Tucker Carlson’s GOP deal

The text messages show how Carlson shaped the direction of the Republican party behind the scenes, using his powerful primetime perch before his surprise firing last month.

Plus, what else is on tap:

• America is refusing to do the one thing that would solve the Great People Shortage.
• How one professional uses ChatGPT like a 24-7 personal assistant.
• A $1 trillion platinum coin could save the US from economic catastrophe.

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The Fed, Trump, & Shopify 

• The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 basis points. It’s the 10th consecutive hike and it could be the last. Read more.
• Donald Trump won’t call any witnesses to defend him in his ongoing rape and defamation trial, his lawyer said Wednesday. More here.
• Shopify is cutting 20% of staff and selling the logistics arm of its business. CEO Tobias Lütke told employees: “There’s no way to make this good news”. The full story.

Tucker’s GOP power

McCarthy had led congressional Republicans to a disappointing midterm election in November 2022, winning just 222 seats in the House of Representatives. He needed 218 votes to win his bid to become House speaker.

Around 20 far-right Republicans initially refused to back McCarthy, as well as all elected Democrats. The result was 14 failed rounds of votes — the most-contested speaker election in more than 150 years.

On his Fox News show in January, Carlson demanded that McCarthy put the far-right lawmaker Rep. Thomas Massie on a committee. Carlson said in texts that McCarthy agreed, and McCarthy won the speakership the next day.

As the former Fox News host said in a text, “That’s a win.”

Population shortage, $1 trillion coin, & more

• The Great People Shortage is about to wreak havoc on the US economy — but there’s an easy way to fix it. America is running out of workers. A growing number of experts agree that the best solution is to start letting more immigrants into the country. Here’s how the US can avoid a population disaster.
• Healthcare is racing to use ChatGPT. The industry has many holes that companies are keen to bridge with generative AI. Yet, the technology still has many unknowns, so the industry is trying to strike the right balance between speed and safety. Read the full story here.
• A $1 trillion platinum coin could save the US from economic catastrophe in less than a month. It would be a fast, legal solution to the debt-ceiling crisis — and it’d be no bigger than a regular coin. Get the full story.
• TikTok fans beg Emily Mariko to not cut up her mom’s vintage wedding dress. The viral salmon-rice bowl creator shared plans to recycle the dress into multiple small bags. This reignited the intense debate over repurposing family heirlooms. Check out the controversy here.
• A 24-7 personal assistant for $20 a month. Teresha Aird is the cofounder and CMO of an office-space brokerage. She pays for ChatGPT Plus, and told Insider five ways it has helped her save time and make more money, including by generating data reports. Get her full list here.
• A former F-16 pilot said he would not want to fly missions over Ukraine right now, arguing “there is no fighting chance.” Ukraine has repeatedly asked for US-made F-16s, but a former pilot says the aircraft can’t outmatch Russia’s air-defense systems. Read more.
• A McDonald’s in Kentucky made a pair of 10-year-olds work without pay, federal authorities say. The Department of Labor said the children were sometimes made to work the register and drive-thru until 2 a.m. while visiting their parent, the night manager. More here.

Expensive trailer park

World Wide Waste

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