In a closely watched and heavily funded Supreme Court election in Wisconsin, Democrats turned back Elon Musk's millions for a rare, but potentially foretelling win. Musk wanted to be the big cheese in Wisconsin as he handed out million dollar checks and delivered a speech while wearing a cheesehead hat, essentially making the election a referendum on himself—an election which he claimed could "determine the fate of Western civilization" and "the entire destiny of humanity." Those are some high cheese stakes. Humanity, as it turned out, won. It's not that the Musk money didn't have an impact. The cheddar spread by the cheese wiz went a long way and GOP turnout was solid. It's just that the fervor he helped create against himself (and Trump) was even more powerful, as Dem turnout was high enough to put Elon's ketamine-spirited brand through a cheese grater. AP: Democrats’ win in Wisconsin court race also is a big loss for Elon Musk. "Judge Susan Crawford preserved liberals’ narrow majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court Tuesday by defeating conservative Brad Schimel, but in a way the real loser of the election was billionaire Elon Musk ... Musk’s court race defeat wasn’t only because of crushing Democratic margins in deep blue cities such as Madison and Milwaukee. Crawford’s margins were higher in places where the Musk-backed group America PAC had been active. That included Sauk County, just north of Madison, which Crawford was carrying by 10 points after Trump won it by less than 2 points in November. On Sunday, Musk headlined a campaign rally in Green Bay with 2,000 people. Trump won Brown County, which includes the city, by 7 percentage points last year. But on Tuesday, it went for Crawford." (This a relatively small victory amid a lot of destruction. But it's definitely a sign that Musk is better off putting his money where his mouth isn't.)
2The Energizer VeganCory Booker, New Jersey Senator and probably America's most famous vegan, answered the call from millions of Americans yearning for someone to take a stand. Well, he took a stand. And he held that stand. NYT (Gift Article): Cory Booker Condemns Trump’s Policies in Longest Senate Speech on Record. "Without bathroom breaks but with occasional pauses for encouraging questions from his fellow Democrats, Mr. Booker read from a binder of notes and waved a small copy of the U.S. Constitution. He gesticulated and roared. At times, he draped himself over his lectern. His voice grew hoarse. But it remained strong ... 'My voice is inadequate,' Mr. Booker said more than 19 hours into the speech. 'My efforts today are inadequate to stop what they’re trying to do. But we the people are powerful.'" (Full disclosure: Cory Booker is a friend of mine. And I feel pretty honored to say that today.)
3You Never Promised Me a Rose Garden Speech"President Donald Trump will announce the details of his 'Liberation Day' plan at 4 p.m. ET, as he aims to redraw economic agreements with US trading partners. Trump and his team were still weighing options as of late yesterday, with no final decision made yet ahead of the Rose Garden announcement." Here's the latest. The plan is still in limbo and if past is any predictor, it will still be in limbo after Trump announces his latest plan. Economies, markets, investors, and corporations like predictability and stability. Oh well. My guess is that Liberation Day will be just another day when you'll be liberated from more of the stock gains you made during the Biden era. 4Air Frier"That toaster is part of the trick to pulling this off. Because, surprisingly, the burger tastes like Shake Shack should. On a recent flight from Boston to Atlanta, the only giveaway that this was an in-flight meal was the lack of French fries—a dish most airlines are still trying to perfect. Fries tend to lose their crispiness when they’re reheated, and nobody wants a soggy potato stick." This is huge news for those who find it difficult to go without fast food for a few hours at 30,000 feet. Bloomberg(Gift Article): With Shake Shack in First Class, Airline Food Is No Longer a Joke. (You want flies with that?) 5Extra, ExtraStairway to Heaven: "I imagine it as a very long staircase that ends with the eradication of TB and starts hundreds of years ago, when one in seven people were dying of TB. And we’ve been walking up that staircase. We can take steps forward or we can take steps back. And — I’m sorry. I got a little emotional. We didn’t take a step back. We fell down the staircase. And it is devastating. You report that hundreds of thousands of people have seen their treatment interrupted. The majority of those people will die. Elon Musk tweeted yesterday, 'I’ve never physically hurt anyone.' And I just disagree with that. Hundreds of thousands of people are going to die, and they’re going to die for no good reason. They’re not even going to die because we decided to stop providing foreign aid. They’re going to die because we decided to stop providing foreign aid in the most chaotic, unpredictable, inconsistent, radical way possible. It seems merely punitive to me." John Green in the NYT (Gift Article): We Fell Down the Staircase. That's the pain we're inflicting abroad. What about here: Michael Mina: I Study Measles. I’m Terrified We’re Headed for an Epidemic. That's the pain that's coming. What about the pain that's already here? Texas Banned Abortion. Then Sepsis Rates Soared. 6Bottom of the NewsMaybe Hooters should focus on the Irish market. "A famous statue in Dublin has been assigned a security detail in an effort to stop tourists from squeezing its breasts. Molly Malone, a fictional fisherman’s wife who serves as an unofficial mascot for the city, is said to bring good luck to travelers who rub her breasts." + Reminder: New stuff in the NextDraft store!
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