Chinese sons think their moms fart Chanel No. 5. This is what Awkwafina, the hilarious actress-comedian, says in Crazy Rich Asians. I’ve been thinking about flatulence lately because of the obsession with the fancy prebiotic sodas, like Poppi and Olipop. (Awkwafina named herself after the bottled water Aquafina, not a soda, if you were wondering.) I’ve also been thinking about China because of the new tariffs policy. This quote just happened to combine the two, and the movie is a good one to help explain the big news this week. See more below in the One Thoughtful Paragraph.
For now, please walk outside if you’re feeling gassy. This week’s news may cause some stomach upset:
- On April 1, the massive federal worker layoffs associated with the HHS reorganization began, which are impacting all levels of employees throughout the HHS operating divisions (e.g., CMS, FDA, CDC).
- ASTP/ONC announced it will not enforce requirements for certified health IT vendors to implement the USCDI v3 data standards related to sexual orientation. The enforcement discretion is designed to comply with President Trump’s executive order on gender identity. More here.
- Amid concerns over the privacy of consumers’ genetic data after genetic testing company 23andMe declared bankruptcy, FTC Chairman Ferguson urged any potential buyers of the company to uphold existing data privacy policies.
She’s playing a game of chicken with me. This is what our going-to-get-the-guy heroine, Rachel, says in the movie Crazy Rich Asians, referring to the would-be-mother-in-law’s tactics to get Rachel away from her son and heir to the family fortune. I have a theory that President Trump watched this 2018 film at the White House during his first term. Maybe he wondered why there were so many crazy rich Asians, and that’s why we are having a game-of-chicken tariff war right now (Chinese retaliatory tariffs are 34% so far). It’s not that far-fetched: in one scene, Awkwafina’s wealthy mom is showing off her ostentatious house décor, saying, “We were inspired by the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles.” Awkwafina sheepishly adds “And Donald Trump’s bathroom.” However President Trump came by the idea, experts believe that the tariffs are going to drive up prices in the medtech and other healthcare sectors. I appreciate those who are brave enough explain just what this tariff war will mean to all of us. One of the characters in Crazy Rich Asians appreciates how Rachel is brave enough to stand up to the scary mother-in-law: It’s about time somebody stood up to Auntie Eleanor. But you, not me, oh God. She can’t ever know I was here.
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