Free for ALL Friday!
🇺🇸🧨🎉 Fourth of July 2025!
It’s Free for ALL Friday! Each week I keep track of some of the off-the-path things I've found, and work extra-hard to make sure you never hit a paywall, using my own subscriptions, gift links, and other (legal) hocus-pocus.
Happy 249th Birthday to the USA. Here Are Some Plans for the 250th
Many states and cities have bragging rights to being the “first” and “oldest” in the nation for different milestones throughout America's history. And with the big blowout birthday coming up in 2026, they’re getting ready to show off, including at historic inns where George Washington really did spend the night.
In some places, festivities have already been planned. But stay tuned, there’s a lot more red, white, and blue to be announced; check America250 and the state links included below for ongoing updates.
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Philadelphia will be the liberty belle of the ball. And Philly has also scored a major feat — the FIFA World Cup match on July 4, 2026. Philly is also hosting America’s favorite pastime — the MLB All-Star Game next summer.
“Our most historic inns and all our hotels in Philadelphia are ready to welcome visitors in 2026,” says Jennifer Nagle, vice president, special projects, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Related: Will today’s hyper-polarized politics derail the Semiquincentennial? (The New York Times)
Here’s How Trump’s Megabill Will Affect …
Seniors, students, taxpayers, children, parents, low-income Americans and just about everyone else will be affected by the massive tax and spending bill being hashed out in real time on Capitol Hill.
The general contours of the massive piece of legislation are known. It extends Trump’s first-term tax cuts, funds his vision for a border wall, and offsets some of that revenue loss and additional spending with cuts to federal support for the social safety net that helps Americans afford food and health insurance.
Here’s what we know about how the Senate bill will affect …
… people on Medicaid
… people with Affordable Care Act policies
… state governments
… senior citizens
… people with student loans
… people buying cars
… parents
… babies
… workers who get tips or overtime (tempoararily)
… immigrants
… the wealthy
… millionaires who lose their jobs
… Elon Musk
... and others
Related: Live Q&A: the ‘Big Beautiful Bill?’ We answered your questions. (The Wall Street Journal)
Seven Chaotic Months in the Life of a New Federal Judge
Amir Ali joined the D.C. Federal District Court just weeks before Trump took office. It’s been tumultuous ever since.
In his first weeks as a federal judge in Washington last December, Amir Ali was surprised to learn that the job didn’t come with a robe. Where was he supposed to get one? He had to order his own, and it would take months to arrive.
There was much that Ali, as a brand-new member of the federal bench, did not yet know. A lot of it would be covered at a five-day orientation program for new appointees hosted by the Federal Judicial Center and affectionately referred to as “baby judges school,” but that takes place only a few times a year, and the next session was months away. Ali would have to learn the job by doing it and from senior judges on his court, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
To understand what it was like for a new judge to navigate these complex currents, we closely followed Ali’s first seven months on the bench. Ali himself declined to comment for this article. But we interviewed four dozen people, including his friends, colleagues and fellow judges who observed him during this time, and examined the public record. (A spokeswoman from the D.D.C. says that Ali refers anyone interested in his work to his judicial opinions.) The picture that emerged is of a judiciary under threat of intimidation that’s at once scrambling to adapt and resolute about preserving its independence and authority.
That Dropped Call With Customer Service? It Was on Purpose.
Turns out there’s a word for it.
In the 2008 best seller Nudge, the legal scholar Cass R. Sunstein and the economist Richard H. Thaler marshaled behavioral-science research to show how small tweaks could help us make better choices. An updated version of the book includes a section on what they called “sludge”—tortuous administrative demands, endless wait times, and excessive procedural fuss that impede us in our lives.
Some of the sludge we submit to is unavoidable—the simple consequence of living in a big, digitized world. But some of it is by design. ProPublica showed in 2023 how Cigna saved millions of dollars by rejecting claims without having doctors read them, knowing that a limited number of customers would endure the process of appeal. (Cigna told ProPublica that its description was “incorrect.”)
Later that same year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ordered Toyota’s motor-financing arm to pay $60 million for alleged misdeeds that included thwarting refunds and deliberately setting up a dead-end hotline for canceling products and services. (The now-diminished bureau canceled the order in May.) As one Harvard Business Review article put it, “Some companies may actually find it profitable to create hassles for complaining customers.”
The result: We’re exhausted as hell and we’re probably going to keep taking it.
Amazon Is on the Cusp of Using More Robots Than Humans in Its Warehouses
The automation of Amazon is approaching a new milestone: There will soon be as many robots as humans.
The e-commerce giant, which has spent years automating tasks previously done by humans in its facilities, has deployed more than one million robots in those workplaces, Amazon said. That is the most it has ever had and near the count of human workers at the facilities.
Company warehouses buzz with metallic arms plucking items from shelves and wheeled droids that motor around the floors ferrying the goods for packaging. In other corners, automated systems help sort the items, which other robots assist in packaging for shipment.
One of Amazon’s newer robots, called Vulcan, has a sense of touch that enables it to pick items from numerous shelves. Amazon has taken recent steps to connect its robots to its order-fulfillment processes, so the machines can work in tandem with each other and with humans.
“They’re one step closer to that realization of the full integration of robotics,” said Rueben Scriven, research manager at Interact Analysis, a robotics consulting firm.
Norman Greenbaum's 'Spirit in the Sky' Continues to Enchant Audiences
There are "one hit wonders," and then there are "one hit wonders." This is the first interview I've ever seen with Norman Greenbaum, who in 1969 had one of the most enduring one-hit wonders you'll find: 'Spirit in the Sky.'
This song is by far your biggest hit, which I imagine can be both a blessing and a curse. What impact did the success of the song have on your career, for better or worse?
Well, for better, it sold two million singles back then and that was quite a bit. It was No. 1 globally. And I was flying, on tour. That was great. But then I put out a song that didn't go well, and all of a sudden, I'm a one-hit wonder because I can't write another "Spirit in the Sky" or something close. And the only way I can speak about it is to say this song has a place in life, and it can't be duplicated. I can't do it. And that became the negative. That was sad for me. I kept playing for a number of years, but then I had to stop for a while.
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What's the Difference Between a Frappe and a Milkshake in New England?
We've got some heavy stories today, and frankly I edited out some even heavier stuff. But, let's add one that's -- well, not exactly not heavy, but sweet and summer-ish. Also, originally from New England, much like your humble newsletter author. Have a great weekend!
It’s not hard to find a milkshake in Massachusetts. But if you’re planning to order a cold, creamy drink off the menu at a local ice cream shop or farm stand, the confection you seek might be going by another name.
In New England, you'll often hear the word “frappe” used to refer to a blended drink made with ice cream, milk and other flavors or mix-ins. You’ll see it on the menu at diner counters and Massachusetts-based ice cream chains. Sometimes, you'll even see it on the menu alongside milkshakes.
So, is frappe not just a regional moniker, but an entirely separate culinary entity? And if so, what's the difference?
I had to find out.
From the CNN article:
“While all households would see their taxes reduced, some 60% of the benefits would go to those making $217,000 or more (the top 20%). These folks would receive an average tax cut of $12,500, or 3.4% of their after-tax income, in 2026, the analysis found.”
“ But the lowest-income households, who earn about $35,000 or less, would receive an average tax cut of only $150, less than 1% of their after-tax income. Middle-income households would see their taxes reduced by about $1,800, or 2.3% of their after-tax income, on average.”
I would gladly forgo my $6,000 tax credit so the lowest keep their medical coverage. And it only took us 249 years to get back to this point.
If true christians followed the teachings of Jesus we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
Regarding "Spirit in the Sky": with all due respect, Norman Greenbaum is not a one-hit wonder. He followed up "Spirit in the Sky" with the quirky "Canned Ham" -- charted in both the U.S. and Canada in 1970. My favorite line in that song is one of the backup singers asking "...when are you going to give me my canned ham, Norman Greenbaum?" Even if he was a one-hit wonder, he has one more hit than I do.
Happy Independence Day -- having stood on the North Bridge in Concord myself, I recall Ralph Waldo Emerson's lines from "The Concord Hymn": "...here once the embattled farmers stood, and fired the shot heard 'round the world." Please stay safe, and end the day with the same number of fingers you started with!