Michael Fridman

[Michael Fridman @FridmanMike]

@Galepooley It's the ultimate form of altruism.

[Michael Fridman @FridmanMike]

As ever, what matters is who is doing the changing, not the numbers, and how the other side is looking for political points, real or imaginary.

[John R Lott Jr. @JohnRLottJr]

@grok With all the hyperventilating about Trump changing the name of a few places, including military bases, mountains, lakes, or any other geographic place, how many places did Biden and Obama change the name of? Is it about 663 for Biden, such as removing the name "squaw" from geographic features?

[Michael Fridman @FridmanMike]

To add a little more to this; it is not only minimum wage laws, and diesel prices, but also labor shortages in general driving up wage rates, and prices. Grocers, as well as fast food/restaurants, Home Depot and similar, have had a very hard time finding employees, and have had to pay significantly more to attract people; here in Michigan, I routinely see starting wages of $15/hour in places like Home Depot, or McDonalds, rates which used to be for those who had been working with the company for a while and/or made it to supervisor level.

With the labor force participation rate going down on account of more retirements - the great retirement - outpacing the number young people entering the workplace, it's only going to become more acute. As the population shrinks, things are going to become, are becoming more expensive and there is no amount of tinkering the Economic Central Planning Board, née the Fed, can do about it other than needlessly distort.

[Michael Fridman @FridmanMike]

To quibble, food prices have gone up more due to increases in diesel prices due to reduced refining capacity; something which has been an issue since the Obama administration, and has become more acute with 1/3 of California’s refining capacity being regulated out of existence.

The other big driver has been minimum wage increases in places like California and Michigan and other states.

[Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent @SecScottBessent]

In her latest sciolistic letter to me, @SenWarren made it clear that she knows even less about foreign exchange markets than she does about banking.

What is equally shocking, but not surprising: not a single member of the media mob has a rudimentary-enough level of financial market literacy to spot her remedial error.

To reiterate: under @POTUS, the United States delivers for America’s trusted partners.

For a fuller explanation, I recommend Senator Warren take any entry level course in international finance for her and her staff, or I can personally give her a tutorial on Foreign Exchange for Dummies. Although I am not holding my breath, I hope her next letter will demonstrate that she has learned the difference between a currency purchase and a swap or a loan.

[Michael Fridman @FridmanMike]

@elonmusk The Times: "Elon Buys U.K., Fertility Problem Solved, Mass Immigration No Longer Needed"

[Michael Fridman @FridmanMike]

@Galepooley @AStuttaford The only thing equal is the sharing of misery.

[Michael Fridman @FridmanMike]

@feeonline The building of the city grocery store, for 30 million and counting, near a Costco constructed for a fraction of the price is the best demonstration of what socialism purchases; a fraction of the selection at an order of magnitude greater price.

[Michael Fridman @FridmanMike]

@elonmusk You will be a trillionaire, many times.

[Gale Pooley @Galepooley]

Median weekly earnings in the second quarter were 4.6 percent higher compared with a gain of 3.9 percent in the CPI. Earnings are growing 18% faster than prices. This means time prices are decreasing.

https://t.co/Aoq6QJ6vjS

[Marc Zell - מארק צל @GOPIsrael]

ISRAEL, TRUMP & THE MOU

We now have full, official text of the infamous MOU. It’s not good. But in comparison to what President Trump has done for Israel and the Jewish People==> see below, it is really a bump in the road.

A LIST OF WHAT @realDonaldTrump HAS DONE FOR ISRAEL & THE JEWISH PEOPLE

PERSPECTIVE:
TRUMP’S ISRAEL RECORD — BOTH TERMS HAVE BEEN SECOND TO NONE

I generated this list to clarify, that, in the big picture, Trump has been a God send for Israel. Any critique of the current dealing with Iran will never take that away.

DIRECTLY BENEFITED ISRAEL:

1. Recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

2. Moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.

3. Recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

4. Brokered the Abraham Accords.

5. Helped normalize Israel’s relations with the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.

6. Broke the old myth that Israel must first surrender to Palestinian demands before Arab states can make peace.

7. Withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA)

8. Reimposed maximum-pressure sanctions on Iran.

9. Cut U.S. funding to UNRWA.

10. Withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council over anti-Israel bias.

11. Closed the PLO office in Washington.

12. Cut aid streams to the Palestinian Authority.

13. Signed the Taylor Force Act into law, restricting aid connected to the PA’s terror-payment system.

14. Released the most pro-Israel U.S. peace plan ever put forward.

15. Recognized Israel’s security control as central to any future peace framework.

16. Changed U.S. policy on settlements, rejecting the claim that Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria are automatically illegal.

17. Allowed certain products from Israeli-controlled areas to be labeled “Made in Israel.”

18. Gave Israel strong diplomatic cover at the UN.

19. Supported Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas and Iranian proxies.

20. Ordered the strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the architect of Iran’s regional terror network.

SECOND TERM SO FAR:

21. Sanctioned the ICC for targeting Israel and America.

22. Defended Netanyahu and Gallant against ICC lawfare.

23. Removed Biden-era sanctions on Israelis in Judea and Samaria.

24. Renewed pressure on UNRWA.

25. Ordered a review of U.S. funding to UN bodies accused of anti-Israel bias and antisemitism.

26. Backed Israel diplomatically during the Gaza war.

27. Helped advance a Gaza ceasefire / hostage framework with Israeli security guarantees.

28. Continued expanding the Abraham Accords framework.

29. Pushed broader regional normalization with Israel.

30. Joined Israel militarily against Iran.

31. Helped degrade Iran’s missile, drone, naval, and air-defense capabilities.

32. Maintained the public red line that Iran cannot be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.

INDIRECTLY BENEFITED ISRAEL:

33. Reduced Israel’s diplomatic isolation.

34. Strengthened the anti-Iran regional alliance.

35. Opened new regional markets for Israeli trade, tech, tourism, cyber, water, and defense cooperation.

36. Weakened the Palestinian veto over Arab-Israeli normalization.

37. Put major pressure on the Palestinian Authority.

38. Challenged international lawfare against Israel.

39. Made support for Israel a central Republican foreign-policy position.

40. Moved U.S. policy closer to Israeli consensus positions on Jerusalem, Golan, Iran, UNRWA, and the ICC.

41. Gave Israel greater diplomatic freedom of action.

42. Normalized the idea that peace can be built through strength, shared interests, and regional alliances — not just Israeli concessions.

43. Strengthened deterrence against Iran and its proxies.

44. Made UNRWA reform or replacement a serious U.S. policy debate.

45. Proved that bold pro-Israel moves do not automatically destroy regional diplomacy — in some cases, they create it.

[Marc Zell - מארק צל @GOPIsrael]

למה הנשיא טראמפ ניהל משא ומתן על מזכר ההבנות?

כיו"ר המפלגה הרפובליקנית בישראל קיבלתי שאלות רבות מהתקשורת, מתומכים, ואפילו מילדיי שלי בנושא זה. הנה הבנתי בקצרה:

1. הנשיא טראמפ לא הפנה עורף ולא נטש את ישראל. תמיכתו במדינה היהודית ובעם היהודי אינה ניתנת לערעור. פרסמתי לאחרונה רשימה של כל מה שעשה בקדנציה הראשונה ועד כה בקדנציה הנוכחית.

2. הנשיא טראמפ החליט שניצחון בבחירות האמצע בנובמבר ומניעת השתלטות הדמוקרטים על הקונגרס הם בעלי חשיבות עליונה - בהינתן הוודאות שאם זה יקרה, הדמוקרטים ינסו להדיח אותו ולסכל את מדיניות ממשלו הפנימית והחיצונית ביתרת הקדנציה השנייה. לאור כך שהמפלגה הדמוקרטית איבדה את דעתה באופן קולקטיבי - גם זה אינו ניתן לערעור.

3. מכיוון שהמצביעים האמריקאים מצביעים לפי הכיס ולא לפי סוגיות ביטחוניות ומדיניות חוץ, ומכיוון שהם עייפים ממלחמות - כדי שיהיו לו סיכויים לנצח בבחירות האמצע, הנשיא טראמפ צריך להשהות את המלחמה באיראן לעת עתה, להוריד את האינפלציה, להוזיל מחירי אנרגיה ומזון, לשמור על פריחת שוקי המניות ולייצב את השווקים הגלובליים. כך הוא רואה את האינטרסים האמריקאים כרגע - ואני מסכים.

4. מזכר ההבנות הוא רק הסכם לנהל משא ומתן ולשמור על הפסקת האש לעת עתה. לנשיא טראמפ יש את כל הקלפים, והוא יכול לקבוע כמה הוא מוכן להקל את החנק האמריקאי על איראן ועל שלוחותיה.

5. הנשיא טראמפ הוציא את ישראל ממזכר ההבנות - דבר שבין אם בכוונה ובין אם לאו, נותן לישראל חופש פעולה להגן על האינטרסים הביטחוניים החיוניים שלה בלבנון, בסוריה ואפילו באיראן.

6. אני לא אוהב את תוכן מזכר ההבנות ולא את הטון של הצהרות מסוימות מהבית הלבן בהגנה עליו - אבל זו פוליטיקה בשנת בחירות. השורה התחתונה היא שהקשר בין ישראל לארה"ב חזק ובלתי ניתן לפגיעה. ישראל תגן על אינטרסיה, וכך גם ארה"ב תגן על הציבור האמריקאי - כולל 750,000 אזרחים אמריקאים בישראל.

זהו ההסבר היחיד שהגיוני.

יש לי אמונה בנשיא טראמפ, בראש הממשלה נתניהו ובאלוקים. שבוע טוב.

[Michael Fridman @FridmanMike]

@shabab_husain__ @elonmusk This is from Garand Thumb's - he is former U.S. Special Forces - YouTube channel where he is testing our different anti-drone rounds. They routinely were country patches like that if what they are talking about has some relevance to what is going on around the world.

[Michael Fridman @FridmanMike]

@Galepooley Nothing like Jevon's paradox at work - the less expensive and more available something becomes, the more demand there will be for it.

[Michael Fridman @FridmanMike]

An interesting data point, while people of Russian origin have started 23 billion dollar companies, at least a majority are Jews; there is also considerable overlap in Israel as well with Russian born Jews, or those whose parents came from Russia being responsible for a good proportion of the number of billion dollar companies started.

But, yes, we should absolutely make it easy for them to come here; we should create a U.S./Israel "Schengen zone".

[Michael Fridman @FridmanMike]

@elonmusk Once they collapse, and given their cash burn rate making it imminent, you should buy them.

[Michael Fridman @FridmanMike]

@sage_liv I would recommend trying SPF 70+ next time because of your particular complexion.

Seed oils are good for you by the way, the "potential problem" is if you fry things with them.

[Michael Fridman @FridmanMike]

@elonmusk Governments are the reflection of the people who elect them, and the question before the house is, how long will Canadians continue to elect who they do?

[Michael Fridman @FridmanMike]

@gpooley This pretty well disproves the claim Americans incomes stagnating since 1970.

[Aizenberg @Aizenberg55]

https://t.co/RydiceBnzF