10 items that crossed my desk | 8 Dec 24
News from the past week, and a few other things.
👋 Hello Reader, I hope you had a great week.
Below you’ll find the “quick shot”—a supercharged summary of summaries, followed by the “slow brew”—longer summaries with select graphics, and comments from me.
Earlier today I posted some articles on Syria. You can find that here.
1. I’m seeing a change tone on immigration, and it’s not just the U.S.
Canada pulls refugee welcome mat, launches ads warning asylum claims hard (Reuters)
Once presenting itself as one of the world's most welcoming countries to refugees and immigrants, Canada is launching a global online ad campaign cautioning asylum-seekers that making a claim is hard. The C$250,000 ($178,662) in advertisements will run through March in 11 languages, including Spanish, Urdu, Ukrainian, Hindi and Tamil, the immigration department told Reuters. They are part of a broader shift in tone by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's unpopular government on immigration and an effort to clamp down on refugee claims. Migrants have been blamed for high housing prices, although some experts argue this is a simplistic explanation, and polls show a growing number of Canadians think the country admits too many newcomers.
[UK] PM speech on migration: 28 November 2024 (Gov.uk)
When we came into office – we immediately conducted an audit of public finances…And we found a £22 billion black hole. Now – the independent Office of National Statistics has conducted vital work on the state of immigration… Nearly one million people came to Britain in the year ending June 2023…That is four times the migration levels compared with 2019….We will publish a White Paper imminently – which sets out a plan to reduce immigration.
NOTE: An interesting take, especially given that the current UK PM is from the Labour Party, which is center-left politically. And then there was this article by Niall Ferguson:
The Rot In Britain—and the Remedy
Unlike in the United States, the problem in Britain is not illegal immigration, as most newcomers come legally, and relatively few risk crossing the English Channel in the small boats organized by the people smugglers. Those who argue that an aging population cannot do without immigrants for economic reasons fly in the face of the evidence that most immigrants to the UK do not come on work visas. Only 18 percent of non-European nationals came on work visas. The great majority are students (29 percent), students’ dependents (8 percent), workers’ dependents (23 percent), and asylum-seekers (8 percent). Those who fear that this influx will have irreversible cultural consequences have a more compelling case. The foreign-born share of the total population of England and Wales is now one-fifth, compared with 15.6 percent for the United States.
2. Canada Is Poor (NR)
Ten years ago, commentators were telling Americans their northern neighbor was a middle-class success story. Now, every province has lower median earnings than every state. Last month I wrote a post about a comparison of GDP per capita between U.S. states and Canadian provinces. It found that Ontario would be the fifth-poorest U.S. state, Quebec would be second-poorest, and Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, or Prince Edward Island would each be the poorest U.S. state, as measured by economic output per person. A new report from the Fraser Institute, a Canadian free-market think tank, looks at income instead of output, and its findings are even worse for Canada. In a ranking of the 50 U.S. states and ten Canadian provinces by median earnings per person, all ten provinces line up at the bottom, occupying spots 51–60. Every U.S. state has higher median earnings per person than Alberta, the richest Canadian province.
3. South Korea's Yoon survives impeachment move, party leader says president will resign (Reuters)
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol survived an impeachment vote in parliament on Saturday prompted by his short-lived attempt to impose martial law this week, but the leader of his own party said the president would eventually step down. Yoon's People Power Party boycotted the impeachment vote, put forward by the main opposition Democratic Party, and the motion was scrapped after not enough lawmakers participated. After the vote, however, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said the party had decided that Yoon would resign.
NOTE: Interestingly, here’s a quick recap on South Korean presidents:
The troubled history of South Korean presidents (VOA)
Syngman Rhee (1948–1960) – Overthrown; exiled
Yun Bo-seon (1960–1962) – Overthrown
Park Chung-hee (1962–1979) – Assassinated
Choi Kyu-hah (1979–1980) – Removed by a military coup
Chun Doo-hwan (1981–1988) – Sentenced to death; later granted amnesty
Roh Tae-woo (1988–1993) – Sentenced to prison; later granted amnesty
Kim Young-sam (1993–1998) – Imprisoned
Kim Dae-jung (1998–2003) – Imprisoned and sentenced to death (later pardoned)
Roh Moo-hyun (2003–2008) – Impeached (later overturned); committed suicide
Lee Myung-bak (2008–2013) – Arrested for corruption; sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Park Geun-hye (2013–2016) – Impeached, arrested for corruption; sentenced to 24 years in prison.
Moon Jae-in – Recent president; no imprisonment
4. Musk Wants $2 Trillion of Spending Cuts. Here’s Why That’s Hard. (WSJ)
The U.S. federal government spent $6.75 trillion in the most recent fiscal year ended Sept. 30, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Walk around town handing $20,000 to everyone you see. Now do that for the entire U.S. population, all 337 million of us. That is about how much the U.S. spent. Elon Musk has been tasked alongside biotech company founder Vivek Ramaswamy with leading President-elect Donald Trump’s effort to reduce this government spending through the new Department of Government Efficiency. Musk has suggested he could cut at least $2 trillion, though he didn’t specify whether he meant annually or over time. DOGE, as the organization is known, will sit outside the government and won’t have decision-making power. Congress generally controls the government’s purse strings, not the president, though Trump has signaled he would like to change that. A lot of U.S. government spending is considered mandatory—benefits that are paid without any annual vote by Congress.
5. Australia Has Barred Everyone Under 16 From Social Media. Will It Work? (NYT)
Australia has imposed a sweeping ban on social media for children under 16, one of the world’s most comprehensive measures aimed at safeguarding young people from potential hazards online. But many details were still unclear, such as how it will be enforced and what platforms will be covered. The law, he has said, puts the onus on social media platforms to take “reasonable steps” to prevent anyone under 16 from having an account. Corporations could be fined up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (about $32 million) for “systemic” failures to implement age requirements. Neither underage users nor their parents will face punishment for violations. And whether children find ways to get past the restrictions is beside the point, Mr. Albanese said.
6. Sales of Bibles Are Booming, Fueled by First-Time Buyers and New Versions (WSJ)
Worries about the economy, conflicts abroad and uncertainty over the election pushed readers toward the publication in droves. Bible sales are up 22% in the U.S. through the end of October, compared with the same period last year, according to book tracker Circana BookScan. By contrast, total U.S. print book sales were up less than 1% in that period. Publishers say the books are selling well at religious bookstores, but also on Amazon.com and at more mainstream retailers. People buy print copies to make notes in and highlight, but often supplement them with audiobooks as well. The proliferation of new editions and innovative designs has made this a golden age of Bible publishing.
7. U.S. math scores drop on major international test (ChalkBeat)
U.S. fourth graders saw their math scores drop steeply between 2019 and 2023 on a key international test even as more than a dozen other countries saw their scores improve. Scores dropped even more steeply for American eighth graders, a grade where only three countries saw increases. The declines in fourth grade mathematics in the U.S. were among the largest in the participating countries, though American students are still in the middle of the pack internationally. The extent of the decline seems to be driven by the lowest performing students losing more ground, a worrying trend that predates the pandemic. The results released Wednesday from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, or TIMSS, assessment come from more than 650,000 fourth and eighth graders in 64 countries who took the tests in 2023. The test has been administered every four years since 1995. The results are used to monitor how many students have foundational math and science skills.
8. What counts as junk food in upcoming UK advert ban (BBC)
Online adverts for junk food will not be allowed from next year under new government rules introduced to tackle childhood obesity. The ban, which will also apply to adverts shown on TV before 21:00, will begin in October 2025. Health minister Andrew Gwynne said the restrictions will “help protect children” from advertising that evidence shows can influence their eating preferences from a young age. More than one in five children in England are overweight or obese by the time they start primary school, government statistics suggest. This rises to more than one in three by the time they leave. Under the new rules a particular food will be banned if it meets two criteria. Firstly, if it is classified as “less healthy” on a government scoring system after its nutrients have been analysed – this includes salt, fat, sugar and protein. Secondly, if it falls into one of 13 categories created by the government. They include: Soft drinks, Savoury snacks, Breakfast cereal, Chocolates and sweets, Ice cream, Cakes and cupcakes, Biscuits and bars, Morning goods, Desserts and puddings, Yoghurt, Pizza, Potatoes, Ready meals.
9. I Say Forbidden Things About Sports (Honest Broker)
I was shocked when I learned that private equity firms plan to take over college football. How is that even possible? Could a buyout firm acquire a college calculus class? Do university libraries list on the New York Stock Exchange with plans for profit maximization? Can Ticketmaster charge admission to the campus lecture hall? Who knows, maybe those things will soon happen. Judging by the state of college sports, we’re only a step away from total commoditization of higher education.
NOTE: This is a thought-provoking and reasoned article by Ted Goia. I was sad to see my Longhorns lose the SEC Championship this weekend, but my mind does struggle to balance the mission of higher education with videos like this of college visits by athletes. College athletics has been referred to as the front porch of a university—in that it brings attention, and students (and money)—is that a good thing?
10. What Were We Thinking? The Top 10 Most Dangerous Ads (Pocket)
Often the criticism of vintage ads focuses on their inherent sexism, racism, or other displays of social prejudices, which we find laughable today, despite their continued presence. But what about ads that steered consumers into dangerous territory, espousing outmoded scientific evidence or misleading half-truths to convince people that appallingly toxic products, or even deadly ones, were actually good for them?
NOTE: I normally try to find the actual source for Pocket articles, but I couldn’t find this one…so, I’m using Pocket as the source because the content is just so amazing. Lesson for all: critical thinking is really important. Here are a few of the more interesting ones:
And a few more items…
Some articles that didn’t make the top 10.
World
Breaking Down Trump’s Tariffs on China and the World, in Charts
When it comes to how the U.S. wields tariffs, there is China and then the rest of the world. President-elect Donald Trump made tariffs on China a defining feature of his first term. President Biden mostly kept those duties in place—and directed tariff increases on products like semiconductors and electric vehicles. Since Trump began hiking tariffs on China in 2018, the average effective tariff rate on Chinese imports has jumped from around 3% to roughly 11%, according to Trade Partnership Worldwide’s analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data as of September. The average effective tariff rate on imports from all countries rose from more than 1% to more than 2%, according to the firm, which provides data and research to business groups. Now Trump is poised to ratchet up the pressure on China and other trading partners again, recently proposing an additional 10% tariff on all products from China and a 25% tariff on all Mexican and Canadian imports. That could upend the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement he signed in 2020 that maintained largely duty-free trade between the three North American countries. Under higher tariff levels, China’s share of U.S. imports has already waned, while imports from the rest of the world have risen. Still, China is the U.S.’s second-largest supplier of goods.
NOTE: Article contains good charts on tariff rates on various items.
North America
Biden pardons his son, Hunter, after repeatedly saying he would not
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sunday he had pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, a reversal after pledging to stay out of legal proceedings against the younger Biden who pleaded guilty to tax violations and was convicted on firearms-related charges.
Europe
A Defiant Macron Says He Won’t Resign as France’s Leader
A day after his government fell in a no-confidence vote, forcing his handpicked prime minister to resign, President Emmanuel Macron of France lashed out at his political opponents on Thursday, calling them irresponsible and power-hungry, and declaring he would not step down.
British Lawmakers Vote to Legalize Assisted Dying in Landmark Decision
After an emotive and at times impassioned debate, Britain’s lawmakers on Friday voted to allow assisted dying for terminally ill patients in England and Wales under strict conditions, opening the way to one of the most profound social changes in the country in decades. Friday’s vote was not the final say on the matter for Parliament, as it will now be scrutinized in parliamentary committees and amendments to the bill may be put forward. But it is a landmark political moment, setting the stage for a significant shift that some have likened to Britain’s legalization of abortion in 1967 and the abolition of the death penalty in 1969. The new legislation would apply to a narrow group: Applicants would have to be over 18, diagnosed with a terminal illness and have been given no more than six months to live. Two doctors and a judge would be required to give their approval, and the fatal drugs would have to be self-administered. Assisted dying is already legal in a handful of European countries, as well as in Canada, New Zealand, 10 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
Middle East
Global outcry grows over new Taliban decree targeting Afghan women
The United Nations called on Afghanistan’s radical Taliban leaders Wednesday to refrain from implementing a recently reported decree that prohibits women from pursuing medical education in the crisis-ridden country. The U.N. call comes amid a growing chorus of voices condemning and demanding that the Taliban reverse the directive, which critics said effectively removed the last remaining opportunity for Afghan women and girls to seek higher education. “If implemented, the reported directive poses further restrictions on women and girls’ rights to education and access to healthcare,” the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) cautioned in a statement. It added that UNAMA is “extremely concerned” about the reported ban and is verifying it through official Taliban channels, but formal confirmation has not yet been received.
East Asia
Tracking a Year of Dangerous Tit for Tat on the Korean Border
The border between North and South Korea is one of the most fortified places on Earth. Now, with relations between the two countries plumbing new lows, a show of force on both sides is raising the risk of deadly miscalculation. In recent months, North and South Korea, still technically at war, have ramped up their presence of armed forces, border defenses and provocations on land, at sea and in the air. The catalyst was a decision in January by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to drop the country’s decades-old policy of peaceful reunification—and declare his southern neighbors as the country’s new No. 1 enemy. Kim’s audacity has escalated since he forged a tighter bond with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pyongyang and Moscow have signed a new mutual defense pact, and the Kim regime has recently sent troops to the Russian front lines to fight against Ukraine. With their interests and enemies aligned, Putin could lean on Kim to cause havoc on the Korean Peninsula through military moves that would distract the U.S. and its close allies.
NOTE: This article has great visuals!
Space
Nasa delays astronaut flight around the Moon
U S space agency Nasa has announced a further delay to its plans to send astronauts back to the Moon. The agency's chief, Bill Nelson, said the second mission in the Artemis programme was now due for launch in April 2026. The plan had been to send astronauts around the Moon but not land in September 2025. The date had already slipped once before, from November of this year. That will mean that a Moon landing will not take place until at least 2027, a year later than originally planned. The delay is needed to fix an issue with the capsule's heat shield, which returned from the previous test flight excessively charred and eroded, with cracks and some fragments broken off.
Global push for cooperation as space traffic crowds Earth orbit
The rapid increase in satellites and space junk will make low Earth orbit unusable unless companies and countries cooperate and share the data needed to manage that most accessible region of space, experts and industry insiders said. A United Nations panel on space traffic coordination in late October determined that urgent action was necessary and called for a comprehensive shared database of orbital objects as well as an international framework to track and manage them. More than 14,000 satellites including some 3,500 inactive surround the globe in low Earth orbit, showed data from U.S.-based Slingshot Aerospace. Alongside those are about 120 million pieces of debris from launches, collisions and wear-and-tear of which only a few thousand are large enough to track.
The Warning
U.S. military personnel at Space Command, in Colorado Springs, have kept a close eye on Cosmos 2553 ever since it reached orbit. Bathed in the bluish glow of their computer screens, they sit and watch what’s going across all of space day after day, tracking the latest information on satellite constellations, coming rocket launches and the daily operation of the space-based systems that shape modern life. But Cosmos 2553 is different. It circles Earth every two hours in a region called a graveyard orbit. Only 10 other satellites are out there, and all of them have been dead for years. The area is rarely used in part because it’s inside the Van Allen belts, zones of high radiation that encircle the planet. That’s why Moscow claims Cosmos 2553 is there — to test out “newly developed onboard instruments and systems” against radiation. But what it’s really doing, U.S. officials say, is testing components for a Russian weapon under development that could obliterate hundreds, if not thousands, of critical satellites. Cosmos 2553 isn’t armed, but it does carry a dummy warhead, one of several details being reported here for the first time. So while the orbiting satellite poses no imminent danger, the officials caution it does serve as a forerunner to an unprecedented weapon. U.S. intelligence analysts haven’t determined if it’s this region or some other area that Russia may one day threaten if it ever deployed such a device. In any scenario, a nuclear weapon detonated in outer space wouldn’t have a localized impact like a direct hit with a missile strike. It would be indiscriminate, affecting all nations. If the Kremlin decided to use a Sput-nuke, as the device is sometimes derisively called, it holds the unambiguous potential to disrupt the future of America’s military space operations and the lives of hundreds of millions of civilians around the globe.
Economy
The Number of Americans Wanting to Switch Jobs Hits a 10-Year High
More Americans are looking to switch jobs than at any point in the past decade. In a cooling job market, that’s a lot easier said than done. White-collar hiring continues to slow, but workers’ restlessness to find new work is intensifying, new Gallup data show. More than half of 20,000 U.S. workers surveyed in November said they were watching for or actively seeking a new job. That’s the largest share since 2015, eclipsing the so-called Great Resignation of 2021 and 2022, when millions of people quit jobs for better ones. The result? Job satisfaction has fallen to its lowest level in recent years as employees feel more stuck—and frustrated—where they are, according to Gallup, whose quarterly surveys are widely viewed as a bellwether of workplace sentiment. Smaller raises and fewer promotions are spurring some of the discontent, workers say. So are cost-cutting moves and stepped-up requirements to be working in offices more often.
The Hot New Job for Men: Nursing
Nursing is a high-demand field with strong job security, attracting more men due to its stability and earning potential. The number of male registered nurses has tripled since the early 2000s, with men often entering the field after military service or exposure to nursing through other roles Nursing offers a wide range of opportunities and compensation levels, with men gravitating towards higher-paying specialties like nurse anesthetist.
Business
Never Before Have So Many Sailors Been Abandoned at Sea
Crew members of abandoned ships are effectively marooned aboard their vessels because port authorities require them to stay with the ship to ensure the vessels are safe. The sailors, often from developing countries, also are loath to depart without being paid. This means months or even years stuck aboard a vessel thousands of miles away from home until someone picks up the tab for the ship’s maintenance expenses and the sailors’ salaries. As of mid-November, a record 282 ships carrying more than 4,000 seamen had been abandoned by their owners this year, according to the International Transport Workers’ Federation, or ITF, a labor union. In 2023, the figure was 132 vessels. The figure rose when supply chains became snarled during the pandemic, and again when Western sanctions were imposed on Russian interests in 2022, causing a surge in illicit maritime trade. Before 2020, about 40 ships a year were left stranded by absentee owners.
Crypto
Bitcoin Hits $100,000, Lifted by Hopes of a Crypto-Friendly Washington
Bitcoin traded above $100,000 for the first time late Wednesday, powered by a wave of investors betting that President-elect Donald Trump will turn U.S. government policy into an engine of growth for crypto. The world’s largest digital currency has staged an extraordinary rally since Election Day, surging more than 40% in just four weeks and setting one record after another. It surged as high as $103,853 after Trump picked Paul Atkins, a crypto-friendly former regulator, to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission. During the campaign, Trump dropped his earlier skepticism of bitcoin and promised to “end Joe Biden’s war on crypto.” In return, crypto has embraced the incoming U.S. administration—a striking reversal from its early years as a cypherpunk rebellion against the establishment. No longer an outsider to political power, crypto is newly ascendant in Washington. Its march toward the mainstream has enriched a youthful cohort of digital-currency tycoons and swelled the value of the asset class to more than $3 trillion.
Real Estate
New York City Approves a Plan to Create 80,000 New Homes
The New York City Council on Thursday approved an ambitious plan that could make way for 80,000 new homes over the next 15 years, the most significant effort to address the city’s housing crisis in decades. The plan, known as “City of Yes,” has been one of Mayor Eric Adams’s top priorities and includes zoning changes to build more housing in a city where rents have soared and the vacancy rate is at its lowest level in half a century.
Technology
China Bans Rare Mineral Exports to the U.S.
China said on Tuesday that it would begin banning the export of several rare minerals to the United States, an escalation of the tech war between the world’s two biggest powers. The move comes a day after the Biden administration tightened Chinese access to advanced American technology. The ban signals Beijing’s willingness to engage in supply chain warfare by blocking the export of important components used to make valuable products, like weaponry and semiconductors. Sales of gallium, germanium, antimony and so-called superhard materials to the United States would be halted immediately on the grounds that they have dual military and civilian uses, China’s Ministry of Commerce said. The export of graphite would also be subject to stricter review.
Oxford’s 2024 Word of the Year Is…
It’s not just you. Oxford University Press, the publisher of the august Oxford English Dictionary, is also going a bit fuzzy between the ears. After digging through its enormous database, it has chosen “brain rot” — specifically, the kind brought on by digital overload — as its 2024 Word of the Year. It’s been quite a journey for “brain rot,” which triumphed over a shortlist of contenders including “lore,” “demure,” “romantasy,” “dynamic pricing” and “slop.” According to Oxford, its earliest known appearance was in 1854, in “Walden,” Henry David Thoreau’s classic account of moving alone to a cabin in the woods. “With ‘brain rot,’” he said, “it’s a phenomenon of young people skewering language trends on TikTok, almost exactly after they themselves have churned out that language.”
Artificial Intelligence
OpenAI Enters Silicon Valley’s Hot New Business: War
OpenAI, the artificial-intelligence company behind ChatGPT, is getting into the business of war. The world’s most valuable AI company has agreed to work with Anduril Industries, a leading defense-tech startup, to add its technology to systems the U.S. military uses to counter drone attacks. The partnership, which the companies announced Wednesday, marks OpenAI’s deepest involvement yet with the Defense Department and its first tie-up with a commercial weapons maker. It is the latest example of Silicon Valley’s dramatic turn from shunning the Pentagon a few years ago to now forging deeper ties with the national-security complex. OpenAI, valued at more than $150 billion, previously barred its AI from being used in military and warfare. In January, it changed its policies to allow some collaborations with the military.
Elon Musk’s xAI has raised more than $11 billion in record time
Elon Musk making the news is almost routine post-election, but, even for Elon, this week’s headlines are full of some staggering figures: His $100+ billion Tesla pay package was struck down, SpaceX is reportedly nearing a $350 billion valuation, and his feud with OpenAI — the nonprofit he co-founded — has escalated, again. Last Friday, Musk filed an injunction to halt OpenAI’s for-profit transition, accusing it of orchestrating a “group boycott” that blocked funding for his own AI venture, xAI. In October, the Financial Times reported that OpenAI had discouraged investors from backing rival AI startups during its latest funding round. But, even if Sam Altman and co. have been forcing investors to commit to monogamy and invest only in OpenAI, you wouldn’t exactly say xAI has struggled to find backers.
Health
Insurers Collected Billions From Medicare for Veterans Who Cost Them Almost Nothing
A Wall Street Journal analysis of Medicare and VA data found that Medicare Advantage insurers collected billions of dollars a year in premiums to provide medical coverage for about one million veterans like Kitt, even though they go to the VA for some or all of their healthcare needs. The analysis found the insurers paid far fewer medical bills for those veterans than for typical members. About one in five members of Medicare Advantage plans that enroll lots of veterans didn’t use a single Medicare service in 2021, the Journal found. That compares with 3.4% of members of other Medicare Advantage plans. The federal government paid insurers an estimated $44 billion from 2018 through 2021 to cover Medicare Advantage-plan members who were also users of VA services, based on average payments for all members of those plans. The VA spent $46 billion on the same group’s medical care, according to VA data reviewed by the Journal. The figures exclude pharmacy costs, which many Medicare Advantage plans focused on veterans don’t cover. Under the decades-old law that created Medicare, the VA can’t bill Medicare Advantage insurers for services it provides their members. The result is that the federal government sometimes effectively pays twice to cover the health needs of veterans—once in premiums for their Medicare Advantage insurers, then again for the VA to provide actual healthcare services.
Sports
Gladiator for a Night at the Colosseum? Some Romans Are Up in Arms.
It has probably been centuries since Romans have been so feverish about happenings at the Colosseum, and it is not because of the recent release of the Ridley Scott “Gladiator” sequel. A plan by the Colosseum and Airbnb to give a select few people the chance to unleash their “inner gladiator” at the most visited site in Italy has caused an uproar among many Romans who say it demeans a treasured cultural icon. Over two nights in May, a total of up to 32 people will learn the art of gladiator fighting at the ancient arena, taught by Roman history buffs who specialize in historical re-enactments. The project is a partnership between the Colosseum Archaeological Park and Airbnb, the accommodations booking platform, which donated $1.5 million to spruce up a permanent exhibit inside the arena. The aim, Airbnb said, “was to support the Colosseum’s ongoing conservation work to find new ways to inspire and educate visitors on the historical significance of this bygone era.” But some Romans and cultural leaders have given the initiative an emphatic thumbs down. (Footnote: While the emperor made such a gesture to condemn a fighter in the original “Gladiator” movie, scholars are uncertain about the direction thumbs actually pointed in ancient arenas for such purposes.)
Have a great week!
The Curator
Two resources to help you be a more discerning reader:
AllSides - https://www.allsides.com/unbiased-balanced-news
Media Bias Chart - https://www.adfontesmedia.com/
Caveat: Even these resources/charts are biased. Who says that the system they use to describe news sources is accurate? Still, hopefully you find them useful as a basic guide or for comparison.