Is there a sane way to follow this election?

Ezra Klein returns to restore sanity to Search Engine nation, and Kelefa Sanneh hijacks the show.

Hello everyone! We’re back with a new season of Search Engine for you.

We are in an eighty-eight day sprint to the Presidential election. How would you follow this story if you wanted to actually understand something, instead of, like me, just feeling very anxious several times a day? We talk to Ezra Klein about how he follows elections and his own strange role in this election cycle.

Go listen! And please, in the comments, let me know whose coverage you’ve been following, and how you are coping with your anxiety, assuming you have some.

And if you have a moment and want to procrastinate from whatever you’re actually responsible for getting done this morning, please consider rating and reviewing us on Apple. Volunteer for Search Engine on the company dime!

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Plus, a bonus episode?!?

Okay, here's something funny. At 9:08 this morning, I was drinking coffee and doing my little online rounds, reading the Substacks I subscribe to, when I had that muted panicky feeling that I’d just forgotten…something. Feed the dogs? Pay a bill?

And then I remembered: There’s a Search Engine Substack. I’m supposed to send you all a little note when the new episodes come out. Yikes!

Actually, this is a double newsletter. There are two episodes, because we published something wonderful for you on our Incognito Mode feed earlier this week. Kelefa Sanneh stole the show from me and hosted an episode of the brand new show Search Engine Engine. Discussed: many secrets of the show, including a moment where K tricked me into revealing more than I meant to about my status as a person who may or may not have entered a nightclub in Germany.

As always, you can sign up for our Incognito Mode feed, your subscripition is a huge and meaningful part of our budget. Plus the show gives you an ad-free, no rerun feed, with bonus episodes. Wow, sounds great.

What else? The Spotify algo kicked me back in time five years and put me on a real Pinegrove kick. I resolve to make new friends.

We are so happy to be back. We’ve got two tons of stories in the oven for you. Our production calendar for season 2, has been posted here. Am I slightly gulping thinking about how much we’re going to make for you? Yes. Is there anyone luckier than our team getting to do it for you? No.

See you next week,

PJ