America First billions pour into US shipbuilding
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Why Jamie Dimon just poured $24 million into U.S. shipbuilding
U.S. Navy drops $2.2 billion on powerful new Marine landing ships
Morgan Stanley smashes records with 69% equities revenue surge
Smartphone shipments crash to 13-year low amid AI memory shortage
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Why Jamie Dimon just poured $24 million into U.S. shipbuilding
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon announced a $24 million effort Wednesday to revive American shipbuilding, including $18 million in loans and investments plus $6 million in grants for a new submarine manufacturing facility at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
Arsenal of democracy reignited: Dimon declared the arsenal of democracy has been reignited through the financing as part of the bank’s larger security project amid rising geopolitical tensions.
Funding targets submarine facility: The money will help finance the facility being built by Rhoads Industries along with expanded lending to maritime small businesses and regional suppliers.
Part of larger initiative: The $24 million forms part of JPMorgan Chase $1.5 trillion program to finance industries critical to U.S. economic and national security.
South Korean partnership noted: Dimon highlighted Hanwha shipbuilding operations at the Philadelphia Navy Yard as evidence the effort is advancing.
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See his life-saving health alert HERE while there’s still time to act.
P.S. This diarrhea parasite has already infected more than half of the country… and it shows no signs of slowing down. RFK Jr is on the case and he’s also issuing a brand-new warning for American seniors in 2026. Watch it here now while it’s still available.
U.S. Navy drops $2.2 billion on powerful new Marine landing ships
The U.S. Navy awarded a $2.2 billion contract to TOTE Services as Vessel Construction Manager to accelerate production of up to eight Medium Landing Ships needed by the Marines for expeditionary operations.
Accelerating shipbuilding process: Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao announced the award uses a proven design and commercial best practices to deliver capabilities to the fleet faster than traditional methods.
Medium landing ships role: The LSM program will transport Marines vehicles equipment and supplies in coastal and island environments with plans for an eventual 35 ship fleet.
Construction management created: TOTE Services will hold the prime contract and manage shipyard subcontracts directly creating one accountable structure to reduce friction and align stakeholders.
Faster acquisition timeline: The contract came five months from solicitation showing changes to the military acquisitions process under new priorities.
Morgan Stanley smashes records with 69% equities revenue surge
Morgan Stanley posted record second quarter revenue of $21.35 billion and profit of $5.58 billion as equities trading revenue surged 69% to $6.3 billion driven by global artificial intelligence activity.
Earnings beat estimates: The firm reported earnings per share of $3.46 exceeding the $2.94 consensus with revenue topping the $19.64 billion forecast.
Equities trading record: Equities trading hit a record $6.3 billion with notable strength in Asia fueled by heightened activity across the franchise.
Profit jumped 58%: Profit climbed 58% from a year earlier to $5.58 billion amid strong trading performance matching peers.
Fixed income trading rose: Fixed income trading increased 13% to $2.46 billion on good results in credit trading.
Smartphone shipments crash to 13-year low amid AI memory shortage
Global smartphone shipments declined in the second quarter with Counterpoint Research reporting an 11% drop marking the worst Q2 in 13 years as the AI driven memory crisis intensified.
Memory costs surged sharply: Memory costs are up nearly 300% from a year ago and now account for over 65% of bill of materials at the low end.
Low end vendors punished: The crisis is favoring premium players like Apple and Samsung while punishing vendors exposed to entry level and mid range segments.
Shipments show polarization: IDC estimated a 6.7% decline with severe market polarization as Chinese firms such as Xiaomi Oppo and Vivo bore the brunt.
Crisis may persist longer: Analysts see the AI induced bottleneck potentially lasting into next year or further with some projections to 2030.
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Meta employees sue over AI assisted discriminatory layoffs
A group of current and former Meta employees sued the company alleging artificial intelligence systems used in the May layoffs of 10% of the workforce discriminated against those on protected medical or family leave.
AI systems ignored absences: The constellation of internal artificial intelligence systems failed to account for approved absences when selecting employees for cuts.
Metrics penalize protected leave: Tools draw on performance ratings productivity metrics AI native ratings and AI token consumption that cannot accumulate during protected leave or disability.
Lawsuit seeks injunction: Plaintiffs request a preliminary injunction maintaining their employment status pending an independent audit of the algorithmically assisted selection process.
Meta denies AI decisions: A Meta spokesperson stated workforce management decisions were and are made by people not AI and the claims lack merit.
New York imposes first US statewide AI data center ban
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order barring construction of new hyperscale AI data centers using 50 megawatts or more of power for up to one year citing grid strain and soaring electricity costs.
Power consumption threatens grid: These hyperscale AI data centers consume enormous amounts of power truly threatening to outpace the state’s grid capacity.
Electricity bills surged: New Yorkers have seen average residential electricity prices climb nearly 68% since 2019 driving public opposition.
One year moratorium enacted: The first statewide data center ban in the U.S. gives time to plan and ensure development does not come at the expense of ratepayers.
Public pressure drove action: Leaders celebrated the move as a response to immense public pressure from communities fighting massive data center proposals.
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Ha
2.2 billion for a rubber duck in a bathtub.
That’s what this Landing Ship Medium program really is — another expensive boondoggle sold as “innovative” and “distributed” while the Corps continues to lose real amphibious capability.
We’re watching the Navy and Marine leadership spend billions on small, lightly armed vessels that can’t carry meaningful combat power, can’t survive in a contested environment against a peer adversary, and can’t deliver the kind of mass and sustainment that actual amphibious operations require. Meanwhile, the number of big-deck amphibs and well-deck ships keeps shrinking.
This is Force Design 2030 in action: take real warfighting platforms, replace them with boutique concepts and smaller ships, then act surprised when the force lacks the lift, firepower, and resilience to actually fight and win.
Who do they think they’re kidding?
The Marine Corps doesn’t need more expensive toys that look good in a PowerPoint. It needs ships that can put real combat power ashore, sustain it under fire, and support combined arms operations. Not glorified ferries that will get mission-killed the moment serious opposition shows up.
$2.2 billion down the drain for something that looks more like a concept model than a serious amphibious ship. The rubber duck might float, but it sure as hell won’t win a fight.
Semper Fi,
Cpl Dan USMC (Ret)