Extra, Extra
Peace With the UK? “”President Trump announced his first deal since launching a global trade war Thursday, unveiling a limited pact with the United Kingdom that would lower barriers on some goods like automobiles and agriculture while leaving many unanswered questions.” Trump announces his first trade deal with the UK. Here’s what’s in it. (Full trade deals take months to fully negotiate, but at least we have the concept of plan for a framework, and so far the market is reacting positively. We’ll probably get the details of the deal right around infrastructure week.) “The pact spurred cautious optimism on Wall Street, with stocks up and bonds down amid hopes that the agreement could be a blueprint. Trump cheered the market reaction, and predicted investors would be even more encouraged if Congress passes a law extending his tax cuts, comments that spurred the S&P 500 Index to extend gains to session highs, climbing about 1.5%. ‘If that happens, on top of all of these trade deals that we’re doing, this country will hit a point — you better go out and buy stocks now,’ he said.” (Editor’s note: Sell.) Bloomberg: Trump Announces Framework With UK, Lowering Trade Barriers. And more from the BBC.
+ Ed Sheering: “He’s a terrific person, and he wasn’t getting the support from people that I thought.” Trump says he’ll announce new pick for DC top prosecutor as controversial Ed Martin nomination falters. The “terrific person” was a big fan and defender of Jan 6, repeatedly praised a Nazi sympathizer, and appeared about 150 times on Russian propaganda outlets, in addition to having no qualifications for the job. And he barely didn’t make the cut.
+ Sinking to New Depths: “Extracting more water than can be replenished ‘can have a direct relationship with what happens on the surface … You can cause the ground to sink significantly.” NYT: Across America, Big Cities Are Sinking. Here’s Why. (So this is why I’ve had that sinking feeling for the last few months…)
+ Bank Run: “Israel conducted frequent military operations in this area in recent years, but its forces almost always left within hours or days. Since January, however, its military has maintained its longest-running presence in the heart of West Bank cities in decades.” NYT (Gift Article): The Huge, Under-the-Radar Shift Happening in the West Bank. (There’s a strong connection between what’s happening in the West Bank and what’s happening in the West Wing.)
+ We Need to Chat: “While professors may think they are good at detecting AI-generated writing, studies have found they’re actually not. One, published in June 2024, used fake student profiles to slip 100 percent AI-generated work into professors’ grading piles at a U.K. university. The professors failed to flag 97 percent. It doesn’t help that since ChatGPT’s launch, AI’s capacity to write human-sounding essays has only gotten better.” Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College.
+ Bad Idea Poorly Executed: Lawyers for man executed by firing squad in South Carolina say bullets mostly missed his heart.
+ Sprite Pops: “Sprite has long leaned on culture to market its brand, specifically basketball and hip-hop. It continues to do so today, updated for a modern audience.” How Sprite overtook Pepsi as America’s No. 3 soda.
