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Smoke ‘Em welcomes favorite repeat guest and self-proclaimed “absolute newspaper romantic” Matt Welch. He talks with Nancy and Sarah about whether legacy papers can ever make a comeback and how they ignore local news at their own peril, plus whether civility might be on the upswing.

Also discussed:

* Pink hair don’t care

* How the Los Angeles Times “changed the physical landscape of the West.”

* Scott Jennings joins the editorial board at the LA Times. And?

* “Like perestroika, incivility starts in the home”

* They’re still counting votes in California!

* Is activism dead or just sleeping?

* “Throw any Russian in a skirt at Hegseth and he’s going to loosen his tie”

* “A dark sky had fallen over Nantucket, Mass., on Saturday evening when President Biden left church alongside his family after his final Thanksgiving as president …”

* Meghan McCain, flashpoint

* “Mono-politics is bad for governance”

* Maybe people should disengage from politics and take up streaking and fart books?

* People who voted for Kamala, but were pulling for Trump?

* Nancy thinks “raw-dogging” means …

* Sarah interviews Ken Burns, American treasure

Also, a wretched New York Times “Ethicist” question, thoughts on why Biden pardoned his son, dick-shaped cookie cutters, and much more!

Ep 1986: Gifts received by the Justices reflect very badly on the US Supreme Court