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China drop in exports to US May 2025 YOY is 35%. China exports up 4.8% to World May 2025 YOY. It shows China is making up for loss of exports to the US with tariffs by increasing exports to the European Union and to South East Asia. 

China's trade surplus is still increasing, increasing from $96 billion in April to $103 billion in May 2025 with European Union and rest of the world picking up Chinese exports as domestic demand is still soft with factory gate prices dropping 3% in May 2025 YOY. China's plan was to increase exports with debt restricting stimulus for domestic economy, growth depends on exports. It now depends on the EU's taking in China's surge in exports.

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Compared to chancellor Scholz Merz sets his goals and is clear about his goals. His active style is different from previous chancellors. His first meeting with Trump showed this personal style which is proving to be more effective than Merkel or Scholz. Merz had to wait for a long time in the private sector till Merkel retired to come back to politics. During Merkel's early years Merz challenged Merkel for leadership of the Christian Democrats party. Merkel's policy on migrants has proved to be a failure, and Merz is now in a position to take the CSU in a new direction closing the border and working closely with the US and Britain, Italy, on border enforcement. Merz is also unique and very different from the disinvestment period under Merkel which let German infrastructure deteriorate and fall apart, another failure of Merkel's years as chancellor. Merz's first action was to get close to a trillion dollars of new funding to rebuild defense and infrastructure over the next decade. Merz is head of a coalition with the SPD with SPD's leader Lars Klingbeil as finance minister. Scholz headed a coalition that was dysfunctional as the Free Democrats Lindner was opposed to investment in German economy from the outset. Under Merkel the Christian Democrats took no action to rebuild Germany, and were preoccupied with eurozone finances. ...

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The protests happened as Immigration agents moved to enforce the law in a town Paramount just south of Los Angeles. Protesters blocked streets and defaced property. In response under Title 10 authority of the Insurrection Act president DJT called in 2000 of the California National Guard. 

Los Angeles has the largest Mexican American population in the US followed by counties in Texas Dallas and Houston areas and Cook County, Illinois. There were about 21 million people of Mexican descent in the US in 2000 which has almost doubled to about 37 million in 2023. Of this about 16 million live in California and 11 million live in Texas. Because of this concentration in Los Angeles immigration enforcement is faced with new challenges in the LA area. President Trump won a mandate in 2024 to take strong immigration enforcement of the nation's laws.

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It is hard these days to walk on streets in Germany, Austria and other European countries without the fear of being hit by a speeding bicycle. Some cyclists are known for aggressive cycling on city streets and make it difficult to go out for a walk without constantly being on the alert for bicycles. This is completely different from when bicycles were rare ocurrence.

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Without 50% turnout most Italian referendums fail. Italy's referendum on citizenship rules in June 2025 calls for loosening citizenship rules at a time when most of the EU and the US is going in the opposite direction. Italian government led by Meloni asks voters to not turnout.

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Democrats in rethink mode for transgender and men in women's sports June 2025. There is a sense that Democrats have fallen out of sync with the Nation. Most polls show Americans favor banning transgender for minors and banning men in women's sports. As many as 89% of Republicans and 74% of Independents, 44% of Democrats believe sex is made at birth. On transgender there is strong feeling that this is something that is a huge and unnecessary distraction from the major issues of jobs, inflation, hunger, poverty, dying infrastructure, and defense. And that no change should be made to traditional ways of living.

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ICE raids in the Paramount district lead to protests and Border Patrol response. DJT calls in 2000 National Guard to Los Angeles, June 7, 2025.

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Italy's referendum is for whether citizenship requirements should be loosened from 10 years to 5 years. Germany, northern Europe and the US are facing serious doubts about the loosening of citizenship requirements that have created segments of the population that lack the basic cultural literacy needed to function as citizens in a free society, and created a certain sense of alienation within society that works to the detriment of the functioning of free societies.

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China's changing trade strategy- closing up or opening some sectors such as pharmaceuticals in a change of mind.

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Early warnings that the cost cutting of Musk DOGE was a lot of PR and controversy, where instead Republicans are disciplined and persevering. Could Musk and DOGE controversies have done more harm than good by not having disciplined cost cutting that people respect as needed. One should remember that it is not on party lines- all parties should be disciplined about federal spending to preserve the strength of the US dollar and the economy. Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1976 proposed Planning Programming Budgeting Systems where every year last year's budget is irrelevant, the budget for the new year is built from scratch and offers discipline to avoid unnecessary costs in the budget, items from previous years simply pushing up deficits. PPBS courses were taught at Northwestern Business School and I took it at the time- not offered now. Once a bureaucrat has a budget no matter what his politics he wants to keep it. Democrat Harry Truman in 1940 went on the shipyards and into factories to supervise firsthand the federal spending in the war making hime known for the first time in Congress. Prudence in spending is everyone's responsibility.   ...

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In a war economy Russian economy in April 2025- inflation is at 10.2% and the interest rate 21%. It was cut a little to 20% in June 2025. Borrowing is expensive in Russia and is likely to slow the economy.

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It doesn't have to be all Navy- and it is OK to mix colors for men.