2025-03-07 20:00:00
This isn’t the first time Canada has taken heat. Back in 1999, the animated, satirical (in the late 20th century, satire was still possible) show South Park let our neighbors to the North have it with the Oscar nominated song: Blame Canada. The lyrics sound like they could have come straight from a certain Truth Social account: And my boy Eric once had my picture on his shelf. But now when I see him he tells me to f-ck myself! Well, blame Canada! Blame Canada! It seems that everything’s gone wrong Since Canada came along! They’re not even a real country, anyway. People laughed at the South Park gang’s parody. But no one in Canada is laughing at Trump’s suggestion that Canada should become America’s 51st state. Maybe because the message isn’t being delivered as a joke. Consider that earlier this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made this claim about the President: “What he wants is to see a total collapse of the Canadian economy, because that’ll make it easier to annex us.” From NYT (Gift Article), “this is the story of how Mr. Trudeau went from thinking Mr. Trump was joking when he referred to him as ‘governor’ and Canada as ‘the 51st state’ in early December to publicly stating that Canada’s closest ally and neighbor was implementing a strategy of crushing the country in order to take it over.” How Trump’s ‘51st State’ Canada Talk Came to Be Seen as Deadly Serious. “While Mr. Trump’s remarks could all be bluster or a negotiating tactic to pressure Canada into concessions on trade or border security, the Canadian side no longer believes that to be so.”
+ As far as I know, there’s only one reason why any American president would ever consider annexing Canada: A dramatic acceleration of climate change causing an extreme concern about water access and habitable living land. I guess even the people who lie about climate change understand the threat. That said, if you really think Canada is going to become the 51st state, I’ve got a canal in Panama, some minerals in Ukraine, and an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark to sell you.
+ The Canada-US feud has even ensnared the Great One. (Amazingly, Trump hasn’t tried to annex that sobriquet.) Why Canadians are stung by Wayne Gretzky’s silence. “There was politicized criticism when images of Gretzky first emerged celebrating Trump’s election victory at Mar-a-Lago, and later when he attended the president’s inauguration. But that wasn’t what Canadians were really upset about. It was what came later, when Trump turned his focus to Canada — and Gretzky, the national hero, stayed silent.”
+ I got a ton of feedback about yesterday’s lead item that really helps explain what’s going on and the best way to respond. If you missed it or want to share it: The C-Word.
For decades, search has been the way we interact with the web. Soon, it may be the way we interact without it. Casey Newton: Google’s new AI Mode is a preview of the future of search. “In the near future, the company said, you would ‘let Google do the Googling for you’: trusting the search engine to search the web on your behalf, summarizing its findings, and sparing you the need to visit many websites yourself.
It was an appealing proposition to Google, which would soon begin peppering the product it calls AI overviews with advertisements; and for the search engine’s users, many of whom have already begun to replace their traditional Google searches with queries in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI products.
To the millions of businesses that rely on Google to send them traffic, though, the bargain appeared much worse.”
“The meeting was a potential turning point after the frenetic first weeks of Mr. Trump’s second term. It yielded the first significant indication that Mr. Trump was willing to put some limits on Mr. Musk, whose efforts have become the subject of several lawsuits and prompted concerns from Republican lawmakers, some of whom have complained directly to the president.” NYT (Gift Article): Inside the Explosive Meeting Where Trump Officials Clashed With Elon Musk. Is this the beginning of a breakup? Will Trump put limits on Doge? Which of our two presidents is actually more powerful? Why are we even hearing the details of this meeting?
+ WSJ (Gift Article): Tesla’s Fortunes Fall as Musk Rises in Trump World.
+ Tesla’s stock slide may be temporary and it contrasts with Musk’s growing SpaceX empire, and his growing power when it comes to international affairs. FT: Europe races to find Starlink alternatives for Ukraine. “Four satellite operators in talks over back-up for Kyiv if Elon Musk switches off broadband service.”
What to Watch: Don’t let the fact that Paradise on Hulu starts off looking like a typical White House show about a president turn you off. It’s about something entirely different. And it’s a really tight and entertaining show.
+ What to Binge: Mikey Madison’s win as best actress in Anora makes this a good time to go back and check out the highly bingeable series she was in alongside Pamela Adlon. Better Things. (There’s an early cameo by Lenny Kravitz playing a guy named Mel.)
+ What to Hear: I’ve got some rap. I’ve got some pop. I’ve got you covered. Jaylah Ji’mya Hickmon has made a meteoric rise in the rap scene, including the winning of a Grammy for best rap album. You may know her by her stage name, Doechii. Check out her album Alligator Bites Never Heal, and her latest hit, Anxiety. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for some pop, Lady Gaga has returned to her roots (just when we need it most). Her new album is called Mayhem. (That would be a better name for this newsletter.)
Policy Whiplash: “After weeks of distancing the U.S. from Ukraine, President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to impose expanded ‘large scale’ sanctions and tariffs on Russia until it reaches a peace agreement with Ukraine.” (And you know when Trump threatens tariffs, he definitely means it.)
+ Columbia Coffer: “The Trump administration on Friday announced that it would cancel approximately $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University ‘due to the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.'” (If this was just about the protests, it would be one thing. But this is about a broader effort to control higher education. Expect more threats and more funds to be withheld.)
+ Shock and Flaw: The Pentagon is hard at work defending us … from “tens of thousands of photos and online posts marked for deletion as the Defense Department works to purge diversity, equity and inclusion content.” It’s not as stupid as it sounds. It more stupid. One of the images marked for deletion is “the aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Japan.” Why? Because it was called the Enola Gay.
+ Mensch Press: “It was all there, in the Oval Office, in the shouting and in the interruptions, in the noises and in the silences. A courageous man seen as Jewish had to be brought down. When he said things that were simply true he was shouted down and called a propagandist. There was no acknowledgement of Zelens’kyi’s bravery in remaining in Kyiv. The Americans portrayed themselves as the real heroes because they provided some of the weapons. The suffering of Ukrainians went unmentioned.” Historian Timothy Snyder saw Antisemitism in the Oval Office.
+ Slam, Scram, Thank You Fam? As we know, there are plenty of Americans cheering the Trump speeches and executive orders, and reveling in the DOGE cuts. And that sometimes includes family members of those getting fired. AP: Thrust into unemployment, axed federal workers face relatives who celebrate their firing.
+ Plot Twist: Anora was made for $6 million. But marketing and winning the Oscar was a little more expensive. T-shirts, thongs and perfect twerking: Anora spent $18m on marketing – three times its budget. (For some reason, perfect twerking hasn’t helped me market this newsletter.)
“David said he cleared out some space at the Kwik Stop, moved over some shelves from the video store, then selected about 50 Disney classics and 150 other popular titles to put on display. One of his employees nicknamed the miniature rental shop ‘Christina’s Corner.'” Store owner relocates his shop for his best customer, a woman with Down syndrome. (It feels like we’re being bombarded with more bad news than ever. Do not ignore all the good out there.)
+ “The night I brought Joe-the-Starter home, I pondered whether I should keep him pure or blend him with my own. I went the sentimental route: I mixed us together, and as I poured his into mine.” Life, Death, and Sourdough.
+ Dolly Parton wrote a song in tribute of her husband who recently passed away. I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t been there.
+ Paralyzed man controls robot arm for record 7 months with new brain chip.
+ “Ford caught the attention of the Golden State Warriors star in January when a TikTok video surfaced detailing her Warriors fandom. Grandma Kitty keeps track of Curry’s performances and games using a notebook.” Stephen Curry meets Grandma Kitty.
+ Steve Carell surprises Southern California high school students with free prom tickets.
+ Dog stuck for days in underground well is saved after man hears barking through his floorboards. (My beagles’ reaction: “You call that barking?”)
+ Watch Eagle Chicks Hatching on the Eagle Cam.
+ Bill Murray does Hot Ones. And doesn’t flinch.
2025-03-06 20:00:00
After a few decades of open tabs, I’m arguably the American best equipped to absorb a pulverizing onslaught of mind boggling news before effortlessly synthesizing it all into a coherent whole; which is then delivered in clear, bite-sized chunks, featuring enough pithy humor and whimsical wordplay to leave your inbox vibrating with delight. So, it’s probably not a great sign that I’ve spent most of the past sleepless six weeks whimpering in the fetal position while querying Google and ChatGPT about just how many benzodiazepines are too many benzodiazepines. Let’s pause for a moment and try to put things into perspective. First, how do we define what’s happening? And second, how do we narrow down our reaction to a response that is honed and effective? For both, we’ll turn to Jonathan Rauch in The Atlantic (Gift Article), who has written the most clear analysis I’ve read so far. One Word Describes Trump. “Even those who expected the worst from his reelection (I among them) expected more rationality. Today, it is clear that what has happened since January 20 is not just a change of administration but a change of regime—a change, that is, in our system of government. But a change to what? There is an answer, and it is not classic authoritarianism—nor is it autocracy, oligarchy, or monarchy. Trump is installing what scholars call patrimonialism.” (I also had several contenders for one word to describe Trump, but none of them would have bypassed your email filters.)
+ See if Rauch’s description of patrimonialism sounds familiar. “Patrimonialism’s antithesis is not democracy; it is bureaucracy, or, more precisely, bureaucratic proceduralism. Classic authoritarianism—the sort of system seen in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union—is often heavily bureaucratized … By contrast, patrimonialism is suspicious of bureaucracies; after all, to exactly whom are they loyal? They might acquire powers of their own, and their rules and processes might prove obstructive. People with expertise, experience, and distinguished résumés are likewise suspect because they bring independent standing and authority. So patrimonialism stocks the government with nonentities and hacks, or, when possible, it bypasses bureaucratic procedures altogether.” (Hard to read that and not say, Word!)
+ How about this? “Patrimonialism explains what might otherwise be puzzling. Every policy the president cares about is his personal property. Trump dropped the federal prosecution of New York City Mayor Eric Adams because a pliant big-city mayor is a useful thing to have. He broke with 50 years of practice by treating the Justice Department as “his personal law firm.” He treats the enforcement of duly enacted statutes as optional—and, what’s more, claims the authority to indemnify lawbreakers. He halted proceedings against January 6 thugs and rioters because they are on his side. His agencies screen hires for loyalty to him rather than to the Constitution. In Trump’s world, federal agencies are shut down on his say-so without so much as a nod to Congress. Henchmen with no statutory authority barge into agencies and take them over. A loyalist who had only ever managed two small nonprofits is chosen for the hardest management job in government. Conflicts of interest are tolerated if not outright blessed. Prosecutors and inspectors general are fired for doing their job. Thousands of civil servants are converted to employment at the president’s will. Former officials’ security protection is withdrawn because they are disloyal. The presidency itself is treated as a business opportunity.”
+ So how do you message against this political movement? Whac-A-Moling every new(s) affront won’t work. But luckily, almost every headline has something in common. And it’s something people vehemently dislike. In short, it’s time to use the C-word. From Rauch: “Corruption is patrimonialism’s Achilles’ heel because the public understands it and doesn’t like it. It is not an abstraction like ‘democracy’ or ‘Constitution’ or ‘rule of law.’ It conveys that the government is being run for them, not for you … the history of patrimonial rule suggests that [the] most effective approach will be [opponents] hammering home the message that he is corrupt. One thing is certain: He will give them plenty to work with.” Read the whole article, especially if you’re a member of Congress or a journalist. (Luckily, the whole thing can be comfortably experienced in the fetal position. You may even feel ready to stand back up after reading it…at least after the benzos wear off.)
Before the election, Reid Hoffman wrote of the business risks of making the wrong choice. “American business and commerce rely on the rule of law. Companies can’t thrive where an erratic, vindictive autocrat influences our courts and Justice Department. And they can’t take Trump at his word if he’s shown himself to be a serial liar whose tweets can depress markets.” In short, while CEOs might revel in the idea of fewer regulations and a transactional president, markets still need stability, predictability, and trust. We have none of those now. You didn’t need me to tell you that. Your portfolio is telling you. Trump pauses Canada-Mexico tariffs again, but stocks sink. (Sadly for our stock portfolios, Trump can’t just stabilize the market by delaying or removing tariffs. The market requires stable leadership, not whiplash.)
The “criticism of Ukraine has effectively forced the continent to think seriously about defense, analysts said. In recent days, France has signaled openness to providing a nuclear deterrent and seizing frozen Russian assets to support Kyiv, while Germany has unveiled a massive new defense spending plan.” The new US administration has quickly created unity. Among European countries. European leaders meet in Brussels as continent faces ‘watershed moment‘.
+ Rube-io: Kremlin says Rubio’s view of Ukraine conflict as a US-Russia proxy war matches that of Putin. He must be so proud.
Do you feel like you age all of sudden? Did you feel like you aged a few years just reading today’s top stories? “Well, it turns out there may be a scientific basis for this experience. By analyzing age-related markers, such as proteins and DNA tags in the bloodstream, some scientists are coming to understand that aging in adulthood is not a linear process, but perhaps one that jumps dramatically at certain points in one’s life.” NYT: Do We Age Steadily, or in Bursts?
+ “If you’ve never heard of cellular reprogramming, you’re hardly alone. A relatively new field, it began with the jaw-dropping 2006 revelation that just four genes could return even the oldest, most decrepit cell to a state resembling youth.” (And it’s coming sooner than you think. But the potential list of side effects is too long to fit into a pharma television ad.) Gretchen Reynolds in WaPo (Gift Article): Inside the scientific quest to reverse human aging.
Ed Tu? “President Trump is expected to issue an executive action as early as Thursday calling on Education Secretary Linda McMahon to ‘take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education,’ according to a draft of the action obtained by NPR.”
+ Family Time: Trump raids will now target migrant families who entered the U.S. with their children. And, Trump plans to revoke legal status of Ukrainians who fled to US, sources say.
+ Block Chain: NYT (Gift Article): Judge Blocks Trump’s Funding Freeze, Saying White House Put Itself ‘Above Congress.’ (Will the block hold? Will the administration adhere to the ruling? Will this Congress actually try to be a Congress? Will Hell freeze over?)
+ Every Kiss Begins with K: “There’s a budget, appropriated money that defines what the government does and provides the money to do it. But Musk, absent any visibility even for much of the executive branch, is simply changing everything. But wait … he’s going to set up a system where Republican members of Congress can call and ask to ‘get problematic cuts reversed quick.’ What the f-ck?” Josh Marshall: Understanding the New WaPo Piece on Post-Constitutional America. Musk is a human billboard for election finance reform. A group funded by Elon Musk is behind deceptive ads in crucial Wisconsin Supreme Court race. And, I’m just including this piece here for no apparent reason. What Ketamine Does to the Human Brain. “Excessive use of the drug can make anyone feel like they rule the world.”
+ Litmus Quest: If you read today’s top item, as assigned, then this gift article from Bloomberg will come as no surprise. Trump Team Tests Job Candidates by Asking Who Won the 2020 Election.
+ Happy E-nding: “The long, white, mechanical arms and sleek grey bed suggests a futuristic dentist’s office — but the Aescape robot is designed to deliver a more relaxing experience. The unusual machine, now slated to be installed in 60 Equinox gym locations, is actually an artificial intelligence-powered robot that administers massages.” (It’s designed to shut down anytime someone complains of pain or Deshaun Watson walks into the room.)
“When officers caught up with him later that day, they saw Mr Gilder ‘swallowing several objects believed to be the stolen earrings,’ police said.” Man swallows stolen Tiffany earrings before police arrest him. (You can guess the state.)
+ Warning: if your name is David, you won’t survive a horror movie. (Oddly, my name is David and I’m currently living in a horror movie.)
2025-03-05 20:00:00
Instead of Trump’s address to Congress, I watched the Warriors-Knicks game; partly for my sanity and partly because I’m pretty sure the game was shorter. The highly-partisan, rally-esque diatribe ran a cool 99 minutes. I know government is in cost cutting mode, but I move that we hire a Congressional band. Sometimes, even presidents need to be played off the stage. (Maybe he just wanted a speech so long that even Nancy Pelosi couldn’t rip it in half.) In fairness, Trump had to squeeze in lot of falsehoods and offend a lot of allies. Glenn Kessler in WaPo (Gift Article) with a fact-check that also doubles as a pretty good overview of the entire speech: Fact-checking 26 suspect claims in Trump’s address to Congress. 26 suspect claims in 99 minutes. If my math is right, his pace is slowing. The most notable aspect of the speech was the attack on social security. These attacks are usually followed by action. It’s something to keep an eye on. (In the meantime, the Warriors won.)
+ There’s no doubt that the speech appealed to the most enthusiastic Trump supporters and Maganablers. But even for them, it probably seemed a bit long. “Much of what Trump said was inflammatory, radical, and dangerous. But it was also familiar, his by-now-standard mix of braggadocio and self-pity, partisan bile and patently absurd lies. It turns out that even the most unhinged of Presidential speeches can seem kind of boring if it goes on long enough.” Susan Glasser in The New Yorker: Trump’s Golden Age of Bunk. (They’re keeping egg prices high so they’ll be too expensive to throw during speeches.)
+ “Armed with a portfolio of fabricated statistics, Trump judged that ‘the first month of our presidency is the most successful in the history of our nation — and what makes it even more impressive is that you know who No. 2 is? George Washington.’ Republican lawmakers laughed, whooped and cheered. Usually, such talk from Trump is just bravado. But let us give credit where it is due.” Dana Millbank in WaPo (Gift Article): In just five days, Trump has set the country back nearly 100 years. This line captures the moment perfectly. “The blizzard of executive orders that Trump has issued, though constitutionally alarming, can be rescinded by a future president. Elon Musk’s wanton sabotage of federal agencies and the federal workforce, though hugely damaging, can be repaired over time. But there is no easy fix for Trump’s smashing of the security and trade arrangements that have kept us safe and free for generations.”
+ David Frum gets at exactly what I’ve been worried about when it comes to Trump’s policy moves, which are wildly unpopular and will hurt his base as much as anyone. The only way this makes sense is if Trump doesn’t care about the politics and the only way he doesn’t care about the politics is if he doesn’t plan on free and fair elections in 2026. Trump, By Any Means Necessary. “He talks of the Democrats as remorseless enemies. At the same time, he is making political choices that would normally seem certain to deliver those enemies a big majority in the House after the midterms. Is he delusional? Crazy reckless? Or is this a signal that the man who tried to overturn the election of 2020 has some scheme in mind for the 2026 midterms?”
+ We knew Greenland and Panama would be offended by Trump, but saying no one has ever heard of Lesotho? Come on. Ka nnete, monna, reka globe.
“Quite apart from their politics, Trump and Vance are rude. They are cruel. They berated and mistreated a guest on camera, and then boasted about it afterward, as if their ugly behavior achieved some kind of macho “win.” They announced that they would halt transfers of military equipment to Ukraine, and hinted at ending sanctions on Russia, the aggressor state. In his speech to Congress last night, Trump once again declared that America would “get” Greenland, which is a part of Denmark—a sign that he intends to run roughshod over other allies too. These are the actions not of the good guys in old Hollywood movies, but of the bad guys. If Reagan was a white-hatted cowboy, Trump and Vance are Mafia dons. The chorus of Republican political leaders defending them seems both sinister and surprising to Europeans too. ‘I never thought Americans would kowtow like that,’ one friend told me, marveling.” Anne Applebaum in The Atlantic (Gift Article): The Rise of the Brutal American.
+ U.S. pauses sharing the intelligence Ukraine uses for strikes on Russia.
The cost of tariffs will not be popular when they make their way down to voters. And that definitely includes Trump voters. They’re not too popular with economists either. “The world economy could face a crash similar to the Great Depression of the 1930s unless the U.S. rows back on its plans to impose steep tariffs on imports, a senior official at the International Chamber of Commerce warned.” WSJ (Gift Article): Tariff War Risks Sinking World Into New Great Depression, International Chamber of Commerce Warns.
+ The big question, of course, is how many of the tariffs on Canada and Mexico will actually stick. The flip flops by the administration have created wild volatility in the markets (and suggest there’s not really a hardfast plan other than chaos). Right now, the market thinks the tariff announcements are total B$. White House open to more exemptions after pausing auto tariffs.
+ If the tariffs end up amounting to nothing (which is my bet), then what’s the point of offending our neighbor and close ally? Americans are unhappy with Trump’s tariffs. Canadians are furious.
“Hydraulic machines whooshed in a sprawling Kansas factory as melted vinyl squeezed through molded stampers like pancake batter, turning out fresh new albums about once a minute. Workers inspected the grooves for imperfections, fed album jackets into a shrink-wrapper and stacked the finished products on tall dollies for shipping … Pacing the floor was Chad Kassem, the company’s founder, who was bit by the audiophile bug as a 22-year-old who’d run into trouble with the law and now, four decades later, is a top player in the booming business of vinyl … ‘What I’m all about,’ he said, ‘is saving the world from bad sound.'” Ben Sisario in NYT (Gift Article): The Wizard of Vinyl Is in Kansas.
Don’t Doge Reality: “Purging progressive influence. Musk-style corporate restructuring. Public relations strategy for spending cuts. Legal challenge to expand executive power. Political cover for fiscal policy.” The DOGE cuts are about a lot. What they’re not about is saving significant money. FT: Doge’s actual impact is less than $10bn. Meanwhile, from Wired (the publication providing the best DOGE coverage): Some DOGE Staffers Are Drawing Six-Figure Government Salaries. What DOGE is also doing is punishing people who have dedicated themselves to working for the federal government. Even the parts of the federal government that people love. Defector: Why Bully The National Park Service? “In an email sent down the chain by a Department of Interior Regional Finance Officer and viewed by Defector, agency administrative officers were alerted that “the spending threshold for all purchase and travel cards” would be reset the following day, to a new maximum of one dollar.”
+ Star Linkup: Not everyone is losing money with all the administration’s changes. Elon Musk Is About to Make Bank Thanks to Trump’s Internet Overhaul. Someone is coming out the winner when it comes to all the Panama Canal talk, too. BlackRock’s Panama Canal deal is latest win for chief Larry Fink’s strong start to Trump era.
+ Pay Day: “The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday reined in some of the Trump administration’s sweeping effort to eliminate foreign aid that has been authorized by Congress.” So far, they’re only required to pay for work that has already been done. Supreme Court upholds a lower court order to force USAID to pay contractors.
+ Idaho Torpedo: “The Justice Department filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which was originally filed by the Biden administration [which] had argued that emergency-room doctors treating pregnant women had to provide terminations if necessary in Idaho, which has one of the country’s strictest abortion bans.” Trump administration moves to drop Idaho emergency abortion case with national implications.
+ Net Loss: “Among the main reasons for a Hamas military build-up before the attacks, an eight-page public summary of the report listed an Israeli ‘policy of quiet’ towards the group, apparently referring to a policy of restraint in the use of force to keep Hamas’s military capability in check. It also listed Netanyahu’s acquiescence in the flow of funds from Qatar to Gaza, a policy designed to divide Palestinians by boosting Hamas at the expense of the Palestinian state.” Israel’s Shin Bet says Netanyahu policies helped pave way for 7 October. Meanwhile. The US is holding secret talks with Hamas. (Hopefully this goes better than the last time Trump negotiated with terrorists.)
+ I’m OK, You’re OKKK: “Arellano’s article focused on the KKK’s place in Anaheim city politics a century ago. The AI-generated alternate viewpoint downplayed the KKK’s history there, saying that ‘local historical accounts occasionally frame the 1920s Klan as a product of ‘white Protestant culture’ responding to societal changes rather than an explicitly hate-driven movement.'” It only took a day for LA Times’ new AI tool to sympathize with the KKK.
“While there seems to be no relief in sight for the high cost of eggs, it almost feels counterintuitive for people to celebrate two cracking, but it is a welcome distraction from the current political turmoil.” America’s most popular eggs have just hatched: Live bald eagle cam delivers on its promise of great drama. (Now that I’ve watched all of Netflix and Max, I’m watching this.)
+ One moment, calm waters. The next, a 900-pound dolphin landed on their boat. (She was too heavy to flipper.)
2025-03-04 20:00:00
Every day, the news seems to get 25% more stressful. And so it was today as Trump’s much anticipated trade war with China and US allies Canada and Mexico arrived with a boom (and then a bust). “U.S. President Donald Trump’s new 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada took effect on Tuesday, along with a doubling of duties on Chinese goods to 20%, sparking trade wars that could slam economic growth and lift prices for Americans still smarting from years of high inflation.” You didn’t need to read the news become aware of the new tariffs, you just needed to check your stock portfolio. U.S. stock markets plunge as Trump’s tariffs spark fears about a trade war.
+ Vox: Two hugely important questions about Trump’s trade war. “In the short term, Americans will likely see higher prices on many products or goods that are imported or are made with imported components, from cars to electronics to agricultural products to gasoline (the US imports Canadian crude oil). Meanwhile, American companies that export their products to these countries, such as the agriculture industry, will take a hit from retaliatory tariffs. But where this all is headed in the longer term is far from clear, and will depend on two major questions. First: what exactly is Trump’s preferred endgame for his trade war? And second: How bad will the economic fallout at home be?” (And third: Why won’t my broker return my calls?)
+ Canadian PM Justin Trudeau describes Donald Trump’s tariffs on his country, as well as China and Mexico, as “a dumb thing to do.” (One pattern to note: The administration seems determined to do things to prop up our enemies while implementing policies – and throwing endless shade – to harm our allies.) Here’s the latest from BBC and CNBC.
One economic area where China and America are competing is in the transition to green technologies. The competition isn’t close. And it may become less so as Trump shutters clean energy projects. “How China, the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter by far, manages this newfound influence over the energies of tomorrow will have far-reaching ramifications for global politics, trade and the fight against climate change. With a climate-skeptic president in the White House, Beijing sees an opportunity to cement its commanding lead and fulfill one of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s key goals: to surpass the United States and European nations in advanced technologies.”
WaPo (Gift Article): How China came to dominate the world in renewable energy. “In 2020, just over 1 million battery-powered and hybrid cars were sold in China, making up about 5 percent of the car sales in the country. Last year, 40 percent of all cars sold in China, the world’s largest auto market, were electric.”
+ Meanwhile, BYD cars now have an on-vehicle DJI drone launch platform. (I would’ve loved something like this to embarrass my kids during carpool drop-off.)
“It should go without saying California is critical to US economic dominance globally, accounting for more than 14% of US’s $28 trillion of GDP as measured by the World Bank and more than 50% greater than the next largest state by the size of its economy – Texas. Among the many superlatives that can be assigned to the Golden State, consider that there isn’t a major industry in any of the other 49 states that comes close to overtaking its California counterpart.” California gets a endless barrage of criticism these days. But the state must be doing something right. Not only for itself. It’s also supporting the federal government. “California, as measured by the balance of payments, sends much more to Trump’s America than it gets back, about $83.1 billion more as the biggest ‘donor state,’ according to the Rockefeller Institute. That’s almost three times more than the No. 2 state, New Jersey, at $28.9 billion. (The top four states are all considered ‘blue,’ sending a combined $156.9 billion to DC. Texas, a champion of Republican ideals, takes $71.1 billion more than it gives.)” What can I say, Texas. This ain’t our first rodeo. Bloomberg (Gift Article): California Keeps Making the US Great — Again.
It’s impossible to imagine that humanity would suffer a global pandemic and come out unchanged. And we certainly didn’t. “America is a harsher place, more self-interested and nakedly transactional. We barely trust one another and are less sure that we owe our fellow Americans anything — let alone the rest of the world. The ascendant right is junking our institutions, and liberals have grown skeptical of them, too, though we can’t agree about how exactly they failed us. A growing health libertarianism insists on bodily autonomy, out of anger about pandemic mitigation and faith that personal behavior can ward off infection and death. And the greatest social and technological experiment of our time, artificial intelligence, promises a kind of exit from the realm of human flesh and microbes into one built by code. We tell ourselves we’ve moved on and hardly talk about the disease or all the people who died or the way the trauma and tumult have transformed us. But Covid changed everything around us.” Five years after the first headlines caught our attention, David Wallace-Wells reflects in the NYT (Gift Article): How Covid Remade America. (Please put on your rubber gloves and wipe down this article with disinfectant before reading.)
Internet Disservice: “What begins with casual interactions between girls and intermediaries over public-facing profiles and community groups on sites such as Facebook, soon gives way to a broader, nefarious international network. The photos can end up in hundreds of online catalogs that are distributed over Facebook or WhatsApp groups to men who travel the world looking to meet foreign women or prey upon young girls. In other cases, men use dating apps—particularly Match Group Inc.’s Tinder—to hook up with women and young girls once they’re on the ground. In both scenarios, clandestine rendezvous are arranged using home-sharing sites like Airbnb Inc., which afford a higher degree of secrecy than hotels.” Bloomberg (Gift Article): Sex Traffickers in Colombia Are Using Facebook, Tinder and Airbnb to Exploit Minors.
+ Keep Your Pause Off Me: Trump has paused Ukraine aid in a move that a former US ambassador to Russia describes as being the equivalent of the US switching sides in WWII. Zelensky called last week’s Oval Office meeting regrettable and said he’s “ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership.” Here’s the latest from BBC. Meanwhile, JD Vance offended our allies again.
+ Lech and Balances: “Poland’s democracy hero Lech Wałęsa and dozens of other former political prisoners in Poland have written a letter to President Donald Trump, telling him that his treatment of Ukraine’s president at the Oval Office last week filled them ‘with horror and distaste.'” (That’s the new shock and awe.)
+ A Hole: RFK Jr sparks alarm after backing vitamins to treat measles amid outbreak. “Kennedy wrote for Fox News about the benefits of ‘good nutrition’ and vitamin A – but did not explicitly recommend highly effective vaccines.”
+ Skipping Town: Some GOP members of Congress have been taking heat at their town halls, mostly aimed at the DOGE cuts. They’ve figured out a solution. Speaker Johnson tells GOP lawmakers to skip town halls after an onslaught of protests.
+ Up Sh-t Creek: US supreme court weakens rules on discharge of raw sewage into water supplies.
+ Where Protection: “The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau dropped its suit against JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo on Tuesday over their handling of fraud on the peer-to-peer payments network Zelle.” (The bureau is going to keep dropping consumer protection suits until the whole department is rendered functionless.)
+ Wax On, Whacks Off: “Trump’s elevation of the Facebook post showed just how easy it can be for someone like McCune to become part of the president’s unusual media diet — and appear to influence U.S. policy.” WaPo (Gift Article) with a headline that should be put into a time capsule to explain to future generations what 2025 was like: How an Arizona DJ and karate instructor won Trump’s ear on Ukraine.
“Genetically engineered woolly mice could one day help populate the Arctic with hairy, genetically modified elephants and help stop the planet warming.” Woolly mice designed to engineer mammoth-like elephants.
+ Tesla owners get creative to distance themselves from Elon with new car logos & projectors.
2025-03-03 20:00:00
With the nonstop onslaught of nervous breakdown inducing breaking news, the smashing of norms, and the shredding of the nation’s fabric, we tend to quickly move from one outrage to the next. But let’s not move on from the sick betrayal of America, its allies, and common decency that took place in the Oval Office last week, an affront egregious even by Trumpian standards; but one still not sick enough to shake the support of Maganablers who, quite clearly, are willing enable anything. As someone who opens fifty news tabs each morning, I’m used to being saddened, furious, perplexed, overwhelmed, and disgusted. But the ambush on Zelensky (and American values) left me with another feeling. It turns out Newshour’s David Brooks had the same feeling. “I first started thinking, is it — am I feeling grief? Am I feeling shock, like I’m in a hallucination? But I just think shame, moral shame. It’s a moral injury to see the country you love behave in this way.” George W Bush famously gaffed, “Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.” When it comes to his Kremlinphilia, Trump has never really attempted to fool anyone. That makes the fact that America let things get to this point all the more shameful.
+ “The sheer rudeness shown to a foreign guest and friend of the United States was (to use a word) deplorable as a matter of manners and grace, but worse, Trump and Vance acted like a couple of online Kremlin sock puppets … Zelensky has endured tragedies, and risked his life, in ways that men such as Trump and Vance cannot imagine … I am ashamed for my nation; even if Congress acts to support and aid Ukraine, it cannot restore the American honor lost today.” Tom Nichols in The Atlantic (Gift Article): One of the Grimmest Days in the History of American Diplomacy.
+ There’s a certain irony that the day of infamy for a president infamous for lying came during a moment when he displayed his true self. David Frum in The Atlantic (Gift Article): At Least Now We Know the Truth. “Both the president and vice president showed the U.S.-led alliance system something it needed urgently to know: The national-security system of the West is led by two men who cannot be trusted to defend America’s allies—and who deeply sympathize with the world’s most aggressive dictator.”
+ Over the weekend, I considered downloading Duolingo so I could experience the Trump/Vance Oval Office performance in its original Russian. Sounds like it translated pretty well back at the Kremlin. Kremlin says US foreign policy now ‘aligns’ with Moscow’s vision.
+ The embrace of Moscow’s vision is only getting warmer. Hegseth Orders Pentagon to Stop Offensive Cyberoperations Against Russia.
+ UK, France scramble to draft peace plan for Ukraine as US support falters.
“Michael Protzman, a former Seattle demolition contractor, attracted a following of QAnon conspiracy believers so devoted to his prophecies that hundreds of them traveled to Dallas on Nov. 1, 2021, to witness John F. Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr. appear on a grassy knoll adjacent to the assassination site of JFK … When the deceased Kennedys failed to show, Protzman’s supporters followed him to a nearby Rolling Stones concert, where he predicted that Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Steve Jordan would remove their masks and reveal their true identities: JFK, Michael Jackson and Prince, respectively. When the unmasking didn’t occur, many members of the group waited around in Dallas for months, raising money from online supporters to pay their bills at the Hyatt Regency.” It seems that conspiracy theories are easy to sell and extremely difficult to dislodge. Could an AI bot help? Annie Duke in WaPo (Gift Article): Finally, something is puncturing conspiracy theories. “When someone takes an extreme position, they’re increasing the distance between themselves and the pack. That distance makes the position more integral to identity, a part of the way that a person defines themself as distinct from other people. Once a belief is integral to identity, it sticks.” (This is what makes it so hard for another person to break the spell. Can a machine do the job? And if so, couldn’t conspiracy theorists just create a myth about machines?)
“When Harrison was 14, he got sick and had to have one of his lungs removed. The grueling process involved a three-month hospital stay, 100 stitches and nearly two gallons of donated blood, he told NPR. It inspired him to donate his own later — despite his aversion to needles.” James Harrison got over his aversion to needles. That’s a good thing because his own “plasma contained a rare and precious antibody called anti-D.” And he gave a lot of it during the course of his life — so much that he acquired the nickname: The Man with the Golden Arm: NPR: James Harrison, whose blood donations saved over 2 million babies, has died.
In this golden age of endless streaming television, it probably makes sense that many of us first experienced this year’s best movie nominees during a television show. Aside from some crazy impressive musical performances led by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the Oscars were good. Conan O’Brien did a good job hosting. The production was good. Most of the speeches were good. It was all … good. But I’m not sure any of it will be particularly memorable. Though the awards were spread among a few movies, the night’s big winner was clearly Anora. “After a drawn-out awards season in which the biggest contenders seemed often in flux, Anora dominated at a fun if elongated Oscars ceremony. This year’s Best Picture winner also took home Best Director, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing. Four of those trophies went to Baker, tying a record for individual wins in a night with the legendary Walt Disney; Anora’s young star Mikey Madison received the Best Actress trophy, in a fairly shocking upset over the widely tipped-to-win Demi Moore.” The Tiny Film That Dominated the Oscars.
+ Here’s a full list of winners. And the Snubs and Surprises. Demi Moore was definitely the big one. But consider Diane Warren. She lost for best original song … for the sixteenth time.
+ Conan is getting solid reviews and had some great moments … though I can’t help but wonder if his best line was texted to him during the show by Jimmy Kimmel. “Anora is having a good night. Two wins already. I guess Americans are excited to see somebody finally stand up to a powerful Russian.”
+ Adrien Brody Becomes World Record Holder With Longest Acceptance Speech in Oscars History. (I love his movies, but a movie about Brody’s acceptance speech could fairly be titled The Brutalist.)
+ We probably all needed an escape from news and politics, but it’s still notable how un-political everything was.
+ Here are some of the red carpet looks.
Canceled: “Four weeks later, on Wednesday, Rubio and Marocco completely ended nearly 10,000 aid programs in one fell swoop — including those they had granted waivers just days earlier — saying the programs did not align with Trump’s agenda. The move consigns untold numbers of the world’s poorest children, refugees and other vulnerable people to death, according to several senior federal officials.” ProPublica: The Trump Administration Said These Aid Programs Saved Lives. It Canceled Them Anyway.
+ There’s a New Tariff in Town: Trump says 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports will start Tuesday, with ‘no room’ for delay. (In case you were wondering what just happened to your stock portfolio.) Meanwhile, Trump sends crypto prices soaring after surprise announcement of strategic government reserve.
+ I Fought the Law: “They don’t command any troops, but they do guide the commanders on the legality of their operations.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): Firing the ‘Conscience’ of the Military. “Getting rid of the military’s top lawyers is not exactly a sign that the Trump administration wants to follow the law.”
+ Speaking of Health: RFK Jr.’s Top Spokesman at HHS Quits After Just Weeks on the Job. (Apparently, Thomas Corry is under the impression that a large measles outbreak is sort of a big deal.) I covered this topic in detail on Friday: S*M*A*S*H*
+ Nordic Head: “Go ski in Russia.” JD Vance receives ice-cold reception as family arrives for Vermont skiing vacation.
+ Market Bubble: “Its full name Mìxuě Bīngchéng means “honey snow ice city”, with its stores adorned with its Snow King mascot and playing the firm’s official theme tune on a loop. According to Mixue, it has more than 45,000 stores across China and 11 other countries.” Bubble tea chain bigger than Starbucks sees shares jump on debut.
+ Two Petes in a Pod: President Trump says he will issue Pete Rose a complete pardon. (What can I say. The guy has thing for Reds.)
Scheduling note: I might be off tomorrow depending on how long a much-delayed dental cleaning takes. But first…
SNL advertises a new medication that helps when life hits a low point: CouplaBeers.
+ Conan O’Brien Shows Off a New Way to Watch Movies. Plus, Conan’s monologue.
2025-02-28 20:00:00
Americans love shows about emergency rooms. But turning the whole country into one is not what the doctor ordered. Here’s a scene you’re unlikely to see on ER or Grey’s Anatomy. A doctor advises patients to avoid the vaccines proven to save millions of lives. Then when the associated disease predictably strikes and spreads, the doctor explains that this trend is no big deal. Stupid show, right? But here’s the worst part about the prognosis: You can’t turn the channel. Zeynep Tufekci on RFK Jr and Measles in the NYT (Gift Article): The Texas Measles Outbreak Is Even Scarier Than It Looks. “During a deadly outbreak, we’d ordinarily hope for a clear, direct call for parents to vaccinate their children. But this is the man who, during a 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa that killed 83 people (79 of them children), actively worked to undermine public trust in the one thing that would have helped most. America, brace yourself.” (At least until they stop funding braces.)
+ “Kennedy’s ‘Make America healthy again’ (MAHA) movement is not content with simply ignoring the need for vaccination. It also has a habit of dismissing pediatric death and disability. Kennedy, in particular, has spent years downplaying the harms of vaccine-preventable illnesses. In a 2021 podcast appearance, he described the time when he contracted measles as a kid as ‘a great week.’ ‘The treatment for measles is chicken soup and vitamin A,’ he told the host.” (No one tell him the chicken soup has bird flu.) The Atlantic (Gift Article): RFK Jr., America’s Leading Advocate for Getting Measles. “Contrary to what the health secretary says, the outbreak of disease in Texas is, in fact, unusual.”
+ A Texas pediatrician pulls no punches with her doctor’s orders. “I’m a pediatrician in Texas. Things are dire and we need your support – not your condescension. “Instead of using family connections to get your children coveted internships or fund legacy nepo-education, take your Ivy League family money and funnel it to those of us propping up the scaffolding of a flailing republic on your behalf. Don’t just talk about immigration policy at your next art gallery opening, fund local clinics along border towns. Don’t just post abortion outrage; volunteer to drive teenagers 15 hours across state lines, and support the clandestine underground network of women who hold girls’ heads in their laps while they sob and sweat, blood dripping down their knees.”
+ Our health and government spending strategies aren’t just putting Americans at risk. Urgent care is filled with people around the world we suddenly decided to stop treating. NPR: On Thursday word came: No more USAID funds for a clinic that gets HIV meds to kids.
+ “Starting Wednesday afternoon, a wave of emails went out from the State Department in Washington around the world, landing in inboxes for refugee camps, tuberculosis clinics, polio vaccination projects and thousands of other organizations that received crucial funding from the United States for lifesaving work. ‘This award is being terminated for convenience and the interest of the U.S. government.'” NYT (Gift Article): U.S. Terminates Funding for Polio, H.I.V., Malaria and Nutrition Programs Around the World. Musk says DOGE ‘restored’ Ebola prevention effort. Officials say that’s not true.
During the start of the much-anticipated Zelensky-Trump meeting in DC, Trump uttered this phrase: “I am for both Ukraine and Russia.” And “in the course of the meeting, vice-president JD Vance accused Volodymyr Zelenskyy of ‘litigating in front of the American media,’ and said his comments were ‘disrespectful.’ ‘Have you said thank you once?'” Here’s a weird thought. Since the Ukrainians have spent the last three years defending democracy against an aggressor that threatens our allies and the world order, maybe, just maybe, JD Vance should be the one saying thank you? Sadly, things got worse from there and the planned press conference has been canceled. Here’s the latest from The Guardian and CNN.
+ “Imitation and servility aren’t the same thing. Trump and Musk could attempt to undermine American democracy and create a Russian-style power vertical without kowtowing to Putin or abandoning Ukraine. But they haven’t. And while imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, affinity and envy aren’t enough to explain the abruptness and totality of the Trump administration’s adoption of every Russian position.” Garry Kasparov in The Atlantic (Gift Article): The Putinization of America. (Keep in mind that Kasparov wrote this before today’s absolute gift to Putin…)
… And so has your country. We’re often warned to never share our passwords. Well, they’ve been shared on our behalf. NYT (Gift Article): How Elon Musk Executed His Takeover of the Federal Bureaucracy. “Mr. Musk made clear that he saw the gutting of that bureaucracy as primarily a technology challenge. He told the party of around 20 that when he overhauled Twitter, the social media company that he bought in 2022 and later renamed X, the key was gaining access to the company’s servers. Wouldn’t it be great, Mr. Musk offered, if he could have access to the computers of the federal government? Just give him the passwords, he said jocularly, and he would make the government fit and trim.”
+ Meanwhile, Starlink poised to take over $2.4 billion contract to overhaul air traffic control communication.
+ “A federal judge struck down a memo sent by the Office of Personnel Management directing other federal agencies to conduct mass firings, saying that the memo was ‘illegal’ and should be ‘rescinded’ because OPM did not have the power to control hiring and firing in other agencies.” Stay tuned to find out if we still listen to what federal judges say about what’s illegal.
+ Susan Glasser in The New Yorker: Why Aren’t We in the Streets? “Last Friday night, minutes after President Donald Trump announced the firing of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and a purge of the military’s top lawyers, I received an e-mail from my cousin in Los Angeles. ‘Why are we not in the streets?’ she wrote. ‘The Germans even marched against Musk. The French would have barricaded every government building.’ All week long I’ve been thinking of that message, composed in the heat of the moment after an unprecedented event that already seems forgotten amid all the subsequent unprecedented events.”
What to Watch: Since we led today’s edition with a comment about shows set in emergency rooms, lets watch one. The Pitt on Max is not groundbreakingly new, but it’s really good.
+ What to Read: We’ve spent the last couple months hearing about the need to cut wasteful government spending. We haven’t heard about this example from Noah Shachtman who explains the economics of horse racing the NYT (Gift Article): Dead Athletes. Empty Stands. Why Are We Paying Billions to Keep This Sport Alive? “The obvious solution here is also the simplest: Just stop. Let the sport stand on its own and dwindle to whatever size its fan base supports. Instead, state legislatures keep funneling money to it. ‘The biggest fear that our industry has is that the states are going to stop subsidizing, using slot machines to subsidize the sport,’ said Jeff Gural, who owns three harness racing tracks. ‘Without that, there is no sport.’ Shouldn’t that tell you something?”
Defense Wins Championships: “Five former secretaries of defense are calling on Congress to hold immediate hearings on President Donald Trump’s recent firings of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and several other senior military leaders.” In a normal era, this would be the lead story in every outlet. Former defense chiefs call for congressional hearings on Trump’s firing of senior military leaders. “We, like many Americans — including many troops — are therefore left to conclude that these leaders are being fired for purely partisan reasons … we’re not asking members of Congress to do us a favor; we’re asking them to do their jobs.” (Somehow I don’t expect that order to be followed.)
+ Someone is Being Aided: Foreign aid is not about being nice. China eyes opportunities as US scales back humanitarian aid. “The U.S. is really battling itself … and it’s really helping China.”
+ Top Heavy: “When the math on producing goods and services only pencils out when you’re selling to the rich, it doesn’t just change the availability of designer handbags or hotel suites; it affects how entire industries organize themselves.” Amanda Mull in Bloomberg: Rich People Are Firing a Cash Cannon at the US Economy—But at What Cost? I covered this trend earlier in the week. Lux Et Veritas.
+ Se Habla WTF? “Trump has long railed against the use of languages other than English in the US: In 2015, he criticized former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for speaking Spanish on the campaign trail, and the new administration quickly removed the Spanish-language version of the White House website soon after taking office.” Trump to sign executive order designating English as official US language.
+ Cartel-a-Vision: “Mexico has sent 29 drug cartel figures, including drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was behind the killing of a U.S. DEA agent in 1985, to the United States as the Trump administration turns up the pressure on drug trafficking organizations. The unprecedented show of security cooperation comes as top Mexican officials are in Washington trying to head off the Trump administration’s threat of imposing 25% tariffs.”
+ Plot Twists: It’s so strange how the Oscar winners seem to have less to do with quality and more to do with the race that takes place after the nominations. This year, things seem more wide open than usual. I guess that makes for a better show. Oscar Predictions: What’s It Gonna Be, Academy – Strippers or Priests?
“Despite holding the presidency of the student council and being voted most likely to succeed, 16-year-old Shawn Moyer had his prom night invitation declined. Moyer needed a backup, and though he didn’t know it at the time, the young lady with ringlet curls and an ear-to-ear smile he found would end up saving his life 35 years later.” Colorado Woman Donates Kidney to Save Pennsylvania Man 35 Years After They Went to Prom Together.
+ “A Pennsylvania hiker had followed his dog off a mountain trail this week when he glanced toward a deep coal pit below and saw a tail move near a pile of rocks.” Hiker rescues pup from abandoned coal pit after frigid weeklong search.
+ Japanese forward ‘King Kazu’ turns 58 and prepares for his 40th season in professional soccer. (I have to stretch for twenty minutes just to type this newsletter…)
+ Klay Thompson gifts Warriors title ring to LA surgeon. “Without you, I would not have been the second leading scorer on a championship team.”
+ Sensitive prosthetic lets man feel hot and cold in his missing hand.