Some people make new year's resolutions. News curators just find new things to add to the list of stuff to worry about. I took the first week of the year off to match my kids' school breaks, during which I worried alone. Now I'm back, so let's get you up to speed with a little help from the always interesting Ian Bremmer in Time: The Top 10 Global Risks for 2024. I was a little surprised (and relieved) that a conflict between China and the US didn't make the list. I couldn't be less surprised that the first item on Bremmer's list is the most pressing risk listed by almost everyone I know, from those who work in intelligence, defense, and risk analysis to those who are just paying a bit of attention to the daily headlines. In the age of malignant narcissism, it shouldn't surprise you that the greatest threat comes from within. The United State vs itself: "The presidential election will deepen the country’s political division, testing American democracy to a degree the nation hasn’t experienced in 150 years and undermining U.S. credibility internationally. With the outcome of the vote close to a coin toss (at least for now), the only certainty is damage to America’s social fabric, political institutions, and international standing. In a world beset by crises, the prospect of a Trump victory will weaken America’s position on the global stage as Republican lawmakers take up his foreign policy positions and U.S. allies and adversaries hedge against his likely policies." (I'd only quibble with the label. It's not the United States vs itself. It's Trumpism vs America.) 2Blowing the Doors Off"After the end of a news conference in which National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy laid out the probe's status, she returned to give a piece of positive news: 'I'm excited to announce that we found the door plug.'" It really wasn't We who found it. It was Bob, the Oregon schoolteacher. And he didn't have to look all that far. Missing door plug that detached from Alaska Airlines plane found in Oregon teacher's backyard. 3Off the Beaten PathologyThere are few things more stressful and depressing than a never-ending trip through the healthcare system with a set of mysterious symptoms that no one can figure out. And few people have told the story of that journey quite like Tom Scocca. My Unraveling: I had my health. I had a job. And then, abruptly, I didn’t. 4Taylor Made"People say to me, ‘Man, it’s been a crazy year,’ Aaron Eanes said. 'When I say, ‘Actually, it’s not that crazy,’ people look at me funny. It’s because it’s easy when you have a plan. We’re executing that plan.' Before you run to YouTube and TikTok to research conspiracy theories, no, the plan did not include Taylor Swift." Love may happen at first sight. But just about everything else is carefully planned, at least when it comes to celebrity careers. NYT (Gift Article): The People Who Brought You Travis Kelce. "A plan was hatched to make the football player 'as famous as the Rock.' It began long before you might guess." 5Extra, ExtraNo Middle Ground in Middle East: There are a lot of international calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. But the key decision makers, Netanyahu's increasingly fanatical right wing government and the murderous monsters of Hamas who started the war, both have reasons to keep things going. Here's a great explainer from Tom Friedman on MSNBC. The biggest challenge for the Pentagon (and lot of other defense departments) is trying to keep things from spreading. With each strike, fears grow that Israel, the US and Iran’s allies are inching closer to all-out war. 6Bottom of the News"Their questions were unique, to say the least: Should I tell the IRS that I left my job to become a full-time dominatrix? Will my bank close my account if I say I’m an escort? If a tax form asks whether you met with customers in your 'home office,' does prostitution in your bedroom count as a client meeting?" The prostitute nudging sex workers to file their taxes. Get a copy of my 📕, Please Scream Inside Your Heart, or grab a 👕 in the Store.
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