What I'm reading this week

Notes from the Crises

Tracking the Trump-Musk Treasury Payments Crisis of 2025

"It is no exaggeration to say that this is the most dramatic event in the constitutional law of fiscal policy in the United States ever. That may not sound like a five alarm fire to you, but to me that is enormously alarming to type out."

Nathan Tankus interview: The American Prospect interview from Feb. 3 

Reasons to be Cheerful 

"Reasons to be Cheerful is a nonprofit online magazine that is tonic for tumultuous times. We tell stories that reveal that there are, in fact, a surprising number of reasons to feel cheerful.

Many of these reasons come in the form of smart, proven, replicable solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. Through sharp reporting, our stories balance a sense of healthy optimism with journalistic rigor, and find cause for hope. We are part magazine, part therapy session, part blueprint for a better world."

 


What I'm reading this month

  • 1440 Daily Digest:
    • "A fact-driven news and knowledge resource that respects your time and intelligence."
    • "Most impactful stories of the day, distilled to deepen your understanding of the world and save you time."
    • "We scour 100+ sources so you don't have to. Culture, science, sports, politics, business, and more—all in a five-minute read."
  • Semafor Principals
    • "A daily briefing that covers your blind spots inside Washington’s halls of power. Read by senior leaders in Washington and beyond."
    • Semafor has several newsletters "Providing audiences with an unparalleled level of journalistic transparency through innovative new forms, cutting through the noise of the news cycle with smart, distilled views and exploring competing perspectives across borders for a curious, new global audience."

  • Wired Daily "The essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation"
  • Public Announcement
  • New Scientist Weekly
  • No Mercy/No Malice by Scott Galloway
  • Ground News
  • 404 Media

Low-cost books and samples

  • BookBub
  • Bookperk
  • Chirp

New home decor products

  • Dwell
  • Uncommon Goods
  • Paloma & Co
  • Natual Life Chirp
  • Musubi Kiln
  • Mindflowers
  • All Modern
  • Nest
  • Ruggable
  • Adorn Collectiv
  • Colossal
  • Papaya
  • Joan Son
  • Dreamfarm
  • Michael Hearst
  • Lauren Ashley

Marketing

  • SparkToro
  • Storythings Newsletter
  • Teri at Hunch
  • Inbox Collective
  • Ann Handley

Houston

  • Houston Public Media: Hello, Houston!
  • Axios Houston
  • Houston Landing
  • Hey Houston
  • Houstonia magazine

What I'm reading this month

All publications are being read online. No longer receiving any physical papers or magazines. 

In my primary email inbox every morning are newsletters from the NY Times, Quartz (business), Wired magazine, the Houston Chronicle, and the Houston Business Journal. No evening updates. 

The newsletters listed below go to a different email box, or I'd never be able to find my personal emails. My newsletter reading app of preference is MECO. I pay for it, but I don't think you have to. 

TANGLE

  • As mentioned on Friday morning
  • 360-degree non-partisan view of politics
  • Can be very long-winded. I usually scroll down to "My Take"
  • About Us page: https://www.readtangle.com/about/

1440 Daily Briefing

  • I've read and rejected many daily news digests, including those from Reuters and NPR
  • 1440 covers "The most impactful stories of the day, distilled to deepen your understanding of the world and save you time. By humans, for humans."
  • For ONCE, someone is following the news writing pyramid... 

Inverted-Pyramid-300p

SEMAFOR  

  • I read their Principals newsletter... "what the White House is reading"
  • Excellent editing and organization

MARGINAL REVOLUTION  

  • I don't agree with Tyler Cowen very much, but I admire his perceptiveness
  • Tyler reads very widely and rapidly so scanning his posts is a good way to find other resources
  • I can't read every post, but I receive them all in my email, deleting some without a glance
  • He interviews really interesting people
  • Some of his best posts/podcasts are about literature. His posts on economics are usually way over my head.
  • I have less interest in his blogging partner, Alex Tabarrok

CHARTR from Sherwood Media

  • Data-driven insights where you look at the chart first, then read the story
  • I always look at the chart but seldom read the story
  • Their web site is chaotic. The Chartr newsletter is easy to read. 

THE HILL 12:30 Report

  • Fun to read gossip and news from Washington, DC
  • Focuses on observations, not analysis
  • As close as we can probably get to a comprehensive insider's view 
  • I'll probably stop reading this if Cate Martel stops writing it

TEN ACROSS

  • I only read the headlines, but I should read more
  • Focusing on the U.S. I-10 corridor (from Florida to California), its landscape, governance, risks, resources... 
  • Avoid if the progressive quagmire annoys you, but sign up for natural resource and government news not reported in the general media

MUCK RACK DAILY

  • By journalists, for journalists, full of gossip and in-jokes
  • A good way to find details not in my primary sources
  • If you can wade through it, it often compares coverage between publications
  • As I frequently mention, my father was a journalist. He would have loved this. 

THE BLEND from The Spectator World

  • Light-hearted blurbs about U.S. politics and culture from British conservatives. 
  • As much conservatism as I can take on a daily basis. 

404 MEDIA 

  • The hidden worlds of technology. How to be rationally afraid. 
  • Just realized the web site is better than the newsletter. I may switch to their RSS feed. 

THE BROWSER

  • My happy place: cultural finds, elegantly summarized. 
  • For free, they send you two links a day. I couldn't afford more time, much less money. 

More to come.