Culture

We’re in the throes of a full-blown moral panic, but this time it’s Nazis instead of Dungeons & Dragons. Nazis are everywhere in the United States. There are signs of them everywhere. Their influence is unmistakable, from beverages to hobbies to views on the nuclear family. It’s eleven o’clock. Do you know where your Nazis are? At least, that's the current state of America, according to the same industry that attempts every year to convince you that someone may sneak high-grade narcotics into your child’s Halloween candy. This week, our brilliant commentariat convinced itself that billionaire tech tycoon Elon Musk had performed two "Sieg Heils" during President Trump’s inauguration festivities.

WNBA star Caitlin Clark has thrown out practically all of the goodwill she earned among new women’s basketball fans and conservatives who otherwise defended her as she was subjected to blatant racism after joining the league. Clark became a lightning rod in her rookie season as her black opponents flagrantly fouled her on multiple occasions and refused to give her flowers for growing the game after a stellar college career at the University of Iowa. Clark was chosen as TIME’s Athlete of the Year last week, a well-deserved recognition of her impact on her sport and the massive celebrity she gained in such a short amount of time.

The Supreme Court today is hearing arguments against Tennessee’s statewide ban on prescribing puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy for minors with gender dysphoria. The challenge to the state law is being led by the Biden administration and the American Civil Liberties Union and is brought on behalf of three teens with gender dysphoria, their parents and a doctor. Their lawyer is also transgender. The Tennessee law came about during a period of very fraught debate over how to treat children who suffer from gender dysphoria.

Homemaker extraordinaire Martha Stewart has a fascinating new documentary about her life out on Netflix. The nearly two-hour film features narration from Martha herself about her childhood, her rise to fame, her marriage and the insider trading case that nearly destroyed her career. It’s worth a watch if you’re trying to get inspired ahead of your Thanksgiving celebrations tomorrow or if you just want to better understand the mindset of the perfection-driven television, magazine and homeware mogul. As I watched the documentary, though, I was mostly surprised at the parallels between the societal perception of Martha’s homemaking skills at the height or her popularity and the modern discourse about “tradwives.

It starts with the promise of skipping school — always an illicit thrill at nine years old. My son and I, seasoned truants, hop the early train to downtown Chicago for what I’ve convinced him is a real education. The day’s agenda: two of the city’s iconic museums — grand, intimidating and, up until recently, somewhat sacred. These sprawling neoclassical behemoths, both originally constructed for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, dot the waterfront like ancient ruins. They once felt like temples to knowledge, where wonder and learning collided, where static displays ignited curiosity. But as we step inside, I can’t shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, their magic has faded. Can museums as we know them survive my lifetime?

There’s a trend on the sports field: famous athletes are hitting the “Trump dance” in celebration of their in-competition achievements. If you’ve watched one of his rallies this cycle, you’ll know the exact dance move I’m talking about. Trump moves his hips back and forth while punching his arms forward. Sometimes he finishes with a golf swing. It’s very middle- to late-aged white man at a family wedding, which feels totally authentic, is easy to emulate and is a lot fun. In just the past few days, we’ve seen it done by members of the San Francisco 49ers, including confirmed Trump supporter Nick Bosa, the Detroit Lions, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Tennessee Titans, UFC fighter Jon Jones, US Men’s Soccer forward Christian Pulisic and British golfer Charley Hull.

Much has been made of the “gender gap” this election season as Vice President Kamala Harris outperforms former president Donald Trump with women, while Trump outperforms Kamala with men. Until now, both have leaned into their respective advantages, with Kamala doubling down on abortion messaging and Trump doing the so-called “bro podcast” tour. However, in recent weeks, both candidates have sought to diminish the gender gap on the other side. Harris started a “Hunters and Anglers for Harris-Walz” coalition, which ended with Walz awkwardly failing to load a shotgun, and made appeals to gamers, with Walz tying a game of Madden 0-0 and praising Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s ability to “run a pick 6.

Former president Donald Trump is recording an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience with host Joe Rogan on Friday, just over a week out from Election Day on November 5. There was speculation for weeks that Trump might appear on the wildly popular podcast, with Rogan polling viewers as to whether he should interview the president for the first time in the show’s history. Rogan consistently has the most viewed podcast in America with millions of views per episode and is known for his long and wide-ranging discussions with his guests. His audience is also known to skew male-heavy and is made up of many independent and apolitical voters.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida I’ve lived in seven US states and five countries, but when I arrived in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2019 I knew it was my last stop. There is no such thing as paradise on earth, but for me, St. Pete is as close as it comes. But every year during hurricane season, we’re on pins and needles hoping the big one won’t come and wipe us off the map. Our homeowner’s and flood insurance rates are insane, but I still don’t know anyone who feels like their policies are comprehensive enough to sleep easy when the Weather Channel vans prowl our streets like hungry hyenas looking for viral footage during hurricane season.

The official death toll from Hurricane Helene rose yesterday to 227 across six states, with about half of the victims being in North Carolina. But sources on the ground in North Carolina tell The Spectator that the true scope of the death and devastation wrought by the storm is not even close to being understood. In addition, the rescue and recovery efforts have been largely undertaken by private citizens, as the state and federal responses have been hamstrung by incompetent public officials.   “It’s so much worse than they’re saying,” said one individual who was in Asheville when Helene hit. “I think there’s a massive cover-up.

The migrant takeover of Springfield, Ohio, has become a major cultural moment, particularly thanks to former president Donald Trump declaring on the debate stage that they [the migrants] are “eating the dogs.” A musical remix of his declarations went viral — and I’ve heard completely non-political people jokingly mimic Trump’s words in public. Setting aside the debate over whether or not there is evidence Haitians are stealing and eating people’s pets, or ducks and geese from the local park, the residents of Springfield have legitimate concerns over mass migration. Serious problems arise when approximately 20,000 people from a vastly different culture move to one place and don’t make a real effort to assimilate.

The Kamala Harris campaign held a press call on Tuesday morning in which they claimed Republicans and former president Donald Trump are “attacking” access to in vitro fertilization. An email sent out advertising the call said, “Donald Trump’s own platform — linked on his campaign website — could effectively ban IVF and abortion in states nationwide.” I found this to be surprising because I read Trump’s platform — linked on his campaign website — when it became official the week of the Republican National Convention. Of course, Trump has also publicly said that he supports IVF and wants to require insurance companies to cover the treatment. I double checked Trump’s platform just in case, and confirmed my suspicions.

It’s that time of the 2024 election... the Democrats are rolling out the celebrity endorsements. Oprah Winfrey made a surprise appearance at the Democratic National Convention, and the DNC also featured four “celebrity” hosts: Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn, Mindy Kaling and Ana Navarro. This week after the presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump, Harris got her white whale: pop superstar Taylor Swift. Back in January, reports said the Biden campaign was hoping for her endorsement the most.  Swift released her endorsement on her Instagram account next to a picture from her TIME Person of the Year cover holding her cat.

Now we got bad blood? Billion-dollar pop star Taylor Swift almost had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Cockburn pulled out his binoculars at the Chiefs game Thursday and did not see Britanny Mahomes anywhere near Swift, as she usually is. Both Taylor and Mahomes appeared to be in entirely different suites. Why the distance? From what Cockburn can tell, it might have something to do with the fact that Mahomes has associated herself with the MAGA world. For the uninitiated, Taylor Swift is dating Travis Kelce, tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. Brittany Mahomes is the wife of Patrick Mahomes, quarterback for the Chiefs. Last season, Swift and Mahomes were almost always seen together in the same suite, cheering on their significant others.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his presidential campaign in swing states on Friday and officially endorsed former president Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Electorally, this was a potentially pivotal moment: RFK was pulling about 5 percent of the total electorate, according to the RealClear average, and an even higher percentage in some swing states. If Kennedy was right when he told Dr. Phil that 57 percent of his voters would go to Trump if he left the race, then his exit and endorsement could prove a significant boost to Trump. Since RFK Jr. and another former Democrat, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, endorsed Trump, both have been added to the former president’s transition team. Culturally, RFK Jr.

Former president Donald Trump and Tesla founder and X CEO Elon Musk had a wide-ranging conversation in a record-breaking X Space on Monday night. The pair spoke for about two hours with millions of listeners tuning in; the Space received hundreds of thousands of comments. The opportunity to hear from an unscripted presidential candidate for one of the two major political parties on pretty much every major issue facing our country is a gift to journalists. The amount of access Trump gives to the press in general — even adversarial reporters — is also a gift. Ideas directly from the horse’s mouth; no anonymous sources or investigate legwork required.  But the establishment and corporate media don’t view Trump’s words this way.