Good morning. In today’s edition:

• ✈️ TSA faces privatization calls
• 🛒 Costco customers seek tariff refund
• 👻 Everyone is “ghostworking”

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.96-minute read (1,054 words).

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"An approximate answer to the right question is worth a great deal more than a precise answer to the wrong question."

–John Tukey (1915-2000)

Government shutdowns can feel abstract until you’re dragging a suitcase through a TSA line that barely moves.

That’s currently the case at several major airports across the US this week, where 3+-hour-long security lines due to staffing shortages have revived a long-running debate on Capitol Hill: should airport security be privatized?

Catch up quick: The current situation is essentially a repeat of last year’s 43-day government shutdown, when TSA officers were also required to continue working even after their paychecks stopped coming in. As the shutdown dragged on, absenteeism among TSA staff rose while security lines slowed at many airports.

• Now, TSA officers are once again working without pay until federal funding is restored.
• And with airlines expecting one of the busiest spring break travel seasons on record, even small slowdowns at checkpoints can lead to major travel disruptions.

The privatization proposal

Some aviation experts and lawmakers say disruptions like these could be reduced through a TSA program that allows airports to outsource security screening to private contractors, with the federal government still maintaining oversight.

About two dozen US airports currently use the system, including those in San Francisco, Kansas City, Atlantic City, and Orlando.

• Those in favor of privatizing US airport security cite the fact that contractors are paid through pre-approved federal contracts, meaning their pay typically continues even if the government shuts down.
• They also note that SF International Airport has used private screening contractors for 20+ years and ranks among America’s 15 busiest airports, suggesting the model can work at large international hubs.

On the flip side: Opponents of privatizing airport security argue it could weaken accountability for America’s national security, which is ultimately the government’s responsibility.

• The TSA officers’ union also contends that private contractors may face economic pressure to reduce costs and cut staff, training, and/or benefits—while the gov’t can provide consistent support.
• Instead, some groups suggest Congress approve a new law guaranteeing that TSA officers and other aviation workers are paid during shutdowns.

Looking ahead…Negotiations on Capitol Hill over the ongoing DHS shutdown have fizzled since mid-February, with both sides saying they remain far apart on substantive issues.

📊 Flash poll: In general, do you support or oppose the idea of privatizing airport security to replace the TSA?

• Support
• Oppose
• Unsure/other

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Here are five stats from this past week that made our team go “whoa.” Hopefully you will, too.

🤖💼 Just 9% of CEOs at large US companies ($500+ million in revenue) plan to cut jobs due to AI this year, per new survey from consulting firm KPMG.

🗳️💰 Billionaires made ~19% of all reported federal campaign contributions in 2024 ($3+ billion in total), up from 0.3% of all contributions before SCOTUS’ 2010 Citizens United decision, per the NYT (free link).

🌎 The number of people living in extreme poverty worldwide has decreased 64% since 1990, though that figure is projected to increase 13% by 2040.

👻 58% of US employees admit to regularly “ghostworking,” or pretending to work at their desks, while another 34% say they merely do so from time to time.

🏥 3 in 5 Americans in 1998 believed the general cure for cancer would be discovered by 2025, according to Gallup polling.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📉 US markets close down across the board yesterday amid worries of a longer disruption to oil markets (S&P: -1.5% | Dow: -1.6% | 1.8%).
• ⚖️ Costco customers file class-action lawsuit seeking refunds for higher prices charged by the wholesale retailer prior to SCOTUS overturning Trump’s tariffs.
• 🛢️ President Trump says US will build first domestic oil refinery in nearly 50 years; project, located in Texas, will be built with a $300 billion investment from India's largest private energy firm.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• ⚾ Team USA to face Canada later today in quarterfinals of World Baseball Classic single-game elimination tournament (7 pm CT).
• 🏆 98th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, to be held Sunday evening in Los Angeles. | ☀️ 40th South by Southwest (SXSW) festival kicks off in Austin, Texas; event runs through March 18th and features thousands of musical performances, film/TV screenings, and live comedy performances.
• 📺 Miley Cyrus to return as Hannah Montana for the first time in 15 years as part of the upcoming “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special” on Disney+. | KPop Demon Hunters sequel is confirmed by Netflix, featuring returning directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🏥 Colorectal cancer is now the deadliest form of cancer in Americans under 50, per new analysis from the American Cancer Society.
• 🐝 Queen bumblebees are able to survive completely underwater for at least a week while hibernating by extracting oxygen from the surrounding water, a study revealed yesterday.
• 🪐 Astronomers discover evidence of a rare, violent collision between two planets in a star system ~11,000 light-years away.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 🇮🇷 Iran’s new leader says Strait of Hormuz must remain closed as “tool to pressure enemy,” in Mojtaba Khamenei’s first public comments since being named to replace his father as Supreme Leader.
• 🙏 Gunman opens fire at Old Dominion university, killing one person and wounding two others before being killed; gunman is later identified as a 36-year-old former member of the Army National Guard who pleaded guilty in 2016 of trying to help ISIS. | Armed man rams vehicle into Temple Israel Synagogue just outside Detroit and drives through hallway before being killed; one security officer was injured, while a large number of explosives were reportedly found in the back of the suspect's vehicle.
• 🎓 Ohio State University names provost Ravi V. Bellamkonda as school’s 18th president; move comes days after former President Ted Carter Jr. abruptly resigned over an "inappropriate relationship."

👆The “Pokémon Fossil Museum” is coming to the US for the first time, and fans are eager to catch ’em all. Tens of thousands of people logged on at once when tickets went on sale earlier this month, overwhelming the website of Chicago’s Field Museum. The exhibit compares creatures from the Pokémon world with the real fossils that inspired them.

🤔 Did you know? There are more possible chess games than atoms in the observable universe. Mathematician Claude Shannon estimated there are at least 10^120 possible games of chess (known as the Shannon number). By comparison, scientists estimate the observable universe contains around 10^80 atoms.

📰 Worth a read: Why the global elite gave up on spelling and grammar

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• The top spring break destinations in 2026
• The case for having a dating roster
• Oscars 2026: Who will win vs. who should win

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How well did you pay attention this week? Find out here.

1. A book has 250 pages. You read 40 pages each day for 5 days. How many pages are remaining?
2. A store sells notebooks for $3 each. If you buy 8 notebooks and the sales tax is 8%, what is the total cost?
3. I’m a number between 40 and 50, and my digits add up to 10. What am I?

🎁 The world’s most premature twins—who arrived 126 days early—just celebrated their fourth birthday, something doctors never thought they would see.

1. 50 pages
2. $25.92
3. 46

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