We Can't Have Nice Things
What I Read This Week - May 6, 2025
On Monday, ESPN reported the White House’s proposed 2026 fiscal budget is slashing funding and programs devoted to traumatic brain injury (TBI) research, including but not limited to sports:
The White House's proposed budget, released Friday, includes eliminating the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention umbrella agency responsible for TBI research, including the $8.25 million marked for brain injury research and public education about the dangers of concussions. The CDC is facing $3.59 billion in budget cuts.
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The budget cuts would "roll back decades of progress," said Dr. Owen Perlman, a brain injury specialist and board member of the Brain Injury Association of America.
Among the items targeted is Heads Up, a concussion-prevention program for youth and high school coaches, athletic trainers and other sports officials. The CDC staffers put on leave administered the program. Forty-five states participate in the program to varying degrees, a CDC official said, asking not to be identified.
The article notes there is a bill still in committee to continue funding these programs. Congress could pass that or amend the administration’s budget proposal. However, the mere attempt to cut a public service with such an enormous and yet still burgeoning value to uniquely vulnerable populations is equal parts baffling and dispiriting.
Actually, ‘baffling’ might be overselling it. It shocks the conscious, but perhaps there’s now a more coherent picture coming into focus. While news organizations have an incontestable negativity bias, the headlines since Donald Trump’s second inauguration has been especially grim. Grim, in fact, in a particular kind of way.
Consider a basic sampling of what we’ve been treated to: tens of thousands of federal
employees being sent to unemployment rolls, degradation to air travel and safety, rollback of key environmental laws, slashing pediatric cancer research, flagrant due process violations, immigration harassment (and a subsequent collapse in U.S. tourism), attacks on lawyers and law firms, artificially constricting DC’s ability to spend its own money, attempted takeover of elite universities, repealing of anti-segregation laws in education, resumption of student debt collection, detention for political speech, a potential impending recession and more.
There are various right-wing constituiences for most of these causes, from pleasing business tycoons to repaying electoral favors to donors. If there’s a common denominator, however, it’s immiseration.
Since Trump has returned to office, he’s obtained some symbolic victories as red meat for the MAGA base by attacking or threatening perceived liberal instutitions, but almost nothing of genuine material game has been achieved. There’s been no peace deal in either Ukraine or Gaza. There’s been no infrastructure legislation or plans for any. Inflation has not been meaningfully addressed. Key social welfare programs already are starting to be hobbled under new strain imposed on them. Teachers are self deporting without any way for the school to make up for the gap in their ability or leadership.
Far from even remaining status quo, the lives of ordinary Americans are visibly deteriorating in real time. While I can’t possibly speak for the entirety of working Americans, poll results can give us a picture. As it turns out, the demographic most tuned out from the news is the one that has made the largest turnaround on Trump through 100 days of his second term:
One need not consume the New York Times to observe there’s not much productively being done. It’s true measureably at scale and anecdotally. And while relatively smaller pockets of the right cheer for acts of lunacy, the lack of even an attempt at ameliorating the concerns from kitchen table issues is starting to wear thin.
Trump’s limit is that it’s hard for him to govern in ways that boost the collective good, in part because the entire notion of the ‘collective good’ isn’t one animating his worldview. It’s not even one he really believes in. Trump’s vision is fundamentally zero sum. Winners, losers, he’ll sort you accordingly. Aside from the obvoius, one of the other problems with this kind of governing is that approach only really functions as retribution. It’s difficult to advance a governing philosophy where it simultaneously attacks communities and hopes to build them anew. One of those has to be prioritized and Trump’s made clear which of those he favors.
Misery, this government can do. Making ordinary facets of life demonstrably worse it can do. Slashing and burning it can do. And so that’s preciesly what we’re going to get.
U.S.
The above clip of Mark Zuckerberg arguing there’s a use case for his company’s AI to help fill the gap in human loneliness and community disconnect (that his company helped create or exacerbate) makes watching Black Mirror impossible. I’ve lost my appetite for oligarch-enforced tech dystopia.
The John Fetterman piece in NY Mag will genuinely make you wonder how this person can perform even mundane tasks, much less govern in any kind of thoughtful, informed or sober way.
Francis Fukuyama: “Trumpism is basically a mentality drenched in what Nietzsche labeled ressentiment, that is, acute resentment of others based on wounded pride, perceived disregard, fears of inadequacy, and a desire to exact revenge on those who had earlier failed to pay adequate respect.”
Matt Yglesias argues part of what’s growing antisemitism in the U.S. “specifically the non-white conservatives who Trump brought into the GOP tent.”
Stephen Miller’s uncle basically argues if his nephew’s views on immigration were employed at the time his family tried to settle in the U.S., it never would’ve happened.
DOGE’s real legacy will be helping to create a surveillance state after stealing and synthesizing the data of Americans.
The only Democrats doing anything noteworthy as Trump continues his authoritarian ascent are the ones like JB Priztker, who clearly reject the Dem consultant class style of politics.
Radley Balko details the story of an attorney who did some side pro bono work for a family who had immigration issues only for two goons to show up on his door claiming he was impeding an immigration investigation.
WORLD
If you aren’t in the UK and want to watch Louis Theroux’s BBC documentary on the Israeli settlers in the West Bank, here you go.
Also, despite the AP here calling it a ‘new plan,’ it’s not: Israel plans to take control of all of Gaza.
TECH
A book about digital manipulation was actually written by AI. The entire premise was a put on by an Italian writer.
Here’s a guide on how to consume fewer micro plastics.
This is a great explainer on the antitrust ruling against Apple and how they have to handle external payments, links and more.
Speaking of which, a court ruling against Apple and how they use their app store means Spotify is relaunching their app with a host of consumer-friendly updates.
SPORTS
Thomas Hauser’s write-up of the Times Square boxing event featuring Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez tells the story of an event that only was able to overcome a series of licensing or regulatory hurdles through dumb compromises and enormous wealth.
A group of experts argues that rather than DC taxpayers being on the hook for $856 million to help finance a new stadium for the Washington Commanders, it’ll actually be closer to $6 billion.
ENTERTAINMENT
Peep the new trailer for ‘The Smashing Machine’
Apparently the new ‘Thunderbolts’ (now named ‘The New Avengers’?) did really well at the box office as ‘Sinners’ continues to make a killing globally.
I know these have normally been published on Sunday, but it's tough to do that under my current schedule. Give me some latitude, y'all, as I work out best how to balance my schedule.