Wednesday Night # 2239

As John Jonas‘ family, colleagues and many friends celebrate the life of our ‘Man of Steel’ this evening, we appreciate the irony of the dominance of the steel and aluminum tariffs in much of today’s news. How we wish we could hear his views on the topic.

A full month has not yet elapsed since the Trump inauguration. Yet this week, the new Administration continues to dominate US, North American and international news – and none of it reassuring.

Trump’s proposed ‘land grabs’ mean US now seen as a risk, says Munich security report
Report published before international summit suggests US is moving away from a global leadership role
The Munich Security Conference, which opens on Friday, is seen as the most important forum for discussions between international security policy decision-makers. It will include the first meetings between a Trump delegation, led by the US vice-president, JD Vance, and European political and military figures since Trump’s inauguration. Stay tuned.

Israel, Gaza, Middle East
Egypt announces emergency Arab summit after Trump’s Gaza plan infuriates key allies
Egypt announced Sunday that it will host an emergency Arab summit on Feb. 27 to discuss “new and dangerous developments” after U.S. President Donald Trump proposed to resettle Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
Egypt, Jordan, and the US aid game
Forced to choose between aid cuts and taking displaced Palestinians, Egypt and Jordan may look for aid elsewhere.
Hamas said Monday it would delay the release [of hostages] “until further notice” over accusations of Israeli ceasefire violations
The move by Hamas came as Trump said Palestinians displaced from Gaza to neighboring countries, under his proposal for the United States to “own” Gaza and develop real estate there, would not have the right to return to the enclave
In response to Trump’s remarks about his plans for Gaza, more than 110 nongovernmental organizations signed a joint statement denouncing “any effort or initiative, and any calls for, the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza,”
Statement by Non-Governmental Organizations on President Trump’s Recent Statements Endorsing the Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza
We, the undersigned organizations, decry and oppose any effort or initiative, and any calls for, the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, and support the Joint Statement of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League that similarly rejected any such steps.
Trump says no right of return for Palestinians in Gaza under his plan for US ‘ownership’
President Donald Trump said Palestinians in Gaza would not have a right to return under his plan for U.S. “ownership” of the war-torn territory
MBS torn between Trump and Saudi people on potential Israel deal

Putin’s [Ukraine] War
12 February
Ukraine war talks start now, Trump says after Putin call
US President Donald Trump has said he had a “lengthy and highly productive” phone call with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in which the leaders agreed to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he and the Russian president had “agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately” and invited each other to visit their respective capitals.
Later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken with Trump about a “lasting, reliable peace”.
The calls with the warring sides came as both Trump and his defence secretary said it was unlikely Ukraine would join Nato, which will come as a bitter disappointment to Kyiv.
9 February
Trump says he has spoken with Putin about ending Ukraine war
Trump tells the New York Post that he has a plan to end the war but declined to go into details
US officials are bound for Europe for top-level talks on Ukraine
Trump’s national security adviser said Sunday that top administration officials will meet with European officials this week about how to end the war in Ukraine … National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said the Russian economy is not doing well and that Trump “is prepared to tax, to tariff, to sanction” Moscow to get Putin to the negotiating table.

So far the US Administration appears oblivious to events in Africa -except for the bizarre pronouncement regarding resettlement of white South Africans, so no public declarations about the dangerous situation in Somalia or the conflict in DRC fuelled by Rwanda

Canada-US
We continue to be delighted -and somewhat bemused- by the positive impact of Trump’s policies on Canadian unity, i.e. Canada’s premiers in Washington on mission to push back against Trump’s tariff threat
The diplomatic push marks the first time all 13 premiers have travelled to the American capital together
Our favorite meme: Dear America.
You’ve pissed off the Quebequois.
Do you know how badly you’ve got to fuck up to get Quebec to be proudly Canadian?
Keep it up White House!
White House official says he ‘never agreed’ Canada won’t be 51st state in meeting with premiers
Premiers hail ‘constructive’ meeting as they lobby against tariffs

Jeremy Kinsman: Canada’s Fork in the Road
(Policy) … Canada suddenly has gained stature from its patriotic resistance to Trump’s denigration, hostility, and deluge of lies. Canadians are united as never before according to Angus Reid polling. For Canadian leaders, and citizens, there is now the opportunity to make real what a previous government’s “Third Option” intended in 1972 in reaction to President Nixon’s imposition of punishing tariffs: to “develop and strengthen the Canadian economy and other aspects of its national life and in the process reduce the Canadian vulnerability.”

We join Peter Frise in applauding the tone and content of this PBS News interview of Canadian ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman.
Canadian ambassador to U.S. on tensions with Trump: ‘We are prepared for any scenario’
America’s close relationship with Canada is on full display in California where Canadian firefighters and water-dropping airplanes are helping with the wildfires. The assistance comes at a unique time as President-elect Trump is threatening to impose tariffs on Canadian imports and is dismissively calling Canada the 51st state.

Trump’s aid cuts will lead to a surge in propaganda and misinformation, say press freedom groups
From Ukraine to Afghanistan, independent media organisations across the world are being forced to lay off staff or shut down after losing USAid funding
A USAid factsheet, accessed by the press freedom campaign group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) before being taken offline, showed that in 2023 the US agency funded training and support for 6,200 journalists, assisted 707 non-state news outlets and supported 279 civil-society organisations dedicated to strengthening independent media in more than 30 countries, including Iran, Afghanistan and Russia.
RSF said Trump’s decision had sowed “chaos and confusion”. Clayton Weimers, executive director of RSF US, said: “Non-profit newsroom and media organisations have already had to cease operations and lay off staff. The most likely scenario is that after the 90-day freeze, they will disappear for ever.”

Trump is giving the steel industry everything it wants
The industry wants fewer regulations, more tariffs, and an end to “unfair” trade rules. Trump plans to deliver

How could Canada’s healthcare research benefit from the Trump cuts?
Trump Administration Cuts Put Medical Progress at Risk, Researchers Say
Grants from the National Institutes of Health come with additional money for overhead. A planned $4 billion cut would leave colleges with large budget gaps.
The nation’s universities and academic medical centers were reeling on Saturday from a directive by the Trump administration to slash funding for medical research, a decision that doctors and scientists said would have a devastating effect on studies aimed at finding treatments for diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

As the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit met in Paris, the feud between Sam Altman and Elon Musk reached a fever pitch. [They] are trading barbs about OpenAI again — this time after Musk’s reported offer to buy the artificial intelligence startup’s assets for $97.4 billion.
$97.4 billion? An obscene amount of money – unless put to work for humanitarian causes.

Varia
Multilingual children have better executive function skills, study finds
The effect was even stronger for multilingual kids with autism spectrum disorder diagnoses, according to researchers.
LA Home Destroyed in [Pacific] Palisades Fire Draws More Than 60 Offers
House was valued at $2.7 million until January Fire
Owners face choice of rebuilding or selling at major losses
The property went on the market 10 days after flames ripped through the community last month, with an asking price of $999,000. More than five dozen offers later, it’s now in escrow for “a good chunk more” than $1 million.
Florida’s Orange Juice Industry Nears Its Expiration Date
Between President Trump’s tariff threats and the effects of climate change, the Sunshine State’s iconic industry is in crisis.
Last year, Hurricane Milton wiped out thousands of fruit trees in one fell swoop…but the Sunshine State’s problem has persisted for decades prior to that. “For 30 years, the industry has been ravaged by disease and hurricanes, and citrus production has been on a steep decline.” The orange haul in 2025 could reach century-low levels.
What an ‘America First’ Diet Would Really Look Like
The notion that the U.S. could produce all of its food domestically is nice, but very far from reality.
…an actual trade war would have a dramatic impact on the food supply. Avocados are a perfect case study. The national obsession is staggering: In 2023, the average person ate more than nine pounds of them—roughly equivalent to 27 average-size fruit. More than 90 percent of the avocados Americans buy come from Mexico; they are the nation’s top import in terms of value. … Who knew?

Westminster Kennel Club at Madison Square Garden
We are delighted that Trump and Co. appear to be immune to the appeal of family pets, so he attends the Super Bowl, leaving us to enjoy the Westminster Show – and any others.
This year’s Westminster Kennel Club – returned to its traditional venue of Madison Square Garden has been great entertainment-especially the agility championship- (Vanish the border collie) and our personal favorite, Swindle the Shetland Sheepdog in the Masters Agility Championship 12″ class. WOW!
And check out Best in Show Monty Magnificent’ giant schnauzer wins Westminster dog show

Danes offer to buy California to spite Trump’s Greenland aims: ‘We’ll bring hygge to Hollywood’
Satirical petition from Denmark, which owns Greenland, racks up 200,000 signatures as Trump eyes Arctic island

Long reads
Trump’s aid cuts will lead to a surge in propaganda and misinformation, say press freedom groups
From Ukraine to Afghanistan, independent media organisations across the world are being forced to lay off staff or shut down after losing USAid funding
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) found that in 2023 USAid supported 6,200 journalists and 986 non-state media outlets and civil-society groups in more than 30 countries
Defying court orders? Trump, Musk, Vance appear to lay the groundwork.
Vice President JD Vance has been floating such a possibility for years.
The inevitable clash has begun between President Donald Trump and the courts that would dare to stand in the way of his administration’s many legally dubious actions.
As of Monday morning, at least 10 judges have issued rulings halting what the administration is doing and seeking to do. That’s 10 rulings in the 21 days since Trump was inaugurated — a staggering clip that reflects just how much Trump is disregarding federal statutes and legal precedent.
And as that clash builds, it’s becoming increasingly valid to consider the seemingly unthinkable: Trump and his administration simply defying those court orders and launching the country into a full-blown constitutional crisis.
Trump’s Actions Have Created a Constitutional Crisis, Scholars Say
Law professors have long debated what the term means. But now many have concluded that the nation faces a reckoning as President Trump tests the boundaries of executive power.
The New Authoritarianism
This isn’t single-party rule, but it’s not democracy either.
Rather than fascism or single-party dictatorship, the United States is sliding toward a more 21st-century model of autocracy: competitive authoritarianism—a system in which parties compete in elections but incumbent abuse of power systematically tilts the playing field against the opposition.

Thank you Peter Frise for this cheery thought:
TO HELP SAVE WHAT’S LEFT OF THE ECONOMY, THE GOVERNMENT WILL ANNOUNCE NEXT WEEK THAT THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT WILL START DEPORTING SENIORS (INSTEAD OF ILLEGALS) IN ORDER TO LOWER OAS, CPP AND MEDICAL COSTS. OLDER PEOPLE ARE EASIER TO CATCH AND WON’T REMEMBER HOW TO GET BACK HOME.
BE SURE TO SEND THIS NOTICE TO YOUR RELATIVES AND FRIENDS, SO THEY’LL KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU.
I STARTED TO FEEL SAD WHEN I THOUGHT OF YOU.
THEN, IT DAWNED ON ME…
I’LL SEE YOU ON THE DAMN BUS.