the weekly rundown

every year at our work, we choose who gives us performance reviews. out of curiosity, we tried typing in our CEO’s name, and lo and behold - despite being 739 degrees separated in the hierarchy, we could ask him for an eval! well, now we’re asking you to give us your feedback. email us your comments.

big idea: light at the end of the tunnel

it’s been a solid week covid-wise, and ‘muricans are growing confident that a semblance of normality will return soon. more than 100 million vaccine doses have been given (40+ days sooner than promised by Joe), two states have expanded vaccine eligibility to all adults, and the CDC revised its guidelines making it easier for schools to reopen. things are going so well that Joe is loaning canada & mexico four million vaccines. Trudeau, like any true canadian, has already apologized for no reason for the inconvenience.

not everything is peachy yet - infections are falling nationwide, but rising in locales like michigan and west virginia. remember, it takes two weeks after your second shot for the vaccine to work its magic, so no beach parties just yet.

internationally, the picture is more complicated. europe abruptly halted and then restarted its vaccination campaigns after the oxford vaccine (which isn’t being used here) may have caused some fatal blood clots. because of their slow vaccination efforts, parts of france and italy are re-entering a lockdown. europe was largely unwilling to partner its public health systems with private pharmaceutical companies to the same degree as ‘murica, resulting in the botched rollout. you don’t hear progressives singing the praises of european-style healthcare these days, huh?

so, you can’t blame us for being hopeful about the situation here in the states. we’re sixth in the world at 12% of ‘muricans being fully vaccinated, and 23% receiving at least their first shot. 

story to watch: global gasoline demand has peaked

the International Energy Association has predicted that global demand for gasoline peaked in 2019, with demand never again reaching pre-covid levels. this is due to covid permanently reducing the need for commutes (Ford and British Airways announced work-at-home policies this week) and because governments are encouraging the adoption of EVs. these two factors will offset the rise in demand in developing countries.

the report comes out even as traders begin to speculate that oil prices will rise as the economy recovers, especially in the US. however, considering that a whopping 40% of the crude oil drilled today goes towards increasingly-unpopular gasoline, that doesn’t seem as likely. the IEA does predict that overall demand for oil will increase modestly in the future, again because of developing countries and also due to rising jet fuel demand.

this will have widespread geopolitical ramifications, not the least of which is ‘murica will stop caring what happens in the middle east and turn more of its attention to its competition with china #endlesswars

this week’s image: floating sky lanterns

(The Guardian) syrian children light a sky lantern, but we’re pretty sure their smiles are brighter.

this week’s number: uber will have to pay its UK drivers a $12.40 minimum wage

following a court ruling in the UK, uber will be forced to pay its drivers there the minimum wage (about US$12.40), vacation time, and a pension. this is the first time uber has ever acknowledged its drivers are more than just independent contractors anywhere in the world. five stars UK courts, five stars.

despite these additional costs, uber still forecasts that it will be profitable in the UK by the end of the year, putting to rest the argument that guaranteed wages for gig workers are impractical. expect other tech companies operating in the UK to announce similar moves in the future. barring major legislative breakthroughs in the US though, don’t expect the same on this side of the pond.

what we’re reading: “Raven Rock”

a bizarre and at times morbid read by a former white house reporter, this is the most detailed look ever at ‘murica’s secret doomsday plans to save the government while everyone else dies in a zombie apocalypse (or, slightly less likely, a nuclear holocaust)

it includes fun details like how government planners were certain democracy would be the price for survival, how the defense department delayed breaking up AT&T in the 70’s because of how critical the company was for wartime communications, and how the FBI prepared lists of thousands of people to immediately imprison in case of a doomsday

and, in case you missed it:

a pennsylvania mom used deepfake videos to try to get her daughter’s enemies kicked off the high school cheerleading squad

Joe has had a busy week: coming out in favor of filibuster reform, confirming two historic cabinet picks, and nearly falling down a flight of stairs

the latest middle eastern fad is drinking coffee from baby bottles. for real.

the weekly rundown is produced by Yunus, Faisal, and Ahmed. learn more about us and email us your comments and feedback!

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we moved into a new house recently, and immediately got into an argument with our younger siblings over who could claim the basement as their own. we won (#oldersibling), but our siblings definitely made their displeasure clear. please, let us know if we’re displeasing you! email us your complaints and suggestions.

big idea: the queen is dead, long live the republic

well maybe she’s not dead just yet, but the British monarchy should be. Oprah’s interview last Sunday is still in the headlines, and we’d like to take the opportunity to talk about how stupid monarchy is. it’s past time for the UK and its commonwealth (s/o to our canadian readers) to ditch their queen & establish a republic.

first, consider how morally bankrupt the idea of hereditary leadership is. we don’t care who your daddy is - you don’t deserve to be the head of state unless your citizens select you in a fair way. let’s be clear - the queen is only the head of the UK because her great-great-great-grandpa was the most vicious and powerful warlord of his day.

second, consider how reprehensible the specific institution of the british monarchy is. don’t forget that the crown oversaw the rape and plunder of colonies and profited off of slavery for half a millenium.

finally, consider how damaging the monarchy currently is to the UK. to this day it does not have a written constitution in part because no one is willing to answer the question of what power the queen actually has. because she is unelected, she refuses to take political positions, even when something patently undemocratic occurs, like Boris Johnson’s attempt to shut down Parliament in 2019.

so yeah, that was a rant, but it’s always worth reminding people of how worthless monarchies are. the queen isn’t just a powerless and maybe slightly racist old lady. she’s the living embodiment of an unjust society which refuses to take a clear-eyed look at its history.

story to watch: big labor has its mojo back

the house passed the PRO act this week, the most significant pro-union legislation in years. that, combined with Joe and even a leading senate republican vocally supporting the unionization effort at an Alabama Amazon warehouse, it’s clear that the labor movement has had a great week.

to put things in perspective, the percentage of ‘muricans in labor unions has dropped from 30% of the workforce after WWII to just 10% today. studies show unions lead to higher wages and safer workplaces, regardless of gender or race.

Joe’s video is the most pro-union statement a president has ever made, and with Amazon being the second largest private employer in the US, any unionization efforts there are a huge win. looks like daddy Bezos may be losing control.

the PRO act would repeal state anti-union laws, allow gig workers to unionize, and imposes penalties on union-busting by businesses. it’s unlikely to pass the senate anytime soon, but it did gain some republican support in the house.

this week’s image: giddy up, skiers 

(The Atlantic) a boy skis in colorado while his dad, riding a horse, pulls him forward, which apparently is a real sport. finally, something to replace curling at the olympics.

this week’s number: 1/3 of women worldwide face violence

a new WHO report finds that one third of women worldwide experience physical violence from their partner, or sexual violence from a non-partner - and that’s likely an underestimate. this is the largest ever study on violence against women, capturing 18 years worth of data.

younger women and women living in poorer countries bear the brunt of this violence. the WHO is calling for a global, comprehensive movement to empower women and prioritize their safety.

what we’re reading: “Losing the Signal”

a 288-page read recommended by reader M.M., this is a dramatic and fast-paced history of the rise and fall of Blackberry (for our younger readers, think of an iPhone with a physical keyboard. also, this newsletter is secretly transferring your youth to us).

as reader M.M. writes in his review, the book contains extensive interviews with top Blackberry leadership and is a reflection of just how quickly trends can change in the tech industry.

reader mailbag:

we got a number of complaints last week (from readers M.H. and H.A., among others) about referring to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and then immediately clarifying that we meant Donald. we hear you, and forever more our newsletter will refer to him solely as You-Know-Who, no clarification necessary.

and, in case you missed it:

Joe signed the latest stimulus bill into law on thursday. read last week’s issue on who gets a stimulus check

democracy in hong kong is dead, as china will only allow pro-communists to run for city legislature

a Chinese hack of Microsoft’s email servers is affecting tens of thousands of companies

the weekly rundown is produced by Yunus, Faisal, and Ahmed. learn more about us and email us your comments and feedback!

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plus: grandma knock-out, February jobs report, “Show Your Work!”

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plus: bitcoin energy usage, Baarack the sheep, “Nothing to Envy” | we were debating GM’s new logo and realized that all these car companies used blue logos (VW, BMW, Ford, Subaru, and Volvo). why not try to be different, huh GM? we hope this newsletter is different from the rest of your inbox. if not, please email us your suggestions!

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plus: kid knievel, the gender wage gap, “I, Robot” | after feedback from reader T.K., we’ve upgraded the quality of our audio newsletter. if you’re on the run Sunday mornings, you can just hit the play button above to listen in. we’d love to hear from you too! big idea: the world is ending (but only in texas)

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hello world!

hi, is this working? can you hear us? oh, this isn’t a podcast? ok great, we don’t know any influencers to interview anyways.

welcome to the weekly rundown, a sunday morning newsletter. our goal is to briefly put the previous week’s political & business news into context, helping you better understand why they matter. we'll explain big ideas, emerging trends, and overlooked stories in t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶m̶e̶ ̶s̶t̶y̶l̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶'̶v̶e̶ ̶s̶e̶e̶n̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶w̶e̶e̶k̶ an engaging, irreverent style.

we’ve set internal metrics for success, which we’ll revisit each quarter - so as long as you’re happy and we’re growing, we’ll keep chugging along.

we’re excited to have you along for the ride.

big idea: what’s next for the GOP?

the senate voted to acquit Donald. with 70% of republicans believing that Donald won the election, 56% believing QAnon is at least partly true, and 39% believing political violence is justified, the GOP has become the party of conspiracists, not conservatives.

while some think the GOP is on a death march or will splinter into a third party, the republican fever is unlikely to break soon, or be fatal. what is likely is the disintegration of their coalition, leaving only anti-establishment types (who are more likely to believe in conspiracies) to support them.

these shifts will result in republicans keeping portions of their base, but losing ground in suburbs. they’ll be relegated to minority status in the house (like after WWI, they were in the minority for basically 62 years straight). they’ll do well in the senate (given the number of rural states) and in local races (because of gerrymandering and a weak democratic machine in pink areas).

this is not the first time in ‘murican history that a party has been defined by conspiracies or open rebellion, and it won’t be the last. like Richard Nixon, Donald will be rehabilitated into the mainstream of the GOP (such as it is) and will hasten the shrinking of its base.

story to watch: Florida water treatment plant hacked

what happened? a water treatment plant’s computers were hacked late last week, raising the amount of lye in the water to a toxic level (about 100x safe amounts). a plant worker actually saw in real time the hacker gaining access to his computer and raising the chemical level, but able to quickly reverse the change.

whodunit? the FBI is investigating, with suspects ranging from a foreign nation to a bored teenager to a disgruntled employee (which would probably be the most Florida man story ever).

so what? experts have been warning for years that critical local infrastructure (power plants, refineries, transportation) is overly exposed to simplistic hacks. the US, having led cyberwarfare for decades, is falling behind in cyberdefense, with massive hacks of governmental agencies recently. if the feds can get hacked so easily, what chance do underfunded local governments, which typically run critical infrastructure, have?

what’s next? it’s time for the NSA to immediately disclose software vulnerabilities so they can be patched, for the US to prohibit former government employees from working for foreigners, and for a cyber Geneva Convention. also, maybe uhhh change your password from your company name.

this week’s image: running of the bears

(Reuters) kurdish animal lovers run after releasing a bear into the wild in iraq

this week’s number: $16 trillion lost due to racism since 2000

a report from Citi calculates that the US economy lost $16 trillion in growth because of anti-Black racism over the past 20 years (for perspective, the 2020 GDP was $21 trillion). the report was mentioned recently by Susan Rice, Joe’s top domestic advisor.

Citi cites gaps between Blacks and Whites in wages, investment (lending), education, and housing, with the latter two worsening since the ‘60s. if these gaps were closed tomorrow, we could add $5 trillion to the GDP in five years. 

many ‘muricans forget that MLK’s march on washington wasn’t simply about rights - it was about jobs and a $2 federal minimum wage (or $17.42 in 2020)

what’s to be done? companies with diverse workforces earn more than their peers and innovate better. individuals can support justice reform, reparations, school funding changes, and an inflation-adjusted minimum wage.

what we’re reading: “Money”

a 225-page read by the co-host of one of our favorite podcasts, covering the history of money (perhaps the strangest of all inventions)

ever wonder who started the whole paper money fad? (hint: Kublai Khan wasn’t nearly as genocidal as his grand-daddy)

still don’t understand why the entire economy collapsed when the housing bubble popped in 2008? (it involves a new form of money run by corporations, not the people)

and, in case you missed it:

a high school principal won south carolina’s highest honor after working overnight walmart shifts to pay for his students’ food, supplies, and bills

cuba is liberalizing its economy, allowing private businesses to operate legally in virtually every sector for the first time #vivalarevolucion

schools across the nation are considering lengthening their year to make up for lost time from ‘rona. students everywhere are rejoicing.

the weekly rundown is produced by Ahmed, Faisal, and Yunus.  please email us your comments, suggestions, and questions!

Thank you for subscribing. Share this episode.

the weekly rundown is a brief sunday morning newsletter putting the previous week's political & business news into context and helping you understand why they matter. we’ll explain big ideas, emerging trends, and overlooked stories in an engaging and irreverent way.

Thank you for subscribing. Share this episode.