Really gross that #trump is in Scotland at all (sorry, my Scottish friends), but also that he is visiting a brand new golf course of his over there while being a sitting president of the #USA with (of course) none of his assets in a blind trust.
It would be fantastic if the president wasn’t the one to appoint leaders and board members to independent agencies, judges to federal courts, and justices to the Supreme Court.
…throwing it out there— we rely on some sort of honor system that a person granted WAY too much power won’t abuse it ~
We could stop buying stuff...
~ Supreme Court Lets Trump Fire Consumer Product
Safety Regulators ~
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/us/politics/supreme-court-consumer-product-commission.html
Trump said, "Whether it's right or wrong, it's time to go after people."
(when talking about how he is accusing former President Obama of something that *used* to be a horrible thing that people didn't just casually accuse other people of-- treason)
Let that sink in...
(And does that mean he has a sense of right & wrong, yet CHOOSES to do something wrong in order to protect himself?)
…because he sure seems defensive about the Epstein thing. Huh.
(vid to follow)
RFK Jr. acted like the new Coca-Cola made with cane sugar* is a healthier, wiser choice for a beverage.
No it's not, omg don't listen to him.
Signed,
A real medical professional
* (supposedly American cane sugar)
/3 🧵
About how jailing people instead of letting them work and then eventually kicking them out of the country will significantly hurt the #USA economy in the long run—
~ ‘Essential isn’t a strong enough word’: Loss of foreign workers begins to bite US economy:
Trump’s immigration policy is taking a toll on more than farms.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/08/essential-isnt-a-strong-enough-word-loss-of-foreign-workers-begins-to-bite-us-economy-00443021
--
#trump #immigration #deportation #ICE #MyThoughts
Inflation ticked up some in the #USA , but we haven’t seen anything yet ( #MyThoughts ). There are many factors at play, like:
--> Much of Trump’s tariff plans were on hold (& the #inflation report looks backwards)
--> Businesses had front-loaded their inventory & consumers bought ahead (e.g., vehicles), anticipating #tariffs 
--> The Fed hasn’t lowered interest rates yet (though #Trump wants that & plans to appoint a new Fed chair)
--
#USeconomy #economics
--
https://www.wsj.com/economy/inflation-hit-2-7-in-june-in-line-with-expectations-8f92a8cd
3 things:
1. “A small number of people might still be released from detention... but those decisions will now be made by an ICE officer rather than a judge.”
--> potential for bribery
2. ICE will increase the number of people it can detain AND contract out to private jailers (from what I read).
--> potentially jailing people indefinitely
3. In the image, 5 heavily-clad #ICE tackle 1 unarmed, clean-cut-appearing brown man at an immigration court.
--> Who are the ‘thugs’ 🤔
--> #MyThoughts
/2 🧵
Screenshots of the article
~New ICE Policy Blocks
Detained Migrants From
Seeking Bond:
The policy shift will apply to all immigrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, no matter when they did so~
(So it seems it could apply to kids, too (?), or at least people who crossed over as kids.)
--> Jailing people instead of letting them work will significantly hurt the #USA economy in the long run.
Brace for more chaos.
~ Supreme Court clears way for Trump to pursue mass federal layoffs ~
… giving the green light for the #Trump admin “to pursue mass gov’t job cuts and the sweeping downsizing of numerous agencies, a decision that could lead to tens of thousands of layoffs while dramatically reshaping the federal bureaucracy.”
(btw, “bureaucracy” isn’t a bad word— though sometimes thought of as tedious, its checks & balances promote security)
—
https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-supreme-court-lifts-order-that-blocked-trumps-mass-federal-layoffs-2025-07-08/
/2
~Short sellers got > $4 billion in profits June 5 when #Tesla saw its biggest single-day drop in market value after #Trump & #Musk started a social media brawl.
#MyThoughts -
• Politics is bad for Musk’s wealth (much involves Tesla, but might be shifting).
• The short-selling has made him mad before.
• Tesla is like a meme stock with underlying company valuation based less on financials than hype.
• The stock will remain very volatile & people will short sell when they see opportunity.
In February, #Trump warned BRICS nations would face "100% tariffs" if they tried to undermine the role of the U.S. dollar in global trade.
(#MyThoughts — weird— seems Trump’s actions are doing that all by themselves)
--
Re:
~ #Brazil president said the world does not need an emperor after the #USA leader threatened extra tariffs on #BRICS
In: ‘Latest updates on Trump tariffs’—
#MyThoughts (again) —
How long will countries play with the unpredictable bully on the playground?
I guess as long as they have to.
The ‘deal’ will raise prices for Americans while potentially helping select US exporting companies.
It’s a terrible deal for #Vietnam, which was strong-armed by #trump after he threatened a 46% blanket tariff on goods the #USA imports from the country. He then backed down to 10% before ‘negotiating’ up to 20% (instead of raising it back to 46% on July 9, when his reciprocal #tariffs would resume.)
/2 of 2 🧵
~ Trump Announces #Trade Deal with Vietnam ~
https://www.npr.org/2025/07/02/nx-s1-5422252/trump-trade-deal-vietnam-tariff
College students w/o deep pockets, esp. grad students, may have to turn to private lenders if the proposed #trump budget legislation becomes law.
Federal student loans are preferred because of their consist terms & conditions, set by the #USA government.
This is concerning for a nation with what many would considered be a student loan crisis.
#BudgetBill #StudentLoans #USpol #MyThoughts
--
~ Trump's Tax Bill Set to Help SoFi, Other Private Student
Lenders ~
If I start writing articles on Medium or Substack or something, I will not use ChatGPT or another LLM to ‘assist’ with my #writing . It will be challenging to compete because I likely won’t spit out articles as quickly as others who use the tech.
However, the articles will be substantive, well-researched, and backed with my education and experience. They will also include MY analysis.
People can count on my words being in my own. The irony is that LLMs will likely steal them.
I wonder where our society will be 10 or 20 years from now if companies continue to integrate generative #AI into every imaginable consumer product & service.
I wonder what writing & art will be like.
Will only those who rely on the tech survive in our competitive world? Or perhaps our society will evolve past the tech or make it only moderately pervasive in our lives. Humanity will control AI, yet retain the upper hand.
Perhaps the fad will atrophy before our brain cells do.
I don’t use ChatGPT or any of the other LLMs to assist with writing. Honestly, I don’t want to because I want my writing to come solely from me. And I don’t want to lean on an LLM or other generative AI tool as a crutch— which I find can easily happen, even when one intends otherwise.
The generative #AI tool (in one of the iOS Mastodon apps) to assist with writing alt text for images was very helpful to me when I hurt my arm but still wanted to post. And it can be a time saver, though it is limited. I must check what is written to ensure it is correct and includes enough detail.
But honestly, I feel like I lose a few brain cells when I use the tool for too long because I find myself having to think harder to write simple alt text after relying on AI.