Extra, Extra

Chiplash: Tariffs on Tariffs off. Over the weekend, tariff exceptions were made for phones and electronics, which was good news for Apple. By Monday, new chip tariffs were being threatened that would be bad news for Apple. Welcome to another day of market whiplash. Meanwhile, more and more CEOs are expecting a recession.

+ A Jury of One? “The Federal Trade Commission’s blockbuster antitrust case against Meta kicks off on Monday in a courtroom in Washington, D.C. It’s the culmination of a nearly six-year investigation into whether the social media giant broke competition laws in acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp.” Because this is a new American age, stakeholders on both sides are directly lobbying the president.

+ Kleptomania: “We are living through a revolutionary change, a broad shift away from the transparency and accountability mandated by most modern democracies, and toward the opaque habits and corrupt practices of the autocratic world.” Anne Applebaum in The Atlantic (Gift Article): Kleptocracy, Inc. Meanwhile, from WSJ (Gift Article): Trump Administration Retreats From White-Collar Criminal Enforcement. (Time for a Midnight Run digression: “I’m a white collar criminal.”)

+ Rory Rory Hallelujah: “It happened! It happened. So many times it seemed like it never would. There was the 0-for-38 streak in major tournaments dating back to 2014. The heartbreak at the U.S. Open in 2023 and 2024. The double bogeys at holes 15 and 17 during Thursday’s opening round of the Masters. The opening double bogey on Sunday, followed by the shocking double bogey at the par-5 13th, which turned a seeming runaway victory into a whole new ballgame. The Rory McIlroy Roller Coaster. It’s been impacting golf fans—and McIlroy himself—for decades now.” By winning the Masters, Rory McIlroy Finally, Finally Did It.

+ Tinder Box: “This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society. And I don’t give a damn if it’s coming from one particular side or the other. It has to stop.” Fire set at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home is the latest in a string of political violence.

+ Flight of Fancy: In a marketing plan that was out of this world, Blue Origin’s all-female flight launched to the edge of space with Gayle King, Katy Perry and Lauren Sánchez on board.

+ Need a Ride? Can old school and new tech coexist? Yes, apparently. Because people have been leaving handwritten notes in Waymos. Tech workers are leaving notes in robot taxis seeking workers and lovers. (I thought the whole point of Waymos was that you wanted to ride alone…)