I try to avoid political discourse in my newsletter and writing. This week, I cannot. As I sifted through the Friday news cycle for stories meant to be forgotten by Monday, it became clear that in the world of peak patronizing publishing, Washington, D.C., has served up a masterclass in burying news.

While the loud, headline-grabbing drama of our U.S. government shutdown dominated the week, the truly messy consequences were saved for a quiet Friday morning reveal. Indeed, truth is stranger and increasingly more disappointing than fiction.

"We've been trying to reach you about your Expired Auto Warranty Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act"

Let's inspect the blinking engine maintenance light story that slipped into the news stream while everyone was still processing the week's political theater and hand-wringing.