U-haul of Mirrors

Americans Stay Put

Don't move! Stay right where you are! That's easy advice for me to take. I move so rarely from the couch indentation where I write NextDraft that my kids occasionally place a finger under my nose to see if I'm still breathing. But these days, more and more Americans are not moving; at least not from their communities. A country that was once defined by how often people moved has changed dramatically in recent decades—and the trend has left other core characteristics like entrepreneurship, innovation, growth, and social equality stuck in the mud. "Many Americans are stranded in communities with flat or declining prospects, and lack the practical ability to move across the tracks, the state, or the country—to choose where they want to live. Those who do move are typically heading not to the places where opportunities are abundant, but to those where housing is cheap. Only the affluent and well educated are exempt from this situation; the freedom to choose one’s city or community has become a privilege of class." Yoni Applebaum in The Atlantic(Gift Article): How Progressives Froze the American Dream. Like all big American stories, this one has a tie to the biggest of them all. The growing economic divide. "The trouble is that in the contemporary United States, the greatest economic opportunities are heavily concentrated in blue jurisdictions, which have made their housing prohibitively expensive. So instead of moving toward opportunity, for the first time in our history, Americans are moving away from it—migrating toward the red states that still allow housing to be built, where they can still afford to live."

2

A Developing Story

"Abdullah sat, often looking awkward, as Trump reiterated his proposals. They involve upending decades of established US policy on Israel and the Palestinians and would amount to a clear breach of international law, which prohibits the forcible transfer of populations." In a presser following a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah, Trump sticks to his plan of moving Palestinians to Jordan and Egypt and "developing" Gaza. Meanwhile, the already precarious ceasefire hangs in the balance. More from Trump on Gaza: "We’re going to have it, we’re going to keep it, and we’re going to make sure that there’s going to be peace and there’s not going to be any problem, and nobody’s going to question it, and we’re going to run it very properly ... We’re not gonna have to buy … we’re gonna have Gaza, we don’t have to buy, there’s nothing to buy. It’s a war-torn area. We’re going to take it, we’re going to hold it, we’re going to cherish it." Here's the latest from The Guardian and CNN.

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You Don't Know the Drill

"They describe routine 90-hour-plus workweeks, sleep deprivation and an always-on culture that frequently caused the job’s requisite intensity to seep into their personal lives, igniting disputes with loved ones. Others detailed bouts of depression or alcohol dependency." Most of us only associate Marine drill instructors with the stress and anxiety they induce in others. It turns out that they are under extreme pressure themselves. WaPo(Gift Article): In one of the Marines’ most iconic jobs, a stunning pattern of suicide.

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Law Firm?

Did you hear the latest lawyer joke? There isn't one. Everything associated with lawyers these days is dead serious because they're providing the key layer of defense against illegal department and program cuts. In the latest move, a judge blocked Trump from cutting billions in medical research funding. "A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked Donald Trump’s administration from cutting scientific research grants from the National Institutes of Health after 22 mostly Democratic-leaning states sued."

+ This far from the first time in the eventful first three weeks of the new administration that lawyers have brought cases and judges have slowed down the roll of Trump (and Musk). The big question is whether the court orders will be followed. FEMA official ignores judge's latest order, demands freeze on grant funding.

+ In other news from the law and order administration... Trump pardons disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. NYT: Push to Drop Mayer Eric Adams' Charges Reveals a Justice Dept. Under Trump’s Sway. And NYT (Gift Article): Pardoned by Trump, Jan. 6 Defendants Assail Those Who Worked on Their Cases.

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Extra, Extra

A High Marc: Some great news... "Today, President Donald J. Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are able to announce that Mr. Witkoff is leaving Russian airspace with Marc Fogel, an American who was detained by Russia." And some news to keep your eye on. "In his statement, Waltz said that the US and Russia 'negotiated an exchange that serves as a show of good faith from the Russians and a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine.'" It's worth noting that among all the other news, it was barely mentioned that on Sunday, Trump said of Ukraine: "They may make a deal, they may not make a deal. They may be Russian some day, or they may not be Russian some day." Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary to visit Ukraine for talks on energy, rare earth minerals.

+ Cutting the Cheese: "Rosenow’s farm in Waumandee, western Wisconsin, is almost entirely reliant on foreign workers. The US president’s pledge to initiate the biggest deportation plan in American history could, he said, destroy that workforce — and threaten the future of his farm." Wisconsin dairy farmers fret over immigration crackdown. "If there’s no immigrant labor, there’s no milk, no cheese, no butter, no ice cream. We’ll all have to go vegan." (My guess is that we'll see a lot more of the deportations happening in blue states and urban areas.)

+ Not Open for Business: Sam Altman to Elon Musk: 'OpenAI is not for sale.' "A group of investors led by Elon Musk has offered to buy the nonprofit that controls the AI startup for $97.4 billion." (Finally, some Elon Musk news...)

+ Me, Myself, and AI: "Leading artificial intelligence assistants create distortions, factual inaccuracies and misleading content in response to questions about news and current affairs." (Just when I thought I was out...)

+ Assume the Lotus Position: "White specializes in characters who leave viewers unsure of how to feel about them, or about themselves. With 'The White Lotus,' though, he has found a way to provide plenty of pleasure along with the pain. The show is both a social satire and a murder mystery, named for the fictional luxury hotel chain where it is set." The New Yorker: Mike White’s Mischievous Vision for The White Lotus. (The show's season premiere drops this Sunday, which is just in time because my wife and I just completed TV. All of it.)

+ Nickel Down Economics: And a headline that seems to capture 2025: Getting rid of the penny introduces a new problem: nickels.

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Bottom of the News

"If a dog relishes the challenge of sniffing out a hidden human, but reacts with fear to loud, sudden banging sounds–perhaps they’re destined for wilderness over urban search and rescue. If they love to smell and be rewarded, but crave routine, then a long-term post in the lab could be the perfect fit." A visit to dog college. (My beagles are waiting for the college to offer Zoom classes.)

+ "Security personnel had a busy time Monday night ejecting Mavericks fans for violations of the NBA's code of conduct. A couple of fans were bounced for holding up signs that read 'FIRE NICO.' Dumont was loudly booed, something he should get used to. Former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban got into a shouting match with a pair of fans and then had them both tossed." The biggest trade in the NBA has caused the biggest fan outrage in the NBA. Every Mavericks Home Game Is Now A Mutiny.