Why Is Warren Buffett Hoarding So Much Cash? WSJ
Buffett seeks to reassure shareholders over record cash pile FT. Commentary:
Bank of England’s Gold-Diggers Grapple With Trump-Fueled Frenzy Bloomberg
Climate
Garbage Craig Mod
China?
Chinese take record 9 billion domestic trips during Lunar New Year, Xinhua reports Reuters
Trump orders new curbs on Chinese investments in strategic areas South China Morning Post
In Malaysia, low-priced Chinese brands gain popularity in Western-dominated malls South China Morning Post
Digital Watch
AMD is in talks to sell $4 billion AI server assembly plants Toms Hardware
Pollution from Big Tech’s data centre boom costs US public health $5.4bn FT
Hey programmers – is AI making us dumber? The Register
Syraqistan
At Bibas family’s request, no government minister to attend funeral for Shiri, Ariel and Kfir — report The Times of Israel. Commentary:
By carrying out mass murder in Gaza, Israel and its apologists have shown us their contempt for human life.
That extends to Israelis. Israel enacted the Hannibal Directive to murder Israelis rather than allow them to be taken captive on Oct 7. And it has bombed Israeli captives… https://t.co/rgpwM20Jfe
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) February 22, 2025
Hamas releases remains of captive Shiri Bibas after ‘mix-up of bodies’ Al Jazeera. The deck: “Family members and forensic experts confirm that the new remains turned over by Hamas belong to the deceased Bibas.” Commentary:
Pay attention to this:
I don’t know what happened between yesterday and today, but Israel is already backtracking on its claim that the Bibas family was ‘murdered by hand’.
In the latest update about the topic, which international media will ignore, the foremost authority on… pic.twitter.com/lDaAOpoEUo
— Alon Mizrahi (@alon_mizrahi) February 22, 2025
China?
Chinese take record 9 billion domestic trips during Lunar New Year, Xinhua reports Reuters
Trump orders new curbs on Chinese investments in strategic areas South China Morning Post
In Malaysia, low-priced Chinese brands gain popularity in Western-dominated malls South China Morning Post
Digital Watch
AMD is in talks to sell $4 billion AI server assembly plants Toms Hardware
Pollution from Big Tech’s data centre boom costs US public health $5.4bn FT
Hey programmers – is AI making us dumber? The Register
Syraqistan
At Bibas family’s request, no government minister to attend funeral for Shiri, Ariel and Kfir — report The Times of Israel. Commentary:
By carrying out mass murder in Gaza, Israel and its apologists have shown us their contempt for human life.
That extends to Israelis. Israel enacted the Hannibal Directive to murder Israelis rather than allow them to be taken captive on Oct 7. And it has bombed Israeli captives… https://t.co/rgpwM20Jfe
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) February 22, 2025
Hamas releases remains of captive Shiri Bibas after ‘mix-up of bodies’ Al Jazeera. The deck: “Family members and forensic experts confirm that the new remains turned over by Hamas belong to the deceased Bibas.” Commentary:
Pay attention to this:
I don’t know what happened between yesterday and today, but Israel is already backtracking on its claim that the Bibas family was ‘murdered by hand’.
In the latest update about the topic, which international media will ignore, the foremost authority on… pic.twitter.com/lDaAOpoEUo
— Alon Mizrahi (@alon_mizrahi) February 22, 2025
‘Blatant violation’: Hamas slams Israel as release of Palestinians delayed Al Jazeera
Israel indefinitely delays Palestinian prisoner release as hostages freed BBC
Shin Bet Arrests Two Israelis Suspected of Involvement in Tel Aviv Suburbs Bus Bombs Haaretz
European Disunion
Polls open in pivotal parliamentary elections in Germany EuroNews
Germans vote as far right surges in polarised national election France24
Now That Trump Is Done With Europe, Will Germany Step Up? Foreign Policy
New Not-So-Cold War
Wounded, recovered and back to war. Ukrainian soldiers are returning to battle after amputation AP
Fresh draft minerals agreement: US to be granted 100% of financial interest Ukrainska Pravda
US says revenue from minerals deal will fuel Ukraine’s postwar growth FT
Trump’s team confident they can end Russo-Ukrainian war next week, The Hill says Ukrainska Pravda
Biden Administration
Biden sent $2 billion to Stacey Abrams-linked group in green energy ‘scheme,’ EPA says FOX. Hmm.
Trump Administration
Trump moves with light speed and brute force in shaking the core of what America has been AP
Trump’s Commerce Secretary Confirms Plan to Gut Medicare—and More The New Republic. Commentary:
“Back in October … I flew down to Texas, got Elon Musk to [set up DOGE], and here was our agreement: that Elon was gonna cut a trillion dollars of waste fraud and abuse,” Lutnick told Jesse Waters of Fox News Wednesday night. “We have almost $4 trillion of entitlements, and no one’s ever looked at it before. You know Social Security is wrong, you know Medicaid and Medicare are wrong. So he’s gonna cut a trillion and we’re gonna get rid of all these tax scams that hammer against America and we’re gonna raise a trillion dollars of revenue.”
Just last week, President Trump promised that “Social Security won’t be touched, other than if there’s fraud or something. It’s going to be strengthened. Medicare, Medicaid—none of that stuff is going to be touched.”
Fast forward a week, and he endorsed House Republicans’ budget plan, which is expected to make an $880 billion cut to Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for the rich.
Anxiety Mounts Among Social Security Recipients as DOGE Troops Settle In ProPublica
A look at Dan ‘Razin’ Caine, Trump’s pick to be the top US military officer AP
Many Americans don’t trust the media to cover Trump: Survey The Hill
STATE OF NEW YORK, et al., v. DONALD J. TRUMP (PDF) United States District Court, Southern District of New York
Judge extends block on DOGE’s access to federal payment systems Politico. The opinion.
Supreme Court sidesteps Trump’s effort to remove watchdog agency head SCOTUSblog
DOGE
DOGE Claims It Has Saved Billions. See Where. WSJ. The deck: “A WSJ analysis of government data found that many claims of savings were overstated and ‘woke’ cuts were only a tiny fraction of the total.”
Trump and Elon’s ‘Pointless Bloodbath’ at the FAA Is Even Worse Than You Think Rolling Stone
Hundreds of Philly IRS workers laid off on Thursday, union says NBC
Is Elon OK?
Feds must answer email on what they did last week — or lose jobs, Musk says WaPo. “Trump posted on Saturday morning to Truth Social, his social media platform, commending Musk for doing “A GREAT JOB,” but adding, “I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GET MORE AGGRESSIVE. Musk’s post to X came about seven hours later, and the emails began going out to federal employees close to 4:30 p.m. Eastern.”
Elon Musk says ‘bar is very low’ after ordering federal employees to fill out productivity reports or resign FOX. Heather Has Two Supervisors apparently Elon’s favorite bedtime reading.
New Doge/Musk Email Goes Seriously Sideways Talking Points Memo.
Over the course of the evening top leadership at the FBI, the State Department, the VA, the Department of the Navy (to its civilian employees) and other parts of the government have explicitly instructed employees in their departments and agencies to ignore the email. Meanwhile the DOJ seems to be instructing its employees to follow it. (And yes, FBI is sort of under DOJ and that’s kind of weird but that’s where we are.)
It’s important to note that these emails are authorized or allowed if not directed by the President of the United States. And yet whole wings of the government are saying to ignore it. I mentioned to someone this evening that they’re treating a presidentially authorized email as some kind of insider threat. And this person says, we’re surprised that Trump is an insider threat? To which I said, yes, I’m surprised that his own appointees are doing so.
Kash Patel overrules Elon Musk as new FBI boss throws down gauntlet to DOGE Daily Mail
The Final Frontier
Boom or bust? Making sense of conflicting signals in the space economy Space News
Astronomers discover ‘Quipu,’ the single largest structure in the known universe Space.com
The Bezzle
Bybit Sees Over $4 Billion ‘Bank Run’ After Crypto’s Biggest Hack CoinDesk
Imperial Collapse Watch
Mearsheimer was right:
Prof. John Mearsheimer warned a decade ago that the West was setting Ukraine on a path to conflict with Russia, which would ultimately destroy Ukraine
– Such arguments were smeared as “pro-Russian” and “anti-Ukrainian”. I ask, who really betrayed Ukraine? pic.twitter.com/XInBM4tgJd— Glenn Diesen (@Glenn_Diesen) February 22, 2025
Palantir’s Call to Arms Is Also a Sales Pitch Bloomberg
America’s National Security Wonderland American Affairs
Class Warfare
The Black Panther Party’s Under-Appreciated Legacy of Communal Love TIme
Is Protest Dead? Foreign Policy
Life on the tracks: hanging with America’s hobos FT
We Are Losing Our Words The Common Reader
Antidote du jour (Bernard DUPONT):
Bonus antidote:
Look at this shit! I put out a small pile of almonds for the local murder and sat and watched them again. These motherfuckers lined up SINGLE FILE and took turns eating a couple almonds and leaving some for the next bird. pic.twitter.com/vZJE2f8AK0
— chefaroni (@chefaroni) February 21, 2025
Double-bonus antidote:
A cat crow.
“I was leaving peanuts out for my local squirrels&ended up attracting this crow.He’s been coming to my home multiple times a day to get his daily peanuts. Today he brought me a dead rat and left it where I leave him peanuts. I feel super special now lol.”
Crow Cuddles pic.twitter.com/vQnWgJYu5D— Edward Elderman (@edwereddie) February 23, 2025
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
