Steve Soboroff, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ wildfire recovery czar, went public with his frustrations about doing the job for free, telling an audience he was “lied to” — and had the texts and emails to back it up.
The remarks, made to an alumni group at Harvard-Westlake School last week, came as Soboroff attempted to address what he called “the elephant in the room”: the city’s initial plan to pay him $500,000 over 90 days, and his subsequent decision to work without pay after an outcry over the size of his compensation.
Soboroff, a real estate developer and civic leader who was selected by the mayor to do the work in mid-January, told reporters early on that his salary would be covered by philanthropy. Bass, without disclosing the amount, said the same thing weeks later.
On Thursday at Harvard-Westlake, Soboroff said he found himself at a point where he had “no money” and “no contract,” according to a recording of his remarks.
“So then I found out that they really didn’t have the money,” he said. “And then I found out I really did have the [personal] bills.
“And so there was one of two things to do: Go public and quit, and say I was lied to — here’s my emails, here’s my texts, here’s all this s—,” he told the group. “Or tell them I’ll do it for free, and hope that it comes around later on.”
By Monday, Soboroff changed course, telling The Times he did not think that the mayor had lied or intentionally misled him.
“That was not what I feel and not what I meant,” he said in an interview.
Asked about Soboroff’s comments at Harvard-Westlake, Bass spokesperson Zach Seidl said the mayor’s office “refers you to his refutation.”
Still, the recording provided fresh evidence of the turmoil that has surrounded the mayor since the outbreak of the Palisades fire, which destroyed thousands of homes in Pacific Palisades and surrounding communities.
The mayor has had tense interactions in recent weeks with Lindsey Horvath, who represents the Palisades on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. On Friday, the mayor ousted Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley.
Last month, Bass signaled that she had scaled back Soboroff’s duties, limiting them to the rebuilding of a portion of the Palisades.
Soboroff disputed that his work had been downsized. Meanwhile, his relationship with the mayor frayed further over his salary — a topic he aired publicly for the first time during the alumni forum.
On Feb. 7, Bass’ team confirmed that Soboroff would be paid $500,000 for 90 days of work — with all the funds coming from philanthropy. After facing a backlash over the amount, the mayor announced the next day that Soboroff had agreed to work for free.
At the time, Bass said Soboroff is “always there for L.A.”
“I spoke to him today and asked him to modify his agreement and work for free. He said yes,” she said.
The Harvard-Westlake event, titled “A Night With Steve Soboroff: Recovery From the LA Fires,” was held at the private school’s Holmby Hills campus and was put on by the HW Business and Entrepreneurship Alumni Network.
During the event, Soboroff underscored that he had turned down other work to take the job and had spent much of his career doing civic work pro bono.
“I get called for a lot of civic stuff over the years, for 35 years, and never charged anybody anything. You try spending 35 years out of the middle of your life not charging anybody for anything, and sending five kids to Harvard-Westlake,” Soboroff said to laughter in the the room.
The salary was “a lot of money,” but also what he made at his three prior jobs, he said.
Soboroff has repeatedly pointed out that he gave up lucrative consulting work to take on the role of recovery czar. In an interview with The Times on Saturday, he said he had always assumed that he would be paid for his work.
“If I was a billionaire or a hundred-millionaire or a 20-millionaire or a whatever, I probably would have done this for free from the beginning. But I wasn’t, I’m not and I didn’t,” Soboroff said. “And I had to give things up that were going to be helpful to me.”
Also at issue is how Soboroff’s salary figure came about. Asked during a news conference on Feb. 11 whether the salary was negotiated, Bass said: “Yes, there was a negotiation.” But in his interview with The Times, Soboroff said the mayor never pushed back on the $500,000 figure.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Ion Cutelaba scored a big win at UFC Seattle this past weekend (Sat., Feb. 22, 2025) when he handed top prospect İbo Aslan his first UFC loss via first-round submission (watch highlights).
Today, two days after his win, “Hulk” posted on Instagram that he was offering former title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. a rematch from their fight six years ago.
@khalilrountree I’m giving you a chance for a rematch—last time, I beat you like a child,” Cutelaba wrote. “@ufc @danawhite The fans are waiting for this fight, and I want to give them another unforgettable show.”
Blue Air is out with connected air purifiers that give you more control over the air quality in your home, which is needed now more than ever.
We’re big fans of air purifiers, even though it can be tough to measure their efficacy. Our home is brimming with air quality monitors that we use to determine how clear our air is and how air purifiers impact it.
Joining our collection is the Blue Air 211i Max, which isn’t the first Blue Air we’ve picked up.
Blue 211i Max review: An updated design
We’ve been using our Blue Air 211+ for years, and it has done an admirable job. But the design was a little dated, and the solid-colored pre-filter always looked dirty.
Blue 211i Max review: The 211i Max air purifier against the old 211+ purifier
The new connected 211i Max has an updated appearance that we prefer. The bottom is a bit wider, allowing for more airflow against the filter and pre-filter, but it tapers slightly towards the top where the fan is.
Air is sucked in through all sides, through the pre-filter, through the filter, then exits out the top. This is a fairly standard airflow pattern among purifiers.
Blue 211i Max review: Display on the Blue Air 211i Max air purifier
Directly on the top of the air purifier is a new touch-sensitive display. It shows the room’s air quality level, current fan speed, and Wi-Fi status.
With a tap, you can adjust the airflow for your room.
Blue 211i Max review: Fan and display of the Blue Air 211i Max
The top, with the fan and display, pulls free from the base, so you can’t lift it from there. The power cord is connected to this part, too.
Blue 211i Max review: Bottom filter of the Blue Air 211i Max
Even though you can’t see it behind the stretchy pre-filter, the sides are an accordion filter that wraps around the structured internal support.
This is the filter you’ll replace every 6-9 months, depending on how much you run the air purifier. Blue Air’s filters claim to capture 99.97% of airborne particles, down to .1 microns in size.
Blue 211i Max review: Blue Air 211i Max air filter and pre filter
It does this while being especially quiet. While certainly not silent when you crank the fan speed, it is one of the quietest air purifiers we’ve tried overall while still being especially powerful and suited for large rooms.
We have the grey pre-filter, but there are heathered colors in black, red, green, and tan, as well. None are vivid but rather are muted to help blend into your home.
For us, the pre-filters are key. After a month or so, we saw visible dust build up on this pre-filter, which we could wash and reinstall easily.
In other filters, these particles would quickly enter and reduce the filter’s effectiveness or even fail to be captured at all if the particles were too large. It also gives you a visual indication that the filter does something, even when you don’t see the small airborne particles.
Blue 211i Max review: Smart, but not smart enough
Maybe we have a chip on our shoulder, but no matter how good an app is, we’ll still criticize for lacking both Apple Home and Matter. It’s increasingly frustrating for companies to launch new products without integrating with other smart home products.
That’s the case here with Blue Air, and it is such a shame to have that omission on an otherwise standout product.
Realistically, you won’t need Matter or Apple Home. If left on auto mode, it spins the fan up and down automatically for you based on the room and that’s how we left ours.
Apple Home and Matter provide a simple way to manually adjust settings whenever necessary. Despite the absence of Matter and Apple Home support, this app is one of the best we’ve tested.
Blue 211i Max review: Launch page of the Blue Air app
In the Blue app, your screen is split to show outdoor air quality from multiple locations. This includes your current location and the indoor air quality based on your air purifier.
The outdoor air quality section can expand, giving you a graphical view of the air quality index over time with month, week, and day views.
The indoor air quality summarizes your purifiers by location with their speed and the room’s air quality prominently displayed.
To quickly control the air purifier, you swipe to the left to toggle the power status or to the right to change modes. It’s a great UI effect that is quick and easy to do.
For granular control, you can tap on any of your air purifiers. On the detail page, a graph on top breaks down the room’s airborne particular matter, differentiating between PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 pollutants.
Blue 211i Max review: Device control in the Blue Air app
PM10 encompasses pollen, dust, and mold, PM2.5 covers fine dust, exhaust, and pet dander, while PM1 includes bacteria, viruses, smog, and smoke. We haven’t tested an air purifier that gets this granular in its air quality rating.
There are four fan speed settings for the air purifier, which can be set to auto or adjusted manually. There is a dedicated night mode that is very quiet and dims the top LEDs, and a child lock button to prevent mini humans from button mashing.
The app allows precise control over LED brightness and provides insight into filter lifespan. With the Blue app, you can create a custom schedule to switch modes, adjust brightness levels, and modify fan speed.
Blue 211i Max review: Clean your home’s air
At the moment, at-home air purifiers are more important than ever. If pet dander, allergens, cooking odors, mold, and bacteria/viruses weren’t enough to worry about, outdoor wildfires have been causing havoc to the air we breathe.
Blue 211i Max review: Blue has a well-designed iOS app
Here in Ohio, we’ve constantly had unhealthy air alerts for the outdoors, reaching an AQI of 230. It’s incredibly unsafe to breathe in for any extended period.
Your home will have an air filter for its HVAC system but it may not be cleaning that much of your air and must be running to work at all. As these environmental disasters appear to increase in frequency across the US, we’d prefer to cover our bases.
The Blue Air 211+ had been one of our favorites that we automated using an Apple Home plug and an air quality monitor. This is an upgrade for us with the 211i Max, which has its smart tech built in, a better design, and longer-lasting filters.
Blue 211i Max review: Closeup of the Blueair logo on the 211i Max air purifier
It’s easy to control, monitor the room, and replace. The accompanying app is fantastically well-designed, easy to use, and full of helpful information.
Our only complaint remains that we’d love to see Matter or Apple Home support so that we could control it from our phones or via our voice.
As long as you’re ok without that, be sure to check these out.
Blue 211i Max review: Pros
Sleek, modern design
Information-rich touch screen on top
Multiple prefilter colors available
Filters last a good 6-9 months and work in large rooms
New research has revealed a surprising factor that could dramatically reduce the risk of ‘cardiovascular events’ in individuals with high blood pressure. Scientists from the University of Ottawa delved into data from 124,583 patients with hypertension in Canada, focusing on the first language spoken by each person.
Although it may seem unrelated, experts were keen to investigate how language barriers might affect the medical care received from doctors. Interestingly, they found that Canadian patients who did not speak English or French as their preferred language had a 36% lower chance of experiencing a ‘major adverse cardiovascular event’ (MACE) when treated by a doctor fluent in their own language.
MACE events include heart attacks, heart failure, or strokes due to heart disease, which ranks among the top killers globally. Lead author, nephrology resident Michael Reaume, said: “If there was a new medication that decreased the risk of major adverse cardiovascular event by 36% or all-cause mortality by 28%, this medication would immediately be offered to our patients.
“We need to start thinking about language barriers in our healthcare systems in a similar way. This starts by collecting preferred language for all patients systematically.
“This information is critical as it allows us to match patients to healthcare providers who have proficiency in their preferred language, while also identifying patients who would benefit from professional interpretation services.”
Following the study’s revelations, experts are now pushing for fair access to medical education and the provision of ‘language-concordant care’, which they argue could lead to a significant reduction in cardiovascular incidents. However, it is essential to acknowledge that language barriers are not the sole risk factor for these health issues.
NHS advice stresses that various lifestyle choices including smoking, regular alcohol consumption and diet may play a part too. “Coronary heart disease is the term that describes what happens when your heart’s blood supply is blocked or interrupted by a build-up of fatty substances in the coronary arteries,” the health body’s advice reads.
“Over time, the walls of your arteries can become furred up with fatty deposits. This process is known as atherosclerosis and the fatty deposits are called atheroma. Atherosclerosis can be caused by lifestyle factors, such as smoking and regularly drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.
“You’re also more at risk of getting atherosclerosis if you have conditions like high cholesterol, high blood pressure (hypertension) or diabetes.”
The NHS’ full list of potential heart attack symptoms is detailed below:
Chest pain – a feeling of pressure, heaviness, tightness or squeezing across your chest
Feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)
An overwhelming feeling of anxiety (similar to a panic attack)
Shortness of breath
Pain in other parts of the body – it can feel as if the pain is spreading from your chest to your arms (usually the left arm, but it can affect both arms), jaw, neck, back and tummy
Hilton Honors is the loyalty program for one of the world’s biggest hotel chains. Its elite status program can offer significant value for those who are able to reach the higher status tiers.
Hilton Gold status is the first elite tier that unlocks benefits that are worth chasing, including free breakfast, room upgrades, and late check-out. Meanwhile, HiltonDiamond status takes things to the next and final level with further entitlements like better upgrades, lounge access, and status gifting.
Let’s take a look at a few of the best ways you can earn Hilton Gold and Diamond status without necessarily following the traditional approach.
What Makes Hilton Gold and Diamond Status Valuable?
Gold status is the first elite level that allows for free breakfast for the status holder and one additional guest. Additionally, Gold members are eligible for a space-available room upgrade up to an executive room type.
Enjoy free breakfast at Hilton hotels with Gold or Diamond status
These benefits, grouped with late check-out (subject to availability), makes Hilton Honors Gold status very much worth pursuing – it’s certainly a more valuable mid-tier status compared to, say, Marriott BonvoyGold Elite.
One level above Gold, Diamond status is the highest status one can reach within Hilton’s loyalty program. In addition to what Gold members receive, Diamond members are eligible for better upgrades to standard suites, as well as access to a hotel’s executive lounge if it’s available.
Free breakfast and lounge access is a sure-fire way to significantly cut costs on food while travelling. Suite upgrades can also significantly enhance your trip, and it’s always worth seeking them out by combining your elite status with your “suite-talking” skills.
Amex US Hilton Aspire Card: Instant Hilton Diamond Status
Unlike any other hotel loyalty program out there, Hilton offers easy pathways to top-tier elite status through a number of credit cards.
The US-issued American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card is an extremely appealing fast-track option to earn Hilton Diamond status. Indeed, it’s one of the strongest hotel rewards cards in all of North America for those who are able to use its ongoing benefits.
In addition to the instant Hilton Diamond status for the entire time the card is open, you’ll also enjoy the following:
A $200 (all figures in USD) flight credit ($50 each quarter)
A Priority Pass membership with an allowance of two guests
All of the above is offered in exchange for a $550 annual fee. As you can see, if you maximize both annual credits, you’ll end up coming out ahead by $50 while also getting to redeem a Free Night Reward (which is valid at Hilton’s top-tier properties) as well as Diamond status to enjoy along all of your Hilton stays.
For those who decide to pursue Hilton status through this avenue, this is a rare “one step and done” opportunity among top-tier hotel elite statuses.
Simply get the card and hold onto it year after year, and you won’t have to worry about qualifying or re-qualifying for Hilton status ever again.
Amex Platinum Card, etc.: Instant Hilton Gold Status
If you’d rather not get into the game of US credit cards, the good news is that you can also earn instant Hilton Gold status via Canadian credit cards too.
Meanwhile, the following US-issued credit cards also offer automatic Hilton Gold status just for having the card:
With the non-co-branded cards on both sides of the border, you’ll need to manually register for the Hilton Gold status benefit upon activating the card. Meanwhile, with the Hilton co-branded cards issued in the US, Gold status will be granted automatically.
Either way, just like the Hilton Diamond status via the Aspire Card, you’ll continue to enjoy the status level for as long as you’re a cardholder without having to qualify the traditional way.
Lastly, it’s worth noting here that the Hilton Surpass and Business card will allow you to upgrade to Diamond status by spending $40,000 on the card in a calendar year, while the no-fee Amex US Hilton Card allows you to upgrade to Gold status by spending $20,000 on the card in a calendar year.
Neither of these spend-based options are particularly attractive, however, when you could simply apply for a higher-tier card in the same family and earn the status instantly.
If you stay eight paid nights at a Hilton property during the 90-day status challenge period, you’ll be able to keep Gold status through the following calendar year, until March of the calendar year after that.
And if you stay a total of 14 paid nights within that 90-day period, you will be upgraded to Diamond status for the same period.
This is an amazing way to quickly earn either Gold or Diamond status with Hilton for those who have an upcoming trip planned, and aren’t looking to sign up for a credit card to earn status. Even if you fail to meet the required nights, you would still have access to all of the Gold benefits for the full 90 days.
In the past, Hilton has also offered some very attractive targeted status challenges. One example, which has long since expired, is when you only needed to spend four nights within 90 days to earn Gold status.
Unlike the regular status challenge, reward nights did count in this case. This would be an exceptionally easy way to earn Gold status, and is definitely worth keeping an eye out for in case it ever comes back and you are eligible.
Earning Hilton Status with Hotel Stays
If you are looking to earn elite status by going the traditional route, you’ll need to actually stay with Hilton hotels regularly in order to qualify.
You would be required to accomplish one of the following three within a calendar year to achieve Gold status:
Stay 40 nights at a Hilton property.
Complete 20 stays at a Hilton property.
Earn 75,000 base points.
For reaching Diamond status the traditional way, you need to complete one of the following within a calendar year:
Stay 60 nights at a Hilton property.
Complete 30 stays at a Hilton property.
Earn 120,000 base points.
Note that stays and nights booked with points or Free Night Rewards also count towards those totals. Additionally, if you book four nights with Hilton Honors points, you will enjoy the Fifth Night Free benefit, further adding another night to the annual amount.
Get a Fifth Night Free when you book using Hilton Honors points
A “stay” is defined as the total number of consecutive nights spent at the same hotel, whether or not a guest checks out and checks back in again.
“Base points” are earned by spending money at Hilton Hotels at a rate of 10 points per $1 (USD). This means that to qualify for status via base points, you’d need to spend $7,500 (USD) for Gold status and $12,000 for Diamond status at Hilton properties.
Unlike qualifying nights and stays, base points can be earned on up to four rooms per stay, as long as all rooms are being paid for by one person. This is another reason to be the helpful friend or family member on the next big trip, as long as they pay you back of course.
Earn extra base points by booking and paying for multiple rooms under your name
It’s also worth noting that Hilton offers “Elite Rollover Nights” for their members who already hold Silver, Gold, and Diamond status.
With this feature, members can carry forward any excess qualifying nights to add to the night total for the next year. Keep in mind, however, that only nights are rolled over: base points and stays are not.
Hilton Diamond members who have stayed a total of 60 nights are able to give the gift Gold status. Meanwhile, Hilton Diamond members who have stayed 100 nights are able to gift Diamond status to someone of their choosing.
Gifted members will have the elite status and all of the accompanying benefits for the next 365 days.
Conclusion
Hilton Honors Gold and Diamond statuses are absolutely worth pursuing, whether you’re a Hilton loyalist or someone who just wants to enjoy useful benefits on the occasional Hilton stay.
For those aspiring to earn the top-tier Hilton Diamond status, the easiest way is through the aptly named Amex US Hilton Aspire Card, which is one of the most powerful travel credit cards in North America.
Whether you’re checking-in to a surprise larger-than-life hotel suite, enjoying another generous helping at an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, or relaxing in an executive lounge with a beverage, earning Hilton Gold or Diamond status can certainly elevate any trip – especially since the status levels are so straightforward to pursue.
On the Amazon reality show “Beast Games,” contestants participated in a potato sack race, tower climbing task, and coin collection challenge, among others, as they competed for a $10 million cash prize, the single biggest prize in the history of television and streaming. The show, which aired the final episode of its first season on February 13, was Amazon’s biggest unscripted show ever, earning 50 million viewers in its first 25 days.
Now Jimmy Donaldson, the 26-year-old creator who is also known on YouTube as MrBeast, is revealing that he lost “tens of millions” of dollars on the show, but that he has no regrets about using his own money to help fill in the gaps in the show.
“I lost a ton of money filming the show,” Donaldson told Steven Bartlett on a “Diary of a CEO” podcast episode released earlier this month. “It was not a good financial decision to make ‘Beast Games’.”
Jimmy Donaldson. Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Donaldson revealed that the first episode alone required over $15 million to construct the set, which consisted of 1,000 towers that were each 10 feet tall. The set of the second episode, meanwhile, took $14 million to build.
Donaldson declined to specify how much the entire 10-episode season cost but said that the show cost more than its $100 million budget overall.
However, when Bartlett asked if he had any regrets, Donaldson said no.
“For me, it was about making season one as good as possible,” Donaldson stated. “I can’t let the YouTube community down.”
According to Donaldson, YouTube creators don’t have a good reputation when it comes to moving over to streaming platforms. He said that even he, as the YouTuber with the most subscribers in the world, struggled to garner interest among streaming executives for his show.
So the stakes weren’t just high for “Beast Games,” they were high for the YouTube community at large, Donaldson said. Now that the show is a success, doors are opening for him and other creators.
“I already know of two creators who have signed deals just based on the success of ‘Beast Games,’ and probably hundreds of millions of dollars [are] going to flow into creators’ pockets just because of ‘Beast Games’ in the next year,” Donaldson claimed.
Donaldson also revealed in the interview that while he may be a billionaire on paper, he actually has less than $1 million in his bank account. Though he gives himself a salary, he ensures it is just enough to cover his personal expenses. He reinvests the rest into his brand.
Beast Games is available exclusively on Prime Video. According to Donaldson, the show attracts about 700,000 new unique viewers every day.
An emotional Joy Reid said she’s “not sorry” that she “went hard on so many issues” as the Donald Trump-bashing anchor broke her silence after getting fired by MSNBC.
“I’ve been through every emotion from, you know anger, rage, disappointment….guilt..that I let my team lose their jobs,” Reid rambled during a 10-minute Zoom call to the podcast “Win With Black Women” on Sunday.
MSNBC host, Joy Reid, was fired on Sunday, ending her five year-old show “The ReidOut.” YouTube / Win With Black Women
Her attacks led President Trump to cheer her ouster, calling Reid a “mentally obnoxious racist.”
But Reid remained defiant on the podcast, which was watched by some 10,000 viewers.
“I’m not sorry. I am not sorry that I stood up for those those things,” Reid said as she ticked off a list of issues her show, “The ReidOut,” regularly covered, including Black Lives Matter, Asian Americans “being targeted,” Gaza and immigrants.
“But in the end, where I really land… is just gratitude. Just pure gratitude and gratitude. Not just because people would take the time to get on a call like this or to take care of me. But also that my show had value.”
Reid was spotted wearing a fur-like coat and green baseball cap as she ducked out of her $1 million Maryland home in exclusive photos taken by The Post shortly after being fired Sunday.
Reid remained defiant during her appearance on the podcast. “Win With Black Women.” YouTube / Win With Black WomenJoy Reid was photographed on Sunday outside her Maryland home. Aristide Economopoulos for NY Post
Reid’s ouster was part of a broader revamp at the struggling cable station, which shuffled a number of other anchors and canceled shows hosted by Ayman Mohyeldin, Katie Phang and Jonathan Capehart.
The overhaul comes as new MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler, whose interim tag was removed this month, puts her stamp on the network after the exit of Rashida Jones.
Sail forth, privateers! Sharpen your cutlasses and load guns with grapeshot!
Well, not exactly. Utah Sen. Mike Lee recently kicked off a conversation about the return of letters of marque and reprisal as a means of striking out against rogue states and non-state bad actors.
In an era of asymmetric warfare, a new breed of US privateers could allow America to fight its enemies where they lurk.
In old-fashioned naval warfare, a government letter of marque allowed a privately funded and operated warship to set sail and seize enemy ships, typically in international waters.
Once vanquished, an enemy ship and its cargo would be taken to a friendly port and adjudicated as legitimate (or not) by a prize court. Legitimate prizes could be sold, and the privateer got to keep the money.
Those bearing a letter of marque couldn’t be considered a pirate, but treated as a prisoner of war.
(Letters of reprisal were similar but more limited, meant for those who had been wronged by a foreign government but couldn’t get satisfaction.)
Lee proposed bringing back letters of marque in a thread on X last month, suggesting them as a tool for going after Mexican drug cartels.
His posts sparked a flood of skull-and-crossbones memes and “avast, me hearties” responses — and serious ones, too.
Erik Prince, for one, founder of the Blackwater private security company (it’s rude to call them “mercenaries”), weighed in to approve of Lee’s approach: “Only a private organization is going to be able to move that decisively with the flexibility required,” Prince told Breitbart News.
On Feb. 13, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) introduced legislation allowing the president to issue letters of marque and reprisal against cartels, which Trump’s State Department has since designated as foreign terror groups.
The US Constitution itself authorizes Congress to approve the issuance of letters of marque. After 9/11, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) proposed them as a means of going after terrorists, and more recently, some analysts have proposed “Cyber Letters of Marque and Reprisal” to pursue hackers.
But how would they work?
In Lee’s vision, Congress would designate trained civilians or established security firms to disrupt targeted supply lines and seize valuable assets without burdening taxpayers or risking US military personnel.
Mexican drug cartels are his first suggested target. They have some boats and even ships hauling drugs into the United States, and sea-based operations could intercept them, just like the privateers of old.
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But most of the talk concerns raiding the cartels on land to seize their vehicles, gold, equipment and enormous hoards of cash. (Selling seized drugs would kind of defeat the purpose, but the US government could buy the drugs at a fair price and destroy them.)
I’m not sure whether Mexico would respect a land-based letter of marque allowing US citizens to raid cartels in its territory. But then, the Mexican government has lost control of much of the territory where cartels operate, so maybe that question is academic.
If Erik Prince thinks it’s doable, well, that’s probably a better-informed opinion on the subject than mine.
But of course some of America’s enemies have ships that keep on operating in the face of US sanctions.
Iran is illegally shipping its oil around the world, flagrantly violating international sanctions, for example.
A fat supertanker full of crude oil would be worth about $150 million for the cargo alone at today’s valuation, and perhaps $100 million for the ship itself. Smaller tankers would be worth less, but still a lot.
At these prices, I can imagine private companies getting interested in becoming America’s sanctions-enforcement arm, especially as Iran doesn’t have a very formidable oceangoing navy.
Ships full of Russian crude are violating sanctions, too, and these days Russia doesn’t have much more of a navy than Iran. If ever we needed to turn the screws on Vladimir Putin, letters of marque could play a role.
We might even take a leaf from the privateers’ books and take a piratical approach in our courtrooms.
A statute called the False Claims Act allows “qui tam” lawsuits against individuals or institutions who make false statements in order to get government funds or contracts — with the reward being part of the contracts’ proceeds.
As universities do their best to thwart Trump’s rules ending DEI programs, they may open themselves to qui tam suits by swearing they have eliminated DEI when they haven’t.
That would unleash a power greater than all of Blackbeard’s pirates: America’s plaintiff’s lawyers. Universities have deep, deep pockets.
Sadly, we’ll see no signal flags, cutting-out actions, or booming 18-pounders if Lee’s brainstorm takes hold.
But in these belt-tightening times, a self-financing tool of either war or policy enforcement looks pretty appealing. Arr, mateys!
Glenn Harlan Reynolds is a professor of law at the University of Tennessee and founder of the InstaPundit.com blog.
Lakers players looked around the meeting room Saturday morning, double-checking with one another to make sure that what they thought they just heard was what JJ Redick actually said.
Did he, the Lakers coach, clearly amped up for their game with Denver later that night, tell his players to go to war and to be “willing to die on the court?”
He sure did.
“We said, ‘We’re going to war’ that night,” forward Rui Hachimura said.
After the Lakers beat Denver 123-100 in one of their best wins of the season, the admittedly “amped” Redick was still preaching intensity.
“If we play that hard for the rest of the regular season, we’re going to be just fine,” Redick told his team postgame. “That should build your belief. It built my belief in what we can accomplish.”
The challenge, of course, is that the NBA schedule doesn’t always provide big games like this one, the Lakers facing a team that knocked them out of the playoffs the last two seasons.
Luckily for the Lakers, there aren’t too many lulls heading their way.
The team begins a stretch of big games Tuesday by hosting the Dallas Mavericks, the first meeting between the two franchises since the Lakers acquired Luka Doncic in a shocking trade.
Coming off his best game as a Laker, the expectation is that Doncic and the team will again summon extra energy for the Mavericks.
“I think he’s going to be excited, but everybody in the locker room is excited,” Dorian Finney-Smith said of Doncic. “We got his back. It’s gonna be a hard-fought game.”
The Lakers host Minnesota, the Clippers twice, New Orleans and New York following Tuesday’s game during a six-game homestand that will basically lead the team into the regular season’s final month. Since an 0-2 Texas trip in early January, the Lakers have been exceptional in big games, with just one of their four losses coming to a team with a winning record, the Clippers. Since that loss, they’ve won seven straight games against teams currently with winning records.
“Just gotta stick together. We’ve been stepping up to the challenge, but that’s part of being a pro is playing every game the same, so we definitely gotta work on that,” Finney-Smith said. “But we’ve been playing hard the last couple of weeks, we gotta keep it going. We just gotta stack wins, try to be the better team going into this last stretch of the season.”
Obviously, there will be plenty of emotion Tuesday with Doncic seeing his former team and the Lakers hosting Dallas with Max Christie and the injured Anthony Davis.
“I think he’ll be fine. I think he’ll be fine,” Redick said of Doncic on Monday. “Every day that he’s been with us it’s becoming a little more normal. I’ve been there. The first time you play your old team, particularly this close in time duration, it’s going to be weird. But he’ll be OK.”
Lakers guard Luka Doncic drives to the basket against Hornets guard Elfrid Payton last week at Crypto.com Arena.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Saturday’s win in Denver began a stretch when the Lakers face nine teams with winning records over an 11-game span. That’s a lot of times to ask a team if they’re willing to “die on the court.”
Redick, though, said the Lakers have done a good job meeting the moments when they’ve come along and he’s not worried about overloading anyone.
“There’s certainly a feel to it, of when to press and when not to press, Redick said. “I would say for me, personally, like watching Dallas’ stuff yesterday, watching some of their games. My kids had their semifinals and finals in a travel tournament that I was at. A lot of time watching basketball yesterday. And I couldn’t wait to come to work today. I can’t wait for tomorrow. And I’ll be excited for Wednesday. Like that’s just, for me personally, that’s just how I know I’m doing the right thing right now. And this is what I thought it would be. And my own sustainability, I’m not worried about that.
“I think as a coach, you just have to gauge the energy of the group and the vibe of the group and know when to press and when not to press. But, we’re preparing. Our guys recognize we’re in a dogfight for playoff seeding right now. We’re preparing for the playoffs and everything we do over the next 27 games.”
That kicks off this week with the scouting combine in Indianapolis, when coaches, scouts and even some team owners converge to evaluate the next wave of talent.
It was at this time last year that teams were sharpening their focus on Louisiana State quarterback Jayden Daniels, who wound up being a phenom for the Washington Commanders, and Florida State pass rusher Jared Verse, star rookie for the Rams, and Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean, who had a pick-six for Philadelphia in the Super Bowl.
This is where prospects begin their transition to pros.
A very early look at how the first round of the NFL draft could unfold:
1. Tennessee Titans: QB Cam Ward, Miami — The Titans need a quarterback and turnover-prone Will Levis isn’t the answer.
2. Cleveland Browns: Edge Abdul Carter, Penn State — Whether Myles Garrett is around or not, the Browns will look to generate more heat off the edge.
3. New York Giants: CB Travis Hunter, Colorado — Hunter is good enough to play wide receiver in the NFL, but he’s more valuable as a corner.
4. New England Patriots: OT Will Campbell, Louisiana State — The Patriots need help almost everywhere, but protecting their talented young quarterback is a good place to start.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: DT Mason Graham, Michigan — The Jaguars need more of an interior pass rush to help their defenders on the edges.
6. Las Vegas Raiders: QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado — Sanders could be the top pick, but if he slips this far he would be a solid building block for Pete Carroll.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders looks to throw against Brigham Young in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28.
(Eric Gay / Associated Press)
7. New York Jets: Edge Mykel Williams, Georgia — Williams could be a bookend to Will McDonald IV and make a considerable impact on the Jets’ defense.
8. Carolina Panthers: Edge Jalon Walker, Georgia — Butkus Award winner would be a strong addition to a Carolina defense in need of help.
9. New Orleans Saints: RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State — Kellen Moore wants a complement to star running back Alvin Kamara. Jeanty is the best ball carrier in this class.
10. Chicago Bears: OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State — If Simmons can prove he has fully bounced back from his knee injury, he could go earlier than some expect.
11. San Francisco 49ers: CB Will Johnson, Michigan — You can never have too many good corners, and Johnson would be a fit for the 49ers, even though they have their starters.
12. Dallas Cowboys: DT Walter Nolen, Mississippi — If Jeanty is off the board, Cowboys would love to land a disruptive defensive tackle with the quickness to get to the quarterback.
13. Miami Dolphins: S Malaki Starks, Georgia — The Dolphins need two starting safeties, and Starks would give them one who could step in and play right away.
Georgia safety Malaki Starks, right, prevents Alabama wide receiver Malik Benson from catching a pass during the SEC championship game on Dec. 2, 2023.
(Mike Stewart / Associated Press)
14. Indianapolis Colts: TE Tyler Warren, Penn State — The Colts collection of tight ends is near the bottom of the league. Warren is a big target who can box out and reel in catches.
15. Atlanta Falcons: Edge Mike Green, Marshall — The acquisition of Matthew Judon didn’t end the Falcons’ quest to ramp up their pass rush.
16. Arizona Cardinals: OT Josh Conerly, Oregon — Conerly, a left tackle, did an excellent job against Big Ten defensive ends last season. That boosted his draft stock.
17. Cincinnati: WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona — The Bengals future of Tee Higgins is murky. Cincinnati needs to keep the cupboard stocked for Joe Burrow.
18. Seattle Seahawks: OT Grey Zabel, North Dakota State — Zabel turned a lot of heads at the Senior Bowl, and NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah sees him as a good fit in Seattle.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Edge Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M — Tampa Bay’s biggest need is edge rusher with modestly productive Joe Tryon-Shoyinka set to become a free agent.
20. Denver Broncos: TE Colston Loveland, Michigan — Sean Payton could wind up with Jim Harbaugh’s old tight end from Michigan.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: WR Luther Burden III, Missouri — Pittsburgh’s quarterback situation is unclear, but the Steelers definitely need help at receiver.
22. Chargers: WR Matthew Golden, Texas — Never hurts to bolster the arsenal for Justin Herbert. Golden is explosive and versatile.
Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden runs with the ball against Kentucky on Nov. 23.
(Eric Gay / Associated Press)
23. Green Bay Packers: CB Shavon Revel Jr., East Carolina — In a division with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Justin Jefferson, the Packers could use more help at corner.
24. Minnesota Vikings: CB Jahdae Barron, Texas — The Vikings might have to make some business decisions in their high-priced secondary. Barron is a particularly sure tackler.
25. Houston Texans: G Tyler Booker, Alabama — C.J. Stroud’s step back in his second season was due in part to upheaval along the offensive line.
26. Rams: OT Kelvin Banks, Texas — Reconstructing their offensive line is a top priority for the Rams, who also have found tons of talent in the middle rounds.
27. Baltimore Ravens: Edge James Pearce Jr., Tennessee — Rich get richer? Ravens were near the top in sacks, but they still want to add to their waves of pass rushers.
28. Detroit Lions: DT Tyleik Williams, Ohio State — The Lions have a lot invested in their defensive line, but Williams would help shore up the middle.
29. Washington Commanders: LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama — The Commanders, who last season added Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu, could use a youth infusion at linebacker.
30. Buffalo Bills: DT Kenneth Grant, Michigan — It’s probably a Buffalo fantasy that the massive Grant would tumble this far.
31. Kansas City Chiefs: G Donovan Jackson, Ohio State — The Chiefs had to reshuffle their offensive line late in the season. They could use help in that unit.
32. Philadelphia Eagles: WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State — What do you get a team that has everything? How about another reliable target for Jalen Hurts?
