Sunday Mailbag

What kind of readership do we have? Well, far and away the two most popular subjects of messages this week were the White House "renovations" and... TV theme songs.

Politics: The Right Wing vs. the East Wing

D.E. in Lancaster, PA, writes: When you published the list of donors for Trump's Memorial Ballroom for Tyrants and Kings, one of the names popped out: Ike Perlmutter. Isaac "Ike" Perlmutter was born in Palestine to a Jewish family and served in Israel's Six Day War. He immigrated to New York City with only $250 to his name. He started selling toys and beauty products on the street and now days he is a multi-billionaire. He has no formal college education, making him a true rags-to-riches character.

One of the early companies that he acquired a controlling interest in was Remington, famous for its electric shavers, but his main forte was toy companies, in particular action figures for boys. It was his experience in that field that led him to be named a member of the board for Marvel Comics. Extremely fortunate for him was that, shortly after he was named to Marvel's Board of Directors, the comics experienced financial difficulties, resulting in it going bankrupt and the rights of several of its most familiar characters being sold to other companies. Realizing that sales of action figures depended on stories to promote them, he helped acquire Marvel Comics. In 2005, Perlmutter was named CEO of Marvel Entertainment. In 2009, Marvel Entertainment was bought by Disney, mostly because of its very successful Marvel Cinematic Universe films, and made Perlmutter a very wealthy man.

An interesting tangent, Perlmutter and his wife, Laura, give to a variety of worthwhile charities. They donate to The Innocence Project, which helps exonerate through the use of DNA testing those wrongly accused of committing crimes. Over 70% of the convictions that are overturned are of incarcerated minority men. The Innocence Project was deeply involved with trying to exonerate the infamous Central Park Five, but while it was the evidence that finally overturned the jail sentences of these five Black and Latino men, it was the involvement of the Innocence Project that helped exonerate a sixth Black man accused in the incident, Steven Lopez. They worked with the NY District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, to help overturn Lopez's conviction, even though he had pled guilty. The Central Park Five are notorious because Donald Trump bought a full page ad in The New York Times calling for the five men to get the death penalty.

And that's the positives of Ike Perlmutter's life. Now comes the more... interesting points. Perlmutter is the poster boy for reclusive billionaires, having only recently given an interview to The Wall Street Journal, and having few public photographs, and those often blurry, except a January 2025 photo of himself to Elon Musk's left in the Billionaires Row attending Donald Trump's second inauguration. Perlmutter has a second home in Palm Beach, FL, and is a regular member of Mar-a-Lago when there. He is, in fact, one of the 20 of Trump's billionaire friends that he consults on a regular basis. During the first Trump administration, Trump made Perlmutter and two other of his "Club Goer" friends the de facto heads of the Veterans Administration, with the named Secretary of the VA, Peter O'Rourke, being more of a figurehead. Naturally, Ike and Lauren Perlmutter have donated a lot of money to both Trump's campaign and inaugural events.

The more interesting tidbits about Perlmutter's character come from his time running Marvel Entertainment. Kevin Feige is the head of Marvel Studios, which makes the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films and is the studio's primary driving force. The MCU films have earned over $31 billion in revenue, starting with 2008's Iron Man, making it the most successful franchise of all time. During much of this time, Perlmutter has been a constant thorn in Feige's side, mainly because of his antiquated beliefs and notorious stinginess. After the success of Iron Man, actor Terrence Howard, who played Tony Stark's friend James "Rhodey" Rhodes, asked for a bump up in salary. Tight-fisted Perlmutter refused, allegedly advising Feige to hire another Black actor since the audience would not be able to tell them apart. One can see why he and Trump became friends. Perlmutter is also notorious for sidelining several MCU projects that Feige was interested in producing. Perlmutter's rationale for blocking these projects is that no one would pay to see a film with a majority-Black cast or one with a female as a superhero. Perlmutter related everything back to the selling of action figures, saying that boys didn't buy female or Black action figures. Again, you can see why he and Trump became friends.

After Marvel was bought by Disney, Feige, in frustration, went to Disney, who then had Feige report directly to Disney and not to Perlmutter. Feige was then able to film those projects. One of those was Captain Marvel (2019) which starred Brie Larson as the eponymous female superhero. It went on to make $1.13 billion on a $175 million budget. The other blocked project was Black Panther, starring the late Chadwick Boseman as the first Black superhero from the fictional African nation of Wakanda. That film made $1.5 billion off a $200 million budget and is the only MCU film to be nominated for Best Picture (it lost that award, but won three Oscars in other categories). Both films sold a buttload of toys and action figures (I'm looking at my LEGO Wakanda Dragon Flyer and M'Baku key chain as I type). It is also interesting to note that the time Perlmutter's influence was curtailed by Disney coincides with the start of right-wing influencers and Internet trolls going after Marvel/Disney. These folks tried to organize boycotts of both films, even going so far as to try to bomb the Rotten Tomatoes audience score for both films. I have no direct evidence that Perlmutter help instigate those efforts but... he is friends with Trump.

Even after Disney pushed Perlmutter out of Marvel Studios, he still continued to be a thorn in the company's side. Finally, in 2023, Bob Iger, Disney's CEO, in a reorganization of the company, laid off Perlmutter as the CEO of Marvel Entertainment. Even then, Perlmutter did not go quietly into the night but instead joined forces with billionaire investor Nelson Peltz in an attempt to get named to the Disney Board of Directors. Their complaint was that Disney was too—wait for it—woke and was more focused on diversity and inclusion than making money. Their attempt failed and Perlmutter, who detests Iger, sold off all his Disney stock, making several more billions in fortune. But like any good supervillain, Perlmutter vowed to buy back all his Disney stock and more one day when the price of the stock has hit rock bottom. It is certainly headed that direction after recent events. Again, there is no proven direct link, but one has to wonder why Iger was so caught off guard when the second Trump administration came after Disney regarding Jimmy Kimmel.

Circling back to the subject of Trump's Ballroom and the destruction of the East Wing of the White House. I've only seen Heather Cox Richardson bring this up, but no one is talking about what happened to the historical artifacts or paintings that were on display there. Given the President's past history, it would be easy to suspect they are in some bathroom at Mar-a-Lago awaiting some future auction. Unfortunately, no moving vans or curators were seen bringing items out of the White House. Instead the White House says they were cataloged and stored, but gives no further details. Yeah, that's the ticket, cataloged and stored. Richardson also theorizes that the sudden decision to raze the East Wing was a manifestation of Trump's anger against the No Kings Protest from the weekend before the backhoes appeared. That certainly seems plausible.

I do think there is a clue to whereabouts of any East Wing paintings or historical artifacts, but it lies further back in Trump's past. In 1979, when Trump received approval from New York City to tear down the Bonwitt Teller Building, built in 1929, in order to build Trump Tower, the Metropolitan Museum of Art asked Trump to save its Art Deco friezes. Trump agreed but a year later it was discovered that the friezes had been jack hammered into rubble because saving them would have led to a delay of a couple of weeks in the construction of Trump Tower. Ever the supreme expert on every subject known to man and then some, Trump said that he doubted the friezes had any value. The Metropolitan Museum of Art then replied that they were not in the habit of saving and storing things of no value. Years later, Trump admitted this caused him a lot of ill-will from the city's intellectual circles. He even admitted that, looking back, he shouldn't have been so impulsive and should have taken the time to save the friezes. But, in typical Trump fashion of having to have the last word, he reiterated that the friezes had no value and were of poor quality. If still in one piece, the friezes are estimated to have been worth $845,000. Trump also added that he has a great interest in art, even though his offices and homes have no paintings on the wall that do not include himself or one of his buildings. One shudders to think what has been carried away in the East Wing rubble.

My first concern was for Barack Obama's official portrait (Joe Biden's has yet to be completed). Trump has already had it moved, but its official spot is supposed to be a hard-to-access stairwell in the White House residence. That is, unless Trump had it chucked into the East Wing moments before the backhoes arrived. If he did, it really wouldn't be out of character.

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L.R.H. in Oakland, CA, writes: Your table of "donors" to the White House ballroom lists "Keep AI contracts flowing" for several of the tech company "donors." I would add "Keep tech companies from being regulated." Between the companies' role in the spread of misinformation and disinformation and the environmental damage done by AI data centers, these companies really want to keep the government at bay. And their leaders are smarter than Trump and know how to flatter and manipulate him.

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C.V. in Leander, TX, writes: I worry about this East Wing remodel for a reason completely separate from its funding. A massive re-architecture of the White House affords opportunities to centralize more operations by effectively extending the West Wing. Sure, the front is a ballroom. But what else are they including? Off the books SCIFs? More direct CIA and ICE command-and-control that operate outside of existing controls, all connected with Starlink? The mind spins with possibilities...

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M.R. in New Brighton, MN, writes: Regarding the Trump Ballroom, you wrote: "We doubt [the next Democratic president] will have the new structure torn down, since that would look petty."

Over the next few days pundits and the people weighed in on this and by Friday, you wrote: "having thought about it a lot, we think the outrage is entirely legitimate." Kudos for giving this a second look! I can't imagine a Democratic president stepping foot in this gaudy, gilded eyesore, let alone hosting an event in it. Let's tear it down and then rebuild the East Wing with some updates. The exterior would be restored to its pre-demolition appearance. On the inside there will be some offices and conference rooms, as before, but they will be updated with top-notch, state-of-the-art communication and security systems. And, this time around, let's transform a good chunk of the East Wing into a modern visitor's center. Instead of welcoming billionaires to a ballroom, we'll be welcoming our citizens to their "house."

Back when Jimmy Kimmel was in the news, his style was compared with other late night hosts. Johnny Carson told political jokes, but he would limit himself to no more than three in an evening. When asked why, Johnny replied, "because politics is boring." There are a lot of us right now who wish, more than anything else, that we might return to a time when politics was "boring." One of the many tasks before the next Democratic president will be to restore the office of the presidency. There will be a desire to undo as much of Trump's reign as possible; demolition of the Trump Ballroom will be an easy first step.

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R.E.M. in Brooklyn, NY, writes: Trump has succeeded in doing more damage to the White House than Osama bin Laden did with Flight 93 on 9/11.

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G.G. in Nottinghamshire, England, UK, writes: With this monstrous carbuncle of an edifice being constructed at pace, and without the usual oversight of Congress, it raises the question: Can a future administration ever be certain to a reasonable level that there will be no security issues with it?

I don't just mean that the whole building may one day collapse because cheap steel was used in its structure (though it would not surprise me that it had all the integrity of well... Trump), but who has conducted oversight and security checks on the construction itself, the constructors, and anyone else granted access to the site? Who knows what technological sabotage or intelligence-gathering could be installed during the construction process?

Even if it is all 100% confirmed as not a risk, the mere question of it might provide sufficient cover for a future administration to significantly reconstruct or repurpose the building, even if they do not just outright remove it and rebuild the East Wing.

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E.D. in Saddle Brook, NJ, writes: You mentioned tearing down Trump's ballroom due to safety concerns. I had already thought of another angle: security. I'd trust this rushed add-on to the White House about as much as I'd trust the gifted Air Force One. You'd have to rip it apart and rebuild it to ensure everything was done properly.

Even if they didn't tear it down, I'd expect any future president to at least rip out the interior and redo it entirely. The renderings Trump has shown, with almost every surface covered in gold, look hideous.

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K.C.W. in Austin, TX, writes: With a bit of reflection, it's not surprising to me that TCF is demolishing the East Wing, built by FDR, as he did with the Rose Garden, built by Jacqueline Kennedy. It's pure partisan bitterness. For generations, Republicans have wanted to "undo" anything and everything Democrats have accomplished. Let's remember, Republicans have tried multiple times to remove FDR from the dime and replace him with St. Ronnie. Anything from the New Deal, to the Great Society, to today, they just want to kill. ACA? Voting Rights Act? Social Security? Same-sex marriage? Anything that helps THE PEOPLE, they want to kill. It's not policy, it's partisanship. "Moving the football," and fu** them, all of them.

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M.S. in Hamden, CT, writes: The rapid demolition of the East Wing reminds me that Roy Cohn wasn't the only person to teach Trump a thing or two. Back in the winter of 1985, Manhattan real estate developer Harry Macklowe had four buildings on West 44th Street partially demolished in the dead of night. Oh, and he didn't bother with any permits or certifications (including whether any tenants had been forced out), or with first disconnecting the water and gas lines. Why the rush? Because the next day a new city ordinance went into effect preventing the demolition of single-room occupancy buildings, which included two of the four buildings. The outcome? A hefty fine, followed by his construction of a 43-story hotel on the site. Because who wants a permanent eyesore? Sound familiar?

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B.P. in Pensacola, FL, writes: I'm a construction lawyer, and there are several questions that I have not been able to find answers about regarding the contract for the demolition and construction ongoing at the "People's House." Most prominent among them is: Who is it that Clark Construction (the contractor) has their contract with? I would be surprised if it was the federal government, because then it would (at least in normal circumstances) be subject to the FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulations), which would make nearly all of what's going on impermissible. It likely was not put out for bids, for example (at least not that I can find), and there are limited exceptions for that, but general demolition and construction isn't one of them.

The other interesting question is how Clark is getting paid. Assuming that the contributions have been paid, who has them? And do normal regulations for payment have to be followed? The FAR also typically has particular quality control/quality assurance provisions—do those apply? I can't find anything about the contract in publicly available information, at least at this point.

Also, if the design is not yet complete (and given the timing, it would surprise me if it was), and the project is already underway, that's a recipe for disaster on the schedule that The Convicted Felon wants the project done. We'll see. Clark had a disastrous project with the Miami Beach Convention Center in similar circumstances (although that one actually followed regular procurement law). And remember that Washington, DC, is notoriously largely built on a swamp which could make for some challenging and unexpected conditions—which means delay and more money.

Finally, the blowback, which was entirely predictable, from this project is going to be brutal and could well affect the business prospects going forward of anyone involved.

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Anonymous in Texas writes: Here is some stuff that I thought everybody knew, but it's possible I'm wrong.

I'm 67 and have been in construction since I was 17. So it is truly in my blood.

A project of any scale—strip mall, grocery store, pizza restaurant, school, college addition, dorms, everything—requires planning. And everything takes time. The bigger the project and the more important, the more time. Plans—every detail—construction type, square footage, building height, electrical systems, mechanical systems and plumbing (called MEP drawing by those of us who live this stuff), fire suppression, fire alarms. A big ballroom would no doubt have a kitchen associated with it—kitchens are a whole separate thing, with coolers, hoods over cooking equipment, etc.

So, for me—builder, aesthetic, college grad (masters of public admin), NOT A MAGA—when I heard talk of a new addition to the White House, I knew just drafting the plans could take years—years and years. When people build, say, a school, they usually pull from existing school plans. But how many White Houses have people built? Oh wait, I know this one...

Also, and I am trying to make this short and understandable, the plans go out for bids. The contractors need to know what will be expected of them before they can say how much it will cost. And, how do you know what and where to demo before you know what you are building? You don't. So either these plans have been worked on secretly for years (and I say that is impossible; too many eyes and people) or the plans don't exist yet and Trump is just bulldozing what he feels like out of nastiness and spite. He's passed around a picture—known as an architectural representation— with no details: no door height, no headers, no hall width, no egress, no ingress—never mind the heightened security for this building. All of this and more goes into any building. For the White House, multiply by a million or two. There is no way any contractor knows what will be built, where you can unroll drawings and show me...

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M.W. in Ottawa, ON, Canada, writes: In your pieces this week, I am glad to see you did not refer to the Epstein Ballroom by that name. Many people have been calling it the Epstein Ballroom. But Epstein Ballroom isn't its name. Please continue to not call it the Epstein Ballroom in all future pieces. And I encourage all readers to not call it the Epstein Ballroom at every opportunity. We wouldn't want Epstein associated with this ballroom in any way.

Politics: The Shutdown

J.B. in Clarksville, TN, writes: You wrote: "Nov. 1: This is the date that enrollment opens for people using the ACA. Since Democrats are fighting to continue existing healthcare subsidies, this could be a symbolic moment. At the very least, voters will begin to see what the BBB means for them personally when they start looking at what healthcare will cost in 2026. Absent the subsidies, they may not like what they see."

I've been following Electoral-Vote.com since the 2006 midterms, and I just want to say how much I appreciate the work you do. This site has long been my most trusted source for political news. You cut through the noise, avoid the lazy bothsidesism that plagues mainstream outlets, and consistently tell it like it is. That kind of clarity is rare and invaluable.

That said, I'm deeply concerned about how the current crisis will be spun. Republicans have a knack for deflecting blame, and I fear they'll once again point fingers at Democrats for the consequences of their own obstruction. What worries me even more is that many voters in deep-red counties will buy into this narrative without question—hook, line, and sinker.

As a former (fiscally moderate/socially liberal) Republican myself, I find it increasingly difficult to understand how anyone can support the Party in its current form. The GOP I once believed in valued fiscal responsibility, national service and principled leadership. Today, it seems driven more by grievance politics and performative outrage than by any coherent policy vision. The disconnect between rhetoric and reality is staggering.

If this shutdown drags on and military families, retirees, and VA recipients start feeling the pain, I wonder how long the spin will hold. At some point, the consequences will be too personal, too immediate, and too damaging to ignore. And when that happens, I hope voters—especially those in traditionally conservative areas—start asking harder questions about who's really fighting for them.

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K.R. in Austin, TX, writes: You have shared that polling shows that most independents blame the shutdown on Republicans. I think that's because decades of Republican messaging has worked.

Since at least the 80s, when I first became aware of political messaging, Republicans have said that government programs are a waste of money and should be done away with. They have said that Democrats love government programs and want more of them. Reagan had a famous quote: "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help.'"

After half a century of that consistent messaging, who would believe that the Democrats want to shut down government while the Republicans desperately want to open it?

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B.C. in Durham, NC, writes: I noticed that you used the acronym "BBB" in your item about key shutdown dates. It took me a minute to realize you were referring to "Big Beautiful Bill" instead of "Build Back Better." I am now wondering if that was one of the reasons they gave it that convoluted, ridiculous name—to sow confusion among voters.

Politics: This Week in TrumpWorld

A.A. in Branchport, NY, writes: Vietnam is a tropical country with 52% jungle coverage and a 2,000 mile coastline. It was alleged to be an existential threat to the very life of the United States of America. It had a leader who was killed in 1963 in a U.S.-backed military coup, which destabilized the country. Vietnam's military was a fraction of the size of the U.S. There were 16,000 "advisers"in 1963 who were dispatched by John F. Kennedy and whose mission was to support U.S. interests. There was an incident in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1964 in which American forces were alleged to have been attacked by North Vietnamese boats, when in fact there were none in the area. This attack never happened. But it was used as the basis for the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which was used to introduce large numbers of U.S. troops into combat in Vietnam. The resolution passed in 1964. The Senate vote was 88-2, opposed only by Senators Wayne Morse and Ernest Gruening. The House vote was unanimous, 416-0. The resulting war lasted until April 30, 1975. The U.S. lost, with over 50,000 dead.

Venezuela is a tropical country with ~47% jungle coverage with a 1,700 mile coastline. It is alleged to be an existential threat to the very life of the United States of America. It has a leader that Trump wants to depose. To that end, Trump has dispatched CIA operatives on the ground whose mission is to destabilize the country. It has a military that is a fraction of the size of the U.S. Now Trump has dispatched the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and B-1 bombers to the Caribbean.

This will be a gory repeat of the Vietnam disaster unless he can be stopped. But hell, there's no one who can do that.

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D.S. in Ottawa, ON, Canada, writes: Just wanted to comment on a couple of things about the Ontario anti-tariff ad. First, the Ontario government is saying that the Reagan footage and audio they used is in the public domain, so they didn't need the Reagan Foundation's permission to use it. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but that's what Premier Doug Ford is saying.

The other thing is that it's not just being shown in Ontario. My understanding is that it was shown on Fox TV during the 7th game of the series between the Blue Jays and the Mariners, so it's getting some airplay in the U.S.

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P.Y. in Boca Raton, FL, writes: I was surprised to see Ronald Reagan's speech on tariffs characterized as "FAKE" by the current occupant of the White House, especially since I had first-hand knowledge of the events that influenced that speech. Japanese car imports were making serious inroads into the American car market, and executives at Ford Motor were lobbying for tariffs and quotas to be imposed on Japanese cars. My colleague, Ford's Chief Economist at the time, was Dr. William Niskanen, who had been a tenured professor at Berkeley and who, like myself, had been lured away from academe and into the corporate rat race. Bill Niskanen believed in free trade and publicly opposed Ford's pro-tariff lobbying. He was very publicly fired in late 1980, and within months became one of the first hires of newly-elected President Reagan, who appointed Bill to the Council of Economic Advisors. You can see right there how Reagan stood on the subject of tariffs, even seven years before he gave that speech.

Niskanen remained on the CEA throughout Reagan's first term, and eventually became its chairman. He left in 1985 to become Chairman of the Cato Institute, where he served for 23 years and continued to advise Reagan and other presidents informally. Reagan's 1987 speech reads almost as if it had been written by Bill. You can read about him here.

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J.O. in Las Vegas, NV, writes: In a classic case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing, while Donald Trump is cutting a deal with Australia on rare earths, he is also practically shutting down lithium mining here in Nevada. While not technically a rare earth, lithium is just as vital for electronic production.

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M.S. in Highland Park, IL, writes: I have said from the beginning of the current regime that, if my law school classmates' LinkedIn postings are any guide, MAGA isn't hiring from the best of the best. They're not even hiring from the worst of the best. I have several classmates who are regime attorneys (a handful more work for Congress), and not one of them is someone our class considered bright or talented or competent. Tellingly, a classmate who is now part of a MAGA voting activist group didn't know what the Fifteenth Amendment was in the late spring of our 3L year—literally had no idea.

This bodes poorly for our country, of course. However, if Lindsey Halligan is hiring from a similar caliber of attorneys, it also bodes poorly for her prosecutions.

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W.R. in Henderson, NC, writes: President Trump has recently been asking whether he will be going to heaven when he leaves this earthly home. I would suggest he get one of the Trump Bibles and look up Matthew 19: 16-24. Most Bibles have an index in the front, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find. In this New Testament passage, a rich man asks Jesus how he can inherit eternal life. Jesus answers: (1) Keep the Commandments (including that pesky one about no adultery); (2) sell all your possessions (that means ALL, including the golf courses, Trump towers, Mar-a-Lago, etc.); (3) give to the poor (note to readers, try not to laugh) and finally (4) follow me. The Lord will be the final judge, but it doesn't look so good for President Trump at this point in time.

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T.B. in Santa Clara, CA, writes: Doing our part in a fun way to show our disaffection with Tesla/Elon Musk:

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B.W. in Los Angeles, CA, writes: Since you were asked about your favorite Trump impression, I wanted to make sure you've seen comedian Godfrey do his bit. I think it's not only the best Trump impersonation, but one of the most hilarious, insightful, and cutting impressions of any U.S. president:

All Politics Is Local

L.L. in Seymour, CT, writes: Right now, communities all across the country are gearing up for local elections. They will elect neighbors as their town mayors, legislative body, the boards that controls town finances and town planning, and Boards of Education.

In most of these communities, typically thousands of voters who turn out in even years stay home. The result? In town after town, races are lost by tiny numbers of votes. In my town, it was three votes. Three.

And those three votes? That's the margin between communities that raise the Pride flag, and those that quietly roll it back. Between libraries that celebrate diverse voices and those that censor them. Between towns that invest in our schools and those that play politics with your child's future.

You vote in presidential elections. You show up when the stakes feel high. But here's the truth: The most urgent battles for our values aren't just fought in Washington. They're decided right in your backyard.

For years, Republicans have played the long game, building power from the ground up, starting with local elections. They've taken control of town councils, boards of finance, and school boards with candidates who quietly push their agenda. And it's working across our country.

If we want to protect our values, we have to fight back the same way. That means showing up in the elections that fly under the radar. The ones they count on us to ignore.

Republicans have Project 2025, a national blueprint to dismantle progress. But we can fight back. We have our own mission: to win our town elections in a landslide in November. Mayors, finance boards, planning boards, and boards of education. Every seat matters. Every vote counts. Especially yours.

If you've ever marched, posted, donated, or spoken out, this is your moment to act. Because silence in odd years is how we lose ground. And showing up in 2025 is how we take it back.

Let's make it impossible for Republicans to ignore our values. Let's flood the polls. Let's win big. And let's make sure our communities reflect the values we believe in: bold, inclusive, and proud.

There are so many ways to vote, and no excuse not to. Early voting is now available in many states. In fact, in some states it has already begun. Vote early. Or vote on Election Day. Just vote.

Let's show them what happens when we fight back.

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R.H.D. in Webster, NY, writes: I'm as far away as possible from New York City, but still within the Empire State borders. And what goes on in the Big Apple affects matters here where we grow actual apples. I'm not a fan of Zohran Mamdani, but I'm coming to grips that he will likely be New York's next mayor. I truly wish him well.

Having said this, I'm done with former governor Andrew Cuomo. I once looked up to him, especially in the wake of the pandemic. I would even brag to anyone that he was the best governor in the nation. Now, I'm just ashamed of the man. He shouldn't have run for mayor in the first place. But he did, and when he lost the Democratic primary he decided to go scorched earth on Mamdani, even stooping to Trumpian levels. The incidents you wrote about were clearly appalling on Cuomo's part and beneath him. A once promising political career is now drowned in the sewer.

I know his father, Mario, whom I still admire to this day, has to be rolling in his grave for all the shame his son has brought on his family's name. What a tragedy!

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L.C. in Brookline, MA, writes: You wrote:

Clearly, Cuomo and his people have decided there are no more Democrats to be won over, and that their only hope lies in going all-in on trying to steal away Sliwa's voters. The thing is, not only did this approach produce some truly reprehensible pandering to racists, but it also doesn't actually add up. Even if every Sliwa voter were to say "I want me some of that bigotry," it's still not enough to put Cuomo into the lead. And with stunts like the ones the ex-governor pulled yesterday, he's not going to get the additional independents/Democrats he would need to actually win. We think his goose is cooked, and we must admit we look forward to what will hopefully be his final exit from the political stage.

I wonder whether it's too early to conclude that. Couldn't Mayor Eric Adams, as a final act of spite, arrange for measures to suppress the Mamdani vote? Possibly with... uh, tactical technical support from the Trump administration?

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L.L. in Boston, MA, writes: Coming from liberal Boston in liberal Massachusetts, I'm surprised and worried by how many people are angry about the Democratic Party's leadership failing to endorse Zohran Mamdani. People are questioning why the principle of "Vote Blue No Matter Who" is being ignored in this case. I don't expect this to lead to a massive fallout in votes here in Massachusetts, but I do hear people saying they are less likely to donate or volunteer for Democratic candidates they perceive as too right-wing. One example is Janet Mills, currently running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator in Maine. When she announced her support for keeping the filibuster, a lot of my friends said that was disqualifying. If the Democratic leadership can refuse to endorse Mamdani, then they feel they can withhold their time and money from Mills. (They don't talk about not voting for her because they don't live in Maine.) Maybe some of that money and time will be donated to other candidates, but I think whoever counts as centrist or moderate Democrats might be surprised about a sudden lack of grassroots support.

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J.K. in Short Hills, NJ, writes: The Republican national leadership are likely not pushing Curtis Sliwa (R) to bow out, and might even be encouraging him to stay in the race, for a Mamdani victory would make the new mayor a fortuitous and easy punching bag (fairly or unfairly) as the face of the Democratic Party for at least the next 4 years.

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J.K. in Stanhope, NJ, writes: Someone should tell Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) that if 85 was an appropriate retirement age for the Pope, the Emperor of Japan and Doctor Demento, then it certainly should be good enough for her.

Afrikaans

T.C. in Pretoria, South Africa, writes: I've been a fan of your site for 10+ years. I'm also an Afrikaner and as such, very proud of my mother-tongue which this year is celebrating its 100th year as an official language. Over this century, Afrikaans has grown as a language of instruction, research, literature and art. It is also the language in which close to 7 million first-language Afrikaans speakers laugh, love, dream and pray. Most first-language Afrikaans speakers are not white.

Your disparaging comment about Afrikaans being "kind of 18th-century-kindergarten Dutch" seems to be designed to paint Afrikaners as a group as dumb and lazy. You usually warn readers against making sweeping assumptions of people based on race, language, religion or other characteristics...

By far the majority of white South-Africans and Afrikaners prefer to stay here, work hard and build a better future for themselves and their country. Despite undeniable issues with safety and infrastructure that plague South Africans of all races, it is, in my opinion, still one of the best places in the world to live. We pride ourselves on our friendliness and hospitality in South Africa, which has been named FRIENDLIEST country in the world! South Africans who feel that they can build a better life elsewhere in the world typically emigrate on merit. Highly skilled and successful South Africans—including fully bilingual Afrikaners—can be found all around the globe (sorry about Elon). It follows that the type of person who would sign up to go to the U.S. as an "Afrikaner refugee" is unlikely to be the best and brightest that we have to offer. They were "victims" here, they will be "victims" wherever they go. But please remember—we're not all like that.

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W.V.d.S. in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, writes: Generally, I really appreciate your comments but "Afrikaans, which is kind of 18th-century-kindergarten Dutch" is really a very silly remark. Afrikaans is a beautiful language, especially for songs and poems, like for example by Breytenbach and Antjie Krog.

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S.S. in Athens, OH, writes: I've traveled widely throughout South Africa, literally to every corner (except for the pointy bit that sticks up between Namibia and Botswana). Over multiple trips spanning about 4 months, in toto, I've only twice encountered someone who couldn't engage in conversation in English, both times in rural Western Cape. One was a young woman who spoke Afrikaans along with her home language (which I didn't hear enough of to catch). The other was a 40-something man who I believe may have been cognitively impaired to some extent; he spoke only Afrikaans, as far as I could tell.

So I don't think there's much of a language barrier for Trump's neo-voortrekkers, although they might have trouble finding someone who can cook them a boerewors roosterkoek for lunch. Then again, I never explicitly sought out Afrikaners with persecution complexes while I was there, so my sample might be biased in that way.

TV Themes...

D.D. in Bucks County, PA, writes: To your list of the best TV theme songs (with which I don't disagree), I need to add three more:

• The Mary Tyler Moore Show ("Who can turn the world on with her smile"), including the visuals of Mary moving to Minneapolis to remake her life.
  
  
• Maude ("Lady Godiva was a freedom ride-ah"), celebrating the women who pushed boundaries to create change.
  
  
• Barney Miller; That jazz bass line is iconic and is perfect for the funky NYPD precinct environment where Barney and his team have to improvise just to do their jobs the best they can in the Greenwich Village(-ish) location, known for jazz clubs at the time.

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E.S. in Providence, RI, writes: As a former DJ, I can attest that WKRP in Cincinnati has the most honest lyric-driven theme ever.

For instrumentals, any version of the Doctor Who theme over the past 15 years is a tremendous piece of music.

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S.B., Los Angeles, CA, writes: In the response to J.W. in Los Angeles, (Z) commented, "If I had included a show that was entirely 21st century, however, it would have been Mad Men."

I think another 21st century theme song contender would be Game of Thrones. There is a passable argument that it accomplished both of (Z)'s goals: (1) draw people into the program, and (2) somehow establish the basis of the show for those who have not seen it before (or who have seen it, but need a reminder).

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J.B. in Aarhus, Denmark, writes: Best current TV show song/theme? Hands down: Slow Horses, performed by Mick Jagger.

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B.F. in Laguna Beach, CA, writes: To the list of the greatest TV theme songs, you have to include the Sopranos theme and opening credits. I haven't seen another show before or since where I watched the opening credits each and every episode.

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R.E.M. in Brooklyn, NY, writes: How can you leave off Mission: Impossible? I'd leave off Star Trek (which is especially awful if you've ever read the lyrics Gene Roddenberry wrote) and Twin Peaks, which I don't even recall. Then I'd add either Miami Vice or Get Smart.

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P.M. in Port Angeles, WA, writes: I wonder that "The Theme from Rawhide" didn't make the list. It is the iconic Western theme that remains in everyone's minds.

That era of television (in late 50's, early 60's) had a number of TV Western themes that are notable: "The Theme from The Rebel," sung by Johnny Cash, "The Theme from Have Gun Will Travel," and lesser-known, but one that I find enchanting, is from a show called Tombstone Territory. It featured some lilting whistling that I have not heard anywhere else.

And it's not original, but who does not know "The William Tell Overture" from The Lone Ranger?

Yes, I confess to being an aficionado of the TV Westerns from my childhood.

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S.S. in Athens, OH, writes: I don't disagree with (Z)'s picks for top TV instrumental themes, but the one that inexplicably pops into my head from time to time is the one from Hill Street Blues. And I never even watched the series.

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M.S. in Canton, NY, writes: How in the world could you leave the opening theme from Hill Street Blues off your list of the top five instrumental TV themes? From the poignant opening piano chords over sounds of the city, to the urban vibe of the mid-tempo jazz-inflected flow of horns, keyboard, and drums, this is a theme that tells you up front that a lot is going to happen here—some good, some bad, but all part of life.

...And Lesser-Known TV Shows

D.D. in Bucks County, PA, writes: In response to the question from M.S. in Raleigh about favorite TV shows that had trouble finding their audience, I fondly remember Pushing Daisies. It ran on ABC for less than 2 years, and starred a super cast with a lot of theatre stars, including Lee Pace (pre-Foundation), Kristin Chenoweth (post-Wicked), the batty Ellen Greene (of Little Shop of Horrors fame), and the incomparable Swoosie Kurtz (wearing an eyepatch), as well as a host of guest stars. The dialogue was extremely funny and intelligent. Unfortunately, it was a victim of the 2007-2008 Writers Guild strike, and the series just wasn't able to reclaim any audience momentum. Like many of the dead people Ned revived with his touch, gone too soon.

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A.G. in Scranton, PA, writes: May I recommend Sports Night?

It was an Aaron Sorkin series that was far too smart and touching for America and that said a lot of important things about racism, sexism in sports, the unfair repercussions for rape victims who were assaulted by sports stars, sports history, drugs, love, relationships, etc.

It's one of my favorite series and it made for 2 great seasons of television.

Also, Kings was fu**ing incredible if I am going to list a show that fired on every cylinder and got the axe unfairly. Smart show.

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R.J. in Pasco, WA, writes: The HBO Series How To with John Wilson.

It only lasted three seasons but is a quite enjoyable documentary mostly about ordinary things around New York. It's almost oddly bingeable.

Tactile Games

B.S. in Phuket, Thailand, writes: In response to the request for tactile game suggestions, Mastermind should be easily adaptable by somehow modifying all the pegs of one color in an identical fashion, like gluing differently textured objects onto them for example.

Also, Mancala should be playable without any modifications.

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M.R. in Morecambe, England, UK, writes: Hive, a tile-laying abstract game. The pieces are Bakelite with different insect indents. The pieces will feel different, but they are in different colors for each player, so either you would have to memorize the opposing teams' placement, or come up with some other system for differentiating the colors. Similarities with chess and Go, but less complicated, and fewer pieces.

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R.M. Fort Wayne, IN, writes: I recommend Nyctophobia, it's a fully tactile all vs. 1 game where the all side has to wear blindfolds as they navigate through a forest to get to their car before the monster hunts them down.

Gallimaufry

M.L. in West Hartford, CT, writes: As someone who was a teenage metalhead back in the day, I can assure you that no self-respecting metalhead would ever identify "Helter Skelter" as metal. The guitar amps are turned up to 11, for sure, but it lacks the heavy sound and dark lyrics that define metal. I'm a huge Beatles fan, but I think that this claim is a result of the myth and lore that has built up around the group, and the media's interest in finding yet another innovation they can credit them for.

As with your discussion of rock and roll, there is no such thing as the first heavy metal song. Black Sabbath is clearly the first group that played music that is identifiably metal; everything before that is proto-metal at best. A few songs that are important precursors are:

• "You Really Got Me," The Kinks: Built around power chords and the first intentionally distorted guitars on a hit record.
  
  
• "Born To Be Wild," Steppenwolf: Lyrics include the phrase "heavy metal thunder," which is the first appearance of the term on a record.
  
  
• "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," Iron Butterfly: Contains the heavy sound, dark vibes, and punishing length that metal became known for.

An interesting exercise for interested readers would be to listen to these three songs (along with "Helter Skelter," if you like) and then put on "Black Sabbath," the opening song on Sabbath's eponymous debut. The difference is stark. The desolation expressed in the lyrics, and the sense of impending doom created by the music—the song's primary riff emphasizes the tritone, or flatted fifth, interval, sometimes referred to as "diabolus en musica," or, the devil in music—clearly set it apart from those Ur-metal songs that came before. The precursor songs have elements of what would become heavy metal, but "Black Sabbath" is the only one that sounds like it would feel appropriate in a horror movie (a genre that has much in common with metal).

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C.M. in Raymond, NH, writes: You mention the Mona Lisa forgery theory and pop culture... Doctor Who fans know that there are, in fact, seven genuine copies of "La Giaconda," all painted by da Vinci (though six of them have "THIS IS A FAKE"written in marker under the paint).

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S.R. in Hoboken, NJ, writes: One additional reason why Hollywood became the center for movies appears in Tim Wu's book, The Master Switch. On the East Coast, Thomas Edison was rigorously enforcing his patents and so the movie industry moved to southern California to be able to scoot to Mexico for filming while avoiding those U.S. patents.

(Z) responds: I used to include that in my lecture, but then read an essay that made a pretty good case that the evidence for this claim is very shaky.

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R.C. in Des Moines, IA, writes: Just wanted to pass along a "hack" for the Wall Street Journal paywall. My local library offers access to the WSJ through their website. It's free. Other readers may want to check their libraries for this benefit. Other outlets my library offers include Consumer Reports, New York Times, Washington Post, Des Moines Register, and Libby the eReader, which has access to lots of magazines and books. It's a tremendous resource offered by the library.

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L.C.H. in Vancouver, BC, Canada, writes: Regarding the "literary version of the Streisand effect," my grandparents' church used to receive a list of books which members were basically forbidden to read. I believe it was distributed monthly. It was given to parishioners with the admonition that they should pressure local libraries and booksellers to remove the listed books. Of course, what happened was everyone saw those as "must read" books and they just flew off the shelves.

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J.C. in Fez, Morocco, writes: I appreciated your foray into Chemistry, but I think there were a couple items off on the bit on the Lanthanides. First, Rare Earths are mostly Lanthanides, but also include Yttrium and Scandium.

Second, they don't fill their inner shell first. Like all Periodic Table elements, the s-subshell is filled before anything, and that is an outer shell, as seen in this Electron Configuration Diagram:

So in the case of the Lanthanides, it is 6s, then 4f, then 5p, then 6d. The numbers refer to the shell levels, the letters to the subshells. So they are lumped together based on which subshell (s, p, d, f) is filled. The ones along the bottom fill up the f subshells, 4f and 5f respectively.

Rare Earths aren't rare because of their properties—every one's got special properties. They have that name because they aren't easy to access. They're common, but not commonly concentrated in one place.

We definitely talk about the Rare Earths in Chemistry class, but not by that name. We talk about the fascinating Lanthanides and Actinides. Especially since it's come out recently that we might have gotten it all wrong for ages. Your Periodic Table is a case in point. It is the older variety with Scandium and Yttrium above Lanthanum and Actinium. But check out ptable.com, and click on the button "Wide" at the top. This is what the real Periodic Table looks like. The traditional one is short because there isn't room on a normal page. But also, see how Sc and Y are now above La and Ac? This is where it gets interesting. See this video by the crazy-haired British Chemist:

Turns out, Lutetium and Lawrencium should be under Scandium and Yttrium—not Lanthanum and Actinium! We figured this out about 10 years ago, and there is still some discussion about it, but it seems probable that we should have reordered the elements as you see at ptable.com.

And I definitely teach about this in my (High School) Chemistry classes.

Final Words

H.M. in San Dimas, CA, writes: My mom was born in rural Tennessee in 1930, and was raised with all the prejudiced and racist attitudes you would expect from much of Tennessee in 1930. My parents moved out to California before I was born. I was very fortunate to attend a private elementary school that was very diverse. Many of my friends were not white. My mom had not mentioned much about race when I was real little (or, if she did, it went over my head). In the sixth grade I developed a crush on a girl for the first time. She was Black. I told my parents about this, and my mom was very happy for me until she found out the girl was Black. Then, an ugly side I had never really seen came out, and I quickly learned that if I wanted a non-white girlfriend at any point, to keep it hidden.

This went on through junior high and high school. If I was going out with a non-white girl, I had to make excuses for why I was leaving the house. If she found out, that was big trouble for me. When I got a job and had some money, things were a bit easier, but when I turned 28, I had to cut all ties with my mom (my dad, who didn't have a racist bone in his body, had passed away by then). It wasn't an easy decision, and perhaps I could have handled things differently than that, but it was best for my mental health. In the ensuing years, I got married and had three daughters.

One day, I decided it was time to try to re-establish contact. My kids were getting older and explaining the whole sordid history was tough. My wife encouraged me to reach out, so I did. My mom and I met for lunch. It was as if a dark cloud had been lifted from her. She seemed happier. Unfortunately, our reunion was short-lived, and a year or so later, she suffered a series of concurrent medical problems that landed her in the hospital. This was in October 2012. I visited her as often as possible, and we talked about many things. She was always interested in politics, and was looking forward to watching the Obama-Romney debates in the hospital. She said Barack Obama had opened her eyes to many things and changed her outlook.

What turned out to be the final day I saw her, she was hooked up to a breathing machine. She demanded it be removed so she could talk. She then showed me that she had voted via absentee ballot and had voted for Obama. Barely able to speak, she grabbed my hand and asked, "Do you think Obama will win?" I said "Yes," and she replied "I sure hope so." About 5 minutes later, she fell asleep and never woke up, dying the next morning.

My mom's last words were filled with hope that a Black man would be re-elected president. People can change. I had hoped one day that I could let President Obama know about this, but seeing that is a longshot indeed, I figured putting it into the ether this way will somehow serve her memory well. Thanks.

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