The Hour is Getting Late
60 Minutes Ticking Time Bomb
For decades, the tick tick ticking of the 60 Minutes stopwatch has become an emblem of trusted, dependable investigative journalism. For the first 133920 minutes of the new Trump administration, the tick tick ticking feels like it represents a ticking time bomb countdown to another democratic norm exploding as the Trump administration lights a fuse and organizations looking for transactional gains refuse to stomp it out. The latest is example is Paramount's failure to vigorously defend 60 Minutes from Trumpian tirades and torts. NYT (Gift Article): ‘60 Minutes’ Chief Resigns in Emotional Meeting: "During the meeting, Mr. Owens alluded to his displeasure with additional layers of oversight that CBS executives had placed on the program. 'In a million years, the corporation didn’t know what was coming up — they trusted ‘60 Minutes’ to report the stories and program the broadcast the way ‘60 Minutes’ saw fit,' he said. Any change to that arrangement, he added, created 'a really slippery slope.'" As I've said repeatedly, for their corporate overlords, network news divisions and shows barely represent a rounding error on the balance sheet. Here's this story's money shot. "Paramount’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, is eager to secure the Trump administration’s approval for a multibillion-dollar sale of her company to Skydance, a company run by the son of the tech billionaire Larry Ellison. She has expressed a desire to settle Mr. Trump’s case ... Legal experts have dismissed that suit as baseless and far-fetched." Whether Redstone's decision to commit news independence Shari-kari will be enough to satisfy Trump is anyone's guess. But this marks another bleak slide away from democratic norms, even as we're learning that taking a stand can be effective. We're not just going to be able to cross our fingers and hope to run out of the clock on Trump's authoritarian leanings. So let us not talk falsely now. The hour is getting late.
2
When the Levies Break
The on again off again tariffs blew in a direction the market liked this morning and then seem to shift to a more cautious position. WSJ (Gift Article): White House Considers Slashing China Tariffs to De-Escalate Trade War. "Levies could be cut by more than half in some cases although Trump hasn’t yet made final decision." Trump also indicated that he wouldn't take the insane step of firing Fed chair Jerome Powell. (I want the market to rebound as much as anyone, but I think these swings—in addition to providing massive opportunities for insider gains for anyone who knows when one of these Trump shifts is coming—represent a level of denial in the market. The levers may shift in in different directions, but the problem is guy pulling the levers.)
+ "Factories are being automated across China at a breakneck pace. With engineers and electricians tending to fleets of robots, these operations are bringing down the cost of manufacturing while improving quality." NYT (Gift Article): China Has an Army of Robots on Its Side in the Tariff War. (America has one guy repeatedly yelling "Me Want Tariffs" at a TV playing Fox & Friends on a loop.)
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Abroad Daylight
"To see this big drop in views and applications to the US — and the similar rise in those looking to leave — is unprecedented." A Nature analysis signals the beginnings of a US science brain drain. "Data from the Nature Careers global science jobs platform show that US scientists submitted 32% more applications for jobs abroad between January and March 2025 than during the same period in 2024."
+ "Here in France, research is a priority, innovation a culture, science a limitless horizon. Researchers from all over the world, choose France, choose Europe." Macron invites international scientists to come work in France.
+ We're not just losing current scientists. We're losing future ones. WaPo: Donald Trump’s war on children. "Destroying these programs is not only cruel and contrary to the far-right’s allegedly pro-family agenda; it’s also tremendously wasteful. Research shows that government dollars spent on kids — especially on low-income kids’ health and education — offer some of the highest returns on investment."
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Batsip Crazy
"Some humans like to think of themselves as good multitaskers, but bats may do it better. Many bat species have the ability to fly while simultaneously drinking water — but unlike people who try similar multitasking, such as driving while texting, the bats never crash." NYT (Gift Article): How Bats Enjoy an In-Flight Beverage Service.
5
Extra, Extra
Peace Through Strength Reduction: JD Vance has outlined a peace plan to end the war in Ukraine. And you'll never guess who it favors. Vance Outlines U.S. Plan for Ukraine That Sharply Favors Russia. "Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday called on Ukraine to accept an American peace proposal that closely aligns with longstanding Russian goals, including a 'freeze' of territorial lines in the three-year war, acceptance of the annexation of Crimea by Russia and a prohibition on Ukraine becoming part of the NATO alliance." Meanwhile, Trump administration unwinds efforts to investigate Russian war crimes.
+ Children of the Court: "In shelters across New York, migrant children sit in front of computer and TV screens, appearing virtually in real court proceedings. They swivel in chairs, walk in circles and play with their hair — while immigration judges address them on the screens in front of them." Who's not there? Lawyers. 4-year-old migrant girl, other kids go to court in NYC with no lawyer.
+ The Trill is Gone: The 19 richest households in America added $1 trillion in wealth last year. (And somehow, some of those families didn't think the Biden administration's policies were favorable enough to them?)
+ Elon Road Home: As Tesla profits plunge 71%, Elon Musk says he'll spend less time on DOGE. (I'm sure if he cuts back to a couple days a week of heiling and swinging around a chainsaw, people will chill.) Patrick George in The Atlantic: Tesla’s Remarkably Bad Quarter Is Even Worse Than It Looks. "Arguably, its biggest and most immediate problem is that electric-vehicle fans in America, who tend to lean left politically, do not want to buy Musk’s cars anymore." (I live in Marin County, home of some the earliest adopters and most frequent buyers of Teslas. They are everywhere. But these days, many of the ones on the road have some version of bumper sticker explaining that they the car was purchased before Elon went crazy. The best bumper sticker I've seen on a Tesla: "I identify as a Rivian.)
+ Cohort Support: Amanda Hess in the NYT Mag: My Son Has a Rare Syndrome. So I Turned to the Internet. Social media became a place of both solace and torment. (That pretty much sums up social media in general.)
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Bottom of the News
"Here’s the problem. When you become pope you pick your pope name. Which means you give up your own name. And we cannot sacrifice the name 'Pierbattista Pizzaballa' any more than we can tear down the Leaning Tower of Pisa." We Cannot Let This Man Become the Next Pope.
+ Reminder: For any fellow SF Giants fans out there, I'm pretty sure I've created the perfect T-shirt/Hoodie for this season.