Frame of severance
In Washington, the Democratic Party is historically unpopular—and on track to retake the House of Representatives in 2026. / Vox
Why the DOGE takeover is worse than we realize: Agencies are being dismantled, but we haven't felt the ripples of that—at least not yet. / WIRED
Most of the Social Security Administration's regional commissioners are retiring this week. / Government Executive
Unrelated: Ranking the fastest and easiest second passports obtainable by Americans. / International Living
Writer Elif Batuman wishes the US would do couples therapy on a national level. / Who We Are to Each Other
The USAID initiative focused on Ebola prevention that Elon Musk said he "accidentally canceled" and then "restored…immediately" was not, in fact, restored. / The Washington Post [+]
As Musk is proving, "working 120 hours a week is not the same thing as doing a good job." / The New York Times [+]
See also: "If you'd like less DOGE and more DOG, here are eight minutes of corgi puppies." / Metafilter
An "error" in Instagram's Reels causes its algorithm to repeatedly show violence. / 404 Media
The trend forecaster who predicted "normcore" and "vibe shift" explains the "boom boom" aesthetic. / The Cut
Headline of the week? "Park rangers battle Australians seeking rare earth minerals in old Mojave gold mine." / The Los Angeles Times
Hundreds of Severance fans have visited the Saarinen-designed Bell Labs research center in New Jersey. / Curbed
Analysis of 1,884 speeches given by Oscar winners finds that no, Harvey Weinstein was not thanked more often than God. / Stephen Follows
Diana Taurasi, the all-time leading scorer in WNBA history, retires. / TIME
The typeface Gorton is said to be "the hardest working font in Manhattan." / Aresluna
"Most of our life now is just: work, clean, sleep, repeat." Young people explain what would make them happy. / Dazed
Reportedly, the "icing" prank is back. "Everybody remembers that this is just a dumb, fun thing to do." / Punch
Just a reminder: This year's Tournament of Books, presented by Field Notes, begins next week! / The Tournament of Books
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Your headlines are sourced and composed by Rosecrans Baldwin (☜) and Andrew Womack, Monday through Saturday. View this edition and the latest headlines at TMN.