Category «Economy»

Trump is looting our country. He just gave us (more) proof.

Lawyer Oyer – Trump is looting our country. He just gave us (more) proof. “This week [May 17, 2026], Trump filed a government ethics disclosure known as Form 278-T. It’s a roadmap to the corruption and conflicts of interest that have pervaded his presidency. Call me old fashioned, but it continues to surprise me that …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Securities Law

The Influenced Index – Measuring what money buys in American politics

The Influenced Index scores every member on ten categories: direct contributions, outside spending, lobbying inside the policy areas they regulate, revolving-door lobbying access, vote alignment with funders, contribution timing around legislative action, dark-money concentration in outside spending, stock trades inside the industries they regulate, donor concentration, and foreign-interest lobby exposure. Evidence of capture — how …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

US healthcare still stupidly expensive, with pathetic outcomes, study finds

The Commonwealth Fund – U.S. Health Care from a Global Perspective, 2026: “Countries around the world are grappling with the shared challenges of rising health care costs, physician burnout, and aging populations. Yet the United States has long been an outlier in several respects. The U.S., on average, has the poorest health outcomes of any …

Subjects: Economy, Health Care, Medicine

Taxpayer Funding for National Parks Diverted to Trump Vanity Projects in DC, NY

Via Crooked: A…New York Times review of federal documents found that $67 million in entry fees paid at national parks are now funding Trump’s D.C. construction projects. More specifically, $60 million is going toward repairing nine of the “capital’s ornamental fountains.” The last $7 million is going into the Reflecting Pool. [Note – no bid …

Subjects: Economy, Environmental Law, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

The Economist launches a dedicated ChatGPT app

NiemanLabs: “On Wednesday, The Economist launched its own ChatGPT app — the first of its kind by a major consumer news publication. “The Economist – Graphs” runs natively inside ChatGPT and allows users to interact with the publication’s data visualizations. At launch, the app is focused solely on U.S. polling data. After installing the app, …

Subjects: AI, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Is AI Profitable Yet?

Tracking the spend and revenue of frontier AI companies (May 2026). “WHY I BUILT THIS Many industry experts and companies claim AI profitability by 2030 is possible, so I wanted to see how close we really are. This site tracks cumulative spend versus revenue across most major AI companies in one place, allowing you to …

Subjects: AI, Economy, Financial System

The Pope just released a major manifesto on AI

NOTICE News: “Pope Leo XIV issued his first encyclical Monday — an 83-page document titled Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity) — and it reads less like a church document and more like a progressive policy agenda for the digital age. The pope called on governments to regulate AI, warned that companies invoking ethics “in the abstract” …

Subjects: AI, Civil Liberties, Economy, Education, Energy, Environmental Law, Internet, Legal Research

Auschwitz Started in a Warehouse Too

Glass Empires: “This article is the historical companion to yesterday’s investigation of the WEXMAC TITUS warehouse buildout. Read this before they build the next camp. “If they did not know, they did not know because they did not want to know.” — Primo Levi, Afterword to If This Is a Man / The Truce, 1987.  …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Economy, Financial System, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

AI Data Centers Across the United States

Brockovich Data Center Report – Key Concerns with AI Data Centers Energy Consumption – High energy usage contributes to significant environmental impact and escalating costs for surrounding communities. Water Usage – Cooling systems often require substantial water resources, straining local water supplies and ecosystems. E-Waste – Frequent hardware upgrades and replacements generate significant volumes of electronic …

Subjects: AI, Economy, Energy, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Health Care, Housing, Legal Research

Your smart TV is tracking everything you watch – here’s why and how to stop it

MakeUseOf: “Most of us just want to relax at the end of a long day. Sure, there are plenty of people who like to go out and have an even crazier night after a full day of working. But more often than not, I’d bet that people are looking forward to catching up on some …

Subjects: E-Records, Economy, Financial System, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Marketing

5 questions that make every purchase better

Daniel Pink – “You know how to earn money. But do you know how to spend it? In our newest YouTube video, I share five research-backed questions—from scholars like Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton—to help you spend your spondulicks in ways that actually improve your life. Before you buy almost anything, run it through this …

Subjects: Economy, Internet