Afternoon Tea 4.7.2021 - Radioactive Tsunami

Russia is testing nuclear torpedoes in the Arctic, Cuomo might not get his PENN15 skyscraper (I swear to God that’s what it’s called), Janet Yellen introduced the idea of a global minimum corporate tax rate, and DoorDash drivers are fighting algorithms with solidarity. It’s Wednesday, April 7th 2021, and this is the Tea.

Russia is testing a nuclear torpedo in the Arctic that has the power to trigger radioactive tsunamis off the US coast (Business Insider) & Satellite images show huge Russian military buildup in the Arctic (CNN World) If you had “nuclear torpedo” or “radioactive tsunami” on your 2021 Calamity Bingo Card, come up to the front, your prize is ready. The pictures in the CNN article are quite…Hoth with an Air Force.

CNN’s Matthew Chance Detained (later released) by Russian Police (Mediaite) One of CNN’s international correspondents was held for hours after attempting to deliver a report on Alexei Navalny’s care. Navalny recently declared a hunger strike in response to his kinda-sorta-diet-torture and maybe being exposed to tuberculosis. 

‘PENN 15’ skyscraper funding goes flaccid in state budget deal (NY Post) Spectacular writing by Bernadette Hogan & David Meyer here. I’m just going to share the first paragraph, because all humans are 12 years old forever:

The Trump Fundraising Scams Continue with the NRCC (The Bulwark) The National Republican Congressional Committee is using Columbia House “13 CDs for a Penny” tier tactics to fundraise at this point.

Janet Yellen’s proposal to revolutionize corporate taxation (The Week) Implementing a “global minimum corporate tax” would destroy every tax haven in the world simultaneously. Does the Fed Chair get Secret Service protection? If this gets any traction, she’s going to need some.

‘Silent crash’ as price floors collapse across NFT space (Coin Telegraph) Some would say this is a time to buy. Others would say it’s a time to diversify yo’ digital bonds if you’re over exposed in crypto-adjacent assets.

If It’s Not Jim Crow, What Is It? (NYT Opinion) Jamelle Bouie is one of the only lights in an increasingly moronic dark that makes up the Times Opinion peanut gallery. He’s also a great Twitter follow. So…a general digital successor to Lot, if you will.

DoorDash Drivers Game Algorithm to Increase Pay (Bloomberg) After realizing that declining a delivery pushed the pay up for a driver who accepted it, DoorDash drivers are now banding together, demanding rate floors, and using forums and #DeclineNow to organize. This kind of stuff is going to keep happening until the country stops thinking that “Union” is a four letter word.

OAN host: “You'll probably end up in jail” if you shoot a homeless person even though they’re “running loose on the streets” (Media Matters) Instead of even commenting on the vile “We're all sitting ducks here and, by the way, the gun laws are really strict. And you think about if you can protect yourself, you'll probably end up in jail.” I’m just going to quote Charles Montgomery Burns, from Season 2, Episode 4 “Two Cars in Every Garage, and Three Eyes on Every Fish.”

'Pokémon GO' Raked In $1.92 Billion USD in 2020 (HypeBeast) If you think something is impossible, just remember a game designed around travel and socializing made almost $2 billion during a pandemic that prevented both of those things. Think bigger.

Song of the Tea: If you’re a fan of Burial, Vacant, Volor Flex, or have ever argued about the difference between two-step, future garage, and chillstep, this is going to be absolutely your jam. Plus Honeyruin & Magisterium are two of the dankest names for musical artists I’ve heard in years.

Grab the light, straighten your posture, finish your tasks. Do what you need to so you can frolic in the light for a moment before the heat pours on.

Yours,