Right About Now with Ryan Alford
Business News -US -Tok - Tariff Talk - Luka to Lakers - Sports Cards Booming
Fri, 07 Feb 2025
SUMMARYIn this Weekly Business news episode of "Right About Now," hosts Ryan and Chris discuss key business news, including government efficiency, social media ownership, and trade policies. They critique government job productivity, referencing Elon Musk's initiatives to streamline operations. The hosts also debate the potential U.S. acquisition of TikTok, arguing it would be preferable to Chinese control. Additionally, they explore the impact of tariffs on trade with China, Canada, and Mexico, emphasizing the need for strategic economic measures. The episode blends informal conversation with critical analysis, urging listeners to stay informed about evolving business and political landscapes. TAKEAWAYS Overview of current business news as of February 7, 2025. Discussion on government efficiency and recent initiatives aimed at improving productivity. Examination of the potential acquisition of TikTok by a U.S. sovereign wealth fund. Analysis of the implications of tariffs on trade, particularly with China, Canada, and Mexico. Insights into the challenges of home affordability for young adults in America. Commentary on a significant NBA trade involving Luka Dončić and Anthony Davis. Exploration of the impact of rising living costs and stagnant wages on homeownership. Concerns about the role of private equity firms in the housing market. Reflection on the broader economic landscape and its effects on the American Dream. Emphasis on the need for policy changes to address economic equity and housing issues. If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, join Ryan’s newsletter https://ryanalford.com/newsletter/ to get Ferrari level advice daily for FREE. Learn how to build a 7 figure business from your personal brand by signing up for a FREE introduction to personal branding https://ryanalford.com/personalbranding. Learn more by visiting our website at www.ryanisright.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapter 1: What is the main topic of this episode?
This is Right About Now with Ryan Alford, a Radcast Network production. We are the number one business show on the planet with over 1 million downloads a month. Taking the BS out of business for over six years and over 400 episodes. You ready to start snapping necks and cashing checks? Well, it starts right about now.
What's up, guys? Welcome to Right About Now. It's our weekly business news recap of the week here on February 7th, 2025. There's so much stuff happening, it's hard to recap it all. But we're going to hit the highlights here. myself and my hombre down in Miami. What's up, Chris? What's good, brother? How are you? Yeah, I'm good, man. You haven't been deported, have you?
No, I'm still hanging down in Miami Beach, baby. You got your papers? No. My dad did immigrate legally to this country, so I'm set.
Oh, wow. I didn't even know you were like second generation.
Yeah, man. I'm grateful.
Proud to be an American. We're all immigrants on some level, but hey, we got to do it the right way. That's the whole point, right? Got to have the land of law. Or you have a land of anarchy. The news is becoming a land of seemingly anarchy. Not anarchy. It's just a volume of news. Typically, it goes to show you the difference in administrations, Chris.
There'd be weeks where we do our little pre-call. We get on the phone. What are we going to talk about? What's topical? And now it's like, how many things can we fit in?
Yeah, it's almost like we're getting all these updates every day of what's going on, almost as if they know they work for us, telling us what they're doing.
Yeah, right. It is amazing what happens. And look, no matter where you fall politically, you've got to acknowledge the fact that shit's happening. You may or may not like it, depending on where you fall. But that's not the point. The point is, we have... Policies being enacted. We have, I don't know, progress.
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Chapter 2: How is government efficiency being addressed?
One would say it looks like progress to me, especially, I mean, we'll start right with Doge. I did see, related to unrelated, that a singer wore a Doge dress to the Grammys the other night. It was interesting. It was a writer, actually, a singer-songwriter. Not well-known. I'll leave out names for the sake of that.
It's more to kind of tee off the reality of what Doge, the Department of Government Efficiency, is up to with Elon. A lot of backlash. We'll get to that. We'll tell all sides of this coin. But I saw where the things they've enabled, saving the average American $490-something, $468, everything they've done so far.
It's quick. I'll take it.
Yeah. Took two weeks. And a lot of – there's a lot of layers going on with our government. A lot of people getting paychecks. A lot of people doing jobs. This is why you need to watch the YouTubes or the Spotify video to see the air quotes I just held up. Doing jobs that may or may not be jobs. I don't know, Chris. You and I do jobs. I don't know if these guys are doing jobs.
Well, I heard someone reference Elon's interview when he bought Twitter, right? And how he cut 80% or they left of Twitter's workforce. And they were interviewing him and he's like, it turns out you just don't need that many people. You know, when you're running a business, you don't need that many people.
If you're trying to, you know, run a social justice organization, on the other hand, which he was saying basically Twitter was pre him acquiring it. So, and that's kind of the sentiment I felt towards our government. It's like, we haven't been operating as a business. We've been operating as, you know, A social justice center.
Yes. Social justice, equity, and making sure all the stories match what we want them to be versus what they really are. It's called, I don't know if there's a word for that, is there? What, wokeness? Yeah. Yeah, that's over. Sorry, folks. Think of that. I need to break out my woke t-shirt sometime. You know, I'd be perfect. Yeah.
Well, it was time. That ship has sailed. Sorry, y'all. Sorry, my aunt, who I know doesn't like this, but you guys had your turn. You fucked up.
Luckily, it was a really quick one. You know, it was a quick turn, but Doge is uncovering all kinds of costs, cutting out jobs. And people that, and departments, I mean, we're essentially paying people to quit now because of how much inefficiency there is. We're like going, hey, if you'll go quietly. Right. You know. We'll give you a nice severance. Nice severance.
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Chapter 3: What are the implications of a US acquisition of TikTok?
Trump floated the idea of the U.S. taking a 50% ownership position, possibly with private investors. Establishing a sovereign wealth fund would take time and may not be viable before the deadline. The purchase costs could be in the tens of billions. The U.S. government owns TikTok. It could face First Amendment issues regarding free speech. I mean, again, it's comical.
I'm reading this to make that, you know, versus the Chinese communist government that now owns it. OK, well, it's not beholden to any of these laws.
They don't understand it. That's where you just have a general lack of education of these users complaining about it. They don't understand the app you're currently using is government-owned, but not your government. Congrats.
Here's some quotes from users expressing concern. I don't think too many people want to be on a platform that is owned and monitored by the government. But you're OK that it's the Chinese communist government.
Like if you're on the Internet. Oh, my God. Depending on what country it's owned by the government.
Someone else said it is absolutely effing dystopian. Why is the government owning social media?
Are they aware they're trying to censor the videos? What is the grade?
What is the GPA? What is the IQ of the average TikTok user? Like, what is it? Because this is the stupidest fucking quotes I've ever heard. Like, are you kidding me? Are you that blind? Do you know who owns this? Like, this is how stupid the users are. Not all of them. I'm not badmouthing every single person. There's billions of people on the platform. But just, are you kidding? Really?
This is what we're talking about? Like, do you understand ByteDance, a Chinese company, and Chinese companies are controlled by the Chinese Communist government. And you're saying dystopian? And you're saying, I don't want a platform that's owned and monitored by the government.
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Chapter 4: What is the current status of tariffs between the US, Canada, and Mexico?
And if you want, and part of your American dream is to have ownership of land, parcel, home, do it in the next five years. Make it happen. Because it probably isn't getting better. And we might move to this world where, you know, it's just a renter's world. I don't know. And part of me can understand that world where you don't necessarily have to own it to live there.
But I think it also just depends on what you want your goals and like to be like, if you want to own it and retire there and be in the middle of nowhere and be bothered by no one, then you better start buying it now. We'll see. I don't know, Chris. I mean, what's your American dream? Is your American dream to have 10 acres in the middle of nowhere?
Changes every day. Depends on my mood. Yeah, but I don't know if I want it in America. Might be in fucking Spain. It's all going to depend on kind of what goes on here. But you get to a point where you got to go where your money gets you the most. You know what I mean? And you see that. You see that's why you have...
and this isn't just even America, even in Europe, they're going through a very similar thing where, you know, people are moving to Bali and Thailand and over here, Columbia and Mexico, because your dollar goes farther. It's like, why slave away here? If you can work remote and live somewhere, your money goes farther. You know? I mean, I'm strongly considering doing some time in Columbia.
Like the cost of living down there is way more affordable. Yeah. Yeah. So we'll see. Cause I mean, at least where I'm at too, right. I'm trying to build my wealth. I'm rebuilding companies. And so no part of me has ever, one point I was under contract for a house.
I'm glad it didn't work out, but I've always more kind of taken the Grant Cardone philosophy of like, you don't want to purchase a house cause it like anchors you somewhere and you're not as quick to be able to jump into opportunities. And I've seen that in my life, right. I've moved a lot, lived in a lot of different cities. So,
I think it's the stage of life. I do think, like, if you start making... Well, if I had a wife and kids, yes. And I think if you can afford it, and even whether that's going to be Columbia when you're 60 or, you know, South Carolina woods, you know, like, to start saving for that or to have that to go to winter if you want to, to not have... But I will say...
It's interesting because when you own the property, unless you still have income, you've got property taxes. You have cost that comes with that home ownership. It's never outright owned with no cost other than, you know, putting food in it. And so it's interesting. Yeah. It raises a whole lot of other questions. It could be an episode alone, but we'll table that. I will say I did talk last week.
I want to give a shout out to Sarah Saunders at ResumeBuilder.com. They put out the article this week, 44% of Americans lying in the hiring process. They've got a press release out. You can go to ResumeBuilder.com to see it. It's pretty interesting. So 24% have lied on their resume. 19% in an interview and 6% on the cover letter. We hit on some of these stats last week, but pretty amazing.
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