JULY 14, 2024
Shooting at Trump Rally Comes at Volatile Time in American History: The recent incident involving an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a rally is an example of such volatility. This event occurred at a time when the United States is experiencing heightened political tensions and divisions, which can lead to unpredictable and potentially violent outcomes. It’s a reminder that history is not always a steady progression but can be marked by sudden shifts that have long-lasting impacts.
It’s Already Disastrous’: Biden Campaign Fundraising Takes a Major Hit: President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign is facing a significant decline in fundraising, with sources close to the campaign describing the situation as “disastrous.” The drop in contributions is particularly notable from major donors, who have expressed disillusionment with the campaign’s approach and lack of substantive engagement during recent fundraising calls.
Lessons From the French and British for Bolstering U.S. Democracy: The recent elections in France and the UK offer valuable lessons for bolstering U.S. democracy, including the importance of center-left and center-right collaboration, centrism, addressing public grievances, and peaceful transitions of power. These lessons also highlight the role of citizens’ assemblies in spurring greater and fairer policy through diverse representation.
Big U.S. Banks Warn of Stress Among Lower-Income Consumers: Major U.S. banks have warned of increasing financial stress among lower-income consumers, as rising interest rates and economic pressures make it more difficult for these borrowers to keep up with their debt obligations. This trend reflects the broader economic challenges facing lower-income Americans as the fight to control inflation takes a toll on both banks and their customers.
Andreessen Horowitz Is Building a Stash of More Than 20,000 GPUs to Win AI Deals: Andreessen Horowitz, is amassing a substantial cache of over 20,000 graphics processing units (GPUs), primarily Nvidia’s powerful H100 chips, to provide to its AI-focused portfolio companies in an initiative dubbed “Oxygen”, aiming to help these startups access the critical computing power needed to develop and train their AI models.
Ex-Meta Scientists Debut Gigantic AI Protein Design Model: Ex-Meta scientists have debuted a gigantic AI protein design model called ESM3, which is one of the largest AI models developed for biology and can be used to create new proteins to user specifications. The developers envision using ESM3 for applications in drug development, sustainability, and other areas, though experts caution that replicating the largest version would require immense computing resources and the model’s capabilities should be viewed with appropriate caution.
Why Most Battery-Makers Struggle to Make Money: Most battery-makers struggle to make money due to the cyclical nature of the industry, which often leads to oversupply and price drops, and the lack of freer trade, which could help alleviate the oversupply issue. Despite the anticipated surge in demand for electric vehicles (EVs), companies have invested over $520 billion in battery production since 2018, leading to technological advancements and cost reductions that have not been significant enough to drive consumers towards EVs, leaving the battery industry on the brink of a downturn without experiencing a substantial upturn.
A Short History of Taiwan and China, In Maps: Taiwan was first encountered by European explorers in the 16th century and has since been colonized by the Dutch, Spanish, and Japanese, with the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China (ROC) also playing significant roles in its history. The island’s status remains unresolved, with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) claiming sovereignty and Taiwan viewing itself as a distinct, self-governing entity.