The Big MIG

 

TimcastIRL

 

Morning Laundry

 

Brookings Brief

AI, data centers, and water
A growing need for regional coordination amid economic development potential

Headlines

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images




Charges against Comey and James dismissed over prosecutor’s appointment. A federal judge tossed the criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, determining that the prosecutor who brought both cases was unlawfully appointed. The ruling is a setback for President Trump, who has publicly called for the prosecution of his critics and appointed Lindsey Halligan—a former insurance lawyer and personal attorney for Trump with no experience as a prosecutor—as interim US Attorney after another lawyer refused to file the case against Comey. However, both cases were dismissed without prejudice, which means they could be refiled.

After speaking to Xi, Trump says he’ll go to China. The two world leaders had what President Trump described as “a very good telephone call” yesterday, after which Trump said he had accepted Chinese President Xi Jinping’s invitation to visit China in April and reciprocated with an invitation for a state visit later. Xi is said to have initiated the call in an unusual diplomatic overture that comes after the US and China reached an understanding on tariffs last month. The two discussed Taiwan and Ukraine, both sensitive topics, as well as trade, including the purchase of US soybeans.

White House says Trump “remains hopeful and optimistic” on Ukraine peace deal. After Ukrainian negotiators returned home from Geneva having agreed to modify a US plan to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would discuss “sensitive issues” with President Trump. The president’s original proposal struck Ukraine and its European allies as fulfilling a Russian wish list, according to Reuters. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Trump was optimistic and said there are “just a couple points of disagreement.” But it was not clear whether Russia would accept an updated version.—AR

READ MORE...

Robert Reich

A toxic combo: Trump, Billionaires, and the Media
What to do about it





Friends,

The richest man on earth owns X.

The family of the second-richest man owns Paramount, which owns CBS — and could soon own Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns CNN.

The third-richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

The fourth-richest man owns The Washington Post and Amazon MGM Studios.

Another billionaire owns Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post.

Why are the ultra-rich buying up so much of the media? Vanity may play a part, but there’s a more pragmatic — some might say sinister — reason.

As vast wealth concentrates in the hands of a few, this small group of the ultra-wealthy may rationally fear that a majority of voters could try to confiscate their wealth — through, for example, a wealth tax.

READ MORE...

AT a Glance

Courtroom Elvis has left the bench.

Where Americans are spending their scroll time. (w/charts)

Scientists think they finally know where hands come from. (w/video)

How far back in time can the naked eye see? (w/photos)

Endangered lemur meat is a disturbing delicacy.

See photo gallery of Thanksgiving turkey pardons.

A 1982 physics joke gave birth to the emoticon.

Inside the test run of a new cruise ship.

Clickbait: Cardi B turns umbilical cord into gold.

Historybook: Businessman Andrew Carnegie born (1835); Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” opens, becomes longest-running play in history (1952); John F. Kennedy Jr. born (1960); Author Upton Sinclair dies (1968); Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies (2016).

My Secrets for Eating a Balanced Diet All Week Long

Quick Clips

 

In The NEWS

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Grammy- and Emmy Award-winning entertainer Donald Glover reveals he suffered a stroke last year while touring as his rapper alias, Childish Gambino (More)

> Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul, nicknamed "the Point God," announces he will retire after this season (More)

> "Wicked: For Good" earns No. 1 spot at the domestic box office with $150M opening weekend, beating predecessor "Wicked" part one (More)


Science & Technology
> Robotaxi company Waymo gets approval from California to expand service across the Bay Area, in Sacramento, and between Los Angeles and San Diego (More) | How self-driving cars see the road (1440 Topics)

> COP30 climate summit ends without a new deal to expand prior commitments to curb fossil fuels, outcome criticized as underwhelming by attendees (More)

> Archaeologists unveil 1,700-year-old Roman sarcophagus found near Budapest, Hungary; area was part of the ancient city of Aquincum (More) | The best resources we've found on ancient Rome (1440 Topics)

Business & Markets
> US stock markets close up Friday (S&P 500 +1.0%, Dow +1.1%, Nasdaq +0.9%) following signs the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates once more this year (More)

> Hedge fund Pershing Square, headed by activist investor Bill Ackman, reportedly plans to go public in early 2026 (More) | What we've learned about hedge funds (1440 Topics)

> BHP Group, the world's largest mining company by market cap, abandons bid to acquire Anglo American, the largest producer of platinum after preliminary discussions (More)


Politics & World Affairs
> Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R, GA-14) announces she will resign in January after President Donald Trump suggested he would back a primary challenger (More)

> Israel claims to have killed Hezbollah chief of staff Haytham Tabtabai after first airstrikes in Lebanon since June kill five people, wound 25 others (More)

> The US is reportedly planning to launch a new phase of operations in Venezuela, potentially beginning with covert activities (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Extending Life

 

 We live about 80-100 years, give or take, and there are some billionaires who are spending their money trying to figure out how to live until 150 by making sure their organs don't age as fast.  Of course, aging organs is one thing, serious diseases like Diabetes, Cancer, Heart Issues are another.  Young organs cannot fight off ALL CANCERS.

But it's their money and they can spend it anyway their little ole heart desires.

My next question would be: why would you want to live that long in the first place, when everyone else around you are dying?

You have found the love of your life; you marry her; the two of you live together for 50 years, she dies and you live for another 60 years without her.

I mean that is just one example; I'm sure there are countless others.

On the other side of the coin, can you imagine what might have been discovered if Einstein or Stephen Hawkin had lived for 150 years?

Long before I heard billionaires wanted to extend their life by keeping their organs young, I often wondered why God created this endless universe, created time that extends on FOREVER, but then only give humans, his creation, 80-100 years of life, knowing that technology would sooner or later change everything.

It would seem that God would have taken our future into consideration when he created our present.

Somewhat Political

 

Humans Actually are still Evolving

Many people believe that we humans have conquered nature through the wonders of civilization and technology. Some also believe that because we are different from other creatures, we have complete control over our destiny and have no need to evolve. Even though lots of people believe this, it’s not true.

Like other living creatures, humans have been shaped by evolution. Over time, we have developed – and continue to develop – the traits that help us survive and flourish in the environments where we live.

I’m an anthropologist. I study how humans adapt to different environments. Adaptation is an important part of evolution. Adaptations are traits that give someone an advantage in their environment. People with those traits are more likely to survive and pass those traits on to their children. Over many generations, those traits become widespread in the population.

READ MORE...

The Byrds "Mr. Tambourine Man" on The Ed Sullivan Show

At A Glance

One-third of Americans say they've been the victim of an online shopping scam.

Trees don't have nerves, but do they feel pain?

Hurricane Melissa may have produced the fastest wind ever recorded.

A history of Friendsgiving.

... and how to know if Thanksgiving guests are high.

Snowy owls draw crowds in Chicago.

Bar owner in Manchester bans solo drinkers.

Why music makes us tap our feet.

Clickbait: Stray mutt wins 2025 Hero Dog Award.

Historybook: Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” published (1859); Lee Harvey Oswald is shot and killed just two days after assassinating President Kennedy (1963); Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury dies (1991); “Brady Bunch” actress Florence Henderson dies (2016).

Black and White

 

VINCE

 

Lara Trump

 

Ready to Play

 

Amber May Show

 

TimcastIRL

 

Illumination

 

Headlines

Fabrice Coffrini/Getty Images



Ukraine peace talks yield progress after leaked plan draft raised doubts. Secretary of State Marco Rubio provided the update yesterday after he attended high-stakes talks with a Ukrainian delegation in Geneva, though he declined to offer specifics. After a 28-point peace plan to end the war between Russia and Ukraine that seemed to favor the former leaked late last week, politicians from Europe, the US, and the UK mostly criticized the plan as unworkable. In a statement on Sunday night, the White House said Ukraine’s delegation in Switzerland “affirmed that all of their principal concerns—security guarantees, long-term economic development, infrastructure protection, freedom of navigation, and political sovereignty—were thoroughly addressed during the meeting.”

Tyson to close Nebraska beef plant amid industry struggles. Tyson Foods, the largest meat producer in North America, announced on Friday that it will close its beef processing plant in Lexington, Nebraska, on or around January 20. The facility employs approximately 3,200 people. On its earnings call earlier this month, before the closure was announced, Tyson CEO Donnie King told investors that cattle supplies were at record lows, and that its beef business would lose $600 million in the current fiscal year. Around the same time, President Trump said that he instructed the Department of Justice to investigate “the Meat Packing Companies who are driving up the price of Beef through Illicit Collusion, Price Fixing, and Price Manipulation.”

X’s new location feature roiled the internet. Over the weekend, the company formerly known as Twitter started showing the country or region in which an account is located. Screenshots proliferated across the platform, with users alleging they had uncovered the origins of several prominent MAGA accounts, which had claimed to be based in the United States, as being based out of Africa, Macedonia, and South Asia. On Friday morning, posts claiming to show that the US Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) account was based in Tel Aviv, Israel, went viral, before the feature disappeared from X temporarily. A global rollout officially took place on Saturday. Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, responded to some of the outraged tweets, saying that the rumor of the DHS account’s origins showing up as Israel was “fake news.” On Sunday, DHS released an official denial of its account having been operated in Israel.—HVL

READ MORE...

Robert Reich

How to Get Rid of “Citizens United”
We can do away with it without a new Supreme Court. Nor do we need a constitutional amendment. There’s a far simpler way.





Friends,

Several of you responded to my “Sunday thought” yesterday by saying that the first step out of the mess we’re in is to get rid of the Supreme Court’s bonkers Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision of 2010, which held that corporations are people — entitled to the same First Amendment protection as the rest of us.

Corporate political spending was growing before Citizens United, but the decision opened the floodgates to the unlimited super PAC spending and undisclosed dark money we suffer from today.

Between 2008 and 2024, reported “independent” expenditures by outside groups exploded by more than 28-fold — from $144 million to $4.21 billion. Unreported money also skyrocketed, with dark money groups spending millions influencing the 2024 election.

READ MORE...

HIGH PROTEIN DESSERT | Healthy Cottage Cheese Chocolate Mousse in Minutes

Quick Clips

 

In The NEWS

Adorable Water Bears
What are tardigrades?
Tardigrades are microscopic animals best known for their survivability in extreme environments, including the vacuum of space, pressures six times greater than Earth’s deepest ocean trench, and temperatures ranging from about minus 270 to 150 degrees Celsius (or minus 454 to 302 degrees Fahrenheit). Nicknamed “water bears,” these creatures traverse using four pairs of stubby legs that end in claws or adhesive pads and are found in habitats with moist sediments, like lake bottoms (watch under a microscope).

Their resilience comes from their ability to undergo cryptobiosis, in which a tardigrade expels nearly all the water in its body and tucks itself into a dried-up cyst called a tun. During this process, protectant molecules—including Dsup, a protein that shields DNA from radiation—create a glass-like matrix to protect a tardigrade’s cells and reduce its metabolism by 99.99%. Even after decades, tardigrades in a tun state have been revived through rehydration.

Research is ongoing to identify applications of tardigrade-specific proteins, including using Dsup to protect healthy cells during radiotherapy cancer treatments.

... Read our full explainer on the tiny creatures here.

Also, check out ...
> A lunar probe’s crash landing may have spilled tardigrades on the moon. (More)
> Explore a gallery of tardigrades. (More)
> Oxygen and nutrients are circulated in tardigrade bodies through physical movement. (More)
> Ballistic experiments show that tardigrades are unlikely to be an alien species. (More)



Prosperous Lands
Real estate, 101
Real estate is an asset class that includes land or buildings, whether residential, commercial, or public. Roughly 66% of US households own real estate, and for the typical American homeowner, that property makes up roughly half of their household’s net worth.

Most of these homeowners (about 74% as of 2024) use a mortgage to finance their homes rather than paying for them in cash. The real estate industry encompasses a wide range of professionals, from house flippers to real estate agents. Real estate investment firms handle complex, large-scale projects such as commercial developments, and also partner with large corporate developers and investors.

The US housing market alone was worth a hefty sum of $55T as of September 2025. For context, the entire US stock market is worth roughly $62.2T.

... Read our full write-up on real estate here.

Also, check out ...
> Monaco is the world's most expensive real estate market. (More)
> The number of affordable homes built since 1970 has dropped 75%. (More)
> One theory suggests real estate markets follow 18-year cycles. (More)
> Why it's not straightforward to turn empty offices into apartments. (More)

SOURCE:  1440 NEWS

Modus Operandi (MO)

 

Every once in a while, I wonder what the MO of the Democratic Party is...

The Republican (GOP) MO is lower taxes, small government, strong military, strong economy, etc.

But, ever since Trump won his first presidency in 2017-2020, the Democrats MO has been nothing but being AGAINST TRUMP.

In so doing, they have pushed for:

• higher taxes
• more illegal immigrants
• more crime and violence
• a larger government
• more free stuff
• smaller military
• WOKE/DEI Policies
• no policies against Russia/China/Iran

Since I am not a Democrat nor a Republican, it is difficult for me to understand how the MO of the Democratic Party benefits the USA...

I am also keenly aware that 50% of Americans support the Democratic Party...  so, it is obvious that all elections have the probability of going either way.

Eventually, the Democrats will win and will have to develop policies that are more than just AGAINST TRUMP as Trump will finally be out of politics in 2028.

Right now, CAPITALISM funds SOCIALISM and if the socialists find a way to replace CAPITALISM, I wonder who will fund SOCIALISM???

Somewhat Political

 

Zuckerberg taught him a lesson in work-life balance

He’s one of the few leaders who witnessed Meta’s evolution firsthand from its scrappy early days under a twenty-something-year-old Mark Zuckerberg to one of the world’s most powerful platforms.

But the biggest lesson he took away from that period wasn’t about scale or speed—or grinding all hours of the day to make it. Ott credits Zuckerberg with teaching him the opposite: To focus on making the biggest impact you can during working hours.

READ MORE...