Luke Winkie

What exactly is this thing supposed to be

Everyone Inside America’s Most Flailing Destination City Has a Theory for What’s Wrong. Now I Have My Own. It defines the American experience like no other. People are no longer buying.

very much enjoyed @lukewinkie.bsky.social’s well-written deep dive into the enshittification of Las Vegas, which is suffering from the same problem as everything else: the costs keep going up and the product keeps getting worse.

At the Sphere, I Witnessed the Future of Entertainment. I Really Don’t Like Where This Is Going. I saw the Wizard of Oz. Oh, god.

slate.com/life/2025/12...

I went to the Sphere in Vegas and had some conflicted feelings about it.

In awe of Jim Carrey’s 2020s filmography.

The syntactical mutation from “indie sleaze” to “recession pop” to, finally, “millennial optimism” is singularly representative of how bad things feel right now.

I listened to some Robert Johnson this summer and Spotify responded by granting me the title of Ultimate Unc.

French

It must feel so good for the Pod Save guys to finally have the political cover to tell the Clintons to eat shit. Vibe shift indicator.

Why does she sound like Jackie Onassis

I think one of the core elements of Trump 2.0 is just how online and diva-ish the entire staff is, resulting in the defense secretary doing messy, Real Housewives-style Twitter buck-passing but with the stakes being, “did the military order the execution of three dudes in the Pacific”

The 100 Best Songs of 2025 Featuring Smerz, Amaarae, Geese, PinkPantheress, Justin Bieber, FKA twigs, xaviersobased, and more

It's funny how a year ago it really seemed like we might be at the End of Pitchfork, but since then I think the site has re-captured a distinct voice/edge/sensibility that I've really enjoyed.

pitchfork.com/features/lis...

(retail or classic)

Sleigh Bells-type video game

We all need editors…

Took the train down to DC for Crooked Con and saw up close and personal what the Democratic Party might look like in 2026, 2028, and beyond.

I Went to See the Future of the Democratic Party. I Found Something Far More Entertaining. The Pod Save America bros’ convention started with a message of Democratic unity. Then things got messy.

slate.com/news-and-pol...

Took the train down to DC for Crooked Con and saw up close and personal what the Democratic Party might look like in 2026, 2028, and beyond.

It’s America’s Most Loved—and Most Hated—City. I Went to See Why Its Dream Is Coming Apart. It defines the American experience like no other. People are no longer buying.

slate.com/business/202...

I give you 5,000 words on Las Vegas, a city in flux. All year long I read headlines about how tourism to the Strip had sharply declined in 2025, so I went there for 3 days in October to soak in the vibe. Ultimately this is a story about why the city is Good and why the death of Vegas would be Bad.

Just cold-called Mark Sanford, who immediately answered. I tried to get into the Nuzzi story, but he said he was having dinner with his son and hung up before we could get to brass tacks. I sent him a follow up text!

Olivia Nuzzi's 'American Canto': Read the Exclusive Excerpt She flamed out and she faded away. 'Vanity Fair'’s West Coast Editor returns to the written word to survey scorched earth.

The issue with this entire enterprise is that she seems to be writing from the foundation that "wanting to fuck RFK Jr." is "hot" -- or at least, relatable.

www.vanityfair.com/news/story/o...

Bill Ackman was touting Cuomo’s LGBTQ record. It doesn’t work like that anymore, man. You voted for Trump!

It’s underrated how much the broader just-asking-questions “intellectual dark web” crowd gave up the game by becoming enthusiastic about Trump, and therefore shedding whatever nonpartisan ideals they were previously claiming. Feels like a lot of that is coming home to roost right now!

they made a movie about how she very successfully sued Fox News for years of sexual harassment

Kind of find myself pressing the skip button on Paranoid Android in my old age

The no. 1 reason people like Zohran is that he is a normal dude. A 30something guy who is into early 2010s soundcloud rap and leftism is an extremely archetypical millennial character. I've known *hundreds* of dudes exactly like him. This is the thing the opposition can't really grasp!

He Was a Famously Anti-Woke Podcaster. Now He’s Starring in A-List Movies. Stavros Halkias on fame, politics, and comedy in the second Trump term.

slate.com/culture/2025...

Interviewed my guy Stav about Bugonia and the United States of America.

Bonus: The Scariest Halloween Costume Trick-or-treater—OR ANTIFA SLEEPER CELL?!?!?!

Can't stop, won't stop with the SCHAUDENFRIDAY magic (thanks to @lukewinkie.bsky.social for being game for our weird, wild experiment)
slate.com/podcasts/wha...