My life in humans
Trump summons world leaders to Egypt at the last minute for “a brutal lesson in realpolitik.” / The New York Times [$], The Guardian
How did the ceasefire come about? “The mediators delivered a warning to Hamas: Put your faith in Trump’s plan or face endless war.” / The Wall Street Journal [$]
Virtually every media outlet rejects the Pentagon’s restrictive new rules. / CNN
Trump dings TIME magazine for a new cover that depicts his thinning hair. / Reliable Sources
David Brooks calls for a national movement to counter the MAGA story of “menace and threat.” / The Atlantic [$]
Unrelated: Q&A with a former wedding photographer turned landmine remover. / Goats & Soda
Yet another Russian elite dies in a suspicious act of falling out of a window. / Semafor
Interesting notes on Sino-US cultural exchanges—thanks to the time difference—on various apps and games. / The London Review of Books
Temu’s EU operations more than double their pre-tax profits despite employing just eight people outside China. / The Guardian
The US government cancels a solar project in Nevada that would have supplied over three times more electricity than the Hoover Dam. / Heatmap
New England’s last coal-fired power plant closes three years ahead of schedule. / Grist
The fastest-growing spots for remote work in 2025: Paraguay, Vietnam, Romania. / Nomads.com
Knives from a single city in Japan are said to be used by 90% of professional chefs in the country. / Smithsonian Magazine
Expertise in the wine world is often wildly overstated—“the prejudices of oenophiles don’t have a basis in what makes a wine desirable to normal people.” / Cremieux Recueil
Related: A math puzzle about how to divvy up a bottle of wine. / Futility Closet
An explanation of how “buy now, pay later” companies like Klarna are driving young people into dizzying debts with bubbly ads. / The New York Times Magazine [$]
A demonstration of how Easter Island’s statues may have been “walked” onto their platforms. / Ars Technica
“Humans of New York” replaces every since ad inside New York City’s Grand Central Terminal. / artnet
Does a “RalphLaurenChristmas” fad suggest Americans no longer have “the language or capacity to properly describe feelings and aesthetics?” / The Trend Report
And now a brief chat with new supporter Molly P.!
Molly, thanks so much for supporting! When did you start reading TMN? 2016ish, and I owe it to my dear friend Mary Tuminaro. We were both long time New Orleans residents, and I asked her where she got her news, and the rest is history.
Very cool! (We love New Orleans). Anything particular about TMN that works for you? The weirder media becomes, the deeper my trust and reliance on TMN grows. Not sure how else to put it, but I love it for what it is.
Well, we really appreciate that. Final question, why did you support today? I am a CPA who handles the books for a couple of nonprofits, and I’ve seen firsthand the struggle of bringing in donations. So I know I need to put up or shut up.
In the members area, unlocked links from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Atlantic ↓