Evan Semones

@DylanByers Problem isn’t exclusive to this bar. A couple years back, I asked a Delta SkyClub employee to put CNN on one of their many TVs. I was told they were forbidden airing any “political” or “controversial” content

One small state-of-the-culture observation on last night…. Shortly after leaving the Hilton, where a gunman attempted to enter the room in which the President, Vice President, several cabinet members, congressmen, dignitaries, business executives, and hundreds of America’s leading journalists were gathered, I went to a bar with a small group of colleagues to touch base, get our bearings, and, ideally, watch the news coverage. When I lived in Washington a decade ago, bars like this one usually had at least one TV tuned to CNN or Fox News. These TVs were on a hockey game, and no one in the bar seemed aware of what had just taken place mere blocks away. We asked a bartender to change the channel to CNN so we could watch the president’s briefing with captions, which they did. But then, a few minutes later, the bartender said he’d been informed by the manager that the bar had a policy against showing political content, and he’d have to go back to sports. I tried to imagine what this bar might have looked like on March 30, 1981, an hour or so after Hinckley fired shots at Reagan at the very same hotel. I imagine every television would have been on CNN or the wall-to-wall special coverage on the broadcast networks, and that passers by would have come in to watch, as well. The media is giving this the ample coverage it deserves. But it’s unnerving how desensitized so many people have become—to shootings, obviously, but also to political violence and the abnormality of the moment. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe we just picked the wrong bar. But I doubt it. Pew Research recently reported that attention to news in the U.S. has declined across all age groups since 2016, and that young adults (ages 18 to 29) have consistently had the lowest levels. Even as the news itself intensifies—in politics, geopolitics, technology, etc—more and more people seem to be tuning it out. And I suppose this is how you find yourself in a bar in the nation’s capital, an hour after crouching behind a chair as secret service members evacuate the President of the United States from the room, being told that you’ll have to watch Penguins vs. Flyers.

@treeaston @AJentleson I guess I’m curious… did this not matter as much to Dems during ‘88 DNC? Or ‘12 DNC in Charlotte?

I think the reaction you're seeing is less about being surprised and more about disbelief that it would be a potential veto point for a major party investment in a state that's increasingly critical to its national political prospects.

@BDAHT False. Brooklyn Village was in Second Ward. Spectrum Center is in First. Also, how you framed this (implying homes and buildings were bulldozed for SC) is super misleading. It was a sea of surface parking lots before

Did you know the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC was built on top of a Black town named #BrooklynVillage? Cause I didn’t. 🤯 #IDKMYDE

@jmart IMHO, it starts with new faces in leadership, practicing what you preach and creating a unified message that actually resonates

Which raises the q of how Dems make corruption salient when the American voter has never been more cynical or down on institutions (helps to have a connective issue like gas prices)

@CSOonX Can they not do a Final Four in any other city that isn’t Indianapolis, Phoenix, Houston or Atlanta?

What's the best Final Four logo ever? 🧐 #MarchMadness

@LaughAtLefties @jackbutler4815 @WSJFreeEx So predictable. Resort to character assassination and attacks on intelligence when you can’t stand to be challenged. No wonder you have to hide behind a fake screenname 🤡

@evansemones @jackbutler4815 @WSJFreeEx Trolling? You flatter yourself. You challenged his expertise when you have none yourself but still went with appeal to authority. Now THAT is trolling. I'm merely pointing out you're just another sad political remora with no marketable skills.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed two years ago today. The fact that a replacement isn't expected until 2030 is a good occasion to reflect on the defects of blue-state governance--which are intentional. My latest in @WSJFreeEx

@maustermuhle @BrianneKNadeau Let’s see… more people in a building and fewer ways to escape during a fire or emergency. What could possibly go wrong?

Of nerdy urbanist interest: Next week the D.C. Council will cast a first vote on @BrianneKNadeau's bill to allow for new D.C. buildings up to six stories tall to have only a single stairwell in them, instead of the current two. Proponents say it creates more residential space.

@LaughAtLefties @jackbutler4815 @WSJFreeEx Ah, internet tolling. Always handy when you're not able to intellectually engage

@evansemones @jackbutler4815 @WSJFreeEx Ah, credentialism. Always handy when you lack any other argument.

@bobEbaybay @jackbutler4815 @WSJFreeEx Multiple reasons. Truss bridges, like the old Key Bridge, are cheaper. But they're not as strong as its replacement, a suspension bridge, which is costlier to engineer and construct. New bridge will also be taller ($$) and shipping canal widened ($$$) for today's modern ships

@evansemones @jackbutler4815 @WSJFreeEx Why did the original one cost about 1/7th the price after adjusting for inflation?

@CoachRexWalters At the end of the day, it's a business decision. And college sports, like it or not, is a business. I doubt it's anything personal.

Idk if there is a CBB Program that was more about Tradition, Loyalty and Family. UNC ruined that today. They’ve actually done it twice now. You fired one of your own. Family doesn’t fire family. Family can’t. Sad and disappointing from my outside view.

@nba__whiteboy IF this is what they're doing -- and it's a *big* if -- it totally sucks Hubert has been placed here. But it might be the best for both sides. Hubert is allowed to leave with pride, saying he made the decision on his own. UNC can claim they tried to make it work, didn't fire him

@evansemones Their obsession with the high and mighty image despite all of their scandals is hilarious

Genuinely wtf is UNC doing? Is Hubert just being held hostage rn?

@OrmondInsider My guy, this makes absolute zero sense. All of the speculation around Hubert's future is embarrassing for him -- it's near impossible for him to come back next year. Donors can tell you whatever they want, but the only people who matter are those in UNC admin and athletics' dept

BREAKING: Donors tell me UNC will retain Hubert Davis as head coach, prioritizing continuity and “keeping it in the family” over an external hire. Multiple donors pushed for stability, citing significant financial commitments tied up in football. 1/2

@tpinsonn bring the 💨

12Et today tune in‼️ This will be addressed and heard loud and clear‼️ youtube.com/live/JUvx-jokZ…

Hey, @espn, I got an idea… How about when you sign commentators, put a clause in their contract that forces them to adhere to retweeting and posting stuff rooted in fact? Otherwise, I have no reason to trust them — or take them seriously

@DMVAdventures I agree with everything in this. A good place if it’s *along* your route. But by no means would I go out of my way for it. The real killer: A regular, non-big box gas station with the restrooms of Buccee’s and food quality/selection of @Wawa

I finally stopped in at the Costco Cracker Barrel that is Buc-ee's...and it's a cool place. It is NOT a life changing experience. It is NOT worth going to unless it's along your route. It IS the best food selection you will find at a gas station. It IS a great place to stop. As a lover of gas station food, I have to say I LOVE everything in the store. But I HATE everything about the store. It is certainly not a quick stop on a road trip, and unless I was not in a rush to get to my destination, I would never stop here. The beef jerky is a 10/10 and I don't even like beef jerky. The "Beaver Nuggets" are good, but there are lots of good snacks at regular stores too. Oh...and about the brisket...the employees sing about it, the customers fight over it...and I ate it... Rating As a fast food gas station sandwich: 7/10 Rating as a BBQ sandwich: 2/10

@the_transit_guy Yeah, maybe. But consider this: Architects can -- and often do -- make a structure transparent when a final design hasn't been chosen. They include it to show massing and how the eventual size of the structure will affect the site

I love how parking infrastructure is so ugly that the rendering makes the garage transparent as to not ruin the rendering lol

@davidhogg111 So, a couple things... 1) I'm also not thrilled about parking decks taking up prime waterfront space *and* obstructing views of this great facility, but many sububanites (fans) drive. 2) Architects (sometimes) make renderings transparent when final design hasn't been decided

If you hate traffic and you hate drunk driving, you should oppose this massive parking garage. Tens of thousands of people driving home hammered after a football game driving through famously easy to navigate Washington DC - what could go wrong? Also, it’s bullshit they made the parking garage transparent in this artist depiction.

@BlackAndNative1 Yes. Peep the logo on top from Google StreetView (circa 2009):

THE ORIGINAL BET BUILDING WAS IN D.C. ?‼️🤔