Fowl play
Donald Trump threatens to target Iran’s energy infrastructure, including the country’s desalination plants. / The Associated Press
Iran’s internet blackout rolls into its third week, adding an additional layer of psychological stress. / DW
Related: “It is not only humiliating, but it is also forcing businesses to close down and inflation to grow.” / Al Jazeera
Meanwhile, Ukraine negotiates air defense agreements with Saudi Arabia and Qatar. / Breaking Defense
Thomson Reuters is found to provide personal data for ICE tools, including the Palantir system that targets neighborhoods. / 404 Media
Explaining why the Homeland Security fiasco is a perfect metaphor for this Congress, where “zombie shutdowns” can drag on for weeks. / Wake Up to Politics
Unrelated: A psychological study about incompetence suggests Pete Hegseth, America’s self-proclaimed “secretary of war,” is setting up the military for disaster. / Bloomberg [$]
One reason players in the Women’s National Basketball Association just got a nearly 400% raise? They had help from the first woman to win a solo Nobel Prize in economics. / The Wall Street Journal [$]
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Interviews with people in Los Angeles who used to work in Hollywood, now doing survival jobs until (maybe) the industry comes back. / LA Material
Unrelated: The founder of Craigslist says it’s easy to give away your wealth, no matter what any greedy billionaires claim. / The New York Times [$]
Explaining why some accents in the United States persist while others expire. / Vox [$]
If you don’t like your Gmail username, now you can change it. / Android Authority
The US is banning imports of foreign-made routers, but you can turn almost any computer into one if you’ve got the notion. / Ars Technica, Nick Bailey
Today is the championship match in the 2026 Tournament of Books, presented by Field Notes! And this year it’s a nail-biter. / The Tournament of Books, Field Notes
And now a brief chat with Sustaining Member Jennifer B.!
Jennifer, hey, it’s Rosecrans, remind me again how you found us? I was drawn to TMN by the Tournament of Books. Looking at the history of the ToB, I believe I started following the tournament in 2019. In 2020, I provided commentary for Such a Fun Age during Camp ToB. And last year, our dog was a ToB sponsor.
We love to hear it! What keeps you coming back? I enjoy the creative and expansive views reflected in the books for ToB each year, many of which I might not have found otherwise. The bracket books almost always become my TBR list for the year. I feel like the content is always fresh and pushing new boundaries of thought and exploration. Not only is the format of the ToB creative and fun, but you guys keep coming up with ways to add features and change up the judge/reader interaction and commentary. I am a NCAA March Madness fan, but I always seem to be better rewarded by the ToB with my book pick advancing farther than my college hoops team.
Yeah, well, as a Carolina fan, that was definitely my experience this year. Final question: Any particular reason why you decided to renew your support today? It is amazing what TMN and the ToB do with a small staff, and I want to keep this news and entertainment outlet going and available for all. While news today seems to be shrinking in its quality and availability without subscription, TMN is always here (like public radio). I am proud each year to renew my membership to make sure that continues to be true. And the swag is great!
In the members area, unlocked links from Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Vox ↓