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Today I have some good news from inside the strange business of building trust on the internet: I’m onstage at Adweek’s Social Media Week for a fireside chat about social media and journalism. They’ve honored me with their “Brand Genius Creator” award. I’ll share photos on Friday. It’s a meaningful moment for News Not Noise and for our mission: reaching more people with reporting built on trust, clarity, and facts.
It also means I’m slammed today. So this edition is a speed-read newsletter. Consider it a small mercy in the middle of the endless news churn. And yes, we even managed to fit in some News That Doesn’t Suck.
Iran Updates: Iran on Wednesdaythreatened to targetadditional shipping routesif the US continues itsblockade of Iran’s ports. Pakistan on Tuesdayproposed a new roundof peace talks, which Trumpsaid could happenin “the next two days.” The State Department on Tuesdayhosted the first direct diplomatic talksbetween Israel and Lebanon in decades, which were positive butresulted in no commitments.Fed Up: Trump on Wednesday (once again)threatened to fireFed Chair Jerome Powell, if Powell doesn’t step down when his term expires May 15. Powell can temporarilyremain chairif Trump’s replacement, Kevin Warsh, isn’t confirmed, and Powell’sterm on the Fed’s boardextends to 2028. Warshwill testifybefore senators next week. DOJ prosecutors on Tuesdaymade an unusual visitto Fed’s construction site, which the agency’s outside counsel criticized as “inappropriate.”Vance Takes on the Pope: JD Vance, aonetime atheistwhoconverted to Catholicismin 2019,said on Tuesdaythat Pope Leo XIV should “be careful” when discussing theology. He was speaking at a Turning Point USA event, whichseemed to havemore seats empty than filled. Vance washeckled by an antiwar protestor, andsaid he understoodthat “young voters do not love the policy we have in the Middle East.”
Fool Me Twice: Trump on Wednesdayposted another religious image, this time ofJesus hugging him. Theoutcry from religious MAGA supportersover hisearlier imagecontinues to reverberate.Golden Ticket: Anew pollhas Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer and Trump-endorsed former Fox News host Steve Hilton leading California’s gubernatorial primary race. The California Teachers Association,which had endorseddisgraced Rep. Eric Swalwell, on Tuesdayswitched to Steyer. California Gov. Gavin Newsom isfacing increasing pressureto make an endorsement.Who Knew: Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), a (former) close friend and congressional colleague of Swalwell, held a press conference Tuesday in which hedenied knowledgeof Swalwell’s “predatory behavior” with women. “My friendship with him … clouded my judgment,”Gallego said.Forgive and Don’t Forget: Trump’s DOJ on Tuesdaymoved to undothe seditious conspiracy convictions for leaders of far-right extremist groups who participated in the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol. “These were traitors,” aformer police officer injured in the attack said. “They planned, incited, and carried out an insurrection.”Zoomer Narcissus:Controversial“looksmaxxing” influencerClavicularwasreleased from the hospitalWednesday aftersuffering a suspected overdose. Hepreviously claimedto have used crystal meth to manage his weight. In an indication of how damaging looksmaxxing can be on mental health, Clavicularsaid the“worst part” of the whole ordeal was his “face descending” — i.e., drooping, sagging — “from the life support mask.”
Lost and Found: We’ve covered multipleheadline-grabbing museum heistsrecently, but what about the opposite? A priceless, 2,500-year-old golden helmet, one of Romania’s dearest national treasures, wasrecently recovereda year after thieves used a homemade bomb to break into a Netherlands museum and steal it.Look Up: The Lyrid meteor shower starts Wednesday. Ithappens every yearas Earth passes through a dust cloud left behind by a massive comet. This year it’ll peak before dawn on Wednesday April 22, when a moonless sky should make for good viewing. You can expect to see about a dozen shooting stars per hour, and potentially some fireballs, though the Lyrids areknown for dramatic surgesof up to 100 per hour.
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