The Private Emails Between JD Vance and His Trans Friend Are Appalling

Lainey is out this weekend because her Internet went down, or at least that’s the excuse she gave me at 2:30 a.m. this morning, probably from a low-rent casino in Vegas. It’s just as well because it gives me an opportunity to talk about this new JD Vance intel. I was going to wait and write about it at length on Monday on Substack, but the news cycle moves so fast that it may be forgotten by then. There are some things to be outraged in the private emails between Vance and a trans-friend, Sofia Nelson, from Yale that she released to the NYTimes, mostly regarding Vance’s hypocrisy. In the emails, he said he “hated the cops,” feared that the more white people who voted for Trump the worse it would be for Black people, proudly admitted to going to Pride Parades, and said that Donald Trump “is a bad man.” Mostly I’m saddened the transformation Vance has undergone.

I’m sad because Vance was once a reasonable conservative, but his politics curdled so much that he turned into the monster that he is now, someone who would throw away his years-long friendship with Sofia over politics and who would sell his soul for a small taste of power. It needs to be said because we have been so focused on Vance’s couch-f**king and apparent obsession with dolphin porn, but Trump is very old, not in great health, and clearly losing cognitive function. If elected, JD Vance would be next in line, and it is very likely a man willing to sell out his friends and change his politics could be the President of the United States. That is terrifying. (NYTimes)

For what it’s worth, Usha Vance was the best part of both Hillbilly Elegy the book and the movie, and she said she was “appalled” and “disturbed” by Trump, too. But her soul is apparently just as easy to buy as Vance’s. (WashPo)

And when you’ve lost Portnoy, eeesh.

Just to get the politics out of the way, here is Trump last night telling a Christian group that, if they vote for him, they’ll never have to vote again. “You won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians. I’m not Christian.” Why is he so weird? (YouTube)

Sorry for the hard pivot here, but in addition to the expanding Dexter universe, we also learned from SDCC that there would be a new Doctor Who spin-off starring Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. (Deadline)

Who else is weirdly excited for the Hartnettaissance — the OG Sam Worthington is back, and we’re stoked about it. (Lainey)

If you’re trying to get into the Olympics but don’t know where to start, the Fug Girls — over on their Substack — have great open threads and are the best people with whom to follow the Olympics. I’m gonna hang out because I want to know what everyone else is watching. They also keep us posted on the schedule. Even if it’s just a for a month, it’s worth the $5 Substack subscription. Join them! Alas, the family and I are attending a Make-a-Wish fundraiser this afternoon so I’m gonna miss the men’s soccer game. But, HEATHER AND JESSICA, PLEASE LET US KNOW WHEN BREAKDANCING IS ON? (Drinks with Broads)

Speaking of which, the opening ceremony is getting mixed reviews. Some cool stuff, but also, it was way too long. (LA Times)

I haven’t covered PL in a long time, and it looks like Celebitchy is no longer exclusively about the Royals. Good. They’re also writing about American politics. But here’s Ice Spice saying, “Why wouldn’t Taylor Swift want to be my friend.” Who wouldn’t want to be friends with Ice Spice?! (Celebitchy)

Comedian Clare O’Kane explains why she quit her writing gig on SNL soon after getting it in 2022. (Cracked)

I’m sorry, I know that Lainey usually likes to drop a cute animal video here, but I got nothing. Please drop your adorable animal videos in the comments. Lainey is probably going to need it after nursing that casino hangover when her Internet finally returns.