The Founding Father

Elon's Seed Investment, Contempt of Court

What can one say. Sire's gonna sire. That's about the least weird and disturbing takeaway from the WSJ's (Gift Article) about Elon Musk's reproductive efforts to create an army of mini-mes. This guy has spread more seed than Monsanto. If we want to solve America's budgetary challenges, we should apply congestion pricing to Elon's urethra. The Tactics Elon Musk Uses to Manage His ‘Legion’ of Babies—and Their Mothers. "Musk refers to his offspring as a 'legion,' a reference to the ancient military units that could contain thousands of soldiers and were key to extending the reach of the Roman Empire. During St. Clair’s pregnancy, Musk suggested that they bring in other women to have even more of their children faster. 'To reach legion-level before the apocalypse,' he said to St. Clair in a text message viewed by The Wall Street Journal, 'we will need to use surrogates.' He has recruited potential mothers on his social-media platform X, according to some of the people." I guess running multiple mega-companies and a country is decent training for eventually trying to parent a few dozen teens. Look, the fact that someone's bizarre ideology drives him to give his prostate more work than the speed bag at the Catskill Boxing Club during Mike Tyson's prime is arguably none of our business. But it's newsworthy in this case because were talking about one of the most powerful people in the world who, in between fathering his own kids, is taking a chainsaw to programs that benefit yours.

2

Beneath Contempt

"Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia ruled Wednesday that there is 'probable cause' to find the Trump administration in criminal contempt of court for violating his order last month to immediately pause any deportations under the Alien Enemies Act ... The Court does not reach such conclusion lightly or hastily; indeed, it has given Defendants ample opportunity to rectify or explain their actions. None of their responses has been satisfactory."

+ This is not the only court order being ignored by the Trump administration. NBC: What happens if a president and the federal government fail to follow a judge's orders? (Until about a week ago, that was a rhetorical question.)

+ Boasberg's ruling is a reminder that there's a lot more than one person being unlawfully held in El Salvador. Every day, we get another story like this: Trump Admin Deports Teen With No Criminal Record to El Salvador Prison.

+ Sen. Chris Van Hollen travels to El Salvador to advocate for Kilmar Abrego Garcia's release.

+ AP on how things have changed along the Darien Gap. A jungle route once carried hundreds of thousands of migrants. Now the local economy has crashed.

3

Scorpion, Frog, and Associates

Look, it's no big deal if you're a major law firm looking to avoid a direct conflict with the administration. You just agree to do some uncontroversial pro-bono work you'd probably do anyway and let the president announce a win on social media. But that's not how these negotiations play out. NYT (Gift Article): Law Firms Made Deals With Trump. Now He Wants More From Them. "Over the last week, he has suggested that the firms will be drafted into helping him negotiate trade deals. He has mused about having them help with his goal of reviving the coal industry. And he has hinted that he sees the promises of nearly $1 billion in pro bono legal services that he has extracted from the elite law firms ... as a legal war chest to be used as he wishes."

+ "On the call, Zuckerberg sounded confident that President Trump would back him up with the FTC, said people familiar with the matter. The billionaire Facebook co-founder had been developing closer ties to Trump—his company donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration and settled a $25 million lawsuit—and had been pressing the president in recent weeks to intervene in the monopoly lawsuit." Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Failed Negotiations to End Antitrust Case.

4

Ornamental Institution

"One day in 1963, a man identifying himself only as Bill telephoned Rauch from Chicago. The caller, who turned out to be a member of the family that had founded the Spiegel catalog business, wondered whether Rauch’s company could wrap shiny rayon thread around papier-mâché balls. Rauch, who died March 18 at the age of 102, had no idea why anyone would want satin spheres but was happy to try making them." It paid off. WSJ (Gift Article): Marshall Rauch, Jewish Maker of Christmas-Tree Ornaments, Dies at 102.

5

Extra, Extra

Sudan: "Sudan is now worse off than ever before. The largest humanitarian crisis, largest displacement crisis, largest hunger crisis … It’s breaking all sorts of wrong records." Sudan in ‘world’s largest humanitarian crisis’ after two years of civil war. NPR: Photos: Two years of war in Sudan.

+ Prosecuting the Prosecutors: The latest retribution effort: Trump administration seeks criminal prosecution of New York attorney general.

+ Gender Rules: The UK "Supreme Court has ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex, in a decision which could have far-reaching implications for who can access single-sex services and spaces."

+ Tumor, Mass: A bizarre story is unfolding as six Massachusetts hospital workers who work on the same floor have reported getting brain tumors. All the tumors have been benign. Meanwhile, a new study suggests that getting CT scans could be more dangerous than people thought.

+ Meth and Taxes: "These are very fundamental policy changes. There isn’t a modern experience for how to think about this." Fed Chair Powell gives starkest warning yet on potential economic consequences from tariffs. (Given the state of my portfolio, I don't need a modern way to think about this. I'd settle for modern way to ignore it.)

+ MTG Force: Police use stun gun on two people at Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Georgia town hall. At least it wasn't space lasers.

+ Silent Filmmaker: "It’s amazing that others [who have been] in this room underwrote electing a man who, in the last week, single-handedly destroyed all of American science." Seth Rogen attack on Trump edited out of science awards show coverage.

6

Bottom of the News

"Millions are tuning in to the hottest show captivating Sweden: It's reality, it's live, and after hours of slow shots of calming nature, the stars arrive — Sweden's beloved moose on their spring migration." The Great Moose Migration started airing on Tuesday. I watched for a bit. I didn't see a moose. But it sure beat reading the news.

+ Since Coachella is taking place, you may be wondering what the word Coachella means. Well, "according to the city's website, during the process of laying out the townsite in 1901, Rector proposed 'Conchilla,' which means 'little shell' in Spanish and references the fossils that were found in the area. The developers, in agreement, designed a prospectus that would announce the opening of the new town. But the product they got back from the printer misspelled 'Conchilla' as 'Coachella.'" NPR: Word of the Week: Coachella began as a typo. Here's what happened next.