Inflammation Science, FIFA Fo Fumble
Acute inflammation is good. It’s the cavalry your body calls in when it’s “engaged in battle, destroying invaders or repairing injuries.” That’s swell. And often, swelling. Chronic inflammation is bad. “Specifically, the culprit is chronic low-level inflammation — the prolonged activity of immune cells in the absence of any immediate threat.” Researchers are beginning to learn just how bad this kind of inflammation is. “Studies have shown that chronic inflammation is not just a symptom — it’s often a cause. They may add up to one of the biggest medical breakthroughs of the 21st century.” It could be the one thing that underlies a variety of common and brutal diseases. That’s not swell. Or swelling — and that’s one reason why it’s so hard for doctors to determine whether you suffer from the malady. As one researcher explains, “I think we are all looking for simple answers. There will be answers. They will not be simple.” Of course, that’s not the message you’ll get from do your own researchers who have gotten out in front of what we know about the problem to sell their cures. Whether they have swell heads or seek swelling wallets, it’s worth taking their advice with a grain of salt (or potassium chloride salt substitute). “Mainstream media headlines tell us how to ‘fight’ inflammation by eating these six fruits and following those nine healthy habits. Articles question whether treating inflammation can prevent dementia or reduce depression. Longevity influencers dive into the ills of chronic inflammation on their podcasts. On platforms like TikTok and Reddit, users eagerly seek and dispense advice on how to eliminate their chronic inflammation by any means necessary: by fasting or humming or taking ice baths or injecting themselves with copper peptides. They urge one another to avoid ultraprocessed foods, plastics, pollution, pesticides, tick bites, loneliness — these are a just a few of the suggestions. Kernels of truth can be found in much of this advice.” The race is on to turn that kernel knowledge into something closer to the whole truth. The NYT Magazine (Gift Article) with a very interesting look at The New Science of Inflammation.
Quit Claims
“These mechanics are not incidental. In the games that employ them, they are designed to maximize engagement. And they’re nearly identical to the variable-reward loops that slot machines and sports-betting apps use in games for adults and that research has shown to be particularly addictive. Games that look like simple fun, according to addiction experts I spoke with while reporting this article, may be normalizing behaviors that could lead to serious consequences down the road.” Some games are turning into a feeder industry for the sports betting and prediction markets that are waiting for (and marketing to) your kids. The Atlantic (Gift Articles): Why Kids Can’t Quit Roblox. (This is all part of the same story that explains why prediction markets are so dangerous. They combine the most powerful lessons learned from social media, gaming, and gambling into one product intended to hook you like nothing before.)
Attorney Generalized Anxiety
“President Trump said on Thursday he may withdraw his nomination of Todd Blanche as attorney general, which was on hold after Republicans, lacking the necessary support, postponed a critical committee vote. Mr. Trump said he could nominate him again after two lame-duck Republican holdouts, who were concerned over a deal he cut to settle Mr. Trump’s lawsuit against the I.R.S., leave office next year.” Blanche, formerly (and pretty much currently) Mr. Trump’s personal attorney has soiled the Justice Department, weaponized the law against Trump’s perceived enemies (including the insane Comey 86-47 seashell case), betrayed Epstein survivors, negotiated a sweet prison transfer for Ghislaine Maxwell, targeted liberal-minded nonprofits, spearheaded the $1.8 billion slush fund, and otherwise undermined the rule of law that is currently hanging on by a thread. Yet, he’s only a couple still open for negotiation votes from being confirmed. And it’s worth noting that the GOP holdouts almost always fold, and the worst-case scenario almost always wins out. In the meantime, Blanche will probably remain in his role as acting attorney general.
+ Meanwhile, payouts to Trump allies continue, and another lawyer who represented Trump has been appointed U.S. Attorney in Manhattan.
The Tony Award
During yesterday’s embarrassing hearings, Senator Bernie Moreno asked Fauci, “Who the f-ck did you think you were?” I look forward to Moreno asking the same question of the president since Trump gave Fauci a presidential commendation on the last day of his first term. This reality is just one of the ways the attempt to rewrite the history of Fauci and Covid and science is an absurdity. In fact, it’s our new pandemic. I covered it yesterday. Screwing the Fauooch. “The latest pandemic is here. The condition seems permanent and the symptoms include lying, grandstanding, soul-selling, self-serving, sycophancy, unctuousness, a frustration that RFK Jr doesn’t seem crazy enough, a willful ignorance that deepens over time, and the appearance that one is stuck in a timeloop in which the year is always 2020.”
+ If you’re not quite sure about what actually went down in 2020, I can recommend an excellent book on the topic.
Extra, Extra
Rooting Out the Canal Problem: An attack on an Egyptian port near the Suez Canal threatens to expand the Iran war, while Saudi Arabia “joined with over a dozen other countries, including Egypt and Turkey, to form a new defense coalition to stop attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.” There’s a lot of work going into addressing problems in the region that didn’t exist before the war started. Here’s the latest.
+ Go FIFA Yourself: Are there still times when corruption goes too far? Maybe. European football’s 55 member associations have voted to boycott World Cups if Infantino goes through with plans to sell off part of the org to private investors. “It is one of football’s greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale.”
+ The Coast is Not Clear: “He was a big, gregarious man who seemed able to handle anything. But as Kayleigh grew up, she watched him slowly fall apart. First came headaches. Then sleeplessness. His memory frayed and his moods turned raw. When he retired from the Coast Guard at age 40 in 2022, things only grew worse. He would rant and scream. One afternoon he dropped her grandfather with one punch. In the months after, he started setting things on fire. On a winter evening in 2025, with a pile of Coast Guard files burning on the living room floor, he walked out the front door and shot himself dead.” His daughter wanted to find out if his years on the rough seas in a rescue boat could have played a role. She found out the Coast Guard didn’t know and hadn’t asked. So she asked other elite rescuers herself. “Their answers were so stunning that they changed her whole perspective on her father.” NYT (Gift Article): Rescue Boat Crews Show Signs of Brain Injuries, but Coast Guard Isn’t Looking.
+ Country Mile: “Only 4 percent of the country’s ob-gyns practice in rural areas, which is where 10 percent of women ages 15 to 49 live. And that proportion is likely to fall even more because many new entrants to the field are not willing to do a residency or start a practice in states that restrict abortion, many of which are more rural.” And that’s just one reason that “giving birth in a rural county is going to become an even more dangerous prospect. Care will be in shorter supply, travel distances will stretch further, and high-risk situations will more likely result in mortality.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): Rural America’s Maternal-Health Crisis Is About to Get Much Worse.
+ The Musk-eteers: “With hundreds of millions of followers on a platform he personally controls, Musk stands as the most prominent purveyor of far-right and ultranationalistic rhetoric in the world.” Jamelle Bouie asks a pretty decent question. Why Do We Tolerate Elon Musk’s Racist Commentary? (I’m guessing the answer starts with $…) Meanwhile, Musk is ready to help Trump and the GOP bigly in the midterms. (Did I mention that SpaceX just scored a $1.6 billion deal with the federal government?)
Bottom of the News
Mad Dash: “Despite finding no evidence of the crime on his digital devices, Canadian police arrested Klayme in 2020 on child sex abuse charges. He was convicted after a trial in 2023 and sentenced in 2024 to 18 months in prison. He served the full term. Even after release, Klayme continued to fight his conviction. In the process of preparing his appeal, the username mistake that led to all these years of disruption was finally discovered.” A missing underscore sent an innocent man to prison for 18 months.
+ A US government map of Africa mislabeled every country during a State Department presentation at a global conference. (As my high school football coaches always advised, if you’re gonna make a mistake, at least do it full out and at full speed.)
