Politics. Just the word probably evokes feelings of nauseating distress. But you're thinking of internet politics, social media politics, cable news politics, horserace politics, viral meme politics, dark money politics, and the politics of personal destruction. Let's talk about another form of politics as bygone as the setting where it still takes place: in a room filled with real people. Meeting, talking, interacting — all these antiquated behaviors being carried with a simple goal: to make a town work better. This is a type of political interaction where getting there is all about being there. When you put it that way, you realize that this isn't just a story about politics. It's a story about the importance of community and face-to-face interactions. This might sound a little sappy, but that's OK when you're talking about a state known for its syrup. AP: In Vermont, ‘Town Meeting’ is democracy embodied. What can the rest of the country learn from it? "Across the United States, people are disgusted with politics. Many feel powerless and alienated from their representatives at every level — and especially from those in Washington. The tone long ago became nasty, and many feel forced to pick a side and view those on the other side as adversaries. But in pockets of New England, democracy is done a bit differently. People can still participate directly and in person. One day each year, townsfolk gather to hash out local issues. They talk, listen, debate, vote. And in places like Elmore, once it’s all over, they sit down together for a potluck lunch." The gradual disappearance of these real life human interactions has left a void that's been filled with all the garbage in modern politics. Resuscitating them is one way to get back from Us vs Them to We the people.

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SB4 The Ink Is Dry

We go from today's top story to oppositeville, both geographically and in terms of political motivations. "A whirlwind of court orders on Tuesday briefly allowed, then blocked again, a controversial new immigration law in Texas that would allow state and local law enforcement to arrest and deport people who are in the state illegally. The Biden administration has objected to the law, known as Senate Bill 4, saying that the Constitution and legal precedent establish that the federal government has the exclusive power to enforce immigration law." What to know about SB 4, the Texas immigration law in the courts now.

+ "The Texas measure also allows state law enforcement officers to stop and detain anyone they “suspect” of having entered Texas unlawfully, while instructing state courts to disregard any ongoing federal immigration proceedings. It also allows state judges to begin deportation proceedings and permits state magistrate judges to remove migrants back to Mexico as an alternative to continued prosecution. (Those who cannot prove their legal status may be jailed or deported back to Mexico, whether or not they’re Mexican.) This radical revision of immigration law will hinder migrants’ ability to cross safely into the country and seek asylum once here. It will also subject Latinos, including citizens and permanent residents, to heightened suspicion and harassment by law enforcement." Slate: The Supreme Court Just Gave Texas a Green Light to Harass Every Latino Person in the State.

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Bibi Queue

In yesterdays' newsletter, I argued that Chuck Schumer's very public split with Benjamin Netanyahu "is indicative of a much wider global trend where alliances are driven more by politics, worldviews, and ethics than by borders. It’s too simplistic to look at the Middle East crisis as one between Israelis and Palestinians. The battle right now is also one between Jews and Palestinians who want peace and those who want chaos and violence. Look at America’s view of NATO and Putin. We used to be unified on these issues. Now a large portion of our Congress has been hijacked by Putinism and is witholding aid to Ukraine. It’s ironic that American politics is laser-focused on the border issue when we’re living in an era when borders matter less than alliances." Maybe the latest news will help make this point more clear. Netanyahu addressed US Senate Republicans via video today.

4

Called for Traveling

What's the one thing that could make the Caitlyn Clark story even better? Wright Thompson being the one who tells it. ESPN: Caitlin Clark and Iowa find peace in the process. We start not in a gym in Iowa City, but on a yacht off the coast of Dubrovnik. "They climbed aboard to find a stocked bar and an eager crew. The captain motored them out to nearby caves off the coast of Dubrovnik where the players could snorkel and float on their backs and stare up at the towering sky. They held their breath and swam into caves. They looked out for one another underwater. When stories of the Caitlin Clark Hawkeyes are told years from now, fans will remember logo 3s, blowout wins and the worldwide circus of attention, but players on the team will remember a glorious preseason yacht day on crystal blue waters, a time when they were young, strong and queens of all they beheld. They'll talk about the color and clarity of the sea. A color that doesn't exist in Iowa. Or didn't until Caitlin Clark came along." (See what I mean about Wright Thompson. Don't miss the boat on this one.)

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Extra, Extra

Emission Impossible: "In a concession to automakers and labor unions, the rules will be phased in more slowly than originally proposed and will give automakers more choices for how to comply." It's a little slower than some wanted, but it's a big deal. Biden administration rolls out new tailpipe rules that will boost EVs and hybrids. It's also gonna be a big campaign topic. NYT (Gift Article): What to Know About the Clean Auto Rule: It’s Not a Ban on Gas Cars.

+ Food Chains: "The entire population of the war-torn Gaza Strip — some 2.3 million people — is now living through 'severe levels of acute food insecurity,' U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday." NPR: 5 things to know about efforts to feed people in Gaza.

+ Irish Goodbye: "When Leo Varadkar was a teenager on a school trip to Northern Ireland he smuggled fireworks back into the republic to set off some illicit bangs – but it is only now that he has sent a boom echoing across Ireland. At the age of 45, Ireland’s youngest – and first gay, and first mixed race – taoiseach is stepping down."

+ Health Nuts: "By inhibiting drug development, economic growth, and military recruitment, as well as driving doctors away from the places they’re needed most, bans almost certainly harm you — yes, you." Vox: Abortion influences everything. (Example: Standard pregnancy care is now dangerously disrupted in Louisiana.)

+ Someone Tell Katie Britt It's Safe to Leave Her Kitchen: "The courts were closed, a lot of cops got sick, a lot of police agencies told their officers not to interact with the public. Teachers were not in schools, not working with kids ... The tools that we ordinarily have used to interrupt these cycles of violence were gone." But the pre-pandemic tools are back in place and (by pretty dramatic levels), Crime is down.

+ Great Scott: MacKenzie Scott donates $640 million, more than doubling her planned gifts to nonprofit applicants. "Scott has given away $16.5 billion from the fortune she came into after divorcing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos." (This is a story about two things: First, MacKenzie Scott is a full-on hero for giving money out at this pace. Second, no one should be able to amass $16.5 billion to give away this quickly.)

+ Crappiness Report: "In the newly released 2024 World Happiness Report, the U.S. dropped out of the top 20 on the list for the first time in the report's 12-year history. The U.S. now ranks at No. 23, compared to No. 15 last year. The researchers say this is driven in part by a decline in how Americans under 30 feel about their lives." US drops from top 20 happiest countries list in 2024 World Happiness Report.

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Bottom of the News

NYT (Gift Article): Can Climate Cafes Help Ease the Anxiety of Planetary Crisis? "In a small room in Lower Manhattan, a group of eight New Yorkers sat in a circle sharing kombucha and their climate fears against the background of pattering rain and wailing sirens. In Champaign, Ill., a psychotherapist facilitating a meeting for other therapists held up a branch of goldenrod, asking the half-dozen participants online to consider their connection to nature. And in Kansas City, Mo., a nonprofit that runs a weekly discussion on Zoom began its session with a spiritual reading and a guided meditation before breaking into groups to discuss topics like the ethics of childbearing amid a fast-rising global population and concerns of resource scarcity. All were examples of a new grass-roots movement called climate cafes. These in-person and online groups are places for people to discuss their grief, fears, anxiety and other emotions about the climate crisis." (I started today's issue in favor of more in-person interactions. Now I'm not so sure.)

+ "Anecdotal accounts indicate growing numbers of children across Europe – including those as young as 10 in the UK – are also turning to expensive anti-aging skincare in pursuit of more 'youthful' skin, many influenced by what they have seen on apps like TikTok." Swedish pharmacy bans sale of anti-aging skincare to children.

+ Bryan Johnson, Tech Mogul Trying to Stop Aging, Wants His Own Nation-State. (And we want one for him.)