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In this newsletter: Trump’s new Greenland gambit. Did AI nearly start a war? The White House vs. the free press. Yemen’s crisis deepens. Let us know if you plan on demolishing a beloved institution this time. And what happens when a kitten isn’t what it seems?
To Infinity: Trump announced the U.S.reached an agreementwith Greenland and Denmark to give the U.S. “permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland.” He said the “Infinite Life” deal gives the U.S. the right to forbid adversary nations from building military bases or making sensitive investments there. Trump also said the U.S. would begin developing a “large Military presence” on the island. (The U.S. has had amilitary presencethere for decades.) Greenland and Denmark’s parliamentsmust approvethe deal. Trump previously said the U.S. would take control of Greenland. Denmark and Greenland had other ideas.It’s Literally the First Amendment: TrumpbannedCNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, alleging they are “Fake News.” He said more outlets would be banned in the future. Expect this to face legal challenges. The first Trump administrationtried to banCNN reporter Jim Acosta from the White House, an unprecedented move at the time, but backed down after a Trump-appointed judgeruled againstit. The second Trump administration hasintensified attacks on the press, banning the Associated Press from certain press events and attempting to restrict military reporting.
Advances and Regressions: The Houthis areexpanding their offensive, seemingly pushing toward Yemen’s oil- and gas-rich eastern provinces. The renewed fighting hasdisplaced125,000 people, almost half of them children, worsening an existinghumanitarian crisiswhere millions face acute food insecurity. Catch up on thathere.Wealth Funded: The FCCallowedParamount to sell up to 100% of its equity to foreign investors. The company expects its foreign ownership to reach 49.5%, divided between the sovereign wealth funds of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Paramount — which controls CBS and is attempting to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, including CNN —notedthat foreign investors would not receive voting rights. But critics𝕏arguethe scale of money changing hands will inevitably lead to influence over editorial decisions.Pandora’s Box: Trumpsignedthe Russia sanctions bill. It earned bipartisan support, though many Democrats warned it gives Trump excessive authority to impose new tariffs. More on thathere.Relief Rally: The stock and bond markets showedsigns of improvementafter the Federal Reserve’s rate hike, recovering from whatone expert called“maximum pain.” Investors seem relieved the Fed took action to combat inflation and affirmed its independence from Trump, who continues to call for lower rates.However: Some expertsremain wary, because the chief cause of inflation — energy prices — is beyond the Fed’s control. Record-high diesel prices are expected toraise the costof key goods,including groceries, andwinter heating.
Hold the Wrecking Balls: A federal judgeorderedthe Trump administration to provide at least 30 days notice before demolishing the Kennedy Center. This comes after Trump warned the beloved institution would be “ripped down” without his support, and wasphotographed viewingwhat appeared to be a poster with the words, “Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED.” Tax recordsshowthe Center lost tens of millions after Trump’s takeover.End of an Era: Warren Buffet, legendary investor and a face of American capitalism,stepped downas the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. He will remain on the board and serve as chairman emeritus. He said his son, Howard, the new chairman, willbe taskedwith protecting the company’s “culture and values.”I Apologize. You’re Right, Those Aren’t Nuclear Weapons: An “entirely false,” AI-generated intelligence report “almost started a war” with China,sources told CNN. The report claimed a Chinese ship in the Middle East was transporting nuclear weapons materials. The military activated — armed members were reportedly preparing to board and planes were airborne — before officials realized the report had been generated with the help of an AI tool, which had misidentified the Chinese ship’s contents.Higher Cost: The Pentagontold Congressthat the war with Iran has cost over $45 billion in taxpayer funds, not including the cost to repair damage done to U.S. bases. The Defense Department claims that 18 troops have died since the war started in February. But several US officialstold the Washington Postthe true count is higher — at least 22.
Curiosity Found the Cat: If you’re a pet owner, you probably think your furry friend is one of a kind. When a man in Boliviafound a strange-looking kittenon the side of the road, he may have thought so too. It was too small to be a housecat, and it was covered in leopard-like spots. The man handed it to an animal sanctuary. There, experts assumed it was a tiger cat, a group of tiny wild cats found throughout South America. But biologist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz wasn’t convinced. Eventually, genetic testingconfirmedsomething remarkable: The cat was a member of a brand new species, the first new cat species discovered in over a century. As is often the case, locals knew about the cat; they called it “tilcayo,” which researchers incorporated into its scientific name,Leopardus tilcayo. (“Tilcayo” doesn’t seem to have any meaning in local languages. When locals were asked why they used that name, they simply said their grandparents had used it.) Tilcayo isjust18 inches long and weighs 3 pounds. Other than its size and shape, scientists know basically nothing about it, including how many are in the wild. But the fact it exists has radically reshaped our understanding of the cat family tree, adding more branches than previously thought. The method used to identify it could also help us discover even more cat species. “Our world is extremely complex,” Nogales-Ascarrunz said. “Sometimes we think that most of it is known.… Even in the cats, there are things out there that are undescribed, things that people haven’t found yet. So let’s go out and find them and protect them.”
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