Trumpdate (5.10.24):
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
NEWS NEWS
Neuralink Setback: Neuralink's brain implant, the Link, experienced a malfunction in its first human patient, reducing its effectiveness.
Barron Trump's Political Debut: Barron Trump will serve as a Florida delegate at the Republican National Convention, marking his first major political role.
Fortenberry Charges: Former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) has been charged again for allegedly lying to investigators during a campaign finance probe.
Israel/Hamas Negotiations: CIA director, Israel, and Hamas left Egypt talks without reaching a deal.
Tax Cut Costs: Extending expiring tax provisions could add $4 trillion to the deficit through 2034.
TikTok's Legal Challenge: TikTok argues in court that it can't divest from China because the Chinese government won't allow it.
NOT NEWS NEWS
US Arms for Israel: The US provides 65.6% of arms to Israel.
Renewables Update: Australia has the highest per-capita solar generation, with renewables making up 30% of global power.
R&D Statistics: New experimental statistics show R&D activity accounted for 2.3% of the U.S. economy in 2021.
Israeli Singer Controversy: Israeli Eurovision singer Eden Golan faces protests in Malmo, with calls for her exclusion.
Progressive Biden: A small percentage of voters who think Biden isn't progressive enough receive disproportionate media attention.
NOT NEWS NEWS
NEW NEWS
1.) CNBC: Neuralink’s first in-human brain implant has experienced a problem, company says
Elon Musk's startup Neuralink recently disclosed that part of its brain implant, the Link, malfunctioned after being implanted in a human patient for the first time. The Link, a brain-computer interface (BCI) designed to help paralyzed patients control external technology with their minds, was implanted in a 29-year-old patient named Noland Arbaugh in January as part of a safety study. Despite the initial success of the surgery, some of the device's threads retracted from Arbaugh's brain in the following weeks, reducing the number of effective electrodes and hindering the company's ability to measure the Link's speed and accuracy. Neuralink modified its recording algorithm and user interface to address the issue, and while the problem hasn't posed a direct risk to Arbaugh's safety, the company faces a long road of testing before potentially gaining FDA approval for commercialization.
[TS] Although Musk has been ripe for mockery recently, I do hope his company figures these out and advances the tech. It could meaningfully improve people’s lives.
2.) NBC: Barron Trump to step into the political arena as a Florida delegate at the Republican convention.
Barron Trump, the youngest child of former President Donald Trump, has been selected as one of Florida's at-large delegates to the Republican National Convention. This will be Barron's highest-profile political role to date, as he has largely been kept out of the political spotlight until now. The Trump family will have a significant impact on Florida's RNC delegation, with Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Tiffany Trump also serving as at-large delegates. Despite Governor Ron DeSantis running for the GOP presidential nomination, the Florida Republican Party has largely lined up behind Trump, with several of his top supporters also being approved as RNC at-large delegates.
[TS] I suppose this means he’s off limits…
3.) POLITICO: Federal prosecutors reissue criminal charges against ex-Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE).
Former Republican Representative Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska has been charged again by federal prosecutors in Washington for allegedly lying to investigators during a campaign finance probe into illegal contributions made by a Nigerian billionaire. Fortenberry was previously convicted of the same charges in 2022, but the conviction was reversed, and his spokesperson criticized the Justice Department for being "overzealous" in pursuing the case after Fortenberry had already resigned from Congress and served his sentence.
[TS] Ok, this isn’t major news or anything, but one of my all time favorite political “incidents” happened with this rep. See below:
Which was repeated:
[TS] Childish? Yes. Hilarious? Yes.
[UPDATE] The Fortenberry case goes to Judge McFadden, a Trump appointee.
4.) AL-MONITOR: CIA director, Israel and Hamas leave Egypt talks with no deal reached
After representatives of Hamas and the United States left Cairo, the Israeli delegation also departed on Thursday as sources told Kan news agency that "irreconcilable gaps" had emerged between the parties.
5.) CRFB: Tax Cut Extensions Could Cost $4 Trillion or More
According to new Joint Committee on Taxation estimates published by US CBO, extending the expiring or changing elements of the TCJA could add $4 trillion to the deficit, plus interest, through 2034.
Extending the expanded ACA health insurance subsidies and other expiring tax provisions could add another $550 billion to the deficit.
And growing discretionary appropriations with economic output instead of inflation could cost $1.2 trillion more.
6.) NYT: TikTok’s legal challenge
[TS] One of the reasons TikTok argues in federal court they can’t divest from china is… because the Chinese government won’t allow it:
Not a good look for those who said TikTok isn’t CCP controlled. This clearly points to Bytedance being subject to Chinese law.
NOT NEWS NEWS
7.) BBC: How important are US arms supplies for Israel?
8.) [TS] I noted yesterday that renewables makeup 30% of global power — I should have included an additional graph.
Australia really stand out on the solar graph. Per-capita generation doubled from 2019-2023, reaching the highest levels of any country ever, and makes up 17% of all the country's electricity:
[RELATED] Guardian: World’s top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5C target
9.) BEA: Experimental R&D Value Added Statistics for the U.S. and States Now Available
Research and development activity accounted for 2.3 percent of the U.S. economy in 2021, according to new experimental statistics released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. R&D as a share of each state’s gross domestic product, or GDP, ranged from 0.3 percent in Louisiana and Wyoming to 6.3 percent in New Mexico, home to federally funded Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories.
[TS]. Nuclear tests reverberating through history in New Mexico. Also, CA alone accounts for a third(!) of US R&D:
10.) Israeli Eurovision singer Eden Golan is ordered to stay in her hotel room by her security team as thousands of pro-Palestine protesters including keffiyeh-wearing Greta Thunberg gather in Malmo, calling for her to be excluded.
[TS] This just doesn’t make any sense. Just because she’s Israeli you’re going to boycott her? Makes as much sense as boycotting a Russian business in the US because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
[SEMI-RELATED] What the hell is wrong with the Michigan’s Libertarian party?
[SEMI-RELATED 2] Gangs of Jewish settlers under the control of the Israeli government are making roads unusable to prevent humanitarian aid convoys from reaching Gaza.
[TS] Disgusting behavior. It should not go without consequences.
[SEMI-RELATED 3] Trump: “If any jewish person voted for Joe Biden, they should be ashamed of themselves.”
11.) The eleven percent of voters who think Biden isn’t progressive enough receive a level of media attention that is very disproportionate to their numbers.
