Tell me about yourself?
Last time I did this? Years ago.
Quick timeout today: I’d like to ask for a few minutes of your help with something important.
Every once in a while, I have to turn this newsletter over to the practical realities of writing a daily newsletter for — wait, let me count — 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 … 2026 ... wow, going on eight years!
The media/newsletter world is changing fast, and I need to be thoughtful about how to make Understandably work in a sustainable way — so I can keep writing it, improve it, and make it more valuable to you.
So ... a survey.
Why today, July 22, 2026? A couple of reasons.
First, Substack is rolling out more sponsorship tools, and having a clearer picture of who reads Understandably will make it easier for me to find sponsors that actually fit this audience.
Second, I’m trying to understand what you most value here: which parts you come for, which parts you could take or leave, and which parts may not be worth the time I spend on them.
It’s pretty short: mostly multiple-choice questions, plus a chance to give me general advice at the end.
Thank you for helping me think clearly about what this should become next.
Other things worth knowing …
NPR: Trump announced 50% tariffs on most Canadian goods Monday, to take effect in 30 days — among the steepest he has levied on any country.
Bloomberg: A federal judge temporarily paused Paramount Skydance's $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery for 14 days, saying the deal "likely" violates antitrust law.
WaPo: The Trump administration sought the phone records of several New York Times journalists and some of their relatives — including one reporter's mother and two journalists' spouses — trying to unmask confidential sources who wrote about security gaps in Trump's Qatari-gifted Air Force One.
NPR: Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega says his country won’t be holding elections anytime soon, dashing hopes by the dictator’s opposition that he might heed their demands for a democratic vote after 20 years in power. Ortega declared himself the winner of the 2021 election — a vote widely viewed as illegitimate by the international community — after jailing all the candidates who could have possibly beaten him.
WSJ: Silicon Valley and Washington are debating a multibillion-dollar question: Should American companies be able to use Chinese artificial-intelligence models?
Newsweek: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday he has heard "absolutely nothing" from Mitch McConnell or his office in 36 days since the 84-year-old senator was hospitalized. "When you represent the people of Kentucky, and you've been in a hospital for a month, and you've missed all the votes, you owe your boss an explanation," Beshear said.
WSJ: The South Carolina Town in Turmoil Over a $545,000 Email Phishing Scam: Surfside Beach sent money to a scammer’s account—and the fight over who’s to blame is dividing the ‘Family Beach.’
Thanks for reading. See you in the comments—oh wait, no comments today. I really need people to answer the survey!