HOW IT STARTED: Bezos faces a Washington Post revolt after he reportedly blocked the paper from endorsing Harris.

How it’s going: ‘Deeply alarmed’: Washington Post staff request meeting with Jeff Bezos.

Over 400 staff members at the Washington Post have sent a letter to Jeff Bezos asking for a meeting with him during a time of widespread concern about the future of the newspaper.

The letter, signed by top journalists and correspondents and sent on Tuesday evening, pleads for Bezos, who is known to rarely visit the Post’s office in Washington, to meet in person with leaders at the office.

“We are deeply alarmed by recent leadership decisions that have led readers to question the integrity of this institution, broken with a tradition of transparency, and prompted some of our most distinguished colleagues to leave, with more departures imminent,” the letter reads. NPR first reported the letter.

“This is about retaining our competitive edge, restoring trust that has been lost, and re-establishing a relationship with leadership based on open communication,” it continues.

The letter claims these concerns are unrelated to Bezos’ recent decision to end its endorsement of US presidential candidates, which the letter writers acknowledge as “the owner’s prerogative”.

You don’t say.

Still, it would take a heart of stone not to laugh at the WaPo staffers who are both responsible for blowing the paper’s reputation and resistant to changing their ways.

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Our Long National Nightmare Is Almost Over. “We’re going to have plenty of time to celebrate on Monday, but let’s take time today to reflect on the fact that our nightmare of the Biden administration is almost over.”

HEADS, YOU LOSE; TAILS, YOU LOSE: Walgreens CEO reveals anti-theft measures of locking up products had the opposite effect.

Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Tim Wentworth conceded that locking up products in order to combat retail theft had a negative impact on stores.

During an earnings call on Friday, executives reported a 52% increase in “shrink,” or a loss of inventory that can’t be accounted for through sales. The increase in loss of inventory comes after the pharmacy giant’s efforts to crackdown on shoplifting, which Wentworth suggested may have actually backfired.

“When you lock things up… you don’t sell as many of them. We’ve kind of proven that pretty conclusively,” Wentworth said.

It doesn’t seem to have slowed the shoplifting, either.

MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT: Starship Flight Test 7: Now That Was One Spectacular Failure. “Doesn’t change the likely date at which Mars becomes self-sufficient.”

THERE’S STILL PLENTY OF BIDENFLATION BAKED INTO THE SYSTEM: Mortgage Rates Shoot Up to 7%, the Highest Rate Since May. “The 30-year fixed mortgage was 7.04% in the week ending January 16. It was the fifth consecutive week of rate hikes and the highest level since May.”

THIS IS CNN: ‘Your Credibility with Me is about None’: CNN Trial Goes From Bad to Worse.

In following the defamation trial against CNN by veteran Zachary Young, we have previously (here, here, and here) marveled at how bad things were going for the network. It appears that they are getting even worse. This has been a brutal week as CNN figures, including host Jake Tapper, took the stand. If “this is CNN,” the judge (and possibly the jury) are not liking what they are seeing.The report at the heart of the case aired on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” on Nov. 11, 2021, and was shared on social media and (a different version on) CNN’s website. In the segment, Tapper told his audience ominously how CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt discovered that “Afghans trying to get out of the country face a black market full of promises, demands of exorbitant fees, and no guarantee of safety or success.”

Marquardt piled on in the segment, claiming that “desperate Afghans are being exploited” and need to pay “exorbitant, often impossible amounts” to flee the country. He then named Young and his company as an example of that startling claim.The evidence included messages from Marquardt that he wanted to “nail this Zachary Young mf**ker” and thought the story would be Young’s “funeral.” After promising to “nail” Young, CNN editor Matthew Philips responded: “gonna hold you to that cowboy!” Likewise, CNN senior editor Fuzz Hogan described Young as “a shit.”As is often done by media, CNN allegedly gave Young only two hours to respond before the story ran. It is a typical ploy of the press to claim that they waited for a response while giving the target the smallest possible window.In this case, Young was able to respond in the short time and Marquardt messaged a colleague, “f**king Young just texted.”In the last week, Tapper was seen on video by the jury and was mocked for claiming under oath that he “doesn’t pay attention to ratings,” a claim that could make him unique as a network host. While Tapper can argue that he was referencing the following of daily numbers, critics hammered him by showing repeated clips where he discussed ratings.However, the most damaging testimony may have come from top producers who told the jurors that they opposed the modest apology given to Young on air. Since Young seemed to do well before the jury, the testimony of senior editor Fuzz Hogan, CNN correspondent Alex Marquardt, CNN producer Michael Conte, CNN’s executive vice president of editorial Virginia Moseley, and CNN supervising producer Michael Callahan undermined any effort to portray the network as seeking to amend a wrong or reduce damage to Young.

From there, believe it or not, things got worse for CNN.

BLUE STATE BLUES: California Incinerated Its Insurance Market.

Other disaster-prone states, such as Florida, have major insurance problems, but the causes vary. In California, the cause is tied to our prior-approval system of insurance regulation. Wildfires exacerbate that problem. Climate change might intensify the wildfires. But the issue is California makes it inordinately difficult for insurers to price their policies accordingly. Price controls always lead to shortages. Instead of risking their financial health, insurers quietly leave.

Our controls came in 1988 when voters approved Proposition 103. It made the insurance commissioner an elected official. Elected officials have a political incentive not to raise rates for obvious reasons. It instituted a prior-approval system (similar systems exist in 12 states), whereby the commissioner must approve any rate increases. It created a Byzantine rate-review process that’s costly and time-consuming. It gave consumer attorneys (“intervenors”) standing to oppose rate hikes. It even rolled back rates.

The state can enact reforms within the Prop. 103 framework (mainly through expediting the rate-review process and allowing use of those catastrophe models), but it won’t have a healthy insurance market until it ditches price controls. To make matters worse, the state’s FAIR (Fair Access to Insurance Requirements) Plan is in deep trouble, as increasing numbers of property owners rely on this bare-bones state-created insurer of last resort. If that fails, what exactly will people do?

Leave.

THERE’S (ALMOST) A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN: FBI Shuts Down DEI Office Before Trump’s Inauguration.

IT’S ON: Starship’s Seventh Flight Test.

UPDATE (FROM GLENN): Great launch, hot-staging succeeded. Heading for booster catch.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Booster caught. Elon, you da man.

ONE MORE UPDATE (STEVE):

Starship Flight 7 breaking up and re-entering over Turks and Caicos pic.twitter.com/iuQ0YAy17O

— Alex Davenport (@adavenport354) January 16, 2025

Version 2 of the Ship upper stage did not enjoy a nominal flight. Looking forward to learning what happened.

MORE (FROM GLENN):

it is beautiful though 😭 pic.twitter.com/rQpdrsJ8VX

— strwb (@strwbcom) January 16, 2025

That’s okay. SpaceX’s secret is that it’s not afraid of failure, it’s only afraid of not learning from it.

Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed! ✨
pic.twitter.com/nn3PiP8XwG

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 16, 2025

Improved versions of the ship & booster already waiting for launch 🚀

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 16, 2025

CROWDFUNDING: Mr. Wonderful’s Plan to Buy TikTok. “This Reg A+ Test the Waters offering is made available through StartEngine Crowdfunding, Inc. This potential investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment. This potential investment, if any, may be made through StartEngine Crowdfunding, Inc.”

That’s a hard pass from me.

STATEMENT FROM SEN. TOMMY TUBERVILLE:

I just read an extremely disturbing IG report. Last December, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was hospitalized and failed to follow the law by notifying the White House or Congress. Similarly, his deputy, Secretary Kathleen Hicks, also refused to follow protocol and report the transfer of authority.

Now, the Inspector General’s report just released reveals that this doesn’t just happen once. Secretary Austin did the same thing again five months later, last June, and he hid it from everyone. Now look, I get it.

People get sick. It happens to all of us, and I sincerely hope Secretary Austin is healthy. But it is dangerous and deeply concerning that our Secretary of Defense left the United States vulnerable when he was completely out of commission.

Not once, but twice, and he didn’t feel the need to tell his boss either time. So, thanks to Joe Biden, we have wars all over the world. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am deeply, deeply disturbed to learn that we have had two significant lapses in the chain of command that have left our country wide open for attack.

Just as you’d expect, there will be zero accountability from the Biden administration. So, thankfully, change is on the way. In five days, President Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as our 47th president, and the Senate will swiftly confirm Pete Hegseth as our next Secretary of Defense.

We will have accountability, accountability and strength in the Pentagon once again, and it can’t come soon enough. God bless.

I’d recommend calling Austin back to active duty, followed by a court-martial for dereliction, but he doesn’t seem fit to stand trial.

But he’s fine to serve as SecDef, according to Joe Biden.

INDEED: It’s Time to Excise the Cancer.

AMERICA’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD:

Biden Takes Credit For Developing Dementia So Kamala Would Take His Place And Lose To Trump So Hamas Would Release Hostages https://t.co/Db9Aitr4xN pic.twitter.com/HHuzfNrJYV

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) January 16, 2025

WHOSE TRACTOR IS IT, ANYWAY? John Deere faces U.S. lawsuit over farmers’ ability to repair tractors.

The lawsuit — filed on Wednesday by the Federal Trade Commission along with Illinois and Minnesota — escalates a long-running battle over farmers’ right to repair their own agricultural equipment and parts.

As tractors and combines have gotten more computerized, farmers have complained that Deere has restricted access to its software and made it difficult, or nearly impossible, for owners to diagnose and fix problems themselves or with the help of independent mechanics. Instead, farmers have to use authorized dealers, who tend to charge more and may take longer.

The lawsuit accuses Deere of withholding access to its technology and best repair tools and of maintaining monopoly power over many repairs. Deere also reaps additional profits from selling parts, the complaint alleges, as authorized dealers tend to sell pricey Deere-branded parts for their repairs rather than generic alternatives.

“Unfair repair restrictions can mean farmers face unnecessary delays during tight planting and harvest windows,” FTC Chair Lina Khan wrote in a statement. “In rural communities, the restrictions can sometimes mean that farmers need to drive hours just to get their equipment fixed. For those who have long fixed their own equipment, these artificial restrictions can seem especially inefficient, with tractors needlessly sitting idle as farmers and independent mechanics are held back from using their skill and talent.”

“Virtually any and everything as a service” is one of the 21st Century’s most annoying innovations.

MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT: David Lynch: RIP.

First Bob Uecker and now Lynch? What a day.

CHANGE? New Polling Show UK’s Real Conservatives on the Rise.

THEY PROTECT THEIR OWN:

Whoa…. 🤯

The Senior Pentagon Official James O’Keefe just caught on Camera talking about Sabotaging Trumps Inauguration —— was busted in 2021 for Soliciting an Underage Girl for S*x

How in the hell was Jamie Mannina a Top Senior Pentagon Official after this?

How was he… https://t.co/6kAazqqSoI pic.twitter.com/CbjnhexMSr

— MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) January 16, 2025

What are the chances the Chinese knew, too, and had a great blackmail target?

WE NEED MORE PEOPLE TO SERVE WHO DON’T WANT TO SERVE: Ivanka: ‘I HATE Politics,’ Won’t Serve During Trump 47.

MAKE THEM PAY:

EXCLUSIVE: Amy Wax has sued the University of Pennsylvania for race discrimination, arguing that Penn punishes speech that offends racial minorities but not speech that offends Jews.

Here is a table from the complaint, which was filed in federal court this morning.🧵 pic.twitter.com/mIdKNDftfs

— Aaron Sibarium (@aaronsibarium) January 16, 2025

More: “The complaint, obtained exclusively by the Washington Free Beacon, advances a novel legal theory that could have major implications for universities as they brace for the incoming Trump administration.”

Read the whole thing.

FULL REUSABILITY IS THE HOLY GRAIL OF ROCKETRY SO WHY NOT SKIP RIGHT TO IT? Firm developing a fully reusable rocket raises a quarter of a billion dollars.

“The market is tough, but I think what we’re doing is poised to go straight to the end state of the industry, and I think investors recognize that,” said Andy Lapsa, Stoke Space’s co-founder and chief executive officer, in an interview with Ars after the announcement.

By “end state of the industry,” Lapsa means that Stoke is developing a fully reusable medium-lift rocket named Nova. The vehicle’s first stage will land vertically, similarly to a Falcon 9 rocket, and the second stage, which has a novel metallic heat shield and engine design, will also land back on Earth.

Lapsa said there is incredible demand for launch services and that ultimately, only companies that can offer ultra-low-cost prices and on-demand service will be successful. That’s why the company has made difficult technical decisions such as developing a highly efficient full-flow staged combustion engine and a reusable upper stage. SpaceX’s much larger Starship rocket is the only other fully reusable rocket in development at this time.

Starship Flight Test 7 is still set for this afternoon.

HE SEEMS TO BE BLACKLISTING ALL THE RIGHT PEOPLE: Trump’s Hiring Requirements for His New Administration Are Something Else!

“THE LEFT LIVES IN A DIFFERENT REALITY”: We’ve Been Through A North Korean Brainwashing Experiment. “Weinstein notes that creative people in the trades (electricians, truckers, etc.) were never sucked into the woke mindset, because their jobs require them to be based in unforgiving reality. It was only among academics, PhDs and corporate workplaces that the woke virus spread.”

ANALYSIS: TRUE. Pam Bondi Is the Epitome of a Strong and Intelligent Woman.

Exit Question:

Pam bondi is older than Kirsten Gillibrand.
How is that possible? pic.twitter.com/oqz8ii2YwY

— Vince Langman (@LangmanVince) January 15, 2025

Progressivism is hard on the body and soul.

COLD WAR II: China tests microwave weapon with nuclear bomb-like power to kill satellites.

Chinese researchers have allegedly developed a new high-power microwave (HPM) weapon with power equivalent to electromagnetic energy released by a nuclear explosion. Reportedly also relatively compact, the new weapon could prove game-changing for anti-drone and anti-satellite military operations.

The weapon is still developing and has not left the laboratory, so it is yet to be field-tested. Weapons such as this one can cause significant damage and even destroy electronic components, making them invaluable for modern military operations.

Many nations worldwide are developing their HPMs, with the U.S. reportedly planning to deploy some to the Indo-Pacific region soon. It is reported that the U.S. would plan to use such weapons to target and knock out Chinese satellites should conflict erupt between the two superpowers.

In most cases, though not all, HPMs comprise a satellite-dish-type antenna with multiple degrees of rotation to engage targets at will. The new Chinese HPM, however, uses phased array transmission technology instead.

This, it is reported, enables “precisely focus energy, increasing its effective range and enhancing damage effects, enabling simultaneous attacks on multiple targets,” according to researchers involved in the project.

Maybe this is just vaporware or propaganda, but Chinese engineering has evolved from “cheap crap” to “fast followers” to “world-class innovators” with alarming speed.

MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT: Let’s Talk About Those ‘Seeds’ Biden Planted. “Poison ivy where once a lush lawn grew.”