Thursday, June 28th, 2018

1

Zero Trucks Given

Perhaps there is no item more emblematic of the modern American economy than the cardboard box. From front porches to loading docks, they're everywhere. Along with the abundance of packages and pallets moving across the country has come a severe shortage of truckers willing to tranport them from point A to point B. From WaPo: America's severe trucker shortage could undermine the prosperous economy. "As the nation faces a historically low level of unemployment, trucking companies are doing what economists have said firms need to do to attract and retain workers: They're hiking pay significantly, offering bonuses and even recruiting people they previously wouldn't have considered. But it's not working."

+ If you have $10,000 and want to be your own boss, Amazon wants you to start a business to deliver its packages. (Let's be honest. If you have $10,000, you're probably going to end up spending $9,000 of it on Amazon...)

+ Alana Semuels: I Delivered Packages for Amazon and It Was a Nightmare.

+ It's not just trucks. From CityLab: Why Won't Anyone Drive the Bus?

2

Pharmville

The next time you get a cardboard box from Amazon, it could be filled with prescription pills. (After the news so far this week, that doesn't sound half bad.) From Bloomberg: Amazon Makes $1 Billion Splash in Health Care, Buying PillPack. Following the news, "Walgreens shares sank 8.5 percent ... while CVS shares shed 8.9 percent."

3

Robitusslin’

"No matter what else happens in the Trump presidency, the retirement of Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, the Supreme Court's swing voter, set up Mr. Trump to cement a lasting legacy. Given a second Supreme Court vacancy to fill, he appears likely to go down in American history as an unusually influential president." Charlie Savage: Trump Gets Chance to Influence American Life for Generations Through Supreme Court Pick.

+ "For decades, Justice Kennedy has been seen by supporters and opponents of abortion rights as a crucial swing vote, the deciding force on a profoundly polarized court who weighed in at key moments to preserve the core of Roe." The remade Supreme Court will decide a lot of issues in coming decades. But for now, the fight over the pick will be all about abortion rights. NYT: Departure of Kennedy, ‘Firewall for Abortion Rights,' Could End Roe v. Wade.

+ Two names you'll be hearing nonstop as the battle in DC continues: Collins and Murkowski.

+ "Many of us predicted that Kennedy would not allow Trump to replace him with someone who would dismantle his legacy. We were wrong." Dahlia Lithwick: Why Anthony Kennedy Gave Up.

+ Vox: A guide to the 9 likeliest picks to replace Anthony Kennedy.

4

Footin for Putin

On the heels of the announcement of a US/Russia summit to be held in Helsinki, President Trump re-upped his continued contention that Putin is telling the truth about that which everyone in the world knows he is lying: "Russia continues to say they had nothing to do with Meddling in our Election!" NATO members, worried.

+ ABC News: Special counsel eyeing Russians granted unusual access to Trump inauguration parties.

+ "Charitable foundations are governed by a crucial compromise: they can operate without paying taxes on the condition that their leadership insures that all money spent is spent in pursuit of the public good. The case brought by Attorney General Underwood shows that the Trump Foundation was neither well-managed nor focussed on what would generally be considered the public good." Adam Davidson in The New Yorker: The Inconvenient Legal Troubles That Lie Ahead for the Trump Foundation.

5

Big Head Toddler and the Monsters

"We were representing a 3-year-old in court recently who had been separated from the parents. And the child — in the middle of the hearing — started climbing up on the table. It really highlighted the absurdity of what we're doing with these kids." Texas Tribune: Immigrant toddlers ordered to appear in court alone.

+ Melania is making her second visit to the border (this time in Arizona, sans jacket). And she's not the only one making the trek. Protesters have flooded some border towns. Here's the latest from CNN.

6

Maryland Shooting

"There is nothing more terrifying than hearing multiple people get shot while you're under your desk and then hear the gunman reload." A shooting took place at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Maryland. There are reports of injuries and fatalities among journalists (who are not the enemy of the American people). The shooter is in custody. Here's the latest from CNN.

7

Chop Chop

"About 39 million acres of tree cover disappeared in 2017 – an area the size of Bangladesh – according to data released Wednesday by the World Resources Institute. That amounts to 40 football fields every minute for a whole year." NPR: Tropical Forests Suffered 2nd-Worst Loss Of Trees On Record Last Year.

8

Make America Grate Again

"One milking day a week goes to the export market. There's a lot of uncertainty now. I don't think we really know what will happen yet." Caitlin Dewey in WaPo:
America's cheese stockpile just hit an all-time high. (Of all of America's significant challenges, this one seems the most solvable...)

9

Formoolah

"The doctors at the hospital quickly determined that baby Jeong-whan was fine — just a little bruising on his nose and forehead. He took a short nap in his mother's arms, drank some infant formula, and was discharged a few hours later with a clean bill of health. The family continued their vacation, and the incident was quickly forgotten." Until the bill came. From Vox: A baby was treated with a nap and a bottle of formula. His parents received an $18,000 bill. It all has to do with something called trauma fees. (News curators should charge those too...)

10

Bottom of the News

If the president attempts to turn the subject towards the Mueller investigation, shrug demurely and say: 'Okhota na ved'm.' (That's Russian for Witch Hunt.) Welcome to the only course that prepares potential Supreme Court picks for their meeting with the president. The Trump Supreme Court Litmus Test Prep.

+ The always-popular Winners of the 2018 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest.