Extra, Extra
About Last Night: You sort had to be there. Not just last night, but all along. Elon made an ultimatum to Twitter engineers and many, many of them said no. And then things started to get out of hand (again), leaving Twitter users to wonder if the service would survive the night. Because the service, built for narcissists, is at its best when its self-referential, it was probably the most fun night on Twitter in years. (Only on Twitter would a bunch of addicts joke around because their dealer might run out of stuff.) And many panicked addicts even admitted they like the service, and each other. Everyone thought Twitter was going to die last night. The scene in my house: Me: “Kids, hey looks like I’m gonna have some more free time on my hands. Wanna watch a movie, play a game, or just talk?” Kids: “Mom, some guy is in our living room.”
+ Realpolitik Bites: “The administration said the senior position of the crown prince, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler and recently named prime minister as well, should shield him against a suit brought by the fiancée of slain Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and by the rights group Khashoggi founded.” The Biden administration argues that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince should be considered immune from a lawsuit. (This is a far cry from Biden’s tone on the campaign trail.) And from David Ignatius in WaPo: Biden rewards Saudi leader’s impunity with legal immunity. “The action is the latest in a cascade of controversies that followed the murder, which the CIA concluded resulted from an operation authorized by MBS. The Trump administration shielded the Saudi leader, but President Biden initially claimed he would hold him accountable.”
+ Idaho Killings: “The university’s often-packed parking lots had many empty spots Thursday after scores of students decided to return home or leave the area after the quadruple homicide last weekend shocked the college town of Moscow, Idaho.” University of Idaho reels with unease days after killing of 4 students and no suspect identified.
+ Perp Walk: “Heather Wallace’s oldest son, 8-year-old Aiden, was driving his two brothers crazy in the car as they all returned from karate one afternoon in October 2021. Wallace asked Aiden to walk the rest of the way home—half a mile in quiet, suburban Waco, Texas—so that he could calm down. For this she was arrested, handcuffed, and thrown in jail.”
+ Green Acres: New York Cannabis Farms Have $750 Million of Weed — and Nowhere to Sell It. “Growers in upstate New York are figuring out how to keep a glut of weed fresh as the state stalls on retail licenses.” (I’ll be sending NextDraft from upstate New York for the foreseeable future.)
+ In a Bubble: I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. The economic divide is driving many of our problems. While most people are dealing with inflation, others are dealing with champagne shortages. Luxury brands report booming sales.
+ Space Case: “They have to oversee a battlefield where every factor involved is moving at unfathomable speed across vast distances — and the stakes are always high.” Space troopers are real and US Space Command has 300 of them.