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Bari’s Picks of the Week: Genes, Drones, and More
Hi folks, there’s a ton to get to this week—Akhil Reed Amar, FDA chief Dr. Marty Makary, Niall Ferguson—but first: an exciting announcement.
I’m heading to our nation’s capital on October 8 to interview Anduril founder Palmer Luckey for a live taping of Honestly.
For my money, Luckey is one of the most interesting and iconoclastic people in the country. He spends his days building the most technologically advanced war-fighting devices in the world—reshoring America’s ability to win wars in the modern era. But you might know him as the 19-year-old who founded Oculus, a virtual-reality gaming headset, which made him a billionaire by age 22.
Luckey and I will get into all of it: the technological revolution, what warfare will look like in the age of AI, the threat from an ascendant China, and much more. You won’t want to miss it.
The Free Press’s event with Justice Amy Coney Barrett sold out in under three hours—so don’t wait. Get your tickets here.
Niall Ferguson: The Future of War Is Here. And We Aren’t Ready.
Hundreds of drones buzzing overhead like lethal hornets. Unmanned surveillance crafts detect the slightest movement by ground forces. AI systems identify targets—allowing soldiers to strike from afar.
Such is the state of war in Ukraine, where millions of nimble, cheap, autonomous drones have helped a ragtag army hold the line against Russian president Vladimir Putin’s invasion. And it’s no longer just Ukraine. In recent days, Poland, Romania, Estonia, and Denmark have learned that Russian drones are capable of entering their airspace.
How will this widening war end? And do Europeans grasp what’s at stake?
Niall Ferguson reports from Kyiv, the front line of 21st-century warfare:
Tylenol, Autism, and Restoring Trust in Science
On Monday, President Donald Trump gathered his public health officials to announce that there is “a very increased” risk of autism when pregnant women take Tylenol. But is this true?
I called the FDA commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary, to get further clarity. We discussed what is actually known about the autism epidemic, if Tylenol and acetaminophen are linked to it, and whether vaccines cause autism.
Among the many news-making things he told me: “I personally don’t think there’s an association” between vaccines and autism.
Read our conversation here:
This week, amidst the political firestorm over autism research ignited by Trump’s announcement, we heard from someone with a deeply personal connection to the issue. Journalist Leland Vittert was born with high-functioning autism and struggled for years to read social cues and connect with his peers. For his differences, he was relentlessly bullied.
Vittert credits his father for dropping everything to teach him how to adapt to the world—and thrive in it.
It’s a beautiful piece:
Parents—like Vittert’s—would do almost anything to help their children thrive. But as frontier gene-editing technology evolves, what if they could start earlier? At the molecular level?
What if we could ensure that our babies will be healthier, smarter, and stronger before they even take their first breath? That was the topic of our latest Free Press debate, held in Pittsburgh. The country’s leading experts on gene editing and medical ethics debated the question: Is designing babies unethical, or a moral imperative?
If you’re looking for something to watch this weekend, look no further:
Akhil Reed Amar: Our Need for a National Story
America declared its independence with revolution, and sealed it with the words of our Constitution. Both told a story of liberation and freedom—a story that formed a strong national narrative and identity.
“The problem,” Yale legal scholar Akhil Reed Amar writes, “is that we have forgotten it.” Amar argues that without a proper national story, “our nation is in mortal danger.” So what is our disunited, polarized country to do?
Amar details the true and candid themes that should compose the American story for our time. Read it here:
Alright folks, that’s it from me. Tomorrow we are dropping one of the juiciest investigations we have ever published. So check your inbox—you won’t want to miss it.
View all episodes
By Bari WeissHi folks, there’s a ton to get to this week—Akhil Reed Amar, FDA chief Dr. Marty Makary, Niall Ferguson—but first: an exciting announcement.
I’m heading to our nation’s capital on October 8 to interview Anduril founder Palmer Luckey for a live taping of Honestly.
For my money, Luckey is one of the most interesting and iconoclastic people in the country. He spends his days building the most technologically advanced war-fighting devices in the world—reshoring America’s ability to win wars in the modern era. But you might know him as the 19-year-old who founded Oculus, a virtual-reality gaming headset, which made him a billionaire by age 22.
Luckey and I will get into all of it: the technological revolution, what warfare will look like in the age of AI, the threat from an ascendant China, and much more. You won’t want to miss it.
The Free Press’s event with Justice Amy Coney Barrett sold out in under three hours—so don’t wait. Get your tickets here.
Niall Ferguson: The Future of War Is Here. And We Aren’t Ready.
Hundreds of drones buzzing overhead like lethal hornets. Unmanned surveillance crafts detect the slightest movement by ground forces. AI systems identify targets—allowing soldiers to strike from afar.
Such is the state of war in Ukraine, where millions of nimble, cheap, autonomous drones have helped a ragtag army hold the line against Russian president Vladimir Putin’s invasion. And it’s no longer just Ukraine. In recent days, Poland, Romania, Estonia, and Denmark have learned that Russian drones are capable of entering their airspace.
How will this widening war end? And do Europeans grasp what’s at stake?
Niall Ferguson reports from Kyiv, the front line of 21st-century warfare:
Tylenol, Autism, and Restoring Trust in Science
On Monday, President Donald Trump gathered his public health officials to announce that there is “a very increased” risk of autism when pregnant women take Tylenol. But is this true?
I called the FDA commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary, to get further clarity. We discussed what is actually known about the autism epidemic, if Tylenol and acetaminophen are linked to it, and whether vaccines cause autism.
Among the many news-making things he told me: “I personally don’t think there’s an association” between vaccines and autism.
Read our conversation here:
This week, amidst the political firestorm over autism research ignited by Trump’s announcement, we heard from someone with a deeply personal connection to the issue. Journalist Leland Vittert was born with high-functioning autism and struggled for years to read social cues and connect with his peers. For his differences, he was relentlessly bullied.
Vittert credits his father for dropping everything to teach him how to adapt to the world—and thrive in it.
It’s a beautiful piece:
Parents—like Vittert’s—would do almost anything to help their children thrive. But as frontier gene-editing technology evolves, what if they could start earlier? At the molecular level?
What if we could ensure that our babies will be healthier, smarter, and stronger before they even take their first breath? That was the topic of our latest Free Press debate, held in Pittsburgh. The country’s leading experts on gene editing and medical ethics debated the question: Is designing babies unethical, or a moral imperative?
If you’re looking for something to watch this weekend, look no further:
Akhil Reed Amar: Our Need for a National Story
America declared its independence with revolution, and sealed it with the words of our Constitution. Both told a story of liberation and freedom—a story that formed a strong national narrative and identity.
“The problem,” Yale legal scholar Akhil Reed Amar writes, “is that we have forgotten it.” Amar argues that without a proper national story, “our nation is in mortal danger.” So what is our disunited, polarized country to do?
Amar details the true and candid themes that should compose the American story for our time. Read it here:
Alright folks, that’s it from me. Tomorrow we are dropping one of the juiciest investigations we have ever published. So check your inbox—you won’t want to miss it.