How to be a morning person, according to my hot morning person friends

Plus quick tips and one year since the Paris Olympics

Jul 26, 2025

∙ Paid

Bonjour, mes amis!!! It’s the one year anniversary of my last-minute trip to Paris for the Olympics, wherein I 1) sobbed and danced in the rain at the Opening Ceremonies 2) ended up at the same party as Mick Jagger and Zendaya 3) fulfilled a lifelong dream of watching Olympic swimming and 4) contributed immensely to the local economy by buying every pain au chocolat within my field of vision. It was one of the most special weeks of my life, and I wrote more about it here:

I'll always have Paris

Alex Friedman

December 22, 2024

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Quick tips:

Scots have taken to the streets of Edinburgh to protest Donald Trump and his cankles’ arrival to their country, to which I say Slàinte mhath—good health in Gaelic!—and also, thank you for the gift that is Alan Cumming. Trump is of course in Scotland on ~~official presidential business~~ to celebrate the opening of a new Trump golf course, and hot tip: he’s now spent $52 million in taxpayer dollars on golf trips over six months. That’s the same amount he spent in four years last time. But at least he cut out all that waste the government was spending on helping millions of Americans afford food.
French President (and guy whose sideburns actually work) Emanuel Macron announced this week that his country will recognize Palestine as a state, and will officially do so at the UN General Assembly in September. France is the first G7 nation to make this huge step toward peace and stability in the region, reason number 893 that I’d like to simply move to Paris tomorrow.
Trump’s corrupt af FCC approved the Paramount-Skydance merger this week just in time for South Park to go scorched earth. Donald Trump made his unwitting debut on the decades-old show, in bed with Satan and starting lawsuits with abandon—among other things (i.e. tiny dicks.)

Donations are surging at PBS and NPR after their federal funding was cut, though we will need to buy a lot more tote bags if we want to make up the difference.
A trip to NYC before the end of summer may be necessary, if only to go through this list of the best ice cream sandwiches in the city from Grub Street.
There’s not that much that gives me hope these days. Photos from the set of Devil Wears Prada 2 are on the list of my saving graces, though.
James Devaney/Getty Images