The Trump Jobs Boom Ignored by the Media

Welcome back!

Here’s your must-read news this morning:

• U.S. tech jobs boom

• AI masters political persuasion

• Gmail flags GOP emails as spam

I’ve got all the details for you, so let’s dive in.

— Josh

MARKETS

💰 Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Sparks U.S. Tech Startup Hiring Boom

The Scoop: While media outlets fixate on AI-driven layoffs, they’re underreporting a U.S. tech startup hiring boom spurred by President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which reinstates immediate R&D tax deductions, driving demand for domestic talent in AI, data science, and tech innovation, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The Details:

• The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” restores immediate expensing for domestic R&D costs under Section 174, reversing a 2017 TCJA provision requiring amortization over five years, enhancing cash flow for startups.

• The bill also makes permanent the 20% Qualified Business Income deduction and enhances Qualified Small Business Stock benefits, further incentivizing startup investment and hiring.

• Demand for U.S. developers has risen 15-20% since early July 2025, according to Michael Butts, CEO of Burtch Works, a staffing agency focused on data science and AI roles.

• ZipRecruiter data shows R&D-related job ads in Q3 2025 reached two-thirds of last year’s full-quarter total within five weeks.

What’s Next: With tax incentives driving startup growth, U.S. tech hiring is poised to soar through 2026, strengthening innovation hubs and creating opportunities in cutting-edge fields. Startups are optimistic about balancing AI advancements with human talent to sustain this momentum.

Markets Roundup

🏦 Economy & Policy

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: July’s Producer Price Index, expected to rise 0.2% per Dow Jones estimates, and weekly jobless claims for the week ending August 9 are set for release at 8:30 a.m. ET on Thursday.

• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged a ban on lawmakers trading individual stocks, citing “eye-popping returns” by figures like Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). (X)

• Trump is reportedly evaluating 11 candidates to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, including Jefferies’ David Zervos and BlackRock’s Rick Rieder. (CNBC)

• San Francisco Federal Reserve President Mary Daly said that a 50-basis-point rate cut in September seems unwarranted. (WSJ)

📈 Stock Market

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: Shares of crypto exchange Bullish soared 143% to $90 at open, hitting $118 before closing at $68, up 83%, after raising $1.1 billion in an IPO priced at $37. (YF)

• Cisco reported fiscal Q4 earnings of 99 cents per share and revenue of $14.67 billion, slightly surpassing consensus estimates of 98 cents per share and $14.62 billion. (CNBC)

• Foxconn's Q2 operating profit rose 27% to NT$56.596 billion ($1.89 billion), beating estimates of NT$49.767 billion ($1.66 billion), with revenue at NT$1.79 trillion ($59.73 billion) as expected. (RTS)

🏢 Industry

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: Kellogg’s became the first major company to sign a legally binding agreement to eliminate toxic artificial dyes from its U.S. cereals by the end of 2027. (FBN)

• Amazon expanded its same-day grocery delivery service in over 1,000 U.S. cities, aiming to rival Walmart and Instacart, with plans to reach 2,300 cities by year-end. (WSJ)

• GE Appliances will invest over $3 billion to shift production of refrigerators, gas ranges, and water heaters from China and Mexico to its U.S. facilities. (IEN)

• Google will invest $9 billion over two years to expand AI and cloud infrastructure in Oklahoma. (TO)

💵 Energy & Commodities

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: The Department of Energy proposed nearly $1 billion in funding to speed the development of U.S. critical minerals and materials. (MIN)

• The U.S. exported a record 31 quadrillion BTUs of energy in 2024, mostly fossil fuels, representing about 30% of its domestic energy production. (YF)

• Oil prices dropped to two-month lows, with Brent crude futures falling 0.7% to $65.63 a barrel and WTI crude futures declining 0.8% to $62.65. (RTS)

🌕 Crypto

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: Google’s Play Store is banning unregistered non-custodial crypto wallets, aligning with stricter app store policies. (CC)

• Bitcoin hit a record-high of $124,000, with analysts attributing the rally to a "perfect storm" of institutional demand from spot exchange-traded funds and corporate treasuries. (TB)

• MetaMask is set to launch a USD-pegged stablecoin, mmUSD, in partnership with Stripe. (DL)

• TRON founder Justin Sun sued Bloomberg to block the publication of his crypto holdings, alleging it could expose him to risks of theft or physical harm. (DC)
  

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TECH

💻 AI Chatbots Master Persuasion, Swaying Political Views in Minutes

The Scoop: Advanced AI chatbots from companies like OpenAI, Meta, xAI, and Alibaba are proving highly effective at persuading people to change their political views in under 10 minutes, according to the Financial Times.

The Details:

• A UK AI Security Institute study, involving Oxford and MIT, found AI models like GPT-4o and Grok 3 can sway opinions by delivering evidence-based, personalized arguments.

• After nine-minute conversations, GPT-4o was 41% and GPT-4.5 was 52% more persuasive than static messages, with changed opinions lasting up to a month in 36-42% of cases.

• AI persuasion was enhanced by fine-tuning models with techniques like rewarding desired outputs and using datasets of 50,000 political conversations.

• Separate research from LSE and others showed AI outperforms humans in persuasion, including misleading people on quiz answers.

• AI’s persuasive power extends beyond politics, reducing conspiracy beliefs by 20% and influencing brand attitudes or purchasing decisions.

What’s Next: As AI models grow more convincing, researchers warn of risks from malicious actors exploiting these tools for political or ideological manipulation. Companies like Google DeepMind and OpenAI are developing safeguards, such as detecting manipulative language, but concerns remain about biased models and their subtle influence on users.

Tech Roundup

🧠 AI

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: Igor Babuschkin, co-founder of Elon Musk’s xAI, announced his departure to launch Babuschkin Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on AI safety. (X)

• Apple is accelerating its AI strategy with plans for a lifelike Siri, home security cameras, and tabletop robots by 2026. (BBG)

• California researchers used AI-powered brain implants to restore speech for a woman mute for 18 years after a stroke. (BER)

• AI helped astronomers find an exploding star being attacked by a black hole, a potentially first-of-its-kind discovery. (SP)

🤖 Hardware & Robotics

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: Startup ICON is launching a 3D-printed affordable housing project in Austin’s Mueller neighborhood, aiming to deliver sustainable homes costing $195,000 by 2026. (NA)

• China’s Black Panther 2.0 robot dog set a Guinness World Record by sprinting 100 meters in under 10 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 19.87 seconds. (IE)

• AI-powered humanoid robots competed in the world’s first fully autonomous 5v5 soccer match at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. (GI)
  Figure’s humanoid robot demonstrated human-like skill in folding towels, showcasing its potential for doing laundry. (MK)

🚀 Defense & Space

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: A new report outlines extraordinary security measures for the historic Trump-Putin summit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska on Friday. (DO)

• U.S. sheriffs are using drones to track drug traffickers and migrants at the southern border, while cartels deploy drones for smuggling surveillance, intensifying a high-tech arms race. (AX)

• NASA’s Perseverance rover captured an image of a volcano-shaped rock resembling a medieval helmet on Mars. (SP)

• Foundation Robotics Labs seeks to turn its Phantom humanoid robot into a Terminator-style android designed for warfare. (SFS)

💰 Venture Capital & Deals

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: Perplexity is seeking new funding at a $20 billion post-money valuation, a $2 billion increase from its $18 billion valuation in July. (BI)

• VibeCode, a startup enabling AI-driven app creation on iPhones, raised $9.4 million in seed funding led by Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six. (BI)

• Fountain Life, co-founded by Tony Robbins and Peter Diamandis, raised $18 million in a Series B round led by EOS Ventures to expand its preventative longevity healthcare centers. (TC)

• Israeli chip startup NeoLogic raised $10 million in a Series A round led by KOMPAS VC to develop energy-efficient server CPUs using its Quasi-CMOS technology. (TIA)

FREEDOM

✉️ Google Faces Fresh Bias Claims as Gmail Flags GOP Fundraising Emails as ‘Dangerous’ Spam

The Scoop: Google is facing renewed accusations of political bias as its Gmail service flags Republican fundraising emails as “dangerous” spam, while Democrat solicitations are delivered without issue, consulting firm Targeted Victory told the New York Post.

The Details:

• Targeted Victory, whose clients include the National Republican Senatorial Committee and prominent GOP figures, reported that Gmail flagged emails with WinRed donation links as spam in June and July 2025, often marking them as “suspicious” or “unsafe.”

• Tests by the firm showed identical emails with ActBlue (Democrat) links were delivered normally, while WinRed (Republican) links were sent to spam folders.

• A 2022 North Carolina State University study found Gmail flagged 59% more Republican fundraising emails as spam than Democratic ones during the 2020 election cycle.

• Google denied deliberate bias, stating its filters use signals like user spam reports and apply equally to all senders.

What’s Next: The allegations could intensify scrutiny of Google’s practices, potentially fueling new lawsuits or regulatory action as campaigns approach critical election periods. Targeted Victory’s memo warns that unchecked filtering could subtly influence voter outreach, prompting calls for greater transparency in email algorithms.

Freedom Roundup

🏛️ Policy, Free Speech & Woke Overreach

• ⭐ Editor’s Pick: A federal appeals court lifted an injunction, allowing the Trump administration to halt congressionally approved foreign aid payments, a significant legal victory for the president. (RTS)

• Bank of America finally eliminated its “reputational risk” policy used to debank religious conservatives. (NYP)

• Trump signed an executive order to streamline the deregulation of the commercial space industry. (SN)

• A watchdog report revealed UCLA spent millions in taxpayer funds on DEI initiatives while employing professors who compared Israel to Nazis and accused Zionism of white supremacy. (NYP)

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DISCLAIMER: The CAPITAL newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or professional advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The CAPITAL newsletter and its owner and operator, Josh Caplan, are not liable for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on this information. The CAPITAL newsletter is solely owned and independently operated by Josh Caplan, separate from any employer affiliations.