David Lidsky's Blog, page 250

Wisconsin man charged with arson of congressman’s office over TikTok ban

He said he wanted to burn the building down because the U.S. government was shutting down TikTok and Grothman voted yes to shutting it down, according to the complaint.

Prosecutors charged a Wisconsin man who allegedly told police he tried to burn down a congressman’s office because he was upset with the federal TikTok ban with multiple counts on Wednesday, including arson.

How Trump is escalating his campaign against DEI programs

The Trump executive order seeks to dissuade private companies that receive government contracts from using DEI programs and hiring on the basis of race and gender.

U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his campaign against diversity programs on Tuesday by pressuring the private sector to join the initiative and telling government employees in offices administering such programs they would be placed on paid leave.

A better way to treat youth mental health

With a shortage of pediatric psychiatrists, we need a new model to support pediatricians and patients.

After founding my pediatric mental health care company in 2021, one of our first patients was a child who’d been referred to us from the emergency room (ER) after a deeply troubling experience in the healthcare system. She was put on medication by her primary care provider (PCP) to help her cope with emotional struggles following a breakup, but when the initial dosage didn’t seem to work, her doctor kept increasing it. Over time, she developed severe side effects, including self-harm behaviors like hair-pulling. Desperate for help, her mother begged the PCP to take her off the medication, but the provider didn’t know how to safely taper the dosage.

I don’t need a court case to tell me Google is a monopoly

E-commerce businesses globally must compete on one main street where prime real estate goes to those willing to pay the price.

As an e-commerce entrepreneur, I loathe Google. I know all too intimately after spending $2 million advertising on Google, that Google—yes, beloved Google—is in fact a monopoly.

3 steps to tell your brand story when nobody knows your name

Authenticity and understanding your audience, paired with the right channels, is key.

You’ve invested your time, energy, and resources into building your company. Now you’re met with the new challenge of building your brand, telling your story, and gaining traction within your industry and among your target customers.

It’s time to create a domestic supply chain for critical battery materials

Demand will soon outstrip supply; the U.S. needs to bolster access using recycled and new materials.

The topic of critical materials and where they are sourced is at a pivotal point in the world of lithium-ion batteries. The United States’ challenges around developing a domestic supply chain for these materials needs to be at the forefront of conversations. Our country’s national security and global competitiveness in sourcing the critical materials that go into producing batteries depends on it—and we must act now.

Trump just rebranded the U.S. Digital Service as ‘DOGE’

The U.S. Digital Service gets a new name. Will it get a new mission, too?

President Donald Trump has brought the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to life—simply by renaming an existing government agency.

Is Elon Musk a government employee? Here’s why it matters

Tesla’s CEO might soon have an office in the West Wing, according to a new report, but lawsuits allege DOGE violated federal law.

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, is CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, but when it comes to his work with the federal government, his status is a lot less clear. While he’s firmly in charge of Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), whether he will actually become a government employee is still an unanswered question.

Louisiana just got its first-ever blizzard warning

A powerful winter storm is slamming the Southeast, as climate change brings increasingly extreme weather.

Louisiana isn’t known for extreme cold weather—but that changed Tuesday, when the National Weather Service issued its first-ever blizzard warning for much of the state. 

Trump to announce $500 billion private sector AI infrastructure investment

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, and Oracle’s Larry Ellison are reportedly part of a joint venture called Stargate.

President Donald Trump is due to announce private sector investment of up to $500 billion of artificial intelligence infrastructure on Tuesday, two sources told Reuters.