Such a disgrace. The President of the United States posting on social media a racist meme that included images of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes.

So this week on Table Talk, Johanna and I found ourselves circling one basic question: what happened to decency—who still believes in it?

We start with the Trump “Lion King” video—and more, important, how we’ve seen this stunt before. Trump posts blatant racism, and his defense is prepackaged: “Relax, losers, it’s a joke!” By now we understand that the point—the fun for Trump and so much of MAGA—is precisely that you’re supposed to swallow it.

But here’s our household rule of thumb, a bit of mom wisdom Johanna heard from a friend with middle-school kids: It’s only funny if you’re both laughing. If the target isn’t laughing, it’s not humor—it’s power.

From there we go down into the Epstein revelations, and the part that I actually hadn’t thought much about until this most recent tranche of documents were released: It’s not just Epstein’s monstrous predations on children and vulnerable young women, but the ecosystem around it. The enabling, the status-chasing, the “fancy-people” spell he cas t around him that made otherwise capable adults forget the ground under their feet. (A sentence you never want to read in those files: “My 15-year-old daughter is bringing five friends…”)

Then we answer a reader’s question about whether we still watch mainstream media—and why it can feel like watching brilliant reporters inside a cage.

And, because we are who we are, we close with a blessedly petty epilogue: nine-year-old basketball, a trophy photo, and a parent attempting the world’s most ridiculous medal heist. Consider it a public service announcement: let the kids play.

—Terry and Johanna