Events

Through a number of circumstances mostly beyond my control, I didn't fly anywhere between last December 26th and this past Saturday, a total of 208 days. I have to go all the way back to 2006, when I didn't fly for 154 days, to get even close to that interval. On average, since 1 January 2001 I've taken a flight every 10.6 days. Even last year, in which I flew the fewest miles since 2003, I flew every 25 days on average. Well, the next five weeks will bring the 2017 average up a bit. But still, I miss...

Heading home from New York just now, and came across an infographic from today's Chicago Tribune about the weather in Chicago on this day in 1934. My heavens. After 21 days of 32°C-plus temperatures, Midway Airport hit 43°C on July 23rd, with the official temperature at University of Chicago hitting 41°C the next day—the hottest temperature officially recorded in Chicago history. (Lakeside temperatures were 9°C cooler than even a short distance inland.) It's not quite that hot today, but it could be...

I'm in New York for a friend's wedding this weekend, so light posting, depending on what blows up in Washington tonight. Josh Marshall is already in total freak-out mode. But President Trump tends not to do any work over the weekend, or in the evenings, or at all. Anyway, regular posting returns Monday.

Aaron Sorkin never imagined a White House this dysfunctional, or a president this contemptuous of the law. Apparently the circus has gotten too much even for Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who resigned in a huff this morning over the appointment of Anthony Scaramucci to be his boss. Chait argues that President Trump thinks the entire Federal government should be "operated for his personal benefit:" Six months into his presidency, foundational republican concepts remain as foreign as ever to Trump. He...

Nate Silver dives into a parallel universe with a thoughtful examination of alternative facts: Clinton did manage one significant political accomplishment: getting Merrick Garland appointed to the Supreme Court. With the court set to consider a slate of landmark cases this year on matters including redistricting and abortion, the importance of that achievement should not be understated. But it came at a price. The deal she struck with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, which gave him input on...

Yesterday, the New York Times published an interview with President Trump that no president in history could have given. It contains so many wild assertions and outright lies that its value to the public may only be in its demonstration of the man's mendacity: Mr. Trump rebutted [former FBI director James] Comey’s claim that in a one-on-one meeting in the Oval Office on Feb. 14, the president asked him to end the investigation into his former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn. Mr. Comey...

A new apartment building called "Common Damen" is geared towards millennials who don't want to make commitments: All furnishings (beds, couches, etc.) are included in the rent, as well as utilities, cable, high-speed WiFi, in-unit laundry, a cleaning service every other week, and an on-site group leader who organizes events like potluck dinners, yoga and book clubs. “Renters are able to walk right in and have many of the things it could take years to establish — a place in a great neighborhood, access...

The Post's Aaron Blake has three possibilities, which are not mutually exclusive: 1. There is something nefarious going on If there is something nefarious going on, a private, undisclosed conversation that was reportedly out of earshot of other world leaders would be a great place to do it. And given the Russian government's and Trump's track records, it's not like we're going to get a straight answer on what they talked about. 2. Trump is oblivious to how this might be perceived I've framed many of...

I just saw a comment on a review site listing the following as a "con" for a particular Web-based product: I really feel like this company doesn't fix problems that only affect a couple of customers. Instead they prioritize fixes that affect the whole system and only fix specific problems when they have time. Yes. Also, you might be interested to learn that businesses try to make profits by selling things for more than it cost to obtain them. On behalf of the company in question—a small business in...

The Post's Dana Milbank thinks that President Trump's polling numbers—already the lowest for any president since polling began 70 years ago—are about to get worse: I asked The Post’s polling chief, Scott Clement, to run a regression analysis testing how views of the economy shape overall support for Trump when other variables such as party are held constant. The result was powerful: People who approve of his handling of the economy are 40 or 50 percentage points more likely to approve of him overall....