E140: LK-99, Sclerotic establishments, Fitch downgrades US debt, Trump indicted... again

For the first time in the world, we succeeded in synthesizing the room-temperature superconductor (Tc ≥ 400 K, 127 oC) working at ambient pressure with a modified lead-apatite (LK-99) structure.

For over 110 years since Onnes's 1911 discovery of superconductivity, scientists have searched for room-temperature superconductors, materials that exhibit zero resistance to electrical current.

In the absence of overwhelming expert consensus (see below about resolution caveats), adding materials not in the original synthesis or characterization (replacing Cu with Au, Ag, etc) will not count toward a YES resolution.

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Fanservice

a quick look at VC thought leadership in the coming days.

Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne will resign effective Aug. 31. He will also retract or issue lengthy corrections to five widely cited papers for which he was principal author after a Stanford-sponsored investigation found "manipulation of research data."

Fourth annual letter in which we discuss our investments, observations on the year passed, and other ideas on technology, markets, and our mission.

Fitch Ratings-London-01 August 2023: Fitch Ratings has downgraded the United States of America's Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR)

The U.S. is no longer rated at the top-notch AAA by Fitch. Here's what credit ratings are, and why they (mostly) matter.

I have been surprised how low US long-term rates have remained in light of structural changes that are likely to lead to higher levels of long-term inflation including de-globalization, higher defense costs, the energy transition, growing entitlements, and the greater bargaining...

Since the TBAC last convened in early May, two-year Treasury yields are about 100 basis points higher while ten-year Treasury yields have increased by around 40 basis points. The move higher in Treasury yields in part reflects expectations of higher policy rates from global central banks including from the Federal Reserve.

Even the fiscally conservative candidates in the GOP presidential primary are reluctant to endorse cutting Social Security for seniors.

"Voters would rather see taxes on wealthy Americans to ensure Social Security remains a guarantee for all," said the head of Data for Progress.

This report presents current data on ownership of U.S. Treasury securities and major holders of federal debt by country.

View data of the average interest rate, calculated weekly, of fixed-rate mortgages with a 30-year repayment term.

View allinpodcast's Linktree. Listen to their music on YouTube, Spotify here.

View data of the unemployment rate, or the number of people 16 and over actively searching for a job as a percentage of the total labor force.

Graph and download economic data for Job Openings: Total Nonfarm (JTSJOL) from Dec 2000 to Jun 2023 about job openings, vacancy, nonfarm, and USA.

Read the indictment against Donald Trump in the 2020 Election investigation

Donald Trump has been indicted on felony charges for working to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the run-up to the violent riot by his supporters at the U.S.

The latest political polls and polling averages from FiveThirtyEight.

Donald Trump ordered employees at his Florida resort to delete security videos as he was under probe for retaining classified documents, prosecutors said as they broadened the case against the former president.

It is the biggest what-if of the latest Trump indictment: The Senate's vote to acquit him in 2021.

Biden "privately" scolded Garland for not moving aggressively enough to prosecute Trump for Jan 6. These "private" comments then made their way into the NYT, after which Garland moved more aggressively to prosecute Trump. They're both loving fathers though, so I'm sure it's fine