Extra, Extra
Surprise! In a continuation of his recent turnaround on the issue, Trump announces weapons for Ukraine and threatens Russia with tariffs. “We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need because Putin really surprised a lot of people,” Trump said. “He talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening.” (Editor’s note: Putin surprised one person.)
+ Don’t Jump to My Defense: “Many of these people came to work at Federal Programs to defend aspects of our constitutional system. How could they participate in the project of tearing it down?” Two-thirds of the DOJ unit defending Trump policies in court have quit.
+ Rosie Outlook: “Employers have long had response plans for extreme weather, active shooters, and other workplace emergencies. Now, some are quietly preparing for immigration raids, too — even if they believe everyone on their payroll is legally permitted to work in the US.” Meanwhile, Trump Thinks He Can Take Away Citizenship From Anyone He Doesn’t Like. “Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship.”
+ Hunger Aims: “Ms. Bialecki started as a volunteer [at the Easthampton Community Center and Food Pantry] 25 years ago and has managed the operation for the last 17. She’s the only paid employee; she works every day except Christmas and makes $32,400 a year. She had planned to retire, but has stayed on to help everyone through what now seems like the unraveling of the country’s defenses against unnecessary illness and hunger.” The excellent Tracy Kidder in the NYT (Gift Article): A New Era of Hunger Has Begun. “Cutting SNAP will dramatically increase the pressure on food banks. Their pantries represent a model of decency, of coherent community efforts on behalf of people in need.”
+ There’s an Old Sheriff in Town: “Last year, 1,260 people were killed by law enforcement—the highest level since data-crunching organizations began keeping track a decade ago. A major factor driving the upward trend is surprising: Sheriff’s departments that generally patrol more rural slices of America are killing more civilians.” WSJ (Gift Article):
The Rapid Rise of Killings by Police in Rural America.
+ Grok Bottom: “On Friday, independent AI researcher Simon Willison documented that xAI’s new Grok 4 model searches for Elon Musk’s opinions on X (formerly Twitter) when asked about controversial topics.” New Grok AI model surprises experts by checking Elon Musk’s views before answering.
+ Island Fever: “The reality-TV sensation has shattered viewership records and taken over sports bars—and defied conventional wisdom about who watches reality dating shows.” GQ: The Boyfriends Who Love Love Island Tell All. (Let’s not overthink-piece this. All the partipants are basically in swimsuits all the time.)
