The Snark Factor 3 in 3

Audio is above. The IRS did better than expected. Buc-ee’s is expanding. Dolly Parton just entered the travel stop wars. That’s today’s 3 in 3 . First up, the IRS somehow managed to issue refunds better than expected despite job cuts, leadership turnover, and tax law changes. Which raises a question nobody in government wants to ask too loudly: how many people did you need again? Then, Buc-ee’s is...

Audio is above. Three stories. Three minutes. Let’s go. Today: intelligence agencies warn AI could make cyberattacks much worse within months, Trader Joe’s shoppers lose their minds over $2.99 mini tote bags, and a dog ends up sitting on an airplane tray table. The tray table. Because apparently the future is robots stealing passwords, grocery bags becoming investment strategies, and dog butt wher...

The audio is above. The 3 in 3 is back. Tonight, we start with a disturbing update in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie. CNN reports that a second note connected to the case said Guthrie had died shortly after being kidnapped. More than 20 weeks later, the investigation remains active and ongoing. Then, M&M’s are going dye-free, and apparently, bl...

The audio is above. The House passed a resolution aimed at ending the Iran War, which means Congress has reached the “maybe we should discuss the war” portion of the war. UN researchers warn AI could double data center power and water use by 2030, because the cloud is apparently a hot building that needs a lake. A Florida family is suing Campbell’s and Walmart after claiming their SpaghettiOs had...

The audio is above. The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is back on for July 24th, Trump says he’ll attend, and Washington’s strangest tuxedo gathering now comes with upgraded security. Michelob Ultra has passed Bud Light as America’s top-selling beer by volume in bars and restaurants, proving the country still wants beer — just beer that feels like it owns running shoes. The 2027 Masters ticket...

The audio is above. Byron Allen takes over CBS late night, makes the network money, and somehow the media reaction is still about rich, white, male hosts defending another rich, white, male host. Carnival reported that nearly six million cruise travelers may have had personal information exposed, because apparently, identity theft now boards before you do. Trader Joe’s is opening twenty-five new s...

Audio is above. Iranian state TV says there may be an unofficial draft framework with the U.S. to reopen commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, but the deal is already running into trouble. Jill Biden now says she feared Joe Biden was having a stroke during the 2024 debate, which is quite the update from the post-debate “great job” spin. And desperate single men are reportedly paying th...

Audio is above. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, says AI probably won’t bring the jobs apocalypse, which is reassuring in the way a volcano saying “relax” is reassuring. Royal Caribbean is cracking down on cruise cabin door decorations, and the upside-down pineapple community may never emotionally recover. Popeyes is bringing biscuit mix to grocery stores, so America can finally make edible drywall in t...

Audio is above. President Trump says a deal with Iran is largely negotiated, while Iran says obstacles remain and no agreement is imminent. Comcast is now selling YouTube TV to internet customers after losing more than 10 million TV subscribers. And thieves are allegedly using the “Screw Method” to keep gas pumps charging your card after you drive away. Subscribe to get The Snark Factor 3 in 3 eve...

Audio is above. Memorial Day began as a day to remember America’s fallen service members, and somehow also became the official holiday of patio furniture discounts and arguing over whether a lawn mower counts as “patriotic.” Cory Booker says Democrats desperately need new leadership, which is bold because nothing says fresh start like the same people announcing that the party needs different peopl...

Higher fuel prices have some Americans rethinking Memorial Day travel, Kroger says it plans to cut prices on thousands of items, and Eli Lilly’s experimental weight-loss drug is showing major results. Subscribe to get The Snark Factor 3 in 3 every weekday on Substack and your favorite podcast platform. The audio is above. Sources: WXXV, Reuters, WRAL. Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to rece...

The Surgeon General’s office warns about kids and screen time, TSA reminds campers that propane canisters do not belong on airplanes, and South Park gets a Season 29 premiere date. Subscribe to get The Snark Factor 3 in 3 every weekday on Substack and your favorite podcast platform. The audio is above. Sources: CNN, Parade, Variety. Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and s...

Today’s Snark Factor 3 in 3 is coming out in the evening because I’m still fooling around with what time of day I’m releasing these. Rubio talks directly to Cubans about a “new path,” LaGuardia discovers the airport experience can apparently include sinkholes, and Intuit cuts workers while leaning harder into AI. Give this one a listen and let me know what you think: morning, afternoon, or evening...

Audio is above. Cuba is warning of a bloodbath, which is exactly the kind of international tension cable news producers treat like natural Viagra. The TSA says it is not looking for your weed, which is reassuring right up until Caleb at security finds your weed. And MGM may be closing its remaining Vegas buffets, because apparently America has decided unlimited shrimp was too beautiful to survive....

Audio is above. President Trump says the clock is ticking on Iran. Gen X is still carrying student loan debt from an era when “going online” made a noise. And Showtime may have quietly become less of a TV brand and more of a hallway inside Paramount+. Subscribe on Substack or your favorite podcast platform to get The Snark Factor 3 in 3 every weekday. Sources: Daily Mail, Reuters, Fortune, Abbott,...

Today’s episode starts heavy. CNN reports a new investigation says sexual violence during the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel was systematic and widespread. That is not setup material. Some crimes should be named plainly. Then, CNN reports the CIA has escalated secret operations against drug cartels inside Mexico, which sounds like a Tom Clancy paperback someone accidentally declassified. And f...

Today’s Snark Factor 3 in 3 has Israel rethinking U.S. military aid, Spirit Airlines leaving behind the dream of paying extra to bring your knees, and Bumble becoming less Bumble. The audio is above. Three stories. Three minutes. Let’s go. Sources: CTV News, Reuters, New York Post. Subscribe on Substack and your favorite podcast platform so you get The Snark Factor 3 in 3 every weekday. Thanks for...

The audio is above. Today’s episode starts with Iran offering a counterproposal the U.S. rejected as “totally unacceptable,” because apparently international diplomacy is now two heavily armed men in a doorway saying, “You first.” Then we get some health news: a study says 8,500 steps a day may help people keep weight off after losing it. Not lose it. Keep it off. Which means weight loss is appare...

Today’s Snark Factor 3 in 3 takes us from unpaid child support to empty airports to the quiet surveillance state hiding between the mulch and the toilet flappers. The State Department is cracking down on parents who owe serious child support by revoking passports. A regional airport outside Pittsburgh has no commercial flights after Spirit Airlines disappeared from the schedule. And Home Depot and...

The audio is above. Today’s Snark Factor 3 in 3 starts with a purported Jeffrey Epstein suicide note being unsealed, because apparently that story still had bonus levels. Then the IRS may owe refunds to millions of Americans for COVID-era penalties and interest, but, naturally, you may have to file Form 843 to get them. Because Washington never just hands you money. It sends you on a clerical scav...

The audio is above. I missed a day, and this one is late because the basement flooded. So yes, today’s episode was written by a man who recently stared at wet flooring and reconsidered the entire concept of home ownership. We start with Congress quietly paying out taxpayer money for sexual harassment settlements, which is one of those stories that makes you say, “Wait… we had to pass a law to stop...

After a short break for my daughter’s college graduation, The Snark Factor 3 in 3 is back. Today: Pizza Hut moves “Hut Forward,” which sounds less like a business strategy and more like something said right before a youth group trust fall. Also, Las Vegas is discovering that tourists may leave casinos to find cannabis, and worse, they might spend money somewhere else. Apparently, that’s where Vega...

Episode 75 of The Snark Factor 3 in 3 is here. The UAE is reportedly quitting OPEC, which means the world’s oil cartel may now have the organizational stability of a group project where one guy already bought his own poster board. John Hinckley Jr. has thoughts on presidential security at the Washington Hilton because, apparently, we are now sourcing venue-safety analysis from the “historical trau...

Today on The Snark Factor 3 in 3, late-night edition! More than 1,000 TSA officers have reportedly quit during the DHS shutdown, which is less than ideal if you enjoy the modern airport experience of standing barefoot in a security line while society collapses politely around you. The CDC is warning about antibiotic-resistant Salmonella linked mostly to backyard poultry, because apparently the chi...

Today’s Snark Factor 3 in 3 starts with the White House Correspondents’ Dinner being interrupted by gunfire, because apparently even Washington’s formal dinners now come with an emergency evacuation plan. Then we get the inevitable conspiracy theories, because nothing can happen in America anymore without somebody online yelling “staged” before the police report has punctuation. And finally, a new...