Good Times, Bad Times

America's Splitscreen, Elon is Taking Over

It's lonely at the top. It's also not that healthy and not that happy. It turns that the roaring American economy that "has grown faster than every other high-income economy over the past few decades" has made the nation an economic superpower but has left many of its citizens struggling to keep the power on. There are a lot of factors. But they key one is the same factor that underpins so many of our sociopolitical stories: The economic divide. NYT Upshot (Gift Article): The U.S. Economy Is Racing Ahead. Almost Everything Else Is Falling Behind. (And yes, this is of course directly related to the fact that millions of Americans voted a certain way because of inflation, embodied in the price of eggs, and what they're getting is a billionaire running the country in a way that, among other things, will expand the very divide that drove the voting patterns.)

+ Homelessness is at the extreme end of inequality scale. And it is a growing (and intractable) problem in many of our wealthiest communities. Kevin Fagen has been covering this topic on the streets of San Francisco for decades. What I Learned From 32 Years of Writing About Homelessness.

+ And about those eggs. The soaring price of eggs has forced Waffle House to add a temporary surcharge on customers’ orders. No, folks. Biden didn't make eggs cost more. And Trump isn't doing it either. The only people who still believe that are one surcharged egg short of a dozen.

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America's Chief Xecutive Officer

"There is no precedent for a government official to have Mr. Musk’s scale of conflicts of interest, which include domestic holdings and foreign connections such as business relationships in China. And there is no precedent for someone who is not a full-time employee to have such ability to reshape the federal work force. The historian Douglas Brinkley described Mr. Musk as a 'lone ranger' with limitless running room. He noted that the billionaire was operating 'beyond scrutiny,' saying: 'There is not one single entity holding Musk accountable. It’s a harbinger of the destruction of our basic institutions.'" NYT (Gift Article): Inside Musk’s Aggressive Incursion Into the Federal Government.

+ "A 25-year-old DOGE operative named Marko Elez in fact has admin privileges on these critical systems, which directly control and pay out roughly 95% of payments made by the U.S. government, including Social Security checks, tax refunds and virtually all contract payments." TPM: Musk Cronies Dive Into Treasury Dept Payments Code Base.

+ "Elon Musk’s influence appears unchecked, triggering cries of alarm from those who worry about conflicts of interest, security clearances, and a broad, ill-defined mandate. But the Republican-controlled Congress has shown no desire so far to rein Musk in. There has never been a private citizen like him." Jonathan Lemire in The Atlantic (Gift Article): Elon Musk Is President. (But even a president doesn't have the power to do what he's doing.)

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All For Vought

"In times past, Vought — who famously asked 'Is There Anything Actually Wrong With Christian Nationalism?' in Newsweek in 2021 — would have been seen, and dismissed, as an over-the-top extremist well outside the boundaries of mainstream politics. Today, he is a lauded Trump loyalist on the verge of his second tour of duty with the president, in one of the most powerful posts in the federal government. In Vought’s vision of the apocalyptic battle for the soul of America, Democrats are 'increasingly evil.' The federal work force, in turn, is the enemy that must be forced into submission. 'When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as the villains,' Vought, who is 48, declared last year. 'We want to put them in trauma.' Vought, if all goes according to plan, will be confirmed as O.M.B. director by the Senate this week." NYT (Gift Article): ‘Trump’s Thomas Cromwell’ Is Waiting in the Wings. (Things didn't end particularly well for Cromwell, but it took a while for things to reach that point.)

+ And it's highly likely Vought will be confirmed. Because it's highly likely everyone will be. RFK Jr. appears on his way to being Trump's health secretary after a party-line vote. And Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick to oversee US spy agencies, clears Senate committee.

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We're All Getting Screwed

Don't worry. This isn't another story about the state of the US government. It's a story about people literally getting screwed. Xochitl Gonzalez in The Atlantic (Gift Article): What’s Up With All the Sex Parties? (I'll keep an eye out for a follow up: Whereare all the sex parties.) "In the course of my research, I did not—I would like to be clear here—participate in any sex parties. I think it’s wise not to get that close to your sources. I learned that 'play parties' can take place in people’s homes, but many happen under the auspices of private clubs. I reached out to a number of prominent ones, wondering if the sex-club boom was real, and what actually goes on at them. One of my major findings: People, especially rich people, come up with extremely elaborate justifications for getting laid." (My current justification is working pretty well: It's a great way to distract ourselves from the news.)

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Extra, Extra

Full Court Press: "Two sets of FBI agents who worked on cases stemming from the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol — as well as the criminal investigations of President Donald Trump — have filed lawsuits to block Justice Department leadership from assembling lists of agents they say will be used as part of a retaliation campaign." (This is one of many legal challenges either launched or in the works. We'll see if the courts hold the line any better than Congress has.) But they better hurry: FBI turns over names of 5,000 employees who worked on January 6 cases to Trump Justice Department. (Maybe electing a criminal was a bad idea?)

+ Fighting Words: "Recruiters are contending with a population that’s not just unenthusiastic but incapable. According to a Pentagon study, more than three-quarters of Americans between the ages of seventeen and twenty-four are ineligible, because they are overweight, unable to pass the aptitude test, afflicted by physical or mental-health issues, or disqualified by such factors as a criminal record. While the political argument festers, military leaders are left to contemplate a broader problem: Can a country defend itself if not enough people are willing or able to fight?" Dexter Filkins in The New Yorker: The U.S. Military’s Recruiting Crisis.

+ Sweden Shooting: 10 people dead after attack at education center in Örebro.

+ Draining News: "In other words, the release of water this time of year, when agriculture usually doesn’t require it, means that growers are likely to have less water stored in the reservoirs this summer, during a year that so far is among the area’s driest on record." The water unexpectedly released from dams on Trump's order didn't help farms or L.A.

+ Beatbox: "Doechii made history Sunday when she became the third woman to ever win Best Rap Album at the 67th annual Grammy Awards. But that win was likely historic for another reason, too: It was probably the first time an Amazon delivery driver has scored a Grammy while dropping off packages." Producer learns of Grammy win while delivering packages.

+ Name Calling: A judge awarded the use of the group’s name and symbols to a church in Washington, D.C. The Proud Boys Just Lost Use of Their Own Name.

+ The Philadelphia (3)76ers: "Offensive linemen are typically the largest players in football, but even by those standards, the Eagles are positively ginormous. Their five starting linemen, on average, stand at 6-foot-6 and weigh 338 pounds. By comparison, they’re more than an inch taller, and 26 pounds heavier, than their counterparts on the Kansas City Chiefs. In fact, Philadelphia’s starters make up the tallest and heaviest offensive line in Super Bowl history." I'd never bet against Patrick Mahomes. But if the Eagles win, this will be why. WSJ(Gift Article): The Super Bowl Has Never Seen Anything Like These Five Gigantic Humans.

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Bottom of the News

"An elderly grandmother who chats about knitting patterns, recipes for scones and the blackness of the night sky to anyone who will listen has become an unlikely tool in combatting scammers." ‘Dear, did you say pastry?’: meet the ‘AI granny’ driving scammers up the wall.

+ McDonald's is bringing back the Shamrock Shake. (I know it's a little early for a Feel Good Friday item, but you looked like you could use some cheering up.)