TV eyes
For the first time since 1971, Americans’ support of the death penalty has fallen below 50%, though only barely. / Al Jazeera
A timeline of Jensen Huang’s public rhetoric on China shows he became notably less critical as he had an affair with an alleged Chinese spy. / Semafor
See also: A tour of Jensen Huang’s leather jackets, which one fashion editor deems “one thing [that] hinted that something was amiss all along.” / The Cut [$]
Jamelle Bouie: “Alito had put the South on course to have the largest single decline in Black representation in Congress since the end of Reconstruction.” Democrats finally have a Southern strategy. / The New York Times [$]
In Michigan, a week under Shawarma Law: “I now understood the draw of tailgating even though you aren’t attending the actual game.” / Ravenous
As major AI companies attempt to kill the “reverse-engineer anything” movement, the appeal of open-weight and local LLMs becomes clear to more users. / 404 Media
Related: “I asked every TV manufacturer 17 questions about how they spy on you.” / The Verge [$]
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The data center buildout’s hidden human toll: Workers electrocuted, catching TB on site, and left without heat in Scandinavian winters. / Investigate Europe
On the Scottish coastline, conservationists translocated 3,400 rare one-flowered wintergreen wildflowers at risk of falling into the sea. / The Guardian
“I couldn’t remember ever having had a real emotional experience of receiving compassion, and that that was probably kind of fucked up.” When meditation changes your personality. / Ben Kuhn
Unrelated: Starbucks In China now requires you to buy something before sitting at a table. / Sixth Tone
“The camera pans over our row to see how we are taking this. This is the moment. My moment. I have no idea what faces I am making.” Alexandra Petri is an extra in a Hallmark Christmas movie. / The Atlantic [$]
As one of this year’s Booker Prize judges, Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker read 163 books while on tour. “I ended up reading The End of Everything three times.” / The Guardian
See also: The long list for the 2027 Tournament of Books, presented by Field Notes, arrives next week. / Field Notes, The Tournament of Books
When older, sought-after pop music never makes it to streaming platforms, one superfan finds the best way to remedy that is simply to ask the label and always say “please.” / The Wall Street Journal [$]