Wednesday Night #2236

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‘The Return of the King’: Trump Embraces Trappings of the Throne
Restored to power, President Trump claimed that God put him there and asserted the right to single-handedly redraw the world map as he sees fit.
At a late-night inaugural ball on Monday, President Trump, flush with his restoration to power, began waving a ceremonial sword he had been given almost as if it were a scepter and he were a king.
Perhaps it is a fitting metaphor as Mr. Trump takes control in Washington again this week with royal flourishes and monarchical claims to religious legitimacy. His return to the White House has been as much a coronation as an inauguration, a reflection of his own view of power and the fear it has instilled in his adversaries.

We feel as though we were trapped in a really terrible Netflix politico-thriller series and there is no escape. The events of the last few days would be considered beyond exaggerated if featured in a series or setting up the plot of a novel, but we are living through them and will continue to do so for at least two years -more likely four as we would not expect Trump, his advisors -Stephen Miller et al., or his ‘attentional billionaires’ (thank you, Exra Klein) to pay any attention to Congress following 2026 mid-terms.
The flood of Executive Orders -many of which are merely messages- provokes overwhelming media coverage.
The commentariat is working overtime. Reactions range from astonishment to rage (Trump’s executive orders are not exactly crowd-pleasers) , notably the pardon of all January 6 offenders (see Long reads below)
See also Five of Trump’s biggest executive orders – five of the biggest internationally-focused actions Donald Trump has taken so far, and how they might shape the world around us …

A curious development from Trump the Peacemaker: President Trump on Wednesday threatened to impose tariffs and sanctions on Russia if President Vladimir V. Putin does not reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine. In a post on social media, Mr. Trump said he was “not looking to hurt Russia” but warned that if Mr. Putin did not make a deal “soon” that he had no choice than to put “high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States.”

Robert Reich: The Muskrat Strikes BackIt could be his last strike
Musk just moved into his office in the Old Executive Building next to the White House, but he’s already a loose cannon that makes Trump look weak and submissive. My guess is Musk is out within a week.

Global economy
Davos 2025 -the World Economic Forum annual meeting- opened on the same day that Trump took office.
Davos Is Learning to Embrace Donald Trump Again
When the incoming US president left the scene after his first term in office four years ago, there was a collective sigh of relief from the global elite that gathers annually in the Swiss mountain resort.
Now, executives are rushing to fall into line … However, as Davos 2025 reacts to Trump Trade, tariffs, AI and UN chief Guterres dominate the agenda

Israel, Palestine, Gaza
We are watching the situation in Gaza -and Israel’s deplorable activities in the West Bank (Israeli army launches attack on Jenin refugee camp in West Bank)- with increasing dismay.
Gaza ceasefire already in doubt
Tasha Kheiriddin writes for GZERO Will the Israel-Hamas ceasefire get to phase two? After the initial exchange of hostages and prisoners this past weekend, there is growing skepticism, including from the White House, that the deal will hold.

Meanwhile in Canada
The Liberal leadership race
Although some (many?) might ask Why would a possible leadership candidate throw their hat in the ring right now when the odds are stacked against the party in the next election?, the race is on with Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland strong contenders.
However, beyond the keen supporters of the contenders, the preoccupation is with Canada-US relations.
22 January
Trudeau, premiers urge shoppers to buy Canadian as country prepares for a trade war
First ministers vow to tackle long-standing internal trade barriers to boost the Canadian economy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the country’s premiers met again on Wednesday to continue crafting a strategy to hit back at President Donald Trump as the threat of U.S. trade action becomes more acute.
The first ministers met virtually to discuss developments south of the border this week, including Trump’s initial decision to hold off on imposing tariffs through an executive order only to later commit to slapping them on Canada as of Feb. 1.
As a possible trade war with the U.S. looms, Trudeau and the premiers are now furiously trying to dismantle long-standing internal barriers to make it easier to trade goods and move workers across provincial borders.
There seems to be some agreement that divergent provincial laws around everything from alcohol sales to first-aid kits and truck tire sizes need to be scrapped to promote freer trade among the provinces.
There’s also a push from some of the premiers to launch what is, for now, an informal “Buy Canadian” campaign to encourage people to purchase Canadian goods wherever possible to try and blunt the potential impact of Ottawa’s proposed retaliatory tariffs against U.S. products.
20 January
The shoe dropped after we enjoyed a brief respite because Trump had not mentioned tariffs in his Inaugural Address (The Economist Daily newsletter Why has Donald Trump held fire on tariffs?). By early evening, Trump Plans to Enact 25% Tariffs on Mexico, Canada by Feb. 1Trump speaks in first Oval Office comments after inauguration
… “We’re thinking in terms of 25% on Mexico and Canada, because they’re allowing vast numbers of people,” into the country, Trump said in response to questions from reporters, as he sat behind the Oval Office’s Resolute Desk on Monday. “I think we’ll do it February 1.”
Trump’s plans for tariffs on two neighbors vital for US energy and auto imports threaten to spark a trade war among the signatories of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the successor to Nafta negotiated at Trump’s insistence during his first term. The pact governed the flow of $1.8 trillion in goods and services trade, based on 2022 data.
Richard Conrad recommends In Canada’s ‘Suburb of Detroit,’ Fears Over Trump’s Tariff Threat
The president-elect’s vow to impose 25 percent duties on Canadian imports could ravage Canada’s auto industry and decimate Windsor, a city deeply tied to the U.S.

Thanks to John Evdokias for Setting the Record Straight on Canada-U.S. Trade

Canada and Mexico are not alone.
Trump Says He Intends to Impose 10% Tariffs on Chinese Imports on Feb. 1
Those tariffs would come on top of levies that Mr. Trump imposed on more than $300 billion worth of Chinese imports during his first term [which] were kept in place by former President Biden, who imposed additional levies on Chinese electric vehicles, solar cells, semiconductors and advanced batteries.
Mr. Trump’s pledge to hit China, Canada and Mexico with tariffs is expected to result in retaliatory action against U.S. industries. Economists have warned that a global trade war could cause inflation to rebound and blunt U.S. economic growth.

Long-suspected, but only now revealed
How Biden’s Inner Circle Protected a Faltering President
President Biden’s closest family members and advisers recognized his physical frailty to a greater degree than they have publicly acknowledged and worked together to manage his decline.
Now, as President-elect Donald J. Trump heads back to the White House, demoralized Democrats debate what might have been had the president bowed out in time to let a younger generation run.

Day in court for President of the Task Force on Linguistic Policy Andrew Caddell on 20 January
Group fighting Bill 96 says Ottawa should challenge Quebec’s attempt to unilaterally amend Constitution
A lawyer challenging Bill 96 urged a judge Monday to keep the federal government in a lawsuit against the language legislation, arguing Ottawa must be there to contest Quebec’s contention that it can unilaterally amend the Canadian Constitution. “The attorney general of Canada has a duty to uphold and defend the integrity of the text of the supreme law,” Michael Bergman told Quebec Superior Court Justice Marc St-Pierre.

Varia
Trump Meme Coins Are a Disaster in Waiting
The First Family’s chaotic cryptocurrency ventures feel like ICOs and NFTs all over again.
You have been following the saga of the Trump (Donald and Melania) v. the cryptocurrency industry? Hard to know whether to laugh or cry.
People who are good at reading have different brains
Mikael Roll, Professor of Phonetics, Lund University
The number of people who read for fun appears to be steadily dropping. Fifty percent of UK adults say they don’t read regularly (up from 42% in 2015) and almost one in four young people aged 16-24 say they’ve never been readers, according to research by The Reading Agency.
But what are the implications? Will people’s preference for video over text affect our brains or our evolution as a species? What kind of brain structure do good readers actually have? My new study, published in Neuroimage, has found out.
I analysed open-source data from more than 1,000 participants to discover that readers of varying abilities had distinct traits in brain anatomy. …
SFS Launches Asia Pacific Program and Opens New Location in Indonesia
As a proud alumna, I am pleased to draw your attention to the news that Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service (SFS) is extending its global reach through a new initiative – the Georgetown SFS Asia Pacific (GSAP) program, which opened this month in a new facility in Jakarta, Indonesia. The program provides an opportunity for SFS to deepen its world-class international affairs education and research in a dynamic region that is reshaping the global order.
Donald Trump’s first big spectacle
The inauguration is merely the first in a four-year cavalcade of oversized events that seem tailor-made for the 47th president’s style.
The list of big-time events that will take place on Trump’s watch is formidable: There is the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence — the U.S. Semiquincentennial celebration of the nation’s birthday next year. The 2026 World Cup. The 2028 Olympics. (And, on a more somber note, the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.)
These huge memorials, celebrations and entertainment events, starting with the Lexington and Concord anniversary of “the shot heard ‘round the world” in April, represent a chance for Trump to engage in one of the parts of being president he seemed to relish in his first administration: The pageantry of America and patriotism.
Iran Hostage Crisis ends
On January 20, 1981, minutes after Ronald Reagan’s inauguration as the 40th president of the United States, the 52 U.S. captives held at the U.S. embassy in Teheran were released.
Some of us saw an eerie symmetry between the timing of the Gaza ceasefire which Trump -of course, claims as his victory- and the announcement of the release of the Iran hostages after that situation had foiled Jimmy Carter’s campaign for re-election.

AI in 2025: The “new electricity” could create huge economic growth
(GZERO media) … We’ve entered a new phase of the AI conversation, moving beyond debates over whether it will save or destroy humanity. Instead, the focus has shifted to the ways this powerful technology, when used correctly and ethically, can enhance human life. From revolutionizing healthcare and expediting scientific breakthroughs to creating infrastructure investment opportunities, AI holds the potential to contribute up to $20 trillion to global GDP over the next five years.
Geopolitical competition is also heating up. While the US-China rivalry dominates headlines, the Middle East—particularly the UAE—is emerging as a significant player in the AI space with increasing investments and innovations.

ESTATE PLANNING
Useful ONLINE ONLY presentation:
Thursday, January 23 – 12:30 to 1:30 pm
BY ZOOM ONLY: For the Atwater Library Lunchtime Series and Financial Literacy Program, Catherine Rahal, Certified Professional Consultant on Aging, gives practical advice for organizing information and documents for those responsible for your affairs following incapacity or death. She will discuss her book If You Love Them Leave Them Lists.
Lynn Verge advises
If you know anyone who’d enjoy attending this virtual presentation who hasn’t yet registered, please let them know that we are accepting registrations up to two hours before the event starts.

Long reads
VERY LONG Ezra Klein The New Rules of the Trump Era -audio and/or text
I feel I have been watching two different presidential transitions take place.
There has been the official one, with all of its pomp and pageantry. The one we call the peaceful transition of power. But there has been this other transition: a transition not of power but of a political system. A transition in the rules and expectations of power.
How scared should the world be of Trump’s economic threats?
You’re probably in for rising prices in the near future … unless everyone can come up with a reason for Trump to let them slide. We’re watching what Trump says when he speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.
With thanks to Catherine Gillbert
How to survive the broligarchy: 20 lessons for the post-truth world
Carole Cadwalladr
In the wake of Trump’s unnerving appointees, the investigative journalist and veteran of the libel court offers pointers on coping in an age of surveillance
From Ron Meisels Make America Hungary Again
Building a quasi-dictatorship in a place where most people believe in democracy is a particular art that Viktor Orbán has mastered.
By Zack Beauchamp
Trump’s Jan. 6 pardon order ‘flies in the face of the facts’ of violent insurrection, retired federal judge explains
In the first hours of his second term, President Donald Trump pardoned nearly everyone convicted of crimes associated with the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol – including former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio – and commuted the sentences of 14 more, including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes.
Jeremy Kinsman: Canada and Trump II: Navigating an Increasingly Dangerous World
While we survived Trump’s first four years in office, he now poses a greater threat to both Canada and the world.

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