Hot links 24 Jan 2026

‘Repatriate the gold’: German economists advise withdrawal from US vaults Shift in relations and unpredictability of Donald Trump make it ‘risky to store so much gold in the US’, say experts The Guardian

In this Trump era, we need satire more than ever. Just don’t expect it to save democracy | Alexander Hurst The problem was identified as long ago as 2000 by the US economist Paul Krugman. He castigated the press for being “fanatically determined to seem even-handed”, to the point they were unwilling to call out outrageous untruths. “If a presidential candidate were to declare that the Earth is flat,” Krugman wrote, “you would be sure to see a news analysis under the headline Shape of the Planet: Both Sides Have a Point.” The Guardian

It’s time to upgrade the home to Matter and Thread Marxy writes about the quiet frustration of “simple” home automation. A few sunset-timed lights and voice-controlled switches should be easy, yet Wi-Fi devices are often flaky and painful to set up. A new common standard, Matter, backed by Apple and Google, promises to change that. Read on to find a smarter way.