017 Advent 2: Our Always and Future King
Pipe bomb arrest, infant vaccine guidelines change, gas trucks are GO!
“The kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts. Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
all nations shall serve Him.” ~ Psalm 72
On the Radar
Crime and Policing
The U.S. announced the arrest of a man accused of placing pipe bombs near the headquarters of both Republicans and Democrats on the eve of January 6, 2021. The Attorney General said there were no new leads, hinting that her predecessor had not prioritized the case. Media outlets and online pundits spent the weekend speculating about the suspect’s politics, but in an interview, his grandmother said he’s “borderline autistic,” politically unaffiliated, and grieving the loss of his chihuahua. (Fox, PJ Media)
Politics
The European Union has issued a $140 million fine against X, citing lack of transparency, especially regarding blue check marks. The checks once denoted verified, authentic accounts and were treated as authoritative by default. After Elon Musk bought the platform in 2022 and opened the check system to paying subscribers, the verification symbol became both a revenue stream and a way for users to earn money on the platform. X executives responded to the ruling by pointing out that the EU’s own account had used deceptive tactics to widen its reach—and then promptly banned its ad account. (Reclaim the Net). The Guardian. Michael Sehllenberger via X, Red State)
The Supreme Court has ruled that Texas may use its rare mid-decade redistricting map in next year’s midterm elections. (Scotus Blog)
Life
A University of Oklahoma student was given zero marks for an essay by her transgender instructor. Asked to respond to a paper about gender identity, Samantha Fulnecky argued a biblical view of male and female. Albert Mohler, who read the paper, said on his podcast that while the argument wasn’t “thick,” it was certainly worth more than zero. He agreed the instructor was biased, especially after calling her argument “offensive.” (The Oklahoman, The Briefing)
“Silent book clubs” are taking off, says Axios—informal gatherings where bookworms sit and read alongside others, “a low-stakes way to get out and surround yourself with people without draining your social battery too much.” (Axios)
Money
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has announced that Biden-era fuel-efficiency standards will be rolled back. Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations, introduced in 1975, had been tightened under Biden to force the production of more electric vehicles. Auto manufacturers praised the reversal, saying it will allow families to buy newer, safer cars and trucks at lower prices. (Repairer Driven News, Not the Bee) | In related news, an influential study on the projected impact of climate change on the global economy has been retracted. Inaccuracies in the financial data were too significant to fix, according to the authors. (WNG)
The Small Business Administration has ordered companies with federal contracts under preferential programs to turn over detailed financial information. SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said contracts given to “socially disadvantaged” businesses had become “a pass-through vehicle for rampant abuse and fraud.” (Daily Wire)
The price tag was revolutionary, and now that it’s going extinct, we might miss it dearly. (NYT via YouTube)
Could Homer Simpson support his family today? It depends.. (Go Banking)
Tribes
U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner told Fox Business on Friday that illegal aliens received federally backed mortgages and benefits under President Biden. Turner says he is now requiring public housing authorities to ensure that only American citizens can access subsidized housing. (ZeroHedge)
Seventy-eight people—almost all of them Somali—have been arrested in connection with a massive fraud scheme in Minnesota. The total amount stolen may reach as much as $8 billion as investigations expand, according to Fox. Rep. Ilhan Omar (herself Somali) blamed the lack of “guardrails” for the rampant theft, while others pointed to weak leadership from the state’s governor. Meanwhile, President Trump offered no kind words for Somalia or its people. With widespread reports of crime and the normalization of rape among Somali Muslims, many say he’s voicing what ordinary Americans are thinking. (Red State, Fox, Washington Examiner, Front Page)
The New York Post editorial board says Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was repeatedly warned about the staggering level of fraud carried out by Somali immigrants but ignored the alerts—or punished those who raised them. A New York Times report claims authorities failed to investigate for fear of being seen as racist.(New York Post)
Culture
Netflix has announced its purchase of Warner Bros Discovery. Critics say the deal is driven by executive greed and will face legal hurdles. Matt Stoller, who writes about monopolization, argues that at minimum, this “vertical integration”—the top streaming service buying a major Hollywood studio—will increase pressure on movie theaters and reduce choice for consumers, as popular franchises like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, DC Comics, and Looney Tunes will be walled off from rival platforms. Writers, producers, and actors also stand to lose if giants like Netflix control what gets made. (Not the Bee, BIG Newsletter)
A thought-provoking essay asks why wealthy elites no longer build beautiful things as in ages past. Hundred-year dynasties are rare as the ultra-rich families fail to preserve their wealth through generations. “Equally astonishing is elites’ growing choice to disinherit their children, spending their wealth down or giving it away. They seem to sense that they have failed to transmit the necessary virtues to their children to steward wealth wisely.” (The Culturist)
Proving everything can be politics, Pantone has announced its color of the year: a cloud-white shade (is that even a color?). They say the calming tone has been used by designers and artists throughout the year, framing it as a response to cultural and political chaos. But some cultural commentators are reading politics into it, arguing that now is not the time for “white.” (Time, People)
Science and Tech
“The quantity of AI-generated articles has surpassed the quantity of human-written articles being published on the web. However, the proportion of AI-generated articles has plateaued since May 2024.” (Graphite)
Fast Company argues that it is not AI that is replacing workers directly, but spending on AI infrastructure is leaving less money to hire humans. (Fast Company)
Waymo says it will “learn” from its mistakes after one of its driverless taxis drove into the middle of a tense police standoff in Los Angeles. (ABC News)
NASA researchers say that satellite traffic in low-Earth orbit is making it harder to take astrophotography. Reflected light from satellites creates bright streaks across images. (ABC News)
How do cells know where they’re supposed to be and what they’re supposed to be doing? (IFL Science)
From the archive:
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Mind and Body
A vaccine advisory panel at the CDC has voted to roll back recommendations that newborns receive hepatitis B shots. Pro-vaccine doctors called the move irresponsible, but Dr Peter McCullough argues the rationale from the 1990s—vaccinating infants because infected adults were unlikely to get vaccinated—was flawed. (NBC, Peter McCullough via X)
Conservative media are highlighting a memo published last week by the FDA’s Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, Vinay Prasad. The memo claimed that VAERS data showed ten children “died after and because of receiving COVID-19 vaccination,” based on an analysis of deaths from 2021 to 2024. Former New York Times journalist Alex Berenson reported in January that Moderna had papered over the death of a child during its vaccine trial. Prasad warned the true number of child deaths was likely higher, but liberal outlets quoted experts calling it irresponsible to make claims with “scant evidence.” (The Blaze, Unreported Truths, The Guardian, Alex Berenson via X)
Patrick Soon-Shiong, a surgeon and owner of the LA Times, says he is seeing spike proteins from the covid virus in his patients’ cancerous tumors. (Not the Bee)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned about faulty glucose monitors, listing certain models linked to multiple deaths among diabetes patients. (Fast Company)
A new study says having a dog in the home may boost teens’ mental health by improving their gut biome. (The Guardian)
Ten kinds of happiness expressed in other languages. (Merriam Webster)
War
An investigation into information shared via a Signal chat earlier this year (the Sentinel write up here) found that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth violated policy by using a personal phone, potentially putting pilots at risk. Secretary Hegseth has also been the subject of intense media scrutiny last week after controversy around a “double strike” on a Venezuelan drug boat. (WNG)
A leaked phone call between European leaders suggests they don’t support President Trump’s reasoning that Ukraine will likely have to make concessions to Russia to end the war. The leak—assumed deliberate—comes after the Kremlin showed little interest in the U.S.-led peace plan and appeared unfazed by European threats. (ZeroHedge, BBC)
Niger’s military junta has seized uranium mining operations from French group, Orano. After accusing Orano of environmental crimes, the junta began transporting uranium through various conflict zones and jihadi strongholds, against a stay issued by a World Bank tribunal. At this point, the location of the uranium is not known, but observers suspect the shipment may be bound for Russia. Although it doesn’t need uranium, Moscow is reportedly happy to sell it to anyone who wants it. (Reuters, International Intrigue)
A Chinese-owned firm bought an insurer that insures CIA agents. (BBC)
Soccer’s governing body FIFA has created a peace prize and awarded the first one to President Trump. (USA Today)
Last week’s Watches
Dell funding kids’ savings accounts, Hegseth’s double strike controversy and more:
World News
🇦🇺 Australia’s teens are bracing for a national social media ban which comes into effect this week. (The Week)
🇷🇺 Russian fishermen have rescued deer stranded on Siberia’s lakes which froze earlier than usual this year. The deer cannot walk across the ice and freeze to death. (AP)
Quickhits
🕹️ Thirty years of PlayStation
🎹 Best jazz piano albums
🦆 Why birds don’t get frozen feet
🥸 About Salvador Dali’s “very aggressive” moustache
🐁 Canadian artist makes tiny suits of plate armor for mice
🌶️ This spicy ice cream requires you to sign a personal injury waiver before you eat it
🥚 Fabergé’s beautifully icy “winter egg”
An Irish forester planted different varieties of trees to make a huge Celtic cross. Liam Emmery died in 2010, before his creation was visible, but we’re blessed by his faithful witness through his work.
Some songs from my Advent playlist this week..
Let us pray. Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, that by His coming we may be enabled to serve You with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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Exceptional curation that manages to cover breadth without sacrificing clarity. The juxtaposition of the CDC rolling back newborn hepatitis B recommendations against the leaked FDA memo on pediatric COVID vaccine deaths is particualrly revealing, since it illustrates how institutional responses to vaccine safety concerns hinge on the political moment rather than consistant principles. Also noteworthy is the Minnesota fraud story paired with the Somali community angle, becuase the "fear of appearing racist" explanation for ignoring billions in theft speaks to larger questions about when compassion becomes enabling.