Extra, Extra
Wheels Up: “Some of the 80 people on board were then left hanging upside down while still strapped to their seats, before they scrambled over luggage to escape onto the snowy runway.” Absolutely surreal scenes from a Toronto tarmac where people escaped, alive, from an upside-down plane. Why did a plane crash in Toronto, and how did everyone survive?
+ Flip Flop Op: “The story of Mr. Tillis’s secret effort to persuade fellow Republicans to join him in opposing Mr. Hegseth — and his sudden turnabout when it became clear he would be the deciding vote to defeat the nominee — is a tale of political calculation and capitulation by a single G.O.P. senator. But it also helps explain a broader dynamic at play with Mr. Trump back in the White House, as Republicans in Congress, fearful of reprisal by the president and his supporters, have put aside grave reservations and surrendered to his demands.” Senator Thom Tillis was very against letting Pete Hegseth lead the Dept of Defense. Before he was very for it. We’ve seen this trend repeat itself and we’re going to see a lot more of it. NYT (Gift Article): As Trump Threatened a Primary, a G.O.P. Holdout on Hegseth Flipped.
+ The Claim Game: “Health insurers process more than five billion payment claims annually, federal figures show. About 850 million are denied.” Not that many people appeal those decisions. But a lot of those who do end up getting the decision reversed.
+ Let’s Get Small: “It’s the smallness, the relative unimportance, the spiteful pettiness of the renaming in the first place — down to the fact that until Trump’s executive action, there was no controversy, zero, none, nada, anywhere in the world, amongst any group of people, regarding the name of the Gulf of Mexico — that makes it interesting to examine in detail how Google and Apple have chosen to deal with it. It’s only because this particular issue is so spectacularly piddling that we can consider it in full.” John Gruber goes deep into the meaning of the seemingly meaningless renaming of the Gulf of Mexico. Golfo del Gringo Loco.
+ Firing the Mayor? “In the 235 years of New York State history, these powers have never been utilized to remove a duly-elected mayor; overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly.” Hochul to discuss ‘path forward‘ after Eric Adams’ deputies resign amid mayor’s agreement to work with Trump. Meanwhile, a judge orders Mayor Eric Adams, DOJ lawyers to appear in court to explain case dismissal request.
+ King Refuses King: “Michelle King, the top official at the Social Security Administration, left her position this weekend after she refused a request from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to access sensitive government records at the agency.” (Now the Trump admin is arguing that Elon Musk is not actually running DOGE at all. “As recently as last week, Trump turned to Musk and, while referencing DOGE, the president asked him to talk to reporters about ‘some of the things your team has found.'”)
+ We Have (to Clean) the Meats: Americans are eating so much meat, Dawn had to reformulate its dish soap.
