Jesse Dougherty

Review | Thomas Chatterton Williams is impossible to disagree with. That’s not a good thing. In “Summer of Our Discontent,” the Atlantic staff writer expands his argument that the behavior of progressives on social media and elsewhere has broken political discourse.

I, too, reviewed Thomas Chatterton Williams' new book: www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/0...

The absolute goods.

Sorry to report this is our home city’s doing.

Good Luck is not a good name for an airport restaurant/bar.

Born in South, grew up in suburbs just north. (No west)

Born and raised there! But no sorry needed, it was a really fun five years

Also was in a bookstore just now and heard some call Inner Excellence the “A.J. Brown book” in the most marble-mouthed Delco accent. The Jersey Shore remains undefeated.

You should hear the way my Philadelphia family has been talking about Jhoan Duran on our beach trip.

Last night: “Damn, it’s 5-0, he probably won’t pitch.”

This morning: “Hopefully he pitches today.”

Only him, he, etc.

Good thing relievers have never let anyone down.

The rise of AI tools that write about you when you die Families and funeral directors are using AI obituary generators to more efficiently memorialize the dead. What happens when they get it wrong?

New: A few weeks ago, when my father-in-law died, the funeral home asked if we wanted to use AI to write his obituary. So I dug into it and found that it's the biggest new trend in "death care." Tens of thousands of AI obits have been made already. Often the families don't even know wapo.st/4okuxIg

Our new Commanders newsletter, authored by the great @scottsallen.bsky.social, is already a must-read if you're into that football team and/or smart, funny stuff delivered straight to your inbox.

Subscribe to it here: www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/...

That's what I'm here for

So I answered dead honestly, as he requested: "Well, um, no. I don't think you're a big leaguer."

"Exactly!" he said back. "That's my point!"

Then much more quietly, he said: "That's ... my ... point."

And that's still the most genuine interaction I've had with an athlete.

And while venting, Call looked at me and said: "Okay, be honest, do you think I'm a big leaguer?"

"Uh ... what?"

"Like when you think of me, Alex Call, do you think BIG LEAGUER."

This was a new one!

He is a generally earnest guy, but the root of his frustration was that the pulled grounders were the symptom his timing being off. Like, way off. And despite months of tweaks, he couldn't solve it. So the interview wound up being a full-on venting session, maybe 30 minutes long.

At one point, Call was hitting so many grounders at DiSar that the other coaches put catcher's gear in DiSar's locker as a gag. I thought it would be a funny, light-hearted story.

As it turned out, though, Call did not find this funny at all.

A quick Alex Call story — one more for the road — after the Nationals traded him to the Dodgers earlier:

In 2023, in my final months on the beat, I wanted to write about how Call kept ripping sharp grounders straight at third base coach Gary DiSarcina.

I, too, feel very sucked in by the deadline. I almost — *almost* — threw on Passan notifications earlier just to feel something again.

I am writing a book about Bernie Sanders And it's going to be really good

Some personal news: I am taking leave from The Washington Post for at least 5 months to write the definitive biography of Bernie Sanders

It's going to be a fascinating read about The Big Questions in America & you wont want to miss it; sign up to follow along

open.substack.com/pub/jeffstei...

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Who left the WaPo Nats beat to write about food??

#52 'Pitch fixing' is going to be a paranoid fixation Plus: a question for front office staffers

A break from Washington Post spamming: I've been reading The Bandwagon, from @hannahrkeyser.bsky.social + @zcrizer.bsky.social, since it started. It's getting so damn good, especially yesterday's issue.

Highly, highly suggesting paying for a subscription.

bandwagon.substack.com/p/52-pitch-f...

Happy to be transparent to my longstanding followers — and let them know that I need money to buy milk.

Down in Sugar Land, Texas, a 54-year-old lawyer spends a lot of his days emailing politicians, reporters and college sports decision makers about his case.

The industry has changed a lot since he filed it. But for better or worse, Paul McDonald keeps telling the same story.

Story below 👇

Want to slowly watch me lose my mind in a public forum over the next six hours? Our trade deadline tracker is for you.

Like was that fulfilling

I would rather have a regular paycheck than not. Happy?

Co-sign.

Friends, a note about me and The Washington Post:

I'm staying.

I say that because in a season of buyouts, a number of my great colleagues are departing this month and numerous people have reached out to ask if I am, too.

I am not.

‘Welcome to hell’: Inside the mega prison where the U.S. deported migrants Interviews with 16 former detainees of El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center offer the most complete view yet of conditions inside the notorious prison.

A harrowing read "‘Welcome to hell’: Inside the mega prison where the U.S. deported migrants" from incredible team @samanthaschmidt.bsky.social Helena Carpio @marialuisapaul.bsky.social @silviafosterfrau.bsky.social @teoarmus.bsky.social Aaron Steckelberg www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

ICE declares millions of undocumented immigrants ineligible for bond hearings A memo from ICE’s acting director instructs officers to hold immigrants who entered the country illegally “for the duration of their removal proceedings,” which can take months or years.

And another @washingtonpost.com exclusive: ICE declares millions of undocumented immigrants ineligible for bond hearings, via legends @mariasacchetti.bsky.social @carolleonnig.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...