Extra, Extra
It’s Strictly Business: “Offering partnership to longtime foes, Trump said he would move to lift sanctions on Syria and normalize relations with the new government led by a former insurgent, and he touted the U.S. role in bringing about a fragile ceasefire with Yemen’s Houthis. But Trump also indicated his patience was not endless, as he urged Iran to make a new nuclear deal with the U.S. or risk severe economic and military consequences. With his carrot and stick approach, Trump gave the clearest indication yet of his vision for remaking the region, where goals of fostering human rights and democracy promotion have been replaced by an emphasis on economic prosperity and regional stability.” Trump lays out Mideast vision as he looks to revamp US approach in Iran, Syria and beyond. With economic news like the new $142 Billion Arms Deal with Saudi Arabia, and several US CEOs joining the trip, this is more of a business trip. For the involved countries. And for the Trumps. WaPo (Gift Article): Trump’s Middle East trip marked by potential private business conflicts. Coincidence alert: “The Trump Organization has entered into real estate deals in all three countries the president plans to visit this week.”
+ Til Death Do We Start: “Manfred ruled that MLB’s punishment of banned individuals ends upon their deaths.” In a move pushed by Trump, Pete Rose, ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson among players reinstated by MLB. (It could be worse. If Pete Rose were still alive he’d probably be the Secretary of the Treasury.)
+ I.V. League: “President Donald Trump’s administration is cutting another $450 million in grants to Harvard University a day after the Ivy League school pushed back against government allegations that it’s a hotbed of liberalism and antisemitism.” A guy who wants a plane as a gift from Qatar is worried about antisemitism? Please. This is about a broad attack on higher ed, one that will be felt far beyond Harvard Yard. “The hidden engine of the country’s illustrious track record has been the grants given to academic researchers by federal agencies that the U.S. DOGE Service has been decimating and that President Donald Trump proposes to shrink catastrophically in the next budget.” WaPo (Gift Article): RIP American innovation.
+ Habeas Corpse: “Where to start with the things that Stephen Miller, who is not a lawyer but happy to play one on the White House driveway, probably doesn’t know? As the Georgetown University law professor Steve Vladeck aptly summarized, ‘His argument is factually and legally nuts.'” (But that doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t be pursued.) The New Yorker: The Astonishing Threat to Suspend Habeas Corpus.
+ Help Wanted: “Some Israeli military officials have privately concluded that Palestinians in Gaza face widespread starvation unless aid deliveries are restored within weeks.”
+ It’s Reigning, It’s Boring: Elon Musk’s Boring Company Is in Talks With Government Over Amtrak Project. (The losses at Tesla will seem like less than a rounding error as all his other companies score major government deals.)
+ Lego Lands: “On Thursday, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University unveiled LegoGPT, an AI model that creates physically stable Lego structures from text prompts. The new system not only designs Lego models that match text descriptions (prompts) but also ensures they can be built brick by brick in the real world, either by hand or with robotic assistance.” (As long as the computer doesn’t brick…)
