John Biers

John Biers (@puzzlingculture) The day after I saw “The Mastermind” a group of thieves pulled off the heist of French Crown Jewels while the Louvre was opened to visitors, a very very loud echo of what takes place in the movie. I d...

substack.com/@puzzlingcul...

Rebooted Harlem museum celebrates rise of Black art As the Studio Museum reopens this weekend in its gleaming new building, New York's premier institution for Black art finds itself looking back and looking forward at the same time.

The Studio Museum was born in a modest space but with lofty ambitions. The museum’s reboot this month pays tribute to that legacy and looks ahead. www.france24.com/en/live-news...

Heavy Hand: Free-market US Tested As Trump Takes Stakes In Private Companies The Trump administration is in talks to take an equity stake in Lithium Americas, which would insert the government into another private enterprise in the latest challenge to American free-market trad...

The White House has characterized the stock holding arrangements as a boon for taxpayers that points to Trump's prowess as a dealmaker, but critics say the arrangements undermine competition and stoke crony capitalism. www.barrons.com/news/heavy-h...

In New York, an anti-fascist superhero rises -- at the Met The Statue of Liberty makes a cameo in the Metropolitan Opera's season opener, invoking a time when New York stood as a beacon of hope for Jews desperately fleeing Nazism.New York is "the city of free...

The Metropolitan Opera opens its season tonight with the debut of an adaptation of Michael Chabon’s novel, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. I wrote a piece for AFP after attending a dress rehearsal and interviewing some of the creative team. tinyurl.com/y35terv2

Thought I might see you at Caro’s send off today. Love the podcast!

Trump tariffs fuel US auto anxiety A flood of presidential trade policy announcements has kept US automakers on edge since Donald Trump returned to the White House last month.

Auto industry in Trump tariff crosshairs.
www.france24.com/en/live-news...

The Kafka Dilemma A new exhibit at the Morgan Library fills in some gaps on the elusive author

How much should Kafka’s unwieldy bureaucracies be viewed as something to be spoofed as opposed to something much more sinister? New post at: puzzlingculture.substack.com/p/the-kafka-...

‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine Private messages detail an alleged campaign to tarnish Blake Lively after she accused Justin Baldoni of misconduct on the set of “It Ends With Us.”

This is worth reading even if you aren't interested in celebrities, as a window into modern day brass-knuckles PR. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/21/b...

Health insurers: the 800-pound gorilla in profit-driven US system Last week's slaying of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson has brought renewed attention to the widespread dissatisfaction with the American health care system, even as prominent leaders have co...

Public reaction to the UnitedHealth killing provides a window into frustration with the US health system. But will anything change? www.yahoo.com/news/health-...

Food fight: $25 bn US grocery deal falls apart A proposed $25 billion supermarket mega-merger disintegrated Wednesday in bitter recriminations between Albertsons and would-be suitor Kroger following US court rulings blocking the deal.In statements...

Not the best timing for a giant supermarket merger. finance.yahoo.com/news/food-fi...

Notre Dame cathedral will reopen in Paris on Saturday with incoming US president Donald Trump set to attend the ceremony marking the resurrection of the Gothic masterpiece five years after a devastating fire.
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Construction Industry Braces for One-Two Punch: Tariffs and Deportations President-elect Donald Trump’s immigration and trade policies put home builders in a vulnerable position.

From WSJ:"Builders said that even during times of high unemployment, most native-born Americans are unwilling to take the industry’s most physically grueling jobs, especially in Texas, where framing or laying pipe often occurs in temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit." www.wsj.com/economy/trum...

France riled by Trump pick of Charles Kushner as Paris envoy Establishment reacts to president-elect’s choice with a mix of resignation and muted scorn

From FT, "One French banker simply replied with an eye-roll emoji when asked for an opinion on the picking of Kushner." www.ft.com/content/adb5...

Turning Point A new documentary revisits New York City's near-bankruptcy of the 1970s

I had the opportunity to catch the documentary, “Drop Dead City: New York on the Brink in 1975,” which is expected to open in theaters in 2025, in time for the 50th anniversary of the events in the movie. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Corporate America Launches Unorthodox Campaign to Gain Trump’s Attention Companies are looking at scrubbing left-leaning policies from their websites and scoping out appearances on conservative podcasts.

From WSJ: Corporate America targeting Joe Rogan, Daily Wire podcasts in effort to win Trump’s ear. Facebook/Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg among those visiting with Trump personally to make their pitch. www.wsj.com/politics/tru...