Mike Baker

there are things happening in Seattle that make me worry about the city's future

nytimes.comO.J. Simpson, a Secret Informant and a Decades-Old Mystery (Gift Article)An “extremely reliable” informant told authorities about the missing murder weapon, according to newly unsealed records. The informant’s brother told The Times his sibling was at the crime scene.

Here is part of Fat Joe's story. He is talking here about the secret government informant that we describe in today's O.J. Simpson article.

Mike Baker@mikebaker.bsky.social

NEW: O.J. Simpson. A secret informant. The missing murder weapon. An accomplice tale. And law enforcement records that were kept secret for 30 years — until now. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/18/u...

NEW: O.J. Simpson. A secret informant. The missing murder weapon. An accomplice tale. And law enforcement records that were kept secret for 30 years — until now. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/18/u...

The federal deficit reached $1.99 trillion this year. The only two years with a higher deficit were the 2020-2021 pandemic years.

nytimes.comReligious Scholars Met With Anthropic. What They Heard Stunned Them.In a series of private meetings, the company consulted religious scholars to help instill morality into its A.I. models — and make the case that Claude could be conscious.

AI meets religion • Anthropic nearly bails on Vatican meeting after Pope disputes AI consciousness • Anthropic privately lobbies for Pope to consider the idea • A rabbi tells Anthropic: If the AI agents really are conscious, why are you enslaving them? www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/u...

22 Sept

Social media is filled with creators who are getting paid to post political messages. "Drew" posted about the struggles of living in Texas (3M views on TikTok). Then he later confessed: "I don't even live in Texas." And his name is not Drew. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/16/b...

2 Sept

I'm reminiscing today about some Ballmer articles that I wrote 12 years ago. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

27 Aug

A high-altitude landslide and a collapsed glacier. Scientists now estimate that 400 million metric tons of rock and ice came down the mountain. That's like having a million 747s crashing down at the same time. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/w...

nytimes.comCharges to Be Dropped Against Ex-Olympian David Hearn Accused of Damaging Reflecting PoolPresident Trump had repeatedly accused vandals of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. On Friday, federal prosecutors acknowledged it was “the result of flawed installation.”

31 July

Federal prosecutors now admit that the reflecting pool damage was actually the result of a "botched" installation. Prosecutors are dropping charges against David Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist accused of vandalizing the pool. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/u...

nytimes.comBryan Kohberger, Convicted in Idaho College Killings, Seeks to Take Back Guilty Plea (Gift Article)In an interview from prison, Bryan Kohberger said he had filed a petition to reopen the case. He blamed his guilty plea on ‘false promises’ and wrong information.

27 July

NEW: Bryan Kohberger is seeking to reopen the Idaho murders case, saying his guilty plea last year was based on “false promises and blatant disinformation.” He phoned me from prison, saying he was innocent but declining to discuss the evidence against him. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/u...

27 July

AP photo by Lindsey Wasson after a shooting at a Seattle food festival killed 2 people and wounded 5 others apnews.com/article/seat...

nytimes.comWhite House Directed Patel to Oversee Investigation Involving Times ReportingThe F.B.I. director spent about eight hours at the White House Friday focused on the effort, which led to the subpoenaing of several Times reporters who wrote about the security of Air Force One.

11 July

NYT sources: President Trump was so enraged by NYT coverage of Air Force One security issues that the White House directed Kash Patel to oversee a leak investigation. Patel began running the probe from inside the White House instead of FBI headquarters. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/u...

6 July

The atmosphere here is incredible, rivaling the Super Bowl parade from just a few months ago. What a year for Seattle and football.

oregonlive.comZane Sparling, reporter for The Oregonian/OregonLive, dies of cancer at 33“He wanted his identity to be a reporter, and that’s what it was,” his father said.

23 June

What a terrible loss for Portland and for journalism. I don't know of anyone who loved the city more than Zane. He put himself in harm’s way and told hard truths. He documented realities that undermined a world’s worth of Portland mythmaking. www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...

23 June

Even if you are not from Portland, you have almost certainly seen Zane's work. I'm reminded of this 2020 video he captured of federal officers beating a Navy veteran, footage that frankly altered the course of the city’s history. x.com/PDXzane/stat...

23 June

Zane also loved Portland’s quirks. He was hilarious, with deadpan humor that made me laugh even on some of the bleakest nights. You will love this video of him reporting on a court battle over a private lake in the wealthy city of Lake Oswego. Watch to the end.

10 June

JUST IN: Brand new research on adolescent screen time finds a correlation between screen hours and sleep deficiency. Data collection, analysis and chart via my middle schooler. n= 50

10 June

15% of high school seniors in Washington State say they had an alcoholic drink in the prior month. That's down from 40% in 2010.

nytimes.comShootout in Olde Town Square: A Cop, a Killer and a Good Guy With a Gun

9 June

This shooting in Colorado happened several years ago, but the details have stuck with me ever since. Here is the story on what happened when several men with guns converged in the town square. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/u...

nytimes.comKyle Busch, NASCAR great and 2-time Cup Series champion, dies at 41 after illnessBusch, whose 234 national series race wins are the most in NASCAR history, died Thursday after falling ill. He was 41.

21 May

Just 6 days after securing his latest NASCAR victory, Kyle Busch has died from an illness at the age of 41. www.nytimes.com/athletic/729...

19 May

Each day, Americans are spending about $800 million more on gas and diesel than they were a year ago. The total increased fuel cost since the Iran War began? $45 billion. www.wsj.com/economy/cons...

nytimes.comSeattle’s Socialist Mayor Taunts the Rich as Rift With Starbucks Widens

18 May

This is a fascinating story about Seattle’s socialist mayor, Katie Wilson. Last year, she called on people to boycott Starbucks, one of the city’s major corporations. Now she has some regret. The comments, she said, “caused more harm than good.” www.nytimes.com/2026/05/17/u...

Oh boy. In March, as we prepared an article about the political influence of billionaires, Sen. Tim Sheehy preemptively attacked my reporting. Numerous influencers then amplified the senator’s post, including Trump Jr., Riley Gaines, and DC_Draino. But there's a twist... 1/5

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nytimes.comPolitical Money Is Flowing to Influencers. But From Whom?

And here is today’s article from Ken Bensinger exploring how influencers are getting a deluge of political money. (The lede of the story is about how one influencer was getting paid $100,000 from the campaign of a billionaire Democrat). 5/5 www.nytimes.com/2026/05/16/b...

P.S. If anyone has more insights into how these influence operations function, get in touch with Ken!

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That means there are people out there who will pay you money to call me a “dishonest fake news hack.” Too many of you are doing that labor for free! 3/5

nytimes.comThe Scale of Billionaires’ Campaign Donations is Overwhelming U.S. Politics

Anyway, here is the billionaire article. It included: • one race had 87% of contributions come from billionaires • one candidate (Sheehy) received $ from 64 billionaires • one billionaire family accounted for 21% of an entire state’s contributions 4/5 www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/u...

One of the influencers, Jessica Reed Kraus, now says she had been paid to amplify Sen. Sheehy’s attack as part of an organized campaign offering influencers money to boost his message. She declined to say who paid for her post. 2/5 www.nytimes.com/2026/05/16/b...

13 May

Reading scores have plummeted in school districts around the country. Over the past decade, 1 out of 3 districts have seen scores drop by an ENTIRE GRADE LEVEL. The only states to see improvement: • Hawaii • Mississippi • Louisiana www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/u...

16 Apr

Poll about sports betting finds that for men ages 18-49: • 52% have an online sportsbook account • 35% of users have accounts with 3+ sportsbooks • 68% of users bet at least once a week • 36% of users have bet $500+ in one day • 64% of users have bet against favorite team

16 Apr

🚨 26% of all active sportsbook users say they have lost so much money in a single bet that it meant they would have trouble meeting their financial obligations. Full crosstabs: www.sbu.edu/docs/default...

15 Apr

Highly recommend this new Evelyn Iritani book about the civilian exchanges that occurred during WW2. It’s a little-known part of the war that has greatly interested me for years, and she does an outstanding job detailing how it happened.

densho.orgUncovering Lost Histories in "Safe Passage": A Preview of Evelyn Iritani’s New Book - Densho: Japanese American Incarceration and Japanese InternmentEvelyn Iritani’s new book, Safe Passage: The Untold Story of Diplomatic Intrigue, Betrayal, and the Exchange of American and Japanese Civilians by Sea During World War II, uncovers a little-known...

15 Apr

Here is a great preview of the book from the folks at @denshoproject.bsky.social densho.org/catalyst/saf...

13 Apr

46 minutes after attacking Pope Leo, the president has posted an AI image of himself healing someone in the style of Jesus Christ. (The heavens, meanwhile, feature a war plane, bald eagles and a somewhat demonic-looking figure)

nytimes.comMy Quest to Solve Bitcoin’s Great Mystery

8 Apr

🚨 !!! 🚨 The great @johncarreyrou.bsky.social has been on the trail of "Satoshi Nakamoto," the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin. After compiling a wealth of evidence pointing to one man, he flew to El Salvador to confront him. No paywall link: www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/b...

nyti.msIran War Live Updates: Trump Issues Grave Threats as Hormuz Deadline Draws CloserPresident Trump warned that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran does not make a deal by 8 p.m. Eastern. He has pressed Tehran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil route, or face a wave of strikes on critical infrastructure.

7 Apr

There is some MAGA opposition to Trump's "whole civilization will die" plans: • Alex Jones: "🚨🚨WAR CRIME ALERT!!🚨🚨" • Marjorie Taylor Greene: "This is evil and madness" • Joe Kent: "reckless rage and destruction" • Candace Owens: "The 25th amendment needs to be invoked."

Mike Baker reposted

The New York Times

@nytimes.com

7 Apr

Breaking News: President Trump warned that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran does not meet his deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz.

3 Apr

The Waffle House employees say they have seen it all. Except this. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/u...

nytimes.comWealthy Donors Are Hiding Political Money in Secretive Nonprofits

3 Apr

“We are moving toward a system where transparency is just optional" The 10 largest donations to the midterms total $300 million. But who actually provided the money is shrouded in secrecy. by @teddyschleifer.bsky.social and @datab.ae www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/u...

28 Mar

Yikes

nytimes.comTrump’s Signature to Be Added to U.S. Dollars

For more than a century, U.S. currency has featured the signature of the U.S. treasurer. It will soon feature the signature of Donald Trump. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/u...

Hegseth reads prayer at the Pentagon: • "Pour out your wrath" • "Let every round find its mark" • Asks for "overwhelming violence" • "Let justice be executed swiftly and without remorse — that evil may be driven back and wicked souls delivered to the eternal damnation"

2025 season: 1.97 ERA 2026 season: 67.50 ERA

Headlines less than a week apart

theatlantic.comThe Atlantic and Seabourn chart exclusive, three-year partnership for events and subscriptionsEvents to be held in 2026 and 2027, culminating in a 12-day Seabourn Conversations cruise with The Atlantic in 2028

24 Mar

It’s insulting to see that this cruise with The Atlantic will spend most of the journey not in the Atlantic. www.theatlantic.com/press-releas...

24 Mar

Today in the $1.8 trillion private-credit market: • So many investors are withdrawing from Apollo and Ares funds that the companies are now blocking full returns. • Moody’s downgrades a KKR/Future Standard fund to junk. • European Central Bank to scrutinize bank exposure.

19 Mar

Gas prices are approaching $4 per gallon (via GasBuddy national average)

nytimes.comJack Hughes wants ‘Golden Goal’ puck from Hockey Hall of FameThe star of Team USA's Olympic win against Canada would like to get a hold of the memento currently on display in Toronto.

18 Mar

Jack Hughes says its "bullshit" that the puck from his gold-winning goal is now at the Hockey Hall of Fame. "I’m trying to get it." Sidney Crosby, whose winning puck for Canada in 2010 is also at the Hall of Fame: "I didn't even think about it that way." www.nytimes.com/athletic/712...