Ezra Klein’s new podcast might not have a proper website to facilitate linking, but this conversation with Theda Skocpol on “how political scientists think differently about politics” was very good.

Particularly useful was the discussion of the extended network of the Republican Party and the nature and status of the Tea Party movement.

The latest New York Times arts and culture journalism —OR— an advertisement for Spotify?

When they say, “Mac ‘Ransomware’ Attack Exposes Vulnerability of Apple Users,” they really mean ‘Ransomware’ Attack Exposes Vulnerability of Tiny Percentage of Apple’s Customers Who Use Transmission on Their Macs.

Interesting look into internal factions of the federal government. For instance, Ashton B. Carter’s (the Secretary of Defense) position is very different than what we’ve heard from the FBI and DoJ:

Data security, including encryption, is absolutely essential.... None of our stuff works unless it’s connected.... [A law] written in an atmosphere of anger or grief… not likely to be the right answer.

The FBI doesn’t exactly look an organization ready for the responsibility which comes with backdoors to encrypted phones.

Josh Marshall compares Donald Trump and the current disorders of the Republican Party to technical debt, “It’s a build up of what we might call ‘hate debt’ and ‘nonsense debt’ that has been growing up for years.”

This crystallized for me after the last GOP debate when Trump told Chris Cuomo in a post-debate interview that the IRS might be coming after him because he’s a “strong Christian.” Set aside for the moment how this unchurched libertine was able to rebrand himself as a “strong Christian.” What about the preposterous claim that he is being persecuted by the IRS because he is a devout member of the country’s dominant religion? Republicans simply aren’t in any position to criticize this ludicrous claim because they have spent years telling their voters that this sort of thing happens all the time - to Christians, conservatives, everyone the liberals at the IRS hates. And this, of course, is just one example of hate and nonsense debt coming due.

Sounds pretty close to the mark to me.

Link via Nish, who is himself deeply indebted to the New York Mets.

There’s something amusing about visiting the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee webpage for their upcoming FBiOS hearing with Apple (i.e., “The Encryption Tightrope: Balancing Americans’ Security and Privacy” and being confronted with an interstitial which features pre-iOS 7 style icons.

As I documented yesterday, Apple might not have the most extensive lobbying effort in Washington, but small traces of their influence are probably everywhere – perhaps including most of the pockets of the Senators even.

Link via Dan Moren at Six Colors who predicts “the biggest throwdown since Ali v. Frazier.”

As long as the oven is hot, the batter is thick and the leavening is strong, perfect muffins are within the reach of any home cook.

– Julia Moskin