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We Made Luigi Mangione’s 3D-Printed Gun — and Fired It (Maria)
The author writes, “For the last hour, in a backroom of a gun range in Arabi, Louisiana, I’ve been building Luigi Mangione’s gun. Well, not his, in the literal sense. … I was the one who pushed ‘print’ on a 3D printer the prior evening and then, this morning, pulled the gun’s finished frame out of that mini-fridge-sized appliance. And I’m the one now struggling with the trickier task of attaching to that precisely contoured chunk of matte-black plastic all the metal and polymer components that will make it a fully functioning, semi-automatic pistol.”
Don Jr. Is the New Hunter Biden (Reader Jim)
From Business Insider: “Last November, only six days after his father was elected president, Donald Trump Jr. made a career move that, on the surface at least, seemed a bit odd. He became a partner in a small investment startup called 1789 Capital, which is based in Palm Beach, Florida, 2 miles from Mar-a-Lago. At that point, 1789 was a microscopic player in the world of venture capital. It had raised less than $200 million, and it hadn’t made many investments beyond leading a group that put $15 million into Tucker Carlson’s new media company. Its goal, according to its founders, is to create a ‘parallel economy,’ investing in ‘anti-woke’ businesses that align with MAGA values. Ever since Trump joined 1789, its portfolio has begun to blossom.”
Most Households Aren’t Earning Enough to Lead a ‘Minimum Quality of Life,’ Study Says (Sean)
The author writes, “The Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity found since 2001, median earnings have declined by 4% and the costs of achieving economic security have increased by 99.5%.”
Why The Qataris Are Happy to Dump Their 747 on Trump (Dana)
From Forbes: “While many have speculated that the Qataris have offered Trump the luxurious plane to curry favor with the famously transactional president, there may be a simpler rationale: they just don’t want it anymore. The royals have failed to sell the plane, which was put on the market in 2020, according to an archived listing. Giving it away could save Qatar’s rulers a big chunk of change on maintenance and storage costs, aviation experts told Forbes. Making Trump happy would be an added bonus.”
Collapsing Bird Numbers in North America Prompt Fears of Ecological Crisis (Laura)
The author writes, “Bird populations across North America are falling most quickly in areas where they are most abundant, according to new research, prompting fears of ecological collapse in previously protected areas. Analysis of nearly 500 bird species across North America has found that three-quarters are declining across their ranges, with two-thirds of the total shrinking significantly. The study, published in the journal Science, indicates that former strongholds for bird species are no longer safe, particularly in grasslands, drylands and the Arctic.”
‘He’s Killing Us’: Cannes Dealmakers Hate Trump’s Big Hollywood Idea (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “There are not many fans of Donald Trump’s dream to save Hollywood with tariffs among the dealmakers at the Cannes film festival — even among those who voted for him. Unlike Robert De Niro — a vocal critic who called Trump ‘America’s philistine president’ at the festival’s opening ceremony — they told AFP they have no political or personal axes to grind with him. But they see his idea of 100-percent tariffs on movies produced ‘in foreign lands’ as a ‘massive potential disaster’ for an industry already shaken by streaming platforms.”
Here’s Why Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy Ordered Alcatraz to Close in 1962 (Reader Steve)
From the San Francisco Chronicle: “President Donald Trump has ordered federal agencies to reopen the prison on Alcatraz, 62 years after the last inmate left. So it seems worth asking: Why did it close down in the first place? The answer amounts to three big factors: The prison was much more expensive to operate than facilities elsewhere in the country; it housed a startlingly small number of prisoners; and finally — this seems important — it was deemed vulnerable to future escape attempts.”
