November 7th – The Day’s Most Fascinating News

Win or lose, Donald Trump completely rewrote the Presidential election rule book and beat the system. WaPo’s Jenna Johnson followed Trump to 170 rallies. And this is what she learned. “The first question I usually asked: Why do you like him? The answers were nearly always the same: He’s saying what I’m saying, thinking, feeling or wanting to hear. He’s not a politician and not part of the corrupt system. He’s honest and speaks his mind, even if it gets him in trouble. And he’s tough.”

+ “In the final days of the presidential campaign, Mr. Trump’s candidacy is a jarring split screen: the choreographed show of calm and confidence orchestrated by his staff, and the neediness and vulnerability of a once-boastful candidate now uncertain of victory.” The NYT with an interesting look inside Donald Trump’s last stand.

+ Slate’s Tommy Craggs makes the case that this election was about the issues.

We worry about ISIS. We read a lot about Syria. We argue about the economy. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Goldberg reminds us of what will likely be the biggest challenge facing the next American president. “It is true that the Syrian Civil War — and the refugees it has created and the terrorists it has incubated — presents a serious short- to medium-term security challenge for the next president. And the challenge of a rising China represents the greatest long-term test for American foreign and national security policymakers. But there should not be much doubt that, across the next four years, North Korea — recalcitrant, volatile, bellicose North Korea — poses the most unpredictable and potentially devastating threat to the United States.”

“Denton remains convinced that Thiel came after Gawker not because it outed him but because he resented Gawker’s coverage of Silicon Valley generally. Still, he admires Thiel — or, at least, says he does, having learned that flattering Thiel makes more sense than pissing him off. Denton sees in him those traits, notably ruthlessness, that Denton and other successful gay men of their generation needed to survive.” Peter Thiel’s Gawker-destroying lawsuit could have big implications for the media. But like many stories with big implications, this one is personal. From Vanity Fair: Nick Denton, Peter Thiel, And The Plot To Murder Gawker.

“Even popular fast-food chains on the campus, like Subway and Panda Express, have stopped selling Sprite, Coca-Cola and their sugary brethren at the university’s request.” Can public policy break us of our soda habit? Some local and state ballot measures may lead to an answer. In the meantime, we should look towards the UCSF medical school campus, where sugary soda has been put out of reach.

“The regular entrances to the hospital were all manned by uniformed personnel with rifles — National Guard, mostly, but also police, both local and national, and other, less identifiable militia. Hospitals in Caracas were even more tightly secured. Why were hospitals so heavily guarded? Nobody threatened to invade them. The guards had orders, it was said, to keep out journalists. Exposés had embarrassed the government.” The New Yorker’s William Finnegan on the failing state of Venezuela (once the richest country in South America). How did this happen?

“After two sleepless nights and several hamburgers in and around a Bell Labs facility in Murray Hill, New Jersey, Teibel and Gerstman had not only matched the sound in Teibel’s head, but improved it: the perfect ocean.” Pitchfork with the story of the new age hustler who brought the sounds of waves, rain and thunder to your stereo, one relaxed customer at a time. (After this election season, the sound of a Tsunami would be relaxing.)

“Before his nurse could even explain the procedure, before the talk of stopping my heart or putting me on a ventilator, I said four words: After the World Series.” Wayne Drehs: I postponed open-heart surgery for the Cubs.

+ Anthony Castrovince on love, loss and the Indians.

Many cities suffering from gridlock will be watching Seattle’s light rail ballot measure. But in addition to all the usual arguments for and against such public transit efforts, there’s a new element this time around. The oncoming autonomous car revolution.

+ Automous cars are all the rage today. But they’ve been in the works for a long time. From Motherboard: Carnegie Mellon’s 1986 Self-Driving Van Was Adorable.

I’m not sure exactly what it means, but this definitely seems like a metaphor for changing times in the tech industry: The Voice of AOL’s ‘You’ve Got Mail’ Is Driving an Uber in Ohio. (This is why I always tell Alexa and Siri to enjoy their moment in the limelight.)

+ “This guy photoshops himself into Kendall Jenner’s Instagram and improves them a thousand percent.” (That’s actually an understatement.)

+ Tilda Swinton, looking like other people.

+ Can you spare just under 5 seconds? If so, we have a new Rubik’s record.

+ When this election is over, I am definitely celebrating with a Mazel Tov Cocktail.