So let me go ahead and start.

You know, I want to say that I'm really happy to be joined by Jonathan V.

Last, the astute editor of the bulwark, whose work I greatly admire.

I want to say that.

You know, I'll tell you that I really look forward to your observations on things, you know, which I find

consistently thoughtful and incisive, even when I disagree with you, and that happens on

occasion.

He was previously at the weekly standard, Stanyard for many years, as a writer and an editor.

But I also saw that you studied molecular biology at Johns Hopkins.

And that's actually where I'd like to start because I'm curious what you think the connection is

between the study of molecular biology and what exactly you do now.

So the connection is that I had been pointed towards medical schools since about first grade

and I couldn't get in.

So I applied to there are 121 medical schools in the continental United States.

I applied to 23 of them.

So basically one out of every six medical schools.

And I didn't even get close to getting in.

And I was just casting about, like, crap, what am I to do with my life?

And it turns out there's no admissions test for journalism.

They'll just let anybody do it.

And I, you know, I had always been very, very interested in current events.

You know, I was one of the weird sickos in middle school who read the New York Times and read

...