McCay wrote a piece this year entitled The Visionary of Trump 2.0%, in which he takes a look at Russell Vot's potential impact under Trump's second presidency, which I'm thinking we might see quite soon. Uh, we'll get to that in just a moment. Um, Mara, I want to start with you though on my question.Um, in terms of the American people, busy, hardworking, maybe a little bit tuned out, like exhausted by the news. Um, are they really clued into what's at stake. How quickly would Americans feel the cuts to heal ...

It's scaring people so much where they feel like, "Let me not speak out against what Trump is doing. Maybe I won't do that press conference. Maybe I won't show up to that ICE detention facility. Maybe I won't do this." Right? For fear of someone using the federal government and the full and total power of it to uh essentially have retribution on you and your family. And then the second thing is actually there being, I guess, consequences to things that you might have done. And this is part of what we're see ...

Federal Reserve Independence & Economic Policy - The report highlights President Trump's efforts to exert partisan pressure on the Federal Reserve (Fed), including attempts to fire a member, Lisa Cook, and influence the board's majority, raising concerns about the Fed's independence [1] - Financial experts widely view Trump's reference to investigating Lisa Cook for a mortgage application as a pretext to consolidate power over the independent Fed [1] - The Fed released a statement reaffirming its commitment to accountability and independence, indicating less compliance with Trump's desires [1] - The report emphasizes that politicians who interfere with the independence of central banks are "playing with fire," as historical examples show that autocratic control over economies often leads to market crashes, shortages, and even famine [1][2] - The weakening dollar, down 10% over the year, and increasing long-term borrowing costs are cited as practical effects of undermining the Fed's independence, leading to less purchasing power and higher loan rates for Americans [11][12] - The report mentions that short-term focused presidents may push for looser monetary policy, which might be good in the short term but bad for all in the long term if prices go up [15] Trump Administration & Power Consolidation - The report suggests Trump's actions are part of a wider effort to undermine career independence across the federal government, reminiscent of purges aimed at ousting career prosecutors and labor statisticians [1] - The Trump administration's desire to buy up private companies to exert more control is highlighted, exemplified by taking a tenth stake (10%) in chipmaker Intel [2] - The report mentions Trump musing about a dictatorship, raising concerns about the erosion of democratic norms [3][4] Epstein Case & Political Implications - Congress will question former Trump labor secretary, Alex Acosta, about the secret deal he cut in the Epstein case [29] - Ghislaine Maxwell's interview, where she claims to have never seen any problems from Trump, is viewed with skepticism, with some suggesting it was a scripted effort to seek a pardon [31][40] - The report highlights conflicting claims about the existence of an Epstein client list, with Trump's former attorney general claiming it existed and Maxwell denying its existence [36][37][38] Cultural & Political Commentary - The report touches on Trump's desire to control Hollywood and pop culture, viewing him as one of the most anti-First Amendment presidents in history [58][61]

Donald Trump takes election advice from a dictator who doesn't have free and fair elections. Number one. Number two, it shows that all of the legacy media outlets that told us breathlessly last year that no, no, no, Donald Trump now loves mail-in voting.Republicans love mail-in voting. Why are people like you, Mark Elias, continuing to say that they hate mail-in voting when when after all, you know, the RNC issued a press release now they say mail mail and voting. It was all nonsense then. It has always bee ...

Government Efficiency & Spending - The Office of Personnel Management is ending the "required five things" email program initiated by Elon Musk [1][4] - The government acknowledges starting from a less efficient position compared to the private sector, with the current system rewarding more headcount and spending [3] - Federal government spending grew by approximately 55% in the last 5 years, from $46 trillion in 2019 to $7 trillion [5][6] - The Biden administration added 300,000 to 400,000 government employees [7][10] AI & Technology Implementation - There's a push to use AI as an efficiency enhancer within the government, particularly for tasks like writing rules and regulations, and distilling information [10][11] - AI could be used to review and potentially eliminate outdated or irrelevant regulations, with a goal of potentially removing up to 50% of existing regulations [12][13][14] - The government is exploring using AI to enhance efficiency, but human oversight will remain in place [16] - Current data collection processes within the government, such as "data calls," are often manual and inefficient, highlighting the need for better technology and systems [18][19] Data Transparency & Credibility - There are concerns about the credibility of government-produced numbers, including those from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) [21] - The government is considering ways to increase transparency around data collection and reporting, while also addressing concerns about protecting private information from businesses and individuals [21][22][23]