Good Morning. The FDA restricted 17 peptides in 2023. RFK Jr. wants them back. We break down the gray market caught in the middle.
We also cover Italy’s hangover cure, Ukraine's satellite advantage, and the world's happiest parenting philosophy (forwarded this email? Join 523k readers).
TOP STORY TODAY
RFK's Peptide Push
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is preparing to allow compounding pharmacies to produce peptides currently restricted by the FDA. The FDA reclassified roughly 17 peptides in 2023 citing safety concerns, pushing buyers toward an unregulated gray market of largely Chinese-sourced products.
Kennedy, who has publicly called himself a fan of peptide therapies, argues existing restrictions created the gray market rather than eliminated it. The administration's proposed path includes enforcement discretion, meaning the FDA would stop penalizing compounders producing unapproved peptides under specific conditions.
Critics warn that easing access to untested treatments creates new safety risks. Two women were hospitalized after receiving peptide injections at a Las Vegas antiaging conference last year. What is the Wolverine Stack?
Ukraine’s Satellite Edge
SpaceX cut Russian forces' Starlink internet access in February, limiting their battlefield communications and drone coordination. Ukraine subsequently retook roughly 150 square miles in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, marking Kyiv's largest domestic territorial gains in over two years (WSJ).
Russia had been illegally obtaining Starlink terminals through middlemen in other countries. Losing access forced Russian commanders to rely on interceptable radio communications, giving Ukrainian forces advance intelligence on troop movements.
Russia is now building workarounds using cables, alternative satellite services, and efforts to fraudulently register terminals. Ukrainian troops estimate Russian coordination has recovered to around 60% of pre-cutoff levels.
Fast Food Bots
A McDonald's location in Shanghai is testing humanoid robots in customer-facing roles, alongside other machines designed to greet and entertain diners. The robots, supplied by Chinese firm Keenon Robotics, handle basic front-of-house tasks.
China faces a labor paradox: businesses struggle to fill positions even as youth unemployment remains high. Meanwhile, an aging population is shrinking the overall workforce, making automation potentially complementary to human labor rather than purely competitive.
Analysts expect a hybrid model near-term, with humans managing most operations while robots handle limited public-facing roles. Broader deployment remains years away, as the technology is not yet capable of fully replacing human workers (video).
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TODAY’S LIFE ADVICE
Advice from Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris, martial artist, actor, and cultural icon, died March 19 in Hawaii. He was 86. Just nine days earlier, he posted a video sparring, captioning it: "I don't age. I level up."
▶ He left behind a philosophy as powerful as his kick:
"Men are like steel. When they lose their temper, they lose their worth."
"You are not what has happened to you. You are what you choose to become."
"A lot of people give up just before they're about to make it."
"If you want to accomplish anything, you can't just sit back and hope it will happen."
The Danish Way of Parenting
▶ Jessica Alexander, author of The Danish Way of Parenting, argues Denmark's decades-long happiness ranking traces back to how children are raised. Core principles include:
unstructured free play
age-appropriate honesty about difficult topics
empathy over ultimatums
and nurturing self-esteem alongside achievement.
Danish children start school and learn to read later than American kids. Research suggests this reduces anxiety while building stronger self-confidence, critical thinking, and emotional resilience over time (video interview).
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