Donald’s Diesel Disaster | Lunch Money with Paul Krugman and Heather Cox

Trump’s trade wars on our allies, his threats to take territory from allies, and his threats to end Canada’s existence as an independent country…have caused the world to turn away from the US economically and diplomatically. Losing economic cooperation and trade that otherwise would have happened won’t single-handedly cause a US recession, but is hurting Americans economically and will continue to do so. We’d be better off without all of this bullshit. Hopefully future administrations can limit the extent that countries wire trade and cooperation away from the US.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_-Hj8MNd4k

U.S Black Ops are Totally Bat Sh*t

US advisors and special forces have been involved in Yemen since Obama-times, fighting Al Qaeda terrorists, then also the Houthis. These missions killed some terrorists, but Yemen remains a major problem with no long-term solution in sight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LykKutgORVs

Experts Unpack the Trump-Xi Summit

The Trump-Xi meeting didn’t change much, if anything important, but it does keep the conversation open, and, maybe more technical people can work something more substantial out.

A president meeting a foreign leader at the airport is rare and is a sign of deference and weakness. Xi stood at the top of his airplane steps, while Trump waited at the bottom like a subservient vassal. Probably doesn’t matter in the greater scheme of things, but goes along with Trump’s flooding dictators with love and praise while repeatedly violating the rule of law himself.

Despite Trump’s public subservience to China and its leader, and despite backing down at his attempts of major trade war against China, the Trump administration is still pushing back against China in smaller, yet important, and less headline grabbing, ways.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuiOsKZPuYQ

Adam Tooze on Francis Fukuyama | Ones and Tooze Ep. 261

Maybe we’ve reached the end of history in the sense that domestic and international conflict is no longer about major differences in worldview, like Republicanism VS monarchy, or Communism VS Capitalism/Democracy, but relatively small ideological differences and a focus on: first-world middle class people making their lives relatively better, groups who haven’t done as well getting butthurt about their relative status, and great power contests more about territory, power, and security dilemmas than ideological differences.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o51JjiGRGP8

Deported to Africa: An international investigation into Trump’s migrant policy • FRANCE 24

Trump’s ICE is deporting people who have lived most of their lives in the US, working legitimate jobs, and sending them to countries where their lives may be in danger, separating them from their families and the lives they have built in the US.

Trump uses economic benefits to bribe African countries into taking US deportees.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXpzZVMW8og

Satellite images make it look like Iran is rebuilding its nuclear program.

Satellite images make it look like Iran is rebuilding its nuclear program.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN-2p0Y8l4M

Trump’s Iran Disaster Is Reshaping the World (w/ Robert Kagan) | Bulwark on Sunday

American hegemony suppressed a lot of: war, the desire for radical parties, and terrorism. As Trump over extends the US while at the same time not caring about maintaining world order, we are step by step seeing the chaos that American hegemony was keeping tamped down.

It’s not clear that even Europe will remain at peace without American hegemony. Things could spiral out of control if US leadership continues to crumble.

People want to believe the world will keep going on as it was during US hegemony, but this is a naive hope and it’s more likely that we will see violent or/and tyrannical disasters around the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV5I_7Y7LP0

The Hawk Is Back, the Beef Is up, and the Neighbors Are Livid

Canadians are pissed at the United States, not just its leader, for Trump’s aggressive, bellicose, and demeaning comments and goals regarding Canada. They are most insulted by Trump’s insults to Canada’s sovereignty and some say that trust in the US will not come back. They plan to boycott American goods, cancel US travel, and flipp US products on store shelves to notify others that these are products from an asshole country. They don’t just blame Trump, they blame the American people, who truly did cause this aggression toward Canada.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDhY8-Cc1jE

Is Iran Secretly Building a Bomb at Pickaxe Mountain? A Nuclear Physicist Answers (w/ Ali Vaez)

Iran’s nuclear program was one of the most transparent in the world thanks to the nuclear deal with Obama, which Trump left. With the war, it’s difficult to know what Iran is doing as far as nuclear research and building.

The war may have strengthened the Iranian regime by giving Iran an outside enemy that is attacking them. When Trump talks about erasing civilization and shares maps of Iran breaking up, that facilitates Iranians believing that the US and Israel are after Iran, not just the current regime.

Europe used to trust the United States to store their gold. Due to Trump’s erratic and aggressive behavior and comments, some of them are moving their gold back to Europe.

Europe used to trust the United States to store their gold. Due to Trump’s erratic and aggressive behavior and comments, some of them are moving their gold back to Europe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDbYJnELskI