onfocus

GOP leaders to the rank-and-file down to the libertarian-leaning Rand Paul offered no criticism Monday of Trump’s tactics over the weekend. And some said they wouldn’t put a timeline on the National Guard’s presence in the state given the uncertainty of future demonstrations.

Ah yes, the libertarian wing of the Republican party that famously wants to increase the scope and power of the federal government through invading states with military forces against the wishes of local leaders. Their supposed libertarian principles don’t hold up very well in the face of fascism.

Bessent continued: “I am certain most California businesses know that failing to pay taxes owed to the Treasury constitutes tax evasion and have no intention of following the dangerous path Governor Gavin Newsom is threatening.”

Now they’re concerned about collecting taxes? Maybe wasn’t such a good idea to fire thousands at the IRS?

“It’s important we respect the executive authority of our country’s governors to manage their National Guards — and we stand with Governor Newsom who has made it clear that violence is unacceptable and that local authorities should be able to do their jobs without the chaos of this federal interference and intimidation.”

State's rights, amirite? I know it's tiring to point out Republican hypocrisy but I'm tired.

“It’s the Constitution. James Madison wrote it that way, and it was very explicit,” Bacon said of Congress’ power over trade. “And I get the emergency powers, but I think it’s being abused. When you’re trying to do tariff policy for 80 countries, that’s policy, not emergency action.”

If everything is an unusual and extraordinary threat from abroad then that phrase isn't meaningful.

That being said, there's no excuse for how everybody covered this Jony Ive fiasco. Even if you think this device ships, it took very little time and energy to establish how little Jony Ive has done since leaving Apple, and only a little more time to work out exactly how ridiculous everything about it.

Righteous rant from Edward Zitron about fawning, credulous OpenAi coverage.

The reality is that there is no rational basis for this spate of actions. These guys just can’t help themselves. The urge to dominate people and institutions and make them conform to Trump’s will is just too strong for them to resist. Even when the result is that they will lose, and lose again, and lose again.

Yeah, even with the Project 2025 blueprint, authoritarian compulsion seems to explain some of their more inexplicable actions better than a comprehensive strategy.

Proving the superiority of some humans over others has repeatedly failed; what better way to continue the effort than the deployment of technology that makes proof of anything impossible, such that making something true requires only the right person to declare it so.

I think this article article helps bring many background assumptions of the AI mindset into the foreground. I've found thinking about AI as an ideology rather than a technology helps me process our current moment. Highly recommended.

"With today's decision, it seems as if the court has truly lost its moorings," she said. In the process, she added, the court is creating "grave privacy risks for millions of Americans."

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson raising the alarm about the Supreme Court enabling executive overreach.

Millions of healthy adults and kids will likely lose access to updated vaccines under the new criteria. Prasad and Makary say there’s not enough evidence that healthy kids and adults get clinically meaningful benefit from regular Covid-19 shots. They want to see placebo-controlled trials, particularly in adults ages 50 to 64, before recommending the shots for other groups.

Get a covid booster now while you can. They're taking the option away from us which is more eugenics-thinking in action. In the future please vote for people who want other people to suffer less.

In a 2023 recording surfaced by ProPublica, Trump budget director Russell Vought said, “We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected. When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as the villains.”

This is going to be great for future recruitment. They really are salting the earth as they dismantle the US government.

All of the trades came shortly before a significant government announcement or development that could influence stock prices.

Not shocking, but still disappointing this barely warrants a mention in the current administration. It's all corruption and profiteering rather than serving the people.

With EarthQuaker's costs increasing and sales slumping from increased tariffs, Robbins said the company offshoring a portion of its manufacturing might be the only way to avoid going bankrupt by the end of the year.

This US business that I've given business to over the years has to consider moving production offshore. Now it's personal.