Hamza Shaban

Engraved bullet casings have become shooters’ manifestos Experts in political violence say that such engravings are a way for shooters to ensure the rationale for their attacks are publicized even if their manifestos are suppressed.

Engraved bullet casings have become shooters’ manifestos
www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...

After Dallas Shooting, a Rush to Score Political Points Before the Facts Are In
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/s...

A story from WaPo about killers using the spectacle of shootings to manipulate the media/politicians, as a dark performance art, most recently through bullet engravings, provides a lens to read this NYT story about "scoring political points" in the aftermath of the ICE shooting:

This column attempts to explain, in historical context, what the Trump administration is trying to do by getting rid of Lisa Cook, not in a narrow sense of lowering interest rates, but in reshaping the meaning of democratic legitimacy and presidential power:

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...

Last week, the Fed voted to cut interest rates in a decision that expressed unity despite a sole dissent. But a mere week later, commentary from central bankers is foreshadowing disagreement to come:

finance.yahoo.com/news/the-fed...

We now have luxury credit cards that cost close to $1,000 just to hold, the most affluent driving almost half of US spending, a stock market at all-time highs, and rising unemployment finance.yahoo.com/news/amexs-p...

This essay by @poniewozik.bsky.social about news and entertainment outlets conceding to Trump through payments, apologies and removals gets at a crucial idea: paying tribute seems inexpensive and “easier” because so many media bosses have already chosen to give in

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/a...

Bloomberg: Nvidia will invest $5 billion in Intel to co-develop chips in a surprise move that props up an ailing rival

Intel is getting another financial boost after the US agreed to take a 10% stake, and the White House said it won't force firms to buy from Intel
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Headlines and background on Jimmy Kimmel getting pulled off the air

A sharp takeaway of what it would mean for Paramount to buy Warner Bros, and for
Hollywood to go from 5 major studios to 4:

Google can thank OpenAI for its big win in court After a federal judge ruled that Google wouldn't be forced to sell its Chrome browser — avoiding the harshest potential remedies in a landmark antitrust case — shares of the search giant surged by alm...

"OpenAI and its conceptual peers managed to become an existential threat to Google and the paradigm of search, thereby serving as a justification for preventing its monopoly from being broken up."

finance.yahoo.com/news/google-...

Is the "A.I." "bubble" "bursting"? The long shadow of crypto

This essay by @maxread.info pulls together a lot critical takes and observations to pinpoint a "vibe shift" in how the public views AI. But also makes the case that, like prior crypto manias, an AI bubble "popping" doesn't really mean an end to anything.

substack.com/home/post/p-...

"Nvidia's next four biggest customers accounted for 46% of the unit's revenue, reflecting the delicate, untested nature of the AI ecosystem.

What looks like a client bottleneck is actually an industry chokehold"

finance.yahoo.com/news/nvidias...

At the Fed and in the judiciary, government officials trying to stay "outside of politics" while getting bashed by the president presents a big communications problem. (It all brings to mind newsroom bosses during Gamergate.)

Some judges are now publicly defending themselves:

Taco Bell Rethinks Future of Voice AI at the Drive-Through More artificial intelligence isn’t always better, the chain is realizing, as it considers when and how bots should be deployed.

"The company is still moving forward on voice AI, which remains a critical part of the product road map. But there are open questions about exactly what Taco Bell will expect the technology to do and where it will build offramps for human staff to jump in." www.wsj.com/articles/tac...

Folks...

The "neo-Prohibition" threat nobody is talking about Plus: The Cracker Barrel playbook is the Bud Light playbook!

"Whether or not Republicans have actually stopped drinking at the rate they claimed in Gallup’s poll, the massive decline in reported consumption over the past couple years is what the results might look like if the wokeness of drinking was becoming an article of conservative faith."— @dinfontay.com

There's an argument to be made inside the Fed that the current posture of abstaining from a vigorous, public defense of its mission and relying on a restrained messaging strategy has already failed, and will only invite an adverse Supreme Court decision

Don Draper in front of the old Cracker Barrel logo but now it says Cracker Barrel max

some marketing agency making $250K rn

Why the stock market wasn't moved by Trump's boldest move yet on the Fed Despite an unprecedented move by President Trump to attempt to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, markets shrugged.

Why the stock market wasn't moved by Trump's boldest move yet on the Fed:

"Right now, in the short term, the interests of the three main players — the Fed, the president, and the market — are all very much aligned."

finance.yahoo.com/news/why-the...

AI and GLP-1s were the hottest post-pandemic trades: One helped curb destructive appetites with immediate, visible results, the other represented an indulgence of Silicon Valley's fantasies. But now GLP-1 stocks are the ones wavering.

finance.yahoo.com/news/ai-and-...

The protein boom is only beginning: Morning Brief Food and beverage companies are scrambling to deliver the macronutrient of the moment.

"You have to eat more protein, they proclaim, to grow a dump truck."

On the protein-is-in-everything-now grocery store experience, the Ozempic protein rush, the strength training moment and influencer bonanza.

finance.yahoo.com/news/the-pro...

Wall Street is delivering its judgment of Trump's economic policy: Morning Brief Markets fell further Tuesday as President Trump's trade war began in earnest.

"Amid retaliatory tariffs and warnings from businesses about the squeeze of forceful levies, it seems clear that Wall Street is delivering its own resounding judgment on Trump’s economic actions."

finance.yahoo.com/news/wall-st...

After the Trump administration acknowledged that some USAID funded programs were saving lives, they cancelled 90% of them. ProPublica reports how these haphazard, abrupt cancellations were likely against the law, and why it’s likely no actual “review” ever took place

Freedom is when the boss tells you what to write and think. bsky.app/profile/maxt...

Elon Musk, who has said the beneficiaries of federal spending are a "parasite class," runs businesses that have pocketed $38 billion in taxpayer-funded subsidies, loans and contracts www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...

Nearly 40% of contracts canceled by Musk's DOGE are expected to produce no savings Nearly 40% of the federal contracts that President Donald Trump’s administration claims to have canceled as part of its signature cost-cutting program aren’t expected to save the government any money,...

"Nearly 40% of the federal contracts that President Donald Trump’s administration claims to have canceled as part of its signature cost-cutting program aren’t expected to save the government any money, the administration’s own data shows."

apnews.com/article/doge...

He Left CNN to Start a Newsletter. It’s Now a Must-Read. Oliver Darcy’s newsletter, Status, has quickly become a must-read for the power brokers of publishing and entertainment.

"Status’s early success highlights the growing popularity of independent and nontraditional news outlets targeting niche audiences. It also shows the potential appeal for reporters to launch their own brands...where they can earn more money and flexibility..." www.wsj.com/business/med...

Coinbase, Strategy lead crypto stocks lower as bitcoin tumbles below $90,000 for first time since November Crypto stocks sank across the board Tuesday as bitcoin fell below $90,000 for the first time since November. Crypto heavyweights Strategy and Coinbase led the declines.

"macroeconomic uncertainty surrounding US interest rates and Trump’s tariff policies have fueled fears of inflation staying higher for longer, pressuring stocks across the board. And industry controversy has pressured crypto stocks in particular" finance.yahoo.com/news/coinbas...

*looks outside
Looks like bleed out weather ❄️🌨️⛄️

Content flowing forth