Most of us had an imaginary friend or two when we were kids. I had one with whom I remained friendly into adulthood until subtle differences drove us apart (he became an antivax, Trump supporter with several AR-15s who loves the Dodgers, hates puns, and only joined Twitter after Elon Musk made it safe for free speech). If you didn't have an imaginary friend, maybe you just talked to yourself. But modern life and its always-on devices have stolen moments from those times when we're left alone with our imaginary friends or, heaven forbid, our own thoughts. And now the technology that consumes our every waking moment is coming for our kids. Meet "Grok, an AI-powered plush toy in the shape of a rocket that can converse with your child. Grok is the first product from a Silicon Valley start-up called Curio that is leveraging Open AI’s technology on a line of toys Curio’s founders say will be capable of long-running, fully interactive conversation, allowing a child to view it almost as a peer or friend." In a weird irony, the company that is entering what will be a growing market for AI-powered toys is positioning the toy as an antidote to tech, because it might reduce the time kids spend on their screens. This continues an age-old trend of companies offering technology to solve problems technology created. Taylor Lorenz in WaPo (Gift Article): Meet Grok.

2

Suicide Pact

"The core of the gun-rights movement—and the firearms market—is made up of white men who live in suburbs or rural areas. These buyers are among the least likely to encounter gun violence, but the most likely to die by their own hand using a firearm. And yet the gun industry has so far avoided any real public reckoning over whether the strategy that keeps these customers buying could also be placing them in danger." This collaboration from The Atlantic and The Traceby Mike Spies provides a detailed look at an aspect of gun violence we don't talk about as much. It's also a really interesting dive into how modern discourse can turn somewhat moderate views into other-hating extremism. The Death of a Gun-Rights Warrior.

3

Capitol Offense

Question: When you've gone from bad to worse, where do you go next? Answer: Capitol Hill. Dana Milbank in WaPo (Gift Article): Worst. Congress. Ever. "The year began with chaos and incompetence. It ended with chaos and incompetence. In between were self-created crises and shocking moments of fratricide — interspersed with more chaos and incompetence."

4

Weekend Whats

What to Movie: Past Lives is a really good movie about two kids who fall in love in Korea and then drift apart as adults. "Two decades later, they are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life, in this heartrending modern romance."

+ What to Watch: David Letterman and The National's Matt Berninger talking mostly about dealing with depression.

+ What to Read: It's that time of year when you have some time off and a lot of reading to catch up on. From Longreads, the Best of 2023: Features and Investigations. And Pocket has multiple categories of the top articles of the year.

5

Extra, Extra

Hostage Disaster: "Israeli troops found the hostages and erroneously identified them as a threat. He said it was not clear if they had escaped their captors or been abandoned." Israeli military says it mistakenly killed 3 Israeli hostages in Gaza. And the massive Danish shipping company Maersk has said it is pausing all journeys through the Red Sea "after a spate of attacks on vessels launched from a part of Yemen controlled by the Houthis - an Iran-backed rebel movement." Here's the latest from CNN, BBC, and Times of Israel.

+ Notable Exception: "Over the first six months of this year, there were 34 legal abortions recorded in Texas, all of which were categorized as both 'medical emergencies' and to 'preserve the health of the woman,' in a state where abortions are only permitted under such circumstances. That figure, said physicians and researchers, is far below the number of patients who would typically need abortions to protect the health of the mother." Kate Cox is not the exception to the exceptions law, she's a victim of the new rules. Kate Cox is one of hundreds in Texas denied abortions despite serious health risks. The heinous legal attacks on women aren't limited to Texas. WaPo (Gift Article) with another sick example: She miscarried in her bathroom. Now she’s charged with abuse of a corpse.

+ Kirkland Mine: Costco sold more than $100 million in gold bars last quarter. (I'd gladly trade one of their small gold bars for a few hundred rolls of paper towel.)

+ Grounds for Concern: America let it's guard down and its been overtaken in the branded caffeine game. China, a nation of tea-drinkers, now has more branded coffee shops than the US.

+ Letter Rip: And if you're into such things, here are The Most Scathing Book Reviews of 2023. (Most of them are for celebrity bios, which seems a little lazy. Maybe we need a list of the most scathing reviews of scathing book reviews?)

6

Feel Good Friday

First, some excellent news from the world of publishing. Mother Jones is combining forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting (where I'm an adviser and my wife is a board member). This means more hard-hitting, investigative journalism, radio, and documentaries getting in front of more people. CIR/Reveal and Mother Jones Are Joining Forces.

+ NYT (Gift Article): This Season’s Hottest Shopping Trend: Falling Prices. (Markets way up, prices coming down, other economic indicators looking good.)

+ 4-month-old found safe by parents in downed tree after being carried away by Tennessee tornado. Wow.

+ British teen Alex Batty is due back in the UK in the next few days, after he was found in France having been missing for six years.

+ "Dr. Kwane Stewart — a veterinarian whose nonprofit, Project Street Vet, provides medical care to the pets of people experiencing homelessness — is the 2023 CNN Hero of the Year."

+ WaPo (Gift Article): After his dog died, he adopted dozens of the oldest dogs he could find.