Extra, Extra
Bibi Cued: “Rahm Emanuel, a potential Democratic presidential candidate and longtime defender of Israel, warned Wednesday that the country has become increasingly isolated as its leadership has turned it into a ‘territorial pariah,’ in a speech at Tel Aviv University on Wednesday. ‘You cannot fight indefinitely against a world that has stopped believing you have the right to fight. You must instead find a new sustainable path to peace, security, and economic prosperity.'” Here’s the full speech. And from NPR: In a West Bank cave, Israelis and Palestinians hold an out-of-the-ordinary lunch. (You can love and want to defend Israel and think its leadership is terrible. Just like you can love and want to defend America and think its leadership is terrible.)
+ The View From Canada: “The rupture of the world order is going much better than expected. At first there was rage at America’s betrayal, when President Trump called for the annexation of Canada, threatened Greenland, imposed tariffs on its friends and began his campaign to undercut NATO, which continued at its latest meeting this week, in Ankara, Turkey. Now, a strange feeling is emerging in some of the countries that used to be known as America’s allies: Optimistic determination.” Stephen Marche in the NYT (Gift Article): The Zombification of America. “Zombie America creates, at least in the short term, contradictions. In Canada, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, jointly operated with the United States, continues to be our most important alliance. Yet civil servants here have also started training with drones for the possibility of asymmetrical conflict with the United States. Real security can be found only by removing your country from American influence, on every front as far as possible.”
+ The Reign in Maine Circles Drain: “Behind the scenes, his campaign was messy, disorganized and haphazardly run. Mr. Platner did not disclose explosive, politically damaging secrets to key members of his team. And he was guarded by an insular and zealously protective inner circle of advisers who did not always seem to grasp the seriousness — or strangeness — of what quickly became a steady drip of scandal … Repeatedly, Mr. Platner promised there was nothing else damaging from his past to come. And each time, he was wrong.” ‘A Slow-Rolling Disaster’: Inside the Implosion of the Platner Campaign. (Given his resignation video, it’s not clear that the implosion dust has settled.) Related: US appeals court rejects Trump’s latest bid to delay paying E Jean Carroll $5.8m. (I’m beginning to wonder if politics is attracting our best and brightest.)
+ FanDuel and Your Money Are Soon Parted: “By late November 2024, Thompson had incurred steep losses and resorted to desperate measures to fund his addiction. Then, one afternoon, he flicked open his phone and received a FanDuel reward that momentarily distracted him from his debts: a personalized video message from Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper.” FanDuel sent a personal message from Phillies star Bryce Harper to a customer with a gambling addiction.
+ Mail Nurse: “In his job as a nurse and healthcare administrator, Chris decided on appropriate treatments for patients and checked their vital signs. Sometimes, he monitored up to 10 patients in intensive care — and he did it all from Manila, thousands of miles away from the U.S. hospital he worked for.” Your next nurse may monitor you from the Philippines.
+ Error Bags: “The air bag, it turned out, had been purchased on eBay and installed by the Texas dealership that sold him the used car. When he crashed, it sent metal shards flying into Kang’s face.” WSJ Gift Article): Counterfeit Air-Bag Parts Are Killing U.S. Drivers—and the Government Can’t Stop It.
+ Garbage In, Farage Out: “When British right-wing populist leader Nigel Farage announced he was resigning as a lawmaker and triggering a special election in the face of a swirl of allegations over personal financing, he sought the high ground, declaring that the ‘judges of my actions’ should be his constituents. Instead, rival parties dismissed his actions as a stunt and said they would sit out the election, leaving his principal opponent as a garbage-can wearing comedian whose policies include forcing rule-breaking cyclists to ride unicycles.”
+ You Token to Me? M.G. Siegler has been waiting a long time to talk to his computer. And with the latest iteration of ChatGPT, that wait may be over. The First True AI Chatbot. “As in, actually chatting. As in, with voice.”
