PopInfo Weekly: Predictions, prescriptions, and payouts
After CNN and CNBC struck landmark deals with Kalshi in December, both networks have extensively promoted the prediction market to viewers. But the financial relationship between the networks and Kalshi is disclosed inconsistently. A Popular Information and Public Notice investigation found that CNBC has published 58 articles since December that do little more than advertise the existence of a Kalshi market. In at least 22 cases, CNBC did not disclose its financial conflict.
A White House official recently claimed that the Iran War has cost $30 billion. But a new comprehensive analysis, published exclusively in Popular Information, demonstrated that the direct cost of the Iran War was at least $103 billion over the first 120 days.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has led an effort by the Trump administration to discourage the use of antidepressants. His claims about antidepressants mirror those of the Church of Scientology, which has targeted psychiatric medications, and psychiatry in general, for decades. Notably, Kennedy has an ongoing financial relationship with a law firm connected to Scientology that has pursued numerous lawsuits against antidepressant manufacturers.
The best of the rest
An analysis by ProPublica found that “unaccompanied minors living in the U.S. are being detained and removed at about three times the rate they were during the last” Trump administration. (ProPublica)
“Mamdani asked [New Yorkers] to keep air conditioning at 78 degrees. A wave [of] criticism hit online. A[n] MSNBC broadcast pointed out the US Department of Energy recommends that 78 degree figure. Immediately after, the US Department of Energy deleted 6,000 web pages related to energy saving.” (Bluesky)
A survey conducted by federal workers that were laid off by DOGE found that many people have struggled to find new work. The survey found that around 40 percent of people job searched “for at least six months,” and “almost 17 percent remained unemployed” after a year. Over two-thirds of people reported taking a pay cut at a new job. (Mother Jones)
The Federal Trade Commission has taken the unusual step of investigating medical professional associations that have issued guidance on care for transgender youth, even suing in one case. (The 19th)
“Nearly 1 million people who bought President Trump’s memecoin have lost money through the end of June, according to a report by the cryptocurrency analytics firm Nansen. Their losses total $3.81 billion.” (New York Times)
Numerical information
$5.8 million: A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Trump must pay E. Jean Carroll after the Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal of a 2023 jury verdict that found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Trump appealed the decision, but a federal appeals court rejected the effort late Wednesday.
$350 billion: In a Tuesday post on Truth Social, Trump asked Congress to approve a massive new spending bill for the Defense Department.
$3.47: The price of gas at 25 White House-promoted “Freedom Fuel” gas stations, which the White House hailed as an affordability win. In 2024, during the Biden administration, gas averaged $3.30 per gallon. The current average price of gas is $3.84.
Quote of the week
“It’s really a question of whether or not you believe the woman. A lot of people say big falsehoods.”
– Trump on Graham Platner, who dropped out of the U.S. Senate race after a woman accused Platner of rape.
Photo of the week
Could the children in the photo look a little more bored and miserable?
When the law, the facts & science don’t matter, when criticism of or resistance to the MAGA con, grift, extortion & thuggish violence is a criminal conspiracy…Please, 86 47 & his capos with a Blue Tsunami. #VoteBlue!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m98FLhdYoxU
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