micho

Good morning

That "Noooooooo!!" you heard yesterday afternoon was Morning Brew's writers reacting to the death of David Lynch, the visionary director who died at 78. Lynch was beloved for his surrealist, macabre depictions of American life. Many tried to evoke a similar vibe, but as the Brew's Lynch expert Jen Walsh reminds us, "no one has matched his freak since." For your Lynch starter pack, she recommends watching Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive, and Blue Velvet.

Lynch's family announced his death on Facebook, writing, "There's a big hole in the world now that he's no longer with us. But, as he would say, 'Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.'"

TRANSPORTATION

For most, congestion pricing in New York is working

According to the MTA, congestion pricing is having the desired effect.

micho

Axios AM - Jan 17, 2025

1. California's "red pill"

Republican activists have tried and failed for decades to end Democrats' near-monopoly on power in California.

More than a week after the Palisades Fire erupted — and with three major infernos still burning — Republicans believe this is their moment.

Elon Musk and his allies are waging a ruthless information war in California — flooding the zone with allegations of gross mismanagement by the state's Democrats.

micho

Axios Markets

🏖️ Happy Friday! Today we consider a puzzling question: If diversity is good for businesses — and the public doesn't mind — why are so many companies running away from it?

• Plus: The case for more bankruptcies, and Trump skepticism at the grocery store.

⏰ We'll be off Monday but back in your inboxes Tuesday!

All in 1,040 words, a 4-minute read.

micho

Axios Macro

Two major Washington, D.C., institutions put out new forecasts today: a U.S. growth upgrade from the International Monetary Fund and, just as this newsletter sends, the latest reading on the fiscal outlook from the Congressional Budget Office.

• We explore both below, plus our key takeaways from Treasury secretary-designee Scott Bessent's confirmation hearing yesterday.

🗓️ Programming note: We're off Monday for the holiday.

1 big thing: Outlooks, outlooks, everywhere

micho

🤖 Franklin Templeton Says AI Agents Will 'Revolutionize' Social Media

• In a Jan. 14 report, Franklin Templeton said it can "envision a future where AI agents revolutionize content generation on social media and play an integral role across various industries and platforms."

💱 World Liberty Financial Dumps BTC For ETH Amid Treasury Shuffle

• World Liberty Financial, the DeFi platform affiliated with the Trump family, swapped 103 wrapped BTC worth approximately $10 million for 3,075 ETH on Jan. 14.
• It then transferred $61.4 million worth of ETH to multiple wallets, including Coinbase Prime.

📊 AssetDash and Griffain Collaborate on Moby AI Agent

micho

1 big thing: More schools ban cellphones

A growing number of states are banning cellphones in schools — almost always with bipartisan support.

Where it stands:

• Eight states have banned or restricted cellphones in schools
• Education departments in another 10 states have issued policy recommendations or begun pilot programs to curb phone usage
• At least 11 states, as of December, were considering legislation to ban or restrict cellphone use in schools

What they're saying:

micho

1 big thing — Zients on leading: Face into it

Career Journey of Jeff Zients

White House chief of staff Jeff Zients has an alarm set for 4:20 a.m. But he rarely needs it — he usually beats the buzzer by 10-15 minutes.

His first two tasks of the day:

• 20 minutes of transcendental meditation
• Four shots of espresso

micho

Your next mindless addiction

Where some see a looming TikTok ban, others see an opportunity to learn a new language

Duolingo has seen a ~216% YoY increase in US users learning Mandarin, with the sharpest uptick in mid-January, coinciding with Chinese social media app RedNote's sudden popularity.

News Flash

Will Bezos return to the office? In a leaked letter, 400+ Washington Post staffers asked the paper's owner, Jeff Bezos, to visit Washington, DC, to discuss the newspaper's leadership issues. The staffers wrote they're "deeply alarmed by recent leadership decisions" and the loss of some of the paper's top staffers. Since William Lewis' appointment as publisher and CEO in November 2023, the paper has broken a decades-long tradition by refusing to endorse a presidential candidate and laid off ~100 employees.

micho

Good morning.

That "Noooooooo!!" you heard yesterday afternoon was Morning Brew's writers reacting to the death of David Lynch, the visionary director who died at 78. Lynch was beloved for his surrealist, macabre depictions of American life. Many tried to evoke a similar vibe, but as the Brew's Lynch expert Jen Walsh reminds us, "no one has matched his freak since." For your Lynch starter pack, she recommends watching Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive, and Blue Velvet.

Lynch's family announced his death on Facebook, writing, "There's a big hole in the world now that he's no longer with us. But, as he would say, 'Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.'"

Transportation: For most, congestion pricing in New York is working

On Jan. 5, New York enacted the country's first policy that charges drivers a toll for entering a central business district in an attempt to reduce traffic and raise $15 billion for mass transit infrastructure. People coming into Manhattan at or below 60th Street during peak

micho

TikTok's Two-Act Play

📱 A two-act TikTok play:

1. President Biden won't enforce the TikTok ban that's supposed to take effect Sunday, leaving the app's fate in President-elect Trump's hands.

2. Trump is considering an executive order "that would suspend enforcement of the TikTok ban-or-sale law for 60 to 90 days, buying the administration time to negotiate a sale or alternative solution," arguing the app "will help him reach an adoring audience."

California's "Red Pill"

Republican activists have tried and failed for decades to end Democrats' near-monopoly on power in California.