Everything JD Vance wanted is slipping away
This was not JD Vance’s week. Here, senior correspondent Zack Beauchamp walks through Vance’s efforts to support Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and negotiate a peace deal with Iran last weekend — both which failed.
Zack analyzes what happens when an ideology runs into reality and how hard it has been for Vance to carve out his own lane in a movement that’s still very much defined by President Donald Trump.
Donald Trump messed with the wrong pope
As someone who grew up Catholic, went to Catholic school, and has family in the clergy, I’m always fascinated by how religion shows up in politics, so this story pulled me in immediately. It looks at the ongoing back and forth between the White House and Pope Leo XIV and why this moment feels different.
As Trump and Vance continue to criticize the pope, Leo isn’t backing down, and he’s actually getting support from people you might not expect, like more conservative Catholics. It’s an interesting look at how this clash is playing out within the church itself, especially as divisions over issues like war are surfacing.
Check out correspondent Christian Paz’s Reporter Extra on Patreon to learn more about the growing rift between Trump and Catholic MAGA supporters.
8 ways to zone out and relax that don’t involve being on your phone
I’ve been trying with mixed success to scroll less lately, so this story really resonated with me. It’s a necessary reminder that rest matters, and that vegging out doesn’t have to include hours of scrolling past TikTok ads or playing Fruit Merge. One of my favorite recommendations from the piece is to watch a vapid TV show. Personally, I’m a new fan of The Traitors (thanks Rob Rausch) and can talk about Love Is Blind all day. This is what I call true self-care. 😌
The alcohol crisis quietly hitting high-stress, “high-status” workers
Speaking of TV shows, I haven’t been able to get enough of The Pitt since it aired last year. It's not exactly a mindless watch, but it brings up some really important conversations, especially about addiction and how it shows up among high-status workers like doctors and nurses.
This piece focuses on one of The Pitt’s storylines, which is how a character, Dr. Langdon, makes his way back to working in the ER after substance use treatment. What I found especially compelling is how the story focuses on what happens after treatment. Even when high status workers like doctors get help, coming back to work isn’t always simple, because they might face skepticism from their peers, worry about losing their patients’ trust, or find themselves back in the same high stress environment that contributed to the problem in the first place. Senior correspondent Dylan Scott smartly points out that, while we’ve made progress in understanding addiction, conversations around its stigma haven’t fully caught up yet.
Be sure to subscribe to Dylan’s newsletter, Good Medicine, for more pieces like this.
