Encore of Revival: America, August 5, 2019

Tariffs and trade headlines aren’t about trade or tariffs; they are about Trump. The trade war with China isn’t about China having taken US jobs since before the 1980s, it’s “Trump’s trade war”. The poor American farmers who planted crops to suit the Chinese are all beside themselves. A bad environment—whether in weather or economics—is the new normal and farmers are being told the same thing as American companies that depend on China: get used to it and look elsewhere.

America’s economy can’t be dependent on China because China is not dependable. Look at the self-contradiction of someone who says otherwise. Trump’s former economic adviser, Gary Cohn, says in one sentence that China was going to take down its own economy anyway, then in another sentence says that US trade policy is backfiring. Which is it? Was China going to do all this anyway or did the US initiate something that backfired? Both can’t be true at the same time.

Either the US affected China’s economic policy or it didn’t—for better or worse. Claiming that we didn’t make a difference while also claiming that we made a difference that backfired doesn’t indicate a well-considered economic framework; it indicates someone shooting in the dark, trying to find any argument that will convince people to dislike Trump. After all, America’s economy was wonderful while it made China rich, but once the US economy stopped serving China, it wasn’t a “US trade war”, it was “Trump’s trade war”.

Many Trump critics believe Trump supporters are stupid, but they still try to use reason to persuade Trump supporters. This is another self-contradiction, adding to the self-contradicting reasoning. Even if self-contradiction could persuade Trump supporters to abandon him, there would be no place to turn. Democratic infighting is at an all-time high.  It’s almost as if the Democrats want to lose the 2020 election, pretending to fight valiantly while they do. But, that wouldn’t be anything new. They have been doing that with human rights and civil rights for decades.

Election

At Ohio rally, Trump escalates attacks on liberal cities // Connecticut Post

GOP Rep. Mike Conaway Of Texas Announces Retirement After 15 Years In Congress // Yahoo News

Live updates: Democratic candidates debate in Detroit // CNN

Trump

Trump Says Things Going `Well’ With China After New Tariff Shock // Bloomberg

Trump China tariffs raise fear that trade war is the ‘new status quo’ // CNBC

American farmer: Trump ‘took away all of our markets’ // Yahoo News

Trump’s former top adviser: tariffs backfiring on US // BBC News

Washington as Usual

Russianewsgategate

Sean Hannity: William Barr ’15 steps further than anybody knew’ in Russia investigation review // WA Examiner

John Ratcliffe, Trump nominee for DNI, attacked Mueller during hearings // CNBC

Security

El Paso shooting at Walmart near Cielo Vista Mall; suspect in custody // El Paso Times

Senate meeting erupts as Graham clashes with Dems over asylum bill: ‘You’re not going to take my job!’ // Fox News

Border Patrol Detained a 9-Year-Old American Girl on Her Way to School for 32 Hours // gq.com

Science, Weather, Health

Florida’s Hepatitis A outbreak is public health emergency // Miami Herald

Google’s celeb-obsessed search for climate change answers is a hypocritical joke // NY Post

NATO Focus

Russia protests: Hundreds detained during unauthorised demonstration // BBC News

Russian political crisis grows with more arrests in Mosco // LA Times

INF nuclear treaty: US pulls out of Cold War-era pact with Russia // BBC News

Turkey’s ‘Mini’ Aircraft Carrier (Armed with F-35s) Could Be in Big Trouble // National Interest

USS Ford Munitions Elevators Miss Another Deadline in HII Setback // Bloomberg

Is Russia Worried About China’s Military Rise? // National Interest