New York Times (September 1)
“Chinese cars could be huge in U.S., and that’s the problem, officials say.” The New York Times “test-drove a stunning crossover from Geely that would cost under half of what its rivals charge.” There is no doubt “that Chinese cars, if ever sold in the United States, would give the competition a frightening run for its money. (Its competition would be approaching the luxury tier, like the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV; its price is more in line with a fully equipped Honda Civic.)” This appears to be why a bill is being sponsored in Congress “to permanently ban internet-connected vehicles from China from being sold in this country.”
Tags: Ban, Cars, China, Competition, Congress, Cost, Crossover, Frightening, Geely, Honda Civic, Luxury tier, Mercedes-Benz, Officials, Problem, Rivals, Stunning, Test-drove, U.S.
The Economist (August 29)
“The background music of Donald Trump’s second term has been the sound of norms breaking. On economic policy alone, the president has used tariffs to usurp Congress’s taxing powers and launched attack after attack on the independence of the Federal Reserve, which he accuses of keeping interest rates too high.” While it may be “tempting to tune the noise out,” the Treasury’s recent intervention in bond markets “deserves to echo far and wide.” And “so long as government debt stays high,” more of these unconventional Treasury follies will probably ensue, but America will ultimately come to “regret Scott Bessent’s bond-market misadventures.”
Tags: Attack, Background, Bessent, Bond markets, Congress, Debt, Economic policy, Federal Reserve, Government, Independence, Interest rates, Intervention, Misadventures, Noise, Norms breaking, Regret, Tariffs, Taxing powers, Treasury, Trump, Unconventional, Usurp
New York Times (January 17)
“President Trump is celebrating the anniversary of his return to power by accelerating his attack on the rule of law.” Just a “year into his second term, America risks losing a central feature of our democracy: that we are a country ruled by laws, not by one man…. On behalf of Americans who are now living without a functioning system of federal law and order, Congress should step up and end this self-interested destruction.”
Tags: Accelerating, Anniversary, Attack, Congress, Democracy, Federal law, Functioning, Laws, Order, Risks, Rule of law, Trump
Barron’s (January 8)
“There are few winners in the U.S. stock market from higher tariffs,” but investors are betting and hoping to win if the Supreme Court strikes Trump’s tariffs down. “The Supreme Court may or may not issue a Friday ruling regarding the legality of President Donald Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose tariffs without the approval of Congress. But investors already appear to be betting that the court will strike a blow against the levies.”
Tags: Congress, Emergency powers, Investors, Ruling, Stock market, Supreme Court, Tariffs, Trump, U.S., Winners
Wall Street Journal (November 29)
“Anti-Ukraine voices in Congress, the Administration and the pundit class cite Kyiv’s corruption as worthy of unique condemnation.” But they are simply using it as an “excuse to abandon Ukraine,” which they hold to an artificially high standard. “Corruption deserves to be policed and punished. But U.S. support for Ukraine deserves to be judged by overall American interests, and the highest interest is national security.”
Tags: Abandon, Condemnation, Congress, Corruption, Excuse, Interests, National security, Policed, Punished, Support, U.S., Ukraine
Washington Post (October 1)
The U.S. “federal government shut down at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, after Democrats in Congress failed to reach a deal with Republicans and President Donald Trump to extend funding for federal agencies.” While many “crucial government functions” will cease, “federal work vital to national security will continue, though employees…will go unpaid.” This marks the first shut down “since January 2019, and the fourth of Trump’s two terms.”
Tags: 2019, Congress, Democrats, Employees, Federal government, Functions, Funding, National security, Republicans, Shut down, Trump, U.S., Unpaid
Washington Post (December 24)
“Congressional Republicans have a new headache: Elon Musk.” Republicans have grown “used to the drawbacks of working with Trump,” especially the need “to anticipate what would draw the president’s wrath.” Now, however, they need to anticipate “what will bring them negative attention from Musk. They can’t count on either man to telegraph his views well ahead of time or privately; they will just have to keep a social media tab open.”
Tags: Congress, Drawbacks, Headache, Musk, Negative attention, Republicans, Social media, Telegraph, Trump, Wrath
Wall Street Journal (April 8)
“Japan knows the Ukraine stakes.” In contrast, U.S. critics, especially Republican members of Congress are wavering on Ukraine aid, suggesting “the war in Europe is a distraction from more serious threats in Asia.” Tokyo realizes “a Russian victory may encourage Chinese imperialism.” Hopefully, during his visit next week, Prime Minister Kishida “can disabuse” Republicans of their errant notion. His government’s foreign policy “reflects the seriousness of the current geopolitical moment. Japan recognizes that the threat to the well-being of free nations is global.”
Tags: Aid, Asia, China, Congress, Critics, Europe, Free nations, Japan, Kishida, Republican, Russia, Stakes, Threats, U.S., Ukraine, War, Wavering, Well-being
New York Times (May 30)
“No one walked away satisfied by the agreement reached late Saturday to raise the debt ceiling…. Yet with the risk of ruinous economic default less than a week away, Congress should pass this agreement as quickly as possible.”
Tags: Agreement, ASAP, Congress, Debt ceiling, Economic default, Pass, Risk, Ruinous, Satisfied
Wall Street Journal (August 23)
The Government of Japan “is already on the hook to pay out nearly $10 trillion to its creditors.” This may appear *an impossibly large sum to rustle up” when annual tax collections amount to “less than $600 billion.” But today’s “economists talk more about the risk of issuing too little debt” and the U.S. may soon follow Japan’s lead. “Congress is debating trillions of dollars more in proposed spending that would push America’s borrowing toward levels policy makers in Tokyo have long embraced.”
Tags: $10 trillion, Borrowing, Congress, Creditors, Debt, Economists, Government, Japan, Risk, Spending, Tax collections, U.S.
