¶ Intro / Opening
I'm Dane Brugler. I cover the NFL draft for the athletic. Our draft guide picked up the name The Beast because of the crazy amount of information that's included. I'm looking at thousands of players, putting together hundreds of scouting reports.
I've been covering this year's draft since last year's draft. There is a lot in the beast that you simply can't find anywhere else. This is the kind of in-depth, unique journalism you get from The Athletic and the New York Times. You can subscribe at nytimes.com/slash. Yeah.
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York Times, it's the headline. Today's Thursday, April 16th. Here's what we're covering.
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Is this work?
Over?
I think it's close to over, yeah. I I mean I view it as very close to over.
¶ Trump's Controversial Actions and Mental Fitness
Over the course of twelve hours this week, President Trump promised the war with Iran was ending soon, but he also doubled down on his fight with the Pope on social media. Threatened to fire the chair of the Federal Reserve, and posted an image of himself receiving a hug from Jesus Christ, which was not his first Jesus meme of the week.
On top of that, the White House revealed new renderings for the giant arch that Trump wants to build outside DC. It's so tall at 250 feet even the architectural expert who proposed it says it's way too much. For Trump, this stretch has been one of the most vivid examples of his scattershot what will he do next style? When he's under pressure on an issue, in this case, the war in Iran that's taken longer than he originally thought it would. Trump shifts public attention elsewhere.
One of his former press secretaries from his first term, Stephanie Grisham, told the Times, quote, he'll double down, lie more, and say that everything's perfectly fine and great, and then do all his bonkers posting. But she added that this week he's being erratic even for him. Inside the White House, some of Trump's current advisors have privately acknowledged that his attacks on the Pope.
We're not productive, and they're hoping he can shift the attention to tax season, where many Americans may see bigger refunds under the tax cuts that Trump pushed. The Republican Party more broadly is hoping for that too. With the midterms coming up, they wanna keep the focus on economic issues that they hope will play well with voters.
Even before this week, some of Trump's recent extreme rhetoric, including threatening Iran that a whole civilization will die tonight, had revived questions about Trump's mental fitness. Some of his former allies turned critics have questioned whether he's grown increasingly unbalanced.
Recently, one of his former White House lawyers, Ty Cobb, said Trump is quote, clearly insane. In response to questions from the Times, a White House spokesman pointed to what he said was President Trump's sharpness and unmatched energy.
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¶ War's Toll on Dubai's Economy
In the Middle East.
I've spent the last few weeks reporting from Dubai and the International Airport, which is normally one of the busiest airports in the world. when I flew in and out of there, it was nearly empty. Even all restaurants and cafes were closed. Five star hotel lobbies are are nearly empty. Restaurants are struggling already. So you can definitely see the impact on the ground.
My colleague Raja Abdulrahim has been covering how Iran's retaliation against the US and its allies has taken a toll on countries across the Persian Gulf. For example, since the conflict started, Iran has fired thousands of drones and missiles at the United Arab Emirates. While the country has largely fended off the attacks, they have shattered the sense of security there and undermined its reputation as a global tourism destination.
Expats have fled, people have canceled trips, and Rajah says that's dealt a huge blow to the millions of migrant workers in the UAE who are the backbone of the hospitality sector.
We talked to some people who had been put on forced leave initially for a month and now it's been extended. Some people have actually been repatriated at home without pay. These are people who are are living quite precarious financial lives anyways. They're often living paycheck to paycheck. They come to the UAE because they can make more money there. And across the board, they all send money home. I spoke to one woman, she works at a clothing store in an outlet mall.
Been so far put on six weeks of leave without pay. Luckily, her husband still works, but they also have a one-year-old back home in the Philippines. So she told me that she's doing manicures and pedicures for friends, trying to make a few dollars here. But already she and her husband have cut back on meals. They they eat only one meal a day. I talked to other workers as well, a man from Sri Lanka who said that he'd basically cut out all meat and was living off
Of lentils and rice in order to send money back home to his three children and his wife and his in-laws in Sri Lanka. And so this is impacting not just them, but also their families back home.
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¶ Market Records, Monopolies, and AI Pivots
Now, three quick business updates.
I do start out with the SP 500 7022 and change it.
The S P five hundred hit a record high yesterday. It has erased all of the losses from when stocks plunged at the start of the war and then some. Investors seem to be optimistic that the White House's efforts to negotiate with Iran could bring an end to the fighting soon. One analyst told the Times that investors are quote, assuming we have seen the worst of the conflict.
Still, some market watchers are a little puzzled by the rally since oil prices remain high, which has fed into rising inflation in the US and warnings from economists about a possible global recession.
Also
Yesterday, after a seven-week trial, a federal jury found that Live Nation, the concert giant that owns Ticketmaster, is a monopoly. It's been accused of stifling competition, threatening venues. And driving up ticket prices for millions of fans. The verdict is a major win for the dozens of states that brought the lawsuit, but music fans expecting an immediate change may be disappointed.
It could still take months or even years for the judge in the case to decide on what penalties Live Nation will face. The most extreme option would be ordering the company to break up into smaller parts, but that hasn't happened in the US in decades.
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And last update, the Times has learned that the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund, which has poured tens of billions of dollars into projects around the world, is about to pull out of one of its most high-profile ventures. Live Golf, according to one person familiar with the plan. The league launched in 2022 and garnered tons of attention and controversy for using massive paydays to lure some of Golf's biggest stars.
But the sovereign wealth fund is now facing mounting financial pressures after years of pouring money into a range of investments. Including Uber and a Premier League soccer team, but also more struggling ventures like a vast sci fi inspired megacity they've been trying to build in the desert that's running over cost. Yesterday, the oil rich country announced a new strategy for its fund, saying it's now focused on the efficiency of its investments. For Live Golf, its future is now in question.
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And finally, they look polished and chic while still feeling incredibly cozy. Remember Allbirds? There was that time when people were talking about wool sneakers. Soft. They were gonna be the future. Tech bros love them for sure. Official shoe of the Bay Area. Ring a bell. Okay. So they've decided they're not a shoe company anymore. Instead, they're pivoting to AI. Yeah. Shoes to artificial intelligence. It's a dramatic, somewhat head scratching turn for a company that has had a few rough years.
At one point, Allbirds was valued at$4 billion, but people's appetite for woolly footwear turned out to be limited. Last month, the company agreed to sell all of its assets for 1% of that, about$40 million. And now it's dropping sneakers altogether and is going to be known as New Bird AI.
It's the latest company to go all in on AI, though the other companies have generally had some connection to tech, rather than shoes. One executive in the AI industry said at first the announcement seemed like an April Fool's joke, but that quote Given the craziness of this industry right now, maybe we shouldn't be surprised.
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Today on the Daily, more on the confrontation between President Hope. You can listen to that in the New York Times app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow with the latest and the Friday News.
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