Reading archive 2026-02-03

The Melania Trump Documentary Is a Disgrace: The exorbitant film captures the rotten state of the entertainment industry.

Trump’s New Method of Humiliation: The president doesn’t seem to fire people anymore, but he marginalizes them in other ways.

Moderna’s chilling announcement is a symptom of a deeper sickness China is on track to become the world’s pharmaceutical leader if the U.S. keeps blowing its edge. - "China’s pharmaceutical industry, long known for making precursor chemicals and cheap generics, is steadily moving up the value chain into innovative compounds. If China gains the upper hand, the U.S. risks seeing supplies of critical drugs held hostage during conflict. The pandemic gave a taste of what that might look like, as did China briefly cutting off U.S. access to critical minerals. No one in the free world wants to face blackmail to access cutting-edge medicines."

Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon: In October, a retiree emailed a DHS attorney to urge mercy for an asylum seeker. Then DHS subpoenaed his Google account and sent investigators to his home. [ed. note: administrative subpoenas]

House vote could upend D.C.’s tax code, hit revenue mid-tax season: D.C. officials say the potential action from Congress would sow fiscal chaos for the city.

The grave risk of Trump’s Kennedy Center shutdown: Even in the best-case scenario, the president’s plan will only strain the performing arts ecosystem required for the center to thrive.

What to know about rats and trash during the cold: “Dog poop is a snack for rats,” one rodent expert said. “It’s like an energy bar.”

How D.C. allowed ‘completely inappropriate’ spending by anti-violence group: Life Deeds used more than $400,000 in city funds to hire businesses owned by its employees and spent money on trips to a New Jersey shopping mall, lavish meals and a pool party with alcohol. - "'It cannot be a free-for-all,' Pinto said. 

"Her concerns were informed in part by feedback from University of Maryland professor Joseph Richardson and his research partner, Daniel Webster, who have been evaluating D.C.’s violence intervention programs for a forthcoming study. Webster, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, has testified that ONSE did not employ enough violence interrupters and did not use strategies backed by sufficient research. 

"'Thus far, I will be very clear and frank that we’re not seeing beneficial effects' from violence interruption programs in D.C., he said at a D.C. Council hearing in October 2024."

Why this nutrient is great for your gut health: What’s more, cooling and refrigerating certain foods like rice, potatoes and pasta boosts their resistant starch.