Bans are a sign of cultural bankruptcy. But … — Earlier this year, at a book festival I was attending to promote my novel How Lucky, I ran into an author whose (excellent) book had shown up on a banned book list. …

It’s hard not to be non-plussed. — On Wednesday, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, in the culmination of a three-year investigation, announced a “sweeping” lawsuit the state was filing against Donald Trump and the Trump Organization, one that, she made explicit, she planned on referring to federal investigators for potential criminal charges. The suit runs…

The way it has in the U.K.? — One of the remarkable things, to this ugly American, is how much daily life in the United Kingdom seems to have stopped in the wake of the death of Queen Elizabeth. Sports events have been canceled, businesses have been shuttered, there’s an endless line of people wanting to see her…

The goodness of people shined through. — On Wednesday afternoon, two chartered planes landed 48 migrants from Venezuela and Colombia at Martha Vineyard’s Airport. These migrants did not know where they were going, who had corralled them, or that they were being used as pawns — as cattle, really — by a shameless politician trying to score…

Is that it for them? — One of the most common complaints about the modern Democratic party is that it doesn’t have a very deep bench. Whether or not you think Joe Biden should run for President again in 2024 — and I think he should run, and that he will win — it’s undeniable that…

Let’s rank stuff! — We have been ranking things every Friday. This is the last one! We have attempted to stick to rankings of things that have some sort of connection to the news of that week. We have failed. Goodbye, ranking world.

Which surely means she’s doomed. — Liz Truss was just named the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, a job, it must be said, sure looks like it’s going to be an impossible one. As Luke McGee from CNN put it: From the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation to public services simply not working…

I suspect this is not going to slow down. — On Sunday afternoon, word came that Wes Freed, a longtime Southern underground artist perhaps best known for his album covers for the Drive-By Truckers, had died of colon cancer. Freed was the sort of artist that meant a ton to the people who knew him — Jason Isbell dedicated his…

Let’s rank stuff! — We are now ranking things, every Friday. We will attempt to stick to rankings of things that have some sort of connection to the news of that week, but we can’t guarantee anything. Want us to rank something? Put it in the responses, or email us at williamfleitch@yahoo.com.