Recrudescence of the Kakistocrats

this is like

the thesis statement of our times

I get a lot of questions these days about data from BLS and other agencies. Some of this is about fears of political interference. Some of it is about the reliability of the data, especially in light of recent big revisions. In a story today, I tried to tackle both.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/b...

Oh...the Pete Sessions gambit...

Rep. Dan Crenshaw says culture of misinformation fueled his primary loss: "The truth didn't matter" The fourth-term congressman, who lost decisively to state Rep. Steve Toth, said baseless attacks about his alleged insider trading and gun stances fueled the upset. BY GABBY BIRENBAUM MARCH 6, 2026, 4:25 P.M. CENTRAL REPUBLISH SHARE

"Fire hurts," complains arsonist

www.texastribune.org/2026/03/06/d...

lol, gas is already at $5.39 for the cheapest stuff in HB, lifted truck bros about to have an existential crisis next week

Friday Stat Dump: Measuring change in outcomes

We discussed last week how a team is starting their possession sequences can tell us a lot about what they are trying to do differently this season.

bsky.app/profile/jamo...

Today we'll see -- limited to two games -- if they've been effective.

1/

Well, gas is expensive, and food is expensive, and we’re doing a war nobody wants, but at least there are no jobs

Why Jasmine Crockett lost the Dem primary to James Talarico Crockett embarked on her primary bid with a makeshift operation that lacked a campaign manager, a developed fundraising strategy and comprehensive infrastructure for a ground game.

"So she embarked on a primary battle with a makeshift operation that lacked a campaign manager, a developed fundraising strategy and comprehensive infrastructure for a ground game."

www.texastribune.org/2026/03/06/j...

Just curious...what's going on with that lawsuit?

Some people would not believe it when we said that Crockett ran a terrible campaign.

lmao she was a pro se candidate

Fun thing to think about very briefly: who currently has better lawyers, the United States or Nintendo

Louisville and Lexington players paused the USL Championship season opener for 60 seconds after kickoff, letting the clock run without play. A fearless show of unity from the USL Players Association as negotiations reach a critical stage. It’s time for the league to act. #StandUpForStandards

“Evangelicals are missing from the halls of power. That’s a problem. The lack of evangelical Christians at America’s most prestigious institutions fuels mistrust.” Excerpt From “Opinion | Evangelicals are missing from the halls of power. That’s a problem.” Aaron M. Renn The Washington Post https://apple.news/ATJF-eGWhQMuuXvLnrj0ugQ This material may be protected by copyright.

Congratulations, WaPo, you did it, you published the worst take

WTI climbing like a Tomahawk missile:

* HASSETT SAYS EXPECTING 4% GROWTH THIS YEAR

SHOULD THE U.S BLOT OUT THE SUN AND USHER IN AN AGE OF ETERNAL DARKNESS? - Gallup 2/20/26-3/5/26

NO - 41%
YES - 38%
UNSURE - 21%

Did you know that Graham Platner was Ryan Grim's bartender back at the Tune Inn on Capitol Hill, a fact that Ryan Grim acknowledged on X?

During Covid our security department was asked to give input on employee screen monitoring software.

We said absolutely the hell not, hackers are just going to compromise it and dump it.

That was the end of that conversation.

Jennifer 🍄 @JenYetAgain@beige.party in 2017 a popular twitter game was to type a partial phrase then see what your phone auto-completes it with. this proved so popular that it is now the only business model in the US. Feb 9, 2026 at 4:35:18 PM

Thanks for reminding me. My PCP sent in a referral for one, and they just called back to schedule it.

This jersey was made for @oowm.org. The irony meter broke the peg on the right side here.

Dallas 'Road To The Cup' '26 Pirata Jersey We've partnered with Pirata Soccer to bring you these Road To The Cup '26 jerseys! Dallas! Gear up for '26 with this @vdgraph design. Inspired by transport, these Cup 26 jerseys will get you ready for...

Good news: @oliveandyork.com has inexpensive city-specific jerseys for the World Cup.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ news: The Dallas jersey design highlights the biggest story that will likely come from the games at "Dallas Stadium" in Arlington.

oliveandyork.com/collections/...

(By emielscartoons on IG)

BYD just killed your EV argument with a battery that competes with gas engines The Chinese carmaker's new batteries feature a 5-minute charge and 621-mile range, plus a 620,000-mile lifetime and lower prices.

Good thing Trump keeps Chinese cars out of the country, otherwise we would be able to buy better cars at lower prices www.fastcompany.com/91503415/byd... As Trump always says, "why pay less?"

In 6 months my username will be old enough to die for my sins (if you believe in that).

I built a TwitLonger for Bluesky. Write as much as you want, it saves to your repo as a Standard.site document record, then posts a teaser to your feed with a link back.

Read more about it on https://unthread.at/@aka.dad/3mg5ejw7eil23

I've been thinking about the Rangers' decision to display One Riot, One Ranger, and what it says about who this team is for. So I wrote about that. It's a big ol' bummer.

www.dmagazine.com/sports/2026/...

I will miss Kristi Noem's inimitable constitutional insights, as when, asked by Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H. at a Senate hearing to define "habeas corpus," she replied, "Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country."

Every D who votes for Mullins cares more about the feelings of their fascist buddies than the safety of you and me.