1. Aid Workers Freed - After six years of captivity, an American aid worker who served as a missionary and as a humanitarian aid worker was freed in Niger. The story is one that surely places life in perspective.
2. Shoehei Ohtani - Ohtani sure is fun on the big stage, huh? MLB has one of the most entertaining athletes on the globe. Let's hope they can capitalize on that.
2a. Team Japan - I won't get into the wars of baseball here, but it sure was fun to watch Japan's approach to baseball throughout the tournament. There's a lot to be said about how they play the game, more so, how they teach the game.
2c. World Baseball Classic - Ohtani vs. Trout to end the tournament. You couldn't have drawn up a better script. I completely expect the next one to be just as good.
3. Adam Sandler - Say what you want about Sandler - fan or not - receiving the Mark Twain Prize for his almost-three decades of work is pretty remarkable. I actually had the privilege to meet Sandler as a frequent visitor at NYU - such a down-to-earth human being.
3 Down
1. Mississippi Tornado - Absolutely devastated. Tornadoes have picked up all over our nation with extreme weather changes. What makes this so tough is the destruction it has caused in one of the nation's poorest neighborhoods.
2. Denver High School Shooting - School shootings just keep happening. Now, we don't even blink an eye. Something HAS to be done.
3. Trump Focus - All of the Trump noise is once again here. Ugh. I don't care if you're a supporter or not a fan, but the fascination and coverage on various platforms with Trump is annoying. I don't even find humor in it anymore.
3 Interesting
1. Shou Zi Chew Questioning - Five hours of questioning is absolutely intense. On top of that was the obvious notion that many of our elected officials really have no idea how some of these platforms work, or how they are harmful. Some of the questions came across as uninformed, but doing so because its on the political ticket.
2. Google Bard - Ah yes, Google has entered the A.I. chat space. Just...great.
3. US/Canada Border - Immigration is often too much of a hot topic when election periods are present. Gone under the radar is this story of the US/Canada looking to mitigate asylum seekers in both countries. A lot of mixed messaging on immigration in our politics. Especially, from Dems.
Cover Photo
Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, prepares to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 23, 2023, in Washington, D.C.