Losing My Perspicacity, July 18, 2025

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Good morning and Happy Friday! Thanks for stopping by this morning.

For those of you who aren’t paid subscribers: An update. I’ve been down all week with a severe case of the flu that had the paramedics at my house on Tuesday, and it hasn’t improved much since then. In addition to sleeping something like 20 hours a day, I’m completely out of touch with the news cycle. This is the third straight day I’ve been unable to do a regular edition of LMP. So…boo.

So with all that in mind, I’m going to drop a couple of stories that caught my attention in the quick perusal I did of news sites, and I’ll hopefully be back up to speed by Monday.

Oh, and I was already scheduled to run this ad before the flu took me out for three days. I’d love it if you clicked on it, but I understand if not.

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Here we go:

• CBS is cancelling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, ostensibly as a financial decision. Given all the ways CBS has rolled over to appease Donald Trump, it’s hard to take that spin at face value. Maybe Comedy Central can lure him back to reboot The Colbert Report. God knows we’ve never needed it more.

• FOX Sports is normalizing the misogyny, racism, and all-around bigotry that made Dave Portnoy famous. Of course they are. I’ll bet FOX didn’t talk to a single woman who has been on the receiving end of Portnoy’s virulent sexism before they made this deal.

• I’m refusing to give it a click, but I can’t believe this is a headline in the New York Times:

Ahh, yes. “Toxic empathy,” otherwise known as caring about other people.

• The DOJ, which prosecuted Louisville cop Drew Hankison for violating Breonna Taylor’s rights under Joe Biden (because the State of Kentucky did not), is now asking for a one-day sentence for his conviction. Everything is terrible.

• Now’s a great time to contribute to your local NPR or PBS station.

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.

Michael Scott’s condo is for sale (plasma screen not included) in the LA area:

The number of times I find myself singing Hunter’s “One Night” song is genuinely troubling.

Survive and advance out there this weekend. Don’t let the bastards get you down.

See you all on Monday.