Karen Read Verdict Watch

And other notes of interest

Jun 16, 2025

I know I call every long week away a whirlwind, but this one might top them all. It started in D.C. for Roseanne’s event—and ended with me being dragged out of an elevator at midnight, on my way to bed, by a lively young woman into a rooftop gay pride party at my hotel for Black lesbians. One of them asked if I was in the mafia—apparently, sitting alone in a booth wearing a blazer and sunglasses, surrounded by twerking professionals, gives that impression.

From there, I trained it to New York, where I sat through two trials, interviewed several people in the halls, dined and shopped with Arlo, and was later whisked to sushi in Times Square—followed by a donut shop tour, pitched as a science lesson, led by an unlikely character who travels with a film crew and a squad of women in branded crop tops and matching Ferraris. (Potential fodder for a future series.)

Then happy hour with Anna Delvey (more on that soon) and a midday event with Scott Lazerson —getting to know CEO of The Recording Academy Harvey Mason Jr. and his wife—both brilliant conversationalists, by the way. After that, I caught another flight to a different state for a shielded story involving a prominent figure, stayed up too late learning about nuclear war, and befriended a young rapper—my first Uber driver—who told me that Black lives don’t actually matter, because “no one intervenes in Black-on-Black crime.” My second Uber was a self-proclaimed proud redneck, perpetually in Facebook jail for “waking up and fighting with people over Trump.” In his words: Trump loves America—and most of America doesn’t deserve it. Obviously, I added him to HIH newsletter list.

Somewhere in there, Israel opened war on Iran. And Brian Wilson, bless his soul, passed gently into that good night.

Anyway, I’m home now—jet lagged and exhausted, just in time to help out with junior sailing camp, and officially on verdict watch for the Karen Read trial (our group chat is life-saver for trial support, I’ve learned). There are so many stories to discuss! I’ll try and condense as much as I can.

In the meantime …

Visual Gems:

I Maintain: Courtney Love Has the Best Stories of Our Generation and Sean Penn needs to be slapped back into sense. Thank you Bill, for trying. Yes, he’s a”different guy behind closed doors.”

He’s right about the Gemini comment too.

Up Ahead:

A healthy serving of conspiracy soup as convenient roundup of the latest (and strangest) headlines—nuclear tensions, dozens of U.S. refueling jets deployed east, the bizarre saga of the masked Minnesota assassin (and whispers of a patsy).

Oh, and closer look at Justin Bieber’s sad online spiral.

In Legal News:

Expect an in-depth look at the latest in Kohberger case updates + Lauren’s recap of Lugi’s hearing this week, a deep dive into the sibling scandal shaking up Miami, and an introduction to another chilling case—a murder involving law enforcement, suspicious details, and echoes of another Read styled case.

Heading back to trial chat now!