Trump’s Palace in the Sky
Plus: Ozempic might get cheaper… at a cost, America’s magic claw arcade game technology, and a surprise ceasefire.
President Donald Trump says he will accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jet to replace Air Force One as a gift from Qatar that is DEFINITELY not in the shape of a giant horse whose stomach speaks Greek. Now, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has assured us that any gift from a foreign government would follow all legal requirements and transparency protocols, but this is a $300 million gift, and Democratic lawmakers are would like to remind the president that he needs Congress’ permission to accept what would be the "the most valuable gift ever conferred on a President by a foreign government.”
Also, what was wrong with the old jet? Don’t get me wrong, Air Force One is nice. It has an office, master bedroom, conference room, and tasteful furnishings. But, of course, this is not enough for Trump. Here’s what the Qatari jet, which has been described as a palace in the sky, includes:
Opulent furnishings that would make even a Trump Card holder go, “Wow! That’s a bit much!” This includes gold-colored fixtures, fine rugs, and stone finishes.
A grand staircase.
A massive master bedroom.
Not one, but FIVE galley kitchens.
And, interestingly, no defense systems. (It would require some retrofitting.)
Also, Air Force One is a state of mind—what makes it Air Force One is that the president is on the plane. So it invites the question, if they put him on a piece of cardboard and shove him off the plane, is that now Air Force One? What about when he’s on a bicycle, a submarine, or an inclined railway? Would that become Funicular One? God, I hope so.
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:
👾 Tariffs are coming for the cheap junk at arcade prize counters.
🇵🇸 Hamas will release the last living American hostage in Gaza.
🐓 The “Chicken Lady” running afowl of the law.
💥 Trump announces India-Pakistan ceasefire, which is news to India.
🐘 Republicans announce a bill that makes cuts to Medicaid.
💊 Prescription drugs might get cheaper… and also stifle innovation.
The Gist List
Tariffs are game over for the arcade business (Sherwood)
First they came for eggs, and I said nothing. Next, they’re coming for… arcades? Tariffs are changing the game for everyone, but the fact that those games are in arcades, which I didn’t really remember existed until now, is news to me.
It seems that skee-balls can be reused for years to come, and there is only so much inflation that could possibly affect the little red tickets that the machine spits out. What’s really at stake is the stuffed minions and giant teddy bears you get as prizes. It’s not so much that we lack magic claw technology, it’s whether we’d tolerate paying more to play game if the cheap crap in the machine were above the price of child labor.
Hamas to Release Last Living U.S. Hostage From Gaza on Monday (WSJ)
American-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, who was captured by Hamas while serving near the Gaza border, is set to be released as part of a U.S.-negotiated deal. This doesn’t come without some complicated criticism from some Israelis and former hostages, who, on one hand, are happy to see a hostage released, but also would like to see a bigger deal where all the hostages and bodies are returned in exchange for ending the war. Also, the fact that President Trump prioritized Alexander’s case, which led to his release, leaves the question hanging in the mind of Israelis about whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doing enough to resolve the conflict.
St. Paul’s ‘chicken lady’ faces legal trouble as birds come flocking in (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
If you’re thinking it might be time to start your own chicken farm (and when ISN’T it?), you might want to think again. Some Minnesota city slickers are feeling inspired to keep chickens, which has also led to more cases of abandoned or unwanted birds when owners realize it’s more work than feeding and walking their dog.
Miranda “Chicken Lady” Meyer has been rescuing, rehabilitating, housing, and rehoming chickens (and sometimes roosters) abandoned in urban Minnesota. You would think that rehoming chickens doesn’t take much effort, since I’ve heard they literally just COME HOME TO ROOST, but apparently it’s not that easy. Last year, Meyer was accepting up to 30 roosters per week, which is not only terrifying and loud, but can cost up to $110 per permit. This has had her running afowl of local animal control, who expect her to get a permit, but as a member of the Ojibwe tribe, she argues that she doesn’t need one. Now that she is exhausted by legal disputes and the volume of birds needing rescue, she is considering leaving Minnesota for somewhere she can raise her army of flightless pecking machines in peace.
Trump Negotiated India-Pakistan Ceasefire Adds New Risks to Kashmir Conflict (Bloomberg)
After the deadliest India-Pakistan fighting in 50 years and nuclear threats, President Trump announced both sides had agreed to a ceasefire—which came as news to India who viewed the announcement as undermining India’s desire to handle the Kashmir conflict bilaterally. None of this would matter very much except that Trump is taking the credit for it. Modi feels upstaged and concerned about losing diplomatic leverage, while Pakistan is celebrating the ceasefire as a victory.
Republicans unveil steep cuts to Medicaid in portion of Trump tax bill (The Hill)
In the standoff to see who will make the unpopular decision to slash Medicaid in order to reduce the deficit, Republicans have presented a bill that claims it would save roughly $900 billion through various changes and restrictions to the program, including:
Work requirements that would have able-bodied recipients between 19-64 to work, volunteer, or attend school for at least 80 hours per month (with exceptions to pregnant women, tribal members, and people with serious medical conditions.
Stricter eligibility that would require more check-ins and more paperwork (and all the ways more paperwork can go wrong.)
Cost-sharing that would mandate adults with incomes just above the poverty line ($15,650 for an individual or $21,150 for a couple) to pay $35 per medical service.
Trump Aims to Cut US Drug Costs by Pegging to Prices Abroad (Bloomberg Law)
Trump is back for take two of his attempt to lower drug prices. The plan is similar to his first administration’s Plan 1.0, but between trying to lower drug costs to Lesotho prices and impending tariffs, the pressure is on for American drug makers. The attempt to match the prices abroad would reduce revenue for American pharmaceutical companies, given that we already pay the most for prescriptions here.
The catch with this is that we Americans are basically bankrolling the world's pharmaceutical R&D, and a move like this would lower revenues that could also end up stifling innovation. Sure, slashing prices would be great for your wallet when you're picking up your Ozempic prescription, but it might also mean fewer breakthroughs down the road. It's the classic "you can have your cake and eat it too" situation, except in this case, the cake is potentially life-saving medication, but we might not get to bake any more cakes for a while… or just too sick from GLP-1s to eat it anyway.
On the show: A Uniquely Lucky Life in Sports Television
Jim Lampley joins to discuss It Happened!: A Uniquely Lucky Life in Sports Television, his memoir of sports, broadcasting, the randomness of a lucky break, and crying along with Mike Tyson.
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.