South Korea has a problem. Like many other countries around the world, its population is shrinking. This problem is not unique to South Korea, but because of a variety of factors, its especially significant there. "The country’s population, currently 51.6 million, is expected to decline by 30 percent to 36.2 million. But even worse, the composition of the population is expected to become markedly older. The prospect of a smaller domestic market, shrinking workforce and economic slowdown is 'catastrophic for the public as well as the private sector in South Korea.'" The government hasn't had much luck convincing more South Korean couples to have more kids. So corporations are getting into the act, paying sometimes huge bonuses to employees who procreate. Many other countries around the world are watching to see what, if anything, works. WaPo (Gift Article): How much is a baby worth? A $75,000 bonus, this South Korean firm says. (This gives new meaning to working from home...)

2

Take His Name Out Your Mouth

House Speaker Mike Johnson put out a statement blaming Putin, who he called a "vicious dictator", for Alexei Navalny's death. But let's put that statement into perspective. Navalny died not knowing whether America had the resolve to stand up to Russia because Johnson and the other Trump-suckling enablers were too afraid to stand up to their Putin-loving leader to get Ukraine the funding it desperately needs. Johnson is not worthy of even speaking Navalny's name. NYT (Gift Article): As Putin Threatens, Despair and Hedging in Europe. "In Munich, the mood was both anxious and unmoored, as leaders faced confrontations they had not anticipated. Warnings about Putin’s possible next moves were mixed with Europe’s growing worries that it could soon be abandoned by the United States, the one power that has been at the core of its defense strategy for 75 years."

+ AP: Stalled US aid for Ukraine underscores GOP’s shift away from confronting Russia. "'I don’t like this reality,' Johnson said. 'Vladimir Putin is an evil war criminal.' But he quickly added: 'Vladimir Putin will not lose this war.'" (Before the US stalled its support, Putin was losing a ton of soldiers and military might each month. If Putin will not lose this war, it's only because Johnson and his colleagues will not stand up to Trump.)

+ Putin's dream is a world without America as the leading super power. With help from the House GOP, he's getting closer to that goal. Bloomberg (Gift Article): Ukraine’s Allies Are Gaming Out a World in Which the US Retreats.

+ "A shortage of ammunition has contributed to the loss of the eastern city of Avdiivka and eroded morale among units that find themselves outmanned and outgunned." As Russia pushes forward, Ukrainian soldiers say U.S. aid delays have left them exposed.

+ NYT (Gift Article): Inside Aleksei Navalny’s Final Months, in His Own Words.

3

Everyone In the Pool

"For an expert evaluation of school pickup lines, we called University of Kansas economist Misty Heggeness. When she moved from school-bus-saturated suburban Maryland to the transit-challenged outskirts of Kansas City, Kan., Heggeness discovered her own 'deeply personal hell' — two hours a day spent waiting in, or driving to, an endless queue of SUVs and sedans in front of her children’s middle and high schools." WaPo (Gift Article): The school bus is disappearing. Welcome to the era of the school pickup line. (My daughter's school pickup line is like trying to get out a parking lot after an arena rock concert. But at this point, driving my kids is my core identity. When both of them are off to college, hit me up. I'll drive your kids.)

4

It Goggles the Mind

"Stanford University surveyed residents of 17 senior communities in the U.S. and found it improved both their emotions and their interactions with staff." AP: ‘Soaring’ over hills or ‘playing’ with puppies, study finds seniors enjoy virtual reality.

5

Extra, Extra

Threat Within: The Fani Willis hearing in Georgia last week had many sordid details, but lost in the shuffle was perhaps the most important testimony of all: the reason some wouldn't consider the job eventually given to Nathan Wade. "Fani Willis had trouble finding lawyers willing to help prosecute her case against Trump. Even a former Georgia governor turned her down, saying, 'Hypothetically speaking, do you want to have a bodyguard follow you around for the rest of your life?' He wasn’t exaggerating. Willis received an assassination threat so specific that one evening she had to leave her office incognito while a body double wearing a bulletproof vest courageously pretended to be her and offered a target for any possible incoming fire." David French in the NYT (Gift Article): MAGA’s Violent Threats Are Warping Life in America.

+ Texas Hold Em: "Gov. Greg Abbott’s approval rating has rebounded to its highest point in nearly four years as he clashes with the Biden administration over the southern border, according to a recent poll from the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin."

+ House Calls: "Four former members of the White House Medical Unit confirmed that in both the Trump and Obama White Houses, the team passed out sedatives such as Ambien and stimulants such as Provigil without proper prescriptions, provided complimentary medical equipment and imaging to ineligible staffers, and used aliases in electronic health records to disguise the patients’ identities and deliver free care in cases where the recipients wouldn’t be eligible." WaPo(Gift Article): ‘No prescription needed’: Inside Ronny Jackson's White House clinic’s ‘systemic problems.' (I need drugs just reading about politics.)

+ Campus Death: Former YouTube CEO’s son found dead in UC Berkeley dorm, leaving prominent Silicon Valley family ‘devastated beyond comprehension.' This story is hitting the Bay Area hard and it's a sad reminder that, these days, powders or pills can kill.

+ Navigating the Age Age: "Perhaps one way to navigate yourself through this seemingly insoluble morass would be to ask yourself why Biden, who is stipulated Old, has managed to helm the most successful presidency in modern history. Booming economy, eye-popping jobs reports, first gun violence reduction bill in decades, $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan plus COVID relief, Inflation Reduction Act, infrastructure prioritized, judges seated. Pick your metric—there have been a lot of wins. And the reason this old man who sometimes forgets things like dates has gotten all this done? He has, for the most part, surrounded himself with experts, genuine scientists, respected economists, and effective governmental actors and advisers." Dahlia Lithwick: The Real Way to Think About Biden’s Age This Run. "We’re in a Biden-Trump rematch. And the media is focusing on this?" (Age ain't nothing but a number. Authoritarianism on the other hand...)

6

Bottom of the News

"In San Francisco, where more than a fifth of residents are of Chinese descent, politicians have long taken a second name in Chinese characters. And any serious candidate knows to order campaign materials in English and in Chinese. But the city’s leniency for adopted names has frustrated some Chinese American candidates, who say that non-Chinese rivals have gone overboard by using flattering, flowery phrases that at first glance have little to do with their actual names." NYT (Gift Article): No, Your Honor, You Can’t Call Yourself ‘High Justice’ on the Ballot in Chinese. (I'm sticking with my longtime Chinese name: 總編輯互聯網. Managing Editor, Internet.)

+ Points records fall at the All-Star Game, with the East beating the West 211-186. (So a pretty typical defensive effort in today's NBA...)