Extra, Extra
Policy Whiplash: “After weeks of distancing the U.S. from Ukraine, President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to impose expanded ‘large scale’ sanctions and tariffs on Russia until it reaches a peace agreement with Ukraine.” (And you know when Trump threatens tariffs, he definitely means it.)
+ Columbia Coffer: “The Trump administration on Friday announced that it would cancel approximately $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University ‘due to the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.'” (If this was just about the protests, it would be one thing. But this is about a broader effort to control higher education. Expect more threats and more funds to be withheld.)
+ Shock and Flaw: The Pentagon is hard at work defending us … from “tens of thousands of photos and online posts marked for deletion as the Defense Department works to purge diversity, equity and inclusion content.” It’s not as stupid as it sounds. It more stupid. One of the images marked for deletion is “the aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Japan.” Why? Because it was called the Enola Gay.
+ Mensch Press: “It was all there, in the Oval Office, in the shouting and in the interruptions, in the noises and in the silences. A courageous man seen as Jewish had to be brought down. When he said things that were simply true he was shouted down and called a propagandist. There was no acknowledgement of Zelens’kyi’s bravery in remaining in Kyiv. The Americans portrayed themselves as the real heroes because they provided some of the weapons. The suffering of Ukrainians went unmentioned.” Historian Timothy Snyder saw Antisemitism in the Oval Office.
+ Slam, Scram, Thank You Fam? As we know, there are plenty of Americans cheering the Trump speeches and executive orders, and reveling in the DOGE cuts. And that sometimes includes family members of those getting fired. AP: Thrust into unemployment, axed federal workers face relatives who celebrate their firing.
+ Plot Twist: Anora was made for $6 million. But marketing and winning the Oscar was a little more expensive. T-shirts, thongs and perfect twerking: Anora spent $18m on marketing – three times its budget. (For some reason, perfect twerking hasn’t helped me market this newsletter.)
