BTC knocked all the way back to.........Sep 30th.
The Steross Market and Investing Thread
- Thread starter jobob85
- Start date
BTC knocked all the way back to.........Sep 30th.
Polds4OSU
Marshall
Trump Allies Sold Sponsorships to What Appeared to Be a Treasury Event. It Wasn’t.
An investment fund run by prominent Trump supporters tried to sell sponsorships for a conference it pitched to companies as the “Inaugural U.S. Treasury A.I. Summit,” during which it said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would unveil the Treasury Department’s artificial-intelligence strategy.The fund, called 1789 Capital, circulated the pitch to technology companies in recent weeks, calling the Oct. 21 event “historic,” according to an email to potential donors and the pitch itself, a copy of which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. It offered an array of perks, including a VIP cocktail party and dinner, to those who paid.
After The Wall Street Journal inquired about the event, the conference organizers released some details about it—including a different name for it, “AI Summit on American Prosperity,” that no longer included the word “Treasury.” People familiar with the event said it had been pitched differently in different venues.
A Treasury Department spokesman said the agency hadn’t approved the distributed materials. The spokesman said Bessent was invited to the event and planned to attend because he is “focused on the economics of AI and ensuring that it will work for American businesses and workers.” On Monday, a Treasury Department official said Bessent could withdraw his appearance at the event if the government shutdown continues.
The fact that a private conference was marketed as a government-hosted event designed to unveil U.S. government policy startled ethics experts. While government officials often attend conferences that are sponsored by corporate interests as speakers, it is unusual for conference organizers to seek out sponsorships and characterize it specifically as a government event.
“You have the official imprimatur of the U.S. Treasury being used for an event that appears to result in the personal gain of outside actors,” said Norm Eisen, an ethics lawyer at the Democracy Defenders Fund, a nonpartisan group that has often criticized the Trump administration’s actions.
The first page of the Inaugural U.S. Treasury A.I. Summit pitch deck.
The materials didn’t indicate whether the event would be open to the public. A representative for the conference organizer, the Prometheus Initiative, initially said she would provide information but didn’t respond to requests for additional information. She later pointed to an Axios report that there were at least a dozen sponsors for the event. Axios reported that other speakers would include the State Department’s top economic policy official, a White House senior policy adviser for AI and others from Palantir, the data-analysis firm.
Some companies have shown interest in sponsoring the event, believing it will give them access to senior administration officials and help influence the administration’s approach to artificial intelligence, according to representatives of companies who received the pitch.
Among the perks promised to companies who become sponsors of the event are access to the VIP room and tickets to the cocktail party, along with a “livestream banner logo,” according to a presentation sent to potential sponsors.
The Trump administration has embraced AI and top industry executives, seeing the technology as key to economic growth and national security. In July, Trump rolled out his AI strategy at a private-sector, invite-only summit co-hosted by a popular tech podcast run by tech executives and White House AI Czar David Sacks, a venture capitalist. Trump’s speech was livestreamed. The strategy called for the administration to establish its artificial-intelligence export program by Oct. 21.
The conference is scheduled for the same day. The group hosting the conference was created in part by a donor to Vice President JD Vance, Christopher Buskirk, who is also a founder of the 1789 fund, according to people familiar with the matter.
The fund’s other leaders include Omeed Malik, a major donor who is close friends with the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and has founded a private club in Georgetown with other Trump allies and family members. Trump Jr. is a partner at 1789, but isn’t involved in the event, the people said.
The highest level of contributor is a “Presidential Sponsor,” according to the presentation, which includes 25 tickets to the event, two invites to a VIP dinner, eight tickets to a cocktail party, six spots in the VIP room and “Logo Projection (Large) and Badge Logo (Large)” the presentation shows. That level of contribution also gets a “sponsored snack,” according to the pitch.
“The event offers high-visibility placements designed to maximize brand impact,” at least one company was told in an email. Artificial-intelligence companies have flooded Washington with money in recent years, throwing regular events and holding summits.
The presentation doesn’t specify what each level costs, and organizers declined to say.
The 1789 investors built the “Executive Branch” club in Washington, where top business leaders, donors and others have paid six-figures to join. The club often attracts cabinet secretaries and other senior administration officials, and has come under criticism for its for-profit status and close ties to the president’s family. The club has said it was designed to be a space for members with shared values.
Last month, 1789 announced an investment in Cerebras, an AI company, as part of a $1.1 billion funding round. The fund is also investing in Reflection AI, a startup backed by Nvidia.
Polds4OSU
Marshall
Polds4OSU
Marshall
New car buyers can expect to shell out an average of more than $50,000 for the first time, according to a report from Kelley Blue Book. https://cnn.it/3J4k7g6
Thanks Donald
PF5
Sheriff
More Americans think economy is getting worse, new poll shows
Economic pessimism could possibly impact policy decisions and political outcomes in the lead-up to the 2026 midterm elections.
www.newsweek.com
The Economist/YouGov poll found that 18 percent of U.S. adults polled think the economy is getting better compared to 21 percent who think it is about the same, "both down from earlier this year," YouGov's Allen Houston told Newsweek. The largest percentage believes the economy is getting worse, with 57 percent, and 4 percent are unsure.
The last time this percentage of Americans felt the economy was going in the wrong direction was May 2024, during former President Joe Biden's presidency, Houston said.
What People Are Saying
Mark Williams, a master finance lecturer at Boston University's Questrom School of Business, told Newsweek: "Compared to last year, the U.S. economy is slowing down. Consumer confidence has hit recent lows, reflecting the uncertainty around rising layoffs, slowing hiring and an ongoing federal shutdown. Economic data is also pointing to inflation remaining sticky and above Fed target rates."The trade war with China, reignited by the White House last week, has also elevated market uncertainty with stocks dropping and gold prices hitting new historic highs. The only silver lining in recent economic news is that the Fed has finally started a rate-cutting cycle in an attempt to shoreup a softening job market, which could benefit consumers interested in borrowing for mortgages, cars and other purchases. However, should layoffs continue to climb, those without jobs will not have the means to borrow or take advantage of these falling interest rates."
DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer sent a statement to Newsweek via email: “Working families are footing the bill for Donald Trump’s trade war. Let’s be clear: Trump’s billionaire buddies are profiting off his trade war while they pass on costs to consumers, who are already struggling under the weight of his failed economy. Trump’s reckless tariffs are needlessly spiking inflation and driving up prices on everything from groceries to housing to utilities. Trump could reverse his reckless economic policies today — but he won’t, because he’d rather satisfy his own ego.”
President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday: "The last administration had the greatest inflation in the history of our country. And now, as you know, groceries are down, it's all down."
Where Have All the Young Home Buyers Gone? Check the Stock Market
The rent vs. buy debate has taken on new meaning for Gen Z thanks to soaring share prices and more investment options
By
Carol Ryan
Oct. 12, 2025 5:30 am ET
Maga either doesn't care either because librul / immigrant tears, or they deny what they see with their own eyes. Recognizing that prices have gone up across the board means accepting that trump lied. Can't do that.More Americans think economy is getting worse, new poll shows
Economic pessimism could possibly impact policy decisions and political outcomes in the lead-up to the 2026 midterm elections.
The Economist/YouGov poll found that 18 percent of U.S. adults polled think the economy is getting better compared to 21 percent who think it is about the same, "both down from earlier this year," YouGov's Allen Houston told Newsweek. The largest percentage believes the economy is getting worse, with 57 percent, and 4 percent are unsure.
The last time this percentage of Americans felt the economy was going in the wrong direction was May 2024, during former President Joe Biden's presidency, Houston said.
What People Are Saying
Mark Williams, a master finance lecturer at Boston University's Questrom School of Business, told Newsweek: "Compared to last year, the U.S. economy is slowing down. Consumer confidence has hit recent lows, reflecting the uncertainty around rising layoffs, slowing hiring and an ongoing federal shutdown. Economic data is also pointing to inflation remaining sticky and above Fed target rates.
"The trade war with China, reignited by the White House last week, has also elevated market uncertainty with stocks dropping and gold prices hitting new historic highs. The only silver lining in recent economic news is that the Fed has finally started a rate-cutting cycle in an attempt to shoreup a softening job market, which could benefit consumers interested in borrowing for mortgages, cars and other purchases. However, should layoffs continue to climb, those without jobs will not have the means to borrow or take advantage of these falling interest rates."
DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer sent a statement to Newsweek via email: “Working families are footing the bill for Donald Trump’s trade war. Let’s be clear: Trump’s billionaire buddies are profiting off his trade war while they pass on costs to consumers, who are already struggling under the weight of his failed economy. Trump’s reckless tariffs are needlessly spiking inflation and driving up prices on everything from groceries to housing to utilities. Trump could reverse his reckless economic policies today — but he won’t, because he’d rather satisfy his own ego.”
President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday: "The last administration had the greatest inflation in the history of our country. And now, as you know, groceries are down, it's all down."
Stillwater Townie
Ranger
And likely harder than before to find a good, recently used car for under $20,000.
Try being in the market for a handicap accessible vehicle. You can almost double that average. Conversions have doubled in costs the last 10 yrs.
Polds4OSU
Marshall
Trust me. I've got 2 disabled parents both with lung cancer and in wheelchairs. I looked and didn't take me long to realize no way I could even consider a vehicle that could transport both and their wheel chairs. I was shocked by the prices
Man I am so sorry. Life is already hard enough and then you’ve got to deal with everything in the world. It’s why I’m so disappointed in the US voters. Sometimes saving a dime on a dozen eggs just isn’t worth it when costs on just about everything else goes way up.
Health insurance premiums are just the start. My auto, home and LTC insurances have all skyrocketed in the past yr. And it’s mostly bc of these insane tariffs. Hey look. I saved $100 on taxes but my insurance costs have all gone up by over 10x that amount.
We are truly the dumbest society.
