SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE: DEEP DIVE: Abdul El-Sayed’s sister is a radical university professor.

IT’S CLEARLY NOT ABOUT EDUCATING CHILDREN: UCLA education department focuses on social justice and activism in courses for elementary education.

NOT TIRED OF WINNING YET:

BREAKING: In a 2-1 vote, the Fifth Circuit ruled that the federal ban on direct interstate handgun sales violates the Second Amendment. pic.twitter.com/LT1WW93W7u

— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) September 18, 2026

ALWAYS TRUST CONTENT FROM SALENA ZITO:

There are times when I cover an issue in politics/culture on the ground that is seen so wildly different than what either polling shows, social media dictates or the manufactured fear demands it should be .
AI/data power centers is one of them
The story: https://t.co/HNbGAiJSuZ pic.twitter.com/YQyp3Dt6Xv

— ZitoSalena (@ZitoSalena) September 18, 2026

THE PRESS CAN STILL AMPLIFY, OR MUTE, STORIES AND MOODS: A Booming Economy: Who Cares?

I believe President Trump’s approval rating on his “handling of the economy” now stands consistently below 40%. This is rather weird, given that the U.S. economy is as strong as it has ever been. I suppose when most people say “the economy,” what they mean is gas prices.

But the most recent numbers released by the Census Bureau indicate that in 2025, the U.S. poverty rate was the lowest it has ever been, while median household income was the highest it has ever been, at $87,460. The stock markets hit record highs, too.

One would think that Americans would be happy about such a strong economy, but my guess is that most aren’t even aware of it. Either that, or the current anxiety about gas prices has overshadowed everything else.

I’m reminded of a passage from Mark Penn’s book on how the media treated the economy in 1992:

I have found over the years that there is often a huge disconnect between belief about the economy and the true economic state of affairs. Until the statistics are actually published, people tend to assess the economy through the eyes of the national media. In 1992, when Bill Clinton won the presidency based on worries about the economy, the statistics that came out after the election showed that the period leading up to November had actually been a period of record growth. . . . In his 1996 State of the Union speech, President Clinton said we had the best economy in thirty years — a statement that sent a flurry of reporters to check actual statistics rather than popular political movements and sweeping, politically motivated statements. The more people looked at the facts, the more they agreed, and six months later, there was near-unanimity that the economy was in good shape. Had the economy changed? No, what had changed was knowledge about the true facts of the economy.

Hmm. Regardless of the data, we get bad economic “news” when there’s a Republican in the White House., and good economic “news” when a Democrat is running for reelection.

Trump isn’t on the ballot, though.

EVEN THE GUARDIAN IS CALLING FOUL: Are you outraged by Sydney Sweeney – again? More fool you.

THE EV BUBBLE IS DEFLATING: Blue BlueOval City? Tennessee Taxpayers Deserve an Explanation.

The original vision was clear: Ford and SK would build a vertically integrated campus producing next-generation electric F-Series trucks and batteries. Production was scheduled for 2025. Ford later said the plant could eventually produce 500,000 electric trucks annually.

That is no longer the project being built. Ford now calls the assembly facility the Tennessee Truck Plant. Approximately 2,300 Ford employees are expected to manufacture new gas-powered “Built Ford Tough” trucks beginning in 2029.

The original electric truck is gone. The 500,000-EV annual production target is gone. Vehicle production has been delayed four years. Ford and SK On have also dissolved their BlueOval SK joint venture, with SK On taking ownership of the Tennessee battery operation. Layoffs were announced in March.

Will the AI boom turn out to be similar?

OPEN THREAD: Ring in the weekend.

THE NEW SPACE RACE: SpaceX pushes next Starship launch back to Sept. 28, a 6-day delay for megarocket’s 1st orbital flight.

I BLAME CLIMATE CHANGE: Africa Is Breaking Apart Faster Than We Thought, Forming a New Ocean.

MEN LIKE TEAM SPORTS: Sperm Teamwork Is Far More Common Than Scientists Realized.

HMM: TikTokers are checking for ‘ferritin face.’ Doctors say there’s something to it. “Social media has offered us all plenty of things to be insecure about when it comes to our faces — Instagram face, Ozempic face, cortisol face, runner’s face, pillow face and so on — but with ‘ferritin face,’ there may be something to the trend. The term refers to the appearance of dark circles under the eyes and sallow skin, which could be signs of low ferritin, a blood protein that stores iron. Low ferritin often means there isn’t enough iron in the body and can be a sign of iron deficiency, the most common nutrient deficiency on the planet.”

HMM: Volkswagen Mission Efficiency Concept First Look: The Most Efficient EV Yet. “Efficiency is an unheard of 9 miles per kWh, and with a 54.9-kWh battery, range comes in at 514.5 miles for a battery slightly more than half the size of the EQXX’s and and a zero to 62 mph time of 9 seconds. (Doubling the size of the battery would not necessarily double the range as it would also increase the weight substantially, and likely the size of the vehicle.) Production EVs today struggle to exceed 4 miles per kWh, with EV maker Lucid publicly declaring its goal of a 5-miles-per-kWh production car in the future.”

ANSWERING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: Is the ODS-1775 Rifle the Gold Standard of AKs?

WHERE DID IT COME FROM? Third malaria death in Germany from outbreak tied to Frankfurt airport.

SCIENCE: US regulators urge more research on testosterone therapy for women as experts debate benefits, risks.

I DON’T CARE, I’M GOING WITH THE EGGS: Hard-Boiled Eggs vs. Cottage Cheese: Which Is Better for Cholesterol?

SAD: Feeling lonely? You’re not alone — more than half of adults didn’t make a new friend last year.

LIFE IN THE BLUE ZONES; ‘Bulldozers and hazmat suits’: Large, disease-ridden homeless camp near UC Berkeley finally cleared.

MASSIVE RESISTANCE: UC Berkeley Law hosts symposium promoting resistance to federal action after DOJ sues Washington.

THE ENEMY WITHIN:

EXCLUSIVE: Judge Boasberg was a 9-time host for a CCP-founded program run by a Chinese spy front flagged for its efforts to compromise Americans.

SIX were during his FISA term—with access to top secret intelligence. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/phgdrwCto1

— Natalie Winters (@nataliegwinters) September 17, 2026

MARK JUDGE: The New Yorker: Conservatives are Bringing Sexy Back. “The New Yorker just published a piece by Jennifer Wilson about America’s new ideas of what’s sexy. The trend is driven by conservatives, who’ve claimed breasts, lingerie and hotness in the wake of the left’s transgender, feminist and #MeToo madness. Here’s the amazing thing about The New Yorker piece: it takes the side of the right. Wilson tries to protest, but her tone reveals that she thinks the left has become too rigid.”

TAQIYYA: Abdul El-Sayed’s Imam Scrubs Videos of Sermons Lauding Hamas Leader, Urging Congregants To Vote for El-Sayed.

YEAH, PRETTY MUCH:

Understand this and you will understand about 90% of everything that’s called “politics” ⬇️ https://t.co/KE0pZuNlAD

— Alice Smith (@TheAliceSmith) September 17, 2026

By the way, Alice is the great-great-great granddaughter of Adam Smith. She gets it.

NO. NEXT QUESTION? Does Anybody Believe That Talarico and El Sayed Have Actually Moderated?