It's Thursday, February the 13th, 2025, and this is the Daily Article Podcast.

I'm Chris Elkins, narrating today's daily article written by Denison Forum co-founder and CEO, Dr. Jim Denison.

President Trump announced on Truth Social yesterday that he had a lengthy and highly productive

phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia as they discussed ending the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy later said he had also spoken with Mr. Trump about a, quote, lasting, reliable

peace. According to Mr. Trump, a meeting is being set up for tomorrow at an annual security

conference in Munich, with talks led by Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

If a just end could be found to this horrific war, millions in Ukraine

and Russia would obviously be spared further violence. However, unless you live in those nations,

you are probably reading this news more out of general interest than existential engagement.

By contrast, this ABC News headline is guaranteed to catch everyone's eye.

Chances of asteroid striking Earth in the next decade has nearly doubled, NASA says.

The asteroid, discovered just after Christmas, could strike our planet on December 22nd, 2032.

The rock measures as much as a football field in diameter,

if it were to directly hit a city, millions could die. There's no way to be sure you and I won't be

in that number. Here's the part the headline leaves out, however. The odds of being impacted by

the asteroid have only risen from 1.3% to

2.1%, but still, you'd rather they be 0%, as would I. Over the next seven years, we'll have

plenty more to worry about, from the threat of a bird flu pandemic, to fears of nuclear war, annihilation by AI, and

who knows what threats we don't know yet. We didn't know about the COVID-19 pandemic until we did,

and it caused life expectancy to drop across the U.S. According to Sigmund Freud, quote,

Our unconscious does not believe in its own death.

...