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Meme coins are on the rise in unfamiliar places thanks to Ordinals, the project launched in January on the Bitcoin network. It started with an NFT-like effort to "inscribe" assets like artwork and profile pictures onto Bitcoins blockchain, but soon evolved to support BRC-20 tokens minted using the same protocol.

Now, thanks to the sensation surrounding Ordinal inscriptions and meme tokens on Bitcoinnot to mention the increasingly high network fees that resultedinscribers have brought the latest craze in blockchain to Litecoin and Dogecoin. And in the process, theyve sent daily transaction totals to the moon.

On Wednesday, the three largest proof-of-work blockchains by market capitalization collectively tallied over 2 million daily transactions: 579,260 on Bitcoin, 363,885 on Litecoin, and 1.126 million on Dogecoin alone, per data from BitInfoCharts. Each chain has also marked a respective all-time single-day peak for transactions so far in May.

How did we get here? Ordinals coming to Litecoin and Dogecoin was a natural progression, considering that Litecoin is a fork of Bitcoin and Dogecoin was based on code forked from Litecoin. They're all related, in a sense, and that's what has led to the migration of Ordinals tech from Bitcoin to the others.

Meanwhile, the BRC-20 and subsequent LTC-20 and DRC-20 standards were inspired by Ethereums ERC-20 tokens, allowing developers to create fungible tokens on the blockchains. It was a lighthearted experiment on Bitcoin... until the tokens caught on and nearly reached a collective $1 billion market cap.

Given that, it's no surprise to see the trend catch on elsewhere since. And Ordinals and the resulting meme token frenzy is already having a sizable impact on Litecoin and Dogecoin alike. Here's a look at how it happened.

In January, software engineer Casey Rodamor released the Ordinals protocol, which let users transfer and receive individual satoshisthat is, the smallest denomination of a Bitcoin (1/100,000,000 BTC). The key upgrade here is that they could include inscribed data like videos or images, instead of simply storing transaction data.

In March, Ordinal inscriptions hit a new high after a pseudonymous creator named Domo launched the BRC-20short for "Bitcoin Request for Comment" implementation. BRC-20 allowed the creation of "fungible tokens" on the Bitcoin network, opening the door for anyone to create meme tokens on the original blockchain.

As newer tools and infrastructure have made Ordinals easier to inscribe and handle, the total number of inscriptions has soared, topping 8 million as of this writing. And with over 24,000 BRC-20 tokens minted to date, the total combined market cap is currently over $618 millionand previously neared $1 billion in total. Bitcoin transactions set a single-day record of 682,000 on May 1 amid the meme token frenzy.

Critics of Ordinal inscriptions point to the rising cost of transactions on these blockchains now that blocks are filled with JPEGs and meme tokens, with some going so far as to call it a potential attack vector and that Ordinals and meme tokens should be blocked on the network. However, proponents of Ordinals say that the higher cost help secure the network.

Following the Ordinals-fueled explosion in activity on the Bitcoin network, the inscription protocol made its way to the Litecoin network. Litecoin was launched in 2011 as a fork of the Bitcoin blockchain and was a prominent cryptocurrency for years, though it has been overshadowed at times by newer and buzzier coins.

Ordinals came to Litecoin in February after a challenge from pseudonymous Twitter user Indigo Nakamoto, who initially offered 5 LTC (around $500) to anyone who could port the Ordinals protocol to Litecoinand the prize pool quickly grew. Software engineer Anthony Guerrera launched Litecoin Ordinals after forking the Bitcoin code.

In May, the LTC-20 standard was introduced to Litecoin, bringing meme tokens to the network. Litecoin transactions surged after the addition of Ordinals, going from 100,684 transactions on May 1 to hit an all-time high of 584,836 transactions on May 10. Over 2.6 million Litecoin Ordinals have now been inscribed, according to the Litecoin Foundation.

That same month, meme token and digital artifacts using Ordinal inscriptions made their way to the original meme coin network, Dogecoin, by introducing the DRC-20 standard. Users began filling the blockchain by inscribing tokens into the smallest denomination of a Dogecoin, sometimes referred to as "shibes" or "koinu," after copying the Ordinals protocol to create Doginals.

Dogecoin saw an even heavier surge in activity than its contemporaries, at least in terms of daily transaction volume, which jumped from about 88,000 on Monday to over 1.1 million on Wednesday. Not everyone is convinced that the trend is strong enough to last, however.

Something like this cannot become a real feature because it has not had enough thought given to it, Dogecoin core developer Patrick LoddertoldDecrypt this week. Furthermore, he believes that the impact on the broader network will cool the hype, adding that sustained and growing pressure on Dogecoin will cause this to die off quickly."

Editor's note: This article was updated after publication to clarify the terms used to describe the smallest unit of a Dogecoin.

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Meme Tokens and NFTs Took Over BitcoinNow It's Happening on ... - Decrypt

Over the past few months, the likelihood of a recession in the United States economy has increased, coinciding with the Federal Reserves efforts to address the challenge of containing inflation.

Amid mounting concerns, Bloombergs senior commodity strategist, Mike McGlone, has asserted that all indicators suggest an inevitable recession is on the horizon.

According to McGlone, the economy is tilting towards a recession, pointing to factors such as the Federal Reserves tightening policies, underscored by the interest rate hikes, he said during an interview with Blockworks Macro on May 17.

We are tilting down towards a severe recession that hasnt even started, and all the indications are right now. <> Theres nothing I see on the radar up close that what can stop this downward trajectory at the moment, he said.

He pointed out that some indicators include potential earnings contraction, stagnant market performance, declining natural gas and copper prices, and historically low unemployment rates.

At the same time, despite expectations of a turnaround once the Federal Reserve implements monetary easing in response to its tight policies, the strategist predicts that such a reversal is unlikely based on historical patterns. Indeed, he projected a challenging future for most investment products, such as cryptocurrencies and equities.

Moreover, McGlone anticipates a challenging phase for altcoins, foreseeing a substantial correction as the stock market undergoes a downward trajectory.

The strategist also offered insight into Bitcoin (BTC), suggesting it is poised to establish a new bear market bottom amid this period of market turbulence. Interestingly, he anticipates a market downturn that will likely wipe out most cryptocurrencies.

My base case is [the S&P 500 index] is going to 3,000, Bitcoins going to go down, I dont know how far. It might make a new low. <> Cryptos will go down real hard. Were going to purge some of these 24,000 cryptos. Get rid of some. Theyre just silly. But Bitcoin, Ethereum will come out ahead, he added.

McGlone asserts that despite a stock market crash, Bitcoins performance is unlikely to surpass that of other assets.

If we dont go down the stock market, I dont fully expect Bitcoin to outperform in that case. So theres kind of a win-win, he said.

In the meantime, Bitcoin continues to trade below $27,000 after failing to build momentum above $30,000. By press time, the maiden cryptocurrency was trading at $26,894.

Disclaimer:The content on this site should not be considered investment advice. Investing is speculative. When investing, your capital is at risk.

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'Severe recession' unavoidable, finance expert warns, shares ... - Finbold - Finance in Bold

Secretary Hillary Clinton defended her friend and former colleague Senator Dianne Feinstein, whose advanced age and failing health have prompted calls for her to resign from the Senate, saying that Feinsteins resignation would not be worth the tradeoff when it comes to judicial appointments.

In a wide-ranging interview Monday at the Chicago Humanities Festival, I asked the former Secretary of State why so many of her fellow Democrats were staying in office well into their 80s, even as the party has strengthened its bench of young talent. I specifically asked about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who refused to retire under a Democratic president and whose death at age 87 in September 2020 gave President Donald Trump a third Supreme Court appointment, and Feinstein, age 89, whose absence from the Senate for months has prompted questions about her fitness to serve. Clinton said she had a very negative response to my question.

Let me say a word about my friend and longtime colleague Dianne Feinstein, she continued. First of all, she has suffered greatly from the bout of shingles and encephalitis that she endured. Here is the dilemma for her: she got reelected, the people of California voted for her again, not very long ago. That was the voters decision to vote for her, and she has been a remarkable and very effective leader.

Heres the dilemma: the Republicans will not agree to add someone else to the Judiciary Committee if she retires, she continued, referencing Feinsteins powerful committee membership. (When Feinstein was absent from the Senate for nearly three months this year recovering from health issues, it created a logjam on the narrowly divided Judiciary Committee, since Democrats were unable to confirm President Joe Bidens judicial nominees without Republican support.) I want you to think about how crummy that is. I dont know in her heart about whether she really would or wouldnt, but right now, she cant. Because if were going to get judges confirmed, which is one of the most important continuing obligations that we have, then we cannot afford to have her seat vacant.

If Republicans were to say and do the decent thing and say, well this woman was gravely ill, she had just lost her husband to cancer of course we will let you fill this position if she retires. But they wont say that, she continued. So what are we supposed to do? All these people pushing her to retire: fine, we get no more judges? I dont think thats a good tradeoff.

Read More: Why Dianne Feinstein Shouldnt Quit

When I asked her again about the broader question of whether Democrats have allowed their leadership to get too old, she pushed back. I do not believe in broad questions about age, Clinton, age 75, said, adding that she also didnt believe in term limits. If you dont want to vote for somebody, dont vote for them. But dont impose some artificial check on the voters. I dont buy this whole debate. And frankly, a lot of the people pushing it, I dont understand what their real agenda is, because part of it is a bank shot against Joe Biden. And I think Joe Biden has done a very good job.

The comments came shortly after Clinton appeared at the Financial Times Weekend Festival in Washington D.C., where she was asked about the moment Biden, age 80, almost fell during the G-7 summit in Japan. There, she acknowledged his age could be an issue in the election. Well, I mean, its a concern for anyone. And weve had presidents whove fallen before who are a lot younger, and people didnt go into heart palpitations, Clinton responded. But his age is an issue. And people have every right to consider it.

At the Chicago Humanities Festival, Clinton did not mince words when she spoke about former President Donald Trump, age 76, currently running for president again in 2024. You have to think of him not as a former president or even as a presidential candidate so much as a cult leader, she said. He has a hold on a significant portion of the Republican Party.

He will most likely be the Republican nominee again, she continued. And be defeated by Joe Biden again.

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Write to Charlotte Alter at charlotte.alter@time.com.

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Hillary Clinton Says Dianne Feinstein Shouldn't Resign - TIME

Good Tuesday morning, Illinois. And what a pleasure to meet the deputy ambassadors of the EU countries based in D.C. who are visiting Chicago. I hope you get a chance to try the deep dish.

Hillary Clinton acknowledges the applause at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago with interviewer Charlotte Alter on Monday, May 22, 2023. | POLITICO's Shia Kapos

Hillary Clinton played all the hits at the Riviera in Chicago on Monday.

Striking a chord: The former U.S. senator, secretary of state and presidential candidate called former President Donald Trump a cult leader who will likely win the GOP presidential nomination. She pushed back at a question about older lawmakers not knowing when to hang it up.

And Clinton took vindication in a New York Times report that the Trump administration spent four years investigating the Clinton Foundation and didnt find a file a single charge.

Singing the blues: Of course, Clinton talked about feeling crummy about losing the 2016 election and disbelief after the 2020 election so dystopian, she said. And she hopes that bipartisanship can one day be a reality.

I remain an optimist, but an optimist who worries a lot, said Clinton, echoing her friend, the late Madeleine Albright.

The Q&A: Clintons comments came during an interview with Charlotte Alter, a Time correspondent and granddaughter of the late Joanne Alter, who in 1968 was the first woman to win a countywide election in Chicago when she was elected in commissioner for the Metropolitan Sanitary District,

The Chicago Humanities Festival sponsored the event, which was held at the 2,500-seat Riviera Theatre, built in the early 1900s as a movie theater.

First lady of Illinois MK Pritzker, who with husband Gov. JB Pritzker was a major donor to Clintons presidential campaign, attended Mondays event. The first lady also hosted a reception for Clinton at her home. The governor was in Springfield, where lawmakers are still trying to nail down a budget.

On Trump, Clinton said hell benefit from the winner-take-all rule that most GOP primaries follow in awarding delegates. So, he will most likely become the Republican nominee again, and he will be defeated by Joe Biden, Clinton said to applause from the crowd.

On ageism: Alter, who is 33, referred to Democratic disconnect with the younger generation and asked why smart people often make sort of foolish retirement choices. Specifically, Alter pointed to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and to Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Clinton bristled. You know, I have a very negative response to that question, she said, adding Ginsberg was energetic and sharp to the end and made the same judgment that a lot of men have made about staying on the job. Ginsberg had planned to retire had Clinton been elected president, Clinton noted.

As for Feinstein, Clinton said the Democratic senator from California has suffered greatly from the bout of shingles and encephalitis. But the real challenge is that Republicans will not agree to add someone else to the Judiciary Committee if she retires, Clinton said. Right now, she cant if were going to get judges confirmed.

SPOTTED: All the big names attended the reception for Clinton at the Pritzkers Chicago home: Ariel Investments John Rogers Jr., Black Opal CEO Desire Rogers, Johnson Publishing veteran Linda Johnson Rice, Conlon Public Strategies Kevin Conlon, businessman Kevin OKeefe, Northwestern Universitys Valerie Alexander, real estate developer Elzie Higginbottom, restaurateurs Karen and Phil Stefani, businessman Lee Miller, SPAAN Tech CEO Smita Shah, commentator Laura Schwartz, state Rep. Margaret Croke, attorney Lisa Duarte, businessman Raj Fernando, DSC Logistics CEO Ann Drake, business consultant Donna Zarcone, AmeriCorps board member Leslie Bluhm and environmentalist Wendy Abrams.

GUN TALK: Illinois and Chicago are strict about trying to clamp down on guns, yet crime rates are still higher than they should be. The thinking is that guns are harder to curb when theyre brought in from other states.

So when those states address gun issues, Illinois watches.

In Memphis, Tenn., federal investigators and local law enforcement officers are trying to slow down the proliferation of switches as a way to curb gun violence, according to The Associated Press. Illinois has already done that. Switches are devices that convert semiautomatic firearms into machine guns.

And get this: The Tennessee legislature is also planning a special session to focus on gun-related legislation. So what, you say, Illinois Democratic-led legislature has already done that. Yes, but Tennessees legislature is controlled by Republicans.

If you are MK Pritzker, Playbook would like to know what was on the menu for Hillary Clintons visit. Email [emailprotected].

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At the Sagawau Environmental Learning Center at 10 a.m. to preside over a meeting of the Forest Preserves.

Thank you for reading Illinois Playbook! Drop me a line sometime: [emailprotected]

Senate passes Don Harmons bill to end courtroom venue shopping: The bill says only courtrooms in Sangamon and Cook counties can hear cases alleging a constitutional violation brought on by legislation or executive orders. Its to prevent efforts to take cases to counties that are more sympathetic, reports State Journal-Registers Patrick Keck.

Lawmakers approve bill requiring schools to notify parents of bullying within 24 hours, by NBC 5s Matt Stefanski

State Sen. Mattie Hunter celebrates resolution creating task force on Black immigrants, via The Defender

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Chicagos top cop ends training agreement with Texas firm with ties to ex-police superintendent: Professional Law Enforcement Training has been paid more than $1.3 million and is owned by a colleague of former Chicago Police Supt. David Brown, by Sun-Times Tom Schuba.

Dozens of new immigrants joining Chicago Public Schools as school year nears end: As many as 50 immigrant children staying temporarily at Piotrowski Park joined Zapata Academy in South Lawndale, and about a dozen youths may enroll in Little Village Lawndale High School, by Sun-Times Michael Loria.

Environmental racism is real. Ask Chicago: Like many cities, its coping with brownfields, pollution and minority neighborhoods with ill-health conditions, by Merrill Goozner for Washington Monthly.

FYI: Indicted former Ald. Carrie Austin is collecting more than $114K annual city pension, records show, via WTTWs Heather Cherone and Jared Rutecki

Northwest Sides Marshall Fields complex is being transformed into a film studio, by Tribunes Brian J. Rogal

Millennium Park fox family is the latest Chicago wildlife to go viral, by Sun-Times Emmanuel Camarillo

Deal would allow Schaumburg police to access school cameras in emergencies, by Daily Heralds Eric Peterson

Bloomingdale mayor leads effort to go big in remaking Stratford Square, by Daily Heralds Katlyn Smith

We asked what you remember from your first day on the job.

Lisa Brasch: My boss left a vase of fresh cut lilacs on my new desk.

Lucas Hawley: I started at the Board of Review as an analyst on the same day as a Cook County Board meeting, so I was able to stop by and surprise Commissioner Deborah Sims, who I knew when I was going to school.

Conny Moody: As an analyst for the Illinois Bureau of the Budget (now called GOMB), I was handed a $1 billion proposed budget for a state agency and being told Please analyze this and be ready to present your analysis to Director [Joan] Walters at the end of the week. I met the deadline!

Jennifer Olaya, with the Illinois Secretary of State Securities Department: I was conferencing a case that was going to trial when one of the lawyers asked me, How long have you been working here? I looked at the courtroom clock and said, about 10 minutes. I ended up working at that job for six years!

Golnar Teimouri, former policy adviser to the mayor: On my first day at City Hall straight from Mayor Lori Lightfoots inauguration, I asked where the coffee was. I was told, Honey, this is the government. You go buy your own coffee.

Alison Pure-Slovin: Meeting the founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Rabbi Marvin Hier, in his L.A. office. I noticed the two Academy Awards he won for Holocaust documentaries and he then pointed me to the nearby bookcase, saying, what keeps the spirit of the Jewish people alive is contained in our sacred books, not the shiny awards

When do you always pick the same seat? Email [emailprotected]

Bruce Rauner, the former governor of Illinois, is weighing in on education issues in Florida, where hes now a resident, via South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Kara Demirjian Huss has been appointed to the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board. In her day job, Demirjian Huss is VP and global marketing director for TCCI Manufacturing, a technology and electric vehicle component manufacturing firm.

Driver arrested and Nazi flag seized after truck crashes into security barriers near the White House, via NBC News

Why the debt talks are McCarthys second job interview, by POLITICOs Olivia Beavers

Blood in the water for DeSantis: Trump world embraces Tim Scotts candidacy, by POLITICOs Meridith McGraw

Many transgender health bills came from a handful of far-right interest groups, The Associated Press finds

Exclusive: Paul Whelan tells CNN hes confident wheels are turning toward his release

COLUMN: Vivek Ramaswamy came to Chicagos South Shore to talk migrants. South Shore mostly stayed away, writes Sun-Times Rummana Hussain

Lesbian Icon Marge Summit Dies At 87: She was a community organizer and bar owner, who forced people to reckon with their prejudice against LGBTQ+ people in creative ways, writes Block Clubs Kayleigh Padar.

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When you offer a path to success for employees, they tend to take you up on it. The result is helping people achieve economic mobility and creating a culture of people who love their work.

In fact, 38,000 part-timers advanced to full-time positions between August 2018 and December 2022. And about 55% of our management team started in union jobs.

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Boston Scientific has added Sarah Macchiarola as director of international affairs and Whitney Craig as director of federal affairs. Macchiarola was VP of federal policy and government relations at the Illinois Health and Hospital Association. Craig was VP of federal affairs at AHIP.

MONDAYs ANSWER: Congrats to Matthew Beaudet for being first to answer that in 1842, William Bissell, a partner at Bissell and Shields law firm, was offended by a letter that Abraham Lincoln wrote to a local newspaper, so he challenged Lincoln to a duel. Lincoln accepted, though the two resolved the issue before it came down to a fight. In 1850, now Congressman Bissell infuriated Jefferson Davis, who challenged Bissell to a duel. Davis then decided against it.

TODAYs QUESTION: How many publicly elected Chicago mayors became publicly elected Chicago aldermen after serving as mayor? Email [emailprotected]

Chicago Buildings Department Commissioner Matthew Beaudet, who celebrates the big 6-0; Barrington Hills Plan Commissioner Kelly Mazeski, former Congressman Tom Corcoran and Jeremy Ennis, chief of staff to state Rep. Maurice West.

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Hillary Clinton live at the Riviera - POLITICO - POLITICO

THE BUZZ: If you want to finish first, declaring first can help. Just ask Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis.

Kounalakis is announcing that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Sen. Barbara Boxer are endorsing her gubernatorial bid, roughly three years before the first votes will be tallied. Those blessings from widely-recognized Democrats build Kounalakis credibility and nurture a sense of momentum that TBD-candidates cant claim. Those kinds of things can sway insiders with outsize campaign clout.

They wont attract the notice of California voters who arent watching the nascent 2026 campaign or reading this newsletter you know, normal people. But theyre certainly on the radar of people who can move money, marshal endorsements and help determine who prevails in the 2026 gubernatorial race.

Its a world Kounalakis knows well. She became the Obama administrations ambassador to Hungary in part because of her Democratic fundraising acumen. Her San Francisco apartment was a fixture of the West Coast big check circuit. Kounalakis then-neighbor and major money-mover, Susie Tompkins Buell, has already maxed out to Eleni 2026, as have criminal justice benefactor M. Quinn Delaney, tech titan Sheryl Sandberg and the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. The tribe, at the urging of Kounalakis last year, steered $5 million to enshrine abortion rights in Californias constitution.

Money isnt everything. But its both a necessity for a statewide campaign and an indicator of viability in the early days when a field is still coalescing. Kounalakis also had $4.4 million left over from her re-election campaign at the end of 2022 and a father developer Angelo Tsakopoulos who sunk millions of dollars into his daughters 2018 LG bid and presumably has some money left for 2026.

Shell have competition. Former State Controller Betty Yee has said shell run, and Attorney General Rob Bonta has publicly acknowledged his interest without committing to a run. Both would bring the recognition and connections that come with statewide office. Yee has deepened those connections as a California Democratic Party official; Bonta has broad support among criminal justice reformers and has telegraphed a focus on housing.

But Bonta would need to give up a second term as AG, since hes up for re-election in 2026. Yee would need to re-introduce herself to voters. Both start with less cash on hand than Kounalakis, particularly Yee. That gap could grow, as could the endorsement count. What happens in 2023 is already determining what will happen in 2026.

BUENOS DAS, good Thursday morning. The California Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments today in Chevrons challenge to Monterey Countys ban on oil and gas extraction a 2016 initiative that was supported by Assembly Speaker-elect Robert Rivas when he was a county supervisor. The high court is also expected to rule on a law limiting campaign contributions from players with business before local government.

Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit us up at [emailprotected] and [emailprotected] or follow us on Twitter @JeremyBWhite and @Lara_Korte.

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WHERES GAVIN? In Richmond talking about his clean energy agenda.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: We will not hesitate to use the tools we have in our toolbox to prosecute. However, I strongly want to emphasize that the fentanyl crisis cant be solved solely by prosecution tools, and I certainly want to emphasize that our crisis cant be solved by the failed war-on-drug policies of the past. Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton during a legislative hearing on fentanyl.

WERE HIRING POLITICO is embarking on an exciting expansion in the Golden State and looking for another journalist to join our growing team as a California Playbook author. More in the job description here.

As, Nevada leaders reach tentative ballpark agreement, by The Associated Press Gabe Stern: The tentative agreement outlined in a joint statement indicates a funding bill will be introduced in the Nevada Legislature in the coming days, giving lawmakers less than two weeks to consider it before the session ends. The threat of a special legislative session looms if lawmakers cant agree on the terms by June 5.

Porter campaign privately pitches Dems to look beyond Schiffs money, by POLITICOs Christopher Cadelago: Among donors and some Democrats close to Porter, theres creeping fear that Schiffs sizable cash advantage and support from the likes of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could quickly harden the narrative with insiders that hes the prohibitive frontrunner for 2024 even if early public and private polls dont actually bear that out.

Musk, Thiel, Sacks and the new techy conservatives DeSantis needs to capture, by POLITICOs Ben Schreckinger: Ron DeSantis has found a lane. Now he has to find out if its wide enough to drive a winning campaign through. With Donald Trump holding a lock on the populist right, and the remnants of the GOP establishment split between several low-polling alternatives, Ron DeSantis is casting in his lot with a third group: very online, anti-woke Silicon Valley moguls.

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Californias health care minimum wage bill gets a haircut, by POLITICOs Rachel Bluth: In a session thats been dominated by talks of dire hospital finances and closing facilities, the minimum wage proposal fiercely fought by hospital interests always faced an uphill battle from moderate and rural Democrats. Slowing implementation may be what it takes to get it over the finish line.

Corporate landlords California buying spree alarms tenants: I only earn enough to pay the rent, by CalMatters Alejandro Lazo and Wendy Fry: Two years ago, Blackstone bought a portfolio of 66 relatively low-rent apartment buildings in San Diego County from a well-known charitable foundation for $1.48 billion. This year, tenants of those 5,800 dwellings say theyre worried about rent increases, maintenance issues and potential evictions.

Its time to honor a pioneering California woman badly mistreated in her day, opines Erwin Chemerinsky in The Sacramento Bee: It is long overdue to remember and honor Rose Bird, the first woman to serve as a member of a governors cabinet and the first woman to serve as chief justice of the California Supreme Court. A resolution now pending in the California legislature, Senate Concurrent Resolution 47, introduced by Senator Steve Glazer (D-Orinda), would do just that by renaming a rose garden plaza outside the State Capitol in Birds honor.

The luxury shopping oasis emerging in San Franciscos struggling downtown, by The Wall Street Journals Jim Carlton and Suzanne Kapner: Full tour buses are rumbling again through Union Square, this citys most well-known retail area, and business is brisk at high-end luxury stores. But one thing is still largely missing: local residents.

Survivors of solitary confinement face the California governors veto pen, by Bolts Piper French: With no movement since lawmakers passed the solitary reforms last year, advocates for ending the practice including Morris and other survivors of prolonged solitary confinement are once again urging Newsom to support the Mandela reforms, which have been filed again for this legislative session under Assembly Bill 280.

At L.A. City College, student reporters decry censorship at public, on-campus events, by the Los Angeles Times Melissa Gomez.

Not what it used to be: How downtown Oaklands recovery compares to San Franciscos, by the San Francisco Chronicles Sarah Ravani and Roland Li.

Sacramento County supervisors approve big raises for themselves. Heres how much they make, by The Sacramento Bees Ariane Lange.

California girls face anti-trans attacks as they head to track championship, by the San Francisco Chronicles Marisa Ingemi.

Kenneth Anger dies: Underground film pioneer influenced Scorsese, Lynch, by the Los Angeles Times Alex Dobuzinskis.

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Kaiser Permanente is a value-based, integrated health care system that delivers equitable, high-quality, affordable care and coverage. Our highly sought-after physicians are solely focused on our members and are empowered to provide innovative, evidence-based care that helps keep people healthy and solves some of the most difficult challenges in medicine.

The result is exceptional value for our members, patients and communities. Thats why Kaiser Permanente is annually recognized among the top hospitals, medical groups and health plans in the nation. See all that health care can be at kp.org/allcarecanbe.

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