Photo: Matěj Baťha,CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Monday, June 2
Bird from the Himalayas
Behold the magnificent Satyr Tragopan (Tragopan satyra). Found in central and eastern parts of the Himalayas, this bird inhabits elevations of up to 14,107 ft (4,300 m). Males sport dazzling plumage and bright blue wattles, which they “show off” during elaborate courtship rituals. To attract potential mates, male Satyr Tragopans will spread their wings, nod their heads, rustle their feathers, vocalize, and inflate their wattles.
New steel tariffs fuel international fallout
Saul Loeb/Getty Images
President Trump held a rally Friday evening at a US Steel plant in West Mifflin, PA, and announced he would double the current tariff rate on imported steel and aluminum from 25% to 50% as of June 4.
Now, some Canadian, EU, and British leaders may end up with “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” on their Spotify Wrapped this year:Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Trump in the Oval Office last month to mend fences after the US’ 25% tariff on steel and aluminum went into effect. The head of the Canadian Steel Producers Association called the additional increase “catastrophic.” Canada is the US’ largest supplier of steel and aluminum.
The UK thought it was sitting pretty after becoming the first nation to secure a trade deal with Trump three weeks ago with the help of new PM Keir Starmer, which allegedly included a zero-tariff provision for steel and aluminum. The BBC reported that it was agreed to, but never signed.
On Saturday, the European Commission released a statement saying it received the news with strong regret and that the tariff increase “undermines ongoing efforts” to reach amicable trade resolutions. It said the bloc would implement countermeasures.
The potential 2x of the tariff is aimed at increasing US production of steel and aluminum. S&P Global analysts said levies could lead to supply security and job creation, but reducing foreign sources of the metals might translate to higher production costs for “downstream” manufacturers (such as automakers), supply chain disruptions, and higher prices for consumers.
Additionally, no cost-effective domestic plants are sitting idle, so either new ones would need to be built (not quick) or inefficient plants would have to be reactivated (not cheap).
Cool for the summer? Goldy Hyder of the Business Council of Canada said that the best response to the weekend’s development was “not to take the bait” and that “these moving goalposts is just a strategy to try and get Canada to give more” in trade negotiations.—HVL
President Trump held a rally Friday evening at a US Steel plant in West Mifflin, PA, and announced he would double the current tariff rate on imported steel and aluminum from 25% to 50% as of June 4.
Now, some Canadian, EU, and British leaders may end up with “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” on their Spotify Wrapped this year:Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Trump in the Oval Office last month to mend fences after the US’ 25% tariff on steel and aluminum went into effect. The head of the Canadian Steel Producers Association called the additional increase “catastrophic.” Canada is the US’ largest supplier of steel and aluminum.
The UK thought it was sitting pretty after becoming the first nation to secure a trade deal with Trump three weeks ago with the help of new PM Keir Starmer, which allegedly included a zero-tariff provision for steel and aluminum. The BBC reported that it was agreed to, but never signed.
On Saturday, the European Commission released a statement saying it received the news with strong regret and that the tariff increase “undermines ongoing efforts” to reach amicable trade resolutions. It said the bloc would implement countermeasures.
The potential 2x of the tariff is aimed at increasing US production of steel and aluminum. S&P Global analysts said levies could lead to supply security and job creation, but reducing foreign sources of the metals might translate to higher production costs for “downstream” manufacturers (such as automakers), supply chain disruptions, and higher prices for consumers.
Additionally, no cost-effective domestic plants are sitting idle, so either new ones would need to be built (not quick) or inefficient plants would have to be reactivated (not cheap).
Cool for the summer? Goldy Hyder of the Business Council of Canada said that the best response to the weekend’s development was “not to take the bait” and that “these moving goalposts is just a strategy to try and get Canada to give more” in trade negotiations.—HVL
Robert Reich
How to Protect Our Judges
They are the most important bulwark against Trump, which is why he has targeted them and why they’re endangered. Here’s what should be done.
Friends,
One of our highest priorities in this darkness must be to protect the people who are doing the most right now to push back against Trump’s tyranny: our judiciary.
In some 180 judicial rulings so far, federal judges have at least temporarily stopped Trump from (1) deporting and/or imprisoning people without due process, (2) firing federal workers and closing agencies and departments without congressional approval, (3) forcing law firms to not represent people or causes Trump dislikes, (4) forcing universities, their faculties, and their students not to say or write things Trump dislikes, and (5) imposing worldwide tariffs without congressional authority.
Most of these court rulings have been temporary until the merits of the cases are fully heard, but increasingly they’re final decisions.
The Trump regime is appealing many of them. A few will almost certainly end up in the Supreme Court.
At A Glance
See photos of this weekend's aurora across the US.
... and May's best science images.
Why billionaires are racing to space. (via YouTube)
Copenhagen is ranked the world's happiest city.
Why people without diabetes are wearing glucose monitors.
Edible replicas of ancient artifacts.
A magical blue forest in Belgium.
Netherlands university opens a tickling lab.
Clickbait: A "peeing" robot attack dog.
In The NEWS
SANDBOX
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Each week, there's a new topic to discuss. Last week’s topic was Authoritarianism and Trump. To the left, Trump's actions threaten our democracy. To the right, he’s the response to a threat: a bloated, biased government that punishes dissent. Neither view was written off; both were taken seriously. Even when people disagreed, 66% still said their partner made a tenable point.
Have a one-on-one political conversation on Sandbox without getting shouted down. Speak your mind, and find out what you’re missing. Join for free today.
'The Devil's Music'
Rock 'n' roll, 101
Rock ‘n’ roll is a form of popular music that originated in the American South in the late 1940s and early 1950s (see timeline). The genre combines elements of other American musical styles—including blues, country, gospel, R&B, Tin Pan Alley, and jazz.
Jackie Brenston’s “Rocket 88" is now widely considered the genre’s starting point, particularly due to its use of distorted electric guitar, a distinction that would define the genre for decades. That same year, Cleveland DJ Alan Freed launched his radio show, rebranding R&B records as “rock ‘n’ roll” to appeal to a broad audience.
In 1952, Memphis-based engineer Sam Phillips' Sun Records would become the home for Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis—artists whose countryfied take on rock ‘n’ roll was called “rockabilly.” By the 1960s, rock ‘n’ roll was a part of the American mainstream, and was spreading outside the country, too.
... Read our full deep dive on rock 'n' roll here.
Also, check out ...
> Meet the man who named rock 'n' roll. (More)
> How the Beatles went viral. (More)
> Is blues the mother of all modern music? (More)
Rome's Arena Fighters
Who were the gladiators?
The first recorded gladiatorial combats were held at aristocratic funerals. Amid the hypercompetitive politics of the Roman Republic, sponsoring games with gladiators became a way of winning votes. The games reached an unprecedented scale under the emperors, when gladiators fought in arenas from Britain to Greece.
A new gladiator began by practicing swordplay against a dummy or wooden stake, and would train for months before his first match. Gladiators fought in the afternoon, often after a morning of beast hunts and lunchtime executions. Matches were managed by two referees, who used long switches to signal fouls. While some fights were terminated by a fatal blow, most ended via surrender.
The popularity of the gladiators gradually faded, thanks to a combination of rising costs and Christian disapproval. The last recorded matches were held in the fifth century.
... Read our full deep dive on gladiators here.
Also, check out...
> See images of genuine gladiator armor. (More)
> What did gladiators do when they retired? (More)
> The stories of the women in the arena. (More)
Editor's note: Thanks to historian Garrett Ryan for his contributions to this topic. Check out more of his videos @toldinstone on YouTube.
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
AI Humanoid Robots
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Today, 2025, I am hearing the replacement of jobs is right around the corner and in some cases has already started and is full blown.
Most of our college graduates will soon be replaced by AI HUMANOID ROBOTS and there is very little if anything that we can do about it.
WHY DID THEY LIE TO US???
Those of us college graduates that graduated on or after 2020 will be SOL in the next few years but will still be in the position of having to pay back their student loans.
SO... WHAT WAS THE POINT OF COLLEGE???
What jobs will AI HUMANOID ROBOTS REPLACE:
- manufacturing
- transportation
- customer service
- retail
- administrative
What college degree are worthless against AI Humanoid Robots:
- computer science
- engineering
- mathematics
- statistics
- accounting
- finance
- legal fields
- political science
- government
- liberal arts
- healthcare
- education
- humanities
Some of these fields are less likely than others but all work can and will be replaced either by ROBOTS or by AI...
Are you prepared???
Liquid carbon made for first time with high-power lasers, could advance nuclear fusion
A team of scientists, led by the University of Rostock and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), has successfully created liquid carbon for the first time. This material was previously thought impossible to study in a laboratory setting.
“This is the first time we have ever been able to observe the structure of liquid carbon experimentally,” said Professor Dominik Kraus, Head of Carbon Working Group from the University of Rostock and HZDR.
“Our experiment confirms the predictions made by sophisticated simulations of liquid carbon. We are looking at a complex form of liquid, comparable to water, that has very special structural properties.”
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