In 2024, a diverse coalition of voters backed Donald Trump, united by the belief that he was the right candidate to repair the ailing economy. Two years later, that same coalition has splintered. Read the latest column from @amyewalter: cookpolitical.com/analysis/n…

if this isn't the cleanest example of europe vs america right now, i don't know what is

Metallica has a radical message for an America exhausted by celebrity politics: shut up and play the damn music. newsweek.com/metallica-james…

Joe Rogan: What Trump stood for, some of it turned out to not be real. Like 'no wars.' We're at a war with Iran, so that wasn't real. And it's nuts to just give someone a $50,000 ICE signing bonus, you train them for seven weeks and then give them guns, and you have a militarized force running through the fucking city streets. It seems crazy.

I'm not smart enough to understand why scandals do or don't win the public's attention, but I was blown away by this reporting from @CGorrivan, @ElleBeyoud and @nicola_m_white. If you're interested in markets, it's worth your time. Here's a gift link bloomberg.com/news/features/…

I’m French. I want to talk to Americans who are about to vote Democrat. Not to insult you. To warn you. I come from your future. In France we did everything your progressive politicians promise. Free healthcare, free college, generous welfare, strong unions, heavy regulation, high taxes on the rich, a state that takes care of everything. Public spending close to 57% of GDP, one of the highest on the planet. On paper, it’s the dream. Here’s what it looks like from the inside. France hasn’t passed a balanced budget since 1974. Our debt is above 3,300 billion euros. Interest on that debt is becoming one of the biggest items in the national budget. Our hospitals are collapsing despite record funding. Our schools rank lower every year. Young people with degrees can’t afford an apartment in the city they were born in. Our best engineers leave for London, Zurich and San Francisco. And the rich you wanted to tax? They left too, and took the jobs with them. The promise was protection. The result is stagnation. The worst part is that nobody in France voted for decline. Every single step sounded generous, compassionate, reasonable. One more program. One more regulation. One more tax to fund it. Each step alone makes sense. Fifty years of them, and you wake up in a country that can no longer build a nuclear plant on time or keep its streets safe. I love America because it’s the one place on earth where people still believe they can build something from nothing. I came to Silicon Valley as a self-taught kid and it changed my life. That spirit is the most precious thing your country has. Before you vote, ask yourself one question: is the program you’re voting for making America more like America, or more like France? Trust me. You don’t want to be France.

Welp!