It’s not a question of “if” – it’s more about how and when President Donald Trump will keep pounding away on his baseless allegations of widespread election fraud. Writing for Stateline, Kevin Hardy reports on how Democratic state officials are preparing for the onslaught. It’s worth remembering that more than the control of Congress is at stake in the November elections – a number of state legislatures hang in the balance as well. The health of our democracy could hinge on how state officials – in particular, Republican officials – battle back against Trump’s campaign to sow doubt about our elections. Election Day is just 80 days away. 

How did Oregonians react to the narrow passage of the gun-control Measure 114 back in 2022? A new study from researchers, including some at Oregon State University, has the answer: We bought a bunch more guns. Court rulings have prevented Measure 114 from becoming law, but if it ever does, we’re apparently armed and ready. 

The percentage of women in the Oregon workforce has been declining slightly over the last year, and the same is true nationally. Economists have plenty of theories about this, and many of them involve the high cost of childcare (especially when coupled with inflation) and cuts to federal safety-net programs. Alex Baumhardt of the Oregon Capital Chronicle tracks the trend. 

President Trump’s gambit to escape an apparent Iranian assassination plot by slipping out of Air Force One in a catering container is the stuff of spycraft – or perhaps a movie farce. That is, as The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols points out, if you’re prepared to ignore the fact that Trump’s ruse put the lives of innocent Americans, sitting on what essentially was a decoy aircraft, at risk.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth – oh, sorry, “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth – was one of the officials who apparently was with Trump during the great plane-swap caper. Back on land, Hegseth is reported to be a driving force behind the creation of a new history curriculum, to be taught at the schools operated by the Pentagon for military families, that strongly links Western civilization to Christianity and portrays Islam as a threat to both. The Associated Press reports that some scholars – you know, academics who hate America – have their doubts.   

Speaking of Trump, if you’re wondering when he’s going to stop blaming Joe Biden or Barack Obama or vandals in canoes for undoing all his good work on the Reflecting Pool, this Associated Press story makes it clear that it’s going to be a long wait.

Matteo Wong, who frequently writes about technology for The Atlantic, has a new piece in which he concludes that now may be the time to begin panicking about artificial intelligence. Um, Matteo – is this just coming to your attention now? 

The Associated Press reports that some universities like Arizona State are being criticized for offering majors in “content creation” – in other words, providing would-be online “influencers” with a bachelor’s degree. Whether those degrees lead to well-paying jobs in the increasingly crowded content-creation field is another question, but it could be worse – we could be talking about journalism degrees.

It hasn’t been a great run lately for superhero movies – which I don’t particularly think is bad news, although you may have a different opinion. But even while new offerings like this summer’s “Supergirl” have fizzled, one superhero consistently generates top-dollar returns at the box office: “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” has a shot at becoming the first movie to reach $1 billion solely from U.S. and Canadian theaters. And the 11 (11!) Spider-Man movies have earned nearly $11 billion total. Writing in The Atlantic, David Sims examines the reasons for the enduring success of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. 

The Times has a fun feature about how the signature tracking shot from “The Evil Dead” movies – you know, that shaky, often high-speed, camera move – has gone on to influence other horror movies, and even nonhorror flicks like “Blood Simple” and the Bourne movies. 

If you’re like us, your backyard might be visited every so often at night by a raccoon or two – so cute! Look at their little masked faces! Look at how they can manipulate their little hands! It’s like they’re adapting so well to urban life! Wouldn’t they be swell pets?

Well, in a nutshell, here’s an academic laying out the case against that: “Why the hell would you take a crazy little wild animal that is exceedingly bitey – why would you want this destructive force in your house?” Annie Lowrey, writing in The Atlantic, considers the rest of the case against raccoons. 

The reference to “bitey,” by the way, reminds me of one of the all-time great moments from “The Simpsons,” this one from the classic “Marge vs. the Monorail” episode.

Speaking of “The Simpsons,” Nancy Cartwright – who provides Bart’s voice – recently told an interviewer that she thought the show would wrap it up after its 40th season. (The show will begin its 38th season this fall.) I know what you’re thinking: “The Simpsons” is still on the air? Yes! And it occasionally has a really good episode, even though no one expects it’ll ever return to its glory days. (If the show does wrap up after season 40, that means its run will end after a mere 850 episodes or so. Try harder, “Simpsons” staffers – that 1,000th episode is within reach!) 

A writer for the Poynter Institute has pulled together a list of iconic fictional journalists – but the list skews toward recent TV and movies and completely neglects Kent Brockman, the local news anchor for Springfield’s Channel 6. So I can’t say I completely trust the list. I mean, how can you ignore Brockman’s shelf of regional Emmy Awards? Also, just to be on the safe side: “I, for one, welcome our new artificial intelligence overlords.” 

That’s all for this weekend. Watch a “Simpsons” episode for old time’s sake this week, and I’ll be back here next weekend with a report on my weeklong garage-cleanup project. I just know it’s going to go great.