Blame Canada

51, Weekend Whats, Feel Good Friday

This isn't the first time Canada has taken heat. Back in 1999, the animated, satirical (in the late 20th century, satire was still possible) show South Park let our neighbors to the North have it with the Oscar nominated song: Blame Canada. The lyrics sound like they could have come straight from a certain Truth Social account:

And my boy Eric once had my picture on his shelf. But now when I see him he tells me to f-ck myself! Well, blame Canada! Blame Canada! It seems that everything's gone wrong Since Canada came along! They're not even a real country, anyway.

People laughed at the South Park gang's parody. But no one in Canada is laughing at Trump's suggestion that Canada should become America's 51st state. Maybe because the message isn't being delivered as a joke. Consider that earlier this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made this claim about the President: "What he wants is to see a total collapse of the Canadian economy, because that’ll make it easier to annex us." From NYT (Gift Article), "this is the story of how Mr. Trudeau went from thinking Mr. Trump was joking when he referred to him as 'governor' and Canada as 'the 51st state' in early December to publicly stating that Canada’s closest ally and neighbor was implementing a strategy of crushing the country in order to take it over." How Trump’s ‘51st State’ Canada Talk Came to Be Seen as Deadly Serious. "While Mr. Trump’s remarks could all be bluster or a negotiating tactic to pressure Canada into concessions on trade or border security, the Canadian side no longer believes that to be so."

As far as I know, there's only one reason why any American president would ever consider annexing Canada: A dramatic acceleration of climate change causing an extreme concern about water access and habitable living land. I guess even the people who lie about climate change understand the threat. That said, if you really think Canada is going to become the 51st state, I've got a canal in Panama, some minerals in Ukraine, and an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark to sell you.

+ The Canada-US feud has even ensnared the Great One. (Amazingly, Trump hasn't tried to annex that sobriquet.) Why Canadians are stung by Wayne Gretzky’s silence. "There was politicized criticism when images of Gretzky first emerged celebrating Trump’s election victory at Mar-a-Lago, and later when he attended the president’s inauguration. But that wasn’t what Canadians were really upset about. It was what came later, when Trump turned his focus to Canada — and Gretzky, the national hero, stayed silent."

+ I got a ton of feedback about yesterday's lead item that really helps explain what's going on and the best way to respond. If you missed it or want to share it: The C-Word.

Damn, this newsletter is good. And it’s all written by one guy who talks about himself in the third person. Why not take a second help him spread the word?

2

Search And Destroy

For decades, search has been the way we interact with the web. Soon, it may be the way we interact without it. Casey Newton: Google's new AI Mode is a preview of the future of search. "In the near future, the company said, you would 'let Google do the Googling for you': trusting the search engine to search the web on your behalf, summarizing its findings, and sparing you the need to visit many websites yourself. It was an appealing proposition to Google, which would soon begin peppering the product it calls AI overviews with advertisements; and for the search engine's users, many of whom have already begun to replace their traditional Google searches with queries in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI products. To the millions of businesses that rely on Google to send them traffic, though, the bargain appeared much worse."

3

Clash Royale

"The meeting was a potential turning point after the frenetic first weeks of Mr. Trump’s second term. It yielded the first significant indication that Mr. Trump was willing to put some limits on Mr. Musk, whose efforts have become the subject of several lawsuits and prompted concerns from Republican lawmakers, some of whom have complained directly to the president." NYT (Gift Article): Inside the Explosive Meeting Where Trump Officials Clashed With Elon Musk. Is this the beginning of a breakup? Will Trump put limits on Doge? Which of our two presidents is actually more powerful? Why are we even hearing the details of this meeting?

+ WSJ (Gift Article): Tesla’s Fortunes Fall as Musk Rises in Trump World.

+ Tesla's stock slide may be temporary and it contrasts with Musk's growing SpaceX empire, and his growing power when it comes to international affairs. FT: Europe races to find Starlink alternatives for Ukraine. "Four satellite operators in talks over back-up for Kyiv if Elon Musk switches off broadband service."

4

Weekend Whats

What to Watch: Don't let the fact that Paradise on Hulu starts off looking like a typical White House show about a president turn you off. It's about something entirely different. And it's a really tight and entertaining show.

+ What to Binge: Mikey Madison's win as best actress in Anora makes this a good time to go back and check out the highly bingeable series she was in alongside Pamela Adlon. Better Things. (There's an early cameo by Lenny Kravitz playing a guy named Mel.)

+ What to Hear: I've got some rap. I've got some pop. I've got you covered. Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon has made a meteoric rise in the rap scene, including the winning of a Grammy for best rap album. You may know her by her stage name, Doechii. Check out her album Alligator Bites Never Heal, and her latest hit, Anxiety. Meanwhile, if you're looking for some pop, Lady Gaga has returned to her roots (just when we need it most). Her new album is called Mayhem. (That would be a better name for this newsletter.)

5

Extra, Extra

Policy Whiplash: "After weeks of distancing the U.S. from Ukraine, President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to impose expanded 'large scale' sanctions and tariffs on Russia until it reaches a peace agreement with Ukraine." (And you know when Trump threatens tariffs, he definitely means it.)

+ Columbia Coffer: "The Trump administration on Friday announced that it would cancel approximately $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University 'due to the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.'" (If this was just about the protests, it would be one thing. But this is about a broader effort to control higher education. Expect more threats and more funds to be withheld.)

+ Shock and Flaw: The Pentagon is hard at work defending us ... from "tens of thousands of photos and online posts marked for deletion as the Defense Department works to purge diversity, equity and inclusion content." It's not as stupid as it sounds. It more stupid. One of the images marked for deletion is "the aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Japan." Why? Because it was called the Enola Gay.

+ Mensch Press: "It was all there, in the Oval Office, in the shouting and in the interruptions, in the noises and in the silences. A courageous man seen as Jewish had to be brought down. When he said things that were simply true he was shouted down and called a propagandist. There was no acknowledgement of Zelens'kyi's bravery in remaining in Kyiv. The Americans portrayed themselves as the real heroes because they provided some of the weapons. The suffering of Ukrainians went unmentioned." Historian Timothy Snyder saw Antisemitism in the Oval Office.

+ Slam, Scram, Thank You Fam? As we know, there are plenty of Americans cheering the Trump speeches and executive orders, and reveling in the DOGE cuts. And that sometimes includes family members of those getting fired. AP: Thrust into unemployment, axed federal workers face relatives who celebrate their firing.

+ Plot Twist: Anora was made for $6 million. But marketing and winning the Oscar was a little more expensive. T-shirts, thongs and perfect twerking: Anora spent $18m on marketing – three times its budget. (For some reason, perfect twerking hasn't helped me market this newsletter.)

6

Feel Good Friday

"David said he cleared out some space at the Kwik Stop, moved over some shelves from the video store, then selected about 50 Disney classics and 150 other popular titles to put on display. One of his employees nicknamed the miniature rental shop 'Christina’s Corner.'" Store owner relocates his shop for his best customer, a woman with Down syndrome. (It feels like we're being bombarded with more bad news than ever. Do not ignore all the good out there.)

+ "The night I brought Joe-the-Starter home, I pondered whether I should keep him pure or blend him with my own. I went the sentimental route: I mixed us together, and as I poured his into mine." Life, Death, and Sourdough.

+ Dolly Parton wrote a song in tribute of her husband who recently passed away. I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t been there.

+ Paralyzed man controls robot arm for record 7 months with new brain chip.

+ "Ford caught the attention of the Golden State Warriors star in January when a TikTok video surfaced detailing her Warriors fandom. Grandma Kitty keeps track of Curry's performances and games using a notebook." Stephen Curry meets Grandma Kitty.

+ Steve Carell surprises Southern California high school students with free prom tickets.

+ Dog stuck for days in underground well is saved after man hears barking through his floorboards. (My beagles' reaction: "You call that barking?")

+ Watch Eagle Chicks Hatching on the Eagle Cam.

+ Bill Murray does Hot Ones. And doesn't flinch.