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The Triad

The Problem With Americans and the “Finding Out” Part

An anti-vaxxer in Texas almost died from measles. Real doctors saved his life. After that, he got even *more* redpilled. Plus: A Mamdani win in NYC could have unintended consequences.

Jonathan V. Last's avatar
Jonathan V. Last
Jun 24, 2025
∙ Paid

Heads up: I won’t be here tomorrow—Flash has a baseball thing. But Ben Parker will have a newsletter for you. I’ve already read it and this thing is HOT FIRE.

Don’t sleep on tomorrow’s Triad.


(Shutterstock)

1. Blotch Sick

It has been a (relatively) good couple of days in Donald Trump’s America.

Trump conducted a successful raid on Iranian nuclear facilities. The damage done may have set Iran’s nuclear program back by some months. Iran launched a pro forma, kayfabe response. And maybe it all ends there. (At least for American involvement.)

If so, that counts as a win, which makes me happy. It’s good for America and good for the world that this adventure didn’t get out of hand and maybe even made the world (temporarily) a touch safer.

And yet, in my darker moments I find myself wondering if it wouldn’t be better for America’s long-term civic health if Trump hadn’t gotten lucky? Maybe it would be better if we had to take our consequences?

Which is why I want to discuss a New York Times story about the measles and some very fine people in Texas.

Let’s go dark.

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