Extra, Extra
The Fix is In: “The Trump administration is preparing broad exemptions to certain tariffs in an effort to ease elevated food prices that have provoked anxiety for American consumers.” (Wait, I thought consumers didn’t pay for tariffs?) So they’re trying to solve a problem they created. And their base will probably give them credit for it.
+ A Teachable Foment: “Texas A&M University System regents voted Thursday to limit how instructors may discuss matters like gender identity and race ideology in classrooms, tightening the rules in a conservative state where debates over academic freedom have flared for months.” They have to check with the university president first. Seriously. NYT (Gift Article): Texas A&M Tightens Rules on Talking About Race and Gender in Classes.
+ We’re All in This Together: “As dozens of frog species have declined across Central America, scientists have witnessed a remarkable chain of events: With fewer tadpoles to eat mosquito larvae, rates of mosquito-borne malaria in the region have climbed, resulting in a fivefold increase in cases.” WaPo (Gift Article): First, the frogs died. Then people got sick. “An emerging area of research is uncovering surprising links between nature and human health.”
+ Your Tax Dollars at Work: “The Justice Department has been discussing settlements with Michael Flynn and Stefan Passantino, two former officials from Donald Trump’s first term, who claim they’re owed major payouts from the US government as victims of politically-motivated actions.” Bloomberg (Gift Article): Michael Flynn, DOJ in Settlement Talks Over $50 Million Claim.
+ Sniper Safari? “The public prosecutor’s office in Milan has opened an investigation into claims that Italian citizens travelled to Bosnia-Herzegovina on “sniper safaris” during the war in the early 1990s. Italians and others are alleged to have paid large sums to shoot at civilians in the besieged city of Sarajevo.”
+ The Heist Zeitgeist: “It’s not just the Louvre. Minimal security and the high price of gold have fueled nine robberies over the past year.” France Is Awash in Museum Heists.
