|
 |
I’ve put in my 10,000 hours several times over at the intersection of news and humor, so I feel I’m qualified to assess whether something related to the news is funny or not. Using memeified videos that splice together scenes from Grand Theft Auto, NFL football hits, and Wii games is something I don’t find funny. And I’m guessing other people who don’t find it funny include relatives of service members in harm’s way, Iranians who desperately want to be rid of the regime but live in constant fear that those bombs being memefied might hit an unintended target (like, say a girls’ school), and our allies who once depended on a serious country run by serious people. While the attempt to make violent imagery fun might appeal to some toxic bros, one imagines even the Super Mario Bros wouldn’t mind if Donkey Kong took a hammer to this practice. But this isn’t just the usual trolling by an administration looking to own the libs. All of the people above are seeing these videos and the associated behavior from the administration as it relates to this war. And whether we like it or not, these bombastic bombing jokes are now attributed to the country, not just the puerile punks running the White House social media account. This is us. This is U.S.
+ The videos are a meme-match to the tone of Hegseth’s briefings, which ooze tough-guy testosterone, but seem more focused on attacking the press than explaining our plan of attack. Irate Pete Hegseth claims Iran’s leaders are ‘rats’ in hiding and demands a ‘patriotic press’ rewrite headlines. Meanwhile. Hegseth Says ‘The Sooner David Ellison Takes Over’ CNN ‘the Better.’ (At least when it comes to taking over the airwaves and replacing networks with state media, the strategy is crystal clear.)
+ The same clarity is not showing up in the messaging about the war. And Trump’s latest answer as to when the war will end won’t help. “When I feel it. When I feel it in my bones.”
+ All 6 U.S. crew are dead after a plane goes down in Iraq, as Mideast war toll mounts.
+ “The jockeying for Trump’s ear is a feature of his presidency, but this time the consequences are a matter of war and peace.” Reuters: With Iran war exit elusive, Trump aides vie to affect outcome.
+ The aides who want more (and potentially ground) troops seem to be getting a lot of ear time. Pentagon Is Moving Additional Marines, Warships to the Middle East.
+ “After earlier calling for Iranians to rise up, the president on Friday expressed skepticism about a popular uprising against the government.” Trump Says Iranians Face ‘Big Hurdle’ to Overthrowing Regime.
+ Meanwhile, from the NYT: Trump Removes Sanctions on Russia to Help Oil Flow Amid Iran Conflict. (Come to think of it, Vladimir Putin may be the only person who thinks any of this is funny...)
2
Kicked in the Tailpipe
“We’re now really starting to see the full effects of the Trump administration’s war on electric vehicles as U.S. registrations fell a staggering 41% year-over-year in January — causing gas- and hybrid-powered vehicles to regain marketshare.”
+ Meanwhile, BYD’s latest EVs can get close to full charge in just 12 minutes. “The vehicle has a range of up to 800 km and will be launched in Europe next month and in the UK in the summer.”
3
Club Med
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Can Windows do the same? Microsoft “unveiled Copilot Health, a feature within the Copilot app that lets the chatbot dispense personalized healthcare advice informed by the user’s disease history, test results, medications, doctors’ visit notes and biometric data as recorded by wearable devices.” WSJ (Gift Article): Microsoft’s New AI Health Tool Can Read Your Medical Records and Give Advice. All you have to do is turn your head and cough up your data.
4
Weekend Whats
What to Watch: I don’t know how to describe the comedy featured in Chris Fleming: Live at the Palace, but I know I was cracking up the whole time I watched it. If you don’t like the jokes, his performance can also double as an exercise video. He runs, he stretches, he planks, and more.
+ What to Movie: The Oscars are this Sunday. So it’s time to binge at least some of the nominees. NPR: Your guide to Oscar-nominated movies and where to watch them.
+ What to Read: If you missed yesterday’s lead featuring a great read from McKay Coppins, who found himself instantly sucked into the world of online sports betting, don’t. It’s a great narrative that provides an overview of a trend I keep covering because it’s going to get completely out of hand. Talking Bout My Degeneration.
5
Extra, Extra
Can’t You Smell That Smell? “Already, the air smelled of soot, gasoline, and asphalt. Then I felt a tickle sliding up my nostrils and down into my throat, like I was getting a cold. As we approached, I heard the rumble of cranes and trucks, and then from behind a patch of trees emerged a forest of electrical towers. Finally, I saw it—a white-walled hangar, bigger than a dozen football fields, where Elon Musk intends to build a god.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): Inside the Dirty, Dystopian World of Ai Data Centers.
+ Powell to the People: “In a scathing 27-page opinion, Judge James Boasberg said Friday that the government has produced ‘essentially zero evidence‘ to substantiate its criminal case against Jerome Powell.”
+ Synagogue Attack: “The FBI is investigating a car ramming attack on a large Detroit-area synagogue Thursday as a ‘targeted act of violence against the Jewish community,’ the special agent in charge for the region said ... [the driver] lost several family members in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon last week, according to a local Lebanese official and a mayor in Michigan.”
+ A Familiar Story: “Almost half of Republican voters younger than 50 believe that the Holocaust did not happen as historians describe, according to a recent study by the Manhattan Institute. One-quarter of that cohort openly expresses anti-Jewish views; another 30 percent don’t reject openly anti-Semitic individuals.” Anti-Semitism Is Becoming Mainstream.
+ The Correspondent: “John F. Burns, an acclaimed foreign correspondent whose frontline dispatches for The New York Times from the war zones of Afghanistan and Bosnia secured coveted Pulitzer Prizes, and whose frequent television appearances from Baghdad made him one of America’s best-known journalists covering the chaos and perils of the conflict in Iraq, died on Thursday.”
+ All Dolled Up: “Cuddly blankets, soft toys and cardboard cutouts featuring the minister have gone viral in the Latin American country following the February 22 raid that killed infamous cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, better known as El Mencho ... The operation, which Garcia Harfuch helped lead, was personal for the security chief, who blamed El Mencho for a 2020 assassination attempt that left him with three bullet wounds and killed two of his bodyguards.”