Happy Friday, Slatesters. This is off the record. Our bonus episode exclusively for Slate Plus subscribers.

So to those of you in our very special club, thank you. Today, I am joined by one of my favorite

colleagues, Slate's very own Titish Fowah. Hi, Tish. Hello, Lizzie. I'm always happy to be here.

I love seeing you here.

Last Friday, Mary and I did this, and the thing I wanted to talk about was the Nix fan,

you know, my mayor Muslim, my bagel Jewish, my Christian Dior, Nixon 4.

Nixon 5, but, you know, here we are. Very excited.

And how he was maybe a Kalshi plant.

Yeah.

Kalshi native.

Right.

Like, I think he was genuine, but then Kalshi was there to capitalize on the moment.

Right.

Because they definitely sponsored that little robot dog thing that everyone was playing with. And then I'm sure they also employed some clippers to, you know, go ahead with it. There's like the clipper economy is totally fascinating to me. Were you watch, have you been like Nick, Knicks fanning out? Oh yeah. Oh, yeah. I was at my, Saturday? Yeah, yeah. I was at my friend's place.

She projected it on, like, the wall, like, in her backyard. A bunch of us were watching. And then, yeah, this is around your neighborhood, actually. And we didn't know whether people would be, like, up and about, you know, because kids. Yes, my neighborhood has a lot of families. Yeah, but we were out there and people were out, you know,

and the vies were so good. Like, people were just, like, clapping for, like,

every sanitation truck coming around.

They would grab the Nix flag.

And it was, I saw some people, like, helping another worker with worker with like their trash bags.

Like I've just never seen the city so like pure joy.

I know.

And nothing else.

...