Friday, July 11
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Robert Reich
Why Miller, Vought, Bondi, Patel, Noem, Vance, Kennedy Jr., Rubio, and Hegseth are amplifying his cruelty
Friends,
The conventional explanation for why Trump’s second term is far more extreme than his first (which was extreme enough) is that the guardrails are now gone.
The people who occupied significant roles in the White House and Cabinet during his first administration — who talked him out of (or subverted) his illegal and unconstitutional cravings — are no longer there. In their places are loyalists who will do whatever he wants.
But this conventional view overlooks a more important explanation.
He’s more extreme this time because he’s attracted people around him who are also extreme and pushing him to new levels of malevolence.
At A Glance
Time magazine ranks 100 most influential online creators.
... and Lonely Planet ranks the US' top 23 beaches.
Why Dairy Queen can't legally sell "ice cream."
... Speaking of ice cream, tomorrow's 1440 Society & Culture newsletter dives into the history of the classic dessert.
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Matcha lovers are turning against each other.
Scientist's pet cat helps discover new virus.
Quiz yourself on famous literary artworks.
Famous pygmy hippo Moo Deng turns one.
Clickbait: Homeschooling at Disney parks.
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> President Donald Trump to attend Sunday's FIFA Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain (More) | Brazil national soccer coach Carlo Ancelotti gets one-year prison sentence in Spain for failure to pay taxes (More)
> “Ne Zha 2,” Chinese animated film that made $2.2B at global box office, sets Aug. 22 release date for English-language version, which will include Michelle Yeoh as part of the voice cast (More)
> Max officially reverts its name back to HBO Max just two years after initial switch (More) | "Big Bang Theory" spinoff series confirmed for HBO Max (More)
Science & Technology
> Researchers isolate the oldest proteins ever analyzed, recovered from the enamel of an extinct rhino species at least 18 million years old (More)
> New study estimates 27 million tons of nanoplastics—plastic particles smaller than the width of spider silk—exist in the North Atlantic Ocean; results raise concerns over the penetration of such particles into marine food chains (More)
> Significant weight loss triggers mechanisms in cells to begin recycling harmful lipids and the removal of senescent, or no longer dividing, cells; study is the most detailed to date on how weight loss impacts fat tissue (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close up (S&P 500 +0.6%, Dow +0.5%, Nasdaq +1.0%) (More) | President Donald Trump sends letters detailing new import tariffs to at least seven more countries (More) | Federal Reserve's meeting minutes from June show officials divided over tariff-driven inflation and number of interest rate cuts (More)
> X CEO Linda Yaccarino steps down after over two years in the role; shake-up comes after Elon Musk merged X with Grok chatbot maker xAI in March (More) | Retailers log $7.9B in online sales in first 24 hours of Amazon's four-day Prime Day event, up 9.9% year over year (More)
> Pharmaceutical giant Merck to buy UK-based Verona Pharma for roughly $10B; acquisition is Merck's largest since its nearly $11B purchase of Prometheus Biosciences in 2023 (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> US Justice Department sues the California Department of Education for allowing transgender athletes to compete in school sports; alleges the state is violating antidiscrimination laws (More) | President Donald Trump hosts five African leaders through Friday, with a focus on the continent's economic potential (More)
> The US resumes sending some weapons to Ukraine after pausing deliveries earlier this month (More) | Russia launches record attack on Ukraine, per Ukrainian officials (More) | European Court of Human Rights rules Russia violated international humanitarian law in Ukraine, shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014 (More)
> French police raid the headquarters of the far-right National Rally party as part of a probe into whether the party broke campaign finance laws (More) | Seoul repatriates six North Koreans who accidentally drifted into South Korean waters, the first such return under South Korean President Lee Jae-myung (More)
Liberal Conservative
The title of this opinion may seem like an oxymoron or at the very least a contradiction, but I can assure you that I am, in fact, a liberal conservative. Liberal comes first because that is my main focus.
I don't like govt telling me what to do or how to do it. I don't like govt paying me not to work unless I am retired. I pay for my own education, find my own employment opportunities, and obey whatever laws I feel like I should obey.
For instance, the speed limits on the highway are too slow for most drivers these days and the advanced vehicles that they drive.
Also, paying taxes is a necessary evil but I want my taxes to be as low as possible, and I don't want to pay for those lazy people who don't want to work.
I don't think American need to have the right to bear arms although they do have the right to protect their personal property if they so choose.
The same is true for abortions although, the govt should not pay for it.
If taxes are going to be collected, then there should be NO EXCEPTIONS and NO TAX SHELTERS including for non-profits.
Drugs and Alcohol should not be illegal, and each person has a right to decide how they want to DIE. For some, dying because of drugs or alcohol is a perfect way to go. It's not my style, but that should not matter.
Woman should be paid the same as men and biological males should not play in female sports... both those concepts seem like common sense to me.
College degrees should be limited to those areas that are necessary like doctor, dentist, engineer, accountant, lawyer, computers, artificial intelligence, robotics, etc.
College degrees like English, biology, elementary education, history, political science, foreign languages are not necessary for college and can be taught as a certificate program.
I have only gotten myself into debt where my income could make the monthly payments almost with my other financial obligations. I have always balanced my budget, never spending more than I could afford because I wanted something that other people had and could not wait.
This is the conservative side of the belief. I have been debt free for over twenty years and still use a credit card to buy stuff. I just pay it off before any interest is due.
I like being a liberal conservative.
Discovery in quantum materials could make electronics 1,000 times faster
Researchers at Northeastern University have discovered how to change the electronic state of matter on demand, a breakthrough that could make electronics 1,000 times faster and more efficient.
By switching from insulating to conducting and vice versa, the discovery creates the potential to replace silicon components in electronics with exponentially smaller and faster quantum materials.
"Processors work in gigahertz right now," said Alberto de la Torre, assistant professor of physics and lead author of the research. "The speed of change that this would enable would allow you to go to terahertz."












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