Assassin's reed
Why may President Trump's $880 billion in spending cuts come from Medicaid? Because otherwise the math doesn't add up. / The 19th
A now-deleted list of government properties for sale includes a secretive CIA facility. / WIRED
Related: How Trump's efforts to cut environmental red tape may backfire. / Grist
Unrelated: Beware the man whose handwriting sways like a reed in the wind (from TMN favorite Anne Carson). / The London Review of Books
Thanks to Elon Musk's leap into politics, Tesla suffers brand erosion, employee dissatisfaction, and a falling stock price. / The Wall Street Journal [+]
Adi Robertson: If Congress decides to become a real branch of government again, then we can talk about things like an anti-deepfakes law. / The Verge
A paralyzed man in San Francisco is able to move a robotic arm using only his thoughts. / Interesting Engineering
Vietnam's offers free 4G phones to help low-income consumers adapt to the country's 2G network shutting down. / rest of world
Forest managers and ecological designers are trying to build thousand-year-old trees. / Noema Magazine
Frank Lloyd Wright's personal apartment at The Plaza Hotel is up for sale. / Compass
The contest for literature's worst opening sentences is sadly over. / The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
In case you missed it yesterday, this year's Tournament of Books, presented by TMN favorite Field Notes, is in full swing! / The Tournament of Books, Field Notes
And now a brief chat with another new Sustaining Member, Tristan B.!
Tristan, hi! You found us from the ToB, right? When did that start for you? 2018 was my first Tournament. I've always been a reader, but law school from 2006 to 2009 killed the enjoyment and I didn't start reading for fun seriously again until 2016. I asked for book recommendations and a friend from law school recommended some great books—The Nix and one of Anthony Marras's books were two that stood out. I loved them both, still do. She later introduced me to the ToB and I got hooked.
That's great. Can we ask: what keeps you coming back? I come back each year because there's always one book I wouldn't have ready otherwise that I love. It's also just fun and fun to bring up to bookish people. (I asked Rufi Thorpe a question about her rating system when she spoke in Madison last year. I hope it got some more people to the ToB.) It's also something that I enjoy having to connect with a different friend from law school. Similar to how I still care about football, mostly to have something to discuss with my father, the ToB is great to connect with a friend who lives two states away.
We love to hear it. Any particular reason you decided to support? I recently have been making a conscious effort to financially support creators I enjoy, instead of just freeloading. I've been subscribing to Patreon, keeping up my Dropout and Nebula subscriptions so that creators I like get more money. I just cancelled my Amazon Prime and figured I had the money budgeted so I should support something good, instead of something evil. I also helped guilt you into creating the covers mug and shirt on Discord, so felt obligated to buy one. If I was going to buy something I figured I should get 50% off. Demonstrating my excellent lawyer math skills, I then spent $60 to save $40.00.
🐓 It's thanks to generous folks like Tristan—and all of our Sustaining Members—that Andrew and I are here, doing our stuff. Become a Sustaining Member today! 🐓 🐓
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Your headlines are sourced and composed by Rosecrans Baldwin (☜) and Andrew Womack, Monday through Saturday. View this edition and the latest headlines at TMN.