Politics
Atlanta isn't just building structures. It is filling them with life. Meanwhile, in San Francisco, we keep fighting over everything except how to make room for each other. Cities, like lives, are made of choices. Say no long enough, and you run out of chances to say yes.
Finance
Trump's 145% tariffs triggered a flood of imports—but not a rise in American exports. West Coast ports are now sending ships back empty. This imbalance isn't just economic—it's personal. Jobs, wages, and trade flows are all at risk. The ships are still moving. But fewer are coming back.
Politics
The Trump administration nearly killed CVE, the system that names and tracks software vulnerabilities worldwide. When trust-based digital infrastructure becomes a political bargaining chip, our entire security framework is at risk.
Politics
A perfectly timed Nvidia put trade preceded Trump’s export controls by hours—and paid off by over 600%. In a month already shadowed by suspicious options activity, this one raises new questions.
Finance
The 30-year Treasury yield approached 5% on April 11, 2025. Since 2008, long-term rates have stayed below this line. Crossing it doesn't guarantee collapse, but takes us off the map. We don't know what breaks when borrowing costs stay high or which assumptions stop working.
Finance
On April 11, 2025, traders placed large, targeted call option bets on Apple. That evening, the Trump administration quietly exempted smartphones from tariffs, news not publicized until April 12. These trades weren't speculation - they were placed before the memo was released.
Finance
At 12:58 pm EST on April 9, 2025, someone placed perfectly-timed SPY options bets just 32 minutes before Trump's surprise tariff announcement. These $0.85 contracts soared to $31 each by closing bell. A $100,000 bet became $3.6 million in hours. The odds? A 1-in-4,484 chance of even minimal profit.
Zero-day options represent speculation in its purest form. Traders pay a small premium for a contract destined to expire worthless within hours unless the market dramatically swings your way. On April 9th, from 12:58 pm to 1:30 pm, millions of these high-risk bets flooded the market across multiple
Finance
On April 9, 2025, someone risked $2.5 million on SPY call options—and walked away with $70+ million in under an hour. The trade was placed at 1:01 pm. At 1:30 pm, Trump announced tariff pauses. The market exploded upward. These options that cost 85 cents were suddenly worth more than $25.
Tech
Hello! It's Data and Politics. I'm starting this newsletter to share thoughts that need more room than 280 characters. I've been in tech for over 20 years, with experience in AI/ML research. I'll probably be wrong about plenty—but I'll be entertainingly wrong with all the snark they deserve!