📱 TikTok is designed to be addictive to kids and causes them harm, US states’ lawsuits say /// AP News

More than a dozen states and the District of Columbia filed lawsuits against TikTok on Tuesday, saying that the popular short-form video app is designed to be addictive to kids and harms their mental health.

🤪 We’ve gone insane /// End On End

I’ll be honest, I didn’t read the study Jason looks at here, but I trust him not to mislead. And he’s right, we’ve gone insane. The immigration topic (for most, I’m sure you and your dad are the exception) has never been about jobs, money, opportunity, or crime—it’s always been about race.

📔 Trump’s ‘God Bless the USA’ Bibles were printed in China, AP review finds /// AP News

How surprising… 🙄 Probably made the same place his “Swiss” watches are. So much for America First. To make matters worse, I think Nebraska is buying tons of these for their schools 🤮

⚽ Jürgen Klopp: Ex-Liverpool boss takes Red Bull soccer job /// ESPN

It was only a matter of time. People who go through the grind like that tend to love the grind so sitting at home never made sense. I imagine this will be lower stress than managing while still allowing him to be part of the game. I give it two years tops before he’s managing again though.

💽 Dookie Demastered /// Green Day

Pretty incredible stuff albeit impractical. Although, I wouldn’t mind having the doorbell one.

🎞️ Letterboxd besties

No one had the same top four as me, but one person shared three!

⚾️ MLB’s Television Product Is Getting Shittier In Exciting New Ways /// Defector

Across all sports, we need more in-game commercials. You think I’m crazy, but hear me out. Games are so over long with extended commercial breaks for time outs and half-times. But what if they weren’t. Look at hockey and soccer—entire periods of play. Amazing!Now I know the networks and leagues will never give up money, they’d inevitably add in-game commercials on top of the existing ones, but I prefer to be optimistic and think one day we can have nice things and enjoy them.

🎼 Pink Floyd Sells Music Rights to Sony for $400 Million /// Yahoo

Roger Waters doesn’t seem like a great person so I’m a bit ambivalent about this. I still don’t understand the economics of these big music deal rights given how little streaming services pay. I guess over the super long term it’s good since once it’s paid off, it’s free money, but the time it takes to get to that ROI has to be crazy.

🛬 Boeing Will Cut 17,000 Jobs in Bid to Slash Costs /// NYT

When your planes start falling apart in the sky, what do you do? Cut costs, of course!

🔥 Bonfire on the Mountains /// Kinopio

Friend of the Variable and foofaraw contributor Tony Tran is going all in on Inktober doing three different drawings across three different styles. Every. Single. Day. And he’s recording them in this Kinopio space. Incredible stuff.

✨ Kazuaki Koseki’s Dreamy Photos Capture Japan’s Forests Shimmering with Fireflies /// Colossal

Some gorgeous photos.

🍆 God’s Penis Visible In Night Sky For First Time In Millennia /// Onion News Network

Apologies for anyone not thrilled to see this heading pop-up, but the Onion News Network is back with a splash 🤣

📽️ Livestreaming classic cinema /// One Thing

I really want to subscribe to the Criterion Channel again, but I don’t think I can convince the wife to watch enough to get my moneys worth…

🤳 GOP Candidate Derrick Anderson Borrows Friends Family for Photo Ops /// Rolling Stone

This right-wing obsession with the straight, multi-child, nuclear family is just weird. They want everyone to conform to the same ideal so they can feel good about their own decisions. Not everyone wants kids. Not everyone wants to get married. Let people be.

💸 If you must raise taxes, raise VAT /// The Economist

Sure… but also… maybe tax the rich…?

🗿 43-Foot-Tall Naked Trump Marionette Debuts in Las Vegas /// The Wrap

Oy vey.

⛴️ The ship goes adrift /// Flaming Hydra

Otherwise real news involves poll numbers and hundreds of bottles of baby oil and pets in Ohio who are not actually being eaten.

Genocide, on the other hand, is something more like weather. Despite all reports to the contrary, the Earth is cold and getting colder.

The devolution and idiocy of our society, ladies and gentlemen…

📊 The Data is In: Anti-Trans Legislation is Hurting Kids /// TPA

In a revelation that’s as shocking as finding out water is wet, a study published yesterday in Nature has confirmed that state-level anti-transgender laws are causing significant harm to transgender and non-binary (TGNB) young people.

If only data and facts could actually sway the mongrels who want to control people’s bodies…

🔡 At Umami /// Arillatype.Studio®

Fun new font from one of my favorite foundries. I don’t have a use for it at the moment, but I dig its softness.

🗞️ The New Republic CEO and Publisher Michael Caruso Steps Down /// Adweek

I’ve been enjoying a lot of their election coverage, but I do wonder what it’ll look like when that’s all said and done.

🎸 Oasis Add North American Dates to 2025 Reunion Tour /// Pitchfork

I wonder if any books have odds around them actually making it this far in the tour before breaking up again.

⌚ Trump’s $100,000 Watch Likely Made in China, Vastly Overpriced /// THR

Who could’ve seen this coming from such an excellent and honest business man.

📰 Deadline and Variety Feud Continues /// World of Reel

This feud is too funny, especially when you consider they work in the same building and are both owned by the same company. I guess some healthy competition isn’t a bad thing, but I’m not sure if this is exactly healthy. Get it together folks.

🏀 ESPN lays off NBA senior writer Zach Lowe /// The Athletic

Wow! One of the only good things about ESPN’s basketball coverage has been Zach Lowe. Pretty crazy he was making seven figures, but hopefully some place like The Ringer scoops him up quickly so we don’t miss out on his coverage this season.