• There’s a real math problem with MicroStrategy’s obscene valuation premium: MicroStrategy is worth around 3x as much as its bitcoin holdings. Let’s talk about the implications of that. (Sherwood)
• Feds: Tether Has Become a Massive Money Laundering Tool for Mexican Drug Traffickers: Tether is being used on a massive scale by large scale drug traffickers, to the point where Tether is sold cheaper in Mexico due to its links to drugs, according to court records reviewed by 404 Media. (404)
• How America Got Mean: In a culture devoid of moral education, generations are growing up in a morally inarticulate, self-referential world. (The Atlantic)
• Crony Capitalism Is Coming to America: The term “crony capitalism” was invented to describe how things worked in the Philippines under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled from 1965 to 1986. It describes an economy in which business success depends less on good management than on having the right connections — often purchased by doing political or financial favors for those in power. (New York Times)
• Trump’s Oil and Gas Donors Don’t Really Want to ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Fossil-fuel tycoons helped return the president-elect to Washington. Now, they are seeking to lock in use of their products for years to come. (Wall Street Journal)
• RFK Jr. wants fluoride out of drinking water. Oregon shows what’s coming. Pro-fluoride Oregon dentists say they can easily spot whether patients grew up with fluoride when they lie back and open their mouths; those with the most cavities often grew up in Portland or other communities without fluoridated water. (Washington Post)
• Google Will Survive AI and Breakup Calls. Why Alphabet Stock Could Gain 50%. The company is facing pressure on two fronts—the government and a host of new AI-powered search rivals. It has the capacity to meet both challenges and continue to prosper. (Barron’s)
• An I.V.F. Mix-Up, a Shocking Discovery and an Unbearable Choice: Two couples in California discovered they were raising each other’s genetic children. Should they switch their girls? (New York Times)
• Anyone Can Buy Data Tracking US Soldiers and Spies to Nuclear Vaults and Brothels in Germany: More than 3 billion phone coordinates collected by a US data broker expose the detailed movements of US military and intelligence workers in Germany—and the Pentagon is powerless to stop it. (Wired)
• Tulsi Gabbard’s history with Russia is even more concerning than you think: One expert says her views are ‘so wildly fringe that her potential appointment as DNI is genuinely alarming. (Independent)
Be sure to check out our Masters in Business next week with Michael Morris, cultural psychologist at Columbia Grad School of Business and Psychology Department. His research focuses on cultural influences on styles of cognition, communication & collaboration. He advises corporations, government agencies, NGOs, and political campaigns about culture-related issues. His new book is “Tribal: How the Cultural Instincts That Divide Us Can Help Bring Us Together.”
The US exports $165B a year more to Mexico than it imports – starting a trade war with them would be bad for US exporters.
Source: @SteveRattner
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