We Be Illin', Springsteen Speaks
One of the few line items remaining on the American exceptionalism scorecard is the unique ability of our life expectancy to underperform in relation to our national wealth. “Many preventable chronic diseases are related to four major risk factors: cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol use, physical inactivity and poor nutrition. In the U.S., people get less exercise, moving less than some European counterparts, studies have shown. The nation’s Western-style diet is heavy in sugars, processed meat and unhealthy fats. Americans also consume more ultra-processed foods, surveys suggest, and such diets have been linked to increased risks of obesity, Type 2 diabetes and some cancers. The fractured U.S. health system also contributes to our lagging health, researchers say. Unlike other peer nations, the U.S. doesn’t guarantee healthcare coverage. We spend more per person because prices are higher, and Americans are more likely to report skipping care because of cost. We also have fewer doctors per capita than many peer countries, data show.” Chronic illness is getting worse and it cuts across other American divides. Of course, the wealth gap plays a role. But even wealthy Americans are being outlived by their poorer European counterparts. WSJ (Gift Article): How Chronic Disease Became the Biggest Scourge in American Health. (Yes, RFK Jr has rightly diagnosed this as one of America’s biggest health issues. But no, the cure for America’s chronic illness problem is not to stir doubt in vaccines and allow preventable outbreaks to kill us before our chronic illnesses can really kick in.)
+ Cutting health coverage and science funding isn’t gonna smoke the chronic problem. WaPo (Gift Article): How do Republicans plan to cut health coverage? Two basic ways. “The overall story is simple: The plan saves money mainly by removing millions of people from coverage, while offering no alternative means to insure them.” (Take two of these and don’t call me in the morning…)
+ NYT (Gift Article): Trump Budget Cuts Hobble Antismoking Programs. “The decimation of antismoking work follows a year of lavish campaign donations by tobacco and e-cigarette companies to President Trump and congressional Republicans.”
Pennsylvania Avenue Freeze Out
“The Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in a case about the enforcement of President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship order. The main question for the justices is whether lower courts overstepped their authority by blocking that January 20 order on a nationwide basis.” Here’s the latest from CNN and NYT. “Several of the justices appeared torn between two concerns: They appeared skeptical that single district judges should have the power to freeze executive actions throughout the country.”
+ Yes, the case is about birthright citizenship. But it’s also about a broader issue that could have a massive impact on Trump’s ability to put unlawful executive orders into action. “On issue after issue, the White House has been stopped by judges from carrying out Mr. Trump’s initiatives while they are litigated in court, including his ability to withhold funds from schools with diversity programs, to relocate transgender women in federal prisons and to remove deportation protections from hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants. On Thursday, the Supreme Court will take up one such case, with potentially major implications for the power of the judicial branch.” NYT (Gift Article): In Birthright Citizenship Case, Supreme Court Examines the Power of District Judges.
Negotiate My Homework
“Steve Witkoff has faced a precipitous learning curve, though he seems largely unbothered by the long history of American diplomatic failure in the Middle East, in particular. Like Trump, he is very much the transactionalist, and sees Ayatollah Khamenei and Vladimir Putin, among others, not as cruelly Machiavellian authoritarians captured by deeply felt and deeply antagonistic ideologies, but as clever negotiators, like so many real-estate lawyers he once faced in business, looking for the best possible deal. He appeared to interpret Putin’s desire to meet with him not as a display of dominance but as a sign of the Russian leader’s sincere interest in peace.” In many ways, Steve Witkoff represents the most interesting (and shocking) story of the Trump administration. He’s a real estate guy with no international diplomacy experience and he’s in charge of negotiating the world’s most complex and intractable conflicts. The Atlantic (Gift Article): Trump’s Real Secretary of State. “How the president’s friend and golfing partner Steve Witkoff got one of the hardest jobs on the planet.”
+ And he regularly attends big time meetings without a team. Or even an interpreter: In meetings with Putin, Trump’s envoy relied on the Kremlin’s interpreter.
The Band of Hope and Dreams
“The last check on power after the checks and balances have failed, are the people. You and me.” In the Bruce Springsteen song Jungleland, the narrator laments that, “the poets down here don’t write nothing at all, they just stand back and let it all be.” Springsteen is one poet not following that model. “In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration. Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experience to rise with us. Raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring.” Bruce Springsteen is one artist not ignoring America’s struggle. Let’s hope younger artists follow suit. “The world’s richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s sickest children to sickness and death.” Here’s the full video of Springsteen’s remarks.
Extra, Extra
It’s Strictly Personal: “If you step back, you see that this entire visit isn’t mostly about U.S. foreign policy at all. Trump is bringing ‘his’ CEOs and everyone is cutting deals. And as the top dog, Trump is cutting his too — and to be clear, not as President of the United States, but as Trump.” Josh Marshall with a good overview of the Qatar jet offer, Trump’s trip abroad, and how geopolitical negotiations are coming down to some guys doing business. Personalization, The Vastly Bigger Story Behind the Pimpmobile Jet Bribe. And it pays to be one of the guys. Bigly. Bloomberg (Gift Article): Musk Strikes Starlink Deal With Saudi Arabia During Trump Visit. And from ProPublica: The Trump Administration Leaned on African Countries. The Goal: Get Business for Elon Musk.
+ DollMart: “The magnitude and speed at which these prices are coming to us is somewhat unprecedented in history.” Walmart Becomes Biggest Retailer Yet to Pass Through Tariff Price Increases. “Walmart plans to raise prices this month and early this summer; other retailers likely will follow.” (If nothing else, this serves as a reminder of who ends up paying for tariffs.)
+ Defanging Public Health: Florida becomes second state to ban fluoride in public water. Gov DeSantis: “There’s nothing preventing you in your house from adding fluoride to your water.”
+ Peace Nicked: Unsurprisingly, a guy who doesn’t want peace chose to skip direct peace talks. Alexander Vindman thinks this could mark a diplomatic victory that could force Trump to back away from Putin. (Seems optimistic.) Zelenskyy Calls Putin’s Bluff on Peace Negotiations. Meanwhile, I’m guessing no one in Poland is surprised by Putin’s peace aversion. NPR: Poland prepares for war. “As a neighbor of Ukraine and host to more than 2 million of its war refugees, Poland has seen, heard and felt what Russia is capable of, and it is now preparing for the worst.”
+ Intelligence Not Allowed: Tusli Gabbard fires 2 top intelligence officials, changes who preps Trump’s daily brief. (If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve already guessed that the people were fired for telling the truth about something.)
+ Dick Picks: “Dick’s Sporting Goods said Thursday it plans to acquire rival Foot Locker as it looks to expand its international presence, win over a new set of consumers and corner the Nike sneaker market.”
Bottom of the News
“Bought for $27.50 after World War II, the faint, water stained manuscript in the library of Harvard Law School had attracted relatively little attention since it arrived there in 1946. That is about to change. Two British academics, one of whom happened on the manuscript by chance, have discovered that it is an original 1300 version — not a copy, as long thought — of Magna Carta, the medieval document that helped establish some of the world’s most cherished liberties.” NYT (Gift Article): Harvard Law Paid $27 for a Copy of Magna Carta. Surprise! It’s an Original.
+ Nicolas Cage is NFL coach John Madden in 1st look at upcoming film. (I’m not sure if this is the bottom of the news or the top. I suppose time will tell.)
Bottom of the News
“Bought for $27.50 after World War II, the faint, water stained manuscript in the library of Harvard Law School had attracted relatively little attention since it arrived there in 1946. That is about to change. Two British academics, one of whom happened on the manuscript by chance, have discovered that it is an original 1300 version — not a copy, as long thought — of Magna Carta, the medieval document that helped establish some of the world’s most cherished liberties.” NYT (Gift Article): Harvard Law Paid $27 for a Copy of Magna Carta. Surprise! It’s an Original.
+ Nicolas Cage is NFL coach John Madden in 1st look at upcoming film. (I’m not sure if this is the bottom of the news or the top. I suppose time will tell.)
