A few stories this week that say a lot about where America’s really headed—automation over jobs, surveillance over privacy, and federal power over local control. Read these, connect the dots, and tell me what you think.
“Amazon Will Be 100% Robotic by 2030”
Investor Jason Calacanis says the quiet part out loud: Amazon’s endgame is full automation this decade. For anyone parroting “tariffs will bring the jobs back”—to what, exactly? Robotic warehouses and AI pickers don’t vote, don’t unionize, and don’t need lunch breaks.AI radar that can hear your phone calls—from 10 feet
Researchers are using millimeter-wave radar to read the tiny vibrations of a phone’s speaker and reconstruct speech. If a university lab can do this, assume the three-letter agencies and their contractors already have. Privacy theatre is over; hardening your habits matters.The Fed flirts with a gold revaluation
Policy wonks are kicking around revaluing gold reserves—an accounting move that conjures a one-time “profit” without a vote in Congress. That kind of talk happens when the debt fire gets too close to the curtains. Translation: they’ll change the rules before they change their spending.35 Retailers Collapsing Right In Front Of Our Eyes
Closures aren’t hypothetical anymore; they’re accelerating where shrink, safety, and thin margins collide. When big boxes leave, they don’t come back—rural folks end up driving 45 minutes for basics while prices creep higher.3,000+ major retail stores shuttering in 2025
This roundup shows pharmacies, groceries, department stores—even fast food—going dark. Believe your eyes: plywood windows and “for lease” signs where jobs used to be. Local economies don’t survive this without a plan B.20 officers to arrest a guy accused of throwing… a sandwich
Prosecutors say it was assault; the defense says the feds brought a SWAT-level show of force over a tossed snack. Whatever your politics, that ratio screams message-sending, not justice. Powers are being flexed.Are top podcasters fudging their numbers?
Trade press is finally asking what indie creators have known for years: downloads ≠ listeners, and “unique reach” gets… elastic. When ad dollars chase inflated decks, trust collapses—brands should demand independent audits, not hype clips.“Veggie-flation” is here—and the pain rolls downhill
Wholesale prices for fresh vegetables just spiked, and producer prices lead what you pay at the register. Add tariffs, labor shortages, and supply hiccups, and you get grocery sticker shock right when families can least afford it.Rural ERs without doctors
More emergency rooms are running with no physician on site—leaning on PAs/NPs because hospitals can’t or won’t pay for doctors. Consolidation and regulation deliver fewer providers, longer waits, and worse outcomes for the people furthest from help.Trump: national emergency to extend federal control of D.C. police
Supporters see law-and-order; opponents see overreach. Either way, the precedent is massive: the feds can and will take the wheel when they want—and they look ready to keep it there.
If you’re feeling this roundup, drop a comment: which story hits home where you live—automation, inflation, health-care hollow-outs, or the feds’ new normal? And if you’ve seen a closure, price spike, or “that can’t be legal” moment in your town, tell me below so I can feature it next time.
Thanks MD