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Dave Collum is a Professor of Chemistry at Cornell University. In this conversation, we discuss asset prices in 2025, the economy, and the impact of monetary policy on markets. Dave explains why he believes the stock market is overvalued, why he's concerned about risk assets, and why he's uneasy about gold's strong performance despite being a major holder. We also touch on his annual letter, inflation, investing outlooks, U.S. politics, geopolitics, and why independent thinking matters heading into 2026.=======================BitcoinIRA: Buy, sell, and swap 80+ cryptocurrencies in your retirement account. Take 3 minutes to open your account & get connected to a team of IRA specialists that will guide you through every step of the process. Go to https://bitcoinira.com/pomp/ to earn up to $1,000 in rewards.=======================As markets shift, headlines break, and interest rates swing, one thing stays true — opportunity is everywhere. At Arch Public, we help you do more than just buy and hold. Yes, our dynamic accumulation algorithms are built for long-term investors… but where we really shine? Our arbitrage algos — designed to farm volatility and turbocharge your core positions. The best part of Arch Public's products is they are free! Yes, you heard that right, try Arch Public for free! Take advantage of wild moves in assets like $SOL, $SUI, and $DOGE, and use them to stack more Bitcoin — completely hands-free. Arch Public is already a preferred partner with Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, and Robinhood, and our team is here to help you build smarter in any market. Visit Arch Public today, at https://www.archpublic.com, your portfolio will thank you.=======================Uphold is the easiest way to buy and sell crypto unlike any other platform allowing you to trade in just one step between any supported asset. Check them out at https://uphold.sjv.io/K0RXra. This video includes a paid sponsorship with Uphold. I'm compensated by Uphold for promoting its products and services and may receive commissions from referrals. Terms apply. Not available in all jurisdictions. Digital assets are risky and may result in the total loss of your capital.=======================Timestamps:0:00 - Intro 1:31 — 2025 asset performance & Dave's big picture market view5:56 — Debate: productivity/AI & “new era” valuations11:33 — AI: the tech may be real, but the investment setup may be bad?20:07 — Dave's portfolio positioning & Gold vs Bitcoin28:08 — Tether: transparency vs risks32:40 — Evaluating Strategy leverage & premiums35:25 — “Rough seas ahead” & why valuation is the core risk46:17 — U.S. economic policy, tariffs, DOGE, government “fraud”1:13:30 — Housing affordability: why building “luxury” can lower overall rents1:18:48 — AI + education: personalized tutors vs losing the ability to think1:22:42 — Tucker Carlson experience & media backlash1:35:08 — Where to find Dave's annual letter & closing thoughts
As rumors swirl around a major political fallout in Minnesota, Tara breaks down why this moment matters — and why the media can't spin its way out of it.
In this sprawling, must-hear episode, Tara pulls together multiple threads that the media desperately wants kept separate—and shows why they're all connected.
In Episode 420 of Devolution Power Hour, Jon Herold and Chris Paul cover a wide-ranging discussion that moves between breaking geopolitical developments and ongoing domestic concerns. A central focus of the episode is President Trump's actions related to Venezuela, including discussion around Nicolás Maduro, regime change, and broader implications for U.S. foreign policy and global power dynamics. The conversation also revisits DOGE, recent updates to reported savings figures, and questions surrounding transparency, verification, and accountability. Throughout the episode, Jon and Chris engage directly with audience commentary, debating media narratives, alternative media influence, and claims about who truly represents the public. Additional discussion touches on elections, government efficiency, censorship, and the difficulty of separating signal from noise in an increasingly crowded information environment. The episode maintains an open, conversational tone, with disagreement explored openly and no attempt to force conclusions, emphasizing critical thinking, skepticism, and continued public engagement.
On this episode of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with nature nerd, rock climber, and National Parks Service ranger Alex Wild to explore the ups and downs of Alex's firing and then rehiring by way of ridiculous Elon Musk's ridiculous DOGE cuts, how the empathetic and impassioned response from the public influenced his return to the park service, the stuff in life we take for granted because of our lack of awareness of its impact on us, and the inherent meaning and poetry of wilderness. Helpful things mentioned during this episode: National Parks Conversation AssociationThe Sierra Club"Wild Geese" by Mary OliverThe PittMichael Lewis on Bravery in Politics and Why Elon Musk Seems so "Disturbed" (Pod Save America)Alex on Instagram Enjoy the podcast? Here are some ways to support to Nōn: Leave a 5-star rating and a wildly glowing review for We Can't Do It Alone on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods.Order The Feely Cards on Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local indie bookseller for yourself and literally everyone you know.Listen to You, Me, Empathy, Nōn's previous podcast about mental health, empathy, and big feelings.Need some help with your podcast, or thinking about starting a podcast? Get in touch!Connect with Nōn at nonwels.com and on Instagram @youmeempathy. Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you. xoxo nōn
In this January 2 episode of The Daily Herold, Jon Herold delivers a candid, free-flowing broadcast that blends lighthearted banter with sharp skepticism about politics, media, and public narratives. Jon opens with audience interaction and sponsor reads before diving into financial updates, including national debt figures, Bitcoin pricing, precious metals, and frustration over the long-stagnant DOGE savings tracker, which finally updates with what he views as an underwhelming result. From there, the show moves into critiques of federal agencies, government accountability, and the idea that citizens are expected to be grateful for minimal progress. Jon challenges the notion that “we are the news now,” questioning whether alternative media truly represents the people or simply replaces old gatekeepers with new ones. The episode also covers Trump Truth Social posts, Iran rhetoric, Ukraine peace claims, Venezuela signaling openness to the U.S., activist judges, abortion statistics, tariffs, and cultural commentary. Jon closes by reflecting on Badlands Media programming plans, audience engagement, and ideas for future call-in formats, keeping the tone conversational, skeptical, and grounded.
Marcia Smith, the founder and editor of Space Policy Online, joins the show and revisits a conversation we had one year ago, recorded just weeks before the second Trump administration took office. That episode, “The Challenges of Change at NASA,” explored the institutional and political roadblocks to radical change at the U.S. space agency. A lot has happened since that show, including DOGE, mass staff departures, a draconian budget cut proposal, a dramatic shift toward sending humans to Mars, and the rapid departure of 20% of NASA's workforce. But at the end of the year, much remains the same. The SLS and Orion programs continue unchanged, with funding locked in through 2032. The humans-to-Mars policy has effectively vanished; returning U.S. astronauts to the Moon, to stay, is again centered within civil space policy. NASA's science missions, though still facing a serious budgetary threat, have not gone away. So, did we see real change at NASA? And to what end? Or was it merely disruption masquerading as change? Marcia Smith and host Casey Dreier revisit their original analysis and discuss what they got wrong, what they got right, and what surprised them about 2025 in civil space policy. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/spe-2025-a-year-of-disruption-and-change-at-nasaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comLaura Field is a writer and political theorist who specializes in far-right populist intellectualism in the US. She's currently a Scholar in Residence at American University, a Senior Advisor for the Illiberalism Studies Program at GW, and a nonresident fellow with Brookings. Her new book is Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right. We bonded over some of the right's wackier innovations, and differed over how far the left has also slid into illiberalism.An auto-transcript is available above (just click “Transcript” while logged into Substack). For two clips of our convo — on the New Right's “post-constitutional moment,” and the war on the civil service — head to our YouTube page.Other topics: growing up in Alberta; losing a parent at a very young age; Plato an early inspiration; growing tired of the Straussians; the decline of religion under liberalism; Locke; Rousseau; Nietzsche; Fukuyama; the resurgence of the illiberal left and illiberal right; the Claremont Institute and Harry Jaffa; Jaffa's extreme homophobia and hatred of divorce; Allan Bloom; Lincoln fulfilling the Founding; Hobbes; the role of virtue in a republic; Machiavelli; Michael Anton's “Flight 93 Election”; John Eastman and “Stop the Steal”; Curtis Yarvin and The Cathedral; Adrian Vermeule's Common Good Constitutionalism; Catholic conversion; Pope Leo; Obergefell, debating Harvey Mansfield over marriage; Woodrow Wilson's expansion of the state; Thatcher and Reagan slimming it down; the pros and cons of technocratic experts; DOGE vs federal workers; “queer” curricula and the 1619 Project; edge-lords; Bronze Age Pervert and pagan masculinity; Fuentes and Carlson; and debating the dangers of wokeness.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy. Coming up: Claire Berlinski on America's retreat from global hegemony, Jason Willick on trade and conservatism, and Vivek Ramaswamy on the right's future. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.
The group frames 2025 as a “crab market” year that forced a psychological reset: ETFs, institutional interest, and political tailwinds can coexist with long sideways price actionBrandon's Bitcoin moment of 2025 is “Bitcoin becoming boring,” arguing that social and political resistance has faded, with zero “Bitcoin obituaries” as a symbolic indicatorJohn's Bitcoin moment of 2025 is the US Bitcoin strategic reserve executive action as a long-arc legitimacy milestone, even if it didn't catalyze price immediatelyOverhyped 2025 narratives include the strategic reserve as a near-term price catalyst, DOGE-style government “waste cleanup,” and the idea that “hundreds of MicroStrategy clones” would rapidly scaleQuietly important 2025 developments include older coins distributing to new holders, steady growth in non-leveraged corporate treasury adoption, and “sticky” wealth-platform channel dynamics (Vanguard and broader advisory adoption)Cultural moments highlighted include “Paper Bitcoin Summer” and the “Great Creatine Awakening,” with a forecast that “four-year cycle is dead” memes will dominate once a new all-time high arrives“Bitcoin-adjacent circus” talk shifts to crypto-friendly legislative/regulatory theatrics and a 2026 concern: prediction markets and “trade everything” pushing 24/7 speculation into equities and daily lifeThe most embarrassing fiat moments center on obvious government fraud and the contradictions of central banking narratives (including officials critiquing “intrinsic value” while managing fiat debasement) and symbolic milestones like phasing out the penny“Main character” is debated: the group leans toward the idea that leaderlessness is a feature, but names surface including Larry Fink as the high-impact mainstream convert, with long-odds speculation about future political and tech megaphone figures Swan Private helps HNWI, companies, trusts, and other entities go beyond legacy finance with BItcoin. Learn more at swan.com/private. Put Bitcoin into your IRA and own your future. Check out swan.com/ira.Swan Vault makes advanced Bitcoin security simple. Learn more at swan.com/vault.
Steve welcomes Larry Ward, AI and digital media expert, campaigns and elections data specialist, and Chairman of Constitutional Rights PAC, for a wide ranging and urgent conversation on American intelligence, workforce policy, and taxpayer accountability. Larry explains why the massive fraud uncovered in Minnesota as just one example of a problem now surfacing across the country. As billions of taxpayer dollars disappear through waste, fraud, and abuse, Steve and Larry ask the tough question many Americans are asking right now where is DOGE and why is Washington failing to protect taxpayers from yet another sucker punch. Tune in for a data-driven, America First look at what is really happening behind the scenes.
In 2025, the state of Montana voted for Trump by nearly 20 points. But Montanan's support for the president is waning because of the administration's policies on public lands. To unpack the effects of DOGE cuts to public land agencies, host Esty Dinur is joined by journalist Cassidy Randall, author of a recent article, ‘I Didn't Vote for This': A Revolt Against DOGE Cuts, Deep in Trump Country. Randall says that the DOGE cuts that started last February are bad for public lands beyond the national parks. In Montana, people use public lands for recreation and public land agencies engage in wildfire mitigation and habitat restoration. Ranchers rely on grazing allotments because most ranches aren't big enough to graze all their livestock. In Project 2025 there are plans to sell off and privatize private lands. Randall says that if you hollow out the agencies that manage them, it becomes an excuse to sell them off. “When we lose these places, they're gone forever.” Though Montana leans conservative, the people are pro-environment, and the right to a “clean and healthful environment” is written into the state's constitution. And young people are winning climate lawsuits based on their constitutional rights. On top of the DOGE cuts, people in Montana are concerned about tariffs and the Trump administration's relationship with Argentina. They also discuss how the ultra wealthy are turning to Montana as their playground, the crisis of rural hospitals in the state, and healthcare affordability. Cassidy Randall writes on adventure, environment, and the West. Her award-winning journalism has appeared in Rolling Stone, National Geographic, the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Outside, and Men's Journal, among others; and her latest book, Thirty Below, was named one of The Washington Post's Noteworthy Books of the Month and won the Banff Mountain Grand Prize. Featured image of a sign for the Pryor Mountain Range in Montana via the Bureau of Land Management on Flickr (CC BY 2.0). Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post The Fight for Public Lands Could Rewire Montana's Politics appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani reversed every order former Mayor Eric Adams put into place after September 2024, including extra protections for Israel and Jewish people. inc.The crazy amount of fraud in Minnesota now found in other states. Elon Musk receives death threats after saying he is going all in on Republicans in the midterm elections. Foreign nationals, AI, and more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Elon Musk seems particularly taken with the opinions of three Irish men active on X: far-right activist Michael O'Keeffe; Barry O'Driscoll, whose idea of calling the US's new cost-cutting agency DOGE was seized on by president Donald Trump's right-hand man, and Keith O'Brien, a white nationalist who goes by the name Keith Woods on X. Musk interacts with these men and often amplifies their posts to his millions of followers. So what image of Ireland is the billionaire being fed by these men and why does it matter that so much of what he sees, and endorses from his “awesome” Irish friends, is often simply factually wrong? Crime and security editor Conor Gallagher profiles the men, including the Cork-based O'Driscoll who goes by 'Sir Doge of the Coin' on X, and explains what happened when he wrote about them in The Irish Times.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Diesmal: Müll in Birmingham, 92% Donald Trump, "Einsparungen" durch DOGE, Surftipp: Mapped Out, Einflussnahme durch Reiche, Gas-Blase, Erstanträge auf Asyl, Mikroplastik und Ketamin, Eccos Urfaschismus und Deutschland, Sham Jaff zu Protesten in Iran. Mit einem Limerick von Jens Ohrenblicker.
In this season-closing episode of Altered State, Brad Zerbo and Zak Paine ring in the New Year with a wide-ranging, high-energy conversation that blends breaking news, cultural commentary, and personal reflection. The episode opens with discussion of the kickoff to America's 250th anniversary celebration, including large-scale projections on the Washington Monument and comparisons to international displays. From there, Brad and Zak dig deeply into the exploding daycare and HHS fraud revelations tied to Minnesota and other states, walking through on-the-ground reporting, shell daycare locations, inflated payouts per child, and the sudden rollout of DOGE-developed verification systems. The conversation highlights whistleblowers, historical reporting on similar fraud schemes, media failures, and the political implications tied to votes, funding, and accountability. Along the way, the hosts react to viral clips, memes, and symbolism, while also sharing lighter moments on fitness goals, sugar reduction, kettlebells, and health habits heading into the new year. The episode closes with reflections on 2025, optimism for 2026, and appreciation for the community as the show hands off to the Badlands New Year's Eve celebration.
Spend enough time around Hawaii farmers and ranchers and you'll soon hear the name of the Federal agency Natural Resources Conservation Service (or NRCS). You may hear the word "conservation' and not necessarily think that they help agriculture producers, but if you have spoken with NRCS, or to folks that have worked with them, you will wonder why you haven't reached out to them sooner! To better understand NRCS and what they can do to help, we speak with the Director for all of the Pacific Islands Area, J.B. Martin, and NRCS Outreach Coordinator, Jolene Lau, as well as two Hawaii agriculture producers that have been working with NRCS. Brought to you by University of Hawaii College of Tropical Ag. and Human Resilience (CTAHR), and the Seeds of Well-being (SOW) Project. This podcast is supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hawaii Department of Agriculture.Resources:NRCS Pacific Islands Area Office Home Page NRCS Pacific Islands Area Office StaffFarm Bill UpdatesApply by January 15th reminderFind out more about us: Seeds Of Wellbeing website Seeds of Wellbeing Resource Hub All the SOW links
There is a federal agency whose only mission is to make sure that banks, credit card companies, and debt collectors don't screw over working-class Americans with fraud schemes, hidden fees, and the like, so naturally Trump, Musk, and DOGE have brought it to the brink of collapse. We'll talk about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the existential crisis it faces in 2026. Robert Lawless, Professor of Law & Co-Director of the Illinois Program on Law, Behavior, and Social Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, joins Ian Hoch to break down what's happening to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and what 2026 could look like if it collapses.
On today's show, we're looking back at the year that was 2025 with my colleagues, Rachel Keith, Aaleah McConnell, Kelly Kenoyer, and Nikolai Mather. From the local impacts of DOGE and the Trump Administration to the struggles over education funding, from rural reporting to community engagement, we'll recap the toughest, most rewarding, and some of the most fun stories of the year.
Wir werfen einen Blick auf die Performance unserer Depots und überprüfen die Predictions aus dem letzten Jahr. Welche Thesen sind eingetreten, welche lagen daneben und welche waren schlicht zu früh? Dabei geht es um OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, Apple und die Magnificent Seven, um KI-Hype versus Realität und um die Frage, wo tatsächlich Wert entstanden ist. Außerdem sprechen wir über Metas Übernahme von Manus für rund 2 Milliarden, die Entwicklung von Agenten-Startups, das weitgehend ausgebliebene Agentic Web und warum Inferenz inzwischen mehr Ressourcen verbraucht als Training. Wir ordnen IPOs, Robotik-Fortschritte, Temu, Energie als Engpassfaktor für KI sowie Europas Rolle im Tech-Wettbewerb ein. Unterstütze unseren Podcast und entdecke die Angebote unserer Werbepartner auf doppelgaenger.io/werbung. Vielen Dank! Philipp Glöckler und Philipp Klöckner sprechen heute über: (00:00:00) Intro & Jahresrückblick (00:02:20) Meta kauft Manus für 2 Mrd. (00:05:45) Predictions Review Start (00:08:06) Peak OpenAI falsch (00:10:07) WhatsApp vs OpenAI (00:12:27) Meta AI enttäuscht (00:13:52) Microsoft Performance (00:15:50) Office 365 Wachstum (00:17:23) KI-Realität tritt ein (00:19:41) Agentic Web Nullnummer (00:21:52) AI macht Internet kaputt (00:23:02) E-Ink Reader Vision (00:24:38) Tech Produkte 2025 (00:27:25) Acast vs Spotify (00:30:03) Podcast Performance (00:31:37) DOGE & US-Haushalt (00:33:35) PayPal-Mafia Aktien (00:35:36) KI-Chance für Europa (00:39:10) Arbeitslosenquote Deutschland (00:40:12) New Work Definition (00:41:23) LinkedIn Follower Wette (00:42:05) Trade Republic Kritik (00:44:07) Podcast Zahlen 2025 (00:47:28) Newsletter Performance (00:49:12) Robotik & Agenten (00:54:20) China Tech-Reise Idee (00:55:00) IPO Jahr Review (00:57:13) Shein & Temu (00:59:09) Kampf um Energie (01:00:19) Inferenz vs Training (01:04:20) Magnificent Seven Performance (01:08:36) Euro-Dollar Impact (01:11:20) Alphabet beste Aktie (01:13:44) DAX outperformt USA (01:16:07) Edelmetalle Boom (01:18:16) Bitcoin enttäuscht (01:20:41) Bitcoin Reserve Irrsinn (01:23:06) RAM beste Investment (01:25:07) Portfolio Performance (01:29:29) Private Markets Erfolg (01:31:08) Persönliche Depots (01:32:48) Schuldenbremse aufgeweicht (01:33:50) Somali-Fraud Debatte (01:42:17) Steuerhinterziehung vs Sozialbetrug (01:47:06) Focus Clickbait (01:49:30) NGO-Hetze Shownotes Meta übernimmt KI-Startup Manus und gewinnt Millionen zahlender Nutzer hinzu - wsj.com Nick Shirley auf X - x.com Kältebus- linkedin.com Elon Musk auf X: "Etwa 20% des Bundesbudgets sind Betrug. - x.com
President Trump doubles down on demanding Hamas disarm after meeting with Israel's prime minister, and warned Iran not to rebuild its nuclear program. Ukraine's president presses the White House for decades-long U.S. security guarantees as part of a proposed peace deal with Russia. And a year after DOGE's push to shrink government, agencies are smaller, spending is higher, and millions of Americans' data remains in play.Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Ruth Sherlock, Anna Yukhananov, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Our Supervising Senior Producer is Vince Pearson.(0:00) Introduction(03:13) Trump Pushes Hamas Disarmament (07:25) Ukraine Peace Talks (10:45) A Year Of DOGE Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
President Trump has a serious message for Vladimir Putin. Jake Tapper gets a taste of who the Democrat Party really is. Bill Maher has a message for liberals. Scott Pelley from CBS News is worried about free speech, apparently. NDI Tulsi Gabbard declassifies documents on how the Biden administration labeled Americans who opposed administration policies. COVID vaccine is no longer recommended for young children and pregnant women. Will there ever be accountability for the harms caused by the COVID vaccine? Billy Joel has a brain condition that's taking him off tour. Southwest Airlines' big changes have arrived. Alan Alda … dead or alive? Elon Musk has learned that politics is a bad investment as his DOGE cuts fade away. Is the gold still in Fort Knox? Consumer confidence is higher than expected. Laura Loomer stealing Pat's "Unleashed"?? Was Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) behind the autopen signature of President Joe Biden? What's next for South Africa? FBI opening up new investigations around January 6 and White House cocaine. More information about the public Macron spat. Chris Christie is fat. Canada ready to be the 51st state? Secret Service troubles continue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Trump and Musk didn't save the American People $2 Trillion in “waste” cutting, they WASTED $22 billion in employee buy out packages, as Trump outspent Biden's Administration by more than $300 billion dollars in year 1, mostly on defending his failed immigration and economic policies. Michael Popok cuts Doge and Musk and Trump down to size in his latest hot take. Everyday Dose: Go to https://EverydayDose.com/legalaf for 45% OFF your first order!Subscribe: @LegalAFMTN Visit https://meidasplus.com for more! Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast The Influence Continuum: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/mea-culpa-with-michael-cohen The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show Burn the Boats: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/burn-the-boats Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 Political Beatdown: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/political-beatdown On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What was the biggest story of the year? Join the Federalist staff, including Executive Editor Joy Pullmann, Assistant Editor Joshua Monnington, Staff Writer Jordan Boyd, and Senior Elections Correspondent Matt Kittle, as they dissect the news cycles that defined 2025, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the DOGE project, and rogue judges. They also name the worst person of the year and dive into the top issues that will carry over into 2026. The Federalist is a nonprofit, and we depend entirely on our listeners and readers — not corporations. If you value fearless, independent journalism, please consider a tax-deductible gift today at TheFederalist.com/donate. Your support keeps us going.
What was the biggest story of the year? Join the Federalist staff, including Executive Editor Joy Pullmann, Assistant Editor Joshua Monnington, Staff Writer Jordan Boyd, and Senior Elections Correspondent Matt Kittle, as they dissect the news cycles that defined 2025, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the DOGE project, and rogue judges. They also name […]
Nate takes a look back at some crazy things from 2025. The Fed Haters Club gives Trump their grades. We go over some honorable mentions that didn't make it to DBOTY. 00:00 Introduction 00:37 Dumb Bleep of the Year Voting 01:58 Minnesota Fraud Discussion 03:42 Government Spending and Fraud 12:10 Year-End Review and Highlights 24:31 Charlie Kirk Assassination 27:50 Google Trends for 2025 28:06 Media Coverage and Major Events Recap 29:38 Dumb Bleep Honorable Mentions 33:21 Ben Shapiro and the JFK Files 42:15 Epstein Investigation and Conspiracy Theories
As Elon Musk checked out of DOGE and left government service, he promised he would be starting his own political party: the America party. Now, it appears he is back in the fickle embrace of MAGA… and it's no accident. According to the Washington Post, Vice President JD Vance spent much of the summer and fall working to bring Musk back into the good graces of Donald Trump.Despite disagreements on the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” and the Epstein files, Musk really wanted his associate Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. After Trump pulled the nomination, Vance reportedly paved the way for Isaacman to be re-nominated and then confirmed. The Trump-Musk truce is in place, but for how long?We welcome Pulitzer Prize winning author and investigative journalist David Cay Johnston to the show to talk politics.It's Tech Tuesday on The Mark Thompson Show. Jefferson Graham will swing by to talk gadgets. The Mark Thompson Show 12/30/25Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you'd like to help, here's our Patreon Link:https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshowMaybe you're more into PayPal. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24And you'll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.com
We've got a compilation of our DOGE coverage from the last year. We think it's aged well, what say you?✦ ABOUT ✦The Valley Labor Report is the only union talk radio show in Alabama, elevating struggles for justice and fairness on the job, educating folks about how they can do the same, and bringing relevant news to workers in Alabama and beyond.Our single largest source of revenue *is our listeners* so your support really matters and helps us stay on the air!Make a one time donation or become a monthly donor on our website or patreon:TVLR.FMPatreon.com/thevalleylaborreportVisit our official website for more info on the show, membership, our sponsors, merch, and more: https://www.tvlr.fmFollow TVLR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheValleyLab...Follow TVLR on Twitter: @LaborReportersFollow Jacob on Twitter: @JacobM_ALFollow TVLR Co-Creator David Story on Twitter: @RadiclUnionist✦ CONTACT US ✦Our phone number is 844-899-TVLR (8857), call or text us live on air, or leave us a voicemail and we might play it during the show!✦ OUR ADVERTISERS KEEP US ON THE AIR! ✦Support them if you can.The attorneys at MAPLES, TUCKER, AND JACOB fight for working people. Let them represent you in your workplace injury claim. Mtandj.com; (855) 617-9333The MACHINISTS UNION represents workers in several industries including healthcare, the defense industry, woodworking, and more. iamaw44.org (256) 286-3704 / organize@iamaw44.orgDo you need good union laborers on your construction site, or do you want a union construction job? Reach out to the IRONWORKERS LOCAL 477. Ironworkers477.org 256-383-3334 (Jeb Miles) / local477@bellsouth.netThe NORTH ALABAMA DSA is looking for folks to work for a better North Alabama, fighting for liberty and justice for all. Contact / Join: DSANorthAlabama@gmail.comIBEW LOCAL 136 is a group of over 900 electricians and electrical workers providing our area with the finest workforce in the construction industry. You belong here. ibew136.org Contact: (205) 833-0909IFPTE - We are engineers, scientists, nonprofit employees, technicians, lawyers, and many other professions who have joined together to have a greater voice in our careers. With over 80,000 members spread across the U.S. and Canada, we invite you and your colleagues to consider the benefits of engaging in collective bargaining. IFPTE.org Contact: (202) 239-4880THE HUNTSVILLE INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD is a union open to any and all working people. Call or email them today to begin organizing your workplace - wherever it is. On the Web: https://hsviww.org/ Contact: (256) 651-6707 / organize@hsviww.orgENERGY ALABAMA is accelerating Alabama's transition to sustainable energy. We are a nonprofit membership-based organization that has advocated for clean energy in Alabama since 2014. Our work is based on three pillars: education, advocacy, and technical assistance. Energy Alabama on the Web: https://alcse.org/ Contact: (256) 812-1431 / dtait@energyalabama.orgThe Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union represents in a wide range of industries, including but not limited to retail, grocery stores, poultry processing, dairy processing, cereal processing, soda bottlers, bakeries, health care, hotels, manufacturing, public sector workers like crossing guards, sanitation, and highway workers, warehouses, building services, and distribution. Learn more at RWDSU.infoThe American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union proudly representing 700,000 federal and D.C. government workers nationwide and overseas. Learn more at AFGE.orgAre you looking for a better future, a career that can have you set for life, and to be a part of something that's bigger than yourself? Consider a skilled trades apprenticeship with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. Learn more at IUPAT.orgUnionly is a union-focused company created specifically to support organized labor. We believe that providing online payments should be simple, safe, and secure. Visit https://unionly.io/ to learn more.Hometown Action envisions inclusive, revitalized, and sustainable communities built through multiracial working class organizing and leadership development at the local and state level to create opportunities for all people to thrive. Learn more at hometownaction.orgMembers of IBEW have some of the best wages and benefits in North Alabama. Find out more and join their team at ibew558.org ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
This Day in Legal History: Fundamental Laws of 1906On December 30, 1905, Tsar Nicholas II signed the “Fundamental Laws of 1906,” marking a pivotal moment in the Russian Empire's struggle between autocracy and constitutionalism. This act came in response to the Revolution of 1905, a period of mass unrest fueled by political repression, economic hardship, and a humiliating defeat in the Russo-Japanese War. The October Manifesto, issued two months earlier, had promised the establishment of a legislative Duma and the expansion of civil liberties. However, the Fundamental Laws, signed in December, revealed the Tsar's intention to retain ultimate authority despite these concessions.The document laid out a framework for governance, establishing a bicameral legislature with the Duma as its lower house, but Article 4 made clear that “the All-Russian Emperor possesses the supreme autocratic power.” This meant that, legally, any legislative progress remained subordinate to the Tsar's will. The laws also granted the Tsar control over the military, foreign policy, and the ability to dissolve the Duma at his discretion.While the Fundamental Laws introduced formal legal structures and acknowledged the existence of limited civil rights, they were largely symbolic gestures rather than meaningful reforms. Instead of curbing autocratic rule, the laws codified it, cloaking absolute monarchy in the appearance of legality. This duality deepened public dissatisfaction and political fragmentation.Rather than stabilizing the empire, the signing of the Fundamental Laws sowed further distrust in the regime and highlighted the Tsar's unwillingness to relinquish power. These contradictions contributed to the failure of the Duma system and fueled revolutionary momentum that would ultimately culminate in the revolutions of 1917.The Trump administration reached an agreement to review certain NIH grant applications that had been stalled or rejected amid a broader legal challenge over cuts to diversity-related research funding. The agreement followed a federal court ruling in Boston that found the NIH acted unlawfully when it canceled grants based on their perceived ties to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Though the Supreme Court later paused part of that ruling and shifted some aspects of the litigation to a court specializing in monetary claims, the review process for future NIH funding remained in legal limbo.Under the new agreement, the NIH will re-evaluate previously frozen or withdrawn grant applications, though it is not required to fund any specific proposals. Plaintiffs in the case, including researchers and several Democratic-led states, argued that the impacted studies—focusing on topics like HIV prevention, LGBTQ health, Alzheimer's, and sexual violence—serve vital public health needs.One of the plaintiffs, University of New Mexico postdoctoral researcher Nikki Maphis, said the agreement allows important scientific work to resume after what she described as an “arbitrary and destructive freeze.” The underlying NIH policy change, which cut funding for projects deemed to reflect ideological rather than scientific priorities, remains contested. A prior ruling blocking the policy is still under appeal by the Department of Health and Human Services.Trump administration agrees to review stalled NIH research grants after lawsuit | ReutersThe Trump administration's aggressive defunding of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has pushed the agency to the brink of collapse, jeopardizing one of the few federal institutions explicitly designed to protect everyday Americans from financial harm. Created in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, the CFPB has long served as a crucial recourse for people facing predatory lending, credit reporting errors, identity theft, and financial discrimination. The agency has helped return more than $21 billion to consumers since its founding. And yet, under President Trump's second term, it's being systematically dismantled—through funding cuts, legal challenges, and staffing reductions—with the administration openly declaring its intent to shut the agency down.In the absence of the CFPB, those wronged by financial institutions—like Bianca Jones, who battled a credit reporting error that nearly cost her a home, or Morgan Smith, who turned to the agency after being targeted by identity theft—may find themselves with nowhere to turn. The administration claims the CFPB promotes a political agenda, but the result is fewer protections for those already vulnerable. Rules around medical debt, overdraft fees, credit card terms, and mortgage lending have been gutted. Investigations have been shelved. Enforcement is evaporating.Critics argue that other regulators can fill the gap, but the CFPB was created because no one else was doing the job. Without it, financial institutions are more likely to abuse their power with impunity.You should ask yourself: who benefits when a consumer watchdog is taken offline? Because it certainly isn't the teachers, the single parents, the sick, or the struggling borrowers trying to make sense of a system stacked against them. It's the companies who'd rather not answer for what they do in the dark.Trump's funding cuts put America's consumer watchdog on the brink of collapse | ReutersA federal appeals court ruled that it cannot hear Amazon's constitutional challenge to the structure of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), deepening a circuit split on the issue and increasing the likelihood of U.S. Supreme Court review. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that Amazon's case stemmed from a labor dispute and was therefore barred by the Norris-LaGuardia Act, which prohibits courts from intervening in active labor disputes. Amazon had filed the lawsuit to halt an NLRB case claiming it was a joint employer of unionized drivers working for a subcontractor and therefore obligated to bargain with their union.Amazon's broader claim—that the NLRB's structure is unconstitutional because its board members and judges are protected from at-will removal—has gained traction elsewhere. The 5th Circuit, in a recent case involving Elon Musk's SpaceX, ruled that such protections are unlawful and allowed a similar challenge to proceed. But the 9th Circuit firmly disagreed, emphasizing that courts should not interfere with labor board proceedings, regardless of the constitutional claims involved.This ruling aligns with a 3rd Circuit decision and stands in direct conflict with the 5th Circuit, setting the stage for a high-stakes resolution by the Supreme Court. Importantly, the 9th Circuit's ruling doesn't completely shut the door on such challenges—employers can still raise constitutional objections in NLRB proceedings and appeal after the fact. But for now, Amazon and other companies must make their case through the channels Congress established for resolving labor disputes.US court says it can't hear Amazon's NLRB challenge, deepening circuit split | ReutersA Utah judge has granted the release of most of the transcript and audio from a closed hearing in the high-profile case involving the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The hearing, held in October, addressed courtroom safety measures for the accused, Tyler Robinson, who is charged with aggravated murder and other serious offenses. Prosecutors allege Robinson fired a single fatal shot from a rooftop during a university event where Kirk was speaking, and they intend to seek the death penalty.Judge Tony Graf ruled that only about one page of the 80-page transcript would remain redacted, primarily for safety and security reasons. He also clarified that media organizations do not need special legal status to cover the proceedings, rejecting a request that would have guaranteed them advance notice of any future attempts to close hearings.Graf has already decided that Robinson can appear in civilian clothing but must remain physically restrained in court. However, media outlets are prohibited from photographing or filming his restraints, as defense attorneys argued such images could bias potential jurors. A hearing set for February will address whether cameras will be allowed in the courtroom at all.Kirk's death, which occurred during a campus debate, triggered widespread condemnation of political violence from across the ideological spectrum.Judge grants release of redacted transcript of Charlie Kirk case hearing | ReutersAs 2025 winds down, my Bloomberg column this week is a year-end piece reflecting not just on what was written, but on which ideas still resonate because the problems they address remain unresolved. The lasting relevance of several pieces underscores how little has shifted in tax and policy debates. A July column urging states to break free from federal tax volatility feels even more urgent now, as states still cling to unstable baselines. Early in the year, hopes that efficiency rhetoric (read: DOGE) might close the tax gap faded, with political discomfort around auditing the wealthy preventing any meaningful change. April's look at the step-up in basis revealed how death, not borrowing, remains the biggest capital gains loophole—and one Congress left untouched in the 2025 tax law. A May column on IRS immigration enforcement gains new resonance as the crackdown deepens, pushing some immigrant workers further from voluntary compliance. And October's piece on Pung v. Isabella County remains live, with the Supreme Court set to decide whether fairness in tax foreclosures means market value or simply what the government collects.Each of these columns anticipated weather patterns we're now standing in—proof less of foresight and more of inertia. If 2026 brings more engagement, even without clear solutions, there's hope that next year's retrospective won't feel like a reprint with new dates.Read the 5 Most Relevant Technically Speaking Columns of 2025 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe
It's been a while, but we're back with another episode. And this one is a doozy, in all the wrong/right ways. We start with a discussion of how Musk's DOGE initiative was a complete failure. Most of the claimed cuts were inaccurate and didn't happen, and government spending has actually increased during the Trump administration. DOGE failed. This eventually leads to Ryan revealing why he hasn't wanted to discuss politics lately (and we haven't had many recent episodes): while he always knew Trump was a piece of shit, Ryan has finally realized that most of humanity wants that, suggesting they are equally as selfish and inconsiderate of the planet and others. Good times! We then take a quick break to mock the recently announced Trump Class ships that everyone knows are just an attempt to stroke Dear Leader's cock and boost his ego, because the ships are not needed, impossible to build, and already obsolete, but it will also, no doubt, enrich someone who has bribed Trump. Our third topic is a discussion of the recent situation in Minnesota of fraudsters bilking the government to the tune of billions of dollars. Tom's point with this story is that this level of fraud is really only possible with the government, and it's not entirely clear how to prevent it. We end with predictions of what is going to happen to the US. The answer is: DOOM! Revolution! Cataclysmic collapse! Great Depression! Weimar Republic level catastrophe!
After a campaign built on the promise that Trump was going to look out for his voters, he started his administration getting sidetracked by DOGE and Musk's phony ideas about saving money. After that petered out, he got distracted by his need to put his name all over the place. In the process, he's totally forgotten to help his people—or even fake trying to help them. Meanwhile, Trump is trapped in a Groundhog Day of his own making on Ukraine-Russia. Plus, his bruising has now moved to his left hand, Melania can't speak English, the DOJ is still working to find the 'real' people who made the rioters descend on the Capitol, the withholding of information in the Epstein case is worse than the redactions, and Dems need to forcefully call out the Medicaid fraud in Minnesota. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes: Monday's "Morning Shots," including what Andrew learned from his extended family The 12 Days of Christmas, Bulwark style Addison's piece on America's two Christmases Bill's "Bulwark on Sunday" with Ryan Goodman Phrase Tim and Bill referenced: “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.” Our listeners get the Harry's Plus Trial Set for only $10 at https://www.Harrys.com/THEBULWARK #Harryspod
More year-end awards today! Today, Jim and Greg tackle the fourth installment of the 3 Three Martini Lunch Awards. Today, they offer up their selections for the Best Political Idea, Worst Political Idea, and Boldest Political Tactics for the year. They start with the best ideas of the year. Jim applauds those who are advancing the cutting edge technology that will rapidly change our world. Greg cheers on those fighting to eliminate the most unfair tax of all.Then it's time for the worst political ideas of the year. Jim quickly zeroes in on a big aspect of the Trump economic agenda that may well be hurting the president's own efforts to bring prices down. Greg chides Trump for picking a fight with closest neighbors at a time when the lefties there were about to implode. Now we get five more years of leftist insanity.Finally, they're on to the boldest political tactics for 2025. Jim praises Trump for waving off the naysayers and neutralizing on of the world's major looming threats. Greg gives Trump and Elon Musk credit for trying to shrink our government. Even though it did not achieve all of its goals, at least someone finally tried - something neither party has shown any interest in doing for decades.Don't miss Tuesday's special edition as Jim and Greg reveal their choices for Most Overreported Story, Most Underreported Story, and the Best Story of 2025.New episodes every weekday.
This year was a VERY eventful year for autism. If you want to hear a highlight of the good news, the great science that was discovered and the ideas developed to help families with autism, listen to this podcast or read the summary here: https://autismsciencefoundation.org/2025-year-in-review/. In summary: more precise subtypes of autism have been discovered and validated using biological markers, explanation for sex differences, new precision medicines for those with known genetic causes of autism, and new research studying the effects of early intervention. It was a great year for science, even with all the challenges from DOGE.
The 2025 Crypto Year in Review | Bitcoin Breakdown & The IBIT Revolution As we close the books on an insane 2025, Mark Longo and Greg Magadini from Amberdata sit down for the final episode of The Crypto Rundown of the year. It has been a year of massive adoption, regulatory shifts, and the definitive "IPO moment" for Bitcoin. From the explosion of IBIT options to the wild rollercoaster of Ethereum and the rise of digital asset treasuries, we break down the data that defined the last 12 months. Inside This Episode: The 2025 Bitcoin Retrospective: Bitcoin started the year in the mid-90s, hit an all-time high of $126,000 in October, and weathered the "Tariff Tantrum" lows of $76,000. The IBIT Story: Why the IBIT ETF was the story of the year, bringing traditional US investors into the crypto vol space and shifting the vol surface from the offshore "whales" to Wall Street. Ethereum's Multiple Lives: ETH went from being "dead" in Q1 to hitting nearly $5,000 in August, before finishing the year back under $3,000. The Changing Vol Landscape: A deep dive into why crypto skew has turned negative, looking more like traditional equity markets than the "call-heavy" markets of years past. Altcoin Universe Wrap-up: Analyzing the 2025 performance of Solana, XRP, Doge, and the "Netflix of stablecoins," Circle. Digital Asset Treasuries: The struggle of MicroStrategy (MSTR) and MSTU as momentum shifted at the tail end of the year. Notable Quotes: "The spot ETF was the IPO moment for Bitcoin. It was the time for big-time whales to finally get liquidity and distribute shares like a corporate listing." — Greg Magadini Resources & Links: Amberdata: Access granular on-chain and market data at Amberdata.io . Options Insider Pro: Join the community and get the Pro Trading Crate at TheOptionsInsider.com/Pro . Follow the Network: Stay updated on Twitter @Options and @Amberdataio.
Thank you so much for listening to the Bob Harden Show, celebrating over 14 years broadcasting on the internet. On Monday's show, we discuss current global events, including developments in Israel, Ukraine, China/ Taiwan, and Venezuela with Marc Schulman, Founder and Publisher of HistoryCentral.com. We visit with American Institute for Economic Research Senior Editor Jon Miltimore about a 1980's facial-scar experiment and how it illustrates the victim mentality and discrimination today. We also visit with author Jim McTague about DOGE and the Democrat party. We have terrific guests for tomorrow's show, including Florida State Senator Kathleen Passidomo, Maggie Anders from FEE.org, Boo Mortenson, and Linda Harden. Access this or past shows at your convenience on my web site, social media platforms or podcast platforms.
The 2025 Crypto Year in Review | Bitcoin Breakdown & The IBIT Revolution As we close the books on an insane 2025, Mark Longo and Greg Magadini from Amberdata sit down for the final episode of The Crypto Rundown of the year. It has been a year of massive adoption, regulatory shifts, and the definitive "IPO moment" for Bitcoin. From the explosion of IBIT options to the wild rollercoaster of Ethereum and the rise of digital asset treasuries, we break down the data that defined the last 12 months. Inside This Episode: The 2025 Bitcoin Retrospective: Bitcoin started the year in the mid-90s, hit an all-time high of $126,000 in October, and weathered the "Tariff Tantrum" lows of $76,000. The IBIT Story: Why the IBIT ETF was the story of the year, bringing traditional US investors into the crypto vol space and shifting the vol surface from the offshore "whales" to Wall Street. Ethereum's Multiple Lives: ETH went from being "dead" in Q1 to hitting nearly $5,000 in August, before finishing the year back under $3,000. The Changing Vol Landscape: A deep dive into why crypto skew has turned negative, looking more like traditional equity markets than the "call-heavy" markets of years past. Altcoin Universe Wrap-up: Analyzing the 2025 performance of Solana, XRP, Doge, and the "Netflix of stablecoins," Circle. Digital Asset Treasuries: The struggle of MicroStrategy (MSTR) and MSTU as momentum shifted at the tail end of the year. Notable Quotes: "The spot ETF was the IPO moment for Bitcoin. It was the time for big-time whales to finally get liquidity and distribute shares like a corporate listing." — Greg Magadini Resources & Links: Amberdata: Access granular on-chain and market data at Amberdata.io . Options Insider Pro: Join the community and get the Pro Trading Crate at TheOptionsInsider.com/Pro . Follow the Network: Stay updated on Twitter @Options and @Amberdataio.
Another attack against an elderly woman in Seattle. After Washington Democrats criticized Trump’s ‘secret police,’ they quietly try creating one of their own. Elon Musk said that in hindsight he wishes he devoted more time to his companies instead of DOGE. // LongForm: GUEST: Real estate broker Matt Goyer on the grim outlook for the condo market in King County. // Quick Hit: A Kentucky state legislator says that she sometimes feels bad about being white.
And just like that, 2025 is coming to a close. On this week's On the Media, hear a tour of a 12-month news blitz, from AI to the Pentagon press room to the reshaping of legacy outlets. Plus, what we can expect from the year to come.[02:33] This week, Brooke and Micah review how legacy outlets made big changes in the wake of Donald Trump's inauguration this year. Featuring: Oliver Darcy, author of the newsletter Status.[11:53] Brooke and Micah take stock of the administration's embrace of far right online personalities – in the White House and in the press room. Plus, a review of the wreckage DOGE has left in its wake, and Trump's crackdown on free speech.Featuring: Vittoria Elliott, senior reporter at Wired, Ryan J. Reilly, senior justice reporter for NBC News, Brandy Zadrozny, senior reporter at MS NOW, Anna Merlan, senior reporter for Mother Jones, Corey Robin, professor of political science at Brooklyn College.[37:38] Brooke and Micah review how the press covered the deployment of the national guard; the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's murder; and the ongoing turmoil at CBS. Plus, how to steel ourselves for the year ahead.Featuring: Jamison Foser, media critic and author of the newsletter Finding Gravity, and Jamelle Bouie, columnist for The New York Times. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.
Every year, Lawfare publishes a retrospective of the year that passed. Today, we're pleased to bring you an audio debrief of that article, The Year That Was: 2025, which you can read in full on our website starting December 31.Lawfare is focused on producing timely, rigorous, and non-partisan analysis of “hard national security choices.” And this year, that work was—to use an expression as tired as we are—like drinking from a firehose. We did our best to keep up. We published more than 1,000 articles, podcasts, videos, research papers, and primary source documents. We did livestream round-ups and rapid-response videos. We produced five different podcasts and an investigative video series. We built data visualizations and trackers to make sense of complicated unfolding events. You can find all that and more for free on our website, lawfaremedia.org.It's impossible to capture everything that happened in 2025 in the world of national security. But here's what stood out to the Lawfare team—and what they have to say about. In this episode, you'll hear from Executive Editor Natalie Orpett on Lawfare's work in 2025 and from Editor in Chief Benjamin Wittes on The Situation. You'll hear from Senior Editors Anna Bower on DOGE, Roger Parloff on the Alien Enemies Act, Molly Roberts on politicization of the Justice Department, Eric Columbus on impoundments, Scott R. Anderson on war powers, and Kevin Frazier on AI and the states. You'll hear from Public Interest Fellows Loren Voss on domestic deployments of the military, and Ariane Tabatabai on foreign policy. You'll hear from our Managing Editor, Tyler McBrien, on our narrative podcast series, Escalation. You'll hear from Associate Editors Katherine Pompilio on the Jan. 6 pardons and Olivia Manes on rolling back internal checks at the Justice Department. You'll hear from our Fellow Jakub Kraus on AI, and you'll hear from Contributing Editor Renée DiResta on election integrity capacity.And that's just a sampling of Lawfare's work.It's The Year That Was: 2025. We'll see you next year.To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Original Release Date: November 19, 2025Our CIO and Chief U.S. Equity Strategist Mike Wilson explains why he continues to hold on to an out-of-consensus view of a growth positive 2026, despite near-term risks.Read more insights from Morgan Stanley.----- Transcript -----Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I'm Mike Wilson, Morgan Stanley's CIO and Chief U.S. Equity Strategist. Today I'll discuss our outlook for 2026 that we published earlier this week. It's Wednesday, Nov 19th at 6:30 am in New York. So, let's get after it. 2026 is a continuation of the story we have been telling for the past year. Looking back to a year ago, our U.S. equity outlook was for a challenging first half, followed by a strong second half. At the time of publication, this was an out of consensus stance. Many expected a strong first half, as President Trump took office for his second term. And then a more challenging second half due to the return of inflation. We based our differentiated view on the notion that policy sequencing in the new Trump administration would intentionally be growth negative to start. We likened the strategy to a new CEO choosing to ‘kitchen sink' the results in an effort to clear the decks for a new growth positive strategy. We thought that transition would come around mid-year. The U.S. economy had much less slack when President Trump took office the second time, compared to the first time he came into office. And this was the main reason we thought it was likely to be sequenced differently. Earnings revisions breadth and other cyclical indicators were also in a phase of deceleration at the end of 2024. In contrast, at the beginning of 2017—when we were out of consensus bullish—earnings revisions breadth and many cyclical gauges were starting to reaccelerate after the manufacturing and commodity downturn of 2015/2016. Looking back on this year, this cadence of policy sequencing did broadly play out—it just happened faster and more dramatically than we expected. Our views on the policy front still appear to be out of consensus. Many industry watchers are questioning whether policies enacted this year will ultimately lead to better growth going forward, especially for the average stock. From our perspective, the policy choices being made are growth positive for 2026 and are largely in line with our ‘run it hot' thesis. There's another factor embedded in our more constructive take. April marked the end of a rolling recession that began three years prior. The final stages were a recession in government thanks to DOGE, a rate of change trough in expectations around AI CapEx growth and trade policy, and a recession in consumer services that is still ongoing. In short, we believe a new bull market and rolling recovery began in April which means it's still early days, and not obvious—especially for many lagging parts of the economy and market. That is the opportunity. The missing ingredient for the typical broadening in stock performance that happens in a new business cycle is rate cuts. Normally, the Fed would have cut rates more in this type of weakening labor market. But due to the imbalances and distortions of the COVID cycle, we think the Fed is later than normal in easing policy, and that has held back the full rotation toward early cycle winners. Ironically, the government shutdown has weakened the economy further, but has also delayed Fed action due to the lack of labor data releases. This is a near-term risk to our bullish 12-month forecasts should delays in the data continue, or lagging labor releases do not corroborate the recent weakness in non-govt-related jobs data. In our view, this type of labor market weakness coupled with the administration's desire to ‘run it hot' means that, ultimately, the Fed is likely to deliver more dovish policy than the market currently expects. It's really just a question of timing. But that is a near-term risk for equity markets and why many stocks have been weaker recently. In short, we believe a new bull market began in April with the end of a rolling recession and bear market. Remember the S&P [500] was down 20 percent and the average S&P stock was down more than 30 percent into April. This narrative remains underappreciated, and we think there is significant upside in earnings over the next year as the recovery broadens and operating leverage returns with better volumes and pricing in many parts of the economy. Our forecasts reflect this upside to earnings which is another reason why many stocks are not as expensive as they appear despite our acknowledgement that some areas of the market may appear somewhat frothy. For the S&P 500, our 12-month target is now 7800 which assumes 17 percent earnings growth next year and a very modest contraction in valuation from today's levels. Our favorite sectors include Financials, Industrials, and Healthcare. We are also upgrading Consumer Discretionary to overweight and prefer Goods over Services for the first time since 2021. Another relative trade we like is Software over Semiconductors given the extreme relative underperformance of that pair and positioning at this point. Finally, we like small caps over large for the first time since March 2021, as the early cycle broadening in earnings combined with a more accommodative Fed provides the backdrop we have been patiently waiting for. We hope you enjoy our detailed report published earlier this week and find it helpful as you navigate a changing marketplace on many levels. Thanks for tuning in. Let us know what you think by leaving us a review. And if you find Thoughts on the Market worthwhile, tell a friend or colleague to try it out!
Investigative editor Ashley Remkus will join us to talk about "Stories That Made a Difference in 2025." Here are some links to the stories Ashley highlights: DOGE cuts directly affected Alabama institutions. Hugh Freeze's frequent golfing rounds became big news. Columnist Roy S. Johnson shared his prostate-cancer experience, and people are getting tested. Help arrived for students who didn't have beds to sleep in. A citizen who'd been critical of a small city was arrested ... but then released. In a still-developing story, there have been accusations of parking-ticket entrapment. The parole rate plummeted ... and then the board chair was ousted. Some glaring evidence led a judge to call for a new trial for a Death Row inmate (although the Attorney General's Office is still fighting it). A death sentence was commuted. In Alabama. Seriously. The State Legislature acted quickly after a breastfeeding-jurors story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hey listeners, picture this: it's been a whirlwind week in the courts for President Donald Trump, with the Supreme Court dropping bombshells that could reshape his administration's bold moves. Just three days ago, on December 23, 2025, the nation's highest court issued a key ruling in Trump v. Illinois, tackling whether President Trump could federalize the Illinois National Guard and even pull in Texas troops to safeguard federal property in Chicago amid escalating violence. According to the Supreme Court's opinion, Trump activated 300 Illinois Guard members on October 4, followed by Texas forces the next day, citing riots where protesters hurled tear gas canisters at officers, tried grabbing firearms, and blasted bullhorns to cause hearing damage. Justice Alito's dissent slammed the lower District Court in Rhode Island for dismissing the government's unrefuted evidence of chaos, arguing it justified the President's call under federal law. While a majority granted the stay with some reasoning, Kavanaugh concurred, but Alito and Thomas pushed back hard, calling out the eleventh-hour shifts in opponents' arguments. This shadow docket decision, tracked by the Brennan Center, marks one of 25 emergency rulings since Trump took office on January 20, 2025—20 leaning his way, often with minimal explanation.But that's not all from the past few days. Fast-forward to the New York hush money saga: a fresh decision in People v. Donald J. Trump from the Manhattan court, penned by Judge Juan Merchan, shut down Trump's post-election bid to dismiss his 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Remember, a jury convicted him unanimously back in May 2024 for scheming to hide payments to Stormy Daniels, aiming to boost his presidential run through unlawful means. Trump requested delays himself—pushing sentencing past the election to November 26, 2024, then begging for a stay and dismissal after winning. The court wasn't buying it, noting Trump consented to those adjournments without opposition from prosecutors. Merchan emphasized the premeditated deception that eroded public trust, rejecting claims the case evaporates with his presidency, citing the Supreme Court's Trump v. United States immunity ruling but insisting justice demands accountability.Meanwhile, the Supreme Court's shadow docket has been a Trump turbo-boost all year. Brennan Center reports victories like Trump v. Boyle in July, greenlighting firings at the Consumer Product Safety Commission; McMahon v. New York upholding Education Department workforce cuts; and immigration wins such as Noem v. Doe, allowing mass parole revocations for half a million from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Even on LGBTQ+ fronts, November's ruling backed the State Department's passport gender policies. Not every call went his way—A.A.R.P. v. Trump lost on Venezuelan removals under the Alien Enemies Act—but the pattern's clear: 20 partial wins, with liberals like Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson dissenting repeatedly.Lawfare's litigation tracker highlights nonstop challenges, from SNAP benefit suspensions sparking suits by nonprofits and cities, to DOGE transparency fights where CREW got blocked from records. As of now, two more applications simmer. These battles in places like the First Circuit, DC Circuit, and beyond show Trump's team firing on all cylinders, testing presidential power's edges.Thanks for tuning in, listeners—come back next week for more. This has been a Quiet Please production, and for more, check out Quiet Please Dot A I.Some great Deals https://amzn.to/49SJ3QsFor more check out http://www.quietplease.aiThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
On this episode, Ty sits down with Pastor Ché, a Korean immigrant and 46-year veteran pastor running for California Governor. Pastor Ché shares the moment God called him to run on April 28th, his immediate response of "God, please not this, it is impossible," and the miraculous White House invitation that came just five hours after he asked for confirmation. You'll hear his incredible story, from growing up as the son of a North Korean pastor imprisoned under communism to his own battle with drug addiction at 17. He shares the supernatural moment at a Deep Purple concert in 1973 when he encountered Jesus, walked out before the main act, and was instantly delivered from addiction. That was 52 years ago. Pastor Ché breaks down California's crisis points: Proposition 1 codifying abortion through the ninth month, transgender sanctuary state policies, teen suicide now the number one killer of youth ages 10 to 18, $5 billion spent on homelessness with $2.5 billion unaccounted for, the bullet train to nowhere that's burned through nearly $100 billion with not one foot of track laid, and defunded police departments. He lays out his vision for common-sense solutions: DOGE-style audits of every department, fully funding law enforcement, balanced environmental policies, and calling for a statewide day of prayer and fasting on day one. He's the only person of color running in a state where over 50% are people of color, has zero political background but 46 years of proven integrity, and brings a spiritual dimension focused on revival. Ty and Pastor Ché find common ground in running for office after receiving divine impressions and believing voters need to look beyond party affiliation to character and values. Pastor Ché's message is clear: California's problems are fundamentally spiritual, and it's going to take more than policy changes to bring restoration. Visit che4ca.com to support his campaign. Anyone in all 50 states can contribute. Most importantly, he asks for your prayers for California. As always, we would like to hear from you! Email us at thetybradyway@gmail.com Or DM us on Instagram @thetybradyway
Senate Democrats fail to stop the confirmation of Kash Patel as FBI director. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has decided to call it quits … in two years. Civics lesson for members of the White House press. Update on ending the income tax. DOGE dividend checks coming? DEI is withering on the vine … or is it? Update on the asteroid's chances of hitting Earth. Hamas celebrates the deaths of innocent Israelis while releasing remains of hostages. Vice President JD Vance discusses his faith and tries to encourage young people in America. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) says we don't need a refund check from the government. Democrats are in disarray. President Trump wants to inspect Fort Knox to see if there's any gold in there. KFC moving to Texas! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Driftglass and Blue Gal bring their epic year-in-review series to a close, covering September through December and finally boxing up 2025 to send it to hell. The hosts examine the final months of a year that saw legacy media trapped in their own 'Both Sides Do It' prison, DOGE's promises evaporate into nothing, and the Epstein files get a (incompetent, but still) cover up. But there's also hope in this finale—a massive Blue Wave in November's elections, governors standing up to federal overreach, and signs that Trump's floor might finally be cracking. As they close out the longest decade of their lives, Driftglass and Blue Gal thank their listeners for sticking with facts, empathy, and each other through a year when all three were under constant assault.h/t @markeymarx on Bluesky for the cover artwork More at proleftpod.com. Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: proleftpod.comSupport via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpodor Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show
We start this week with Jason's story about Flock exposing a bunch of AI-powered cameras. These cameras zoom in on people as they walk by, sometimes so closely you can read what's on their phone screen. After the break, we talk about some of our biggest stories this year. In the subscribers-only section, we give some of our personal recommendations of games, other reporting, or just a more chill life. Timestamps:0:00 - Intro00:54 - Gift a 404 Media subscription2:27 - Flock Exposed Its AI-Powered Cameras to the Internet. We Tracked Ourselves26:34 - Anyone Can Push Updates to the DOGE.gov Website29:52 - Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals Obscure App the Government Is Using to Archive Signal Messages34:29 - How Tea's Founder Convinced Millions of Women to Spill Their Secrets, Then Exposed Them to the World44:59 - Half of the US Now Requires You to Upload Your ID or Scan Your Face to Watch Porn YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/DrGVGphD2L0 Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Patrick confronts the pressing question of Islam’s influence in the West, questioning why secular societies seem to flourish while others struggle. Faith, identity, and immigration collide as Patrick shares the Church’s teachings on salvation for non-Catholics, sharing personal stories from listeners who wrestle with division in families and society. Tension ramps up as commentary from thought leaders and everyday individuals highlights anxiety about cultural change and the uncertainty clouding the future. Audio: Douglas Murray, "Muslims ask how come they're doing better than us? https://x.com/Adi13/status/1986549073982136676 (00:56) Audio: Islamist Preacher in Deerborn - https://x.com/realMaalouf/status/1987536658690887746 (03:05) Audio: Boston University professor Richard Landes breaks the rules of political correctness with a chilling wake-up call about Islam - https://x.com/lizarosen0000/status/1986729279728521696?s=46&t=m_l2itwnFvka2DG8_72nHQ (08:31) Richard - I would just like to hear you comment on Lumen Gentium Paragraph 14-16. This illustrates that the Church is necessary for salvation. It also says that those who refuse to enter, who know it is true, can’t be saved. (13:37) Robert - You often bring up the UK when talking about Islam in the West. What does King Charles think about this? (21:37) Sharlyn - I am confused by your comments on Lumen Gentium. Does this mean that Protestants and Non-denominational people can be saved? (29:02) Irene - In Islam, the woman needs to have multiple witnesses if she wants to report a rape. (41:01) Audio: Obama in 2008 on illegal immigration problem -https://x.com/thomassowell/status/1934701261166649450?s=46&t=m_l2itwnFvka2DG8_72nHQ (43:27) Audio: Nigel Farage on out of control immigration –https://x.com/DOGE__news/status/1979666296674410935 (45:44) Audio: Pakistani immigrant on Muslims in the UK - https://x.com/benonwine/status/1979672990397976950?s=46&t=m_l2itwnFvka2DG8_72nHQ (47:06) Audio: Bill Maher on Sweden’s immigration problems –https://x.com/rickydoggin/status/1979007555184574800? (49:42) Originally aired on 11/11/25
After a year tangled in political drama, AI hype, and regulation battles, the TWiT crew explains how many of tech's "biggest stories" simply fizzled into nothing or left us with new headaches by year's end. • Year-end tech trends: AI, politics, and security dominated 2025 • Major stories faded fast: TikTok saga, political tech drama, DOGE scandal • TikTok's ownership battle—Oracle, Trump donors, and US-China tensions • China tech fears: banned drones, IoT vulnerabilities, secret radios in buses • Rising political pressure for internet privacy and media literacy reform • Surveillance and kill switch concerns in US grid and port infrastructure • Convenience vs. privacy: Americans trade data for discounts and ease • Age verification, surveillance, and flawed facial recognition across countries • Discord's ID leak highlights risks of rushed compliance with privacy laws • Social media's impact on kids pushes age-gating and verification laws • ISPs monetize customer data, VPNs pitched for personal privacy • Global government crackdowns: UK bans VPN advertising, mandates age checks • The illusion of absolute privacy: flawed age gates and persistent tracking • AI takes over: explosive growth, but profits elusive for big players • Arms race in LLMs: DeepSeek's breakthrough, OpenAI/Meta talent bidding war • Ad-driven models still rule; Amazon's playbook repeated in AI • Humanoid robots and AGI hype: skepticism vs. Silicon Valley optimism • AI-generated art, media, and the challenge of deepfake detection • Social platforms falter: Instagram and X swamped by fake or low-value content • Google's legal, regulatory, and technical woes: ad tech trial, Manifest V3 backlash • RAM price spikes and hardware shortages blamed on AI data center demand • YouTube overtakes mobile for podcast and video viewing, Oscars move online • The internet's growth: Cloudflare stats, X vs. Reddit, spam domain trends • Weird tech stories: hacked crosswalks, Nintendo Switch 2 Staplegate, LEGO theft ring • Sad farewell: Lamar Wilson's passing and mental health awareness in tech • Reflections on the year's turbulence and hopes for a better 2026 Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Mikah Sargent, Paris Martineau, and Steve Gibson Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: expressvpn.com/twit zscaler.com/security Melissa.com/twit ventionteams.com/twit auraframes.com/ink
From an unenforced TikTok ban and a chatbot calling itself MechaHitler to mounting fears that we're in an AI bubble, 2025 was another messy year for the tech industry. We watched billionaire CEOs fully align themselves with President Trump, Nvidia become the first $5 trillion company, and Elon Musk's popularity tank, thanks to his DOGE antics (and yet he could still become the world's first trillionaire). Kara breaks down the biggest tech stories of 2025 with four journalists: Bill Cohan, a longtime financial journalist, author, and Puck co-founder who covers Wall Street; Casey Newton, founder and editor of the tech newsletter Platformer and host of The New York Times podcast “Hard Fork”; Joanna Stern, senior personal technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal and author of a forthcoming book about how she surrendered her life to A.I. for a year; and Charlie Warzel, staff writer at The Atlantic and host of the tech and culture podcast “Galaxy Brain.” (Please note, this conversation was recorded before news broke that TikTok had signed a deal to spin off its U.S. business to a group of American investors, the Justice Department released a trove of documents tied to investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, and Waymo halted service in San Francisco because of power outages in the area.) Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Keith discusses the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) new regulations on rental pricing transparency, following a settlement with Greystar. Legendary author, Doug Casey, joins the conversation to argue that the Federal Reserve is waging a quiet war on the middle class. Casey explains that by creating trillions of new fiat dollars to push interest rates lower, the Fed fuels inflation, which erodes savings, distorts markets, and quietly reduces the average American's standard of living. He warns of an impending economic downturn due to inflation and government debt. Resources: Find the FTC article here. Visit internationalman.com to read Doug Casey's weekly articles and watch his "Doug Casey's Take" videos on YouTube. Episode Page: GetRichEducation.com/585 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments. For predictable 10-12% quarterly returns, visit FreedomFamilyInvestments.com/GRE or text 1-937-795-8989 to speak with a freedom coach Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search "how to leave an Apple Podcasts review" For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— GREletter.com or text 'GRE' to 66866 Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript: Keith Weinhold 0:01 welcome to GRE. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, the Fed keeps escalating their quiet war against the middle class. I'm talking about it with one of the most influential financial figures of the past century. Today, also what the recent FTC decision on rents means to real estate on get rich education. Speaker 1 0:25 Since 2014 the powerful get rich education podcast has created more passive income for people than nearly any other show in the world. This show teaches you how to earn strong returns from passive real estate investing in the best markets without losing your time being a flipper or landlord. Show Host Keith Weinhold rights for both Forbes and Rich Dad advisors, and delivers a new show every week since 2014 there's been millions of listener downloads of 188 world nations. He has a list show guests include top selling personal finance author Robert Kiyosaki. Get rich education can be heard on every podcast platform, plus it has its own dedicated Apple and Android listener phone apps build wealth on the go with the get rich education podcast. Sign up now for the get rich education podcast, or visit get rich education.com Corey Coates 1:11 You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education. Keith Weinhold 1:27 Welcome to GRE I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, let's get right into it, as there's a lot to cover here on our last big show before Christmas. Briefly before we get to the Fed's quiet war against the middle class the Federal Trade Commission just fired off a warning shot to landlords, and here's the translation about what this means to you, advertise your real all in rent amount with mandatory fees included in that amount or expect company and by company, the FTC means attorneys, paperwork and a long headache, and I'll tell you why I think this is a good thing. But really, first what this is all about is that it stems from the antecedent settlement with the massive global real estate company greystar, about transparent pricing. You might know that greystar is the massive global real estate company. They specialize in rental housing. In fact, greystar is the largest apartment operator in the entire US. They're in about 250 markets. The FTC cracked down on greystars add on fees, those fees added on to the rent amount that aren't clear and transparent right from the beginning. Now, in their case, it's things like Package Concierge charges, valet, trash service fees and some of these other line items that magically appear after a renter has already emotionally moved into a unit. Now for your rentals, they might be other things like Pest Control fees, gym fees, pet fees, utility add ons and notice that I use the word might, because clarification is still being sought here, but suffice to say, the least that you should know is really three things, advertise a rental price that excludes mandatory charges and that could be a violation of the law. So then state the total cost of renting the unit up front, no fine print gymnastics. Secondly, do a compliance check. You need to review your ads to confirm that they honestly convey your rental unit's price. That includes working with third party marketing vendors like Zillow or Facebook marketplace to see if they accurately state the all in price, because if they understate the price, it's still your problem. And thirdly, know that the FTC is reviewing harmful practices in the rental housing market. They'll take action against landlords that try to hide mandatory fees, so no hide and seek. And the FTC resource is in our show notes, and I sent it to you in last week's newsletter as well, if you want to read it, all my take here is that this type of transparency is a good thing. I mean, come on, we all know how annoying it is if, say, an airline states like, Hey, we've got prices to this destination. You can fly there for as low as $200 Yeah, but what if it's a 28 hour, four layover journey to fly 300 miles? Okay? What about buying an event ticket to go to a music concert and say you've already got 10 minutes wrapped up in this, but they don't show you the final price with all the fees until you've already invested that 10 minutes a. Then you learn about this in your shopping cart. So that type of thing is deceptive, all right. Well, what this FTC case does is it eliminates that effect in the rental housing market. So if you're a landlord, your competitors shouldn't be able to advertise base rents minus fees against your unit that appears higher priced than it's really not. And then for renters, I mean, the clarity helps expedite their search process. So this lets good assets compete on real value, and that is good business. Now, as far as the Fed controlling the economy, Jerome Powell announced interest rate cuts both last year and some more again this year, and though the effect isn't immediate, mortgage rates do come down with them. Mortgage rates have also fallen this year because the yield spread premium is lower. And you know what the prevailing sentiment is among a lot of armchair economists, it is squarely this, you ain't seen nothing for cuts yet. People say, Oh, watch, once Trump gets his guy in there in May, meaning that's when the newly appointed Fed chair is in power. Oh, you're really going to see some giant rate cuts then, yeah. I mean, a lot of people talk about this like it's certainly coming. They say then the Fed funds rate is going to go way down, meaning mortgage rates are then going to go way down, meaning that home prices are therefore going to soar next year. Well, all that could happen, but it is nowhere close to the certainty camp for everything to respond exactly that way. As you know, as a listener here, paradoxically, mortgage rates have little to do with home prices. Look at history over hunches. In fact, it might be more likely that those things don't happen and don't all break exactly that way, then the probability that they do, and that quickly gets into conjecture territory. As we know, lowering rates is bad too, because it signals that a weak economy needs the help. Typically. What could be different this next time. Well, whether we're in a good or a bad economy, Trump still wants lower rates, and he really imposes his will on the situation. Keith Weinhold 7:30 We're about to bring in the author of a new book called The preparation. It's about preparing for the economic future. A lot of the book is mostly for young men and their parents, but we'll speak to both females and males. Today is the middle class both worse off and in a way, better off today than they were a generation or two ago. Talk to your grandparents. They didn't pay for a college education. They didn't get one. They rarely ate out at restaurants. They didn't have a smartphone, which is now practically mandatory to even exist. Today, people are paying for all of that, so no wonder that prospective first time homebuyers almost seem to be going extinct. Let's meet this week's guest. Keith Weinhold 8:21 Are we going to get a painful financial reset in the form of runaway inflation, a market crash or something else? We'll answer that before we're done today, the Fed is engaged in a quiet war against the middle class. They are going to create trillions more Fiat dollars to lower interest rates further and create inflation that's according to today's guest. He is the International man himself, a legendary and generationally popular author, and he does a lot more than that. He's back with us for a sobering look at this today. Hey, welcome in. Doug Casey, Doug Casey 8:57 Thanks, Keith. It's nice to be here with you, although care for me is in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I spend a good part of the year. Keith Weinhold 9:05 Such a nice place, good year round weather. There. A piece you recently wrote is titled, The Fed's quiet war against the middle class. The Fed recently announced that they're stopping Qt, which basically means they're stopping the destruction of dollars and opening the floodgates to print dollars. You've been known to say that the level of interest rates is the most important single indicator of an economy, and the Fed has made several quarter point cuts over the last year plus, although the President is supposed to stay independent of Fed influence. Oh my gosh, he has been more vocal than any other president ever over how badly he wants low rates. What are your thoughts with regard to all this Doug? Doug Casey 9:53 Well, the Fed, which most people have been taught to believe, is part of the cosmic firmament. Right? It should be abolished. It serves no useful purpose. The Fed is an engine of inflation. It's what creates Federal Reserve notes. It's an engine of inflation and purely destructive, and it's used by the government to finance itself. So that's the first thing I've got to say. And they don't know what interest rates should be. Neither does Trump neither does anybody else. That's for the market to determine right and interest rates are set by the amount of savings that's done by the people and the amount of borrowing that's done by other people. The problem is with the Fed printing up lots and lots of money, which they are through the banking system, it makes it rather foolish to be a saver. In other words, if you produce more than you consume, which is something everybody should do, you want to save the difference. That's how you become wealthy. But if they destroy the currency with inflation, it's pointless to save, and if there's no savings, there's no capital to lend. This is why we're sliding off a slippery slope in the direction of a third world country where there's no savings, where the money's no good, it's a real problem. I think the average American, despite increases in technology that we've benefited from over many years, the average American has found his standard of living go down a lot, and it's basically because of the destruction of the currency that makes it impossible for him to save and get ahead of things, and results in wild and crazy moves in the stock markets and the real estate markets and the interest rate markets, where things become unpredictable. So everybody's being turned into a speculator, whether they like it or not, and frankly, we're headed towards a real reckoning in the US and in the world generally. So my approach at this point is to hold on to your hat, because we're in for rough running in the years Keith Weinhold 12:14 to come. To create low rates, the Fed basically needs to create trillions of new Fiat dollars. Tell us about how that works. Doug Casey 12:25 Well, it's a question of the supply and demand of money. You've got two things happening. Number one, when the Fed has quantitative easing, as they call it, which basically means inflating the dollar. Quantitative easing, or QE is just a nice word for inflating the dollar. They're increasing the supply of dollars out there. You increase the supply of dollars, the price of money goes down in the short run, but in the long run, the value of the dollar also goes down. And nobody's going to lend money if they can't get more in interest than it's being depreciated at. So you've got these two forces fighting against each other making for an unstable system. That's why I say that look before 1933 and when Roosevelt took gold out of the dollar, or in fact, before 1913 when the Federal Reserve was created, before that, there was no central bank. There was no Federal Reserve in the US. Money was just a medium of exchange and a store of value. It wasn't a political commodity, which it is now. Today, everybody is looking at the government to do something to make a decision to raise rates. Some people want them higher or lower them. Some people want them lower. But this is for the market to decide. It shouldn't be a political decision. Keith Weinhold 13:53 Low rates, which most think are coming, produce an inflationary environment, which then means that longer term, there need to be new higher rates in order to combat that. Doug Casey 14:05 Well, what we've got is a situation where conflicting advice and beliefs are causing rates, and indeed, most of the economy, to go up and down like an elevator with a lunatic at the controls. And actually, that's a very good analogy. Keith Weinhold 14:22 And low rates to your earlier point, Doug, they don't encourage anyone to save. And you know what? Government policy doesn't encourage anyone to save either in times of crisis, like, look what happened during covid. Oh my gosh, if these people can't go to work and generate an income, they don't have any savings, obviously. So then let's go ahead and intervene even more and send them stimulus checks, basically a bailout. So low rates discourage anyone from saving, but so does our policy, because every time there's a big catastrophe, oh, they just come in with a safety net anyway. That's Part. The reason why we have such a problem with capital formation of the average American today? Doug Casey 15:04 Well, it's actually worse than that, because over generations, a lot of debt has built up in the country. In other words, to maintain your standard of living, a lot of people have borrowed. They've done this either by taking the savings of past generations and borrowing it or mortgaging their personal futures. Either way, look, if you and I went out and borrowed a million dollars today, we could raise our standard of living artificially, sure, for the next year, but at the end of that year, we have to pay back the million dollars to lost interest, and that artificial rise in our standard of living will result in a very real decline in our standard of living. And a great deal of the borrowing that's been done to stimulate the economy through the banking system is for consumption, not for production. In other words, a lot of the borrowing is not to create new technologies and new infrastructure and new capital goods to create more wealth. A lot of it's just stuff that you wind up. People are borrowing things to fill their basements and their garages with more junk, consumer borrowing, borrowing for vacations, borrowing for to go to music, shows, all kinds of things. This has become a habit in the US, right? So let's look. It's going to end very badly. It's going to end and is ending as we speak, actually, in what I call the greater depression. It's going to be what we're looking at here, largely because of monetary manipulation, but also because taxes have gone up, up, up, up from zero level. Basically, in 1913 there were no income taxes in the US, the US government lived exclusively on minimal tariffs and excise duties. But today, there's right and they're very high, high levels of inflation, high levels of borrowing. So I think we're coming to the end of the road, as far as that's concerned. And it's bad news. Of course, most of the real wealth in the world, when you have a financial collapse, when you have a depression, most of the real wealth still exists. It just changes ownership, that's all so you want to position yourself so that you're not too adversely affected by what's coming Keith Weinhold 17:31 this inflation and more coming inflation pumping up the asset values of the asset owners and then ruining the lifestyles of those in the lower middle class and making them trend down lower since they spend a greater proportion of their income on everyday needs like clothing and food, which is a small proportion of people that are well off and the poor don't have the assets to benefit from that inflation. And you know, Doug, it wasn't until I read your recent article that I realized something that initially the fed only had one mandate, price stability, and then later they added that maximum employment was their second mandate. I didn't realize that. So really, it's been an expansion of what they're paying attention to, and a de facto expansion of their powers and influence and control. Doug Casey 18:23 Well, actually, they have a third mandate now, which is to control long term interest rates, to prop up the mortgage market, to prop up the real estate market. Because, as you know, the real estate market floats on a sea of debt, and if you can't get a mortgage, if you can't borrow, you can't buy real estate, or, for that matter, you can't sell it. So this makes it a very unstable situation, and most people are unaware of the fact that before the last depression, the longest mortgage you could get was five years, and that was with a 20% down payment. So things have changed a lot since then, and the more debt you use to finance anything, the more unstable things become. And the fact that things have become so unstable, and the average guy's standard of living has been sinking, and he has more credit card debt, more mortgage debt, more automobile debt. Used to be paid cash for a car, then was financed for two years and five and seven, and then it was leased where you never even owned it. I mean, this is, this is a trend that's coming to an end at this point, so it's going to be quite a comeuppance for people. Keith Weinhold 19:42 I think long term financing and the easing of getting financing makes the cost of anything higher. There's probably no greater example than that of what has happened with college tuition over the decades. But you know Doug, when we talk about this centrally planned economy. Rather than letting free market forces take over, I love it. I just absolutely love it when the answer to a problem is actually doing less than what you're currently doing, let go of the reins, rather than the Fed controlling interest rates. If there were a free market doing it, you would have bank loan rates that couldn't become too high, or else they wouldn't attract borrowers. So rates would naturally fall, and then you also couldn't have bank loan rates that are too low, because you've got to compensate the bank for bad borrower risk. So rates would come up, and they would find some natural level, kind of to the point that you made earlier. There would be a natural set point price discovery. That's how I think of a free market working for interest rates rather than announcements by a Fed chair. Doug Casey 20:51 Well, you're right. The problem is that the high government officials, the elite, if you would, think they know best and try to manipulate things, but they don't know best, quite frankly. And one other comment that you made, which I think is very appropriate, is college tuitions. For years, I've recommended that young people forget about college. It's a huge misallocation of your time and money, you wind up studying things well after you are through partying and drinking and chasing the opposite sex, and the things you learn about have no practical application in the world. And I'm not talking about learning history and the classics and mathematics and science, okay? Those are valuable things. Most of what people are taking in college today are hobby subjects, if you would, or things that are fun to learn in your spare time, but you shouldn't burden yourself with a lifetime of debt to do those things and get a worthless degree. Everybody has a degree and with grade inflation, they're a waste of time. That's listen. That's why I wrote this book with Matt Smith. Is my podcast. It's called the preparation. It's on Amazon, and it explains talking about your standard of living, which is what this is all about, really, why it's foolish to go to college today and exactly what especially a young man should do, instead of misallocating The four most valuable vibrant years of his life, sitting behind a desk listening to Marxist leaning professors corrupt you with all kinds of really bad ideas. So that's why we wrote the preparation. And it tells young men exactly what they should do, instead of burdening themselves under hundreds of 1000s of dollars of debt, which can't be discharged and serves no useful purpose, what they've learned in exchange for it. So, I mean, this is one of the one of the things that people should be doing, but not enough are. Keith Weinhold 23:07 AI changes things fast. I mean, for a four year college graduate today, what you learned as a freshman three or four years ago could quickly be outdated, and that effect just wasn't nearly as great as it was a few decades ago, but if you're listening in the audio only, Doug just held his book called The preparation, which he co authored with Matthew Smith. If this way of thinking resonates with you, here's some actionable things that you can actually do. You're listening to get rich education. Our guest is international man. Doug Casey, when we come back, I'm your host. Keith Weinhold Keith Weinhold 23:41 you know, most people think they're playing it safe with their liquid money, but they're actually losing savings accounts and bonds don't keep up when true inflation eats six or 7% of your wealth. Every single year, I invest my liquidity with FFI freedom family investments in their flagship program. Why fixed 10 to 12% returns have been predictable and paid quarterly. 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Start your prequel and even chat with President Caeli Ridge personally, while it's on your mind, start at Ridge lending group.com that's Ridge lending group.com. Robert Helms 25:23 Hi everybody. t's Robert Allens of the real estate guys radio program. So glad you found Keith Weinhold and get rich education. Don't quit your Daydream. Keith Weinhold 25:34 Steve, welcome back to get rich Education. I'm your host, Keith Weinhold, we're talking with Doug Casey about how the Fed is quietly intervening and hollowing out the middle class when it comes to interest rates. Since you state about them being the most important indicator for an economy, I think a lot of people don't realize Doug, and maybe you run into this too, that interest rates are not high today. I mean, on the long run, the Fed funds rate averages 4.6% and today it's in the high threes. So they're not actually high today. But with all these crises where we had all this money printing in these low rates, they feel high, but they're not. Doug Casey 26:22 Well, you're quite correct. The question is, at what rate is the dollar losing value? The official US government figures say, Well, I don't know what they say. They vary, and the numbers are jumbled. And I think the general price level in the US, if we were realistic, is going up well over 5% probably closer to 10% you can make that case. Yeah, I think so, because I'm talking to you now from Argentina and for years, the figures were notoriously and outrageously concocted, made up to make people think things weren't as bad as they are. And here in Argentina, we've just had a revolution, actually a peaceful revolution, with replacing the Peronist government with a man named Javier Malay. It's probably the most unusual and most important election, believe it or not, in world history, because Malay was elected here in Argentina on the platform of basically getting rid of the government disbanding it. In other words, Elon Musk's Doge, but on steroids times 10, and things have gotten a lot better here because of that. And it's too bad that Doge has been eliminated in the US, because a lot of people don't understand that the government doesn't really produce anything at all. All it does is take taxes from you and pass that money around to other people with a lot skimmed off the top to do things that entrepreneurs would probably, or certainly, I'd say, do by themselves, and they make it worse by printing up money to give to people to do those things, and borrowing money, which acts as an albatross around everybody's neck. So I'd make the case that I'm not promoting either the Republicans or the Democrats, I'd kind of say a pox on both their houses. They're just two sides of the same coin. What I think we ought to have is a much smaller, much much smaller government. But are we going to get one? No, we're not getting it right now, because I think a lot of people aren't aware of the fact that the government is running 2 trillion, $3 trillion per year deficits, and those deficits are going up, not down. So where's that money coming from? Well, most of it's being created out of thin air. It's being inflated through the banking system. So the prognosis is not terribly good. Now, along the way, of course, people have hid in real estate, made a lot of money in real estate. Real estate prices have gone up faster than retail inflation has gone up. Yeah, but I'm asking myself whether it's not possible that the real estate market could come unglued at this point, because it floats on a sea of debt. What do you think, Keith, do you have any fears about that? Keith Weinhold 29:27 Homeowners are in great shape today. They have record equity positions. They're not going to walk away. Many of them are still locked into these really low mortgage rates, so they're in really good shape. This is something very different from the 2008 global financial crisis, when you had irresponsible borrowers that had negative equity positions and an oversupply of housing so they could move out and get something cheaper. Today, if you move out in the great situation that you're in with your low mortgage rate and a high equity position, you'd lose your high equity position and. Might have to go pay rent that's higher somewhere else, so I don't see a lot of real estate appreciation coming over the next year or two, but I don't see any impending crash, largely due to that condition, there's not distress in the market. Doug Casey 30:17 Are you worried about the fact that most local and state governments are on the ragged edge of insolvency and might be raising their real estate taxes and of course, insurance costs seem to be going up a lot faster than most other costs as well. Right now, utility costs are relatively low because oil and gas prices are low, but that could change too. I mean, is there anything that could take the real estate train off the rails? Keith Weinhold 30:47 Not that I see. In fact, real estate values have only fallen substantially one time since World War Two, and that was during the 2008 global financial crisis, when we had conditions that are largely the opposite today. That's back when we had an oversupply and an irresponsible borrower that had negative equity so they wanted to walk away, and that created the down drain. To your point, yes, I do see property taxes continuing to increase, but because values aren't increasing as much, they would have to increase the mill rate to get further increases, and then most of the big insurance increases, many feel they are done. They had to come up. Because with inflation, the replacement cost of a property, if you would have a loss, rose and increased that way. So because we're still supply challenge in a lot of places, I see prices holding up but not appreciating like 10% anytime soon, and that's due to an affordability constraint. I don't see how they could possibly do that. And when we talk about that average person Doug, that person trying to make their mortgage payments or their rent payments, I was talking on a recent episode about the K shaped economy, I think it's something that we often visualize in our mind. You see the upper branch of the K rising, the lower branch of the k falling, which is emblematic of this hollowing out of the middle class. But I recently saw it graphically represented, where you have the capital share of income going up for people over the decades. That used to be 5050, between capital share of income and labor share of income. Back 60 years ago, it was 5050, but now, with this K shaped divergence, one's capital share of income is about 57% today, and their labor share of income is only about 43% today. And it's kind of sad. I sort of hate to say it out loud, but it's like, hard work just does not pay off, like it used to. Much of this due to inflation pumping up asset values. Doug Casey 32:52 Well, I understand what you're saying, and I think you're correct, because there's an old saw. They say the rich get richer while the poor get poorer, and that's kind of what this K shaped economy is telling us. You've got the super rich in the top 1% or 1/10 of 1% that are becoming Ultra double wealthy, and the guy at the bottom, well, his social security taxes have risen from almost nothing to 15% of his wages, and it's a real problem. And it's said that the members of Gen Z can't afford to buy a house today as well. So what do you do about this? Well, my suggestion is, if possible, you don't want to get a job working for somebody else. If at all possible, you've got to work for yourself as an entrepreneur. That's the first thing. It's very hard to get wealthy working for somebody else. The best is to work for yourself, but in order to do that, you have to train yourself with lots of skills and lots of knowledge. And I'm not sure if people are doing that to the degree they ought to either. So I don't know how this is going to end. And of course, you mentioned earlier, artificial intelligence and robotics are tied up hand in glove with artificial intelligence. It's clear that within five years, we'll have robots that may not look entirely like people, but can do almost anything that a human being can do, and this is going to put a lot of pressure on people that don't have special skills, especially with artificial intelligence being programmed into these super competent robots. So the whole world is changing right before our very eyes. Right now, Keith Weinhold 34:39 when we talk about the middle class struggle. I probably follow the housing market more closely than you do. The NAR recently gave us the latest statistic. Two years ago, the average age of the first time homebuyer was aged 35 last year, it rose to 38 this year, it's now 40 just the average. Age of the first time homebuyer. So in high cost areas, that could very well be 45 I mean, people are getting gray hair before they make a down payment for this middle class that's trying to get into the ownership class. Doug Casey 35:13 And the further back you go, the younger the age right people were buying houses at So, I mean, it used to be people would try to buy a house right out of school. Frankly, that's out of the question today. Keith Weinhold 35:27 Yeah, I sure don't remember those days myself, but Yeah, it sure was substantially younger just a couple decades ago. Well, Doug, where are we going with all this? I mean, does a reset eventually happen with either runaway inflation? Do you think that happens first, or some sort of market crash, or is it something else? I mean, what cataclysmic act is likely to happen first? Doug Casey 35:52 Well, look, I hate to be too gloom and doomy, because everybody, first of all, generally speaking, trends in motion stay in motion, and everything has been maybe gradually descending standard of living wise, but the economy's held together, and we haven't had any catastrophic collapse. Well, almost in 2008 and a couple other times, but I think we're headed for one. So what should you do about it? I would say, consume less if you possibly can, and save what you can, if possible, take a second job while it's still possible, to go out and get a second job or found an entrepreneurial activity so that if you lose your job, you've got a backup system. But with the changes in technology and of course, what's happening in robotics and AI are just part of it. You're not going to be able to rely on what you relied on in the past, because the world is changing very, very radically as far as real estate is concerned. Look, I actually own a lot of real estate, but, you know, I've come to the conclusion that at this point I want to treat my house and other real estate, basically as a not so much as an investment to make money, but to store value. That's right, a store of value where I can put some capital aside. I don't want to keep a lot of money in dollars. That doesn't mean I want debt either. That's risky. For many, many years, I've advocated and bought gold and silver because they are money in its most basic form, and it's worked out really well. I started buying gold at about $40 it's at about 4000 today, and I've always treated it, almost always, as a savings vehicle, not as a speculative vehicle, although, if I want to speculate, I speculate in mining stocks, which are a leveraged way of playing gold and silver, the most volatile class of securities on the planet, actually, and I understand that a lot of people today have Robin Hood accounts and are speculating on the stock market, desperately trying to stay ahead of currency debasement and somehow build a nest egg for themselves by speculating in the market. Generally, that's not a good formula for success you're playing against, you know, extremely smart and well capitalized and knowledgeable big boys, and the fact that everybody's doing it is also, in itself, a tip off to the fact the stock market could be at the tippy top right now, I kind of think it is a bubble in the tech stocks. It's tough, Keith, there's not a lot of places to run and hide at this point. Keith Weinhold 38:39 Price to earnings ratios are really bloated in the s, p5, 100. I'd love to get your thought on this. Doug, if a person can get a 30 year mortgage rate for a rental property where the rent income meets or exceeds the expenses at a mortgage rate between six and 7% should they do that? Doug Casey 38:57 Look, if you can cover your mortgage a fixed interest rate mortgage 30 years. One thing that you can almost plan your life around is that dollar is going to lose value every year. So the actual value of your debt, your mortgage, is going to go down every year, right? And presumably the rent that you can charge on your house is going to go up every year. So yep, doing it the way I think you're doing it is an excellent plan for slow and steady long term success. Yeah, it makes sense. You're right. Keith Weinhold 39:30 We actually have some listener questions on the thing that you brought up, which I call inflation profiting when you borrow long term fixed interest rate debt and get to pay it back with more plentiful dollars down the road. Some people don't understand what you just explained. One way I brought it up with my listeners is we'll just look back 30 years ago, in 1995 the average home cost 130k an 80% loan would be 104k so here, 30 years later, that median home costs over 400 K, and you still just owe 104k on the loan. That's the benefit of what I call inflation, profiting on long term fixed interest rate debt. And of course, your tenant would have paid that down to zero as well. But that kind of makes the benefit be more apparent when we look back into the past 30 years. Well, Doug, as we're winding down here, you have any other thoughts about, just say, the average American out there, what they should do with the Fed behaving and controlling the economy like we do. We're talking about the average American, maybe someone with a mortgage, some rental properties, some savings, maybe a 401, K. How do these potential shifts in Fed policy translate into real life consequences and actions for them. Is there anything else? Doug Casey 40:44 Well, look, don't count on some outside force to kiss everything and make it better. You've got to look out for number one. And as I said before, the way you do that is you should cut back your expenditures every way you can at this point and when you cut back your expenditures, save that money. Now, what do you do with the money that you save? It's not as easy making that recommendation as it was a few years ago, when I was recommending gold, when it was much cheaper than it is. Now it's at $4,000 now look, save money, get an extra job, earn money, cut back your consumption, learn some new skills, because we don't know how things are going to reorient with the immense advances being made through AI and robotics. That's just generalized advice, but that's all you can do, is well and buy real assets. Nothing wrong with buying a house the way you're talking about if you can buy it and the mortgage is cracked with rent. Eventually, I think we're going to see interest rates go back up to the levels that they were in the early 1980s people don't remember this, but the US government was paying 1518, even 20% for its money, and mortgages were, well, 15, 16% it's going to happen again. So I think if you can lock in a mortgage anywhere in here, on a good piece of real estate that covers the mortgage, that's simple, it's doable. Everybody should try to do it. In addition to the other things I mentioned Keith Weinhold 42:20 in 1981 the 30 year fixed rate mortgage peaked at over 18% to our earlier point about the fact that mortgage rates are actually historically low now so are fed funds rates. Well, Doug, tell us one last time about your new book and then any other resources. If our audience wants to engage with you Doug Casey 42:40 I do a blog will know who he is. We've had him here on the show twice, yeah, well, he writes there for us every week, and we've got great articles. That's number one. Number two, I do a podcast with Matt Smith every week called Doug Casey's take on youtube.com third, I urge everybody to get this book, which talks about, if you have a grandchild, a son, it talks about why you should not go to college and what you should do exactly instead of going to college. So that's another thing to do. And we have a newsletter that also covers mining stocks, which is where I'm concentrated in at the moment. They're very cheap, very volatile, and one of the few places in the market, and I hate to say this, that offer the potential of 10 to one or more returns in the near future. So I guess those are the areas where you can find out more about me. Keith Weinhold 43:49 Again, the new book from Doug is called the preparation. It shows a compass on the cover, and then internationalmen.com. Is actually where Doug wrote a piece called The Fed's quiet war against the middle class, which spawned this very conversation right here. Doug, it's been valuable as always. Thanks so much for coming back onto the show. Doug Casey 44:08 My pleasure. Keith, thank you. Keith Weinhold 44:16 Yeah, real estate is positioned for price stability. I was actually investing directly in real estate through the 2008 global financial crisis, and I know what happened is that people walked away from properties when the economy got rough and they couldn't make their payments. It is almost impossible for that to happen today. Homeowners can make their payments. Look through Census Bureau data in realtor.com we know a couple things here. Four in 10 homeowners have no mortgage at all. They own the property free and clear. And then among that group with mortgages, 70% of those borrowers still have a mortgage rate locked in at. Under 5% yes, still today I'll amalgamate those for you. This means that 82% of borrowers either have no mortgage or they have a rate under 5% so that is really affordable payments, along with the protective equity and inflation can't touch that principal and interest amount in addition to real estate, Doug Casey is a longtime gold and silver guy. Of course, both of those have sort to fantastic new all time highs this year. Keith Weinhold 45:34 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from me and everyone here at GRE. Next week is another big one. You'll get GRE home price appreciation forecast for next year to the exact percent. I'm Keith Weinhold. Don't quit you daydream. Speaker 3 45:53 Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of get rich Education LLC, exclusively Keith Weinhold 46:21 The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth building, get richeducation.com
Jordi Visser is a macro investor with over 30 years of Wall Street experience and the writer behind the VisserLabs Substack. In this conversation, we break down the latest CPI data, what it means for the Fed's next moves, artificial intelligence — how it's changing the way people work, learn, and create an edge in their careers. We also cover bitcoin, macro positioning, and specific companies and organizations investors should be paying attention to right now.=======================Need liquidity without selling your crypto? Take out a Figure Crypto-Backed Loan (http://www.figuremarkets.co/pomp), allowing you to borrow against your BTC, ETH, or SOL with 12-month terms and no prepayment penalties. They have the lowest rates in the industry at 8.91%, allowing you to access instant cash or buy more Bitcoin without triggering a tax event. Unlock your crypto's potential today at Figure! http://www.figuremarkets.co/pomp Disclosures: Figure Lending LLC dba Figure. Equal Opportunity Lender. NMLS 1717824. Terms and conditions apply.=======================As markets shift, headlines break, and interest rates swing, one thing stays true — opportunity is everywhere. At Arch Public, we help you do more than just buy and hold. Yes, our dynamic accumulation algorithms are built for long-term investors… but where we really shine? Our arbitrage algos — designed to farm volatility and turbocharge your core positions. The best part of Arch Public's products is they are free! Yes, you heard that right, try Arch Public for free! Take advantage of wild moves in assets like $SOL, $SUI, and $DOGE, and use them to stack more Bitcoin — completely hands-free. Arch Public is already a preferred partner with Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, and Robinhood, and our team is here to help you build smarter in any market. Visit Arch Public today, at https://www.archpublic.com, your portfolio will thank you.=======================Uphold is the easiest way to buy and sell crypto unlike any other platform allowing you to trade in just one step between any supported asset. Check them out at https://uphold.sjv.io/K0RXra. This video includes a paid sponsorship with Uphold. I'm compensated by Uphold for promoting its products and services and may receive commissions from referrals. Terms apply. Not available in all jurisdictions. Digital assets are risky and may result in the total loss of your capital.=======================Timestamps:0:00 – Intro1:39 – CPI takeaways & why direction matters more than the number4:33 – Gas prices, wages, housing & why inflation pressure is fading7:44 – Outlook 2026 & rate hike vs rate cut debate12:49 – Jim Chanos bear case on AI & Oracle explained17:18 – How to actually use ChatGPT + enterprise AI adoption problems25:15 – Content creation, avatars & human emotion vs AI30:05 – AI slop, deepfakes & public trust34:23 – The future of work + how investors can play AI in public markets41:18 – Bitcoin outlook + “silent IPO”45:43 – Where to find Jordi's work & what's coming next