Douglas Farrar

Opinion | You May Already Be Bailing Out the AI Business Washington is treating the industry as if it’s too big to fail, even as the market sends lukewarm signals.

This week Open AI walked back a call for the govt to backstop financing for its trillion dollar investments in data centers. This was only the tip of the iceberg; a slow bailout for AI firms is already underway. Read more from @ambakak.bsky.social and I in @wsj.com: www.wsj.com/opinion/you-...

Whatever else is in the deal, agreeing to merely have a vote on ACA is a fig leaf. Even if it passes the Senate, it won't in the House, which also makes it an easy yes vote for the Senate Rs who might want to, defusing it as an attack on them.

It is a stupid ask even on Team Schumer's own terms.

Josh Hawley says he supports ending the filibuster

Centrism is not a guaranteed path to victory, which is a strategic dilemma you rarely acknowledge.

Politics changes, and mobilizing the base more effectively has worked well for Republicans for over a decade.

Live with Heather Cox Richardson A recording from Lina Khan and Heather Cox Richardson's live video

Lina Khan in conversation with @hcrichardson.bsky.social about the history of antitrust and the future of the Democrats. Watch! 📺

substack.com/@linamkhan/n...

Let’s do it.

In the long run it might create more democratic accountability in government and get the Congress back engaged with actually governing.

Anthropic Has a Plan to Keep Its AI From Building a Nuclear Weapon. Will It Work? Anthropic partnered with the US government to create a filter meant to block Claude from helping someone build a nuke. Experts are divided on whether its a necessary protection—or a protection at all.

Anthropic’s partnership with the DOE to keep Claude from building a nuclear weapon makes for good headlines. @heidykhlaaf.bsky.social calls it security theater. The real risk is AI firms gaining access to national security data.

www.wired.com/story/anthro...

This is a big case to watch. We could end up seeing internal DOGE staff discussions about cancelling federal grants, and why.

I'm predicting: foolish, ham-fisted, possibly some AI assisted sloppy decisions using keywords...

That's why they are trying so hard to keep it out of the record.

“We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them, and irreversible by them, like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like. And, you all know Russell Vought. He’s become very popular recently because he can trim the budget to a level that you couldn't do any other way. So they're taking a risk by having a shutdown. Because of the shutdown, we can do things medically and other ways, including benefits. We can cut large numbers of people. We don't want to do that, but we don't want fraud, waste and abuse.”

👀 Just Now -- President Trump in the Oval Office said a government shutdown gives his administration the power to cut benefit programs, which include Social Security and Medicare.

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Lina Khan on media, mergers, & muzzling dissent When FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened ABC over a controversial monologue by comedian Jimmy Kimmel, his show was suspended hours later by the network. Former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan w...

Lina Khan points out especial risks when monopolies start to control mainstream media. www.msnbc.com/ali-velshi/w... h/t @douglasfarrar.bsky.social

They say a prosecutor can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich, but it’s harder to get them to indict…a hero?! 🥪 🤣

What Alford claims is happening at DOJ Antitrust Division is the inverse of economic populism.

Biden antitrust officials sought to shift economic power towards people through legit law enforcement.

Under Trump, economic power is held by a handful of well-connected elites.

DOJ ‘Perverted Justice’ in HPE Deal, Dismissed Official Says A Justice Department official dismissed last month said Monday that two of his former colleagues “perverted justice” during an antitrust settlement over Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s $13 billion takeov...

www.bloomberg.com/news/article... with @sisco.bsky.social

His thesis is generally right with respect to tech companies to be fair. He’s a great reporter.

FTC Dismisses Lawsuit Against PepsiCo The Federal Trade Commission today voted to dismiss without prejudice a Robinson-Patman Act (RPA) lawsuit against PepsiCo, Inc. (Pepsi) that was filed in the U.S.

It isn't a complete runaway tbh

www.ftc.gov/news-events/...

Must watch from the former FTC Chair and "Lebron James of Government" according to a random person on Twitter.

Lot of talk today upon Musk’s departure about how little money he saved us. True but irrelevant.

This was a land grab. Musk is leaving because he got what he came for. This Palantir story is just the beginning. We’ll watch the long tail of this destruction unfold over years to come.

Bad news on that front if it’s anything like what the FTC found under Biden happened after COVID supply chain shocks.

Trump’s move to fire us is a terrible warning for the US economy Our case is about whether America is ruled by laws or political whims

Commissioner Slaughter and I wrote for the @financialtimes.com about the downstream effects of the president’s attempt to fire us. www.ft.com/content/7607...

By illegally firing FTC commissioners Slaughter and Bedoya President Trump moves closer to bringing all economic regulation and monetary policy under his corrupt control.

Dangerous and costly times ahead for American businesses and consumers.

🔥 @ninajankowicz.com: "Mr Taibbi said when he was first searching through the so-called Twitter files he didn't know what he was looking at. Well, he still doesn't. Everything looks like a conspiracy when you don't know how anything works."

When your global business empire takes a tumble thanks to your crazy political views and unpopular public policies, one way to juice your stock is just pay yourself with billions in taxpayer money.

I predict massive corruption incoming.

Here is a problem worth considering:

Republicans say they are the party of workers, and lots of workers believe it and reward them with votes.

Democrats, on policy, are often the pro-business party and businesses don't care, or actively oppose Democrats.

At some point Dems need to wake tf up.

Some DOGE Staffers Are Drawing Six-Figure Government Salaries Engineers and executives at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency are drawing healthy taxpayer-funded salaries—sometimes from the very agencies they are cutting.

Is there a suggestion box for waste, fraud and abuse? I’d like to make a submission

www.wired.com/story/doge-g...

Massive encroachment by Bezos into The Washington Post’s opinion section - makes clear dissenting views will not be published

I still have not felt encroachment on my journalism on the news side, but if Bezos tries interfering with the news side I will be quitting immediately and letting you know

WaPo opinion is going to become a second tier WSJ Opinion section. Strange decision for the paper of record in Washington, D.C.

I always felt the Post was there to hold federal agencies to account, not shill for a set of political principles.

Must win

Facts are important.

Fact: Nothing could make me an Eagles fan. NOTHING.

The U.S. Economy Depends More Than Ever on Rich People The highest-earning 10% of Americans account for almost 50% of all consumer spending.

Full story gift link here:

www.wsj.com/economy/cons...