Author | Lightnews

lines down @linesdown.bsky.social · 12h

Can someone explain the lure of cruises to me?

Cruise Intent - Quarterly Percentages
Percentage of upcoming travelers planning a cruise vacation
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
23%
23%
22%
22%
21%
20%
02-24
Q1-24
Q3-24
Q4-24
Q1-25
Q2-25
Percentage planning a cruise vacation
13,455 responses from 01/01/2024 to 11/05/2025
Percentage of upcoming travelers planning a cruise vacation, excluding 'not sure' and 'other" Weighted by U.S. Census 18+
© CivicScience 2025
24%
Q3-25
26%
Q4-25
CIVIC SCIENCE

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lines down @linesdown.bsky.social · 14h

With US official labor data stopped, people are piecing together data on employment

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LongTime🤓FirstTime👨‍💻 @longtimehistory.bsky.social · 1d

ICE grabs father by the neck—send him into violent seizure while his arms lock up around his toddler.

"He's having seizure and they're trying to rip the baby out of his hands!"

Agents then handcuff him—before putting in ambulance with his child.

Mother is detained by agents as target of arrest.

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David_j_roth @davidjroth.bsky.social · 1d

This is so cool. Putting on formal dress and standing around on a Thursday night talking about how dope the president is. Laughing in unison at stuff that isn't quite a joke. It's on TV so everyone can watch and think about how fun it'd be to be there, doing that, too. Cash bar. No food of any kind.

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 1d

At the Fox Patriot Awards tonight, Hegseth tells a story about how Trump makes Truth Social posts after bombings.

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lines down @linesdown.bsky.social · 1d

Bloomberg: “Layoffs for Any October Highest Since 2003”

Warehousing and technology sectors led last month's surge
• October job-cut announcements

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lines down @linesdown.bsky.social · 1d

Neat

'Jenga Tower' US Economy
Teeters as Middle Class Pulls
Back Spending
J!
125
While the cost of living isn't going up nearly as fast as it did in 2022, consumer prices are still up 27% since the onset of the pandemic.
Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
By Catarina Saraiva and Jaewon Kang Updated on November 6, 2025 10:14 AM

The surprising resilience of the US economy this year is masking underlying weakness among low-and middle-income households, as higher-income Americans continue to drive growth.
This dichotomy between the haves and have-nots isn't new, but the economic strain is now bleeding from the lowest earners to the middle class, creating an even starker divide that some economists say makes the economy more susceptible to a downturn.
The richest 10% of households are fueling nearly half of total US spending, thanks to a stock market surge that has boosted wealth and in turn propelled economic output this year. Meanwhile, lower-income families are pulling back in the face of tight budgets, still-high living costs and a raft of corporate layoffs.

Executives at companies like Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc., Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. and Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. have cited the trend in recent earnings calls, and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said officials are carefully watching signs of a bifurcated economy after the central bank lowered interest rates last week.

"I feel like our economy today resembles a top-heavy Jenga tower," said Peter Atwater, the economist who, in 2020, popularized the idea of a "K-shaped" economy, where the well off are on an upward track and the less fortunate experience further declines.
In the popular Jenga game, wooden blocks are stacked and then carefully removed by players until the tower becomes too fragile and collapses. The reference is apt as the stock market surges to fresh highs even as hiring stalls and layoffs creep up.
Confidence Sinking Among US Lower-Income
Earners
By contrast, wealthier households are upbeat as stock market rallies
• $25k-34k • $35k-49k
$200k and above
n. 2021
2022
2023
2024
Source: The Conference Board
Note: Data for $200k-plus available only for 2025
140 level
120
100
80
60
2025 Oct. 2025
Bloomberg

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Annalise Klingbeil @annaliseak.bsky.social · 1d

Alberta is calling!
"So far this year, Alberta has recorded nearly 2,000 cases...and the United States nearly 1,700.
Canada is set to be the first Western country since the coronavirus pandemic to lose its elimination status, according to W.H.O. data."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/w...

Canada Is About to Lose Its Status as Having Eliminated Measles

www.nytimes.com

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Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 2d

What the hell is this statement from NVIDIA? What am I meant to do with this info?

NVIDIA Newsroom Y @nvidianewsroom
•••
X.com
A statement from NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang.
Statement from NVIDIA
CEO Jensen Huang
As I have long said, China is nanoseconds behind America in Al. It's vital that America wins by racing ahead and winning developers worldwide.
November 5, 2025
• NVIDIA
6:56 PM • 11/5/25 • 260K Views

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Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 2d

FYI this is what you do when your business is great and you are very liquid and creditworthy

Unusual Whales @unusualwhales.bsky.social · 2d

BREAKING: OpenAI is requesting US government support to help guarantee financing for the massive investments in AI chips and data centers it needs for expansion, per Bloomberg.

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lines down @linesdown.bsky.social · 2d

Rumours of more coming in Ottawa?

lines down @linesdown.bsky.social · 2d

And Altman too conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/sam...

ALTMAN: At some level, when something gets sufficiently huge, whether or not they are on paper, the federal government is kind of the insurer of last resort, as we've seen in various financial crises and insurance companies screwing things up. I guess, given the magnitude of what I expect Al economic impact to look like, I do think the government ends up as the insurer of last resort, but I think I mean that in a different way than you mean that, and I don't expect them to actually be writing the policies in the way that maybe they do for nuclear.

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lines down @linesdown.bsky.social · 2d

Oh man finance.yahoo.com/video/openai...

OpenAI Wants Federal Backstop for New Investments

Sarah Friar, the CFO of OpenAI, says the company wants a federal guarantee to make it easier to finance massive investments in AI chips for data centers. Friar spoke at WSJ’s Tech Live event in Califo...

finance.yahoo.com

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Blurry TV Headlines @blurrytvheadlines.numbergoup.com · 2d

US MAY CUT AIR TRAFFIC 10% BY FRIDAY AT 40 MAJOR AIRPORTS: RTRS

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lines down @linesdown.bsky.social · 2d

Length of government shutdowns in the US

35 days
30 days
25 days
20 days
15 days
10 days
5 days
O days
Oct 2025
Dec 2018
Jan 2018
Oct 2013
The Daily Shot.
Dec 1995
Nov 1995
Oct 1990
Dec 1987(
Length of US Government Shutdowns
Sept 1982
mN
/ 1981
Sept 1979
Sept 1978
Nov 1977
Oct 1977
Sept 1977
Sept 1976

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 2d

Not sure what’s more worrisome: that McDonalds low-income consumer traffic is down double digits — or that high-income consumer traffic is UP double digits.

$MCD

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lines down @linesdown.bsky.social · 3d

Average dem voter tonight

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David_j_roth @davidjroth.bsky.social · 3d

I knew that Mamdani had it; he had the people and did the work, and has been the clearest and most lucid in rejecting the untenable current state of things. But the vile, bigoted shit against him was so constant, and I am conditioned to that working better than I want. This feels like an exorcism.

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Patrick Monahan @pattymo.com · 3d

Viewing this as a mandate in favor of my “Stop making me hear about Ezra Klein” platform

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lines down @linesdown.bsky.social · 3d

There’s a recent episode of the Odd Lots on this and the conclusion is that it has something to do with tariffs, but it’s not completely explainable.

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lines down @linesdown.bsky.social · 3d

Cardboard box recession

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EA @elliottanderson.bsky.social · 3d

This paragraph sums up the spirit of Mark Carney's Budget.

Taking healthcare from refugees to give yacht-buyers a tax break.

www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/art...

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lines down @linesdown.bsky.social · 3d

Editor: You get those photos of the groyper nazi?
Photographer: Sure did boss, real fuckin sexy just like you asked.

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 3d

In Opinion

Despite Charlie Kirk's opposition to white nationalist influencer Nick Fuentes, mainstream conservatives have become more open to him in the wake of Kirk's killing. "On much of the MAGA right, attempts to impose taboos have themselves become the ultimate taboo," writes Michelle Goldberg.