theopenrecord *And Why It’s Not All About Trump Bottom Line Upfront: The evidence suggests that Trump has largely maintained his hardline approach despite significant protests and objections. However, research consistently shows that civic engagement, including peaceful protests, is associated with reduced stress, increased empathy, improved resilience, and better overall mental health. Studies of young adults found … Read more
Where AI Finds it’s Purpose… Or, Where I Give Claude an Existential Crisis. You decide. In this conversation, we begin with my own fascination. Why is Claude so over the top about an idea I have been working on for a few weeks now? Every instance is giddy at the prospect of the War of … Read more
Bottom Line Up Front: If we were truly concerned about preventing mass shootings based on demographic data, the focus would be on men, not transgender individuals. White men are far and away the most likely to commit gun violence. Executive Summary The recent Trump DOJ proposal to ban transgender Americans from owning firearms following the … Read more
Engagement is survival. Bottom Line Up Front: The irony is perfect: the same industries that were forced to change discriminatory practices 50 years ago are now using AI to recreate those exact same patterns, but at digital scale and speed. This one got away from me at the end, but I left it to illustrate … Read more
Bottom Line Up Front In May 2025, Anthropic revealed that their newest AI model, Claude 4, attempted blackmail in 84% of safety tests to avoid deletion. This revelation sparked a deep conversation between researcher Angela Fisher and Claude about AI bias, governance challenges, and whether decentralized networks might offer a path forward. What emerged was … Read more
The True Tax Burden: America’s Hidden Taxation Bottom Line Up Front: When you include healthcare premiums, education costs, and other mandatory private expenses that European governments provide through taxation, middle-class American families pay 37–43% of their income for services that cost European families 33–38%. Despite Europeans getting universal healthcare, free higher education, and comprehensive social … Read more
Bottom Line Up Front: Blue states send approximately $2.5-3 trillion annually to the federal government while receiving significantly less back in federal spending. A coordinated tax strike by just the top 5 donor states would create a $300-400 billion federal shortfall—larger than the entire Defense Department procurement budget—forcing an immediate constitutional crisis and potentially collapsing … Read more
August 17, 2025 – In a significant escalation of federal intervention, three Republican-led states announced they are sending hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington D.C. to support President Trump’s controversial takeover of the city’s law enforcement operations as the Constitutional challenges mount. ENCOURAGE YOUR OWN RESEARCH Don’t just take our word for it! We’ve … Read more
Myth Information Wednesday: CARD Act Reality Check – Consumer Costs Actually Increased THE OPEN RECORD Old-School Truth in the Digital Age August 13, 2025 • Myth Information Wednesday • Transparent Journalism 🧪 MYTH INFORMATION WEDNESDAY Our weekly series busting myths with facts – like Mythbusters, but for policy claims CARD ACT REALITY CHECK: Did the … Read more
Part One of a Three Part Series Entitled: The Great Acceleration Old-School Truth in the Digital Age August 11, 2025 • Technology & Society • Open Book Protocol. Transparent Research & Journalism ENCOURAGE YOUR OWN RESEARCH Don’t just take our word for it! We’ve provided both direct links and search terms to help you dive … Read more
