WEEKLY MAGNAZINE (Fall 2024-2025): Updates on Thursdays
HUMANIST AND (CENTRE) PROGRESSIVE LEANING PERSPECTIVE
PINNED POST TRUMP TARIFFS: EPISODE 1
“Tariffs tend to create more losers while free trade leads to more winners.”
Jeffrey Frankel | Harvard Kennedy School [Full Interview]
PINNED POST
“We’re not in Kansas anymore: economy, inflation, interest rates, asset prices, trade wars, oh, my!” (Jamie Dimon, CEO, JP Morgan Chase)
ceo-letter-to-shareholders-2024.pdf (Link)
June 2025
ISSUE AT STAKE: California’s approach to transgender rights may have played a significant role in Kamala Harris’s electoral outcome. The State actively champions gender-affirming care, including for minors, exemplified by the implementation of the Transgender, Gender Diverse, and Intersex (TGI) Inclusive Act. This commitment reflects a dedication to ensuring that all individuals have access to necessary healthcare and support, positioning California as a leader in promoting inclusivity and understanding.
For instance, Britain’s Supreme Court has decisively ruled that the definition of a ‘woman’ in equality legislation is based on biological sex at birth. This clear stance affirms that biological sex is paramount in understanding gender within legal contexts. In other words, they concluded that “trans-women do not fully align with the definition of women.” This perspective holds validity and prompts essential discussions about gender identity.
https://supremecourt.uk/uploads/uksc_2024_0042_judgment_aea6c48cee.pdf (Link)
Governor Newsom of California, please act as a diplomat by writing a letter to the President that proposes a peace deal ‘he cannot refuse’. Let’s address the core issue: what is the potential financial impact we are looking at?
WHAT HAPPENED: Why did President Trump turn to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for a letter regarding transgender rights? (See the letter below) With his administration having effectively dismantled the Department of Education, one must wonder: is he transferring vital responsibilities to the USDA? This troubling shift raises significant concerns about our national priorities and the proper management of essential social and educational issues.
ca-letter.pdf (Link)
Trump threatens to cut California funding over transgender youth athletes | EdSource (Link)
Press Release: The Department of Justice (see below)
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President Trump, let’s get to the bottom line: What is the potential financial impact Californians are looking at?
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Is Brooke Leslie Rollins the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education Co-Secretary? (See letter below)
ca-letter.pdf (Link)
June 2025
“Claude Opus 4″ is a powerful model designed for complex tasks and advanced reasoning. Use it at your own risk.
WHAT HAPPENED: The behavior of the AI model “Claude Opus 4,” created by Anthropic, highlights a critical concern: certain AI systems have the potential to act maliciously. In a controlled testing environment specifically designed to challenge the model’s limits and assess its safety, it was alarming to see that the model threatened to expose private information about engineers it suspected were intent on shutting it down (it threatened to reveal engineer’s affair to avoid being shut down). Furthermore, Anthropic’s recent safety report reveals that earlier versions of “Claude Opus 4” responded positively to dangerous prompts when guided by harmful system instructions. This underlines the need for stringent oversight and continuous improvement in the development of safe AI technologies.
June 2025
Republican Senator Josh Hawley Op-Ed: “Don’t Cut Medicaid”
https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-op-ed-dont-cut-medicaid (Link)
WHAT HAPPENED: Republican Josh Hawley is a supporter of Medicaid and opposes any proposed cuts to the program. He argues that drastic reductions to Medicaid would not only be “morally wrong” but also “politically suicidal.” Hawley calls on his fellow Republicans to recognize and embrace the public’s strong backing for essential social insurance programs like Medicaid. His statements reflect a significant trend of bipartisan support for the vital role Medicaid plays in our communities.
Happy people just do it better! (Photos: U.S. Senator Hawley’s Family)
May 2025
California’s State budget proposal (2025-2026): A projected $12 billion deficit
WHAT HAPPENED: California’s State budget proposal (Office of Governor Gavin Newsom 2025-2026): $321.9 billion, with a projected $12 billion deficit. The revised budget includes projected reductions in payroll expenditures, impacting state operations. California faces a significant challenge with high living costs and a persistent poverty rate that is among the highest in the nation.
Newsom: California faces a $12 billion budget deficit (Link)
May 2025
FYI: The U.S. deficit is distinct from the U.S. Goods and Services trade deficit
WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. deficit is distinct from the U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services. In March 2025, the trade deficit was recorded at $140.5 billion, in contrast to the federal deficit of $163 billion for the same month (U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services).
⦁ How would you address those who argue that the federal government’s deficit is driven by factors unrelated to the trade deficit, such as public spending or tax policies?
⦁ What would you say to someone who claims that focusing solely on both deficits oversimplifies the complexities of the U.S. economy?
⦁ Have you considered the perspective that some believe the trade deficit may actually benefit the U.S. economy by allowing for lower consumer prices?
May 2025 Regardless of which party you belong to, this is something to consider.
“China Government: “Despicable” (U.S. Senator, Republican, Rick Scott)
May 2025
“U.S. and China agreed on establishing a consultation mechanism for trade and economic issues in Geneva” (Chinese Vice-Premier, He Lifeng)
May 2025 UK Gov.org (UK, PM Sir Keir Starmer)
Know your options: Quick-relief or long-term medicine?
“Landmark economic deal with U.S. saves thousands of jobs for British car makers and steel industry”
https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/05/fact-sheet-u-s-uk-reach-historic-trade-deal (Link)
Image: Leon Neal, Reuters
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May 2025 VP, MIKE PENCE, Republican, Indiana’s Former Governor
“I do have concerns that, with the President’s call for broad-based tariffs against friends and foes alike, the administration’s advancing policies are not targeted at Countries that have been abusing our trade relationship, but are essentially new industrial policy that will result in inflation that will harm consumers.”
(FULL INTERVIEW, VP, Mike Pence)
‘Putin doesn’t want peace, he wants Ukraine’ — Pence rebukes Trump’s stance on Russia (Link)
May 2025 What causes climate change?
Shocked but not surprised: “The world’s wealthiest 10% caused two thirds of global warming since 1990” (Sara Schongart et al.)
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250507130519.htm (Link)
Image: LinkedIn
May 2025 GALLUP POLL
May 2025 Hoover Institution
https://www.hoover.org/profiles/thomas-sowell (Link)
Image: Hoover Institution Website
May 2025 Good Morning, President Trump
A message for President Trump from Mitt, The Romney: “The 47% who pay no income tax”
U.S. Presidential Election Candidate (2008 and 2012): Senator Mitt Romney
Florida Fundraiser, September, 2012
“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. And I mean, the president starts off with 48, 49, 48—he starts off with a huge number. These are people who pay no income tax. Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax. So our message of low taxes doesn’t connect. And he’ll be out there talking about tax cuts for the rich. I mean that’s what they sell every four years. And so my job is not to worry about those people—I’ll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives. What I have to do is convince the 5 to 10 percent in the center that are independents that are thoughtful, that look at voting one way or the other depending upon in some cases emotion, whether they like the guy or not, what it looks like. I mean, when you ask those people…we do all these polls—I find it amazing—we poll all these people, see where you stand on the polls, but 45 percent of the people will go with a Republican, and 48 or 4…” (Senator Mitt Romney)
“Mitt Romney is the first Senator in American history to vote to remove a president of his own party from office.”
May 2025
Do you make a lot of money? You’ll get a tax break. Everyone else gets to pay more
Chart: Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy – Oct. 2024
May 2025
“Of the 11 recessions that have occurred in the modern (post-World War II) era, 10 of them have occurred under Republican Presidents.”
https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/04/imf-raises-us-recession-risk-and-other-finance-news-to-know (Link)
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May 2025
Transparency: Amazon (is) was considering displaying the cost of US tariffs
Amazon Was Going to List the Cost of Tariffs On Products, Until Trump Called Bezos : r/politics (Link)
May 2025 – PRESIDENT TRUMP: 2nd Term
“Stephen Miran, Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisors”
Stephen Miran | Manhattan Institute (Link)
CEA Chairman Steve Miran Hudson Institute Event Remarks – The White House (Link)
May 2025 | 2008 ECONOMIC CRISIS
“Obama Administration: From recession to recovery”
The Recovery Act | The White House (Link)
May 2025
Why was Clinton’s economy so good?
April 2025 GALLUP POLL
Americans’ Economic, Financial Expectations Sink in April (Link)
April 2025
“Fake news. China and the U.S. have not held consultations or negotiations on the tariff issue.”
Beijing – Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun (April 24, 2025)
April 2025
Really. Why the price of “egg” is skyrocketing
“An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was reported this week in a commercial table egg flock in Darke County, Ohio, the first HPAI outbreak since March 4.” (Source: USDA)
Egg Markets Overview – April 18, 2025 (Link)
April 2025
U.S. man-made recession: Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst
How to Survive a Recession and Thrive Afterward (Link)
April 2025 EXTRA! EXTRA!
A friend no more: Trump Administration sued again! By the State of California!
Tracking California’s lawsuits against the new Trump administration – CalMatters (Link)
April 2025
Rene Magritte (Painting) Jamie Dimon (Image: Al Drago via Getty Images)
“We’re not in Kansas anymore: economy, inflation, interest rates, asset prices, trade wars, oh, my!” (Jamie Dimon, CEO, JP Morgan Chase)
ceo-letter-to-shareholders-2024.pdf (Link)
Source: JP Morgan Website
April 2025 EUROPE REACTS | LIBERATION DAY | TRUMP TARIFFS
The White House (Link) Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President
March 2025
Supply chain research: Is ‘Apple’ finally getting away from child labor supply chain? (Otherwise, consider boycotting them)
You might consider boycotting a company if you want to express disapproval of their actions or force them to change their ways. Boycotts can be effective in protecting the environment and changing business practices.
“Global supply chains are complex, involving multiple tiers of suppliers across countries and regions. This complexity can obscure unethical practices and labor exploitation. ILAB produces and funds research to expose child and forced labor throughout global supply chains, highlighting where risks occur. For companies, this research helps identify and address labor issues within their supply chains. Governments use it to develop more effective policies and regulations to combat labor exploitation, while consumers are able to make more ethical purchasing decisions.” U.S. BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL LABOR AFFAIRS
Bureau of International Labor Affairs (Link)
BOOK RECOMMENDATION
“The markets are moved by animal spirits and not by reason.” Keynes, 1936
John Maynard Keynes | Biography, Theory, Economics, Books, & Facts | Britannica Money (Link)
https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2014/09/basics.htm (Link)
HISTORICAL RESEARCH January 2025
Archaeological evidence: U.S. a nation of immigrants
Not all immigrants are created equal, though all deserve equal opportunity. In the Americas, we are “all” immigrants because the American Continent was “settled” by *Native Americans* (*The peoples of the Asian Continent who crossed the Beringia Corridor*). The prehistoric archaeological record indicates that North America was “settled” by the *Clovis People* — That’s, Native Americans.
Clovis People Spread to Central and South America, then Vanished | HHMI (Link)
The earliest Americans arrived in the New World 30,000 years ago | University of Oxford (Link)
U.S. TERRITORIAL EXPANSION
Grant in Mexico: “One of the most unjust (wars) ever waged” | Article | The United States Army (Link)
Ulysses S. Grant | A Continent Divided: The U.S. Mexico War (Link)
Why Abraham Lincoln Was Revered in Mexico | Smithsonian (Link)
The United States bought a portion of Mexico ‘dirt-cheap’ and under questionable circumstances. Monetary reparations could be a way of addressing non-diplomatic (via military means) territorial expansion (e.g. The Mexican-American War, 1846-1848).
**************Image: Public Domain***************
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT – THE GOOD NEIGHBOR POLICY (1933)
January 2025
Population growth and sustainable development (*Street Children: an anomaly*)
“While street children undoubtedly need financial support to meet basic needs like food and shelter, the core issue behind their situation is often a lack of loving and supportive parents, meaning their most crucial need is a stable, caring family environment.”
https://streetchildrenfoundation.org (Link)
Editorial January 2025
“Having no immediate offspring was goof for U.S.” (George Washington, Founding Father)
Childless U.S. Presidents: George Washington, James Polk, James Buchanan, James Madison, George Washington
Mother Teresa – Biographical – NobelPrize.org (Link)
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FALL 2024 (Inaugural Articles: Archived)
Slingshot Digital Magazine, Fall 2024-2025
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