Just when it seemed that the Trump administration had tried all of its dumb ideas, it seems to have found a new one to terrorize us with: the threat of firing Jerome Powell and ending US central bank independence.

Confidence in the US is seeping away. Bond yields are rising. Recession risks are increasing. Companies are withdrawing forward guidance. The market hates tariffs and has little confidence in promises about tax cuts.

Instead of being shocked by the market's reaction, Trump seems to be doubling down. It's hard to feel sorry for Americans, they elected this man.

How bad could this get? Consider the case of Turkey where madcap head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan has hired and fired 5 central bankers since 2019. Take a look at what that did to the Turkish currency and interest rates.

Long-term investors in US equities have no choice but to hunker down and wait for the inevitable pushback from companies, investors and citizens, who are all very negatively influenced by this lunacy. If it gets bad enough, he will be ousted.

It may not always feel like it, but I can assure you, humans are progressing all the time. While camping in Zimbabwe last week, I powered up my Starlink in the middle of the Hwange Game Reserve and cleared my mailbox. That would have been inconceivable 3 years ago.

For those who want to escape from the connected world in remote locations, that may not sound ideal, but that's a choice. People living in rural areas need access to the internet because it's their only way to get information from the outside world. Starlink and a whole host of up-and-coming competitors are going to bridge that gap.

While all eyes are on politicians at the moment, I can assure you, innovations are taking place in the private sector. Whether it's communication technology, healthcare, mobility or other spheres, someone is working on something right now that will blow our minds in a few years time.

Eli Lilly just took a big step forward in the weight-loss arms race with its new daily pill, orforglipron, showing promising results in a late-stage trial for Type 2 diabetes patients.

The drug helped patients drop nearly 8% of their body weight (about 7.3 kgs) over 40 weeks without a plateau, meaning even more weight loss is possible with longer use. That weight loss figure is on par with Wegovy for diabetic patients. Blood sugar levels improved too.

Eli Lilly shares jumped as much as 17% on Thursday. The bigger story is this: a needle-free, easy-to-make GLP-1 pill could give Lilly a serious edge in the booming obesity and diabetes drug market, currently dominated by injectables like Ozempic, Zepbound, and Wegovy.

Side effects were in the expected range and less prevalent than current injectables - mostly mild nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. If all goes to plan, Lilly hopes to file for obesity approval by the end of 2025 and for diabetes in 2026.

Eli Lilly is about three years ahead of the competition in this pill format, and we could see oral GLP-1s alone becoming a $50 billion piece of what could be a $150 billion pie by 2030. This pill could cement Eli Lilly's dominance in the most valuable corner of Big Pharma's future.