The Morning Sixpack Podcast: Power Plays, Debt Spirals and Billion-Dollar Grudges
Welcome to today’s rundown—where world leaders text like teenagers, Congress burns cash like it’s on clearance, and billionaires sue each other over sums that could fund small galaxies. Let’s get into it.
Trump Revives Greenland Ambitions in Text Spat with Norway’s PM
A terse transatlantic text exchange revealed President Trump is still fixated on Greenland, framing it as essential to U.S. security and NATO’s obligations. Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Stoere tried to initiate a calming call, but Trump fired back with grievances about the Nobel Peace Prize and insisted America needs “Complete and Total Control of Greenland.” Stoere wanted diplomacy; Trump wanted real estate—again.
America’s Debt Clock Is Basically a Jet Engine Now
The U.S. national debt is climbing at about $71,800 per second, rocketing toward $39 trillion with no fiscal brakes in sight. Treasury data shows Washington added more than $2 trillion in just one year, and Congress is scrambling to avoid yet another shutdown. Lawmakers talk austerity, but the spending habits say otherwise—future taxpayers might want to start stretching.
CBS Airs Shelved “60 Minutes” Deportation Story After Internal Clash
A month after CBS pulled a “60 Minutes” segment on Trump-era deportations, the network finally aired it—minus any mention of its internal political brawl. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi had accused CBS leadership of caving to political pressure, while the piece itself changed only slightly. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has grown increasingly cozy with CBS, raising more than a few eyebrows about who’s steering which ship.
Team Trump Shows Up to Davos Like It’s a Victory Parade
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hit Davos with full-throated American swagger, previewing Trump’s arrival and hammering global elites along the way. The message: U.S. exceptionalism is back, Europe shouldn’t meddle with America’s Greenland ambitions, and “the smart money is on America.” This year’s World Economic Forum looks less like a diplomatic gathering and more like a branded roadshow.
Musk Wants Up to $134 Billion from OpenAI—even Though He’s Already Worth $700 Billion
Elon Musk is demanding up to $134 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming the company abandoned its nonprofit mission and defrauded him. An expert witness argues Musk deserves a massive slice of OpenAI’s valuation based on his original $38 million donation. But given Musk’s $700 billion fortune, OpenAI labels the lawsuit “harassment,” not financial harm. The trial lands in April, and the fireworks have already begun.
Trump Invites Putin to His Gaza “Board of Peace,” Prompting Global Whiplash
Trump has invited Vladimir Putin—and other strongmen—to join a new board overseeing Gaza’s reconstruction, calling it the “Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled.” Leaders from Belarus, Hungary, Turkey, Argentina, Egypt and India have also received billion-dollar-seat invitations. Critics warn the board could overshadow the UN’s role, while the invite to Putin signals an extraordinary geopolitical re-entry for a leader still shunned over Ukraine.
Thanks for listening—this week’s stories prove that when it comes to power, money and global stagecraft, subtlety is the first casualty. Tune in tomorrow for more of the news the world pretends not to read but absolutely does.
