Frank of America
A round-up of President Trump's first day back in office, playing "ping-pong between the serious and the stunning." / The Wall Street Journal [+]
Trump's political urgency may be slowed "by a more languid Congress." / Semafor
The United States military debates possible deployment on US soil. / Politico
Molly White: No, Trump didn't make $50 billion from his memecoin. / [citation needed]
Democrats have helped create the tech oligarchy they are now decrying. / Blood in the Machine
Each time you see a targeted ad, your personal information is exposed to advertisers and data brokers through a process called "real-time bidding." / EFF
See also: "FTC Surveillance Pricing Study Indicates Wide Range of Personal Data Used to Set Individualized Consumer Prices." / Federal Trade Commission
Some thoughts on how to "escape the algorithm." / escape the algorithm
Schools are using an AI simulation of Anne Frank that urges kids not to blame anyone for the Holocaust. / The__Byte
Related: A conversation with a virtual Anne Frank. / Bluesky
Trend experts attempt to predict the late 2020s. "Sports and wellness have not reached their apex." / The Trend Report
A new sport takes off in the Bay Area involving tricycles. / The San Francisco Chronicle
Rebuilding in Southern California after the fires may be on a collision course with Trump's immigration crackdowns. / The Los Angeles Times
From Los Angeles, some thoughts about how the past is not as easy to recover and rebuild after disaster strikes. / National Geographic
What happens when someone in a crowded LA movie theater yells "rape" at the screen? / Meditations in an Emergency
A 2016 documentary about David Lynch is free for anyone to watch through the end of January. / The Criterion Channel
And now a brief chat with a Sustaining Member, Kate M.!
Hi, Kate! You found us through the Tournament of Books, right? How did that start? I actually started reading ToB because a group at work runs an internal competition to see who can pick the best books. I’m more of a genre fiction reader, so this is stretching my boundaries. This year I have acquired all the short-listed books and hope to have them read before the tournament starts.
You just reupped your membership—what keeps you coming back? What keeps me coming back? Our work tournament and the fascinating discussion. It’s sort of like Siskel and Ebert with the judge and the commentariat. (A mass Siskel and Ebert?)
For sure! Do you remember why you decided to become a member in the first place? I decided to support because reading the Tournament's posts has given me so much joy over the years. I look forward to March and the discussions even when I have read none of the books. There is so much interesting writing going on, and the Tournament surfaces books I would not likely encounter otherwise.
👩🎤 It's thanks to wonderful folks like Kate that you're reading this newsletter. If you haven't yet, please become a Sustaining Member today!
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Your headlines are sourced and composed by Rosecrans Baldwin and Andrew Womack (☜), Monday through Friday. View this edition and the latest headlines at TMN.