THE SHOW NOTES: Only Problems, Gretchen Whitmer's Ad, & The Age of Depopulation

Welcome! Tesla launched a $30K Robotaxi.

DATA: 15 million US adults have ADHD - Reuters

SHOCK: TikTok tried to hide documents claiming its platform is harmful to children.

IMPORTANT: Doug Emhoff did not deny that he hit his ex-girlfriend.

MUST WATCH: Michgan Governor Gretchen Whitmer just did the cringiest Harris ad ever.

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OnlyProblems

Reuters has a devastating piece on the widespread social damage caused by the rise of the online pornography platform known as OnlyFans.

OnlyFans and its supporters portray the platform as a safe and empowering outlet for lucrative, socially acceptable sex work. Nurses, teachers, police officers and Olympic athletes have posted racy content in pursuit of extra cash.

As OnlyFans takes porn into the mainstream, however, the platform also has generated ripple effects that have upended lives in unexpected and sometimes traumatizing ways.

Reuters reported some of the most direct harms in investigations that exposed child sexual abuse material and nonconsensual or “revenge porn” posted on the site. Those findings were drawn from police complaints obtained from more than 250 of the largest U.S. law enforcement agencies.

Full story at Reuters.

WSJ: The Lightness of Being Kamala Harris

For Kamala Harris, even friendly interviews are treacherous these days. This week she may have made the biggest mistake of her 81-day campaign in response to similar questions from TV host Stephen Colbert and “The View.” Asked what she would do differently than President Biden, the Vice President said “there is not a thing that comes to mind.”

If Ms. Harris loses, that answer will go far to explaining why. Her mistake isn’t merely that she hasn’t distanced herself enough from Mr. Biden’s unpopular record, though that is a problem. It’s that she hasn’t shown voters that she is her own woman. Her campaign of “vibes” and safe appearances suggests she will be, like Mr. Biden has been, a captive of her party and its unpopular policies.

Full story at WSJ (paywall)

FA: The Age of Depopulation

Although few yet see it coming, humans are about to enter a new era of history. Call it “the age of depopulation.” For the first time since the Black Death in the 1300s, the planetary population will decline. But whereas the last implosion was caused by a deadly disease borne by fleas, the coming one will be entirely due to choices made by people.

With birthrates plummeting, more and more societies are heading into an era of pervasive and indefinite depopulation, one that will eventually encompass the whole planet. What lies ahead is a world made up of shrinking and aging societies. Net mortality—when a society experiences more deaths than births—will likewise become the new norm. Driven by an unrelenting collapse in fertility, family structures and living arrangements heretofore imagined only in science fiction novels will become commonplace, unremarkable features of everyday life.

Full story at Foreign Affairs.

WSJ: Iran’s Secret Warning to U.S. Allies: Don’t Help Israel, or You’re Next

Tehran is threatening in secret diplomatic backchannels to target the oil-rich Arab Gulf states and other American allies in the Middle East if their territories or airspace are used for an attack on Iran, said Arab officials.

Israel has threatened Tehran with a severe reprisal after Iran fired about 180 ballistic missiles at Israel earlier this month, with some Israeli officials and commentators pushing for damaging strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities or oil infrastructure. In that event, Iran has warned it would respond with devastating hits on Israel’s civilian infrastructure, and would retaliate against any Arab state that facilitated the attack, the officials said.

Full story at WSJ (paywall).

Harry Enten: This is why Dems are panicked

Scott Jennings on CNN

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