Extra, Extra
Venezuela Quakes: “At least 188 people were killed and more than 1,500 injured in back-to-back quakes on Wednesday, the president of Venezuela’s national assembly said. The toll from the quakes, which struck the country’s populous northern states, was virtually certain to rise as rescuers began to reach the hardest-hit areas.” Here’s the latest on the earthquakes that hit Venezuela. And from The Guardian: Some of the scenes of destruction.
+ Post Dobbs: “You might have guessed that when more than a dozen states banned abortion, there would be fewer abortions happening in those states and that the overall number of abortions would go down. That’s not what has happened.” 4 surprising things to know about abortion in America since Dobbs.
+ A Trip Up Memory Lane: Apple is so big and so powerful that they can usually hold off trends like higher memory prices. Not this time. “Apple Inc. shares fell after it raised prices of all Macs, iPads, home devices and the Vision Pro on Thursday, seeking to offset cost hikes caused by an unprecedented shortage of memory chips and storage … An Apple spokesperson said that ‘the rapid expansion of AI data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage’ and that the company has ‘never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly.'”
+ For Whom the Toll Tolls: “The Islamic Republic estimates that charging for security, safety and environmental services in the strait would bring in $40 billion a year in revenue for states involved, according to officials familiar with the matter. The idea, if implemented, would give Tehran cash flow and control that it didn’t command before the war.” WSJ (Gift Article): Iran Estimates $40 Billion Windfall From Reopening Hormuz With Gulf States. Remember, nothing about the new deal that emerges can be assessed without comparing it to the deal Trump foolishly tore up. Here’s some background on that in a good interview of one of the people who negotiated it, John Kerry.
+ OMG: “Texas is on the verge of passing a sweeping, new state book list, which will establish for the first time a common set of books that millions of students across the state must read, including excerpts from the Bible.” NYT (Gift Article): Texas Public School Students May Soon Be Required to Read the Bible.
+ The Grass Got Greener: “I’ve been working on a golf book for the past two years, and I can tell you the phone-app wrecking of the sport is getting worse. Jabronis have realized they can’t do anything at an NFL or NBA game to improve their chances of cashing in, but they sure can at a golf tournament, where the traditional cocoon of silence before a shot is just waiting to be trashed.” Rick Reilly: Heckling from app-wielding bettors is wrecking golf. The age of betting on everything is going to impact more than just golf.
