Sunday, March 30
Robert Reich
Sunday thought
Comedy and tragedy
Friends,
The past week has been another horror show, and I share your anxiety and sleeplessness.
But the past week also reveals the utter incompetence of Trump and his regime.
Even The Wall Street Journal criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for trying to dismiss “Signalgate” as a hoax, calls Trump negotiator Steve Witkoff “out of his depth in dealing with world crises,” and condemns the administration for thinking “it can bully its way through anything by shouting Fake News.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) instructs the administration to “own it and fix it.”
During the ensuing uproar, Witkoff goes off the deep end, telling Tucker Carlson that Vladimir Putin is “straight up” and not a “bad guy,” claiming he’s “100 percent” certain Russia “doesn’t want to overrun Europe,” and embracing Russia’s claim that people in the seized Ukrainian territory “want to be under Russian rule.”
At A Glance
Society & Culture
> Movies that killed these actors' careers.
> The story of pizza in America.
> Mark her 100th birthday by reading Flannery O'Connor's best letters.
> How Picasso inspired an art movement.
> The history of rock 'n' roll in 60 seconds.
World History
> Tenochtitlan, the Aztec Venice of the Americas.
> The first Potomac cherry trees were planted 113 years ago.
> Who first said, "rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God"?
> How did Polynesian wayfinders navigate the Pacific Ocean?
> The ancient crops we've forgotten how to grow.
Business & Finance
> The bitcoin mine running on hydropower in remote Zambia.
> How one of India's poorest states became prosperous.
> Novak Djokovic's role (or lack of one) in wineries, cheese, and more.
> A look into the ongoing snack recession.
> Speaking coach shares insights on how to resolve conflict.
Health & Medicine
> Fifteen possible answers to "what is the meaning of life?"
> Why Friday surgeries are (likely) riskier.
> What's the point of pain?
> How often you should wash your water bottle.
> A town overtaken by the ergot fungus.
Science & Technology
> Inside the world's largest two-headed calf collection.
> How industrial giant Faber-Castell makes 2 billion pencils a year.
> The rise in the malicious use of drones.
> Unique "fish doorbell" lets people online open locks for fish.
> The latest images from the James Webb Space Telescope.
Nuclear Fission
Background
Nuclear power is electricity derived from the energy at the core of an atom. Energy is released when the nucleus of an atom splits (fission) or merges with the nucleus of another atom (fusion).
Conventional nuclear power relies on fission; it accounts for nearly 20% of electricity production in the United States and 10% worldwide. But we’re still learning how to utilize fusion reactions.
Nuclear plants take years and cost tens of billions of dollars to build, but they don’t produce greenhouse gases and have large generating capacities. See a map of active US nuclear plants here.
History
Nuclear fission was discovered in 1938 in a Berlin laboratory. It was quickly co-opted by the Axis and Allied powers racing to create destructive weapons during World War II. The top-secret American effort, known as the Manhattan Project, produced the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in August 1945.
Six years later, in a rural Idaho desert, the US built the world’s first nuclear power plant. At first, it could power only four 200-watt light bulbs. Today, nuclear power accounts for roughly half of carbon-free electricity in the US.
Most US nuclear reactors were built between 1967 and 1990. Further construction became hindered, however, for a variety of reasons, including construction time, cost, safety concerns, and the introduction of cheap natural gas.
How It Works
All commercially operating nuclear plants generate power via fission, and most use uranium as fuel. The silvery-white metal is mined, milled, and then enriched (see overview).
When a neutron hits these uranium atoms, it sets off a chain reaction (visualize here). As the atoms split into smaller atoms and neutrons, they release energy in the form of heat and radiation. The heat is used to boil water. The resulting steam is funneled through a large turbine, causing it to spin and produce electricity that’s fed to the power grid.
Spent uranium fuel must be carefully cooled and buried underground because it’s highly radioactive and capable of damaging or killing cells in living things. Read about the long-standing debate over waste storage here.
Meltdowns are rare but dangerous accidents that occur when the core of a reactor overheats and melts. Radioactive materials can escape into the surrounding area, poisoning nearby communities and ecosystems. The worst meltdowns occurred at Ukraine’s Chernobyl plant in 1986 and Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011. The most serious domestic accident was a partial meltdown at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island plant in 1979.
While it's difficult to trace diseases back to radiation exposure, studies have linked the Chernobyl meltdown to increased cancer prevalence, and these accidents have severely damaged public perception of nuclear power.
Future
The advent of power-hungry data centers and the race to reach net-zero emissions by midcentury have renewed interest in nuclear power. The Biden administration unveiled a roadmap to triple the nation’s nuclear capacity by 2050, and tech giants at the forefront of AI have also announced multibillion-dollar investments in nuclear power.
Since building traditional reactors is so expensive and time-intensive, significant attention is being given to restarting mothballed reactors and developing small modular reactors, which produce less power but are safer and cheaper.
Scientists have also spent decades trying to generate power from fusion, which could bring more low-carbon electricity to the grid without producing long-lasting nuclear waste. They achieved a breakthrough in California Dec. 5, 2022, sparking a fusion reaction that created more energy than it used. The feat, known as ignition, has since been replicated with steadily increasing energy yields.
In The NEWS
Utah becomes first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water.
Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed legislation Thursday preventing people or government entities from adding fluoride to water systems in the state, effective May 7. Fluoride is a mineral that helps inhibit or reverse cavities and tooth decay and can be naturally found in water, soil, and rocks (see overview). As of 2022, roughly 44% of Utah's population received fluoridated water, according to the CDC (see stats)—among the lowest in the US.
State Department formally notifies Congress it is dissolving USAID.
The State Department officially informed Congress of its plan to shutter the US Agency for International Development and transfer some of its functions to the department by July 1. The move, expected to face legal challenges, comes after the Trump administration laid off thousands of USAID employees and revoked funding for over 80% of the agency's programs. The administration has argued USAID mismanaged taxpayer funds and supported programs not aligned with US interests. See our previous write-up here.
Nearly 500 cases of measles reported across 20 states, per CDC.
As of Friday, the measles outbreak in Texas had infected 400 people, while four other states are also experiencing outbreaks. The outbreaks—defined as three or more cases—include New Mexico, Kansas, Ohio, and Oklahoma. In total, the US has 483 confirmed measles cases, with 157 cases in children under the age of 5 and 204 in those between the ages of 5 and 19. See data from the CDC here.
CoreWeave begins trading on Nasdaq after raising $1.5B in IPO.
The Nvidia-backed cloud computing firm provides graphics processing unit infrastructure to artificial intelligence developers. Its initial public offering is the largest tech IPO since 2021 after selling 37.5 million shares priced at $40 each. CoreWeave initially planned to sell 49 million shares for between $47 and $55 each. Its shares began trading at $39 each Friday and closed at $40. Learn more about IPOs on our 1440 Topics page.
Trump pardons Nikola founder Trevor Milton in securities fraud case.
Milton was convicted in October 2022 on securities and wire fraud charges for falsely claiming to investors about the success of Nikola's electric and hydrogen-powered trucks. He was sentenced to four years in prison (but had been free on a $100M bail while appealing the case). President Donald Trump's pardon exempts Milton from serving prison time and paying restitution to Nikola shareholders, though he may still face civil lawsuits.
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Deporting Criminals
Do you want criminals from foreign countries living in our country selling drugs, trafficking in females and males, stealing, and committing other crimes because the previous government allowed them to enter this country unmolested?
Forget the fact that they entered this country, do you want these kinds of people living in the the USA?
We heard that the NUMBER THREE man for MS-13 was caught in Dale City, Virginia a few days ago.
Well... my wife's sister called that night and said that person was living five miles from her house.
NOW... there is a group of Democrats who have hired themselves a lawyer to prevent the Trump Administration from DEPORTING members of TREN DE ARAGUA, the notorious gang from El Salvador.
Trump has designated this gang as a terrorist group and there are Americans who want this terrorist group to remain in the USA... WHY?
Do they want this terrorist group to remain in the USA because they HATE TRUMP or because they want a TERRORIST GROUP to operate here in the USA?
Neither answer makes much sense to me.
Curiosity rover cracked open a rock and may have settled the 'life on Mars' debate
Imagine taking a leisurely Sunday drive, and you accidentally smash something on the road that turns out to be an unprecedented scientific revelation. Well, that’s exactly what happened to NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover when it struck yellow sulfur on the Red Planet.
While working its usual Martian shift, the rover stumbled upon, rather drove over, a rock and cracked it wide open, revealing a sight never before seen on Mars – a dazzling display of yellow sulfur crystals.
This unexpected discovery was relayed to a team of astounded scientists, including Ashwin Vasavada, the Curiosity’s project scientist from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
Saturday, March 29
Robert Reich
Is the Trump Fever Breaking? | Saturday Coffee Klatch for March 29, 2025
With Heather Lofthouse and yours truly, Robert Reich
Friends,
Today Heather and I assess how far the Trump regime is falling — starting with this week’s “Signalgate” fiasco, the regime’s increasing detention of international students without due process of law, wildly unconstitutional executive orders, brainless tariffs, and coming assault on Greenland (of all places).
We also take a look at how voters seem to be responding — overwhelmingly against Trump and Musk — and ask if the Trump fever is finally breaking.
Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, take our survey, and join the conversation.
With Heather Lofthouse and yours truly, Robert Reich
Friends,
Today Heather and I assess how far the Trump regime is falling — starting with this week’s “Signalgate” fiasco, the regime’s increasing detention of international students without due process of law, wildly unconstitutional executive orders, brainless tariffs, and coming assault on Greenland (of all places).
We also take a look at how voters seem to be responding — overwhelmingly against Trump and Musk — and ask if the Trump fever is finally breaking.
Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, take our survey, and join the conversation.
At A Glance
Bookkeeping
> 25: The number of 3-pointers made by Alabama in an NCAA game against BYU, breaking the record for most 3-pointers in a March Madness game.
> 1.5 feet: The longest tail ever on a domestic living cat. See photos of Pugsley.
Browse
> MLB's most-followed mascots.
> Kermit the Frog college commencement speaker.
> USPS officially releases Betty White stamps.
> Earth’s five catastrophic mass extinctions, explained.
> Astrophotographer captures stunning shots of the world's skies.
Listen
> How to find your purpose and fill your life with small joys.
Watch
> Inside the multimillion-dollar office building featured in "Severance."
> Why only some people can see the Hat Man during sleep paralysis.
> The man who makes pizzas on an active Guatemalan volcano.
Long Read
> How volunteering can help you stay healthier and more fulfilled later in life.
> The ancient "forest" that kept Venice afloat for more than 1,600 years.
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Sundance Film Festival to relocate to Boulder, Colorado, beginning in 2027 after 40 years in Park City, Utah (More)
> Netflix's "Baby Reindeer" leads all series with eight nominations for the 2025 BAFTAs, or British Academy of Film and Television Arts (More)
> NCAA women's basketball tournament Sweet 16 round kicks off today; see full schedule and preview (More) | ... and see latest men's bracket (More)
Science & Technology
> Researchers discover new class of antibiotic that targets drug-resistant bacteria; molecule, known as lariocidin, interrupts bacteria protein production in a previously unknown way (More) | What are superbugs? (1440 Topics)
> OpenAI to limit rate of requests for its new image generator within ChatGPT, saying the viral uptake has overloaded servers (More)
> New findings link neural cell death with the growth of glioblastoma, one of the most lethal types of brain cancer; the five-year survival rate for the disease is under 10% (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.3%, Dow -0.4%, Nasdaq -0.5%) as US tariffs on imported vehicles, effective April 2, weigh on stocks (More)
> French video game maker Ubisoft spins out new unit for popular game brands, including Assassin’s Creed; Chinese tech giant Tencent to take $1.25B stake (More) | GameStop shares slide 22% after retailer says it plans to raise $1.3B in debt to buy bitcoin (More)
> The US economy grew at an annual rate of 2.4% in Q4 of 2024, per revised data; full-year US gross domestic product—the total value of goods and services produced—grew at 2.8% rate (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> President Donald Trump withdraws Rep. Elise Stefanik's (R, NY-1) nomination as US ambassador to the UN, cites narrow Republican majority in the US House (More)
> Tufts University student, a Turkish national on a valid visa, detained and transferred to ICE center in Louisiana; Rümeysa Öztürk is the latest international student to be arrested amid a broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian sentiment in universities (More, w/video) | At least 300 students have had visas revoked, state secretary says (More)
> New York county clerk blocks Texas from filing legal action against New York doctor who sent abortion pills to a Texas woman; dispute likely to reach Supreme Court, highlights conflict between states with differing abortion laws (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Illegal Immigrants
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If you are an illegal immigrant, then you don't belong in this country, no matter how bad you want to be here. If you want to be in the USA that bad, then enter the legal way, no matter how long it might take you.
If you are an illegal immigrant and commit crimes in this country then, when you are caught, you should be charged with the crime and if convicted should go to jail or be deported. I favor deportation because I do not want my tax dollars paying for you room and board.
If you are an illegal immigrant and you commit a violent crime, then you should be deported immediately and sent back to your country of origin and if they refuse, then you should be sent to a country that will accept you into their criminal justice system.
If you are an illegal immigrant and get married while in this country, then you should be allowed to remain as long as you remain married, but you should never be allowed to become a citizen. If you get a divorce, your children can stay but you should be deported.
If you are an illegal immigrant who is pregnant and have your baby while in this country, the child should be allowed to stay if living with US citizens or if adopted by US citizens.
Of course, this is just my opinion, but I think a lot of people share my views
'World’s oldest pyramid' built 25,000 years ago was not made by humans, archaeologists claim
While Guinness World Records officially lists the Djoser Step pyramid in Egypt as the world’s oldest pyramid (around 2,630 BC), one paper published in October claimed a layer of the Gunung Padang pyramid in Indonesia was constructed as far back as 25,000 BC – though there has since been doubts as to whether the structure was ever man-made at all.
In research led by Danny Hilman Natawidjaja of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, and published in the journal Archaeological Prospection, the academics write that “the pyramid’s core consists of meticulously sculpted massive andesite lava” and that the “oldest construction” element of the pyramid “likely originated as a natural lava hill before being sculpted and then architecturally enveloped”.
Friday, March 28
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