Babe, I am not the walrus
Twenty-three experts tell Helen Branswell what surprised them the most about the pandemic. / STAT
China is now proclaimed "the center of Covid." A professor at Yale Law School gives China-related predictions for 2023. / The Guardian, Twitter
Temperatures for January reach an all-time high in a number of nations across Europe. / BBC News
The new House of Representatives fails to elect a speaker for the first time in 100 years after Republicans keep rejecting Kevin McCarthy. / Politico
Data technologist Spencer Schien makes a series of population density maps of states, rivers, and coastlines. / Colossal
A database attempts to figure out which books are banned in which prisons. / The Marshall Project
Miami Beach bans cigarettes on its beaches. Meanwhile, "Florida man cited" after taking a dog dyed like Pikachu to an NBA game. / NBC, WPTV
See also: A survey of some of this year's oddest Florida arrests. / Fox 35
A tally of what rich Gen Z girls received for Christmas and bragged about on TikTok. / After School
"Doesn't 'throttle-propelled' sound scary?" Patricia Marx publishes her annual shopping adventure, this time for e-bikes. / The New Yorker
Bee Wilson: If there's one thing the founder of Montessori schools hated, "it was play." / The London Review of Books
A man tries to use self-awareness to stop his "runaway weepiness." / Slate
Headline of the holiday? "UK Town Cancels New Year Fireworks for Walrus Only for It to Masturbate and Leave." / IFL Science
If this newsletter jibs your fit, please consider becoming a Sustaining Member. Or support via PayPal, crypto, or Venmo (open in app).
✔️ Got a correction or a link we should consider? Email us or just reply to this newsletter.
Your headlines are sourced and written by Andrew Womack and Rosecrans Baldwin, Monday through Saturday. View this edition and the latest headlines at TMN.