All that glitters is not gold. Some of it is gold plated or merely gold paint. Included among the many ways America has been changed in the first few months of Trump 2.0 is the transformation of the White House into a gilt complex. "Lately the American president has been spending quite a bit of time redecorating the Oval Office. The results can only be called a gilded rococo hellscape. If our leader’s appearance is a depiction of the country … Is this us?" (After electing a guilty man into the highest office, sadly, the answer is yes. Call it gilt by association). Trump, whose style has been called dictator chic is obsessed with all things gold, from gold in the Oval Office, to the Golden Dome he hopes will protect America from incoming missiles, to ordering in his favorite food from the Golden Arches. The NYT (Gift Article) on the updated White House stylings that give new meaning to fool's gold: All Hail Our Rococo President! "The most unusual additions to the office are two gilded mirrors that hang on either side of the fireplace. This is so quintessentially Mr. Trump that I’m surprised he didn’t think of it earlier. When standing in front of one, your reflection joins the pantheon of great leaders above you. It’s just like they say: In America anyone can grow up to become president." (That adage used to be viewed as a positive.)
+ In the grand scheme of things, slapping a little gold plating on the White House walls isn't a particularly big story. But it is connected to a very big one: our new transactional presidency, where everything has a price and no one is quite sure where the money is ending up. "Even seasoned practitioners of Washington pay-to-play have been startled by the new rules for buying influence. In December, a seat at a group dinner at Mar-a-Lago could be had for a million-dollar contribution to maga Inc., a super pac that serves as a war chest for the midterms. More recently, one-on-one conversations with the President have become available for five million. The return on investment is uncertain, a government-affairs executive told me: 'What if he’s in a bad mood? You have no clue where the money is eventually going.' Another lobbying veteran described the frank exchange as 'outer-borough Mafia shit.'" Evan Osnos in The New Yorker: Donald Trump’s Politics of Plunder.
+ "When Hillary Clinton was first lady, a furor erupted over reports that she had once made $100,000 from a $1,000 investment in cattle futures. Even though it had happened a dozen years before her husband became president, it became a scandal that lasted weeks and forced the White House to initiate a review. Thirty-one years later, after dinner at Mar-a-Lago, Jeff Bezos agreed to finance a promotional film about Melania Trump that will reportedly put $28 million directly in her pocket — 280 times the Clinton lucre and in this case from a person with a vested interest in policies set by her husband’s government. Scandal? Furor?" NYT (Gift Article): As Trumps Monetize Presidency, Profits Outstrip Protests.
+ While there are plenty of big financial scandals, the small ones are nearly endless. Everything is for sale. NYT (Gift Article): Trump Pardoned Tax Cheat After Mother Attended $1 Million Dinner. One assumes the dishes were gold plated.
2
She Who Cast The First Stone
"She had flown to Scotland to attempt to lift a massive set of boulders known as the Dinnie Stones, each outfitted with an iron ring. In the 120 years since a Scottish strongman famously hoisted the stones, thousands had tried and failed the test of strength. Of the 11 who had succeeded, all were men. She was 5-foot-7 and 195 pounds; the stones together weighed 733 pounds." Jan Todd lifted the boulders on her way to becoming known as the world's strongest woman. She also was on of the first and strongest proponents of strength training as part of a healthy lifestyle, right up there with aerobic exercise. That idea has never been more in vogue. NYT (Gift Article): Jan Todd May Be the Reason You’re Lifting Weights. (OK, now we just need to figure out who to blame for aerobic exercise and healthy eating...)
3
One Shot Deal
Humans have long searched for a drug that could offer a panacea for all of our ills. Have we already stumbled upon it? "Should Ozempic be added to the water supply? That is the kind of half-joking question that doctors kick around when a new class of drugs begins to help a big chunk of the population. Cardiologists used to quip about spiking water systems with cholesterol-reducing statins because of their ability to prevent heart attacks. Now, Ozempic and others in the 'GLP-1' category of drugs are approaching that critical mass. They are showing promise for an ever-expanding list of diseases, beyond today’s most common uses of weight loss and treating diabetes. Heart, kidney and liver diseases. Sleep apnea. Arthritis. Alzheimer’s disease. Alcohol addiction. Even aging. Some of these are potential benefits that need further study." WSJ (Gift Article): Should Everyone Be Taking Ozempic? Doctors Say More People Could Benefit.
4
Dropping Some Knowledge
"The warlords who sacked rome did not intend to doom Western Europe to centuries of ignorance. It was not a foreseeable consequence of their actions. The same cannot be said of the sweeping attack on human knowledge and progress that the Trump administration is now undertaking—a deliberate destruction of education, science, and history, conducted with a fanaticism that recalls the Dark Ages that followed Rome’s fall." (That is a lede for the ages.) The Atlantic (Gift Article): The New Dark Age. "The Trump administration has launched an attack on knowledge itself."
+ Trump administration moves to cancel all remaining federal contracts with Harvard.
5
Extra, Extra
Chuck Roast: In a rare speech from the throne in Canada, King Charles warned of dangers facing the country. "We must face reality: since the Second World War, our world has never been more dangerous and unstable. Canada is facing challenges that, in our lifetimes, are unprecedented ... many Canadians are feeling anxious and worried about the drastically changing world around them." (Yes, the King of the United Kingdom is warning Canada of the threat posed by the United States. Irony aside, it's one of our closest allies warning another of our closest allies about us. Not exactly a crowning moment.)
+ Americorpse: "About 32,000 low-paid AmeriCorps service workers lost their jobs over a few days in April." WaPo (Gift Article): A big Trump administration cutback went nearly unnoticed. "The April 25 move was one of the biggest government cutbacks since the Trump administration took office, but went largely unnoticed because most of the jobs were concentrated in nonprofit human services agencies that help underserved communities."
+ Exits Paved with Gold: "Blanco’s imprisonment came after more than a year navigating America’s arcane immigration system. His story underscores how companies make money at nearly every step of the deportation process—earning more than $13 billion in the last decade." WSJ: The Billion-Dollar Business Behind Trump’s Immigration Crackdown.
+ Losing Allies: "Israel’s former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says he now believes his country’s relentless assault on the Palestinian people amounts to 'war crimes' and must be stopped." That internal pressure on Bibi is matched by frustration from Israel's top allies. Israel’s Netanyahu under pressure from allies over Gaza.
+ Liverpool Rampage: "The incident late Monday afternoon turned a jubilant parade into a tragedy that sent 50 people to hospitals for treatment of their injuries. Eleven remained hospitalized Tuesday in stable condition." Driver arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after Liverpool soccer parade tragedy.
+ RFK Fires First Shot: Kennedy says COVID vaccines no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. (And masks only need to be worn if you work for ICE.)
+ Blue Skies: "The radio antenna in Spain where the piece is being broadcast is about 115 feet across, and is operated by the ESA. It supports uncrewed European missions to study the surface of Mars, create a map of the stars and take up-close pictures of the sun. On Saturday, it will take a break from that work." NPR: The European Space Agency will beam the famous 'Blue Danube' waltz into space. (Seems like something by Kid Rock might better represent the humankind of this moment.)
6
Bottom of the News
"Fans of viral Labubu dolls have reacted angrily online after its maker pulled the toys from all UK stores following reports of customers fighting over them. Pop Mart, which makes the monster bag charms, told the BBC it had paused selling them in all 16 of its shops until June to prevent any potential safety issues." This sounded like another story about entirely unrelatable, crazy collectors ... until I clicked through and realized how much I want a Labubu doll...
In reference to your "Chuck Roast", the King of the United Kingdom is also the King of Canada, as he is our monarch as well (and as such he is on our money). As for the Throne Speech, he is not warning Canada of anything, as in both Canada and the UK, the Throne Speech is written for the Monarch by the Government as it is a speech that will set the tone for the upcoming session of Parliament. So the King, like the Queen before him, isn't saying anything that isn't written and vetted by the Prime Minister's office. And normally the Throne Speech is read by the Governor General, who is the King's representative in Canada.
Peter Anthony Holder