After gutting long-time running initiatives to counter China's influence globally, the Trump administration is preparing to ramp up funding by hundreds of millions of dollars to restart some of those programs. read more
For a year now, the AI safety testing firm Andon Labs has given frontier models various real-world tasks to determine how well they do as agents running for long periods with no human supervision. On Wednesday, Andon published a new installment in how things are going in its Vending-Bench research, where the lab has frontier models run a simulated vending machine business for a simulated year.
"A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon you're talking real money." read more
The appeals panel agreed with a federal judge that it could not block the executive order until its proposals have been enacted. read more
President Donald Trump said he will ask the US Supreme Court to revive his failed lawsuit accusing Hillary Clinton ... read more
China is reported to be sending rocket launchers to Iran.
Russia is reported to be providing satellite imagery to assist Iran in the targeting of US military bases in the area.
Meanwhile Pres Trump's war of choice with Iran seems to be spreading further in the Middle East, possibly pulling in Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea area...
Is Pres Trump's war of choice with Iran slowly turning into a proxy war among world powers?
Then there's this ...
Trump claims Harris guaranteed' to get US into World War III (October 2024)
thehill.com
... Former President Trump claimed that Vice President Harris is "guaranteed" to get the United States into World War III if she is elected president, continuing intense rhetoric common throughout the 2024 campaign. ...
Another view ...
US economic growth slows in second quarter, but domestic demand robust
www.reuters.com
... Consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, surged at a 3.2% rate after abruptly slowing to a 0.5% growth pace in the January-March quarter.[emphasis mine]
In addition to larger tax refunds, spending was boosted by higher-income households that are benefiting from strong growth in asset prices, but a recent stock market sell-off could slow the momentum. The recently ended FIFA World Cup tournament also likely added to the strength as did midterm election-related spending by nonprofits.
The AI investment boom, which is showing no signs of slowing despite investor concerns that valuations of many technology companies have become stretched, also helped to boost domestic demand. Business spending on equipment increased at a 15.2% pace, notching a second straight quarter of double-digit growth. ...
@#28 ... I don't think his approval will ever drop below 30 points, which I've said ever since living 20+ years in Trump Country. ...
Along those lines ...
Poll: Trump's MAGA voters would stick by a candidate through the most serious of scandals
www.politico.com
... Americans are largely tolerant of scandals among politicians. But nobody is more willing to stick by an embattled candidate than a MAGA voter.
The POLITICO Poll finds President Donald Trump's MAGA supporters are the most loyal of any group of voters -- with majorities saying they would stick by GOP candidates confronted with an array of scandals, from a DUI conviction or accepting lobbyist gifts to more serious accusations including domestic violence, sexual assault and antisemitic social media posts.
...
Americans are down on the economy and concerned about costs: Polls
abcnews.com
... As the U.S. concludes its fifth month of conflict in Iran, which has caused oil shortages, driven up energy prices and increased inflation, majorities of Americans say they are very concerned about the cost of things they buy, rate the economy negatively and expect it to get worse, according to several polls conducted this month.
The findings reflect a deeply pessimistic economic mood as the country heads to the November midterm elections. CNN polling found just 23% of Americans rating the economy as good and 77% rating it poorly. The Pew Research Center found about three-quarters rating economic conditions negatively and Fox News polling found three-quarters rating the economy negatively, including 41% calling it poor.
Concern over costs
Inflation rose 3.5% in June compared to a year earlier, a relief from the prior month's rate of 4.2%, but Americans are still exceptionally worried about prices.
Majorities of Americans in the Pew poll said they were "very concerned" about the cost of healthcare (69%), the price of food and consumer goods (66%), the cost of housing (64%), the price of gasoline (56%) and the price of electricity (54%). ...
Yeah, I've been seeing these headlines scroll by.
But not being a football (in the non-US sense of the word) fan, I didn't know what was happening.
From the original AP article that CNN is citing ...
apnews.com
... FIFA said in a statement FFE would raise up to $4.2 billion later this year to help fund development programs "based on an initial equity valuation of $20 billion by carefully selecting long-term investors who will purchase minority, non-controlling interests."
FIFA is working with J.P. Morgan while intended investors include Thrive Eternal launched by Joshua Kushner, whose brother Jared Kushner is a son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The men's World Cup that finished this month only deepened the political and personal ties between Trump and Infantino, and fueled concerns about those ties including from UEFA.
"The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade -- especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially," UEFA said Tuesday, responding to the reports of selling stakes in FIFA competitions. ...
@#22
Another song from the Purple Rain soundtrack ...
Prince and the Revolution - When Doves Cry (1984)
www.youtube.com
Purple Rain (film)
en.wikipedia.org(film)#Music
... The film is tied into the album of the same name, which spawned two chart-topping singles, "When Doves Cry" and the opening number "Let's Go Crazy", as well as "Purple Rain", which reached number two. The film won an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score.
The soundtrack sold over 15 million copies in the United States alone, and 25 million worldwide.[22] ...
@#6 ... Ask our farmers. ...
Good point.
But then there's this ...
Trump's $12 billion farmer bailout is a Band-Aid on a bigger wound' the American agriculture industry is still reeling from (December 2025)
fortune.com
... President Donald Trump has delivered on his promise to provide aid to U.S. farmers hit by his sweeping tariff policy, but that hasn't freed the agriculture industry from worries of tight margins and volatile markets.
On Monday, Trump, alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, and National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett, announced a $12 billion farm aid program, which outlined much-needed relief for farmers who sounded the alarms about increasing input costs and fewer export opportunities amid ongoing trade tensions. Farmers will begin receiving funds by the end of February, Rollins said.
"Now we're once again in a position where a president is able to put farmers first," Trump said at a Monday roundtable of farmers and lawmakers. "But unfortunately, I'm the only president that does that."
While farmers and agricultural economists see the package as a way to move forward after a disappointing harvest season, they fear the precedent of cash bailouts does not provide systemic solutions to a beleaguered industry, and they don't believe the $12 billion gesture is enough to solve agriculture's deeper challenges.
"We're talking $12 billion, and while it is a lot of money, in the grand scheme of things, it's still going to be a Band-Aid on a bigger wound," Ryan Loy, assistant professor and extension economist for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, told Fortune. "How can we triage this situation right now, work on that longer-term solution? That's really, I think, the overall attitude toward it." ...
Trump defends Fauci relationship despite White House efforts to discredit him (2020)
www.nbcnews.com
Trump offers praise for absent Fauci: He's a good man' (2020)
thehill.com
Trump: "I really don't know who gave (Dr. Anthony Fauci) the commendation." (2023)
politifact.com