What the US loses by exiting UNESCO
Tuesday, August 19
Headlines
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Zelensky meets with Trump, who wants to set a meeting with Putin. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House yesterday, this time bringing a group of European leaders, wearing a suit, and getting a warmer reception from President Trump. The meeting happened after Trump met with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine—but one that would involve Ukraine giving Russia land it had seized in its invasion, which Zelensky has said he will not agree to. After yesterday’s meeting Trump said he had begun arranging a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, and had discussed it with the Russian leader during a phone call, with a trilateral meeting to follow. Although no specific plan emerged, Trump also said the US could provide security guarantees to Ukraine.
Democrats return to Texas, clearing the path for GOP redistricting. State lawmakers— who fled Texas two weeks ago to block their Republican colleagues from using their majority to implement a new election map requested by President Trump that could add five Congressional seats for the GOP in the House—returned yesterday. This allowed the Texas House to have a quorum to meet for the first time in weeks. Republicans are now expected to pass the redistricting plan, after Gov. Greg Abbott, who accused the Democrats of having run “away from their responsibility,” called a second special legislative session for them to “finish” it. But the returning lawmakers said they were now “more dangerous,” having provoked a national conversation that included the governor of California’s threat to redraw his state’s map to counterbalance Texas.
US government mulls 10% stake in Intel as Softbank invests $2b. Negotiations are ongoing, but Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the government is considering becoming one of the beleaguered chipmaker’s biggest shareholders by converting grants the company was given under the Biden-era Chips Act into an equity stake. At Intel’s current valuation, a 10% stake would be worth ~$10.5 billion—though the exact size of the stake and whether the government will move forward with the plan remains to be determined. Meanwhile, over in the private sector, Softbank agreed to buy $2 billion worth of Intel stock, giving it a ~2% stake. Intel has been trying to turn itself around after losing ground to other semiconductor companies.—AR
Robert Reich
How I'm spending my retirement
In a word: teaching
Friends,
This morning, a former student came up to me where I was sitting in my favorite coffee shop and asked, “Professor Reich, are you enjoying your retirement?”
I said “no.”
My answer confused and embarrassed her. “I’m … I’m sorry to hear that,” she said.
“Oh, I’m enjoying life,” I reassured her. “But I haven’t retired.”
“But … you retired from teaching, right?”
“I retired from classroom teaching.”
I gestured to the seat opposite mine. “Please sit down. It’s Sarah, right?”
“You remembered!” Her face broke into a big smile, and she sat. “But I only have a moment.”
I felt proud of myself for recalling her name. I’m terrible with names.
At A Glance
How to make perfect chocolate, according to science.
These 14 states could see the northern lights this week.
Cambridge Dictionary adds over 6,000 new words, including "skibidi.”
Ranking the highest pro athlete salaries by sport.
Is the obsession with Labubus akin to gambling?
These seabirds only poop while flying.
Jazz group turns a delayed flight into a live concert.
The first known person to be struck by a meteorite.
Clickbait: Grandma and grandpa's $100K memoir.
Historybook: Fashion designer Coco Chanel born (1883); Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500, hosts first race (1909); Former President Bill Clinton born (1946); Comedian Groucho Marx dies (1977); Final US combat brigade leaves Iraq (2010).
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Terence Stamp, Oscar-nominated British actor best known for playing General Zod in "Superman" films, dies at age 87 (More) | Tristan Rogers, actor who starred on "General Hospital" over a span of 45 years, dies at age 79 (More)
> World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler wins BMW Championship to become first golfer since Tiger Woods in 2006-07 to win five times on the PGA Tour in consecutive seasons (More)
> Taylor Swift's interview on the "New Heights" podcast sets a YouTube record for concurrent viewers with 1.3 million watching last week's live stream (More)
Science & Technology
> SpaceX receives approval for next test flight of its massive Starship, targets Sunday as launch day; 10th flight follows three failed flights, each experiencing separate technical issues (More) | How SpaceX catches returning rockets with "chopsticks" (1440 Topics)
> Researchers discover eight new genes linked to schizophrenia; study suggests the condition may be related to how DNA is organized within cells, and how brain cells communicate using the chemical GABA (More)
> Study reveals neurons help control the inflammatory response in the gut, play a role in inflammatory bowel disease, enteritis, and other conditions (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed Friday (S&P 500 -0.3%, Dow +0.1%, Nasdaq -0.4%) amid data suggesting consumer sentiment has dropped for the first time in four months (More)
> Billionaire twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss file to take cryptocurrency exchange Gemini public; company reported net loss of $158.5M last year (More)
> Roblox shares fall over 7% Friday on news Louisiana's attorney general is suing the company for allegedly failing to protect children (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Bolivia's presidential election heads to a runoff between centrist Senator Rodrigo Paz and right-wing former President Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga; election comes as annual inflation exceeds 16% (More)
> Israelis engage in nationwide protests, calling for government to secure ceasefire, return hostages (More) | Israeli government is reportedly in talks with leaders of South Sudan to relocate Palestinians there (More)
> Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic vows tough response after anti-government protesters torch ruling party's offices over the weekend; protesters accuse the government of police brutality (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Donkey or Elephant
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In 1967, I was 20 years old, and was a Kennedy Democrat (Donkey) even though he was assassinated in 1963 while I was still in high school. I was a Democrat because they were the party of the working man and the Republicans were the party of big business.
In 1981, I received my MBA from the Babcock Graduate School of Management at Wake Forest University and became a Republican, not so much because they were of big business but because they wanted:
- low taxes
- small government
- strong military
- strong commerce
The Democrats on the other hand, wanted just the opposite.
In 2020 and no doubt several years earlier, the Democrats changed from being the party of the working man, to party of progressive liberals and socialists who wanted government to provide most everything with the wealthy people paying for it.
Labor Unions, supported by the Democrats, want higher wages and more benefits for employees and while that makes sense on the surface, it is disastrous for an economy because it will raise prices and cause layoffs.
I don't agree with companies paying their management team as much money as they do and that should stop, but companies need profits for expansion, new product development, and for technology growth.
Companies should scale back what they are paying their management teams and government should strive towards a slow but consistently growing economy.
If an economy grows at 3% a year, prices will only double every 24 years and that is not a strain on the worker, however, wages should grow more than 3% a year otherwise the worker is making no progress at all.
Today's donkeys are moving into a socialistic society and while there are plenty of billionaires in the US to pay for a society like that, these billionaires will shield themselves from taxes.
However, the donkeys might get their way because the potential employment takeover by robots is just right around the corner, and we may be forced to move into socialism quicker than anticipated.
The Fastest Train in the U.S. Launches Aug. 28—Here's Everything to Know
On Aug. 28, Amtrak will launch its brand-new NextGen Acela trains, debuting the company's newest generation of high-speed cars. The rail company will roll out 28 larger trains through 2027, each offering upgraded amenities and increased capacity.
“In just a few weeks, history will be made with the debut of NextGen Acela as we launch a new standard for American train travel,” Amtrak's President Roger Harris said in a statement shared with Travel + Leisure. “NextGen Acela is more than a new train—it’s an evolution of travel.”
The trains will feature maximum speeds of 160 mph and utilize a new “tilt system” which provides a "smoother, quieter ride," according to Amtrak. Currently, Acela trains run with a maximum speed of up to 150 mph.
Monday, August 18
Headlines
Handout/Getty Images
Hurricane Erin thrashes Caribbean on its way north. Erin, the first hurricane of the 2025 season, knocked out power to nearly 155,000 utility customers as a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph. Erin has undergone dramatic fluctuations in intensity: A Category 5 on Saturday, the hurricane weakened on Sunday but is expected to regain strength on Monday and Tuesday when it turns north to pass between the US and Bermuda. The East Coast is expected to experience dangerous rip currents and surf during the week.—NF
Debit-card spending grew more quickly than credit-card spending for first time in four years. People are either remembering their PINs or finally just requesting new ones. The Wall Street Journal, citing data from Visa and Mastercard, reported that credit-card spending has been growing more slowly than debit-card spending since late last year. Several factors in the current economic climate help to account for the change. Some credit card companies are being more exclusive with their offerings, and consumers are not as inclined to spend as they were in the pandemic era.—HVL
Duolingo CEO responds to AI backlash. The language-learning app has faced a wave of criticism since CEO Luis von Ahn issued a memo earlier this year saying the company would become “AI-first.” In a new interview with the NYT, von Ahn acknowledged he “did not give enough context” around the strategy shift, stressing that the intent was not to shrink Duolingo’s human workforce but instead figure out ways for AI to help the company “accomplish a lot more.” The criticism didn’t seem to impact Duolingo’s finances—when it beat earnings earlier this month, its stock shot up 30%.—NF
Robert Reich
Why Trump will fail
The iron law of grovelers and those to whom they grovel
Friends,
Monica Crowley, a former Fox News personality who is now Trump’s chief of protocol, apparently left behind in a public area of an Alaskan hotel documents describing confidential planned movements of Trump and Putin during their Friday meeting in Alaska.
That’s nothing compared to Emil Bove, Trump’s new nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, who reputedly told subordinates at the Department of Justice that they should tell the courts “f*uck you” and ignore any court order blocking the deportations of Venezuelan migrants declared to be gang members.
Then there’s Billy Long, a former auctioneer and Republican congressman who Trump nominated less than two months ago to head the Internal Revenue Service, with little background in tax policy beyond promoting a fraud-riddled tax credit. Long has already been fired after clashing with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Long was the seventh person to head the IRS this year.
At A Glance
Catfish species filmed climbing waterfalls.
Thieves steal $2M in jewelry in 90 seconds.
Chimpanzees pick up communication styles from their mothers.
What if you fell into Jupiter's Great Red Spot? (via YouTube)
Library book returned after 82 years.
Things people in happiest relationships discuss daily.
Why was there no 2025 song of the summer?
Introducing the world's oldest chicken.
Clickbait: AI-powered stuffed animals.
Historybook: Actress Shelley Winters born (1920); Baseball great Roberto Clemente born (1934); Hollywood legend Robert Redford born (1936); Nobel Peace Prize winner and former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan dies (2018).
In The NEWS
The Sun's Rocky Belt
What are asteroids?
More than 1 million asteroids left over from the early formation of our solar system orbit the sun in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter (explore interactive map). Tens of thousands more orbit outside that belt.
They range in size and composition, from bus-length rocky bodies to metal worlds hundreds of miles in diameter. Researchers study asteroids for lessons on the solar system, their role in the development of life, and their small but dramatic potential to wreak havoc on Earth. Events similar to the Mount Everest-sized asteroid impact that pushed the dinosaurs to extinction are unlikely to happen in the next 250 million years.
The study of asteroids that have landed on Earth—dubbed meteorites—has hinted at their capacity to carry life’s raw ingredients. NASA’s NEO Observations Program has detected nearly 40,000 near-Earth asteroids orbiting within 30 million miles of Earth.
... Read our full explainer on asteroids here.
Also, check out ...
> Why NASA crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid. (More)
> Comparing the impact of varying sizes of asteroid. (More)
> Meet the "Celestial Police," the astronomers who sought asteroids. (More)
Female Founders
What is #girlboss?
The term “girlboss” has taken on a variety of meanings since it was first introduced in 2014. At the time, the word girlboss—first used by entrepreneur Sophia Amoruso as the title of her memoir—was used to describe a career woman who controls her life on her own terms.
After the memoir’s publication and 18 weeks on The New York Times Best Sellers list, the term came to represent a woman who used hustle culture tactics to get ahead in the workforce, becoming just as successful as her male counterparts.
The philosophy found a receptive audience in millennial women, who at the time faced a variety of socioeconomic concerns. During the mid-2010s, this group had recently graduated into the Great Recession’s dismal job market, facing limited wage growth and widespread layoffs.
Many of these budding “girlbosses” went on to start companies that they branded as by women, for women. Today, girlboss is used as an ironic insult or joke rather than a compliment.
... Read our full explainer on the phenomenon here.
Also, check out ...
> The rapid rise and fall of Sophia Amoruso, #girlboss extraordinaire. (More)
> What does millennial pink have to do with the girlboss? (More)
> The original girlboss doesn't use the word. (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Divorcing or Not
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One of the issues that has always bothered me about Hollywood Stars is how many marriages, ON AVERAGE, they have. While there is no definitive and they may not have any more marriages, ON AVERAGE, that the rest of Americans have, it is PERCEIVED by me as more. No doubt, there is a handful of celebrities that marry and divorce a lot that gives Hollywood its bad reputation. However, it is still something that I cannot get off my mind.
I have friends that have been married 2-3 times, only 2 times, and only once, but none of that matters with what the data shows which is there is and has been a 50% divorce rate in the US for several years.
My sister has been married twice, I have been married twice, my daughter divorced once, and my brother married only once, but again that is data from just one subset or one family of Americans.
My first marriage lasted 23 years, my second marriage (is still ongoing) and have lasted 32 years.
My first marriage had me in the Navy for two years, using the GI Bill for college, and going through the birth of my daughter, affairs, along with a divorce.
My second marriage went through the death of her 21-year-old son, the incarceration of her other son, me becoming unemployed several times, my heart attack and cancer diagnosis, her hip replacement and arthritis, being scammed of money, and our retirement.
More trauma/drama in my second marriage than in my first, and yet, we have weathered all those storms and no divorce.
It is difficult to say why some people get a divorce while others don't but let it be known by someone who has been there, staying together is not as difficult as getting a divorce.
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