Weekly Roundup: 11/16 - 11/23
BlueSky is intolerant of "wrongthink." Are we headed for nuclear war? And, folks are hiring Etsy witches to curse Elon Musk.
Some context:
I’ve decided to switch up the format of the Weekly Reads series. From here on out it’ll be more of a roundup format and include a carousel of topics from news stories to markets to memes1, and of course, Substack reads. In addition, these roundups will now land in your inbox on Saturdays instead of Sundays. All previous Weekly Reads are still in the “Weeklies” section.
The goal for weekly roundups isn’t necessarily to bring you breaking news but to share a curated collection of intriguing tidbits—things that make you go “hmmm…” or “oh my!” or “wtf?”—that you might have missed throughout the week.
After all, my screen time on Substack and X must be worth something, right?
Substack finds
Moscow raises nuke tensions, adjusts policy - Is it worth it?
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In the news
The Hill
What do we know about Russia’s ‘experimental’ ballistic missile?
The Guardian
What are Recess Appointments, and Could Trump Use Them to Fill His Cabinet?
AllSides
BBC
The Times
Google Should Be Forced to Sell Chrome Browser, Justice Department Says
Wall Street Journal
University of Texas, MIT and others announce free tuition for some undergraduates
NPR
Miscellaneous finds
Vitalik Buterin, the creator of Ethereum
Scott Bessent, Trump’s Treasury Secretary nominee
Vittoria Elliott, Wired Magazine
ICYMI
Charts
Similar to 2016, financial markets have largely digested Trump’s win as bullish, with US equities outperforming the rest of the world and small caps outperforming large caps. Bitcoin continues its unbelievable run:
Who will Trump pardon in his first 100 days in office? Things are looking good for Jan. 6 protestors and Ross Ulbricht, the now-incarcerated creator of the Silk Road:
On election night, the Polymarket odds rose as high as 33% on the possibility of a nuclear weapon detonating in 2024.
Odds spiked again this week on the back of news that the Biden administration had authorized NATO’s use of long-range missile strikes against Russia, and now sit at ten percent:
A wide political ideology gap is opening up between young men and women in countries across the world:
Over the years, the Democratic base has shifted markedly from the working class to the educated professional class:
U.S. total national debt has reached $36 trillion, with 1/3 of that being added since 2020:
New Gallup poll finds 52% of Ukrainians "would like to see their country negotiate an end to the war as soon as possible."
Of that 52%, half think Ukraine "should be open to making some territorial concessions as a part of a peace deal to end the war":
Death of the serial killer?
Tweets & Memes
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Many are lamenting meme culture as it relates to politics. To them, I kindly say: “kick rocks.” Memes are a fun way to blend creativity and humor—they should never be taken too seriously.
Thanks for this roundup William. I particularly appreciated the charts section and some specific aspects (such as the particular economic reactions to Trump's victory).
That subtitle is wild!!