Our Best Stuff from the Week We Hit the Debt Ceiling

Plus, more on George Santos and the last word (we hope) on gas stoves.

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The national debt clock. (Photo by Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Hello and happy Sunday! This is going to be a short one, as preparations are under way in the Ohio bureau for the big game between the Bengals and the Bills. I’ve gotta say, it feels a little strange. 

It’s plenty easy to get excited about the Bengals. They’ve got a young and dynamic team led by Ohio native Joe Burrow and his former college teammate, Ja’Marr Chase. Their young and dynamic coach, Zac Taylor, has become beloved for taking the Bengals to the Super Bowl last year—and for embracing the community. After every playoff win, he autographs a half-dozen footballs and takes them around town to various bars and restaurants that cater to Bengals fans. 

Normally, though, when you play a big rival or playoff game, you get an extra boost from your animosity for your opponent. Here in Cincinnati, we have a particular distaste for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. We like to make jokes about the Kansas City Chiefs, an immensely talented team that has never beaten Burrow. But this week? Well … it’s the Bills. Even if you’re not a sports fan, you’re probably aware of what happened the last time these teams met. It was a Monday Night Football game three weeks ago, and the NFL and ESPN had been hyping it for weeks. Both teams were challenging the Chiefs for the top seed in the AFC bracket and the implications were immense. Until they weren’t. 

The game was still in the first quarter when Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and collapsed. Quick work by the Bills medical staff revived him, and he was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he received more lifesaving care. After two very quiet and uncertain days with no updates—Hamlin had been sedated to allow him to heal—he woke up. It’s been a feel-good story ever since. His recovery has been remarkable, and Bengals and Bills fans came together not only to support Hamlin but also Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, who Hamlin had tackled before he collapsed. There had been speculation that Hamlin’s cardiac arrest happened as a result of the play, and Higgins was wracked with guilt. Yet Hamlin’s family and Bills fans spoke out in his defense. It all became a bit of a love fest.

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  1. Avatar photo
    Victor Clairmont

    David French and Klon left Rachel.

    We’re all alone now.

    :(

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  2. Avatar photo
    Show Jay Janney the 🚪!

    Cincinnati 27
    Buffalo 10

    On to Kansas City. It ought to be a good game.
    I liked seeing the opposing players, greeting each other warmly before, during, and after the game. Buffalo is a great team, but Cincinnati was simply better today.

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    1. Avatar photo
      Pastorfbt

      Sets up a great match for next week. Have to admit I didn't see that beatdown coming.

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      1. Avatar photo
        Show Jay Janney the 🚪!

        I didn’t expect it either, this surprised me. Maybe the weather?

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        1. Avatar photo
          Pastorfbt

          Buffalo not ready for snow? Unlikely.

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          1. Avatar photo
            Show Jay Janney the 🚪!

            I don't know if anyone is ever really ready for snow. Or having children. Just that some are less ready than others.

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          Rachael Larimore vertical-nib Author

          I was nervous before the game, but that first drive was simply perfect and really set the tone.

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  3. Avatar photo
    Dave Conant - MO

    Great intro about the game and back story Rachael. Nice of you to follow with a humorous piece about the Republicans addressing overspending. I note for the record that you spelled Brian Reidl's name wrong in that article but got it right in the closing.

    Hope the right team wins today.

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  4. Avatar photo
    Aylene Wright

    Thanks Rach for pointing out that it was a LOCAL media outlet that broke the "Santos stole money from a dying dog" story. That outlet being Patch.com which is certainly not known as a political news site. The site is actually run by a national company but is staffed by many locally based news teams. Hopefully it will continue to function as an online substitute to partially replace defunct print local media.

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  5. Tpro15

    The last time the Republicans were serious about spending was during the Hoover Administration. The last time a Republican president was serious about the need to increase revenue was the first George Bush and he was denounced by members of his party when he raised taxes to do so. And let us not forget that the current head of the party, Donald Trump famously asked why the US couldn't just stop payment on the debt, or even declare bancruptcy. In case you haven't noticed, members of Congress are rarely serious people. We do not have a serious government. The United States is saved only by its lack of borders, its abundant natural resources and the inventiveness and hard work of its inhabitants.

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  6. Montbrn

    I grow tired of the many mistakes the Republicans make in trying to fix the budget issues. Is it a fact that only republicans are hypocrites here? They harp on fixing it and still vote for more spending. Is there a faction that believes that one can spend but never face paying back?

    The world is awash in dollars, our daunted reserve currency. If we weaken, will there be a rush to spend dollars on assets in the US? How about 50 trillion of farmland to secure food sources or forests for trees? Or gas-producing land and leases to export the energy, In a world grown tired of the dollar, no one else promises to buy a worthless dollar.

    I see our spending spree with such consequences down the road.

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  7. Avatar photo
    Paul Britton

    Go Buffalo!!!

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  8. Akwild26

    Rachael, I concur that you pretty much nailed it. If the Bengals don’t win today, I know whom I’ll be rooting for. (And yes, beating the Ravens last week was sweet! Any day that a Harbaugh loses a game is a good day!)

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      Rachael Larimore vertical-nib Author

      Exactly -- always happy to see a Harbaugh lose. It’s better when it’s Jim, but still good when it’s John.

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  9. Avatar photo
    Show Jay Janney the 🚪!

    My wife is a retail drug dealer (pharmacist), who has to work every 3rd weekend (and gets called in on a lot of weekends). She regrets not working today, since from 3pm until closing it will be very quiet, as people will be home watching the game. It'd allow her to get caught up on paperwork.

    You captured it well--In SW Ohio, probably no one hates the Bills, but today we are rooting for the Bengals. We want it to be a safe game, a good game.

    Last year we played a nearby county school which had a double homicide tragedy the week of the game. Our team wore the same warmups as their team (show of support), our students signed a posterboard of names in support of the other school. The PA announcer's voice broke in thanking our team for its support. It was my favorite game of my son's career, even though we got blown out. The gym was SRO, loud, noisy, an ideal basketball game night. No rude chants, but high energy. The players enjoyed it. After the game, they all hugged, hanging out at midcourt. A few knelt in prayer, so both teams joined in, the gym got quiet for a minute.

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    1. Avatar photo
      Dave Conant - MO

      Great story Jay. You can close the door for that one.

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