It takes so damn long!

to figure out what’s right

what’s up, what’s down

but I don’t trust other people’s data or opinions

my dentist told me I had a cavity

maybe he just wants some extra cash

you can get a mouth mirror on Amazon

stainless steel — only $4.90!

I took a look inside

didn’t see much

found a video on YouTube

to see what real cavities look like

a week later my mouth hurt

but that dentist isn’t trustworthy

so I shelled out some real money

bought a drill — I could do this myself

ended up…

Beginning in March of 2020, we sought to help American citizens understand how the COVID-19 pandemic would affect their ability to cast votes in the primary and general elections. We were among the first outlets to alert the public that the election results might not be known for several days or weeks. We took allegations of voter fraud and cheating seriously, and looked in depth at the ways that election officials sought to prevent this. We also looked at the history of known fraud cases over the last few decades, and compared what is known about incidents of cheating with…

If you’ll be around relatives or friends — physically or virtually — who are still clinging to conspiracies about the election, Andrew Romano and I have an article that can be a resource for you. (We also did a video and written piece on the tell-tale signs of real conspiracies versus conspiracy theories, which you can read or watch here.)

The first section of this piece on election conspiracies — which discusses the way that bad actors have persuaded many people that there must be fire because they have blown so much smoke — is most important to understanding the…

If you or those you know are wondering about the technical details of how elections are run, how votes are counted, and what is done to make sure every vote is counted fairly, without cheating, I’ve done lengthy podcast interviews with three Republicans who run and oversee the elections in their state. And remember, every state runs its own election, and has different rules. But the best practices shared in these interviews will give you a sense of what is generally done.

Here’s my interview with Kentucky’s Secretary of State Michael Adams.

Here’s my interview with Ohio’s Secretary of State…

Three years ago I wrote a survival guide for normal people, because I knew that many people were feeling overwhelmed by two things. First, we already lived in an Information Age that bombards us with too much to process. And second, in 2017 the pace of news was too fast, too breathless, and just too much.

So I advised a few things: wait 24 hours to let a story play out before even beginning to make up your mind about it; become an expert on one issue or topic, and be a student on the rest; and make time for…

I interviewed Jonathan Karl about his new book for one reason. It turned into something much bigger.

There has been a lot of debate over the president’s coronavirus briefings at the White House. Some say TV networks shouldn’t air them because of all the misinformation and confusing things the president says. Then Trump indicated he might pull back from them. So far he hasn’t.

Anyway, I realized that someone who sits in the front row of the White House briefing room almost every day just published a book about covering the Trump White House. And I’ve known him for years.

…

I’ll admit it: the first time I heard John Prine’s voice was only two years ago. It was a glorious Sunday afternoon in late May, and I was pulling out of the driveway of a barbecue joint in Virginia. I’d eaten so well: fantastic pulled pork with mustard sauce, and brisket cooked in massive outdoor ovens. The blessed sun had poured down on me while I pulled on a beer.

I was on that high you get when you’re just starting out on a trip that you’ve looked forward to: nothing but anticipation and open road in your future. …

At some point, you’ll need a book over the holidays. You — or someone you love — will be tapped out on Christmas movies and binge-watching Netflix.

Personally, I love getting a good book Christmas morning and then sitting around for part of the day getting lost in it.

But while we are on the subject of TV, here’s an incomplete list of some of the best and worst I’ve seen this year:

SUCCESSION — 4 Stars

It’s the best TV show I’ve watched this year and an all-time favorite at this point. The characters are all bad guys essentially…