A technical glitch prevented yesterday's edition from mailing—our apologies! More than half a million displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza. / Al Jazeera Kenyans ranked as the most optimistic people on the planet in 2002—an overview of their hope ever since. / Africa Is a Country No
Human-like fossils found in China appear to have extremely large brains, bigger than ours. / RNZ A study finds 55 percent of American 18 to 34-year-olds approve of the use of violence, property damage, or misinformation to enact change. / VICE College enrollment in the United States increased this
Something that's getting lost in yesterday's was-it-or-wasn't-it US-Colombia trade war: "Colombia accepted 475 deportation flights from the US from 2020 to 2024." / AP And also: Because Trump wants to use military—not civilian—flights to transport deportees,
With the inauguration of Trump's second term, the Doomsday Clock will move forward next week. / The Nation See also: A subreddit that provides "the perfect soundtrack for your personal apocalypse." / r/CollapseMusic Unrelated: When a scientist convinced members of the San Francisco 49ers to ingest radioactive
Biden's cabinet had a combined net worth of around $120 million, which is absolutely dwarfed by the $20 billion net worth of Trump's presumptive cabinet. / The Intercept Spencer Ackerman: What starts as temporary, emergency measures tend to become fixed in the firmament of American governance and
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
The CDC is urging labs to accelerate testing patients hospitalized with flu to determine whether they have seasonal influenza or bird flu. / NBC News The future of the West Coast is "hydroclimate whiplash," where, for example, mudslides are the result of wildfires followed by intense storms. / Defector See
Qatar, Egypt, and the United States announce a cease-fire deal, though Israel has yet to convene ministers to discuss it. / Reuters Ilan Goldenberg: The most realistic scenario is that Hamas and Israel paper over their differences on post-conflict governance. / The Contrarian Fires continue to burn in Los Angeles,
Yoon Suk Yeol becomes South Korea's first sitting president to be arrested. / BBC News Stories from inside "Shein village," factories that supply the world's largest fast fashion retailer. / BBC News Spain has experienced a migration of outsiders thanks to its golden visa program, which
The National Weather Service issues a "particularly dangerous situation" warning for Southern California. / NPR Since 2021, state authorities have declined to fund wildfire prevention efforts in communities devastated by the Palisades fire. / The Los Angeles Times "Altadena Girls," a recovery fund for LA teenagers, is run
