The clearest sign of intellectual chemistry isn’t agreeing with someone. It’s enjoying your disagreements with them. Harmony is not the combination of identical sounds. It’s the pleasing arrangement of different tones, voices, or instruments. Creative tension makes beautiful music.

WH had illegal day 1 pauses on green energy & foreign aid On Monday they expanded pauses to be 1/3 of the budget WH then walked it back & PRETENDED they never expanded & were only reiterating day 1 EOs Now she's spinning, saying “yeah, everything is continuing as planned, just the day 1 EOs!”

The ADL Scolds Elon Musk for Nazi Puns: “The Holocaust Is Not a Joke” www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politic...

Trump return-to-work policy will be a nice case study in implementation of EOs and presidential influence in the bureaucracy. Even seemingly cut-and-dry WH dictates are tough to implement w/o skill, persistence, and buy-in. Will be interesting to see if/how WH accomplishes it.

Lowering prices of drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy is great, but it’s not enough. By adopting a subscription model (think Amazon Prime for GLP-1s) for eligible Medicare and Medicaid patients, we could eliminate the barriers of individual pricing. www.statnews.com/2025/01/17/m...

Are you spending $20 on this #Eagles pretzel? 🦅🥨

Medicare Advantage Enrollment Update 2024 MA enrollment 54.7% of overall Medicare recipients in 2024 www.ruralhealthresearch.org/alerts/649

Vertical integration

News: The Washington Post talent exodus is underway, with Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer joining The Atlantic.

HHS is by far the largest US agency with an almost $2 trillion budget – more than double that of the Dept. of Defense. That’s why leadership matters. I discuss what we might expect for Trump’s second term with @karaswisher.bsky.social, @celinegounder.com, and Donald McNeil Jr.

It’s weird to think that Elon Musk will end up having paid far less for the United States Government than he did for Twitter

"There is antisemitism on the left, and there is antisemitism on the right...It is critically important for leaders to speak and act with moral clarity and speak out against it, even when it’s uncomfortable, even when it’s within your own party." - Josh Shapiro jewishinsider.com/2024/12/josh...

The putting that on Hard Knocks AFC North?

Impact factor

Knish in a dish Noodle in a kugel Kreplach in a headlock

Wonderland Books just opened in Bethesda! I’m checking it out today and hope you will consider buying books here or another independent bookstore for you holiday shopping! www.instagram.com/stories/kito...

Antisemitic vandalism. Four unsecured weapons. 600 rounds of ammunition. Badges with jihadi slogans. Hamas and Hezbollah flags. 90 signatures on the petition insisting there's nothing to worry about here. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

trenton should establish some sort of ted-talk-esque conference so it can reinterpret its bridge to mean "Trenton makes the world's Takes"

People like the Affordable Care Act and pushes for additional reforms should keep that in mind. news.gallup.com/poll/654101/...

Your #NFL MVP candidate couldn’t capture the win in LA? Can’t relate 🤷😏

Good summary of fascinating coversation between Mark Cuban and Zeke Emanuel about Cost Plus Drugs' battle against #PBMs @mcuban.bsky.social @zekeemanuel.bsky.social @costplusdrugs.com drugch.nl/3OGpdyo

Syrians just opened up Assad’s presidential garage. This is what the Ba’ath Party’s Arab Socialism looks like.

The surest test of a Middle Eastern regime's commitment to liberal and humane values is its willingness to live in peace alongside the Jewish state of Israel.

Free idea for a Democratic '28 hopeful: call for a Constitutional amendment removing the presidential pardon power.

Years after the pandemic's start, we’re still navigating the lasting impact of long COVID. Life-altering symptoms persist for millions, and our system is failing them. www.npr.org/sections/sho...

I know this sounds far fetched, but there is potential for bipartisan work on things like PBMs and Medicare advantage. Our current news cycle is showing us that these mega healthcare corporations have a roughly 0% approval rating. Everybody is pissed off at (mostly) the same things.

The speed with which the Syrian army collapsed in Aleppo — reminiscent of the collapse of Afghan forces in 2021 and of Iraqi forces in 2014 — is a reminder of just how unpopular and illegitimate the Assad regime remains and how little loyalty it commands even from its own soldiers. wapo.st/4f7j4Wt

just over here having a small cry about Babysitter of the Year Saquon Barkley (another delightful story by the great @byalexcoffey.bsky.social!) www.inquirer.com/eagles/eagle...

Your November 2024 NFC Offensive Player of the Month ‼️👏 #FlyEaglesFly

This point from @djrothkopf.bsky.social cannot be made too many times. Trump hasn’t “nominated” anyone. He hasn’t changed any policies. He isn’t the president, whatever he’d like you to believe.

Nothing says “lead the Pentagon” like mommy making phone calls for her very good boy.

🎄🕎❄️Holiday Gift Offer! ❄️🕎🎄 Looking for a gift for the holidays? Get the book reader in your life JOHN LEWIS: A LIFE. And if you'd like it signed, I'll sign it to the person of your choice. Contact me by email; address is in my bio.📘

👀

DeSantis > Hegseth. But Joni Ernst > DeSantis. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Back when I was applying to be the opinion editor at @statnews.bsky.social, I said one of my goals was to get Dr. Glaucomflecken to write. Today: The funniest doctor on the internet weighs in on NBC's St. Denis Medical and the trickiness of medical comedy www.statnews.com/2024/12/04/s...

The purge of Bush alumni in the GOP is so complete that no one seems to have heard of John Tower. (kids, you can Google it)

#FunFact: The total U.S. population has grown by 9.3% since 2013. Total Medicare enrollment has grown by 31% since 2013. Medicare enrollment has grown from 16.6% of the population to 19.6%.

I thought I had a contract theory joke, but it was incomplete.

Cooper DeJean on Derrick Henry. You’ve seen it a million times, but I know you’ll watch it again (sound up).

Heard a Fox News reporter describe the proposed tariffs on Canadian imports as being paid 100% by companies there. Kids: Study economics.

"Staffers don’t lose elections. Consultants don’t lose elections. Pollsters don’t lose elections. Super PACs don’t lose elections. Candidates do." -- @peterhamby.bsky.social puck.news/about-that-p...

On Friday, UK's House of Commons voted in favor of a bill that gets one step closer to legalizing physician-assisted suicide. A few myths we need to dispel: www.theguardian.com/society/2024...

“He’s absolutely unqualified for this job. He’s untrustworthy,” said Charles Kupperman, who served as Trump’s deputy national-security adviser and worked closely with Patel. “It’s an absolute disgrace to American citizens to even consider an individual of this nature." www.wsj.com/politics/ele...

One day in Spring Training, Dykstra, with the Phillies, didn’t want to play in the heat. So he argued balls and strikes with Eric Gregg. That didn’t work, so he resorted to saying Gregg was too fat to see the ball. Gregg calmly said, “Lenny, if I’ve got got to be in this heat, so do you.”

Saquon Barkley with an NFL-best 481 rushing yards and 6 rushing TDs in the fourth quarter of games this season. Averaging 7.4 YPC on 65 carries in the fourth quarter.

First they pardon the turkeys and then they