AFTER A MERE 25 YEARS, THE TRIUMPH OF THE WEST IS OVER

TOP OF THE NEWS:

- After a mere 25 years, the triumph of the West is over (WaPo) "The autocracies are back and rising; democracy is on the defensive; the U.S. is in retreat. Look no further than Aleppo. A Western-backed resistance to a local tyrant — he backed by a resurgent Russia, an expanding Iran and an array of proxy Shiite militias — is on the brink of annihilation. Russia drops bombs; America issues statements. The West’s retreat began with Obama, who reacted to (perceived) post-9/11 overreach by abandoning Iraq, offering appeasement (“reset”) to Russia and accommodating Iran. In 2009, he refused even rhetorical support to the popular revolt against the rule of the ayatollahs. Donald Trump wants to continue the pullback, though for entirely different reasons. Time to look after our own American interests. We may choose repose, but we won’t get it."

BUSINESS:

- Donald Trump’s Carrier deal could make American capitalism better (WaPo) "Then came the 1980s, and all that began to change as American industry began to falter because of foreign competition. Consumers decide they cared more about cheaper products than socially conscious corporate behavior. And just as significantly, investors, after years of lousy returns, decided they cared more about maximizing shareholder value than they did about maximizing the social value of the enterprise they owned. So the social norm changed. A new breed of corporate executive, incented with boatloads of stock options, decided that the right thing to do was to cut costs at any price, including the economic health of their workers or their communities. Donald Trump understands better. He knows that he and his new commerce secretary will have to engage in a few more bouts of well-publicized arm twisting before the message finally sinks in in the C-Suite." and Trump’s Carrier deal could permanently damage American capitalism (WaPo) "Presidents have enormous latent power and it is the custom of restraint in its use that is one of the important differences between us and banana republics. If its ad hoc use is licensed, the possibilities are endless. Most companies will prefer the good to the bad will of the U.S. President and his leadership team. Should that reality be levered to get them to locate where the President wants, to make contributions to the President’s reelection campaign, to hire people the President wants to see hired, to do the kinds of research the President wants carried out, or to lend money to those that the President wants to see assisted?"

ENTERTAINMENT:

- From Michael Lewis, a Portrait of the Men Who Shaped ‘Moneyball’ (NYT) "Mr. Lewis chronicles their [Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman] unusual partnership in his new book, 'The Undoing Project,' a story about two unconventional thinkers who saw the world differently from everyone around them. Their peculiar area of research — how humans make decisions, often irrationally — has had profound implications for an array of fields, like professional sports, the military, medicine, politics, finance and public health." and How Two Trailblazing Psychologists Turned the World of Decision Science Upside Down (Vanity Fair)

NEWS:

- How baby boomers became the most selfish generation (Business Insider) "Over the past 40 years, the U.S. government has done precious little to invest in the future. Instead of spending money on education, our government has repeatedly chosen to cut taxes. Instead of investing in infrastructure, politicians have several times shut down the government over budget disputes. Time and time again difficult decisions have been pushed off for later, and complicated social issues have been relegated to something that the unforgiving 'invisible hand of the market' can fix."

- In Trump’s Security Pick, Michael Flynn, ‘Sharp Elbows’ and No Dissent (NYT) "Many of those who observed the general’s time at the agency described him as someone who alienated both superiors and subordinates with his sharp temperament, his refusal to brook dissent, and what his critics considered a conspiratorial worldview. The new job will give Mr. Flynn, 57, nearly unfettered access to the Oval Office. Whether it is renewed bloodletting in Ukraine, a North Korean nuclear test or a hurricane swamping Haiti, he will often have the last word with Mr. Trump about how the United States should react." Sorry, Lt. Gen. Flynn, it’s unrealistic to ‘win and win and win at everything’ (WaPo)

- The post-truth world of the Trump administration is scarier than you think (WaPo) "'There’s no such thing, unfortunately, anymore, of facts,' she [Scottie Nell Hughes] declared on 'The Diane Rehm Show' on Wednesday. What matters now, Hughes argued, is not whether his [Trump's voter] fraud claim is true. No, what matters is who believes it. So, how should Trump’s statements during the campaign have been covered? Should reporters have added something like this in the second paragraph of every news story? 'Trump probably didn’t mean that he would appoint a special prosecutor/build a wall/deport millions of immigrants. His statements are not meant to be taken literally but rather as broad suggestions of a feeling he was experiencing on a particular day.'"

- Trump Versus China: What’s Really at Stake (Ozy) "Experts can quibble about the merits and feasibility of all these Chinese programs, but the broader point, not lost on Asia, is that China is out front pushing ideas while the U.S. has given only limited substance to its five-year-old idea of an Asian 'pivot.' Meanwhile, our two major political parties are either hostile to or divided on the TPP, a central tenet of the pivot — and one that many Asian leaders took political risk to negotiate." and Trump, Taiwan and China: The Controversy, Explained (NYT) "The United States has a particular kind of One China policy, meant to accomplish three main goals: keep positive relations with Beijing, with which the United States has a host of agreements and interests; protect and assist Taiwan, a fellow democracy; and prevent the outbreak of war." and Former ambassador to China backs Trump on Taiwan contact (Fox) "John Huntsman, a former American ambassador to China and Utah Republican governor, on Saturday suggested Trump’s call to Taiwan and other such diplomatic outreaches 'should be expected,' with Trump being perhaps the most unconventional presidential candidate of a generation."

- Many Trump supporters willing to let him pick and choose what promises to fulfill (WaPo)

SCIENCE:

- Move Over, Fracking. There’s a New Technology in Town (Ozy) "If producers can find a way to microwave oil shales in the Green River Formation, which sprawls across Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, the nation’s recoverable reserves could soar and energy independence could become more than an election slogan. Producers would microwave oil shale formations with a beam as powerful as 500 household microwave ovens, cooking the kerogen and releasing the oil. However, a recent report claims the price of oil needs to be $65 per barrel in order for new oil-patch investments to break even. The current price is about $47. So, unless the price of oil soars, all that microwavable oil shale may remain untapped."

TECHNOLOGY:

- It Took 4 Years to Take Down ‘Avalanche,’ a Huge Online Crime Ring (Wired)

- Trump Preparedness: Digital Security 101 (New Yorker)

WATCH THIS:

- Soundbreaking (PBS)

BOTTOM OF THE NEWS:

- Peter Thiel dressed up as Hulk Hogan at a Heroes-and-Villains-themed costume party (Re/code) "If you remember, Thiel secretly funded Hulk Hogan’s invasion of privacy lawsuit against Gawker Media, which ultimately led to the company’s bankruptcy."

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