What I Read This Week...

Billions of dollars are being laundered through international airports, the FCC votes to restore net neutrality, and American women are giving birth at record low rates

Chamath Palihapitiya

Apr 28, 2024

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Caught My Eye…

Billions of dollars in dirty money is flying under the radar at the world’s busiest airports - the UK’s London Heathrow and Dubai International Airport. How is this happening? While the UK requires passengers to inform customs if they are leaving the country with more than ~$10,000, like most global airports, they only scan checked bags for explosives and other dangerous items. Smugglers are using checked bags to transport vast sums of money to countries like Dubai, which permit any amount of money to enter the country as long as it is declared.
The FCC has voted to restore ‘net neutrality’ rules that prevent broadband internet providers like AT&T and Verizon from favoring some websites and applications over others. The order was first introduced in 2015 by the Obama administration before being repealed by President Trump in 2017. Net neutrality rules ban broadband providers from practices like throttling internet traffic to favor business partners or hinder competitors. While it has been nearly seven years since net neutrality was repealed, several states published their own net-neutrality measures prior to 2015 which have remained in force since.
American women are giving birth at record-low rates. The total fertility rate in the U.S. fell to just 1.62 births per woman in 2023, marking the lowest rate recorded since the 1930s when the government first began tracking this statistic. Women are choosing to have fewer children and have children later in life as they establish fulfilling careers and have more access to contraception. By waiting to have children later, women may be having fewer children than they otherwise would for different reasons including declining fertility.