Back when it was a magazine, US News & World Report used to use the slogan “News You Can Use.” It was the kind of thing that inevitably invited criticism, since it was often pretty clear that the news in the magazine wasn’t always particularly useful.

I thought of that when I saw the new issue of Time magazine (6/30/14), which featured a short item on Kevin McCarthy, the new majority leader in Congress. As such, he is someone who certainly will be wielding enormous political power.

Time gives readers three things we should know about him: He won some money (not much) in the lottery when he was a teenager , he “worked closely” with then-California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and actor Kevin Spacey watched him when was researching a role for the show House of Cards. I guess there are four things you learn, since they also note in passing that the Republican is “affable.”

I must confess that I know nothing about Kevin McCarthy. And now I know less.