Gut Shot

The Mind Body Connection

If you’re anything like me, when your mind boggles, your stomach gurgles. That’s why, when I’m suffering from anxiety, I’m just as likely to reach for the Imodium as the Xanax. The connection between your brain and body can often be felt in your gut. So maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise that GLP-1 drugs are having a major impact on your habits, your hunger, and your head. These drugs were introduced as a tool to help control blood sugar. We then learned they could also lead to major weight loss. Needless to say, that made these drugs popular, placing millions of humans into one of history’s largest petri dishes. “Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs were initially understood as a metabolism breakthrough: medicines that act like hormones to control hunger, blood sugar and weight. But as researchers probe deeper into how the drugs work, early evidence suggests that GLP-1s may also be reshaping parts of the brain. Tens of millions of people are now taking the medications worldwide, turning what began as an obesity and diabetes treatment into what could be modern medicine’s largest unplanned neuroscience experiments.” WaPo (Gift Article): Ozempic may be reshaping the brain, scientists say. (Alt link.) This grand experiment has led to many unexpected health benefits and will lead to many discoveries. Of course, there are also risks. “If GLP-1s alter the brain systems involved in reward, craving and motivation, researchers wonder, where is the line between quieting a person’s destructive impulses and reshaping personality itself?” (I’ve been on one of these drugs for high blood sugar for quite a while. My wife and kids report no luck when it comes to personality reshaping.) One benefit of our experience with these drugs is that we may finally drop the habit of telling sick people that an illness is all in your mind. Of course it is, because the brain is part of the body. I’ve always believed in a strong mind/body connection. It’s called the neck.

2

The Price You Pay

The financial impact of the Iran war has followed a similar theme. The investor class hasn’t been much affected as the market continues to pile up gains. The Americans who were living on the edge are getting pushed over it. “Affordability has been a politically potent word, but an ill-defined measure of financial pain, often used as a reference to inflated prices. But new research from the Brookings Institution released Wednesday describes affordability by comparing the rising costs of essentials against family incomes. By that measure, the report found, in 2024, 45.5% of U.S. households did not earn enough to cover their necessities.” And that was before gas and other costs shot up. “The report concluded that a mere $1,000 hike in the annual cost of living would leave another 3 million households unable to make ends meet.” This is how close American households are to the financial edge.

+ “The New York Fed report is the latest set of findings from a series of releases detailing the so-called K-shaped ​economy, ​where the economic fates of the wealthy and those who are not ​have been diverging.” NY Fed finds ‘remarkable increase’ in food insecurity for many Americans.

+ “The U.S. economy has weathered a series of events that have raised prices, including the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Mr. Trump’s global trade war.” And now a fighting war. NYT (Gift Article): Prices in the U.S. Are Rising at the Fastest Pace in Years.

+ “High gas prices, rising interest rates and stubborn inflation are keeping buyers at home and cars on the lots.” WSJ (Gift Article): One Million New-Car Buyers Are Gone and They’re Not Coming Back Soon.

3

Deal Spiel

“U.S. and Iranian negotiators have reached a tentative agreement to extend the ceasefire by 60 days and start negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.” So we have a deal to work on a deal. With this minor caveat. “Iran did not immediately confirm any deal, and the official noted that President Donald Trump has yet to sign off on it.” Meanwhile, Oman seems bummed that Trump threatened to blow them up. Here’s the latest from The Guardian and NBC.

4

Tiger Balm

“After decades where the dominant expectation for high-achieving parents was to intensively helicopter, a new generation of moms is saying ‘enough.’ They’re reclaiming date night, saying no to schlepping to 17 different after-school activities and making peace with dirty dishes in the sink. These acts of giving up—or giving in—are beginning to add up to something of a feminist revolution, albeit a very low-key one.” WSJ (Gift Article): The Era of the Tiger Mom Is Over. Enter the Beta Mom. (The only people who have less of an impact on a child’s personality than parents are parent influencers.)

5

Extra, Extra

Dept of Injustice: Justice Department opens criminal probe involving E. Jean Carroll testimony in Trump sexual abuse lawsuit. A predator is using the power of our justice system to further target one of his sexual assault victims. And not a single person thinks that move will even dent his support among GOP leaders. This kind of ass-kissing will continue apace. Trump appointees push $250 banknote with his portrait. So will the DOJ’s corruption. DOJ Tries to Unmask Reddit and X Users Who Criticized ICE.

+ School Bullies: “Officers in Texas displayed startling belligerence at times, grabbing or tackling students a fraction of their size over misconduct that often appeared to be minor. Children in elementary school, including one as young as 6, were handcuffed. Teenagers were arrested, charged with crimes and even jailed. In the most extreme cases, they wound up in hospitals, bruised or concussed, after being body-slammed or shocked by Tasers, which are prohibited in the state’s juvenile detention facilities but allowed in its public schools.” NYT (Gift Article): Texas School Police Pepper-Sprayed, Tackled and Tasered Students.

+ Valuation Inflation: Anthropic Tops OpenAI to Become the World’s Most Valuable A.I. Start-Up. (Its valuation is more than double what it was just 3 months ago. Forget AI, we’re gonna need a bigger calculator...)

+ Graft Craft: Tired: The art of the deal. Wired: The craft of the graft. The White House Intervened to Get a $620 Million Deal for a Company Tied to Donald Trump Jr. (I guess this makes up for dad skipping Jr’s wedding...)

+ Free Milli: “Day and Young MC issued statements on social media disputing Wednesday’s announcement from Freedom 250, while Milli Vanilli singer Jodie Rocco told The Associated Press that neither she, her sister Linda Rocco nor any of the other group members had been asked to come.” Milli Vanilli and Morris Day say they won’t perform at Trump-linked Freedom 250’s DC shows. They’ve still got Vanilla ICE. Our lineup seems better. Bruce Springsteen calls out the White House and announces a protest festival.

+ Search for Hire Meaning: “Bari Weiss, CBS’s editor in chief, named Nick Bilton, a tech journalist and filmmaker, as the show’s executive producer. The network also fired two on-air correspondents.” (Editor’s note: Wait, what?)

+ Sinner Can’t Take the Heat: “As the match wore on, Sinner bent over on the clay court in apparent exhaustion multiple times and was hardly even running, resorting to drop shots and serve-and-volley tactics to try to shorten the points.” In a shocker, No. 1 Jannik Sinner falls apart, eliminated from French Open. Novak now has his opening for major win 25. (If you’re not into tennis, there’s still a story of interest here. Heat isn’t even supposed to be a factor at the French Open. This year, players, like many Europeans, are melting in May.)

6

Bottom of the News

“Joi AI, an AI companion startup that markets itself as providing ‘AI-lationships that satisfy you emotionally, intellectually, and intimately,’ is hiring 10 ‘masturbation consultants.’” (I applied, but I was told I was overqualified.)