We’re clueless about the health of half the population

Plus: Google and Apple's GeminiPhone. [Bloomberg]( This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, an egregiously belated investment of Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions. [Sign up here](. Today’s Agenda - [Menopause]( is a major [unknown](. - Google and Apple mull a [GeminiPhone](. - [Russia and China]( are far from alone. - A [new trade war]( would hurt the ozone. The Great Mystery of Menopause Not that I’m keeping a list or anything, but here’s Reason #7,385,482 Why Women Run the World: Humans are some of the longest-living animals because of menopause. As [painful]( as the end of your (or your wife/sister/mother/daughter’s) menstrual cycle may be, the hot-flashes, insomnia and hair loss that come with menopause aren’t just some cruel trick of Mother Nature: It’s [evolution]( at work. “The fact that female humans lose fertility while still remaining vigorous and strong is extremely rare — most other animals keep reproducing until they are near death,” F.D. Flam [writes](. Only five other species — all of them toothed whales — have females that live [well beyond]( their reproductive years. Of course, some men in the Republican Party prefer to believe that women exist for the sole purpose of childbearing. In recent years, we’ve witnessed the GOP embrace the [Ballerina Farm-ification]( of America, where women marry rich and pop out children like PEZ dispensers. In this world, women nurse their babies while foraging greens in the meadow. They do postnatal yoga while baking sourdough. They wash laundry while [prepping dinner](. They draw the kiddos a bath while pouring their husband a drink. And they’ll do it all again the next day with a smile plastered on their face. But it’s a fallacy. Most mothers will never step foot in [Katie Britt’s kitchen](. The “[trad wife](” lifestyle, while real for a minuscule portion of the leisure class, is [a parody]( of the outdated past for the rest of us. The social safety net for women in this country is threadbare. We are routinely denied the most basic of benefits, Kathryn Anne Edwards [argues]( (free read). There’s no paid time off for childbirth, no [mandatory]( coverage of maternal care and no support for early childhood [education](. “The failure to change America’s policies amounts to an endorsement of the status quo, in which being a mother is [dangerous](, difficult and expensive,” she writes. President Biden hopes to change that. This morning, his administration [announced]( a $12 billion fund to improve our understanding of — and ideally treatments for — women’s health. “It’s a welcome, if egregiously belated investment by the US government,” Lisa Jarvis [writes](. For too long, the wellness of women has been [largely ignored]( by both politicians and the scientific community, to devastating effect. If we were to reduce the time women spend in poor health by just 25%, the economy [could save]( $1 trillion. “Biden’s women’s health initiative pays special attention to the midlife period, an area where the health gap feels most critical,” she notes. Here’s hoping that menopause-related whale research is just the tip of the iceberg. Bonus Politics Reading: - Free read: Scranton, Pennsylvania [is thriving]( under the Biden administration. — Matthew A. Winkler - Biden has good ideas on taxes and spending. There’s just [one problem](. — Bloomberg’s editorial board GeminiPhone I spent 91 minutes of my weekend watching Lindsay Lohan’s new Netflix rom-com Irish Wish. The film — if you can call it that — is [an absolute mess](, with Vulture [calling it]( a “crypto-fascist, AI-generated harbinger of doom.” But did anyone [expect]( it to win an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay? The plot is plagued by [a mess of tropes]( and the costume designer dressed Lohan in an ungodly amount of yellow, but I didn’t care about any of that. Really, all I wanted was a mind-numbingly simple story about bitter rivals catching feelings for each other, and that’s exactly what I got, plus a choreographed yet [culturally questionable]( Irish jig. But “enemies-to-lovers” stories are few and far between in real life, which might be why the business world started hyperventilating this morning when they caught wind of a potential new partnership between longtime adversaries Apple and Google. Although the tech companies are by no means on the cusp of a romantic relationship, they might be getting into bed together, if [news about]( Google bringing Gemini AI to Apple’s iPhone comes to fruition. The “GeminiPhone” — a nickname Dave Lee [hopes]( sticks purely because he knows Tim Cook will absolutely hate it — could give Apple devices the cutting-edge flair the company needs in the new era of artificial intelligence. “By bringing Gemini to iPhone, it will not only get millions more potential users but affluent ones who might pay a premium to use advanced AI. More users means more data, and more data means a better, more valuable product,” Dave [writes]( (free read). The CEOs of both companies have something to gain from the collaboration. Sundar Pichai, for his part, could use Apple’s treasure trove of iPhone users to improve Google’s Gemini model, which recently [depicted]( George Washington as a Black man. And Cook — who hasn’t had a compelling “story” on artificial intelligence — could use the new deal to get Apple investors off his back. In my mind, it’s got all the necessary underpinnings of a bingeable Netflix movie. Now just need to figure out which character Lindsay Lohan will play. Bonus AI Reading: A new breed of bad actors [using AI to scam people]( on social media presents a unique challenge for Big Tech. — Parmy Olson Telltale Charts Speaking of united enemies: Russia and China “don’t share much beyond illiberal rule and resentment of American might,” Hal Brands [writes](, but their desire to collapse the international status quo is eerily reminiscent of World War II. “Russia has accelerated China’s military ascendance by selling it advanced aircraft, missiles and air defenses — and now through shadowy technological partnerships meant to hasten development of sensitive capabilities.” Not helping the situation is the West’s unending appetite for electric cars, solar panels and cellphones. “In a world riven by great-power conflict, economic decoupling, high inflation, and worries that the interests of capital are being put ahead of workers, an obvious enemy can emerge: technology,” David Fickling [writes](. But it would be a major mistake to return to the isolationist stance now. “To confront the common global challenge of a warming planet, every part of the world needs to work in unison,” he argues. Telltale Photo On a more positive note, here’s some good news for you to start the week. Scientists have found a way to shrink glioblastomas, the deadly brain tumors that claimed the lives of John McCain and Beau Biden. Independent teams at [Massachusetts General Hospital](, [the University of Pennsylvania]( and [City of Hope]( Cancer Center were able to shrink the tumors with dramatic speed. In the Mass General study, for example, one patient’s tumor was nearly 20% smaller after just 48 hours — and in just over two months it had decreased in size by some 60%. “That’s an astounding result for this aggressive and universally fatal form of cancer,” Lisa Jarvis [writes](. Further Reading Free read: Trump’s [financial squeeze]( intensifies his threat to national security. — Tim O’Brien Going at it alone isn’t a Covid strategy. Just [ask Florida](. — Mary Ellen Klas San Francisco isn’t [abandoning liberalism](, it’s trying to save it. — Frank Barry The Supreme Court’s [unanimous ruling]( on social media blocking is a win for pragmatism. — Noah Feldman The Fed’s [last mile to 2% inflation]( needs to be run with economic well-being in mind. — Mohamed A. El-Erian India’s Modi may be the world's [most popular leader]( because he looks beyond his base. — Mihir Sharma Making the fees associated with [selling a home]( less daunting would encourage transactions. — Conor Sen ICYMI Elon Musk [says ketamine]( is good for Tesla. Stanley [wants men]( to buy its cups, too. YouTube added an [AI content labeling]( tool. TMZ obtained [a video]( of Kate Middleton. Kickers [Tandsmør]( is my new favorite word. DNA tests reveal [the prevalence]( of incest. The [Gardner Museum heist]( remains unsolved. [Kitten season]( is out of control. (h/t Mark Gongloff) Black NASA employees [went viral]( in the best way. (h/t Jhodie-Ann Williams) Notes: Please send butter on bread and feedback to Jessica Karl at jkarl9@bloomberg.net. [Sign up here]( and follow us on [Threads](, [TikTok](, [Twitter](, [Instagram]( and [Facebook](. Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. [Learn more](. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Opinion Today newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. 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