Dave Pell

“‘Think about it,’ one of the aides I spoke to told me. ‘Tillerson was contemplating his retirement from Exxon, after which he could do whatever he wanted—travel the world, sit on corporate boards. Now he’s got to feel like he’s covered in shit. I can’t imagine this is what he expected.’ Another official told me that Tillerson’s sole reason for staying was loyalty to his country: ‘The only people left around the President are generals and Boy Scouts. They’re doing it out of a sense of duty.'” The New Yorker’s Dexter Filkins with a sweeping look at the man who, as of last week, most Americans know as the guy who called Trump a moron. The situation is a lot more complicated, and a lot more critical, than a little name-calling. This article provides a good overview of the complexities of America’s most important internal relationship, what America’s foreign policy (to the extent we still have a coherent one) aims to achieve, and what a trip it must be for a guy who used to rule Exxon to now be taking orders (many via social media) from Donald Trump. Rex Tillerson at the breaking point.

“My interest picked up when Dr. Johnson, seated on a Masonic throne, announced that we would all be going to dinner at Buca di Beppo. When I called one of my emergency contact friends about the change of location she said, ‘Buca di Beppo? Do Nazis need to carbo load?'” From David Lewis in The Stranger, a remarkably entertaining article on an increasingly troubling trend: We snuck into Seattle’s super secret white nationalist convention. “Much bleaker is Dr. Johnson’s Seattle-suitable, ‘secret agent’ racism plan. Basically, white nationalists meet in secret at conventions like Northwest Forum while paying ‘lip service to diversity’ at their day jobs. They move into positions of power where they can hire other racists and keep non-whites from getting into the company. Two years ago, this method would have seemed like a total joke, but these guys really do mostly work in tech, and they were doing a lot of networking.”

“Seven years ago, Mike Moore stepped from the 2 am darkness into the light of a small home off Lakeland Drive in Jackson, Miss., to find his nephew close to death. The 250-pound 30-year-old was slumped on the living room couch, his face pale, breath shallow, and chest wet with vomit. It was his fiancée who’d called Moore, waking him in a panic. Now they were both screaming in the man’s ears, dousing him with ice cubes and water, and pinching him as his respiratory system began to collapse…Moore’s nephew had been wearing a fentanyl patch on his arm and sucking on another. ‘An ordinary horse would have been dead,’ Moore recalls in his Mississippi drawl.” Sadly, Mike Moore’s story makes for a common lede in today’s news. But Moore is no ordinary leading man. He’s the lawyer who went after big tobacco and negotiated “the largest corporate legal settlement in U.S. history: a 50-state, $246 billion agreement that funds smoking cessation and prevention programs to this day.” And now, as Bloomberg reports, The lawyer who beat big tobacco is taking on the opioid industry.

In her hit song Ironic, Alanis Morissette sings: Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think. A little too ironic…The irony is there really aren’t any examples of irony in her song. In DC, we have an opposite problem. We’ve seen examples of moronic behavior, but we can’t be quite sure whether or not the secretary of state called the president of the United States a moron. Welcome to reality in 2017. Elon Musk has suggested that we’re all living in a simulation. At this point that sounds like wishful thinking. The latest interpersonal spat slash global crisis was sparked by an NBC News report suggesting that Tillerson had referred to Trump as a “moron” and the sec of state required an intervention by the veep to keep from departing. Tillerson denied that he’s ever considered leaving. And about the name-calling: “We don’t deal with that kind of petty nonsense.” The problem, of course, is that his boss spends hours on Twitter dealing out precisely that kind of petty nonsense; even when it comes to issues as serious as North Korea and Puerto Rico. Now that’s ironic.

Now is not the time to politicize this. I never trust that phrase, especially when it comes from a politician. Politicians who tell you not to politicize things need a career change. Now is precisely the time to politicize Vegas and talk about guns. As Vegas native Jimmy Kimmel (who realizes now is the time to politicize everything) explained in Monday’s monologue: “We have 59 innocent people dead. It wasn’t their time either. So I think now is the time for political debate.”

The latest, and deadliest, chapter in America’s longest-running storyline occurred on Sunday night as what happens in America happened in Las Vegas. A lone shooter armed with several weapons went on a shooting spree, targeting thousands of attendees of a country music festival from behind a blown out window in a room on the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay. At least 58 people were killed and several hundred injured. The shooter turned a gun on himself after police were led to his location by a fire alarm set off by gun smoke. Here’s the latest from The Guardian, along with some photos from the perspective of survivors and first responders.

It’s been a busy week filled with controversial news and there’s undoubtedly some disaster coverage fatigue among the viewing public. Those factors likely play a role in the fact “that the devastation in Puerto Rico is getting comparatively little attention” measured against Irma and Harvey coverage. That’s an especially big problem during a period when a certain someone in the administration has an unusually voracious appetite for news (fake and real). So, in the hopes more coverage will make a difference, I’ll do my part leading with the story here. The Mayor of San Juan put it bluntly: “Puerto Rico is not a good news story, it’s a people are dying story.” Here’s the latest from Buzzfeed.

If you’ve been paying attention, then the opening of this Daily Beast article will be the least surprising lede of the day: “The Facebook group United Muslims of America was neither united, Muslim, nor American.” Among their various tactics, Russians impersonated real American muslims to stir chaos on Facebook and Instagram. (And let’s not leave out Twitter, since the Russians didn’t). Similar techniques have been used nonstop for years, and have continued unabated, right through the NFL anthem-kneeling debate. Maybe they’re that good. Maybe we’re that gullible or prone towards divisiveness. At this point, I’m so confused I need to have my head examined. Luckily, I’ve read some good online reviews about a specialist in my area. His name is Dr. Zhivago.

Today in San Francisco, I got an emergency alert on my iPhone warning me about high temps in the area, and encouraging me to drink water and check on my neighbors. It’s 80 degrees. Maybe it was a system bug. Maybe my iPhone is overly cautious. Either way, the alert (along with the twenty or so phone notifications I’ve gotten since) serves as reminder that our lives are increasingly dominated by software. In addition to being pretty irritating, that can be pretty dangerous. From James Somers in The Atlantic: The coming software apocalypse: “It’s been said that software is ‘eating the world.’ More and more, critical systems that were once controlled mechanically, or by people, are coming to depend on code. This was perhaps never clearer than in the summer of 2015, when on a single day, United Airlines grounded its fleet because of a problem with its departure-management system; trading was suspended on the New York Stock Exchange after an upgrade; the front page of The Wall Street Journal’s website crashed; and Seattle’s 911 system went down again, this time because a different router failed. The simultaneous failure of so many software systems smelled at first of a coordinated cyberattack. Almost more frightening was the realization, late in the day, that it was just a coincidence.” Checking on your router is the new checking on your neighbor.

“‘They are not compatible with our culture,’ she said. ‘They hate us. They don’t want to be Americans. They don’t want to assimilate. What do you need to see? What more proof do you need?’ This was a highly unusual meeting, but Brown wasn’t exactly surprised. Several months earlier, when the anti-refugee activists began to organize, he started reading up to try to better understand their views. He picked up a book by Ann Coulter and began to follow the anti-refugee blogs. At the meeting, he felt as if he were hearing all that he had read being repeated aloud by his neighbors.” In the NYT Mag, Caitlin Dickerson explains how “exaggerated reports of a juvenile sex crime brought a media maelstrom to Twin Falls—one the Idaho city still hasn’t recovered from.” Fake news isn’t just happening at the national level. And neither are the pre-existing divisions it foments. This is how fake news turned a small town upside down. (A story for our times, even including some participation by the Russians…) It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness. It all depended on which news you got…

Over the weekend, Donald Trump un-invited Steph Curry to the White House (Curry had already indicated he didn’t plan to attend a victory celebration there), advised NFL owners to respond to any player who follows Colin Kaepernick and kneels during the national anthem by firing the son of a bitch, and lamented the fact that pro football was doing so much (they aren’t) to protect players from head injuries — becoming the first world leader to come out in favor of brain damage. Unsurprisingly, America’s top athletes fired back at Trump —but at least in this case, he picked on people who don’t have nukes.

Social media is about to become as central to our political discourse as it has been to our lives over the past decade. After facing “calls for greater transparency about 470 Russia-linked accounts—in which fictional people posed as American activists—which were taken down after they had promoted inflammatory messages on divisive issues,” Facebook will turn over more than 3,000 Russia-linked ads to Congress. It’s worth noting that in the early days of the Internet, we were convinced we were creating a new system of transparency that would make life increasingly difficult for evil-doers who had operated freely in the shadows. Instead, we ended up with a cesspool of hate speech and fake stories that cast a shadow between us and reality.

“Between 1976 and 1979, 86% of high school seniors had gone on a date; between 2010 and 2015, only 63% had…During the same period, the portion that had ever earned money from working plunged from 76% to 55%. And the portion that had tried alcohol plummeted from 93% between 1976 and 1979 to 67% between 2010 and 2016.” According to a new study, teens increasingly put off traditional markers of adulthood. Is it the internet? Well, these trends started before the internet really took off. Is it more homework or a busy after-school schedule? No, teens today spend less time on homework. Is it some cultural trend attributable to race, gender, or socioeconomic status? Actually, it seems to cut across all groups. Maybe teens just decided adult life wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

While the main characters change, there are certain storylines that, with minor tweaks, are repeatedly recycled and reused. When the tobacco industry was faced with increased consumer awareness and government regulation in the US, they moved their sales efforts abroad. The opioid-pushing pharmaceutical companies have followed a similar path. And now, as Americans become increasingly aware of the toxic nature of sugar, big food companies have responded with a two-word strategy: We deliver. From the NYT: As growth slows in wealthy countries, Western food companies are aggressively expanding in developing nations, contributing to obesity and health problems. “‘The prevailing story is that this is the best of all possible worlds—cheap food, widely available. If you don’t think about it too hard, it makes sense,’ said Anthony Winson, who studies the political economics of nutrition at the University of Guelph in Ontario. A closer look, however, reveals a much different story, he said. ‘To put it in stark terms: The diet is killing us.'”

“If you can just look it up on the internet, you’re not thinking. The more people rely on technology, the more we want to sit behind a desk. But you can’t build a house sitting behind a desk. My concern for our future, for our own children is that they lose their work ethic.” That was a woodworker named Levi lamenting the impact computers and mobile phones have on the kids (and adults) in his community. His opinion is hardly an unfamiliar refrain. But it’s coming from an unexpected place. From the NYT: In Amish Country, the Future Is Calling. You knew things were changing in Amish country when they started raising barns that featured exposed brick, co-working spaces, and cold brew on tap.

President Trump has a deal with Democrats to protect Dreamers and provide a path to citizenship, in exchange for a package that features increased border security, but doesn’t include mandatory funding for the wall. Either that or Trump doesn’t have a deal with Democrats, a path to citizenship is not part of that non-deal, and the wall is definitely happening. Vox prides itself on providing “explainers” that provide simple overviews of current events. They’ve got their work cut out for them this time. Did Trump strike a deal with Democrats on DACA? This is what we know. (At this point, I’m so confused I need professional help. And the Mexicans are gonna pay for it.)

“Once a bustling industrial town, Huntington, West Virginia has become the epicenter of America’s modern opioid epidemic, with an overdose rate 10 times the national average. This flood of heroin now threatens this Appalachian city with a cycle of generational addiction, lawlessness, and poverty.” The new Netflix documentary Heroin(e) (produced in collaboration with my friends at the excellent Center for Investigative Journalism) tells the story of three women on the front lines of the battle to save small towns from the perfect storm of America’s opioid/heroin disaster. It’s only thirty minutes. Take the time to watch it. Below, I’ve shared a collection of articles to frame this pressing story.

I’ve been a tech addict and Apple fanboy since the 80s. Apple could release a 2×4 with a rotary dial for two grand and I’d buy it in a second. Today, Apple celebrated the tenth anniversary of the iPhone (the product that changed everything) by sharing a selection of updated products that serve as a reminder of how far personal technology has come, and the remarkable hold it has over most of us. In addition to updated iPhones that unlock when they recognize your face, Apple introduced a new version of its watch with a cell connection that keeps you connected at all times, while monitoring your heart rate and other vitals. That’s how integral tech wants to be to your life, and we’re only a decade into the iPhone revolution. As we’ve seen with all other tech advances, these will come with positives and negatives. Here’s a rundown of Apple announcements.

There’s a modern question that emerges when a massive storm makes its way towards a highly populated area: Is this the right moment to talk about climate change? Let’s settle that debate with a simple answer: Yes. It’s the right time to discuss climate change and how we’re going to adapt to it because we’re witnessing, firsthand, what could be the new normal. And because, for the most part, we completely ignore the threats posed by climate change when there isn’t a big storm approaching. Miami Mayor Mayor Tomás Regalado agrees: “This is the time to talk about climate change…This is a truly, truly poster child for what is to come.” Climate change is simply going to factor into our future decisions about where and how we live. Here’s The New Yorker’s Dexter Filkins (who grew up in Florida) with an Elegy for the Sunshine State: “The joke among us was that every housing development in Florida was named to memorialize the ecosystem it replaced: Crystal Cove, Mahogany Bay, The Bluffs. For about a year, I lived in an apartment complex, paved from end to end, called “In the Pines.”

Question: How can you pay $13 for a nice, new shirt without someone getting hurt? Answer: You can’t. The LA Times provides an in-depth look at the way (often remarkably) inexpensive clothes get made, who’s doing the work, and how sweatshop workers can get paid $4 an hour, right here in America, without your favorite cheap store being held accountable. “Sweatshop wages are the hidden cost of the bargains that make stores like Forever 21 impossible to resist for so many Americans.”

In the movie Saturday Night Fever, just before he and his friends are about to enter the disco at the center of their lives, Tony Manero tells them to shape up, “We’re the faces.” That line always stuck with me. My young kids often wonder why, just before entering an event, I remind them that we’re the faces. In the very near future, it will become clear that the statement will hold true for all of us, as facial recognition becomes a primary mode of identification. As is the case with many tech advances, this one will herald in a period of greater convenience, coupled with less privacy and increased weirdness. “One big difference between faces and other biometric data, such as fingerprints, is that they work at a distance.” Your face can tell us who you are, and give us clues about how you’re feeling and whether or not you’re telling the truth. Here’s The Economist with a glimpse of what life will be like in the age of facial recognition. It won’t all be positive. But it’s coming. So, as Pete Townshend warned (in a song that, after three decades, finally makes perfect sense), you’ve gotta Face the Face.

Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss? Not quite. The old boss wanted to sell you a car or learn a bit more about your electronics needs. The new boss wants a permanent place at your work, inside your home, on your wrist, in your pocket, over your eyes, and eventually in your body. The rise of the massive tech company is one of the key storylines of our era—even if no one pays attention to anything but Trump news (and tech is even related to the rise of Trumpism). From John Lanchester: You Are the Product. “Internet companies are working in a field that is poorly understood (if understood at all) by customers and regulators. The stuff they’re doing, if they’re any good at all, is by definition new. In that overlapping area of novelty and ignorance and unregulation, it’s well worth reminding employees not to be evil, because if the company succeeds and grows, plenty of chances to be evil are going to come along.”

“I am here today to announce that the program known as DACA that was effectuated under the Obama Administration is being rescinded.” So said Jeff Sessions as he delivered president Trump’s message that he’d be ending DACA—with a six month delay to give Congress time to deal with the latest passed buck. (Apparently, they alone can fix it.) The move has been met with widespread condemnation, from both sides of the aisle.

At lunch at the Sizzler (a few decades ago), my dad pointed to a guy talking on one of those old, giant cell phones, and warned me never to take employment that would require me to be connected to the office during lunch. Times have changed—and you’d need to pause and enter what I call a Cell Phone Time Machine to recall just how much they’ve change. Tech has made us always-on and always connected, and the lines between our work and personal lives have disappeared. Working many hours (especially in the tech industry) is considered a badge of honor. As Dan Lyons explains in the NYT: “A century ago, factory workers were forming unions and going on strike to demand better conditions and a limit on hours. Today, Silicon Valley employees celebrate their own exploitation.” In Silicon Valley, Working 9 to 5 Is for Losers.