Politics

Was There a 2nd Assassination Attemp?

Shots were fired, here’s what we know.

There was another assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump… or was there?

The FBI is investigating what “appears to be an attempted assassination” on Trump that occurred near his Trump International Golf Club in Florida. Trump is safe following the event.

A man, Ryan Wesley Routh, has been detained and is in custody in connection to this incident. 

Reportedly, a secret service agent spotted a rifle sticking out of a fence and “engaged” with the suspect, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff, Ric Bradshaw. The suspect then fled in a car, where he was stopped on the highway and taken into custody.

The gunman was 300-500 yards away from Trump, according to Secret Service officials. Law enforcement found an AK-47 rifle, a GoPro camera, and backpacks where the suspect was stationed. 

This was the second assassination attempt on Trump in the last two months alone, with Election Day less than 100 days away.

President Biden and Vice President Harris both said they are “relieved to know” that Trump is safe, and both have been briefed on the situation at the White House. 

If nothing else, this was certainly a better performance from the security that is tasked with protecting Trump (i.e. the secret service).

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Tech

Can Businesses Keep Up With Hackers

It’s the new arms race. The real battle between good vs evil, as businesses attempt to keep up with hackers while AI continues to become not only more and more advanced, but also more and more prevalent. 

New data shows that BT logs 2,000 signals of potential cyber attacks… a SECOND. That’s 200 million in one day. New malicious scanning bots are up 1200% over the past year. 

BT’s research center discovered that web-connected devices are scanned over 1,000 times a day, or, once every 90 seconds, with 78% being malicious. So hackers are looking for weaknesses in the online systems of businesses and essential public services. And part of the issue is the fact that these hackers have now become more advanced, and sophisticated, through the use of AI.

The research also revealed a 1234% annual rise in new malicious internet protocol (IP) scanners recorded across BT’s networks in the past 12 months. 

The sectors that should be most concerned are IT, defense and financial services, but BT also warned retail, education and hospitality as popular targets for hackers. 

Like everything else, there’s pros and cons of AI. And one of the cons seems to be hackers using it to make their jobs easier and, therefore, your life (potentially) more challenging.

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Business

Trouble Finding a Job…

You’re not alone.

Business Insider wrote a story about David Jolles, who worked in the tech space for more than four decades. However, he was laid off nearly two years ago from his job as a project manager at a fintech company and has been unable to find a job since.

Jolles estimated that he had sent over 1,000 applications since then. “It’s a disaster,” the still unemployed Jolles said. 

Jolles has since moved to Atlanta (from Silicon Valley), where the cost of living is lower and where there are more opportunities for him to find other jobs… like a service job. But Jolles certainly isn’t rare, or unique. Unfortunately.

You might be able to relate with him as well. As job searching has become such a miserable drag. You apply to countless jobs online, unsure if each one is actually legitimate or not, and hearing back from maybe 1% of them. And if you do ever hear back from one, you’ll either get ghosted or have to interview on zoom, which lacks so much personality.

Not to mention that pandemic we had a few years back. You know, the once-in-a-century pandemic. Yeah, that one. 

It sent shockwaves throughout the economy, restricting the jobs that companies are hiring for. The number of job openings right now are still as low as they were in 2021, the early days of Covid - pre vaccine. 

"If you're looking to find a job right now, it's much tougher than it was two years ago," Nick Bunker, the director of North American economic research at Indeed, told Business Insider. "It's going to take longer than it has in the recent past to actually get a job or make a hire because of the economy cooling off," Bunker explained.

The article also shares stories of other job seekers: one who sent 170 applications in her job hunt and another (a navy vet) who sent 2,200 applications after being laid off in 2022. That same vet said he set his limit at 2,200 applications. Once he reached that point, he was going to give up… and unfortunately, he did reach that point… without ever getting hired for a new job.

Much like AI helping out hackers, the increase in use of technology has not helped job seekers either. You apply on a random website, never hear from anyone, have to interview online (If you’re lucky enough) and are looked at as one of hundreds of applicants on a screen. It’s a tough world out there for job seekers right now, and we certainly empathize. 

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Finance

All Eyes Back On Google

Are the a monopoly?

Google was declared a monopoly a month ago, following a trial with the justice department. Now, a second antitrust case has begun.

And while the government is still a long way from breaking up Google, investors are starting to treat that possibility as an apparent foregone conclusion. 

This current trial is challenging Google’s position in the ad-tech industry, where the company’s tools play a major role in the buying and selling of online advertising. 

The first case could force Google’s search engine to be excluded from androids and chrome platforms, while the second case could force Google to separate itself from its ad-tech services. 

There have been threats of government crackdowns on Google and others in the tech world. And, to this point, it hasn’t scared anyone off yet - as the major tech companies are up 146% since 2020 (more than double the S&P 500’s performance in that same time period). However, this time could be different. 

Alphabet’s (Google’s parent company) stock is already down 14% this quarter. Even Microsoft and Amazon are down too. However, 78% of Wall Street analysts still list Alphabet's stock as a buy. Will that change in the near future? How involved will the government get? For now, as this thing goes to trial, we play the waiting game…. 

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World News

Putin “Warns” U.S. and its Allies.

Tensions continue to rise between Russian President Vladimir Putin and NATO. Putin has warned others that Russia will be “at war” with the United States, and its allies, if they lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range Western weapons. 

This is the latest, and maybe strongest, in the list of threats from Putin against those who are backing Ukraine in this conflict. President Biden reinforced on Friday that the U.S. is “committed” to standing with the U.K. in their support of Ukraine against Putin and Russia. 

"I’ve often said there’s no issue of global consequence where the United States and U.K. can’t work together," Biden said. "It’s clear that Putin will not prevail in this war. The people of Ukraine will prevail."

When asked directly what he thought about Putin’s latest comments, Biden responded with the classic: “I don’t think much about Vladimir Putin.”

A White House readout said that Biden "reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine as it continues to defend against Russia’s aggression," and that they shared "deep concern about Iran and North Korea’s provision of lethal weapons to Russia."

In recent weeks, it seems others have become more open to the idea of Ukraine using long-range Western missiles in their fight with Russia. 

“We are not talking about allowing or not allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons,” Putin said Thursday. “We are talking about deciding whether NATO countries are directly involved in the military conflict or not,” he continued. 

"This will mean that NATO countries, the U.S. and European countries are at war with Russia," Putin explained. "And if this is so, then, bearing in mind the change in the very essence of this conflict, we will make appropriate decisions based on the threats that will be created for us."

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Sports

Fight Night in the Sphere

Vegas Hosts UFC 306 and it was awesome

The sphere is a new, one of a kind, venue in Las Vegas that opened only 11 months ago. And so far, it’s been mostly a concert venue… until this past weekend. 

That’s when the UFC debuted in the sphere, as CEO Dana White promised a first-of-its-kind sporting experience.

White’s company invested more than $20 million to produce the one-off event (UFC 306), which was dubbed “Noche UFC.”

And, apparently, it lived up to the billing. "It happened, we did it, we killed it and I have literally been getting blown up by everybody about this event," White proclaimed following the event.

The Sphere opened with U2 and has since hosted concerts from Phish, Dead & Company, the Eagles and more. And now, the UFC too.

You can check out how it looked Saturday night right here.

Also, along the same lines… Cosm bars are starting to open that offer unbelievable views of sporting events (to simulate as if you were in person/watching in a stadium suit). One has opened in Dallas and California so far, with many more planned for the next five years. This is the new way of the world… and we’re not complaining.

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