Reading archive 2025-04-25

For the Trump administration, it’s amateur hour: I wish there was a Yiddish insult that captured the missteps we’re seeing from the White House.

Why the very American fantasy behind multilevel marketing won’t die: In “Little Bosses Everywhere,” Bridget Read looks at the enduring popularity of companies like Mary Kay and Amway for aspiring entrepreneurs - "As one former FDA employee, reflecting on the agency’s attempts to regulate Nutrilite, once said, 'Americans want to believe in tonics.' In the absence of real medicines — real economic opportunities — placebos and miracle cures will always appeal."

Top Russian general killed in Moscow as U.S. envoy talks with Putin: Russia’s Foreign Ministry called it a “terrorist attack,” and surveillance footage showed a car exploding as Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik was approaching it in a Moscow suburb.