My Weekly Recommendations
What I am reading, watching, and listening to
This week could have given you whiplash if you let it, so let me catch you up to make sure you didn’t miss anything.
The Words That Ring True
Every year, I reread important MLK works. Not the highlight quotes, but something substantive, in context. This year, it was the final speech of his life. I don’t know about you, but I needed this.
Who is Melania Trump?
On January 20th, wearing a tailored black coat and a black hat pulled low over her face, Melania stood by her husband as he was sworn in as the 47th president. She won’t be living at the White House full time, and time will tell how she makes her mark as the second First Lady to get a second chance at the job.
President Trump's First Day
At 12:02 p.m. on Monday, President Donald Trump raised his right hand and took the oath of office. He wasted no time breaking out his signature Sharpie pen and signing a flurry of executive actions: issuing more than 1,000 pardons, undoing dozens of Biden-era policies, and enacting a far-reaching agenda of his own — parts of which will soon be tested in the courts.
Trump's Immigration Overhaul
Answering your questions on ICE raids, birthright citizenship, mass deportations, and more.
Hegseth Scrapes By After Vance Saves Him + Reader Q&A
What I’m reading…
Bipartisan funding negotiations begin in Congress ahead of March shutdown cliff
By Jennifer Scholtes and Katherine Tully-McManus for The Washington Post
Republican funding leaders have made an opening offer to Democrats as the two parties launch negotiations toward a deal to fund the government before the mid-March shutdown deadline.
It brings out the best in humanity: the rescuers saving pets from LA’s wildfires
Dani Anguiano for The Guardian
Rescue workers have swung into action to board, feed and treat displaced animals – and find those who may be trapped.
Local governments across U.S. signal they won't aid Trump migrant crackdown
By Brian Mann for NPR
A growing number of cities, states, police departments, school districts and other local governments are signaling they won't cooperate with what Trump administration officials are describing as the largest migrant deportation effort in U.S. history.
Supreme Court to hear church-state fight over Oklahoma bid to launch first publicly funded religious school
By Lawrence Hurley for NBC News
The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority that consistently backs religious claims, will hear a dispute over the proposed St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which would serve students online throughout the state while maintaining its remit to promote the Catholic faith.
Trump orders release of JFK, RFK and MLK assassination records
By Jamie Stengle for The Associated Press
President Donald Trump has ordered the release of thousands of classified governmental documents about the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which has fueled conspiracy theories for decades.
What I am listening to…
Supercommunicators with Charles Duhigg
Here’s Where It Gets Interesting
How does someone become a great communicator? I talked with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Charles Duhigg about his latest book, Super Communicators. He explains being a strong communicator isn’t some magical, innate talent but a skill that anyone can learn. How do top executives talk to others? How can you deal with people who insult or talk down to you? And what can you say to someone who tells you to calm down? Charles breaks down the three types of conversations and shares tips on how you can improve your relationships through better, clearer communication.
How Trump resurrected TikTok
Post Reports
It’s not over for TikTok. Or is it? “Post Reports” on why the app went dark in the United States, how it came back and who controls its fate.
Conversations I had this week…
Inauguration sanity with Sharon McMahon - Dan Harris
Dan Harris and I talked about how to manage all the news coming at you; why I am not good for anybody if I am exhausted and burned out; how doing “the next needed thing” is available to all of us; the difference between values and opinions, and much more.
My interview with Sharon McMahon.
Isaac Saul, Tangle News
I talked to Isaac about how she got started, my recent book, and what she hopes to do — as well as the stories I am keeping an eye on in 2025.
As always, thank you for being here.
good to read about the efforts for the animals in SoCA. Thank you!