If you find yourself in a conversational lull this weekend, break out any of these discussion-worthy gems from this week’s news cycle and everyone will think you’re a conversationalist god…
- A disgraced ex-congressman is now on Cameo as a “former congressional icon.” George Santos, who was ousted by the House last week, is charging $400 per personal greeting — and he’s already delivered a handful of videos. Santos faces 22 years in prison on 23 felony counts, including wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering. His alleged indiscretions were rather colorful: from lying about his resume, his ancestry, and a fake kidnapping, to spending campaign donations on botox and a pornography site. “Do good things… and you will reap rewards,” he says in one video. An election to fill his seat will be held on Feb. 13.
- Harvard is jumping on the T-Swift train. The storied university is the latest of several higher ed institutions to offer a course on the pop star. Nearly 300 students have already enrolled for English professor Stephanie Burt’s new class, “Taylor Swift and Her World.” For the inevitable critics of a seemingly frivolous subject, Burt says students will study bodies of work from the likes of William Wordsworth and other dead authors of traditional curriculum alongside those from Swift.
- A self-proclaimed “anarcho-capitalist” and tantric sex expert is about to take over the world’s 22nd-largest economy. Javier Milei (AKA “El Loco”), a 53-year-old libertarian who regularly wields a chainsaw at rallies to illustrate his promise to drastically cut government spending, won Argentina’s presidency with overwhelming support against a backdrop of economic turmoil. Now, just days before his inauguration, Milei is walking back many of his bold policies, stunning supporters and critics alike. (Fun fact: The president-elect has five English Mastiffs — all cloned from the DNA of his former beloved fur baby, Conan.)
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