U2 Returns With Political Tracks

Plus: Colbert and another candidate and our usual cartoons.

Yes, it’s still somehow free to subscribe to this nearly daily newsletter, and if you are already a subscriber, let’s hear from you! Or share or recommend this newsletter to a friend. You can also, way down below, pledge a future payment for a paid sub….if we can no longer afford to stay free.

Stephen, who has not yet lost his job this month, back with his monologue last night:

Also, he offered a fine interview with young Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia. Now, if you’re like me, you ask yourself, Now wait—isn’t he running for re-election? So how did Stephen get around CBS’s collapse on the equal time rule? It turns out that rule only applies to what are called “legally qualified” candidates—and as it happens, the official filing date in Georgia isn’t until early March. Of course, until this week none of that would have mattered re: talk shows. Expect Colbert to hit back at bosses and FCC with other such candidates in weeks ahead.

From The New Republic: ·

Guards at an ICE detention facility in Texas raided the dorms of immigrant families Tuesday, in order to destroy children’s letters that threatened to shed light on the horrific living conditions.

On the other hand:

UCLA Cancels CBS News Chief Bari Weiss Journalism Lecture After Pressure, Criticism

And the Lincoln Project comments:

Donald Trump is mentioned 37,750 times more than Prince Andrew in the Epstein Files, by the way. But instead of an investigation, we get a coverup.

Not sure if Springsteen’s quick protest move with “Minneapolis” song inspired them but:

Stereogum:

Today, U2 released a six-song surprise EP called Days Of Ash. Even though we haven't gotten a new U2 record in years, this one still definitively sounds like a new U2 record. Many of the songs have lyrics specifically about people who have been killed by oppressive forces. Opening track "American Obituary," for instance, has a bit of Achtung Baby-style percussive glossiness along with its lyrics about the murder of Renee Good: "Renee Good, born to die free/ American mother of three/ Seventh day, January/ A bullet for each child, you see.”

The first cut released widely:

And the quieter “Tears of Things”:

If you’ve ever been interested, courtesy of Paul Krugman here are the ten Substacks in order of mass popularity. Paul points out that all except Bari Weiss’s dreadful Free Press all skew “leftward”:

Today’s Toons

de Adder:

Luckovich:

Zyglis:

Davies:

Ann Telnaes yesterday posted this one from her archives:

Bramhall:

Photo Finish

I lifted my camera beside the Golden Gate.