Politics
Trump, Space Command and Tech Leaders
On Tuesday, President Trump announced the relocation of Space Command, the headquarters of the United States Space Force to Huntsville, Alabama. Thursday evening, the president hosted a dinner for heads of American tech companies to discuss the administration’s support for growing AI and other technical advancements on US soil. Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill Gates spoke alongside Open AI CEO Sam Altman. Apple has committed to a six hundred billion dollar domestic investment, while google promised two hundred billion over the next two years and Microsoft is considering between seventy five and eighty billion dollars in American investments.
Space Force Announcement Press Conference
Full White House Dinner Video (6+ hours)
Department of War
Friday, Trump signed an executive order, restoring the secondary title ‘Department of War’ to the department of defense. This marks the two hundredth executive order signed during his second term as president.
Department of War Press Release
Meth Precursor Seizure
Wednesday, Attorney General Jeanine Pirro flew to Houston to speak about the seizure of nearly seven hundred thousand pounds of precursor, used in the manufacture of meth amphetamine. Headed to the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico, the chemicals had the potential to produce four hundred twenty thousand pounds of meth.
Jeanine Pirro Full Press Conference
Ron Desantis Fentanyl Seizure
Ron Desantis had a busy week. Tuesday, the Florida Governor spoke about Florida’s efforts to combat fentanyl. In twenty twenty three, the State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication, or SAFE program was established to fun large scale interdiction operations across Florida. To date, over 200 investigations have led to twenty one hundred arrests, the seizure of four hundred eighty five pounds of fentanyl and over sixty three thousand fentanyl pills.
Notable Remarks:
“…the demand side is really really important, information, having the ability to treat, all of that is something we’ve really leaned in on…”
Operation vigilant sentry, a maritime operation to protect Florida from illegal infiltration via the coast. Over the years, this operation “interdicted nineteen thousand illegal aliens, almost 18000 of them repatriated to their home country and more than 470 total vessels interdicted”
“In 2023 we established the State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication program, we call it the SAFE program which gives law enforcement funding needed to conduct large scale interdiction operations across the state of Florida. This has allowed local law enforcement agencies to effectively fight against drug trafficking and to get hundreds of pounds of deadly drugs off the street.”
“To date, through SAFE investigations, over 200 safe investigations have led to 2100 arrests, the seizure of 485lbs of fentanyl and over 63000 fentanyl pills…that is enough fentanyl to kill approximately 1/3 of the population of the United States of America.”
Ron Desantis Full Remarks on Fentanyl (video)
Ron Desantis Fentanyl Press Release
Florida Ends Childhood Vaccine Mandates
Wednesday, Ron Desantis announced that Florida will end all vaccine mandates for children. Democratic legislators in the state senate immediately pushed back saying that “Vaccines are crucial for our children because they protect them from deadly diseases” and “Ending vaccine mandates poses a grave public health risk and will likely lead to a resurgence of preventable diseases”.
Florida Vaccine Mandate Press Conference
Ron Desantis X Post on Vaccine Mandates
Florida Senate Democrat Response to Ron Desantis
Minnesota Mayors On Gun Control
In Minneapolis on Tuesday, Mayor Jacob Frey spoke alongside other Minnesota Mayors and representatives from Moms Demand Action to discuss the Annunciation Roman Catholic Church shooting last week. They expressed thanks to teachers, police officers and first responders and demanded a statewide and federal ban on assault weapons, high capacity magazines. They also requested that if the governor and state legislature are not willing to pass these measures, that they give municipalities and local governments the authority to enact firearms legislation at the local level.
Full Minneapolis Gun Control Press Conference
Minneapolis Written Statement on Gun Control
Bipartisan Anti-Insider Trading Bill
Our goal at the cold take is to be centrist, bipartisan and unbiast. Tonight I can deliver a piece of news that I think checks those boxes without effort. Wednesday, Republican congressman Chip Roy and Democratic Congressman Seth Magaziner introduced bipartisan legislation to ban members of congress…AND their families from participating in insider trading. Their new bill aims to resolve outstanding issues from previously introduced bills and garnered support from Republicans and Democrats at a joint press conference with Pramila Jaypal, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Brian Fitzpatrick and others.
Bipartisan Anti-Trading Press Conference
Current Events
Jeffrey Epstein
I’m reticent to wade into any conversation surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, but the House Committee on oversight and Government Reform released thirty three thousand pages of records Tuesday.
House Oversight Committee Statement
Giorgio Armani
The fashion world is mourning the passing of Giorgio Armani on Thursday. The 91 year old billionaire fashion mogul was laid to rest yesterday in Milan at a private ceremony.
Finance
Markets and Jobs Report
In finance, US markets opened sharply down Monday from last Friday’s close, but clawed back to the black by this week’s close. The Dow ultimately continued to fall, losing 144 points this week to close at fourty five four hundred. Nasdaq gained 245 points, the largest one week gain in a month while the s and p five hundred gained 21 points. Gold continued to climb, landing at three thousand five hundred eighty seven dollars per ounce, a gain of one hundred fourty one dollars this week.
Fridays market drops came following the release of the August jobs report which showed that the economy added only twenty two thousand jobs in August.
Bureau of Labor Statistics Report
Sports
Formula 1
Oscar Piastri won the Dutch Grand Prix Sunday for McLaren. Max Verstappen finished second following the retirement of Lando Norris who suffered engine failure. Racing Bulls driver Isaac Hadjar earned his first podium, finishing third. Piastri now leads the championship by thirty four points over his teammate. This weekend’s Grand prix is at Monza, Italy where the home team of Ferrari will start fourth and fifth behind the Mclaren pair. Four time world champion defender Max Verstappen starts on pole.
MLB
Giants pitcher Justin Verlander threw 121 pitches Sunday to earn his 265th career win. He struck out 10, walked 4 and gave up 3 hits over five scoreless innings.
On the other coast, Aaron judge returned to right field for the Yankees Friday night in a 7-1 loss to the blue jays.
Also in New York, the US Open tennis tournament wrapped up the women’s contest yesterday. Aryna Sabalenka beat American Amanda Anisimova in straight sets to take the trophy. Jannik Sinner will square up against Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s men’s final.
University of Florida head coach Billy Napier embarrassed himself and his program by failing to manage the clock in the waning two minutes of last night’s home loss to USF. Fans left the stadium chanting ‘Fire Billy’. Social media erupted with calls for the university to fire the coach.
Social media calls to fire Billy Napier
Billy Napier Postgame Press Conference
Rich Stephens
The Cold Take