Commandeering the Commander's Narrative
Plus: Deadly grenade blast in LA County, how Israel's food program got so chaotic & Rob Schneider's incisive media commentary.
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump DEMANDED on Truth Social that the Washington Commanders change their name back to ‘‘The Redskins’’ “IMMEDIATELY." Trump threatened to block a deal for the Commanders' new stadium on the RFK site unless the name is changed back, calling Commanders a "ridiculous moniker."
I'm not going to opine on whether the moniker is indeed ridiculous, but you know what is ridiculous? The fact that the Washington Post, in printing the Commanders' old name, the Redskins, was taking a somewhat bold stance. Other news organizations think they are doing their duty in conveying the news by withholding from readers the most basic fact of the story. To be fair, NPR also published a piece that named the ‘‘Redskins’’ but only enclosed within the safety of quotation marks, unlike The Gist List, which, if you look closely, used double apostrophes.
On the other hand, USA Today and several other publications took a different tactic: They talked about the debacle without actually using the name at the center of what they were talking about. The problem is that the Redskins have a lot of brand recognition, and the name change happened so recently that it's still fresh in all of our minds. But major news outlets refusing to print the old name for fear of offending anyone just makes us all unclear of who we're talking about. The Team from Washington? Which team? State or D.C.? Who are the Commanders again?
It's a silly distraction from the real story, which is that the Trump administration is flagrantly violating the First Amendment, and the Commanders' offseason trade for Tyshun Raequan "Deebo" Samuel. Now that's how you use quotation marks.
Welcome to the Gist List—a deliberately confusing news roundup, things you should know, and my thoughts leading up to today’s podcast episode.
Here’s what’s on my mind:
🥫 How Israel’s new humanitarian aid program turned chaotic.
🕺🏻 Rob Schneider gives us the confusing commentary we need on Stephen Colbert.
💥 Grenades found in Santa Monica apartment building explode killing three officers. (🔒)
📉 Number of “missing” in Kerr County drops to three.
💰 Four richest men in Africa are richer than half the continent.
The Gist List
Why Israel's Chaotic New Food Program In Gaza Has Turned So Deadly (WSJ)
Israel's attempt to bypass the U.N. and Hamas in Gaza's aid distribution has triggered a humanitarian disaster. The food program, run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), has resulted in hundreds of deaths and injuries. It all started when Israel implemented GHF after an 11-week blockade, trying to cut out Hamas' attempts at aid diversion.
The sites have become overcrowded with thousands of people rushing for aid at a limited number of locations. Security also depends on armed IDF soldiers, putting desperate crowds in close proximity to guns and soldiers who might feel threatened by the sheer chaos of the situation. This has, unfortunately, created the perfect environment for stampedes and shootings when Gazans veer too far off approved paths or get too close to IDF troops.
While we're on the subject, if you want to get a good grasp on what's going on and the nuances of the Israel-Gaza conflict, Haviv Rettig Gur was on the podcast last week and gave some great insight. He described Israel as "desperate for this aid system to work," adding that the Israeli soldiers who have fired on civilians near GHF food distribution sites are often fresh from firefights with Hamas, and may lack adequate training to deal with often desperate civilians. The entire show is worth a listen:
Rob Schneider: Colbert Gets Crash Course In What Freedom Of Speech Really Means (Fox News)
Stephen Colbert’s late-night talk show was canceled, and I know exactly who I am looking toward for incisive media criticism on this: none other than notable male gigolo and Renaissance man, Rob Schneider.
The beloved beliked belucky-to-be-friends-with-Adam-Sandler comic actor has laid into Colbert for being too liberal in this hard-to-understand op-ed that resembled more of a tweet storm than a well-thought-out think piece, resulting in bangers like these:
While CBS claims the firing of Colbert is purely financial, his show being the most expensive in late night and being consistently walloped in ratings by the superior Gutfeld!, the timing is suspicious.
I, for one, value my freedom of speech more than making money at the expense of watching my culture and country get sucked into the Woke totalitarian demonizing, shaming and censoring machine that Colbert and Kimmel had no problem going along with and profiting from.
As for CBS/Paramount, they are a private company and they pay the bills… Or used to. So they can fire anyone they want!
There he goes. The Schnied man. Off the schneid, making for confusing copy.
Santa Monica Apartment Tied To Explosion That Killed 3 L.A. County Sheriff's Deputies (LA Times) 🔒
Three veteran Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were killed in an explosion Friday morning while handling explosive materials at the department’s bomb squad facility. The deputies had responded the day before to a call at a Santa Monica apartment building, where a tenant discovered a bag of grenades in her storage unit, apparently left over from a previous tenant. Authorities are investigating whether those explosives were the same ones involved in the deadly blast (it seems likely), which occurred around 7:30 a.m. at the Biscailuz Center Training Academy in East L.A. This was the deadliest day for the force since 1857 when Sheriff James R. Barton and three of his deputies were ambushed and killed near present-day Irvine, California, by a local gang.
Imagine going to your apartment’s storage locker and a bag of grenades falling out. Renting is the worst.
Number Of Missing From July 4 Floods Drops To 3, Kerr County Officials Say (KUT News)
A few weeks ago, we ran a story on the flash floods in Kerr County, Texas—and the confusion caused by the word “missing.”
Authorities have now reduced the number of people missing from over 160 to just three. Not because they were rescued. Not because they were found in the rubble. But because they were only missing to other people, not themselves.
The flood hit during a holiday weekend. Camps were packed. Summer homes were full. Guests were unregistered. It’s very likely some of those 160 were already sipping iced tea in a hotel two towns over, thinking, “Whew, I got out just in time,” unaware that back in Kerr County, they were part of a nationwide panic.
Just remember for next time, even well-meaning authorities have trouble treating "missing" like something other than a fixed category in the middle of a fast-moving disaster.
Africa's Four Wealthiest Men Richer Than Half The Continent (Semafor)
A new Oxfam report revealed that Africa's four richest people are wealthier than half the continent, controlling $57.4 billion. Africa is considered the most unequal region in the world, with nearly half of the world's 50 most unequal countries being in Africa. It also notes that men in Africa are 3× more wealthy than women, the widest gender wealth gap in the world.
This also reminds me of Evan Osnos' book, "The Haves and Have-Yachts," where he talks about wealth inequality in the U.S. The 400 richest Americans are collectively worth more than all Black households in the U.S. combined and more than a quarter of all Latino households. Obviously, you can cut these numbers up however you want (what happens when we change the number of wealthiest Americans to 300 or 500?) Nevertheless, it is interesting to see how so few people control most of the wealth.
Funny You Should Mention: The “Liberal Redneck” on Comedy, Child Support & JD Vance
The self-proclaimed "Trash Daddy" riffs on meat-in-a-can cuisine, possum PR, and how his accent disarms blue-state crowds. Plus: white supremacist losers, Fruit Loop vape rights, and how cheap heat works in comedy and pro wrestling. Trae takes us through his upbringing in Salinas, Tennessee, and discusses his travails with child support bureaucracy, plus his interpersonal interactions with JD Vance, who hit big about the same time Trae did. The two became friendly. For a while.
This newsletter was put together in collaboration with Kathleen Sykes. All mistakes, and camouflaged apostrophes belong to ‘’Mike Pesca.’’
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