"The first order of business was a microdose, 0.25 milligrams, of psilocybin (the main psychedelic substance found in hallucinogenic mushrooms), which was child’s play compared with the dosages they would take the next day ... 'Who feels nervous about tomorrow?' Mr. Rodgers asked. Three hands shot into the air. 'Guess what’s on the other side of fear?' he said. 'Love. Always.'" Well, that and a potentially nasty hangover. Psychedelics have long been gaining popularity in the business world, and that includes chief executive officers. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise. CEOs need something to do when they're not at Burning Man. But the movement is about more than just tripping. In what is perhaps the most counter countercultural trend of all time, executives are using psychedelics to become more effective and efficient leaders. (If you think this sounds extreme, you should hear what news curators are hitting these days.) NYT (Gift Article): The C.E.O.s Are Tripping. Can Psychedelics Help the C-Suite? Turn on, tune in, drop me a line and let's do lunch.

2

Raze Anatomy

What happens when major public hospitals are turned into private practices owned by private equity? A lot of complications for the patient. You might want to put on a fresh set of scrubs for this piece from Dhruv Khullar in The New Yorker. The Gilded Age of Medicine Is Here. "A study published in JAMA found that, after hospitals were acquired by private-equity firms, Medicare patients were more likely to suffer falls and contract bloodstream infections; another study found that if private equity acquired a nursing home its residents became eleven per cent more likely to die. Although private-equity firms often argue that they infuse hospitals with capital, a recent analysis found that hospital assets tend to decrease after acquisition. Yet P.E. now oversees nearly a third of staffing in U.S. emergency departments and owns more than four hundred and fifty hospitals. In some of them, patients were 'forced to sleep in hallways, and doctors who spoke out were threatened with termination.'"

3

Making Enemies

"By all accounts, the Americans virtually ensured their own defeat: They repeatedly bombed their closest supporters here, showing just how little the United States understood about the war it was fighting. Civilian casualties are tragically common in war, in Afghanistan or anywhere else. But these attacks were different, residents here say. The Americans killed and maimed the very people who supported them most, swelling the Taliban’s ranks by turning allies into enemies." NYT (Gift Article): How America Created the Enemy It Feared Most. "For the Taliban, the battle of Want punctured the myth of American invincibility, proving that hardened resolve could overcome even the greatest superpower. But there is another lesson, too, whether or not the Americans ever fully learned it: the consequences of trampling blindly into a valley they badly misread." (We're still learning critical details about America's war in Afghanistan years after we pulled out. That's worth considering in situations when we think we're getting the whole story in real time.)

4

Chapel Bill

Even though the move had been telegraphed for several days, the sports world was shocked to hear the confirmation that Bill Belichick had taken the head coaching gig at North Carolina. Between the Back to School memes and hot takes about how weird it is to imagine Belichick recruiting teen-aged players, it's worth noting that, these days, college football is as much a business as the NFL. Bill Belichick's move to North Carolina could be a game-changer in evolution of college sports. (Either that or the game changing evolution of college sports made way for the hire of Bill Belichick.)

5

Extra, Extra

Presence Tense: Can the shifts in Lebanon and Syria lead to a peace deal in Gaza? We've been hopeful before, but there does seem to be positive momentum. Hamas has agreed to temporary IDF presence in Gaza in potential hostage deal.

+ Travis Scot Free: "A man identifying himself as an American from Missouri, Travis Timmerman, was found Thursday in Syria after he said he was freed from a prison earlier in the week, when longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad was forced from power by a shock rebel offensive."

+ Person of Interest: "He will also see just how far the nation is willing to let him go. If he succeeds, he could reshape the country. Along the way, he risks tearing down the constitutional norms and institutions that have seen America’s great experiment in democracy through 2 1⁄2 centuries." Time names Donald Trump the Person of the Year. (Trump had quite the year. Seems like Elon Musk would have made a more appropriate choice, though.) In the interview, Trump lays out his plans (and concepts of plans). He also criticized a side in the Russia/Ukraine war. Our side. "Trump criticized Kyiv for launching U.S.-made missiles into Russian territory last month." And about bringing down those high grocery prices at the center of his campaign. Yeah, not so much. "It’s hard to bring things down once they’re up.” (Let's hope the same holds true for democracies.)

+ Cartel Hell: The high profile arrest of key cartel leaders made global headlines a few months ago. The fallout back in Sinaloa has been brutal and deadly. "The conflict burst into the open on 9 September like a delayed-action bomb, six weeks after the arrest of two of Mexico’s most powerful crime bosses in El Paso, Texas." ‘Mother of all battles’: terror for Mexicans as war rages inside Sinaloa cartel.

+ Incomplete Sentence: "President Biden on Thursday announced he is commuting the prison sentences for nearly 1,500 people and pardoning 39 others in what the White House said was the largest act of clemency in a single day in modern presidential history ... Most committed non-violent drug offenses in their late teens and early 20s. Many served in the U.S. military and all are active in their communities, either through church or volunteer work — including helping others with addiction recovery and navigating life after incarceration."

+ The Obsession: House passes major Pentagon bill despite Dem revolt over transgender health care.

+ G Force: "While Taylor Swift has dominated the headlines and concert ticket sales over recent years, it is actually the 33-year-old Latin American pop star whose videos are the most watched online. That's according to Vevo, which is the main provider of official music videos to YouTube. Karol G's were the most streamed around the world for each of the past four years, 2021 to 2024. This year, Karol G's Vevo videos were watched 3.5 billion times."

6

Bottom of the News

"A large number of mysterious drones have been reported flying over parts of New Jersey in recent weeks, sparking speculation and concern over who sent them and why." What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey? (My guess is that they're here to pick up Aaron Rodgers from the Meadowlands and return him to his home planet.)

+ Lawson’s, a convenience store in Japan, has begun selling Nomu mayo, a drinkable mayonnaise. (When I first read this headline, I nearly choked on my mug of ranch dressing...)