Law & Disorder

From Dismantling USAID to DEI Dramas: Washington’s Wildest Week Yet

Good morning,

When you thought things were calming down, we’ve got a missing plane off the coast of Alaska, more federal shake-ups (thanks, Elon), and more. So buckle up—today’s headlines are equal parts jaw-dropping and eye-roll-inducing.

The pulse of today, in just minutes:

We’ve had front-row seats to the slow-motion quake rattling D.C. all week. First, the Trump-Musk dream team took a chainsaw to USAID. Then came the DEI rollbacks, and now the courts have jumped into the fray—blocking sweet severance deals one moment, halting “anti-sanctuary” lawsuits the next.

Judges are basically playing Whack-a-Mole with executive orders, and the White House is none too pleased. Between Musk’s “DOGE” crusade and Trump’s appetite for a good power grab, we might need popcorn on a subscription basis.

Into the Whiteout

As if 2025 hasn’t already been a turbulent year for air travel, another plane has gone missing—this time, a Cessna Caravan carrying ten people in western Alaska. The aircraft lost contact near Nome’s icy coastline, prompting ground crews and the Coast Guard to brave nasty weather and poor visibility in a desperate search.

It’s the third major U.S. aviation incident in just eight days, and we’re only halfway through February.

From Cartel to Cancel

It was supposed to be the buzziest movie of the year with 13 Oscar nominations and a transgender storyline—until old social media posts by Karla Sofa Gascón surfaced, alienating almost everyone except, well, maybe the actual cartel.

Gascón's tweets turned an already rocky campaign into a scandal for the ages after critics slammed the film's cartoonish portrayal of Mexican culture. While Gascón navigates a daily PR meltdown, Netflix focuses on her co-stars. Can “Emilia Pérezclinch the big prize, or will it be 2025's most epic cautionary tale?

Can’t Tell Him Nothing

Ye announced that he'd been on the wrong diagnosis all along, just when you thought he had nothing else left to surprise us with. Turns out it's not bipolar disorder but autism. In a new podcast, he says his wife Bianca pushed him to find the truth, which explains everything from his relentless contrarian streak to his MAGA hats.

Typical Ye style, he's ditching meds—and doubling down on creativity. There's one thing we know about Kanye: he doesn't do anything halfway.

💬 Beyond the Core

Can’t Hear: It's been 25 million years since most humans moved these muscles.

Ice Ice Baby: Here's why Americans are obsessed with iced coffee.

Sweet Dreams: Finally, science backs me up: taking a nap at work can boost productivity.

💡 Core Wisdom

All good ideas start out as bad ideas; that’s why it takes so long.

📸 Lens to Life

Winners and shortlist of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024.

🧮 Core Count: 100,000

The number of eggs were stolen in a Pennsylvania heist.

.🗓️ Flashback:

1301 - Edward of Caernarfon (later Edward II) becomes the first English Prince of Wales.

1856 - Colonial Tasmanian Parliament passed the first piece of legislation, the Electoral Act of 1856, providing elections through a secret ballot.

1985 - Mayor Ed Koch proclaimed "New York, New York" the official song of New York City.

1992: Twelve European Community (EC) countries signed the Maastricht Treaty to create the European Union (EU).

I'm glad we could get together here. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!

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