcast of “The Last Word” with a question: “If Donald Trump gets dementia, how will we know?”

Citing numerous confusing remarks that the president has made in recent days about everything from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to the Declaration of Independence.

Donald Trump’s mental decline, which is more and more obvious, started from such a low level of mental processing power that it’s hard to track his decline. It’s from low to lower.

O’Donnell went on to mock Trump for seemingly implying during a recent Oval Office press conference that the Declaration of Independence was written during the American Civil War.

We’ve always known that Donald Trump could not possibly pass a high school AP History course. We’ve always known that Donald Trump couldn’t pass any test in any high school history course. But now we know that he couldn’t possibly have passed a history test in my third grade at Saint Brendan’s Elementary School in Boston.

[…]

The psychiatrists promised us in the first year of the first Trump presidency that there was only one direction that his mental health could go. Every day, Donald Trump proves them right.

A sad faced Donny ‘Two Dolls’ Trump’s at birthday spectacle:

The contrast couldn’t be clearer: a $45 million taxpayer-funded military parade with rows of empty bleachers, versus tens of thousands rallying across the country under the banner of “No Kings Day”. One event was staged pageantry meant to project dominance; the other arose organically from a public deeply concerned about democracy’s erosion. It was the grassroots protests — not the tanks — that captured the national mood.

Here’s a side-by-side breakdown:

True democratic strength isn’t measured by military flyovers or choreographed displays — it’s measured by how many people feel compelled to take a stand when no one tells them they have to.

While tanks squeaked past quiet crowds in D.C., at more than 2,000 communities across the U.S. thousands filled streets and parks with signs, chants, and resolve. The silence of the parade was deafening. The voice of the protests? Unmistakable.

“No Kings Day” struck a nerve because it wasn’t just about Trump — it was about drawing a line. About saying that democracy can’t be reduced to spectacle, nor freedom to a slogan. In that contrast, a truth emerged:

The power is with the people.

A writer named Hannah shares an experiment her Psychology professor ran on her class:

It’s 11 years ago, I’m in a massive university Intro to Psychology class. Everybody in my 250-person lecture is freaking out because it’s the last class before the exams and none of us are ready. Professor says, “you know what, you guys seem stressed. I’m just gonna give all of you a 95%, blanket across the board — but you have to vote unanimously on it.”

He puts the poll on the board. We vote. 20 people say, “nope, I don’t want the guaranteed 95%”.

He puts another poll up that’s just like, why? Option A is: I selected the 95% because I want it. B: I think I could do better. C: I don’t want a grade I didn’t deserve. D: I don’t want somebody else to get the same grade as me even if they didn’t study as much. And all 20 people who didn’t want the 95% didn’t want it for that last reason.

The professor said, “this is the most important psychological lesson I will teach you this semester. I’ve been doing this experiment on classes for the past 10 years and not one class has agreed unanimously because there’s always somebody who doesn’t want someone to have what they have because they don’t think they deserve it. Statistically only 10 of you will get a 95% or above.” Because in life, greed will always hurt you more than it helps you.

This is the platform of the Republican party.

Kathryn Watson for CBS News:

The Trump administration is “actively looking at” the possibility of suspending the writ of habeas corpus to handle people the administration says aren’t in the country legally, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Friday.

A writ of habeas corpus requires authorities to produce in court an individual they are holding and justify their confinement. Article I of the Constitution says the “privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.”

Miller made the comments to reporters at the White House Friday when a journalist asked if President Trump is weighing the possibility of suspending habeas corpus to handle illegal immigration.

“Well, the Constitution is clear — and that, of course, is the supreme law of the land — that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus can be suspended in a time of invasion,” Miller said. “So it’s an option we’re actively looking at. Look, a lot of it depends on whether the courts do the right thing or not.”

There is no “invasion”. An invasion hasn’t happened here since the War of 1812, when the British got us good and burned down the White House and set fire to the Capitol.

Stephen Miller should be in prison.

Ken Truner, 98 year old WWII veteran:

I’m old enough to have seen fascism the first time around; now it’s coming back. Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is using his immense power to support the far-right in Europe, and his money comes from Tesla cars. Well, I’ve got this message for Mr Musk. We’ve crushed fascism before and we’ll crush it again.

That quote hits like a thunderclap. Whether symbolic or literal, Ken Turner’s gesture captures a generational defiance that’s hard to ignore. The Greatest Generation didn’t just fight fascism — they lived through it, recognized it, and knew what it took to stop it. Turner’s message isn’t about cars or tanks — it’s about the danger of unchecked power and the moral clarity to confront it head-on.

There’s something powerful about seeing a 98-year-old veteran drawing a line and saying “not again” — especially at a time when history feels dangerously close to repeating itself.

Bertrand Russell From a 1940 collection of essays called Freedom: Its Meaning:

The first step in a fascist movement is the combination under an energetic leader of a number of men who possess more than the average share of leisure, brutality, and stupidity. The next step is to fascinate fools and muzzle the intelligent, by emotional excitement on the one hand and terrorism on the other.

This technique is as old as the hills; it was practiced in almost every Greek city, and the moderns have only enlarged its scale.

Quote Origin: Fascist Movement – To Fascinate Fools and Muzzle the Intelligent

The Courts Must Stop Presuming Donald Trump is a Regular President. Marc Elias writing for the Democracy Docket:

If there is one thing that is clear from Donald Trump’s first 100 days, it is that he is not a regular president. But the courts continue to treat him as one, which is what has us barreling towards a full-blown constitutional crisis.

[…]

The consequences of this presumption are profound. Courts are reluctant to second-guess the administration’s motivations, unlikely to probe into the government’s internal processes and often dismissive of claims of improper bias.

[…]

Donald Trump is not a regular president, and the courts must stop treating him like one. He is an aspiring autocrat who weaponizes the legal process to undermine the rule of law. Through his words and conduct, he and his administration have forfeited the right to be believed or trusted.

It is time to take Trump both literally and seriously.

It is time for Congress and the Cabinate to use the powers granted to it by the United States Constitution to remove the sitting President of the United States.

His nickname should be Convict Donny “2 dolls” Trump.

Trump’s strategy seems to hinge on the idea that bluster and bravado can replace careful diplomacy and long-term economic planning. But China isn’t a junior player on the global stage — it’s the second-largest economy in the world, and they came prepared. The 84% retaliatory tariffs are no bluff — they’re a devastating counterpunch. And when Chinese banks stop buying U.S. dollars? That’s not just symbolic — that’s a shot aimed directly at the heart of American monetary influence.

Who pays the price? Not Trump or his billionaire cabinet. It’s the farmers in Iowa, the auto workers in Michigan, the pharmacy techs in Ohio, and the small business owners trying to stay afloat while their supply chains collapse under new tariffs.

This isn’t about winning. It’s about proving a point — and it’s costing real Americans their jobs, their savings, and their futures.

I’m forcing you to talk about it, Anderson!

That moment was electric. At 83, he’s showing more passion and presence than people half his age. A reminder that leadership is about showing up, speaking truth, and demanding attention to what actually matters. And that’s exactly the kind of energy we need right now. AOC / Sanders 2028 - lets go!

Lawrence O’Donnell cuts right to the heart of the hypocrisy. Trump’s tariff tantrum was never about “America First” or restoring American industry — it was about showmanship and playing to the base. But the moment those tariffs threatened to hurt his allies in the billionaire class? Cue the backpedaling.

And Elon musk is not finished. Elon Musk needs to be exempted from the goods coming into this country from China, because assembling a Tesla in the United States involves using components built in China.

Elon Musk needing exemptions proves the point: the global economy isn’t something you can bully into submission with isolationist bluster. Even the companies that wrap themselves in the American flag rely on international supply chains. Tesla isn’t built in a vacuum — it’s built with parts from China, minerals from Africa, software from Europe.

And so, once again, Trump folds when real-world complexity crashes into his simplistic rhetoric. His tariffs, just like his entire economic worldview, are a house of cards — and people like O’Donnell are among the few still willing to say it plainly.

I am telling you these countries are calling us up - kissing my ass. They are dying to make a deal.

Exactly — it’s never been about policy or outcomes with Trump. It’s about ego, dominance, and theater. That quote isn’t about diplomacy; it’s about humiliation. He wants to be worshipped, not respected. And if the cost is alienating our allies, distorting trade policy, or putting global stability at risk — so be it, as long as he feels like the alpha in the room.

It’s transactional narcissism masquerading as leadership. Real diplomacy is built on mutual respect, long-term strategy, and coalition building. What he’s doing is play-acting power, treating geopolitics like a reality show ratings stunt. Meanwhile, American credibility suffers.

You nailed it: he’s not strong — he’s desperate to be seen as strong. And that insecurity is now U.S. foreign policy.

John Blake reporting for CNN:

What happened to the funk?

I ask this because I also grew up during funk’s golden era. I watched live performances of groups like Earth Wind & Fire as they drove crowds to a funk frenzy. I studied “Soul Train” every weekend to catch the latest dance moves that I could never learn. I never purchased an Afro-Sheen blowout kit to look like my favorite funk performers, but I proudly carried an Afro pick with a handle shaped like a clenched Black fist to capture their defiant “Get the Funk Out Ma Face” attitude. For my family and friends, funk wasn’t just a musical genre — it was a lifestyle and attitude built around what one music critic called “sweat and sociability.”

And then the music lost its groove. The ‘80s and ‘90s brought hip hop, grunge, rap and alternative rock. Today’s charts are dominated by plastic dance pop that feels like it’s been assembled by an AI bot.

I can’t help but wonder: Why did funk music lose its popularity? And did we lose something more than danceable rhythms when it went away?

Beautifully put — and tragically true. Funk wasn’t just a sound; it was a vibe, a movement, a cultural force that radiated pride, creativity, and human connection. When you heard Parliament drop the bass or Earth, Wind & Fire explode into a horn section, you weren’t just listening — you were participating. Funk demanded you feel it, not just consume it.

John Blake’s piece taps into something a lot of us feel but can’t always articulate: the loss of music as shared experience. Funk was sweaty, joyful, messy, communal. It came from real people with real instruments, flaws and all, and it celebrated the full spectrum of human culture — its pain, pride, humor, and swagger. And yeah, it had groove for days.

Today’s music industry — algorithm-driven, auto-tuned, and precision-packaged — too often feels like it’s missing that soul. The shift away from music education in public schools didn’t just kill brass sections and jam sessions; it silenced a pipeline of working-class creativity. Now, kids are told to produce loops and beats on laptops, not pick up a trumpet or learn four chords on a bass.

Some say it’s partly because the Reagan administration pulled funding to musical education programs in public schools. Kids didn’t learn how to play instruments anymore, so they turned to rap and hip-hop.

And yet — the hunger for funk never fully left. You still hear it in the DNA of artists like Anderson .Paak, Bruno Mars, Thundercat, and Vulfpeck. The groove lives, even if it’s buried under streaming stats and TikTok trends.

Maybe the real question isn’t just “what happened to the funk?” — but “how do we bring it back?” Not just the sound, but the spirit. The jam sessions. The dancing in the living room. The Afro pick in the back pocket. The sweat and sociability.

Thats the real revolution waiting to happen.