The Battle of 1864

Turning back Time, Stubborn Inflation

It was a hundred and sixty years ago, but there are still reminders of 1864 if you look for them. That was the year Nevada was admitted as the 36th US State (where it took officials another 139 years to hone the slogan What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas). In what could be the first known ear worm, the song Beautiful Dreamer was posthumously released. George Perkins Marsh published a book called Man and Nature: Physical geography as modified by human action, becoming "one of the first works to document the effects of human action on the environment and it helped to launch the modern conservation movement." (Yes, we've been ignoring the problem for that long.) And Congress passed the Coinage Act, mandating that the inscription "In God We Trust" be placed on all United States currency. That connection between god and government has been driving policies and court decisions ever since. Which brings us to our latest reminder of 1864; the just issued Arizona abortion ban. Judge William Thompson Howell, appointed by Lincoln, "was tasked with ensuring that the new laws that would govern Arizona — which was previously part of New Mexico — would fully abolish slavery. But tucked into the 500-page document known as the Howell Code was another provision: a ban on all abortions except to save a woman’s life, under penalty of prison time for doctors who performed the procedure. Arizona’s Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld that 1864 law, ruling on a request from the state’s former attorney general to restore it in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade — a request that had set off a legal battle with Planned Parenthood. The justices’ 4-2 decision paves the way for most abortions to be banned in the state, making Arizona the 17th state to virtually outlaw abortion." WaPo (Gift Article): How an 1864 law set the stage for Arizona court’s abortion ruling. In 1864, the United States was also in the midst of the Civil War. Sometimes it feels like it still hasn't ended.

+ "The next time someone tells you they really worry about abortion rights, but that President Biden is just too old, please gently remind them that Joe Biden is not, in fact 160. That is the age of the law that will soon be sending abortion providers to prison in Arizona if they attempt to assist a victim of rape or incest." Slate: Arizona’s Zombie Abortion Ban Is Back. It's back on the books and it will be on the ballot on November, both in Arizona (where Kari Lake, the once-proponent of this law is now criticizing it) and across the nation (where Trump is feverishly trying to distance himself from the chain of events he's repeatedly boasted of setting off).

2

That's the Ticket

A soccer team in Paris has been running what seems like a pretty revolutionary experiment. They're letting fans in for free. Before the move, the tickets weren't exactly in extreme demand, but the strategy still made for an interesting test of how many more people would show up and how their relationship with the team might change. "The more significant question may be how the fans watching a game inside a stadium should be categorized. Are they observers of a spectacle, and therefore required to pay for the privilege? Or is it time to change that categorization: Are fans, the ones watching in the stadium, actually part of the production?" Are you a fan or are you an extra? NYT (Gift Article): A Soccer Team Stopped Charging for Tickets. Should Others Do the Same? (It's early in the baseball season, but I'm already in favor of variable pricing at SF Giants games. I'll pay more if they score.)

3

Weighted Index

"There are several factors contributing to keep annual inflation above 3% — and they shouldn't be particularly surprising to anyone. Rising rents were a big contributor to inflation last month. Car insurance costs also contributed to higher inflation. And lately, another factor is threatening to push up inflation: gas prices. That's because oil prices have been rallying recently because of a number of factors including worsening geopolitics in the Middle East and improved global demand." Why beating inflation is turning out to be as hard as losing weight.

+ After today's news, my stock portfolio looks like it's on Ozempic. Dow drops by 500 points after a surprisingly bad inflation report.

4

The Heartlessness of Rock and Roll

"In that period, Lewis said that talking to his grown children — his son, Austin, and his daughter, Kelly — is what eventually gave him the confidence to move forward. 'They said, ‘Come on, Dad. Get out of bed, Dad.'" Losing your hearing would be devastating for anyone. But it seems especially cruel for someone whose life is music. NYT (Gift Article): Huey Lewis Lost His Hearing. That Didn’t Stop Him From Making a Musical.

5

Extra, Extra

Life and Death Decision: Brian Dorsey committed some heinous crimes. By all accounts, he was a model prisoner while serving time on death row in Missouri. In fact, more than 70 correctional officers vouched for him and his rehabilitation. Missouri executes Brian Dorsey despite objections by dozens of correctional officers.

+ How Many Hostages Are Alive? "Hamas has indicated it is currently unable to identify and track down 40 Israeli hostages needed for the first phase of a ceasefire deal, according to an Israeli official and a source familiar with the discussions, raising fears that more hostages may be dead than are publicly known." Meanwhile, three sons of Hamas ' top political leader were killed Wednesday and Biden says Bibi still not doing enough to increase humanitarian aid.

+ Allen Wrench: "The ex-Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg has been sentenced to five months in jail for lying under oath in civil fraud case."

+ Ending Forever: "The chemicals are so ubiquitous that they can be found in the blood of almost every person in the United States. A 2023 government study of private wells and public water systems detected PFAS chemicals in nearly half the tap water in the country." NYT (Gift Article): E.P.A. Says ‘Forever Chemicals’ Must Be Removed From Tap Water. "Exposure to PFAS has been associated with metabolic disorders, decreased fertility in women, developmental delays in children and increased risk of some prostate, kidney and testicular cancers."

+ Go for the Gold: "Sebastian Coe has defended World Athletics’ decision to break with 128 years of Olympic tradition by becoming the first sport to give athletes prize money if they are victorious in Paris this summer. Coe said the surprise move, under which gold medal-winning athletes in each of the sport’s 48 events will walk away with $50,000, was merely a reflection that the world has changed and said it was time his sport gave more to its stars."

+ Van Go: "VanDerveer, 70, has been one of the most illustrious coaches in the sport, winning three national championships (1990, 1992 and 2021) in her 38 seasons at Stanford and guiding them to 14 Final Fours." As women's college basketball hits new heights, one of the architects of that rise steps down. Tara VanDerveer, NCAA's winningest basketball coach, retires.

+ Tube Stake: "It’s the most popular social app and music service, the healthiest economy on the internet and AI training fuel. (Spoiler alert: It’s YouTube.)" WaPo (Gift Article): This is the most consequential technology in America. (With all the antitrust action these days, I'm sure Google would rather we not discuss this...)

6

Bottom of the News

"A New York state teacher hosted dozens of his former students to watch Monday’s eclipse, finally fulfilling a promise he made all the way back in 1978. Patrick Moriarty, 68, a former middle school science teacher, brought together about 100 ex-students of his to watch Monday’s total solar eclipse from his driveway." New York teacher fulfills promise first made to 1978 class and throws eclipse party.