Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 📝 President Trump’s moves to reshape the federal workforce
• 🤔 ADHD linked to earlier death?
• 😳 Unexplored ocean data

… and more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.09-minute read (1,089 words).

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"An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered."

–G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

In his first few days after taking office on Monday, President Trump has signed a series of executive orders aimed at reshaping the federal government’s 2.3 million-person workforce.

Moving to eliminate DEI: On Tuesday, Trump signed an order revoking Executive Order 11246, a Civil Rights-era policy which previously mandated that all employees of federal contractors receive equal treatment and opportunities "without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.”

• In the order, Trump framed the move as streamlining the government’s contracting process “to enhance speed and efficiency, reduce costs, and require Federal contractors and subcontractors to comply with our civil-rights laws.”
• Trump’s order also calls for executive departments and agencies to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) preferences at all levels, claiming they violate federal anti-discrimination laws.
• In a separate move, Trump directed all federal DEI staff to be placed on administrative leave before eventually being laid off.

Other major changes: In a series of executive orders issued Monday, Trump implemented a return-to-office mandate for all US departments and agencies, instituted a government-wide hiring freeze, revamped federal hiring rules, and enacted additional changes making it easier to fire senior government employees.

• These orders were paired with the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency intended to help Trump enact large cuts to the federal government, including potentially some entire agencies.
• Analysts say these changes will likely end up driving many government employees out of their jobs – a goal the Trump administration is explicitly aiming for.

Looking ahead…Trump’s executive actions are expected to be met with pushback from union leaders in the government workforce, with some already suing to stop parts of his new orders.

📊 Flash poll: In general, how do you feel about President Trump’s recent moves aimed at reshaping the federal workforce?

• Support
• Oppose
• Neutral
• Unsure/other

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People diagnosed with ADHD have a shorter lifespan and a higher risk for other mental health disorders, according to a new study published in The British Journal of Psychiatry.

Let’s break it down: The research team analyzed data from 30,000 adults diagnosed with ADHD, then compared them to a group of ~300,000 participants without ADHD.

They found men with diagnosed ADHD can expect an average reduction in life expectancy of 4.5-9 years, while women lose an average of 6.5-11 years.

• The study also found ADHD is linked with a higher risk of mental health issues like anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicide, and personality disorders.
• Those with ADHD are also more likely to have autism, intellectual disabilities, harmful habits like smoking or alcohol abuse, and physical health problems like diabetes or high cholesterol.

But…The research was based on observational data – which leaves many questions unanswered, since a cause-and-effect relationship can’t be conclusively established. The study’s authors also didn’t control for race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic factors, all of which can affect life expectancy.

📸 Big picture: An estimated 6.0% of US adults (15.5 million) and 11.4% of US children (7 million) have been diagnosed with ADHD – though the study’s authors say it’s possible many more people live with the condition but go undiagnosed.

When that drunk plan you made with your friends actually pays off🥳. A Bend, Oregon, local community group spawned by a joke Facebook post is aiming to purchase Mt. Bachelor, a ski area located in the city, from Powdr, its Utah-based owner.

Mt. Bachelor, North America’s seventh-largest ski area, was purchased by Powdr in 2001. In August, the company announced it was for sale.

It’s not cheap. While no asking price has been revealed, the magic number appears to be ~$200 million.

This appears to be in reach for the group, who’s expected to submit a formal bid “any day now,” per the NY Times. The locals, working under the umbrella of Mt. Bachelor Community, Inc. (MCBI), have so far secured the support of Oregon’s two senators, as well as multiple high-dollar investors with ties to the area and tens of millions of dollars to spend, who hope to sell smaller shares to community members.

Powdr to the people: Should they win the bid, MCBI plans to use profits to improve the ski area, often referred to as “Mt. Brokenchair” for its old lifts that frequently malfunction. Locals accuse Powdr, an outdoor conglomerate, of siphoning Mt. Bachelor’s profits to its other businesses.

🚠 Zoom out: Ski-area operators like Powdr, Vail, and Alterra have been gobbling up competitors for years, raising the prices of single-day lift tickets to push powder-lovers towards season passes. Many claim this consolidation isn’t chill, and leads to worse experiences for both local workers and powder-lovers.

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📈 US markets rose across the board (S&P: +0.5%; Dow: +0.9%; Nasdaq: +0.2%). | ✈️ Boeing expects a $4 billion loss in Q4 2024, in part due to a labor strike. | 🎮 Electronic Arts shares fell ~17% after the video game giant cut its full-year bookings guidance due to underperforming games, particularly EA Sports FC.
• 🗣️ President Trump delivered a virtual address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland; among other things, he demanded OPEC lower oil prices and that interest rates drop immediately; he also threatened tariffs.
• 🏥 UnitedHealthcare named company veteran Tim Noel as its new CEO.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with Tuft & Needle

• 🎭 Oscar nominations: Emilia Pérez, a Spanish-language French musical about a transgender drug lord, led the way with 13 nods, followed by The Brutalist and Wicked with 10 nods apiece. | 🏈 Finalists for the AP’s NFL awards were unveiled yesterday; the winners will be announced February 6.
• 🚫 Dozens of subreddits have banned links to X after its owner and chairman, Elon Musk, performed a gesture that looked like a Nazi salute at Trump’s inauguration this week.
• 🎮 David Haddad, the head of Warner Bros. Discovery’s gaming division, is leaving the company after 12 years in the role; Haddad oversaw hits like Hogwarts: Legacy and Game of Thrones Conquest. | 🦆 A&E is rebooting Duck Dynasty; it’s been eight years since it left the air.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🤖💻 OpenAI unveiled Operator, a new AI agent that can use websites autonomously to do tasks like shop for groceries, book a restaurant, and more.
• 🧬🧠 Researchers identified 36 genes linked to bipolar disorder in the largest such study to date (covering 2.9+ million people).
• 👂 Humans’ outer ears – and those of other mammals – may have first evolved from the gills of ancient prehistoric fish, per a new study.

MISCELLANEOUS

in partnership with The Knowledge

• 🔥 LA fires update: Firefighters made progress on the fast-moving Hughes Fire, which had burned 10,000+ acres and was 24% contained as of yesterday afternoon; 1,100+ other firefighters have been “strategically pre-positioned” across Southern California to address the "ongoing critical fire weather,” per Cal Fire.
• 🇸🇦🇺🇸 Saudi Arabia announced plans to increase its investment and trade with the US by at least $600 billion over the next four years. | 🇹🇭 Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to legally recognize same-sex marriages.
• 🏛️ The Senate voted 51-49 to advance Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, who’s expected to pass a formal Senate confirmation vote today. | 📝 President Trump announced plans to declassify any remaining files from the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy, and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. | ⚖️ A federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for unauthorized immigrants until arguments over its legality can be held. (From the Left | From the Center | From the Right)

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Wanna get rich? Maybe start by looking at Walmart jobs. America’s largest retailer is boosting what it pays regional store managers this year, enabling the top performers to take home more than $600,000, per a new Wall Street Journal report.

After the changes kick in, regional managers responsible for clusters of a dozen Walmart stores – a role known as a market manager – will be able to earn between $420,000–$620,000 if they get their full bonuses this year. That‘s up from a range of ~$320,000–$570,000 last year.

Zoom out: As the retailer constantly seen on WorldStar leans in on midlevel manager roles, many companies are pulling a Fat Joe and leaning back in the name of cutting costs and driving efficiency. Amazon is working to increase its ratio of workers to managers, while Google has trimmed its managerial roles by 10%.

☝️ Earth’s magnetic North Pole has officially moved, continuing its shift away from Canada (left) and towards Siberia (right), according to government scientists from the US and UK.

🤔 Did You Know? An estimated 91% of all animal species living in the oceans have yet to be classified, and 80% of the oceans have yet to be mapped, observed, or explored by humans.

📰 Worth a Read: Inside a Collection of ‘Imaginary’ Books.

🖱 Clickbait: "Bozo the Plown" leads Chicago’s 2025 snowplow naming contest

🐾 Two new species of truffle were recently discovered by man's best friend – aka specially trained dogs who sniffed them out in the Appalachian Mountains. One was named Tuber canirevelatum, which means "dog-found truffle" in Latin, while the other may be used to make truffle-infused whiskey in Kentucky.

❄️ A winter storm whipped through New Orleans on Tuesday, leaving residents with measurable snowfall for the first time in 15 years. People made snowballs, snow angels, and were even seen skiing on Bourbon Street.

🎶 With an average age of 84, The Prime Timers Choir in Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK, just claimed the Guinness World Record for the oldest choir in the world. The 17-member choir has over 1,600 Christmases between them.

🌌 Space is big: Explore this accurate-to-scale model of the Solar System.

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☝️ Anotha one: This Wikipedia game is pretty cool, too.

⛷️ Go deeper: Powder and profits: the economics of ski resorts.

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Our weekly news quiz is live. How well did you pay attention this week? Let’s find out.

Below are three lists of ingredients. Your job is give us the completed dish they make.

☝️ Recipe #1:

• Pork shoulder
• Orange juice
• Lime juice
• Salt
• Red achiote paste
• Pickled red onions
• Dry Mexican cheese
• Cilantro
• Lime wedges

✌️ Recipe #2:

• Cooking spray
• Flour
• Butter
• Powdered sugar
• Salt
• Sweetened condensed milk
• Light corn syrup
• Vanilla extract
• Bittersweet chocolate

3️⃣ Recipe #3:

• Butter
• Kale
• Portobello mushroom caps
• Salt
• Eggs
• Half and half
• Aleppo pepper

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☝️ Recipe #1: Cochinita pibil

✌️ Recipe #2: Millionaire bars

3️⃣ Recipe #3: Kale and mushroom egg bites