Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, Syndemics; Trump’s executive orders; Trump and AI; Oh, Elon; The Inaugural: Melania’s hat; the seating chart ~
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
How Far Will Trump Get With Shock and Awe?
Some of Trump’s first day initiatives will run into a buzz saw of legal opposition, but others on the economic warfare front seem to pack a punch.
NATO as the Fly in Russia’s Baltic Sea Soup
The West uses common, minor, and likely accidental damage to a few submarine cables to further militarize the Baltic Sea and harass the “shadow fleet.”
Knowing Less About AI Makes People More Open to Having It in Their Lives – New Research
A study on receptivity to AI use sadly skips over some fundamental questions.
Close to 30 Million Americans Face Limited Water Supplies, Government Report Finds
Struggles over water use and cost are set to intensify as usage outstrips supplies.
2:00PM Water Cooler 1/21/2025
~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, Syndemics; January 6 pardons; DOGE Executive order; Improving surgical masks (many methods) ~
How Los Angeles Can Fireproof Communities, Not Just Houses
Ideas about how to reduce fire risk in Los Angeles do not appear to go far enough.
Four Lawsuits Targeting DOGE Filed Immediately After Trump Swearing In Demand Compliance with FACA, Other Laws
DOGE is dodgy! Who’d have thunk it? Four fast-off-the-block filings seek to bring it to heel.
Cold War 2.0 in Mexico: US and Russian Embassies Lock Horns Over International Study Programs
The German embassy also joined the pile-on, with slapstick consequences.
How Trump 2.0 Could Herald a New Age of Authoritarian Capitalism
To discuss: “Trump’s weaponisation of US power poses a threat to peace, prosperity and the planet.”
Trump Shreds Emoluments Clause with New Memecoin while Norms Fairy Weeps (and Melania Joins the Fun)
Even tech bros are aghast.
