Trump withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, Iraq — Guardian
87-yr-old Chuck Grassley tests positive for COVID — Register
North Dakota adopts a mask mandate — Fargo Forum
Schools across Southeast weigh virtual, here’s Nashville — Tennessean
Turns out the Thai king has a consort, and she’s high profile — LA Times
The Times checks in on Georgia Republicans — NYT
World’s largest trade deal, excluding USA/India, signed — BBC
Chilly Gonzales just released a good Christmas album — Spotify
Mine
New video dropped this morning (it’s good) — Scuffed News
Down the line
In no particular order: An interview with Ty Rushing, one of the few black managing editors of a newspaper in America; SEC tailgating, maybe Auburn-Alabama; something on the Georgia Senate runoff election.
Quote
“Trying to anticipate what you think the audience wants is a mistake...My job is not to give people what they want. It’s to give them what they didn’t know that they wanted yet.” - Mo Willems, children’s author, in an interview with Tom Ashbrook
About this email: I send this most mornings to force myself to stay informed and in touch. It’s typically ~8 links, a quote, and an update on what I’m working on. Write me back! And please share the email with people you think might want to sign up. I was a newspaper reporter for 14 years at the Cedar Rapids Gazette, Des Moines Register and Minneapolis Star Tribune. I gave the basic story of why my family left Minneapolis here. Find my new venture, Scuffed News, on YouTube (subscription is free and appreciated) and Twitter. Email me at scuffedtips@gmail.com
Keeping it simple may help since it doesn't have to be broadcast quality. Maybe you could find a local establishment to host that could help defray the cost. The camera likes you and your style is effective and easy to watch. Want to encourage you in this new path as this world needs truth and you can, as a by-product, become a bridge builder.
One of the men you interviewed at the Trump election party stated that he thought that the divide between Americans may not be as great as the media portrays. Is there interest for Scuffed News to host a series of events (focus groups) with an equal mix of 2020 voters to test that thesis? It would be interesting to capture an unfiltered/lightly edited group discussion.