This week’s Fucked-up Friday found us at the end of the most brutal news cycle yet: a seven-day stretch that began with the murder of Alex Pretti and ended with the arrest of Don Lemon.
That’s a sentence I never expected to write.
But even before we even touched the headlines, we found ourselves in that familiar Fucked-up Friday space where the personal and the political blur together.
Lawrence and I talked candidly about something that’s been sitting heavy with me: how constant crisis slowly crowds out creativity. We talked about how writing, art, and even imagining the future keep getting postponed because the world keeps lighting itself on fire again. It’s hard to plan when you’re always bracing.
That led us into a science fiction trope we both hate — the moment when humanity is on the brink of real progress and instead chooses chaos — and the uncomfortable feeling that we’re living inside that plotline right now.
We kept coming back to the same truth: paying attention has become a full-time job, and opting out doesn’t actually set you free.
Then we were joined by our guest, the amazing Kait Justice, who brought the kind of grounded clarity that cuts through panic without pretending it isn’t justified. She introduced herself as an “average informed citizen,” which felt both accurate and refreshing, and talked about her work uncovering environmental injustice in Superfund communities. From there, she shared how that work unexpectedly led her into deep research on Epstein — including the discovery of a genuinely disturbing sci-fi novel written by Bill Barr’s father that eerily mirrored real-world abuse and blackmail.
What stood out most wasn’t just what she’s uncovered, but how intentionally she communicates it. Knowledge, she reminded us, is a privilege, and people shut down when they feel stupid or overwhelmed. Her approach is the opposite of that.
From there, we turned to Don Lemon’s arrest, the use of the FACE Act, and the chilling implications for journalists and protesters alike. Kate broke down how laws are being bent away from their original purpose and repurposed as tools of intimidation.
We also talked about pattern recognition, propaganda, and why so many of us feel like we’re shouting into the void while watching history loop. And we named something that doesn’t get said often enough: access to news itself is becoming gated by money, algorithms, and fear.
Fucked-up Friday pulled all of it into focus.
Kait highlighted the arrests of Don Lemon, Emmy-winning journalist Georgia Fort and Minnesota Senate candidate Jamal Lundy.
I shared the story of five-year-old Liam Ramos, sick and alone in ICE detention, a child whose suffering is barely being covered at all.
Lawrence closed with a gut-punch: the United Nations is on the brink of collapse because the U.S. hasn’t paid its dues.
The vote was very close but it ultimately went Kait’s way. Honestly, everyone lost — which feels about right for this week.
Thank you Stephanie G Wilson, PhD, Polly Walker Blakemore, Jason Odell, Melissa Corrigan, she/her, Yanni Hamburger, Rachel @ This Woman Votes and Karen Marie Shelton for moderating The Whatever chat. Have a great weekend everyone!
We’ll be back bright and early on Monday for The Daily Whatever Show with our guest Bob Cesca.
We love you all—truly!—mean it.
