Saturday, March 15
Robert Reich
With Heather Lofthouse and yours truly, Robert Reich
Friends,
Today Heather and I take a deep dive into the Trump regime’s efforts to suppress free speech on university campuses in America, starting with the detention of a Columbia University graduate student for no reason other than his beliefs and his participation in peaceful demonstrations that the regime disapproves of.
We then zoom out to the larger story of the Trump-Musk attack on American universities, and the simultaneous crackdown on dissent by the American oligarchy with power over social and mainstream media (Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Rupert Murdoch, and others).
Where is the opposition? Heather and I then assess why the Democratic Party is so supine — and why Chuck Schumer in particular is so willing to surrender to Trump and Musk — even in light of Trump and Musk’s wanton destruction of the government and the devastating economic consequences of Trump’s tariffs.
Please grab a cuppa, pull up a chair, take our poll, and join the conversation.
Today Heather and I take a deep dive into the Trump regime’s efforts to suppress free speech on university campuses in America, starting with the detention of a Columbia University graduate student for no reason other than his beliefs and his participation in peaceful demonstrations that the regime disapproves of.
We then zoom out to the larger story of the Trump-Musk attack on American universities, and the simultaneous crackdown on dissent by the American oligarchy with power over social and mainstream media (Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Rupert Murdoch, and others).
Where is the opposition? Heather and I then assess why the Democratic Party is so supine — and why Chuck Schumer in particular is so willing to surrender to Trump and Musk — even in light of Trump and Musk’s wanton destruction of the government and the devastating economic consequences of Trump’s tariffs.
Please grab a cuppa, pull up a chair, take our poll, and join the conversation.
Brookings Brief
Growth and affordability trends in US metro areas over the past decade
Can U.S. metro areas achieve economic growth and prosperity while preserving affordability? Examining economic performance and cost-of-living trends at the regional scale may help policymakers understand how their actions can better balance wages and prices for workers and families.
The 2025 update to Brookings Metro Monitor uses 15 indicators to measure economic performance and affordability over the past decade across the nation’s 195 largest metro areas.
At A Glance
Bookkeeping
> 13 and 4: The number of drinks Starbucks cut from its US menu, and the goal in minutes for completing a Starbucks order.
> 128: The number of new moons discovered around Saturn, bringing the planet's total to 274—the most of any planet in the Milky Way.
> 57%: The percentage of Americans who aren't honest with their dentist.
Browse
> Ranking America's happiest cities.
> The best photos of a blood worm moon.
> An illustrative guide to playing poker.
> Medieval bishop's ring heads to auction.
> The US states hurt by EU tariffs on American liquor.
> International flight forced to return due to clogged toilets.
Listen
> Dropping the Mask: What happens when we soften or edit our true selves?
Watch
> The most common way to get head lice.
> How do we know the Earth isn't flat?
> Orangutan learns how to saw.
Long Read
> The $1M cactus heist that led to a smuggler's downfall.
> It began with a rabbit: unraveling the mystery of memory.
> Telehealth companies are marketing hair-loss medication finasteride to young men—but the drug comes with potentially serious side effects.
Most Clicked This Week: Visualizing the best age to take Social Security.
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Donatella Versace steps down as creative director at Versace after 28 years leading the luxury fashion house (More) | Oasis movie to be filmed during the band's summer 2025 reunion tour (More)
> National Women's Soccer League season kicks off today; see season preview and storylines (More) | NBC signs $3B deal for US rights to broadcast the 2034 and 2036 Olympic Games (More)
> NCAA basketball conference championships wrap up this weekend; see latest March Madness bracket predictions for the women's tournament (More) | ... and the men's tourney (More)
Science & Technology
> OpenAI calls for protecting the training of AI models on copyrighted work as fair use; comments were submitted to the White House's AI Action Plan, due out in July (More) | The history of OpenAI (1440 Topics)
> Engineers turn skin cells directly into neurons, skipping the traditional step of using stem cells; breakthrough may lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases (More) | What are stem cells? (1440 Topics)
> Scientists develop genetic technology preventing mosquitoes from transmitting the parasite that causes malaria; technology could save thousands of lives annually in lower-income countries (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -1.4%, Dow -1.3%, Nasdaq -2.0%); S&P 500 enters correction territory, falling more than 10% from all-time high in February as President Donald Trump threatens tariffs on European wine and spirits (More)
> Spirit Airlines exits Chapter 11 bankruptcy after four-month restructuring (More) | See previous write-up (More)
> US average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rises to 6.65%, ending seven-week slide (More) | US weekly jobless claims drop to 220,000 for week ending March 8 (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> White House withdraws nomination of Dave Weldon to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (More) | Trump administration asks Supreme Court to narrow nationwide injunctions that have blocked a plan to end birthright citizenship (More) | Johns Hopkins University to eliminate 2,000 positions following federal budget cuts (More)
> Russia claims it has retaken Sudzha, the biggest town in the Kursk border region controlled by Ukraine, as Russian President Vladimir Putin signals openness to temporary ceasefire but not an immediate end to the war (More)
> Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira pleads guilty to obstructing justice in a military court-martial; Teixeira receives dishonorable discharge sentence on top of existing 15-year prison sentence for federal charges related to the leak (More)
SOURCWE: 1440 NEWS
Cancer Update
I receive two monthly inclusions (Opdivo for the Melanoma and IVIG to boost my anemia). I take daily Venclexta pills for my Lymphoma at a cost of $12-$15,000/month. I have a grant that pays for this.
Today, when I went for my month Opdivo infusion, my Oncologist felt a bunch of lymph nodes in my left arm pit and 2 in my right arm pit that had never been felt before. While he appeared not to be worried, he ordered a PET scan.
A PET scan is a step up from a CT scan. The CT shows location, the PET gives a 3D image for depth. By ordering the PET scan he is more concerned than he would be had he ordered the CT scan. I have typically been getting a CT scan every 3-4 months. So, I was due for one.
My monthly blood work, my physical condition, no weight loss yields the picture that it is probably nothing about which to worry and could just be from a recent infection that I was too healthy to notice.
But, there is also the possibility that my small scale Lymphoma will/could turn into large scale Lymphoma and become very aggressive. In that case, I will undergo the wicked chemo and quite possibly radiation.
There also has been the possibility that my Melanoma will resist the treatment and begin to grow as well.
Consequently, I try to appreciate every single day even though even single day is not always filled with wonderous stuff going on.
First Humanoid Race in China
A one-of-a-kind event is fast approaching in southeast Beijing’s Economic-Technological Development Area (often called “Beijing E-Town”). Slated for April 13, this half-marathon will see humans and humanoid robots compete on the same 21km route.
As registrations begin on March 5, global anticipation is quickly mounting. While the basic format has been public knowledge for some time, newly released rules give a clearer picture of the event and its stakes.
Additionally, recent announcements of more than 10,000 robot placements in key industries amidst the marathon preparations suggest something far larger is at stake for China’s robotics sector.
Extended competition rules
For the robot category, organizers have set a cutoff completion time of roughly 3 hours and 30 minutes. Unlike human runners, robot teams can switch batteries mid-race or swap out their robots in a relay setup. Each change, however, comes with a 10-minute penalty added to the team’s final time. READ MORE...
Friday, March 14
At A Glance
Visualizing the annual migration of half a billion birds.
Inside the steam pipe network keeping New Yorkers warm.
How the oven has evolved over the decades. (via YouTube)
Engineers use worm robots to install underground power lines.
America's workers are clocking out earlier.
Mapping Earth's wandering magnetic north pole.
What makes cockroaches so resilient.
Giant sea turtle returns home after flipper surgery. (via YouTube)
Clickbait: How to glamp like a nomad (w/video).
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture> Harvey Weinstein's retrial of his 2020 rape and sexual assault conviction set for April 15; Weinstein's conviction was thrown out last year by the New York Court of Appeals (More)
> UEFA Champions League quarterfinals set after second leg of Round of 16 wraps (More) | See latest bracket (More) | Tiger Woods biopic film in the works, to be produced by Barack and Michelle Obama (More)
> Spotify paid out all-time high of $10B in royalties to music industry in 2024, including more than $1M to nearly 1,500 individual artists (More) | Sequel to 1984 cult comedy "This Is Spinal Tap" set for Sept. 12 release (More)
Science & Technology
> The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lays off more than 1,000 people as part of Trump administration's workforce reduction plan; agency's duties include collecting data to monitor and predict storms, coastal restoration, and more (More)
> DNA analysis reveals Stone Age Europeans successfully voyaged overseas to North Africa roughly 8,000 years ago; marks the first evidence of sea voyaging across the Mediterranean during this period (More)
> Google reveals Gemma 3, an open-access AI model for developers that can interpret text, images, and short videos (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.5%, Dow -0.2%, Nasdaq +1.2%) after cooler-than-expected inflation data and as traders scoop up tech stocks, including Nvidia (+6.4%) (More) | US consumer price index rises 2.8% year over year in February, down from 3% in January (More)
> iRobot shares fall over 35% after Roomba maker raises doubt about its future (More) | Intel shares rise over 11% in after-hours trading after former board member Lip-Bu Tan named as CEO; comes three months after former CEO's ousting (More)
> US budget deficit rises in February, surpasses $1T for first five months of fiscal year 2025; the figure sets a record and is up $318B from the same period in 2024, or roughly 38% higher (More) | Understanding the deficit (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Senate Democrats expected to reject GOP-led House-passed funding bill as Friday midnight shutdown nears; House adjourns for the week (More) | Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) won't run for reelection in 2026, adds to list of open seats in states like Michigan and Minnesota as Democrats seek to regain Senate majority (More)
> Immigration officials arrest more than 32,000 migrants who have been living in the US without legal status since Jan. 21, per latest Homeland Security data (More)
> Pakistan's army says insurgents who attacked passenger train Tuesday killed 21 hostages; security forces rescued more than 300 others and killed all 33 assailants (More)
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.5%, Dow -0.2%, Nasdaq +1.2%) after cooler-than-expected inflation data and as traders scoop up tech stocks, including Nvidia (+6.4%) (More) | US consumer price index rises 2.8% year over year in February, down from 3% in January (More)
> iRobot shares fall over 35% after Roomba maker raises doubt about its future (More) | Intel shares rise over 11% in after-hours trading after former board member Lip-Bu Tan named as CEO; comes three months after former CEO's ousting (More)
> US budget deficit rises in February, surpasses $1T for first five months of fiscal year 2025; the figure sets a record and is up $318B from the same period in 2024, or roughly 38% higher (More) | Understanding the deficit (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Senate Democrats expected to reject GOP-led House-passed funding bill as Friday midnight shutdown nears; House adjourns for the week (More) | Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) won't run for reelection in 2026, adds to list of open seats in states like Michigan and Minnesota as Democrats seek to regain Senate majority (More)
> Immigration officials arrest more than 32,000 migrants who have been living in the US without legal status since Jan. 21, per latest Homeland Security data (More)
> Pakistan's army says insurgents who attacked passenger train Tuesday killed 21 hostages; security forces rescued more than 300 others and killed all 33 assailants (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
My Sick Vostro
HP Chromebook was probably one of the worst computers, I have ever had the unfortunate experience of owning. My HP's software is more like APPLE than Microsoft so that may have something to do with it...
My Dell Vostro 7620 replaced the HP Chromebook and right now I am using my HP Chromebook because my Dell Vostro is at the Advance Repair Center since the online tech support cannot locate the issue. I have had the hinges on the case replaced, the power port replace, the power source replaced, and the keyboard/touch pad replaced FOUR times... not to mention the hours I have spent on the phone troubleshooting with the techs who take remote control of my laptop.
Surely, Dell has spent more trying to fix this damn computer than I spent buying it.
I was told by the Dell Technician that he hardly ever has a service call to work on a BAD LATTITUDE, just the lower priced units. Of course that does not make me feel any better.
I usually buy a new laptop every five years but with the way technology is advancing and the more power, speed, and space, laptops need, one needs to upgrade every three years. Hard to believe that the owners of these computer companies have become BILLIONAIRES... lol
I was told that my Vostro will be gone 5-7 days... they did not specify business days but I am sure that is what they meant, not including travel time either, I suppose, although they did not say that either.
We'll see...
Albert Camus: Intellectual Titan
French author Albert Camus at the office of his Paris publishing house, 1957. “I don’t like to work sitting down,” Camus said. “I like to stand up—even at my desk. I probably need to wear myself out.” Loomis Dean/Life Picture Collection/Shutterst
In 1968 LIFE magazine summed up the appeal of French philosopher and author Albert Camus with a single sentence: “Camus looked directly into the darkness as saw sun—the human spirit.” The line came from a review of Camus’ book “Lyrical and Critical Essays.” And the fact that LIFE was reviewing such books at all is a throwback to a time when mainstream American media regularly chronicled the doings of French intellectuals.
LIFE ran its biggest story on Camus in October 1957, right around the time he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for fictional works such as The Stranger, The Plague and The Fall, and philosophical writings such as “The Myth of Sisyphus.” Camus was a mere 44 years old at the time, and he remains the second-youngest person to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, after Rudyard Kipling. READ MORE...
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