Bird flu has always been deadly for large populations of birds and other animals. But, in the past, these breakouts of the virus H5N1 had a controlling factor. To be blunt: Dead birds don't fly. This reality helped localize the spread of the scourge. But "the virus evolved so some wild birds are able to migrate just far enough to reach another bird community or mammal population to pass the virus on before dying." Even researchers have been surprised by the adaptation. According to one virologist, "We've gone from this concept of dead birds don't fly to this new virus that seems to be a bit more like dead bird flying." NPR: How bird flu is spreading in the wild. "If the natural reservoir for this virus was any other animal species than birds, we might expect to see it only located on a certain continent because animals don't swim across oceans. They don't climb over mountain ranges. The one animal species that does is birds."
+ In the animal kingdom, this news could be described as a global catastrophe. But what about humans who so far have mostly related to the virus by way of high egg prices? Are we prepared for the worst case scenario? Will be even know about it? NYT (Gift Article): C.D.C. Posts, Then Deletes, Data on Bird Flu Spread Between Cats and People.
+ Given the dietary habits of Super Bowl weekend, it's worth wondering: Why are egg prices surging — but not chicken wings? "Chickens raised for meat — known as 'broilers' — live on different farms than those that produce eggs. And while broilers are not immune from avian flu, they haven't been hit nearly as hard as their egg-laying cousins."
Congress has power of the purse. But the current administration (and it's Muskian IT team) is testing that reality by deciding which programs to cut and which bills to pay. One would imagine that, regardless of political party, members of Congress would want to maintain what one could argue is its core power. But then again, maybe not. "The question of who has the final word is emerging as a central point of contention between members of Congress and the White House, a clash that is likely to escalate after the confirmation on Thursday of Russell T. Vought as the director of President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget. Mr. Vought has flatly declared that he and Mr. Trump consider the budget act to be unconstitutional. They contend that the White House can choose what gets money and what doesn’t even if it conflicts with specific directions from Congress through appropriations measures signed into law. Others on Capitol Hill, including some Republicans, vehemently dispute that idea." Just not vehemently enough to keep Vought, the architect of Project 2025, from just being confirmed. NYT(Gift Article): White House Forces Showdown Over Congress’s Power of the Purse.
+ "Russell Vought, a leading figure behind Project 2025 and now Mr. Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget for the second time, promised to put government employees “in trauma.” The new-right intellectuals behind the anti-democratic movement draw heavily on crackpot writers like Curtis Yarvin, who condemns “the cathedral” — his term for the people and institutions that sustain a functioning modern state — and openly champions monarchical rule. In its first weeks, the Trump administration has delivered on that promise." Katherine Stewart in the NYT (Gift Article): Now Will We Believe What Is Happening Right in Front of Us?
"Believing what is happening right in front of us..." is a phrase at the heart of the struggle of the modern age. What's happening in front of you depends largely on the filter through which that reality passes. Increasingly, those filters are being managed by a shinking number of people with a very large stake in the game (and one that doesn't necessarily represent your stake). The Atlantic (Gift Article): Americans Are Trapped in an Algorithmic Cage. "These tycoons represent a tech elite that collectively controls the mediums through which Americans collect and assess information, and therefore determine much of what Americans see and hear on a daily basis."
+ Sometimes the disinformation effort is more direct that a few slight tweaks to an algorithm. How Elon Musk boosted false USAID conspiracy theories to shut down global aid.
+ These days, the tech overlords don't just determine what we see on our computers. They're taking control of what federal government employees see on theirs. Kara Swisher has been covering the rise of the broligarchs since the beginning. In an NYT (Gift Article) with Ezra Klein, here's her take on What Elon Musk Wants. "That is a really big quality that Musk has: Let’s say things and wait for them to sue us or wait for them to stop us. They won’t stop us. Again, very much like Trump: The people don’t stop you. We just operate on a set of polite rules in society, and they just barrel right through them."
What to Animate: "A courageous cat teams up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog in search of dry land after their home is devastated by a great flood. Together they must rely on trust, courage, and wits to survive the perils of a newly aquatic planet." Before it wins an Oscar, check out the animated feature: Flow.
+ What to Show: In 1979 Tokyo, four distinct sisters uncover their aging father's affair. But what results is mostly an examination of their relationship with one another. Asura on Netflix.
+ What to Movie: Andy Goodrich’s life is upended when his wife and mother of their nine-year-old twins enters a 90-day rehab program. But it turns out the one who is really experiencing rehab is him. Michael Keaton in Goodrich on Max.
Power on Soft Power: "Like all government agencies, it could be more efficient, and making it so was an effort I spearheaded during my tenure. Yet for much of the world population, the investments and work of U.S.A.I.D. make up the primary (and often only) contact with the United States." Samantha Power in NYT (Gift Article): I Ran U.S.A.I.D. Killing It Is a Win for Autocrats Everywhere. For more from Power, check out her memoir: The Education of an Idealist. Meanwhile, one more example of the impact of cutting off the organization. Abandoned in the Middle of Clinical Trials, Because of a Trump Order.
+ ICC Span: Dozens of countries back International Criminal Court after Trump sanctions.
+ Still Standing: "Amid piles of debris and toxic ash, some buildings are still standing. Whether by design or accident, some homes had structural advantages that helped them survive." WaPo: What the homes that survived the L.A. fires reveal.
+ Gun Fight: "There are certain types of weapons that are so dangerous that they should only be possessed for civilian purposes as an exception." Sweden plans tighter gun laws after deadly school shooting. (What a concept.)
+ Error Port: "A highway meant to whisk travelers to the $2 billion terminal has yet to be built, even though flights are supposed to begin operating in just seven weeks. A bridge to get across a river that runs along the grounds was never constructed. There’s a subway stop labeled “Airport” planned for Lima’s new metro system, but that station is set to be built (three years from now) much closer to the old airport that’s being decommissioned." Peru's new airport is not going well. Bloomberg (Gift Article): Nice Airport, If You Can Get to It: No Subway, No Highway, No Bridge.
"She looked at me like ‘oh my god, oh my god, a human! She started wagging her tail and running back and forth. She just seemed so excited." A Rescue Team in Colorado Spent 13 Hours Saving a Dog Named Tiny. (I waited that long for my beagles to come when they were called.)
+ "I know a lot of them lost their homes, and JJ and I know exactly what they're going through. So if we can give them a good night, something to remember, and also get away from what's been happening recently, that's hopefully a nice thing for them." Steve Kerr, JJ Redick host HS hoops team displaced by wildfires.
+ FDA approves new type of nonopioid painkiller for acute pain.
+ A spine-zapping implant helped 3 people with a muscle-wasting disease walk better.
+ Norway nears 100% goal of all-electric cars.
+ Jump rope performer used double Dutch ropes to save teen in icy pond.
