Important new piece in @TheEconomist on the future of rainforests. Key messages: both governance and money are needed. I provided perspective on the missing money question. We need the carbon market to fund the state-wide programs in Br Amazon as a start economist.com/international/…

An American hero. Please retweet if you agree

Many of Trump's ambassadors, including this one, have been a disgrace, as I wrote here: theatlantic.com/newsletters/…

The biggest free trade deal in the world started on May 1. 5,000 products from Brazil now enter Europe with zero tariff. Here is the part nobody is talking about... Most Brazilian exporters do not know how to file the paperwork. I am not exaggerating. Every shipment to Europe now needs a special document called a "statement of origin." The exporter writes a short paragraph on the invoice. They include their CNPJ. They sign it. That is the document that turns a 35% tariff into 0%. Most Brazilian small and medium companies have never done this before. They have never sold under a free trade agreement. There has never been one with Europe to sell under. Until last Friday. Here is what makes this wild... The document is valid for 12 months. The buyer in Europe can claim the zero tariff up to 2 years after the shipment arrives. The exporter just has to know how to write it correctly. If they get it wrong, the shipment pays the old tariff. If they get it right, they save thousands of euros per container. Same product. Same buyer. Same boat. Two completely different prices. One piece of paper decides which one. The cooperatives in southern Brazil are ready. They have lawyers, customs brokers, and compliance teams. The mid-size industrial exporter in Joinville or Caxias do Sul is not ready. They are about to find out their German customer expects them to provide the document. The German customer cannot claim the zero tariff without it. So the German customer will start buying from whoever provides the document fastest. This is the part of the deal that nobody is reporting. The deal is real. The opportunity is real. The paperwork is the gate. Whoever learns how to file the paperwork first wins the European customer for the next ten years. Day Two of the biggest trade deal in the world started yesterday. Most operators are still trying to figure out which form to use. Read the full Operational Playbook here: x.com/drewcrawford_/status/2…

In 2006 a high school English teacher asked students to write to a famous author & ask for advice. KURT VONNEGUT (who left us 19yrs ago today) was the only one to respond. His reply was a doozy.

How would you react if you witnessed this?

This is absolutely brilliant. ♥️ 🎶🎻

Pope Francis was the rare leader who made us want to be better people. In his humility and his gestures at once simple and profound – embracing the sick, ministering to the homeless, washing the feet of young prisoners – he shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we are all bound by moral obligations to God and one another. Today, Michelle and I mourn with everyone around the world – Catholic and non-Catholic alike – who drew strength and inspiration from the Pope’s example. May we continue to heed his call to “never remain on the sidelines of this march of living hope.”

Agree with @ArmandDoma

Excellent thread showing just one of the ways in which the reckless dismantling of USAID is weakening the US on the international stage

🧵Twelve conceptual 'problems' that make dealing with climate change super difficult:

Wisconsin ain’t playing around.🤌🔥

Despite the Trump Administration confirming the texts were real, the GOP has launched an all-out assault to attack and smear Atlantic Editor Jeffrey Goldberg for holding the administration accountable. RETWEET if you stand with Goldberg against the GOP!

Wow -- Jim Himes during a heated exchange with Will Cain on Fox News: "I'm not gonna listen to to you tell me that this about a partisan advantage ... it is by the grace of God that we don't have dead pilots of sunken ships right now ... it makes me want to throw up to hear you turn this into a partisan issue. You just need to stop this."

Rep. Mike Levin: I had the opportunity to have a hearing with the head of the Army Corps of Engineers. They were the ones who ultimately let two billion gallons of water flow from those dams down to a dry lake bed, where much of it simply evaporated. It never made its way to LA—and we now know that the Army Corps knew it was never going to. That water is desperately needed for our farmers and agriculture, especially if the next few months are dry. The other thing you should know is that the LA wildfires were 100% contained when Trump made that reckless and irresponsible decision. My concern is that while the Army Corps of Engineers are skilled professionals, they must follow the science, the engineering, and common sense—and actually listen to the community.

Agreed

Wow!

We are Americans. We are the most powerful nation on the planet. What defines us is not our power to dominate the weak. What demonstrates our character is not our capacity to traumatize the afflicted. What speaks our truth is not how we taunt, deride or belittle the embattled, broken or battered. We are: The country of the Marshall Plan The nation of The Berlin Airlift The nation whose leader said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” We are at our best when we are resolute against evil -- not when we kowtow to those who perpetrate it. We tell our truth when we defend the weak -- not when we do it only if we get protection money. We are America when our leaders call the dictators dictators and those who fight to defend democracy against tyranny what they are: heroes. Donald Trump and JD Vance didn't show strength today -- they showed weakness. They belittled a giant and showed just how small they are. They have the most vaunted titles in the world: President and Vice President of The United States of America. But the title doesn't make the man. And today both men brought shame to their titles. A weary warrior was before them. A beleaguered man who has lost thousands of his friends and comrades to the unjust and illegal aggression of an authoritarian leader. They showed no grace; no magnanimity of spirit; no diplomatic acumen. They were small bullies with big titles and they disrespected the history and legacy of the nation they lead. Today, Donald Trump acted more like Russia's Putin than America's President.

In a world of trump, who doesn't even remember the bs he said 3 days before, be a Zelenskyi 💪🇺🇦

RETWEET if you stand with Ukraine and President Zelenskyy!

RETWEET if you stand with President Zelensky!