Extra, Extra
Paving Paradise: “The Trump administration said on Monday that it would open up 58 million acres of back country in national forests to road construction and development, removing protections that had been in place for a quarter century.” NYT (Gift Article): Trump Administration to End Protections for 58 Million Acres of National Forests. “Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the Clinton-era rule barring road construction and logging was outdated and ‘absurd.'” (He’s not wrong. Nature is becoming outdated…)
+ Friend Zone: Canada and EU sign defense pact amid strained US relations and global instability.
+ I FTC What You Did There: “The all-Republican Federal Trade Commission agreed to approve a $13.5 billion ad merger if it includes a ban on steering ad dollars away from platforms or publishers based on ‘political or ideological viewpoints.’ … The FTC commonly places conditions on companies seeking to merge through consent orders to prevent anticompetitive effects, but this unusual provision addresses a particular complaint of congressional Republicans and former ‘First Buddy’ Elon Musk.”
+ Tahoe Tragedy: “The intensity of the thunderstorm surprised even forecasters, who had predicted some rain but nothing like the squall that lashed the southern part of the lake around 3 p.m., said meteorologist Matthew Chyba with the National Weather Service office in Reno, Nevada. Winds topped 35 mph and waves swelled up more than 8 feet.” A really crazy, tragic, and as far as I know unprecedented freak storm in Tahoe. Last body found after boat capsizes on Lake Tahoe in storm, bringing death toll to 8.
+ Catastrofees: “World Bank pandemic bonds paid out only after death tolls passed a threshold. They’re part of a booming market where investors turn calamity into capital.” The Business of Betting on Catastrophe. (It’s 2025. Bet the over.)
+ Country Code: “As a kid growing up in a small town in Kentucky, Ashley Gorley was obsessed not just with songs but with the way listeners reacted to them. He studied the weekly radio countdowns to try to understand: Why did this track climb to No. 3, while another only got to No. 25? What made some songs better than others? How did certain hits just sound so catchy?” 83 number one songs later, it’s sure seems like he figured it out. WaPo (Gift Article): This songwriter shaped today’s country music. You’ve never heard of him.
