Wednesday Night #2265

For a quick round-up of recent US national news, we highly recommend:
Heather Cox Richardson’s August 12 Letter leads with Liberal commentator Jessica Tarlov nailed it this morning when she wrote: “He’s doing everything EXCEPT releasing the Epstein files.”, and continues with details of the latest developments in the Ghislaine Maxwell case before her take on the report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) leading to Trump’s  claiming that the numbers in the report were rigged, and ergo firing the commissioner. No surprise, the nominee to succeed the commissioner is deemed “nowhere near qualified to be BLS commissioner,…he has demonstrated time and again that he does not understand economic statistics.” Then comes the announcement that the administration intends to review Smithsonian museum exhibitions, curatorial processes, planning, the use of collections, and artists grants in order to make sure they align “with the president’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.”
All this leads up to “Trump’s assumption of control over the Washington, D.C., police force and his calling out of the D.C. National Guard are definitely ways for him to divert attention from the Epstein files and the stalling economy. But they are also an attempt to create a dictatorship as Project 2025 prescribed. Both can be true at the same time.”
Still, she manages to end on a lighter note quoting California governor Gavin Newsom’s recent social media posts challenging the Texas gerrymandering -ahem, redistricting. Newsom’s office trolls Trump on redistricting: ‘FINAL WARNING NEXT. YOU WON’T LIKE IT!!!’

U.S. – Russia relations
On the international field, the focus is on Trump’s one-on-one Friday meeting with Putin in Alaska. (‘I’m going to Russia on Friday’: Trump appears to forget Alaska is in US as he frets over facing Putin amid DC crime)
First, however, on Wednesday, Zelenskiy had an online meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and EU leaders; the EU leaders say territory not on the table, Kyiv needs security guarantees and believe that Trump is listening to warnings on Putin. Trump has threatened “severe consequences” if Putin does not agree to peace in Ukraine.
The Atlantic‘s Jonathan Lemire remains skeptical Vladimir Putin Could Be Laying a Trap – Donald Trump badly wants a deal to end the war in Ukraine. What is he willing to give up?; and Zelenskiy says he warned Trump that Putin is ‘bluffing’
Jeremy Kinsman: The Beginning of the End for Putin’s War?
… Whatever the outcome in Anchorage, Trump’s unilateral decision to meet Putin already gives the Russian outcast multiple “wins”: a meeting on US soil; breaking the NATO taboo on receiving the invader of Ukraine; lifting Russia’s status to a level Putin would like to believe approximates Cold War days when the two nuclear superpowers met as peers; and meeting over Ukraine without the President of Ukraine, thereby breaking the tenet of “no discussion of Ukraine without Ukraine.”
Trump had reportedly hoped the meeting would enable him to pronounce a cease-fire, perhaps convincing the deciders of the Nobel Peace Prize to devolve to him its grand award.
Most civil wars and conflicts between states do end in ceasefires, once the evidence on the ground shows little prospect of a breakthrough, and when the endurance and enthusiasm of both publics, including their armies, is spent. …

Israel, Palestine, Gaza, West Bank
Netanyahu pushes for Palestinians’ departure from Gaza as Egypt seeks 60-day truce
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said Palestinians in Gaza should be permitted to leave the enclave, remarks critics see as an effort to push residents out amid an intensifying military campaign. His remarks came as Egypt said it was working hard for a two-month ceasefire.
The situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate as the death toll mounts, food delivery is a disaster (Turned back from Gaza, aid shipments languish in warehouses, on roadsides) and Israeli army chief approves ‘main concept’ for Gaza attack plan after reported rift with Netanyahu – Eyal Zamir had reportedly earlier expressed misgivings over plan with suggestions he could resign.
At least 123 Palestinians killed as Israeli army pounds Gaza City ahead of planned takeover
Latest deaths come as Netanyahu reiterates that Palestinians should simply leave Gaza
Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur for the occupied territories reminds the world that Recognising Palestinian state must not distract from ending Gaza mass deaths

On the other hand, there is seemingly promising news from Lebanon, provided all parties stick to their commitments.
Lebanon takes a first step toward reclaiming its sovereignty
Last week, the Lebanese government made a historic move toward restoring full authority over its territory by committing to disarm all groups possessing heavy weapons — most notably Hezbollah.

Were you wondering why normally boringly neutral Switzerland was hit with a 39% tariff?
Three intriguing commodity tales
…an obscure corner of US Customs and Border Protection wrote a letter to a DC law firm clarifying that Swiss 1kg and 100oz gold bars will also cop that new 39% US tariff. Who cares?
it turns out these two bar sizes above are the global standard for gold trading, and yes…
Switzerland is the world’s gold refining hub, while
The US (the world’s finance hub) still sits on easily the biggest stash of gold bars.
So this obscure customs letter was in effect slapping a tariff on one of the world’s financial arteries, and discouraging gold flows into the US right as the US (like everyone else) really wants more physical gold as a ballast amid choppy waters.
No mention of Donald Trump’s gold obsession.

US- China relations
A TACO moment? Or some common sense prevails?
Trump extends China trade truce, setting stage for more ambitious talks
While we were busy paying attention to other matters, Cleo Paskal has joined up with Steve Bannon’s War Room to publicize the dire situation in the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) as CNMI: China eyes control of America’s Asian frontline
She counters critics: “For those twitching about the interview being with Steve Bannon, who else is covering this? What major U.S. media is covering the passing of a sitting U.S. Governor, in a part of the U.S. where hundreds of millions of dollars is going in to build U.S. military facilities and at the same time is the only part of the U.S. where Chinese can arrive without a visa? No wonder some people in CNMI feel vulnerable.]

Comments?
Trump’s tariffs are forcing Canada to address its money laundering problem
by Brett Erickson, managing principal at Obsidian Risk Advisors and an advisory board member at the Loyola University Chicago Law’s Center for Compliance Studies, and DePaul University Driehaus College of Business.
On July 31, the Trump administration announced that it would raise tariffs on Canadian imports to 35 percent, citing Canada’s failure to meaningfully address the growing use of its territory by fentanyl traffickers.
The question isn’t whether Canada is the dominant trafficking route. It’s whether it’s increasingly being utilized. And it is.
The reason is structural. Canada has long been exploited by criminal networks due to regulatory blind spots, fragmented enforcement and opaque corporate formation laws.
Canada is notorious for money-laundering through real estate. Trade-based money laundering schemes are commonly exploited. And bribery and corruption have long been identified as a substantial money-laundering risk. Canada, for too long, has treated organized crime as a localized public safety issue, not a transnational finance and border security risk.

Andrew Caddell‘s reflections on The value of lifetime learning are a pleasant escape from the grim news and a reminder that we are never too old to return to school. “when I was 48 years old, I decided to go back to university and make a change in my career. I applied to Carleton University’s master of journalism program from Dhaka, Bangladesh, where I was working on a project for UNICEF. I had been working in the United Nations system in Geneva, beginning at the headquarters of the World Health Organization, and then worked in the field. ” Chris Neal will no doubt be especially appreciative of these thoughts.

Varia
How Trump’s tariffs could impact a pantry staple: olive oil
Americans consume almost 400,000 tons annually, more than any country other than Italy — but make very little of it domestically. The United States imports 95% of its olive oil, mostly from Spain and Italy.
This Tuscan startup sold all its olive oil in the U.S. Then came Trump’s tariffs
Cape buffalo 1 – Trophy Hunter 0
Texas big game hunter killed while stalking African Cape buffalo

“I was there to be broccoli,”
The Secret to One Swing State Democrat’s Rise? Wonky TikTok Videos.
Jeff Jackson was elected to attorney general in North Carolina the same year that President Trump won the state for the third time. Supporters see lessons for Democrats in Mr. Jackson’s rise.
“People have been fed that cotton candy for so long that they were finally ready for some broccoli, and I was there to be broccoli,”

‘Long walks around the farm’: Miniature donkey searches for soulmate in Ontario
In a post on Instagram, the farm said Hank enjoys “long walks around the farm, a fat juicy carrot, gentle pets and loving,” adding that he has “a great head of hair, a lovely personality and a massive heart.” Eligible jennies are welcome to submit their profiles via social media or email.

Paul Krugman: First, some personal news. For those who may not know, I received a great honor this weekend:
Trump Rages at Nobel-Winning ‘Deranged Bum’ in Late-Night Meltdown
In a typically irate post on Truth Social, Trump attacked the former New York Times columnist, who was awarded the Nobel in economics in 2008, as a “Deranged BUM”…
In response, Krugman told the Daily Beast he is “flattered” by the attention from Trump. “He must think people are listening,” Krugman added. “I might add ‘Deranged BUM’ to my profile

Ali is hiring -again! He seeks  a Vice President of Nanofabrication Operations to lead the development, production, and scale-up of quantum processor fabrication.

It’s always entertaining when Chris Roper shares snippets from his participation in Trivia nights at Honey Martin. Last Wednesday, his mention of Apollo 13 raised the name of astronaut James Lovell, who died on Thursday (8 August). Tom Hanks portrayed Captain Lovell in the movie “Apollo 13”.
Chris no doubt already knows this, but for those with less mastery of trivia:
The phrase “Houston, we have a problem,” Mr. Hanks’ version of Captain Lovell’s call to NASA ground control when an explosion rocked his spaceship, became a part of the American lexicon, a wry way of signaling that something was amiss. But the movie engaged in some artistic license.
In the real-life Apollo 13, it was the command module pilot, Mr. Swigert, who first told NASA that there was trouble. Captain Lovell echoed his words when NASA asked for the message to be repeated. Both of the men had said, “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” Mr. Swigert’s alert was not in the movie, and Captain Lovell’s exact wording was altered to provide a more dramatic sense of immediacy.

Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize
At first it seemed like a bad joke, but increasingly we need to take seriously the obsession and possible consequences.
There is always that saying about omelettes…
Trump’s Nobel Prize Obsession Is About More Than World Peace
For nearly a decade, Mr. Trump has publicly and privately complained that he has yet to win the prestigious prize. He has mentioned the award dozens of times in interviews, speeches and campaign rallies dating back to his first term. And as he presses for cease-fire deals in Ukraine and the Middle East, current and former advisers say the award is looming large in his mind.
Trump Wants to Win the Nobel Peace Prize. He’s About to Make Two Wars Worse.
President Donald Trump has publicly moaned that he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize, and yet he seems to be on the verge of intensifying at least two wars—while, at the same time, weakening America’s position in the world and strengthening that of the most powerful dictatorships.
Iran and Russia stand to lose from US deal with Azerbaijan and Armenia
Trump-brokered peace treaty predicted to suffocate geopolitical influence of Washington’s rivals in region
Trump is letting Putin manipulate him, again
President Donald Trump’s unhealthy obsession with winning the Nobel Peace Prize has driven him to make a series of rash decisions in pursuit of ending the war in Ukraine.

Long reads
Ian Bremmer asks Can Democracy Survive AI?
While the internet and telecommunications diffused political power, the next wave of technological innovation could have the opposite effect. If current trends in AI development and deployment continue, the openness that long gave democracies their edge might become the cause of their undoing.

Thanks to Mario Iacobacci, who comments “Canadian policymakers are probably blushing at how often they get mentioned in this overview of wealth creation outside the US.”
America doesn’t have a monopoly on wealth creation
New research shows many other countries have a booming entrepreneurial culture generating serious wealth

On Gaza’s killing fields, journalism faces its darkest hour – but that won’t stop us reporting
Asef Hamidi, director of news, Al Jazeera Channel
Israel’s actions are an assault not only on individual reporters but on the entire global public’s right to know the truth
As the world witnesses the horrors unfolding in Gaza, a related tragedy continues with chilling regularity: the systematic targeting and killing of journalists.

‘Acute, Sustained, Profound and Abiding Rage’: Canada Finds Its Voice
Canada is living through an era of acute, sustained, profound and abiding rage. The source is President Trump; the object is the United States. The president, commander of the most powerful military the world has ever known, has declared repeatedly that he intends to soften up the Canadian economy in preparation for annexation. … The American threat to our sovereignty, so sudden, so foolish, is reshaping Canadian life.

Tim Cook’s White House Visit Shows the True Cost of Tariffs
In a market economy with a functional democracy that protects free speech and enforces the rule of law, executives shouldn’t have to worry that tax policy will swing wildly based on who pleases or angers the president. But in Trump’s America, they do.