Yesterday, the Senate blocked California’s mandate to ban gas vehicle sales by 2035, ruining Gavin Newsom’s latest Bond villain plotline and teeing up a lawsuit on state vs. federal authority. A narrow majority revoked Cali’s EPA waiver using the Congressional Review Act, an unprecedented move that Dr. No-som called an “illegal” scheme by “Republicans” (though, fwiw, 35 House Democrats did also vote against him), and while this means copycat plans in 11 other states are kaput (thank god), Gavro Blofeld has naturally vowed to find workarounds — like filing suit, plus more penalties on gas vehicles. This plan was always unrealistic, of course, and California doesn’t have the infrastructure to support it. But in the end, Gavfinger’s plot failed because he and his fellow ideologues never heeded Pierce Brosnan’s sage advice in the final moments of underrated 1997 Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies: you have to give the people what they actually want. (Gas)

Sam Altman is teaming up with legendary iPhone designer Jony Ive to make OpenAI devices. Who knows if these white, minimalist, Alexa-like blobs (I’m just making stuff up) will be successful. But damn. They definitely sound like threats to the titans — namely, Apple — that’re years into their Innovator’s Dilemma. Maybe that romantic video of Sam and Jony chumming it up in the SF bar was just good marketing, but I actually believed them when they expressed (in another thinly veiled dig at Big Tech) a desire to build with humanity in mind. The OpenAI thingies — seriously, that’s as specific as they’re being — are intended to wean us off the seductive screens that Jony sold us 15 years ago, before Apple’s soul gave way to operational efficiency. That disease might infect OpenAI one day, too, but until then: go get their asses, kings. The disruption that’s underway is righteously deserved.

Tuesday, the Senate unanimously voted to eliminate taxes on tips. The proposal is now part of the Big Beautiful Bill, and — if it passes — my barber will be several thousand dollars richer. (Mark! Big week for you.) 75% of Americans support the measure, which exempts tips of up to $25k/year. But it’s flawed, applying only to people who “traditionally and customarily” earn tips — so servers will get a raise, while equally underpaid dishwashers and line cooks won’t. To me, the whole thing is well-intended but… kind of dumb? If you want working people not to be poor, simply abolish income tax and raise property taxes on anything beyond your first home (let’s just make sure everyone can afford ONE home, okay?). People who own nothing should not have to tithe a portion of their incomes to the government. Meanwhile, we can afford to spend less on grants to study cocaine-addicted quails having sex (real thing).