From Connecticut to South Dakota, a roundup of close political contests to watch next month. / Wake Up to Politics

Racist appeals from the GOP appear to be receiving less pushback from Republicans than in previous election cycles. / The Washington Post

Francis Fukuyama finds yet more evidence that we really are at Hegel's "the end of history." (But has he heard of MAGACommunism?) / The Atlantic, Vice

Unrelated: Beyond the dairy world's raw/pasteurized divide. / Milk Trekker

Will the world get any warning if Russia is about to go over the nuclear brink? "Probably, say Western spooks." / The Economist

Details on the two new COVID variants that may drive a winter surge. Meanwhile, researchers say vaccines to treat cancer are possible by 2030. / The San Francisco Chronicle, The Guardian

The White House's website for student loans forgiveness goes live and is processing applications. / Quartz

Thanks to everyone who backs this newsletter, supporting one of the indie web's longest-running concerns! / TMN Memberships

In the design world, it's become common for people to swap the comforting colors of home for "the same gray palette found in any given H&R Block." / Dirt

"Sometimes I go to Costco in Texas just to see other Asians." From June, a love song written to Costco by Yuxi Lin. / Longreads 

Photographs from a month among the Hells Angels in 1965. And some nice drawings of New York City storefronts. / LIFE, It's Nice That

A round-up of the 15 least-visited national parks in the US. / Travel + Leisure

The poet Rob McKuen sold 60 million books and 100 million records in the 1960s and '70s, and today is largely forgotten. / Slate

See also: An enjoyable list of common misperceptions. / Wikipedia