Trump Brings a Bluff to a Trade Fight
Plus: A prime suspect in Anne Frank’s betrayal, the billionaire who left behind $50 million and a mysterious will, and David Hogg shoots himself in the foot.
Trump was talking about negotiations with China, and China said, “What negotiations?” Chinese Commerce Minister called the president’s bluff and simultaneously quoted Donovan by saying that being in negotiations is as “groundless as trying to catch the wind.” The lesson to be learned here is not to take a bluff to a tariff fight.
There is a Chinese saying (really, this isn't from a detergent commercial): one generation plants the seed, the next sits in the shade. Here's a longer disquisition on the same idea from the former CEO of Reddit.
So I ask you: Who is the favorite in a showdown between the culture that has persevered through thousands of years of pain, suffering, invasion, dynasties and famine, versus the society that is addicted to the first society’s short-burst content app? America has a lot of advantages, creativity, freedom and innovation, but the ability to endure prolonged hardship is not chief among them.
Welcome to the Gist List—a news roundup, interesting things you should know, and my thoughts leading up to today’s podcast episode.
Here’s what’s on my mind:
🐖 The DNC goes Hogg wild on David Hogg.
📺 DHS: Get out and stay out!
📖 Who betrayed Anne Frank? The suspect pool got a LOT bigger.
🤑 An eccentric billionaire leaves a plot twist in his will.
⚖️ SCOTUSblog teams up with The Dispatch.
The Gist List
DNC gives David Hogg an Ultimatum (Politico)
The DNC is giving David Hogg, ever the gun safety advocate, the chance to shoot ever so slightly to the left of his foot instead of directly into it. Hogg has been working with his organization, Leaders We Deserve, to fund challengers to “asleep-at-the-wheel” Democrats who are up for reelection. DNC leadership is now closing ranks around him and demanding that he remain neutral in the primaries and choose between his position as DNC vice chair and his organization.
DHS Launches Ad Campaign Warning Illegal Aliens to Self-Deport and Stay Out (DHS, Wired)
The Department of Homeland Security is not mincing words over immigration enforcement and is running in the U.S. and Mexico, discouraging immigration. The ads feature frosted out Kristi “Cash and Carry” Noem warning, “If you are considering coming to the United States illegally, don't even think about it.” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has plans to ban the ads, which have been playing during Mexican soccer matches and primetime television, calling them “discriminatory propaganda.”
Wired reported that the DHS has spent over $500,000 on YouTube ads. As an American, I think it’s money well spent. They are probably more cruel than if David Hogg were in charge, but otherwise seem like an effective deterrent for illegal migration.
Who Betrayed Anne Frank? We May Now Learn the Answer (The Free Press)
In January of this year, the Netherlands opened up the Central Archives of the Special Jurisdiction, 32 million pages of files investigating over 425,000 Dutch people’s involvement in WWII, potentially revealing a prime suspect for who ratted out Anne Frank and her family. The Free Press just dropped a sobering piece about the prewar Netherlands, which exterminated 75% of its Jewish population compared to 25% of French Jews and 42% of Belgian Jews, respectively. Basically, a whole lot of Dutch neighbors weren’t just turning a blind eye, they were likely complicit.
We all want to fancy ourselves as the Miep Gieses of history—you know, those brave souls who would risk it all to hide the Anne Franks of the world in their attics. Let’s be honest—as a society, we have run this experiment over and over again, and we keep coming to the same conclusion: The underground railroad conductors of the world are few and far between—particularly when every day people had a lot at stake.
Surprise Will of Late Zappos CEO Adds New Twist for His Fortune (WSJ)
If there's one thing I love more than a good mystery, it's a real-life legal drama with a cinema-worthy plot twist. In 2020, Zappos founder Tony Hsieh died tragically in a house fire, leaving behind a $1.2 billion estate and a ton of sticky notes. With no evidence of a will, friends and family members were left to play "Who Wants to Be A Billionaire?" with his estate.
Now, a mysterious 2015 court filing found in a dead man’s possessions revealed that Hsieh had actually orchestrated his postmortem financial plans with the plot-twist skills of Agatha Christie:
A no-contest clause for his family members. If any of them contest the contents of the will, they will be disinherited.
A Willy Wonka-like golden ticket that transfers over $50 million and Las Vegas properties to several trusts of unknown beneficiaries, instructing them to “live in the wow.”
The Dispatch Acquires SCOTUSblog (SCOTUSblog)
Big news for all the law blog nerds out there: The Dispatch, a favorite of The Gist, is acquiring one of my other favorite publications, SCOTUSblog. Amy Howe will be joining the venture, who, no doubt, will continue to provide excellent coverage on the Supreme Court.
Notably absent from the announcement is Tom Goldstein, who co-founded the blog with Amy Howe. He was recently indicted on 22 counts, including 19 counts related to tax evasion and three counts of false statements on mortgage loan applications (which, let’s be honest, might lead to more time at home). Goldstein scaled back his involvement at SCOTUSblog over the past few years, leaving it under the leadership of Amy Howe and Ellena Erskine.
Yesterday on the show: Our Failures During the Pandemic
The authors of In Covid’s Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us, political scientists Stephen Macedo and Frances Lee, join Mike to discuss our failures during the pandemic. The evidence shows non-pharmaceutical interventions did nothing, but the tradeoff was trillions of dollars in deficit spending, lost learning and solitary deathbeds. We conclude our conversation exploring how political structures—not just bad actors—amplified the crisis.
There’s more where that came from. Listen to The Gist, and upgrade to Pesca Plus for the ad-free version.
Have a story you want us to talk about or an opinion you want to share? Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com or share your thoughts in the comments. We might give you a shoutout in our next newsletter or on the air.