26 Comments
User's avatar
Rebecca's avatar

I think you’ve missed the mark with your comments on Virginia and it’s coming across as quite insensitive. If she’s having a mental health crisis, that doesn’t mean she’s inherently untrustworthy.

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TC's avatar

Echo that memo to Radhika Jones!

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Barbara Hart's avatar

I feel like a child sitting in the back seat of a car being driven by an insane parent who is sharing his crazed fantasies of power as he steers the car toward a cliff!

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Jane MacArthur's avatar

Trump disaster on track. Regarding the VG issue - no doctor should ever tell anyone they have 4 days to live - as its rare for that to be so evident. However, VG is likely a person vulnerable to the kind of men who seek and select such personalities. Find it hard to believe that at 17 she could have doctored a Polaroid or if anyone helped her that would have come out by now - who keeps that sort of information private.

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Mary Lou Kurtz's avatar

In addition to Bob Woodward’s book, there were so many other books written by members of the Trump 1.0 administration raising Tornado Warning alarms about Trump 2.0. The forecast was very clear…but almost half of voting US population ignored or otherwise tuned out all of the alarm bells.

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susan kearney's avatar

I suspect most of the red MAGA voters can't read.

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Mary Lou Kurtz's avatar

Not true. Family members and friends that I respect very much just couldn’t vote for a Democrat after the Joe Biden acuity “cover up.” There were plenty of Tornado Warnings about him too - and well before the awful debate in late June 2024.

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Jackie's avatar

I wish the Dems could have been more self aware of Bidens condition earlier - the stakes were so high. Like w Hillary- people underestimated trump- he couldn’t win twice. (face palm)

Dems need to start planning now. My pick: Buttigieg for Potus and AOC or Whitmere for VP 2028. Tina Brown for Secretary of State. Oh please let there be a country left in 4 years.

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Mary Lou Kurtz's avatar

Hopefully some strong, young, articulate, ethical, emotionally intelligent and visionary leaders will emerge in the next few years. The future belongs to them and I hope they take that responsibility seriously.

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Kate Spicer's avatar

Won’t read

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Mary Lou Kurtz's avatar

Unless something recommended by someone on Fox News

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Mary Lou Kurtz's avatar

…but I think that may have all changed in the past week…way too much chaos. Self-inflicted global financial upheaval wasn’t what anyone bargained for.

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Nan's avatar

Terrific as always!

I don’t think Wall Street and other titans looked down on him for being crass — which he undeniably is — so much as for being a bad businessman.

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Michelle Stegemeier's avatar

Tima you are genius with words Always spot on

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Melissa Sullivan's avatar

Sycophancy! A perfect description of what Trump expects. Individuals walking around in “a crouch position” describes everyone else. “Troglodyte economics” is another super description. The market is reacting much worse than we could have predicted. Plan to continue to “crouch” and hold on for the long term. Thanks for another great Substack. 🤗

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Michelle Stegemeier's avatar

Radhika is leaving VF? Wish her well but she was eh

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Maggie Alderson's avatar

Very low standard of writing, I thought, in the magazine that always had the best

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Austin's avatar

One of the worst magazine editors in the business today, bar none.

Old school VF offered its readers a view on the intersection of art, cinema, high society, business, culture, politics, the intelligentsia, and most importantly, scandal. For that's what it really was. The world's most high class and respectable tabloid (and I say that with respect!)

That is not an institution you hire the former editor of the New York Times Book Review to run. From day one, Jones lacked the access (and knowledge) to properly plan out and run the magazine. One would've assumed the powers that be would have recognized this in advance, no?

But, considering the changes at Conde Nast over the years, it's obvious that was somewhat intentional.

When Carter was forced out of the magazine, Conde cut the editorial budget for VF by a massive double digit percentage, not to mention the utter destruction of their art and photo departments.

The industry had admittedly shifted, and certainly cuts needed to be made (especially considering the profligate spending under Ms. Brown and Mr. Carter that Bryan Burrough recently described in his Yale Review of Carter's new memoir), but you can't help but wonder if Ms. Wintour engineered some of this to ensure Vogue's budget would be maintained (while other mags diminished) and that no other editor could ever rise to her level and challenge her "position."

Which is why, sad to say, Vanity Fair is a bit of a joke today that hardly anyone still takes seriously.

And...I doubt Jones would ever try to dig into Giuffre's life. She'd probably find it offensive to her sensibilities to dig into that story in any way that wasn't fully deferential to her.

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TC's avatar

The main articles were good but the photography was often confusing - I’m no talent behind (or in front of) the camera but there were often glaring issues with the photos. It is telling that the cover she is rightfully proudest of is a painting. For example, why have a double page spread of Gwyneth Paltrow in a Balenciaga coat and lighting so bad you can’t really make anything out?

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Damion Matthews's avatar

Though I’m no fan of Alan Dershowitz, it did strike me as… peculiar, when she recanted her allegation against him a few years ago, stating she “may have made a mistake” in identifying him as one of her abusers. Well maybe it was a secret settlement, I thought. But now she appears to have been hit by a secret bus? This will at least keep the Epstein Conspiracy Industry busy for a while longer. I wouldn’t count on Conde Nast getting in on the case, though— why should they when TikTok, X and Youtube supply all the ‘investigative work’ people seem to care about anymore.

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Jennifer Ward Dudley's avatar

I cannot seem to rid my inner voice from suspecting The Emperor has always had a big method to his madness . This time he may very well have clothes on . The tariffs he’s powered will be negotiated in our favor and stocks rebound. You can’t count the bastard out . He’s the indomitable knat.

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Michelle Stegemeier's avatar

Hes too dumb for that & his incompetency will work itself out is

what Im hoping for

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surf nots's avatar

Yesss on the blast from the past furnace slap in the displaced by post-post-modern info and service economy collective face of the working class, DT and the MAGGAT'S brain dead stupid loop proto-fascist redumbdant reboot charade and zzzzzz vis the Brit n Aussie royal twit's contretemps parade u have a terminal Anglofile weakness 4 TB.

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Jackie's avatar

People are out peacefully protesting but media ignores their voices.

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Maggie Alderson's avatar

Thank you for raising the Giuffre issue. I've been staring at that weird bruises photo asking all these questions.

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Frau Katze's avatar

Laura “9/11 was an inside job” Loomer is a complete flake. Figures she’s now advising Trump.

Natalie Harp believes that Trump saved her life with the “Right to Try” Act which permits patients with life-threatening illnesses to use drugs not yet approved. However others who have looked at the case don’t agree. Still if she really believes it you could understand it some.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/08/25/natalie-harp-bone-cancer-trump/

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