America is Shrinking, Foe Shizzle
It might be time to call for emergency sex. And even that won’t be enough. For the first time ever, America could be about to shrink. The US population has always grown, even at historical moments when that growth seemed most unlikely. “According to our best estimates, the nation’s population expanded throughout the Civil War, despite the deaths of more than 700,000 Americans. It grew throughout the Spanish Flu1, both World Wars, and countless bloody entanglements with other countries. Even COVID, which killed more than a million Americans, didn’t reverse the trend. But Trump’s immigration crackdown may accomplish what no war, plague, or calamity has ever done.” So what will this trend reversal mean? We’re going to get older, we’re going to have less farm and construction workers, we’re going to attract less talent, we’re going to lose a key engine of growth that has kept the American economy on top for years. And don’t kid yourself. It’s not just about illegal immigration. The welcome mat has been replaced by a brand that is increasingly radioactive. “Trump … has gone far beyond restricting illegal entry. He has used the specter of undocumented immigration to build out a paramilitary force to carry out deportations of dubious legality; to frighten migrants who are here lawfully; to demolish our refugee programs; to constrict overall migration into the U.S. in the long run; to intimidate colleges that accept large numbers of foreign-born students; and to generally obliterate America’s privilege as the country where the world’s smartest people want to study, work, and live.” Derek Thompson with an interesting look at how getting smaller could be a really big deal. The US Population Could Shrink in 2025, For the First Time Ever.
Foe Shizzle
Trump’s remarkably divisive second tenure in the White House could ultimately be remembered for unity. He’s united America’s old enemies and new foes. China’s Xi Redraws Geopolitical Map With Embrace of Putin, Modi. “Cameras captured the Chinese leader in a rare, unscripted huddle on Monday with Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi — his most powerful partners in resisting America on the world stage — at a summit in the Chinese port city of Tianjin. At one point, Xi held the hand of his Indian counterpart, as the three men laughed casually, a striking scene given just months earlier New Delhi and Beijing were seen as rivals. The images were a victory for Xi’s decade-long political project to build an alternative to the US-led world order. Hours after the trio gathered at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization event, Beijing signed a major gas pipeline deal with Moscow — rebuking Trump’s efforts to use tariffs to prise India and China away from Russian energy purchases.” (What kind of deranged leader would welcome Putin into his country and give him the red carpet treatment at a time like this? Oh wait…)
+ “Their meeting came on the eve of a military parade to be held in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The event is intended as an elaborate display of China’s military might and expanding global influence at a time when President Trump’s tariffs are alienating U.S. allies and rivals alike. More than two dozen leaders are expected to attend the parade, including the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran.” NYT (Gift Article): Putin and Xi Invoke Wartime Unity as They Hail Ties in Beijing.
There’s an Application for That
“Despite polls showing that growing numbers of Americans disapprove of Trump’s aggressive tactics and images of masked ICE agents whisking immigrants off the streets, 3,000 applicants showed up to submit résumés at last week’s career expo, drawn in part by the president’s call to serve and the promise of a signing bonus of up to $50,000 for top recruits.” WaPo (Gift Article): At an ICE career expo, thousands line up to ‘defend the homeland.’
Floor Model
You’re probably going to see Peter Tuchman’s face in the news today. That’s because it’s a particularly rough day on the stock market. And when the market moves dramatically, Tuchman’s face that has a flair for the dramatic tends to be photographed on the trading floor. WSJ: ‘The Einstein of Wall Street’: How I Became the Face of the Wall Street Trader.
Extra, Extra
Quack Sand: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health. That might not sound like breaking news these days. But it is when it comes from basically every person who’s run the CDC for the past few decades. Meanwhile, over 85 scientists say Energy Dept. climate report lacks merit. (Lacks merit is scientist-speak for complete bullsh-t.)
+ Law Firm? Federal judges are applying the law to Trump’s moves like deploying the National Guard to LA and imposing tariffs. Will the Supreme Court do the same?
+ Piling On: Two places suffering from ongoing unnatural disasters just got hit by natural disasters, too. As many as 1,000 killed in Sudan landslide. And, an earthquake devastates eastern Afghanistan.
+ Divide and Conquer: “Classically, increased wealth and value gaps lead to increased populism of the right and populism of the left and irreconcilable differences between them that can’t be resolved through the democratic process. So democracies weaken and more autocratic leadership increases as a large percentage of the population wants government leaders to get control of the system to make things work well for them.” Ray Dalio on the everything story. Rising inequality is turning US into an autocratic state.
+ Ru the Day: Trump Says He’ll Give Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (At least have the decency to hold the ceremony at Four Seasons Total Landscaping…)
+ Elon AI: How Elon Musk Is Remaking Grok in His Image.
+ Crest of a Wave: “The young Hawaiian princes were in the water, enjoying it hugely and giving interesting exhibitions of surfboard swimming as practiced in their native islands.” How 3 Hawaiian teen princes brought surfing to the mainland.
+ ‘Heel Thyself: “Since he took the job last December, having been thoroughly rejected by the NFL despite his six Super Bowl Rings, the football world has been wondering what 73-year-old Bill Belichick would look like coaching a college team. It subsequently became a nine-month journey of interest in his personal life, a book tour, a series of awkward interviews and a branding initiative led by his 24-year-old girlfriend. What we didn’t hear much about was the football team he had to coach. Maybe now we know why.” Bill Belichick’s awful North Carolina debut. (Maybe he can sign Tom Brady to an NIL deal…)
Bottom of the News
“Kayla, who asked to be identified only by her first name to protect her family’s privacy, awakened to the feeling of needing to use the restroom … ‘Within 10 to 15 minutes of me starting to cramp, I just felt like something weird was going on … It felt like something needed to come out.'” A surprise birth at Burning Man. (No wonder the Imodium wasn’t working…)
