Sugar Slowly Killing Us? Hmm Siri + Google Gemini

Todays news letter is rather Environment heavy, of course the good part. May be Autumn sun made me care more about the environment this week…..read on if you are on the green wagon, are thinking of it or….

While Washington D.C. has apparently forgotten how to function, Silicon Valley has been busy facing its own judgment day: earnings. The big question, is the AI boom paying the bills? The answer was... kinda. Alphabet (Google) posted a stunning $100B quarter, but Meta and Microsoft shares slipped as investors squinted at their massive AI-spending bar tabs.

The real winner? Amazon, which not only had strong earnings but also inked a massive $38 billion cloud deal with OpenAI. It seems building the digital plumbing for the AI revolution is the new gold rush, even as Amazon simultaneously announced 14,000 corporate layoffs. A perfect summary of tech: the future is bright, but the present is kinda brutal.

Back in the real world, the US government shutdown has officially entered its second month. This means key economic data (like jobs reports) is MIA, and 42 million Americans are seeing their SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits evaporate. New York even had to declare a state of emergency to fund its food banks.

This self-inflicted chaos has the Federal Reserve in a bind. After a rate cut last week, Fed Chair Powell warned everyone not to expect another one in December. It's hard to steer the economic ship when the crew is busy drilling holes in the hull.

In news that is refreshingly not terrible, scientists just built a "Google Map" for the developing human brain. This "BrainSTEM" atlas is one of the most detailed ever, and it's a huge leap forward for researchers trying to grow high-quality neurons in a lab. This could be a game-changer for finding therapies for Parkinson's and other neurological diseases.

And as it leaves our solar system forever, the interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS made its closest pass to the sun. It's now on its long journey back to... wherever it came from, having successfully ignored all our earthly drama. Smart.

While the US was busy not governing, President Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, resulting in a surprise deal. The US will reportedly cut tariffs by 10% in exchange for China cracking down on fentanyl chemicals and lifting restrictions on rare-earth mineral exports.

Elsewhere, the news was grim. Typhoon Kalmaegi slammed the Philippines, killing 26, and Hurricane Melissa left a trail of destruction across the Caribbean. And in a somber note, former US Vice President Dick Cheney passed away at the age of 84.

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If you invested $100 at the start of the week, you'd be roughly $2.77 richer with the S&P 500, about even with the DAX, but taking a $5 loss if holding Bitcoin.