Losing My Perspicacity, August 21, 2025

Good morning and Happy Thursday! Thanks for reading this morning. I hope anyone who is on the East Coast is safe and secure as Hurricane Erin moves in.

Yesterday was another one of those “where do I even start?” newsdays. There’s a lot to discuss, but let’s start here and give all of our souls some joy.

That is some heavy-duty booing from the DC residents. Well done. I’m also thankful to see JD Vance back from his English vacation because, as odious as Vance is, I hate it when other countries have to deal with him. It’s like taking your toddler to the office, right before naptime, so all your friends and coworkers can see your child at their absolute worst. JD Vance is the worst of us, and I’d prefer we kept him in a dark basement, somewhere he can’t embarrass us further.

After all the drama that’s unfolded in the Texas statehouse lo these past few weeks, first with Democrats fleeing the state to prevent a quorum, then with Republicans locking state rep Nicole Collier in the House chambers for two straight nights, the redistricting plan that was the root of all of it has passed the Texas House. The Texas Senate is expected to vote on the bill by this evening.

Super.

But all is not lost. Today is also the day the California state legislature will seek to advance its own redistricting map. I just saw this piece over at Cal Matters with the headline “‘Moral conflict’ drives Democratic doubts about Gavin Newsom’s redistricting plan,” and now I’m off to stick my head in the oven. I’m not saying Democrats need to go as low as Republicans; they should take the moral high road as much as possible. But I’m not sure having “taken the high road” is going to be much comfort when ICE is goose-stepping through our streets and we’re at war with the European Union over $15 eggs.

Perhaps some words from Barack Obama will help California Democrats overcome their internal conflicts.

This is precisely how I feel. Would I prefer we don’t gerrymander at all? Yes, I would. But if Republicans are going to use it as a weapon, Dems can’t just sit back and wring their hands about the unfairness of it all and pat themselves on the back for being too pure to pull such a stunt. It’s like bringing a cupcake to a gun fight. We need to do it the Chicago way.

So, do Dems really want to get Republicans? What are they willing to give up to do it?

Today: Tommy Tuberville reassures us he is still the dumbest Congressperson alive; What the ESPN/NFL deal means for journalism; Jillian Michaels doesn’t get it; and The High Note.

Let’s do it

Tommy Tuberville is painfully dumb

When Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) couldn’t name the three branches of the US federal government, I thought he would never top the ignorance and stupidity. Since then, Tuberville has proven, time and time again, that he has no real thoughts beyond what other Republicans tell him his thoughts should be. He is partial to weighing in on the “culture wars,” though, because things like “no men in women’s sports” and “crime is bad” are easy things for him to understand.

Apparently, during the 21 years that Tuberville was coaching college football, he never noticed the male cheerleaders on the sidelines, because he’s having big feelings again. This time, the dumbest US Senator in history has set his sights on the Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders, who recently added men to the squad:

First, Tuberville appearing on an Outkick podcast could not be more on-brand. It’s exactly where he belongs. Secondly, “the narrative that you want to put gender in sports,” has me baffled. Does he realize how many women and girls in this country have been told they can’t play sports because they’re “for boys?” I was told at 11 that I had to switch to softball because baseball was “for boys,” and 30+ years later, the same thing is still happening to girls in my neighborhood. No gender in sports? Ask any woman in sports or sports media if there is “gender in sports.” What Tuberville means is “they” are trying to include people other than white alpha males in sports, and that upsets him.

Well, I hate to break it to you, Tommy, but schools in the South, including Alabama, have had male cheerleaders for years.

Call me crazy, but I feel like I see several men in there.

Look, college and pro cheerleading squads are incredibly difficult to make. If any men can keep up with the women, which the men selected for the Vikings cheer squad obviously CAN, let them dance! We’ve got women in NFL front offices and on the sidelines now, let the men cheer. How does any of this affect anyone other than showing children that people exist in all different shapes and sizes, and that there is no one way to be a man or woman?

Someone should also let Tuberville know that four U.S. presidents have been cheerleaders, including the GOP’s patron saint, Ronald Reagan.

In conclusion, everyone can like what they like, dance where they want to dance, and Tommy Tuberville continues to be a waste of oxygen. The End.

How the ESPN/NFL deal will change sports

During my time at my last job in sports journalism, I wrote quite a bit about ESPN’s slow descent into bro culture. At one time, ESPN employed incredible journalists like Bob Ley and Kate Fagan, and had top-notch shows like “Outside the Lines.” Today, ESPN seems to exist to prop up Pat McAfee (ugh), Stephen A. Smith (UGH), and Adam Schefter (bleh). Any semblance of actual journalism went out the window long ago, save a few reporters like Paula Lavigne, who actually engage in investigative journalism.

Over at USA Today, the brilliant Nancy Armour wrote about ESPN buying 10 percent of the NFL, and how it’s already changed the world of sports reporting, having recently pulled out of airing a documentary about Colin Kaepernick’s protest of police brutality:

Of course, that wasn’t the only time the NFL and ESPN got together to make sure everyone came out smelling like roses. In an infamous 2016 interview, NFL “insider” Adam Schefter interviewed former Carolina Panther Greg Hardy following his deactivation by the team for domestic abuse. ESPN could have, at the very least, had a woman interview Hardy. Better yet, a woman who had a decent understanding of the dynamics of domestic abuse.

But Schefter pulled his punches, Hardy declared himself a “changed man,” and everyone moved on. Schefter said he believed that Hardy had changed. No one mentioned the photos of his ex, who has such severe injuries that she looked like she’d been in a car accident. In 2025, Hardy, who went on to fight in UFC, was arrested again for “family violence.” While nothing further has been reported on that charge, you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be sending out a records request.

Get ready for ESPN to do more PR for than reporting on NFL teams.

Jillian Michaels is a relic

I’ve never been a big fan of The Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels. Even back when The Biggest Loser was popular, her attitude seemed to be that the secret to making people lose weight was screaming at them and belittling them on television, and that any method used to shed pounds was healthier than being overweight. Neither of those things is true.

Though I never watched The Biggest Loser, I did watch Fit for TV, the three-part Netflix doc on the show. (Did you guys know a woman almost died in the very first episode of her season?) Believe me, Fit for TV will not make you like Jillian or co-trainer Bob Harper, like, at all. Highly recommend.

Harper appears in the doc, and his excuse for his behavior was parroting, “the producers wanted us to!” over and over. Michaels, however, refused to appear in the doc and instead responded to it after the fact, which is a personal pet peeve of mine. You can’t decline to comment and then complain that everything said is false. You had a chance to go on the record and make sure your version of events was told. Now, she’s threatening to sue Netflix.

She’s also complaining that slavery is unfairly blamed on white people:

Just a reminder that this country makes the worst people famous for the stupidest reasons possible.

The High Note

Each Day, I do my best to leave you with a smile on your face, a song in your heart, and the will to fight another day.

Because we all need to remember why we’re fighting for this country from time to time.

Survive and advance out there, kids. Don’t let the bastards get you down.