Extra, Extra
Hit the Lights: Good news for anyone who planned to spend the afternoon lamenting the corrupt states of leadership in America and Israel: Tom Friedman already did it for you. NYT (Gift Article): Trump and Netanyahu Steer Toward an Ugly World, Together. “Each is steering his nation away from its once universal aspiration to be a ‘light unto the nations’ toward a narrow, brutish might-equals-right ethnonationalism that is ready to mainstream ethnic cleansing. Each treats his political opposition not as legitimate but as enemies within, and each has filled his cabinet with incompetent hacks, deliberately chosen for loyalty to him instead of the laws of their lands.”
+ There’s an AP for That: “A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump White House to let Associated Press journalists return to the Oval Office and other spaces immediately to cover news events.” (This means the AP can go back to seeing Trump lie in person.)
+ Woken Token: Trump administration fires senior Navy female officer at NATO. She appeared on a ‘woke’ list. (This is just one example of many, many, many cases where qualified military and national security people are being canned.)
+ Excising Tax: “We know that DOGE is in the process of gutting the IRS. According to internal IRS estimates reviewed by The Washington Post, this internal sabotage is already estimated to have cost the U.S. Treasury more than $500 billion in revenues that otherwise would have been raised by April 15th. But it doesn’t stop at the IRS. DOGE is also in the process of essentially closing down the Tax Division at the Department of Justice.”
+ Mars Bar: Think Tesla’s sales will hurt Elon Musk? That will seem like a rounding error compared to the SpaceX upside of having his people in the administration. NYT (Gift Article): Mars Is the Priority, Trump’s Pick to Lead NASA Will Say. “As someone who has led two private astronaut flights to orbit, he would, if confirmed, bring to NASA and its $25 billion budget a perspective more in line with newer entrepreneurial aerospace companies like SpaceX.”
+ Twinning Streak: “Kristen Baker was the maid of honor at her identical twin sister’s wedding. Seconds after the ceremony ended, she stepped out of her bridesmaid dress and into her own wedding gown.” Identical twin brothers just wed identical twin sisters in double nuptials. (I didn’t read this article. I’m waiting for the Netflix reality series.)
+ The Tooth Gary: “In the early 1990s, they got a call. “My dad said he was too busy and handed the phone to me.” The caller was a dentist who had the great makeup artist Greg Cannom in his chair. Cannom asked how he might get a set of teeth that would fall out during a restaurant scene in a forthcoming comedy he was working on called Mrs Doubtfire.” He made the ‘manky British’ set for Austin Powers, droppable ones for Mrs Doubtfire – and fangs for Tom Cruise. Gary Archer on crafting amazing gnashers for stars.
