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David Ratliff

@reluctantradical.bsky.social
351 followers 85 following 333 posts

For me, three existential threats are top of mind: American fascism, “superintelligence” and climate breakdown. Unless we deal boldly with those triple threats, everything else is pretty much white noise.

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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Prof. Pape is an international political commentator par excellence. He lays out in clear and concise terms how the events in the Gulf region are rapidly coming to a head. The stakes for Iran and the US could not be higher as we approach the midterms. youtu.be/ykN3r9-2iyU?...
youtu.be
Professor Pape: PROOF Trump Is Planning MAJOR Iran Escalation
YouTube video by Breaking Points
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Pictured here is a rogues gallery of tech bros whose multibillions guarantee them privileged access to Trump. Interesting choice of words, too: “The President is going to be absolutely marinating in tech executives today.” Prediction: They’ll cook his goose… and ours. www.cnbc.com/video/2026/0...
cnbc.com
AI execs set to meet with President Trump
President Donald Trump is hosting tech leaders for lunch today to discuss the rapidly advancing development of artificial intelligence. CNBC's Eamon Javers reports.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The real tragedy of war is the human toll. Yet there are other incalculable losses as well. Here, the destruction of so many books by an autocratic regime. As a lifelong book lover, it’s saddening to learn of the wanton incineration of this Ukrainian warehouse. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/w...
nytimes.com
Russian Attacks Destroy Millions of Books, the Heart of Ukrainian Culture
A publisher whose warehouse was hit twice said Moscow “thinks that books are more dangerous for them than military equipment.”
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Looks to me like Treasury Secretary Bessent did a big ole belly flop with his scheme to drive down interest rates by buying long-dated Treasuries. It’s had the opposite effect. Wouldn’t surprise me if Trump fired him at some point to deflect blame. www.cnbc.com/2026/09/24/u...
cnbc.com
30-year Treasury yield hits highest level since 2004 as bond market rout continues
U.S. Treasury yields continued their upward momentum after hitting a 19-year high on Wednesday.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
If I could label any one video as “Required Viewing” as we head into the mid-terms, this would be it. youtu.be/HUtpmQ3j_NQ?...
youtu.be
Professor Pape DIRE WARNING: Most Dangerous Election In History!
YouTube video by Breaking Points
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Will Detroit ever learn? Ford's Super-Duty trucks are powered exclusively by internal combustion engines. These gas-guzzling BATs (Big Ass Trucks) are everywhere in my adopted hometown. The times (climate change & energy shock 4.0?) call for EVs and hybrids, at minimum. www.cnbc.com/2026/09/24/h...
cnbc.com
Hyundai expected to outsell Ford in third quarter as Detroit automakers lack hybrids
Cox analysts said Ford and General Motors are seeing sales lag because they don't have many hybrid vehicles.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
If we Americans want to end fascist oligarchy and arrest global warming… It's. Going. To. Take. A. Revolution. Any step short of that is a slow walk to democratic oblivion and climate catastrophe.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Timely interviews with climate activists, Bill McKibben and Kavita Sthanumurthy. Short of property destruction, I'm much in favor of direct action. Even so, as data center buildouts continue virtually unchecked, we should expect some activists to become more militant. youtu.be/hDpUjf1QmlI?...
youtu.be
Climate Activists Target AI Data Centers & Amazon's Plan to Build Largest U.S. Gas Power Plant
YouTube video by Democracy Now!
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
That this poor excuse of a human being is allowed to grace the stage of the UN, and spew his lies and propaganda to the General Assembly is a gross affront to all that that international body stands for. And his use of genocidal language (“annihilation”) is appalling. www.cnbc.com/video/2026/0...
cnbc.com
Trump: I believe we’ll make a deal with Iran right after the election
President Trump speaks about Iran during his UN General Assembly speech on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This story exposes the more immediate danger of AI. That is, how it insinuates itself into every nook and cranny of American life. Its sinister deployment here only aggravates a growing social harm, namely addictive and legalized sports betting. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/19/b...
nytimes.com
How DraftKings Uses A.I. to Target the Gamblers Likeliest to Lose
Data science helps determine who receives betting incentives, but the company has resisted using similar technology to protect gamblers at risk of addiction.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Extreme heat waves may soon render some outdoor sports unsustainable: witness the recent hydration breaks during the Mens World Cup. When superheated conditions force retrenchment in all manner of games played outside, the toll of climate change might finally sink in. www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/...
espn.com
Nashville turf temps of 157 F melt cleats, send Sirianni for IV
Players cleats were melting and head coach Nick Sirianni needed an IV as a result of extreme heat conditions at Nissan Stadium during Sunday's game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans, a 24-20 Eagles win.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
According to GoFundMe’s 2025 “Year in Help” report, fundraising for essentials had shot up 20 percent last year, monthly bills were the site’s second-fastest-growing category, and two of the six most common words in fundraiser descriptions were “bill” and “food.” jacobin.com/2026/09/infl...
jacobin.com
Americans Are Turning to GoFundMe Just to Get By
It used to be that Americans turned to GoFundMe to pay off their medical bills in a dysfunctional, privatized health care system. Now they’re doing it just to afford groceries.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
A performative announcement meant to burnish Newsom’s political résumé prior to a 2028 presidential run? I totally agree with Bernie’s prescription to “rein in” AI. But there’s only one man with the federal authority to enact it with an executive order. (Fat chance.) www.cnbc.com/2026/09/18/c...
cnbc.com
California Gov. Newsom issues executive order to rein in AI 'before it's too late'
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other 2028 Democratic presidential hopefuls have called for a more aggressive approach to addressing AI fears.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The bank’s deposits were “94 percent uninsured and concentrated in venture capital–backed technology companies,” Bowman said the review found. Me: How can such a lapse happen again in light of the hard lessons “learned” in the wake of the Great Financial Crisis? www.cnbc.com/2026/09/18/f...
cnbc.com
Fed staff should have known Silicon Valley Bank was vulnerable, new report finds
Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said a new report indicates the central bank's staff missed signs ahead of Silicon Valley Bank's 2023 failure.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Don’t look now, but the 10-year US Treasury rate has breached 5 percent, a level last seen prior to the onset of the Great Financial Crisis. www.cnbc.com/2026/09/14/s...
cnbc.com
Dow falls more than 500 points as losses accelerate following a 19-year high in the 10-year Treasury yield: Live updates
The major averages closed lower on Monday as higher bond yields and oil prices kept the market under pressure.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
“What if 50 years from now, having plundered America the Beautiful and destroyed the habitat for the creatures around us, we are plagued by an inconsolable loneliness because so many species have left us?” — Terry Tempest Williams, author of “The Glorians: Visitations From the Holy Ordinary”
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
In my ongoing musical evolution, I came to embrace the blues and jazz genres. The incomparable voice of Cassandra Wilson was one joyful discovery. Here she delivers a wonderful rendition of “Death Letter” by the late legendary bluesman Son House. May she rest in peace. youtu.be/K3tkr47bDlw?...
youtu.be
Cassandra Wilson with George Benson - Death Letter (1998)
YouTube video by Vintage Far East
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Over the course of the US/Israel War on Iran, Professor Pape has pretty much called it right down the line. His vast expertise runs circles around Trump’s military and “intelligence” advisers. His insight about economic sanctions as an effective means of warfare is astute. youtu.be/QwZgox4_cP0?...
youtu.be
Professor Pape RIDICULES Scott Bessents 'Economic D-Day'
YouTube video by Breaking Points
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
It sure would be nice if a slightly revised headline to that of the article below read as follows: “Climate breakdown rage is showing up everywhere from ads to elections” www.cnbc.com/2026/08/20/a...
cnbc.com
AI data center outrage is showing up everywhere from ads to elections
With less than three months until the midterm elections, opposition to AI data centers is becoming a bipartisan rallying cry in a growing number of states.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
www.cnbc.com/2026/08/19/s...
cnbc.com
Dow futures drop 400 points as Treasury yields reverse Bessent-driven decline, Walmart tumbles: Live updates
The S&P 500 snapped a three-session losing streak earlier in the day.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
“Gen Z is often dismissed as apathetic. But interviews with leading scholars suggest otherwise: a generation coming of age amid crises in housing, work, and political institutions is not losing faith in politics but in the promises of capitalism.” jacobin.com/2026/08/gene...
jacobin.com
Gen Z Isn’t Apolitical. It’s Lost Faith in Capitalism.
Gen Z is often dismissed as apathetic. But interviews with leading scholars suggest otherwise: a generation coming of age amid crises in housing, work, and political institutions is not losing faith i...
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
“But this is the crux of it: centrist Democrats are clearly willing to tear apart their own party and hand power to the forces behind Trump, as long as it means stopping the Left from having any power.” An intraparty battle that democratic socialists simply must win. jacobin.com/2026/08/demo...
jacobin.com
Centrist Dems Really Do Hate the Left More Than Trump
The years-old joke goes that centrists fight the Left harder than they fight Donald Trump. It’s no longer a joke: after “rolling over and playing dead” after 2024, centrists like Third Way are now com...
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
As long as investment in fossil fuels is this profitable, we will get more of it, even at the considerable risk of burning up the planet. (Heavy sigh) www.theguardian.com/business/ng-...
theguardian.com
Revealed: major oil firms make $93bn profits amid war and climate crisis
Iran conflict windfall over three months reignites calls for companies ‘cashing in on human misery’ to pay for environmental damage
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
“Chevron: too much money. ExxonMobil: too much money,” Trump said. “They’re going to give some of that back to the public and they better cut the retail price, the consumer price.” “Give”? Windfall profits tax, anyone? www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
Trump accuses oil companies of ‘making too much money’ from his war on Iran
US president hits out at ExxonMobil and Chevron, saying they should ‘give some of that back to the public’
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
“The climate emergency kills,” he said on Monday. “And that’s why it’s not enough to address the consequences, which we do; what we have to do is reduce its causes, anticipate its effects, and, consequently, better prepare our country to protect people’s lives.” www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Climate change kills’: Pedro Sánchez speaks plain truth to Spain’s deniers
PM has long history of speaking out on realities of global heating but political opponents remain unnmoved
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Could a 5% interest rate on the 10-year Treasury be the pinprick that pops the AI bubble? The money manager who is interviewed here seems to think so. (Might be a good time to consult your own financial advisor.) www.cnbc.com/video/2026/0...
cnbc.com
AI bubble will burst if 10-year Treasury moves above 5%, says Breakout Capital's Ruchir Sharma
Ruchir Sharma, Breakout Capital founder, joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss how the credit market is impacting the AI trade, what it means for equities and much more.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
I have long admired Pedro Sanchez, Spain’s prime minister. Here is what he said today about the wildfires raging in his country: “This climate emergency is exceeding every threshold and scale that scientists have long warned Spain and Europe as a whole about.” There, he said it. Climate emergency.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
There’s a warning here for anyone who thinks a peaceful march on Washington will dislodge the Trump regime without encountering similar state repression and violence. We’ve evidence aplenty already with the wanton arrests and killings by ICE. Still, gather we must. jacobin.com/2026/07/indi...
jacobin.com
India’s “Cockroach” Protest Movement Faces State Repression
After weeks of ignored demonstrations, thousands of students, alongside parents, teachers, and supporters from across India marched on Parliament to press their demands. They were met with tear gas, p...
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
“The current freak-out by Donald Trump, J. D. Vance, Marco Rubio, Stephen Miller, and other right-wingers about democratic socialism is quite rational. In socialism, they see a formidable foe.” Me: The red-baiting, sleight of hand by Trumpists may not work this time. jacobin.com/2026/07/soci...
jacobin.com
Trump Attacks Socialism Because He Knows Americans Want It
The current freak-out by Donald Trump, J. D. Vance, Marco Rubio, Stephen Miller, and other right-wingers about democratic socialism is quite rational. In socialism, they see a formidable foe.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
When the •smoke• clears on this dark chapter of American history, we’re going to need a new Constitution—not piecemeal amendments—to create a truly democratic republic. Our “mad king” has made hash of our long-lived founding document with the aid of a servile Congress and a compliant Supreme Court.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Years from now, if the double-barreled risk to the financial markets of A.I. and crypto has precipitated a second crash this century, who gets bailed out? The tech bros and the superrich. Who pays? The vast public with no direct stake in this Mother of All Bubbles. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/13/b...
nytimes.com
Mega I.P.O. Frenzy Could Be a Harbinger of a Stock Bubble
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
“Record-breaking wildfires, extreme heat, and drought are already causing severe misery across vast swathes of our country, and the monstrous El Niño currently building up in the Pacific could literally kill millions. Working people understand these threats.” jacobin.com/2026/05/clim...
jacobin.com
Climate Action Can Win Majorities
Democrats shouldn’t stop talking about climate change — they just need to foreground workers’ affordability concerns in discussions of climate action.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
“When the breakdown is an ongoing fact, something has to be done; it becomes impossible to ignore; the realities of a collapsing climate make themselves felt with escalating severity. Three main options remain…” Their previous book on climate change, The Overshoot, is a keeper. Reading this now.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
This interview with Chris Hedges is well worth watching. Read his books, and you come away with an understanding of how of our politics and culture have led us to an American-style fascism. It was tempting to call him a catastrophist. No, he’s our modern-day Cassandra. youtu.be/e2JOxELra-c?...
youtu.be
MAGA FASCISM IS HERE
YouTube video by Secular Talk
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
For now, the Trump regime is targeting academia, but will it go after Hollywood next, as did the HUAC? If so, who will be the brave resisters now and who the craven collaborators? This was then: Brave: Paul Robeson, Dalton Trumbo Craven: Elia Kazan, Edward Dmytryk jacobin.com/2025/09/poli...
jacobin.com
All of This Because of Political Speech
The University of California’s turning over of dossiers on 160 people under investigation for antisemitism, including Judith Butler, to the Trump administration has strong echoes of McCarthyism.
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Reposted by David Ratliff
David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
It can and it did. It’s inside the Beltway and running riot across the land. Mr. Lewis, we heeded your warning for 90 years. Maybe we should have made your satire into a nice little movie. But that notion was too hot to touch at the time. Never mind that you had an instant bestseller on your hands.
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Adam McKay @ghostpanther.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
This is as surprising as seeing a cow eat grass. It’s just what Dems are. Optics and capitulation.
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Danielle Moodie @daniellemoodie.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
The time for complacency has passed. We see what the #Trump regime wants. #politics youtube.com/shorts/LfyrN...
youtube.com
The time for complacency has passed. We see what the #Trump regime wants. #politics
YouTube video by Danielle Moodie
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Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 25/08/2025
As a Gen Xer who is supposed to be the target of this horror, let me say: Fire this right into the goddamn sun and tell us whoever thought it was a good idea so they can be scorned and shamed forever
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 24/08/2025
"We will not approve wind or farmer destroying Solar," Trump posted… Wednesday. "The days of stupidity are over in the USA!!!" Says he with no hint of self-awareness. No need to set a social satire 500 years into the future. Idiocracy is here and now. www.cnbc.com/2025/08/24/s...
cnbc.com
Solar executives warn that Trump attack on renewables will lead to power crunch that spikes electricity prices
Renewable power executives say difficulty getting permits, rising costs due to tariffs and the end of key tax credits are making it tough to plan.
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Joel Montfort @montfort.me · 21/08/2025
In a surprise to absolutely no one, a Federal Judge has temporarily blocked the posting of the 10 commandments in TX classrooms, stating it violates both the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment. www.aclu.org/press-releas...
aclu.org
Federal Court Temporarily Blocks Texas Law Requiring Ten Commandments in Every Public School Classroom | American Civil Liberties Union
San Antonio, TX. – In a victory for religious freedom and church-state separation, a federal district court issued a preliminary injunction today in...
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Adam McKay @ghostpanther.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
800k members & rising in just a few weeks. That’s equivalent to almost 5 million ppl switching to a new left wing party in US. Bernie,AOC could do this but instead they still support the Dem Party with leaders who use billions in dirty money to block primary challengers from the left.
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Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 16/08/2025
From now on, the Epstein files should be in the last sentence of every post, essay, report, poem, etc. No matter the topic. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The hidden Epstein files stretch far away.
Ozymandias
 
BY PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY
 
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
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Amanda Becker @amandabecker.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
This book club aims to address the children’s literacy crisis while saving libraries 19thnews.org/2025/08/jenn... via @19thnews.org
19thnews.org
This book club aims to address the children’s literacy crisis while saving libraries
Jennifer Siebel Newsom, first partner of California, formed her club to urge young people to read and visit libraries. The problem? Libraries themselves are under Trump's siege.
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David Ratliff @reluctantradical.bsky.social · 10/08/2025
Just what the country needs now: more newly minted billionaires enriched by a speculative technology boom (AI) that is almost certain to reach bubblicious proportions before it goes “pop.” www.cnbc.com/2025/08/10/a...
cnbc.com
AI is creating new billionaires at a record pace
With time, and IPOs, many of today's private AI fortunes will eventually become more liquid, providing a historic opportunity for wealth management firms
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Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
Excellent thread on the crypto snake oil the admin is selling. It might be a good idea to war-game the likely future crypto collapse now to prepare for the damage it will do to the economy, which could be as bad as the 2008 financial crisis. But nah, we'll probably just bail out all these scammers.
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Wajahat Ali @wajali.bsky.social · 26/07/2025
Just speak out against billionaires and income inequality and give solutions for people to make their lives more affordable please.
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“A republic, if you can keep it.” @silverliningunited.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
This disastrous decision doesn’t just gut the federal court’s check on the executive branch, it effectively shrinks the Constitution, turning it into a privilege of the few, not a protection for all. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
“Disaster looms”: Justice Jackson’s warning for the country
The Supreme Court allows presidents to do what judges have ruled illegal.
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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
If you're from Pennsylvania, please pay attention. John Fetterman may -- stress, may -- still be in play for voting to rein in Trump's warmaking authorities. This bill is not likely to pass but it's not entirely impossible. Every Dem must be for it. No bullshit on this.
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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
Perfect: Trump agreeing with the idea of unleashing law enforcement on judges right when the judiciary just capitulated to him bigly. I don't know why this doesn't penetrate with the robed sages but he simply pockets every grant of unchecked power and is only emboldened to pursue more abuses
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