Speech! ... Speech! This year’s gathering in Davos was ultimately a tale of two speeches. One that drew a standing ovation. One that drew gasps. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered an honest account of the rupture in the world order. He didn’t have to mention who ruptured it, but he did call for clear-eyed views and reactions to the dramatic change. I’ve often argued that Americans may forgive themselves for Trump, but our allies may not. The breaking point has arrived. “The middle powers must act together because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.” NYT (Gift Article): Canada Flexes on Global Stage With an Eye to Its Own Survival. “We placed the sign in the window. We participated in the rituals. And largely avoided calling out the gaps between rhetoric and reality. This bargain no longer works. Let me be direct: we are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition ... Recently, great powers began using economic integration as weapons. Tariffs as leverage. Financial infrastructure as coercion. Supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited. You cannot ‘live within the lie’ of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes the source of your subordination.” Here’s the full speech in text and on video. 2Projection Racket“There were no promises of an impartial investigation. There was no regret or remorse. There was little empathy for her family — for her parents, her partner or the children she left behind. From the moment the world learned about her death, the administration pronounced the shooting not only justified but an act of heroism worthy of praise and celebration. It isn’t just the lying; it’s that the lies are wildly exaggerated and easily refutable.” Radley Balko in the NYT (Gift Article): I’ve Covered Police Abuse for 20 Years. What ICE Is Doing Is Different. “The lies this administration is telling about Ms. Good aren’t those you deploy as part of a cover-up. They’re those you use when you want to show you can get away with anything. They’re a projection of power.” 3Dropping Some Knowledge“Nothing American or Canadian policy makers did—no amount of law enforcement, harm reduction, or opioid-settlement funds—made deaths start falling, the paper implies. America and Canada’s drug problem might be in China’s hands.” The Atlanticon some really good news that experts are racing to explain. The Real Reason for the Drop in Fentanyl Overdoses. 4Vowel Movements“The always interesting Bonnie Tsui on the connection between creativity and physical activity. “For someone who is not a professional swimmer, I spend an awful lot of time under water. I consider it an act of mobile meditation: Sensory input is muffled, so the chaos of the surface world eventually recedes. What’s left is activity—familiar, comforting, and hypnotic, almost second nature. My brain, normally trying to create order out of chaos, is free to fumble for deeper meaning. This is especially useful as a writer: I believe I generate my best material while swimming.” Why So Many Writers Are Athletes. (Can we change that headline to Why So Many Writers Attempt Physical Activity, No Matter How Embarrassing? I really don’t want my pilates instructor to extend my plank session to punish me for describing myself as an athlete...) 5Extra, ExtraBad Beats: “So far, even if fans are losing trust in the product, they’re still watching and the leagues keep making money.” Sports-Betting Scandals Are Ubiquitous. Whether Fans Will Care Is an Open Question. (I worry a lot less about whether the scandals will affect the betting business and a lot more about the way the betting business will create an era of gambling addiction.) 6Bottom of the News“Two experimental payphones – one placed in San Francisco and the other in Abilene, Texas – are connecting strangers across party lines, allowing callers to speak directly with Democrats and Republicans in two of the US’s most ideologically opposed cities.” (OK, I’ll try it, but I’m calling collect...)
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Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Carney and the Carnie
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