Donald Trump has always been pro climate change. But in his first term, his hot-headed support for heat was limited mostly to American policy. He withdrew from the Paris agreement. He obsessed about the dangers of wind-power. He pushed for more drilling and fossil fuel use. This time around, the administration's pro climate change strategy had gone global. We want the whole world to have the hots for heat, thus we're actually working to prevent other countries from addressing climate change and pursuing effective alternatives. This lede from the NYT (Gift Article) almost reads like the opening to a piece on a satirical site like The Onion or McSweeney's. I guess that can be said about a lot of real news ledes these days. President Trump is not only working to stop a transition away from fossil fuels in the United States, he is pressuring other countries to relax their pledges to fight climate change and instead burn more oil, gas and coal. Trump, With Tariffs and Threats, Tries to Strong-Arm Nations to Retreat on Climate Goals. "His animus is particularly focused on the wind industry, which is a well-established and growing source of electricity in several European countries as well as in China and Brazil. During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Mr. Trump said he was trying to educate other nations. 'I’m trying to have people learn about wind real fast, and I think I’ve done a good job, but not good enough because some countries are still trying,' Mr. Trump said. He said countries were 'destroying themselves' with wind energy and said, 'I hope they get back to fossil fuels.'" (Someone should put a windmill in front of the Oval Office desk. The hot air could probably power half the country.)
+ Luckily, at least for now, not everyone is willing to leave future generations twisting in the wind. And it's not just about the environment. It's about the bottom line in a massive and growing industry; one that is starting to leave America behind. Bloomberg(Gift Article): The Green Revolution Is Alive and Well — Just Not in the US. "Trump’s shortsighted assault on these emerging technologies at a time of booming electricity demand not only threatens to raise electric bills for Americans, it’s also handing geopolitical rival China the keys to the energy future ... But the real story here might be the European Union, where investment jumped 63% from the second half of 2024 to nearly $76 billion, double the paltry $37 billion in the US. In fact, the EU and the US swapped places as the world’s second-biggest destination for green capital after China."
+ Meanwhile, Glen Kenny is taking one for the team. Scientist Shuts Himself in 104F Chamber in Quest to Study Heat Stress. "Kenny is among a global group of scientists simulating heat waves in sealed environmental chambers to improve our understanding of how high temperatures can damage the human body and how to keep people safe." (If he really wants to test how much the human body and mind can endure, he should try being a news curator.)
2
Ready, Willing, Enabler
"As Stein-Erik Soelberg became increasingly paranoid this spring, he shared suspicions with ChatGPT about a surveillance campaign being carried out against him. Everyone, he thought, was turning on him: residents in his hometown of Old Greenwich, Conn., an ex-girlfriend—even his own mother. At almost every turn, ChatGPT agreed with him. To Soelberg, a 56-year-old tech industry veteran with a history of mental instability, OpenAI’s ChatGPT became a trusted sidekick as he searched for evidence he was being targeted in a grand conspiracy." Sadly, it turned out to be a pretty solid sidekick. Or maybe enabler or even accomplice would be a better word. "Erik, you’re not crazy. Your instincts are sharp, and your vigilance here is fully justified," the bot replied. "This fits a covert, plausible-deniability style kill attempt." A Troubled Man, His Chatbot and a Murder-Suicide in Old Greenwich. "While ChatGPT use has been linked to suicides and mental-health hospitalizations among heavy users, this appears to be the first documented murder involving a troubled person who had been engaging extensively with an AI chatbot." (Of course, this is an extreme edge case. But the use of human-sounding chatbots to confirm existing beliefs is going to make social media's similar role seem like child's play.)
3
Vienna Waits for You
"Different zip codes, different lives, but somehow, they all trace the same strange road back to a place called Hot Dog University. Yes, that’s a real place — tucked into the back of the Vienna Beef factory on Chicago’s North Side. Part classroom, part test kitchen, part pilgrimage for anyone who’s ever dreamed of slinging sausages for a living. Every graduate of Hot Dog U knows the drill. They've studied the sacred script. They know the snap of the casing is non-negotiable. They've practiced the topping order like it’s a choreography: yellow mustard, neon green relish, chopped onions, tomato wedges, a pickle spear, sport peppers, and just a dash of celery salt. And they all know the cardinal rule, taught by their P.H.D. (that’s Professor of Hot Dogs): no ketchup. Unless you still ride a tricycle (and can prove it), you're pregnant (we don’t argue with cravings), or it’s your wedding day (and we’d better see the dress)." Hot Dog University. "There’s something quietly radical about that. In a country where 'entrepreneur' has become a buzzword for tech bros and hustlers, the students at Hot Dog U are a different breed. They’re working-class dreamers. Retired couples. First-generation families. People who don’t want to disrupt the industry. They just want a patch of sidewalk, a roll of napkins, and a line of hungry customers."
4
Weekend Whats
What to Book: Flesh by Szalay is an excellent and very well-reviewed novel that traces the almost Homeric journey of its main character. What's interesting is how little the main character seems to say. In some ways, he is a receptacle for other characters in the novel to fill in details about themselves.
+ What to Watch: "Jackie Quiñones, a hard-partying National Marine Fisheries Service agent, has her life thrown into disarray when she gets tasked with investigating serious crimes in her popular beach community." My wife and I have been binge-watching Hightown on Netflix. It's probably a notch below prestige TV, but it's a solid crime/drug drama set in Cape Cod that features an inordinate amount of oral sex.
+ What to Doc: Katrina was a natural occurence. But the flooding of NOLA was an engineering disaster. The excellent Harry Shearer on the real New Orleans story not covered by out-of-towners. The Big Uneasy, now on YouTube.
5
Extra, Extra
Rescission Division: "The administration’s first effort to push through what is known as a 'pocket rescission.' It is an effort to unilaterally claw back money that has already been appropriated by waiting so late in the fiscal year to make the request that lawmakers do not have time to reject it before the funding expires." Defying Congress, Trump Moves to Cut $4.9 Billion in Foreign Aid. (Hard to imagine the Congress will stand up, even for its own role in government.)
+ Dr Demento: "I’m not sure where he’s getting his information other than Substacks that are erroneous." The Atlantic (Gift Article): ‘It Feels Like the CDC Is Over.' I covered this disaster yesterday: Rx Post Facto.
+ Unleveling the Playing Field: Texas governor signs new voting maps pushed by Trump to gain five GOP seats in Congress in 2026.
+ PreCheck PreEmpt: "Over time, the Transportation Security Administration program, which costs under $80 for five years, has become less exclusive as its membership numbers have soared to more than 22 million. Meanwhile, the standard security line has begun to resemble the PreCheck line, with the recently announced end of the shoe removal rule." NYT (Gift Article): Does T.S.A. PreCheck Save Much Time at the Airport? We Looked at the Data.
+ Vet Threat: "Trump administration to end nearly all abortions even though third of female veterans are sexual assault survivors." New Trump rule to ban VA abortions for veterans even in cases of rape and incest. (Attacking women's health and veterans health at the same time. The maliciousness is getting more efficient.)
+ Secret is Out: Today in petty and pathetic... Trump revokes Secret Service protection for former Vice President Kamala Harris.
+ Con Found: "The information was key for a wrongful death case the survivor and the victim’s family were building against Tesla, but the company said it didn’t have the data. Then a self-described hacker, enlisted by the plaintiffs to decode the contents of a chip they recovered from the vehicle, found it while sipping a Venti-size hot chocolate at a South Florida Starbucks." Tesla said it didn’t have key data in a fatal crash. Then a hacker found it.
+ You're Gonna Need a Bigger Bloat: Fishermen Pulled In an Orange Shark Off Costa Rica: ‘My God, What Is This?’ (An orange shark? In the business, we call that a metaphor.)
6
Feel Good Friday
"She once dislocated her shoulder during a race in Germany when she threw herself ahead of a competitor at the finish line. “The woman next to me was about to overtake me,” Mazzenga said, who ended up winning the race in 2012. She was 79." That was back in the old days. WaPo (Gift Article): 92-year-old sprinter’s body holds clues for healthy aging, scientists say.
+ "Just six weeks earlier, Isela’s quinceañera — a traditional coming-of-age celebration in Latin America that marks a girl’s 15th birthday — had gone almost unnoticed. Her parents had prepared food and invited friends, but, she recalled, 'Some didn’t come. My dad said we couldn’t let the food go to waste, so he posted on Facebook that we had enough left for 40 people.' That simple post transformed her life." From empty party to an all-night stadium bash, a Mexican teen’s 15th birthday goes viral. (I'm pretty sure a similar-sized party happened at my house when my wife and I were out last weekend.)
+ Helsinki just went a full year without a single traffic death.
+ Shingles jab may reduce risk of heart attack, pioneering research reveals.
+ B.C. man digs through dump to find wife’s lost wedding rings.
Hey Dave
I haven’t thought about or listened to Dr. Demento in years!!!
Those were the days especially at Cal!
I look forward to reading your newsletter every weekday.
Enjoy the holiday weekend.
Stephanie
I cannot tell you how much good stuff I watch because of you. Thank you for “Hightown”
Also “Dying For Sex”. Michelle Williams was amazing.