Pre-Life Insurance
News Roundup
The Drug-Running Schemes of the Chinese Mafia
Deputies slogged through the muck in a lowly lit compound around Hennessey, in Kingfisher County, Oklahoma. It had been the site of a hostage shooting that had left four dead and a gunman on the loose. Only later would they piece together what was behind the incident. Only later did the deputies realize that what they were slogging through wasn’t mud but human shit, a consequence of horrible working conditions for the “indentured servants” unlucky enough to find themselves on the farm.
The facility, according to investigative reporting, was linked to the Chinese mafia profiteering from the marijuana boom across the country. It comes when many places in America have largely lost control of drug markets. These mafiosos have allegedly also been laundering fentanyl money for Latin American cartels.
FIVE FAST THINGS
ABORTION: Arizona’s Supreme Court confirmed a law banning almost all abortions. The law, from 1864, was also sent back to hear other arguments in a lower court. It was the latest in the rollback of abortion rights since Roe v. Wade’s federal protections were knocked down by a conservative U.S. Supreme Court.
PRE-LIFE INSURANCE: Embryos could be eligible for life insurance. If passed, a bill in the South Carolina legislature would force insurers to offer the option. It’s a subtle attempt to undermine abortion rights.
BILATERAL NEGATIONS: Palestine applied for membership with the UN Security Council. Likely, the U.S. will veto the measure — as it’s done in the past — exhorting Palestine to negotiate with Israel first.
CARBON CRAZY: The artificial intelligence industry already emits as much as a small country, and the industry’s emissions will likely grow. A known problem, AI emissions have been left out of a lot of the hype coverage for much of the last year or so.
OPIATE OF THE FEW: Declining church attendance in the U.S. has made the rounds again. It’s mostly unmemorable. But notably: (1) The Church of Latter Day Saints — widely known as Mormons — have the strongest church turnout. (2) About 50 percent of people say their religious beliefs are in conflict with mainstream American culture.
UPDATES
SINS OF THE SON: James and Jennifer Crumbley — the parents of the Michigan school shooter, both convicted of involuntary manslaughter in a troubling first — were sentenced to 10-15 years.
MAN, PIG, KIDNEY: Rick Slayman, the first recipient of a gene-edited pig kidney, was released from the hospital. Slayman’s successful transplant lays the path for large scale tests.
FOOL’S GOLD: Sam Bankman Fried, swindler and former FTX executive, got sentenced to 25 years for “one of the largest financial frauds in U.S. history.” As crypto rebounds, the fate of Bankman Fried’s cronies are still playing out.
PROVOCATIONS
Elon Musk’s Neuralink implant, which is supposed to dramatically extend mental capabilities, was put into a man. What did he use it for? Playing video games all night. (IGN) — That’s about right.
Google’s AI-powered search sucks. (The Washington Post) — When AI scrapes and regurgitates, it can lead to boring, inaccurate searching. In short, all the bells and whistles may lead to a blunted search tool.
THE WORLD IN NUMBERS
$98,426
The price tag for attending Vanderbilt University in 2024-2025. Vanderbilt claims it spends $119,000 per student. A number of schools charge above $90,000 per year, though they argue that financial aid means that few pay that price. The race to $100,000 per year will soon be over.
$38,290
The average student loan debt among all borrowers in 2023, based on figures from the national credit reporting bureau Experian.
$24,000
How much more 22-27 year olds with college degrees earn per year than the same age group without degrees (based on 2023 data).
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