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Friday, 5:23 AM

August 15, 2025

Good morning news friend! Follow today’s events as they carve the path toward tomorrow. 📰🌟

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Trump Eyes U.S. Stake in Intel

The Trump administration is considering a U.S. government investment in Intel to support its delayed Ohio chip factory. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan met with President Trump amid calls for Tan’s resignation over ties to Chinese firms.

Intel’s shares jumped after the investment news. Intel warned in July it might halt new factory construction without external customers. Despite stable revenue over $50 billion, Intel is losing ground to AI chip leader Nvidia.

The government stake could encourage major clients like Nvidia, AMD, and Apple to use Intel’s factories, boosting domestic production and jobs. The plan is early-stage and may not proceed.

Sources: Bloomberg, Reuters, WallStreetJournal.

China’s Economy Faces Slowdown

China’s economic growth slowed in July: factory output rose 5.7% year-on-year (down from 6.8% in June), retail sales increased 3.7%, missing forecasts, and fixed asset investment grew just 1.6%.

New yuan loans contracted for the first time in 20 years, signaling weak private demand. The property sector remains weak, with home prices falling 2.8% YoY in July. Export growth was 7.2%, driven by Southeast Asia and Africa, but exports to the U.S. declined.

The economy is projected to grow 4.6% in 2025, down from 5.0% in 2024. Challenges include U.S. trade tensions, real estate decline, subdued investment, cautious consumers, and disrupted production due to extreme weather.

Sources: Bloomberg, Archive, Reuters, NYTimes, WallStreetJournal.

Inflation Surge Challenges Fed’s Rate Cut Plans

U.S. producer prices jumped 0.9% in July 2025, the largest rise since June 2022, pushing the year-over-year PPI to 3.3%, above the Fed’s 2% target. Services grew 1.1%, led by trade margins, portfolio fees, hotels, airlines, and freight.

Goods prices rose 0.7%, with food up 1.4%, including spikes in vegetables, beef, eggs, and coffee. Tariff-driven cost increases appear to be passed to consumers. BLS data quality concerns emerged after cuts to 350 price indexes and leadership changes.

Strong inflation complicates the Fed’s September rate decision, reducing odds of a 0.5% cut. The labor market remains resilient with steady jobless claims and no surge in layoffs.

Sources: Reuters, CNBC, Bloomberg, Bloomberg, Reuters.

Russian Hackers Breach US Courts

Russian government-backed hackers breached the U.S. federal court system for several years, stealing sealed records related to espionage, fraud, money laundering, and foreign agents.

They exploited stolen credentials and outdated servers, including systems running Windows XP, compromising PACER and CM/ECF filing platforms. The attackers targeted middle-level criminal cases in New York and other areas, stealing court blueprints, sealed indictments, witness identities, and detention warrants.

The U.S. Courts Administration confirmed the attack on August 7, labeling it urgent and promising enhanced security. This breach follows Russia’s 2020 SolarWinds intrusion and a related Russian-linked cyberattack on a Norwegian dam in April 2025.

Sources: Bloomberg, Voi, Theregister, Unn.

Parasitic Worm Blocks Pain

The parasitic worm Schistosoma mansoni invades human skin without causing pain by blocking TRPV1+, a protein in sensory neurons that transmits heat, pain, and itch signals.

This suppression prevents immune activation and inflammation, aiding larval survival during infection. Mice infected with the worm showed reduced pain sensitivity linked to TRPV1+ inhibition. Researchers aim to identify the worm-produced molecules that block TRPV1+, which could inspire new non-opioid pain treatments and therapies for inflammatory diseases.

Activating TRPV1+ via topical agents might also help prevent infection in exposed individuals. The findings reveal a novel parasite survival mechanism with potential applications in pain management and infectious disease prevention.

Sources: SciTechDaily, Sciencedaily, Aai, Newsweek.

Modern Cannabis: 5x Stronger, 5x Riskier

THC levels in cannabis have increased from about 4% to 20% over 20 years, raising mental health risks. Users consuming cannabis above 10% THC face higher chances of psychosis, especially frequent users, young males, and those with mental illness history.

A study of 9.8 million in Ontario finds emergency visits for cannabis use link to a 14.3-fold rise in schizophrenia-spectrum disorder risk; cannabis-induced psychosis cases show a 241.6-fold increase. Stopping use after psychotic episodes reduces relapse risk.

Medical THC treats pain, nausea, and spasticity, but ultra-potent products double cases of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. Synthetic cannabinoids are being explored, though some cause severe side effects.

Sources: SciTechDaily, Nationalgeographic.

“If you want to build something that will stand for an eternity, you must be prepared to spend a good piece of that eternity digging the foundation. You'll find that what is worth much always costs much.”

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• The Science of Longevity

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Baked with love,

Anna Eisenberg ❤️