We're back; Internet nihilism; Reddit, Meta, and Google are snitches; war on health?
It's National Almond Day!
Irony…
Sorry for the interruption in the daily newsletter. I was diagnosed with CLL and had to take some time to address matters arising from that diagnosis. Fortunately, at this point it appears to be in the indolent stage. And, frankly, when you’re 71 years old, getting another chronic illness is like getting another dog. After the first three or four, adding one more doesn’t really have that much effect on one’s day-to-day existence.
I thank you for your patience and will endeavor to minimize any future interruptions to the Report. I appreciate your support, especially those who subscribed, converted to a paid subscription or made a one-time donation. For that matter, I’m equally grateful to those of you who did not unsubscribe. As always, the newsletter is free and I use gift links to paywalled sources.
So, without further ado…
February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 318 days remain until the end of the year. Unfortunately, as of this writing, 1,068 days remain in Trump’s term of office.
Knee-deep in the hoopla:
Welcome to the internet’s nihilism crisis. “More and more, it seems, I pull to refresh a feed or open up a new browser tab and encounter something that makes me feel as if I’ve sustained a head injury.”
Alex Pretti died defending an EMT. ICE wouldn’t let her treat him.
DHS says immigration agents appear to have lied about shooting in Minnesota.
Why the FDA blocked Moderna’s new flu shot. Vinay Prasad, head of the FDA’s vaccine and biologics division, refused to consider Moderna’s new flu-shot application, overruling staff objections.
Dr. Oz pushes AI avatars as a fix for rural health care. Not so fast, critics say. “You think rural communities want AI doctors? They’re still trying to get reliable internet,” one user wrote on X.
The human exposome could change everything we know about disease.
Why is the U.S. government exploring using high-energy lasers near the southern border? After training by the U.S. military, Customs and Border Protection used a palletized high-energy laser system earlier this week, even though the Federal Aviation Administration still has safety concerns.
Americans, not other countries, paid Trump’s tariffs in 2025. Trump's tariffs equated to a tax increase of $1,000 per household in 2025, according to a Feb. 6 report from the nonpartisan Tax Foundation. Households are expected to pay another $1,300 in 2026.
New AI video generator is so impressive that it’s scaring Hollywood. "I hate to say it. It's likely over for us."
Reddit, Meta, and Google voluntarily gave DHS info of anti-ICE users, report says. DHS is expanding its use of administrative subpoenas, which don't come from judges.
How $40-a-pack cigarettes pushed Australians to the black market. Tax hikes made cigarettes in Australia the most expensive in the world. They have also helped fuel a multibillion-dollar criminal enterprise in bootleg tobacco.
In a pickle: couple charged with felony battery after pickleball brawl at Florida country club. Dispute about rules elevated from insults to fisticuffs, with as many as 20 players becoming involved.
Late Night:
Trump Rages at Bill Maher: ‘No Different Than Kimmel or Colbert!’
Bookmark KGB Report Notes and check periodically for cartoons, memes, news, commentary and other stuff that didn’t fit or broke between e-mail newsletter issues. It’s also a great place to comment and chat.
Keep scrolling down. Lots of interesting stuff in Quote of the Day, Holidays, On This Day, Birthdays, and Deaths. I can pretty much guarantee you’ll learn something new.
History highlight:
1964 - The second appearance of the Beatles on “The Ed Sullivan Show“, live from the Deauville Hotel in Miami, Florida drew about 70 million television viewers. (Video)
Quote of the day:
Never tell a young person that anything cannot be done. God may have been waiting centuries for someone ignorant enough of the impossible to do that very thing.
-George Macaulay Trevelyan (Wikipedia link)
(More G.M. Trevelyan quotes from the KGB Quotations Database)
Today’s holidays:
Do a Grouch a Favor Day, International Syrah Day, Kyoto Protocol Day, National Almond Day, National Innovation Day, Presidents’ Day, Shrove Monday, and Tim Tam Day.
On This Day:
2006 – The last Mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) was decommissioned by the United States Army.'
2005 – The National Hockey League canceled the entire 2004–05 regular season and playoffs.
2005 – The Kyoto Protocol came into force, following its ratification by Russia.
1985 – Hezbollah was founded.
1978 – The first computer bulletin board system was created (CBBS in Chicago).
1968 – In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system went into service.
1964 - The second appearance of the Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show", live from the Deauville Hotel in Miami, Florida drew about 70 million television viewers. (Video)
1962 – The Great Sheffield Gale impacted the United Kingdom, killing nine people; the city of Sheffield was devastated, with 150,000 homes damaged.
1962 – Flooding in the coastal areas of West Germany kills 315 and destroys the homes of about 60,000 people.
1960 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton began Operation Sandblast, which began the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
1959 – Fidel Castro became Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1.
1957 – The Swedish film classic "The Seventh Seal" was released. (Video)
1950 – The longest-running prime-time game show, "What's My Line?" began on CBS.
1937 – Wallace H. Carothers received a United States patent for nylon.
1923 – Howard Carter unsealed the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
(For comprehensive lists of the day’s historical events, check here, here, and here.)
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Some Birthdays:
1990 – The Weeknd, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
1989 – Elizabeth Olsen, American actress
1987 – Jon Ossoff, American politician and filmmaker
1959 – John McEnroe, American tennis player and sportscaster
1958 – Ice-T, American rapper and actor
1957 – LeVar Burton, American actor, director, and producer
1954 – Margaux Hemingway, American model and actress (died 1996)
1952 – James Ingram, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2019)
1951 – William Katt, American actor (Video)
1936 – Carl Icahn, American businessman and investor
1935 – Sonny Bono, American actor, singer, and politician (died 1998)
1926 – John Schlesinger, English actor and director (died 2003)
1921 – Vera-Ellen, German-American actress, singer, and dancer (died 1981)
1909 – Richard McDonald, American businessman, co-founded McDonald’s (died 1998)
1909 – Hugh Beaumont, American actor and director (died 1982)
1903 – Edgar Bergen, American ventriloquist and actor (died 1978)
1876 – G. M. Trevelyan, English historian and academic (died 1962)
(A more complete list of today’s birthdays.)
Some Deaths:
2024 – Alexei Navalny, Russian activist (born 1976)
2016 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Egyptian politician and diplomat, 6th Secretary-General of the United Nations (born 1922)
2015 – Lesley Gore, American singer-songwriter (born 1946) (Video)
2011 – Len Lesser, American actor (born 1922)
2001 – William Masters, American gynecologist and sexologist (born 1915)
2001 – Howard W. Koch, American director and producer (born 1916)
1996 – Roger Bowen, American actor and author (born 1932)
1967 – Smiley Burnette, American singer-songwriter and actor (born 1911)
(A more complete list of today’s deaths.)
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I am sorry about your diagnosis.
I'm sure and I strongly help your doctors will help you get better.
Courage
Michael Ricciolli
Sorry to hear about your health issues. Sending prayers and good wishes for healing.