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Bill Clinton, a former president, is no longer a popular figure in the Democratic Party in 2025. A new generation of leaders in the Democrats seek to put Clinton in the past. Clinton's main achievement are the peace accords in Ireland and in the Balkans with Serbia and Croatia, Bosnia. In domestic policy Clinton did little to anticipate the problems of getting health insurance for all, outshoring, and increasing jobs and wages for factory workers. He was involved in the scandal with an intern that led to efforts to impeach him and resulted in much of the second term being wasted in the process. It was under his successor Bush that the egregious provision that removed the power of Medicare to negotiate prices of drugs with manufacturers was passed. Bush was pushed into the war in the Middle East after 9/11 attacks by Middle East terrorists and havens in Afghanistan, that led to a two decades war in Afghanistan. Withdrawal happened under DJT and Biden consuming resources and time leading to the affordability crisis, outshoring of jobs and lower wages for factory workers. No one talks now about Clinton, Bush, Obama, because of these wars and the loss of America's leadership in manufacturing, squandered resources of attention, time and money that would have created new infrastructure and health insurance for all, inshoring. ...

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Mexico's foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard is to present a peace plan for Ukraine at the UN General Assembly. The proposal is for Pope Francis, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and prime minister Narendra Modi of India, to form a dialogue and peace committee. Mexico is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Narendra Modi talked to Mr. Putin at the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Council and is said to have told Putin that "this is no time for war."

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Henry Kissinger's first book is on the Napoleonic Wars and how the Austrian chancellor Metternich negotiated a peace that after 1815 kept a fragile peace in Europe till the war in 1914. Sometimes it is said that Kissinger as NSA and Secretary of State to US president Richard Nixon modeled his role from that of Metternich who with Kissinger shared a German background. This was based on realism and was based on offsetting the tyranny of Napoleon in Europe with a balance of power between Britain and Austria-Hungary. 

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In Argentina the Right and Left politics have failed for most of this century, the economy struggles again in 2026- Millei and Argentina as shown by the NYT's Cohen. Yet inflation is down and something different is being tried. Bloated bureaucracy is cut down to basics, investments in mining and oil, manufacturing weak and infrastructure investments lacking, no clear solutions. Mexico benefits from American reshoring of factories in automobiles yet is the place where drug trafficking is happening and this is a problem of major dimensions, Brazil benefits from its vast agricultural wealth in the Amazon region, Argentina is seeking a mining boom, Venezuela after a deep shock from Chavez ideas and hyperinflation only now recovering, much of Latin America and Africa have missed the economic and technological changes that are underway in Asia for the last 50 years.

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2 pence rise in taxes and 2 pence cut in UK national insurance to raise 6 billion pounds November 2025 for Britain's Budget planned by Rachel Reeves, the UK Finance Minister. It moves burden of the tax from workers to landlords.

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DJT raises issue of NATO countries Turkey Hungary and Slovakia others buying Russian oil and gas + EU trade with China while asking for US help. Britain is a NATO country expanding trade with China while being strident about Russia. Germany has over two decades built economic relations with China through a period of Russian attacks on Ukraine including the Scholz administration approving China's stake in the port of Hamburg. India has been singled out by the EU and US, and by DJT with high tariffs while Britain and Germany carry on expanding trade with China. DJT believes China's support has emboldened Russia in its policy in Ukraine including pausing peace negotiations.

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The story of Milkha Singh, India's fastest runner, is told wonderfully here in the Indian Express.

Milkha Singh came through a period of life growing up in a poor part of the Punjab, then partition, and finding a place in post independence India on track and field. He joined the army on his third attempt. Finished fourth in the Rome Olympics, just 0.1 seconds behind Pence and with it missing a Bronze medal.

He said after this - that he was taken for an interview, and he could only say in whatever English he knew, "your son has fulfilled his duty, and I demand this from every youngster in the country." This could be the message to all the youngsters in the country that are volunteering for the PM's effort for 100,000 trained healthcare youngsters to help with Covid work in villages and towns throughout India.

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Syria Druze and Bedouin sectarian violence on border with Israel 2025. This part of Syria offers a buffer area for Israel, with Syria moving to being a state with different autonomous regions and not a centralized state to maintain peace.

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DW.com shows amazing pictures of European leaders in a really informal setting Starmer, Meloni  and Macron standing keenly listening around them as Merz and Zelensky are in conversation on a sofa bench, EU's Leyen on a sofa nearby, with many other European leaders, all trying to catch the conversation. One can see this by clicking on original article. It shows the closeness that has developed over the long and weary war years of the EU leaders who have stuck together for the first time speaking with one voice on the issues facing Europe with DJT and the US.

The challenge for Europe- to come up with peacekeeping force as a security guarantee to Ukraine so that it can reach a peace agreement with Russia, bringing a final end to this war and overcoming fears that it would erupt again in another way or form. The Swiss and Austria, Hungary offer to host peace talks.

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See the BBC reports on the DJT meeting with European leaders at the White House August 18, 2025, for Ukraine peace settlement. An astonishing day showing the learning curve of DJT, Zelensky, and the European leaders down to the last detail, a communication that was planned to the details, with DJT and Zelensky both reading from carefully prepared remarks, so that everything would go right, no missed chances. DJT also talks to Putin during a pause inthe meeting to brief him on the talks he had with European leaders. Though the media reports this as not expected it was all part of the plan so that DJT could play the role of someone the Russian president could trust, as well as DJT playing the role of someone the Europeans could trust at the same time- not an easy task but done with a sense of seriousness by DJT knowing that the peace depended on winning trust on both sides.

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A EU draft document that details the terms for Brexit and says Northern Ireland would remain part of the EU customs union has revived the debate on the future of Northern Ireland under Brexit. This remains an untackled issue in the negotiations. A hard border with Ireland would threaten a fragile peace in Northern Ireland. This brings up the thorny issues in the Brexit vote that were not considered during the referendum for a simple "yes" or "no" vote. Labor party favors the EU customs union membership and the Conservative hardliners now have to face up to the problems that were not really addressed in the referendum vote. Theresa May's thin majority in parliament also place her in a difficult situation now that the Labor party has supported the EU customs union.

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German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul thinks the Putin Zelensky meeting is unlikely. He is on a tour to Japan. Wadephul talks to DW Germany in this interview explaining his perception of the war in Ukraine and prospects for peace through high level summit meetings when both sides are far from agreement on basics.

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Apple, Caterpillar, and Microsoft, Amex pushed the Dow higher to get to 50,000 from 25,000 in 2018 in just 9 years when it took decades to get to 25,000. Sales Force, because of AI threat, Boeing because of its engineering and quality issues acted as laggard. Exxon was removed, Chevron stayed on. Intel was taken out and Nvidia took its place. The PE ratio in 2026 for Dow is 22 times earnings. Companies with higher stock price Goldman $929 a share as an example have a bigger impact in moves of the Dow just because of the higher price per share. Compared to Apple at $249 a share. The calculation is to take the price s of 30 stocks add them together and divide by a factor that adds effect of stock splits and new index entrants. That factor was 0.162 in 2025. Note that it took 76 years to 1972 to get to 1000 for the Dow Jones Average in 1972.

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In France 67% of young people 15-17 years in a Acadomia survey support ban on under 15 years children for social media. A bill is being introduced in French parliament to restrict children under 15 year from social media platforms supported by the governing party. A French parliamentary inquiry into “the psychological effects of TikTok on minors”, was set up in Spring 2025, and the results have set off an alarm about the negative effects on children. The new law would apply to children in high school lycee 15 years to 18 years, as it is already in place for children 11-15 years in college French middle school. The bill will be debated in parliament on Jan 19, 2026 and has support of EPR Ensemble Macron's party and of 121 members of parliament. It also restricts use from 10 pm to 8am to support better sleep patterns for young people and for studies.

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Kristi Noem's handling of the situation in Venezuela defeated the overall purpose of correcting unlimited migration and open borders with use of aggressive approach in Minnesota that was not consistent with standards set at Homeland Security. It took a great deal of effort from Tom Homan, head of the overall effort on migration control and border security to restore public confidence in immigration approach in Minnesota. The US president was ill served by the use of these aggressive tactics which did not have support even from many Republicans in Congress. The president had showed his dissatisfaction at this and has now moved to correct this by bringing in Markwayne Mullin whom he called "highly respected"  from Oklahoma, who can talk to all sides as the immigration actions take place to get the largest degree of support from the American people along with Tom Homan in many diverse and different states in the Nation.

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German chancellor Merz says the old order is unraveling. He says -

"We have entered an era of great power politics," Merz said. "The new world of the great powers is founded upon power, strength and when necessary, force. It is not a cozy place."    

The German chancellor says Russia's invasion on Ukraine is the beginning of a "new era, but change runs much deeper."

"China, with strategic foresight, has worked its way into the ranks of the great powers," Merz says. He said Washington is reacting to these challenges from these other "great powers" by radically reshaping its foreign and security policy."

"Europe [and its] like-minded partners must stand closer together. European countries must do more to make their economies competitive and to invest massively in our ability to defend ourselves."

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DJT White House Cabinet Meetings: Susie Wiles in tight cursive, Bessent writes "parallel prosperity" and "blue collar boom," on notepad, Lutnick says "why not copper tariff," DJT talks about why he is not fond of windmills. All the time a picture of Abraham Lincoln in a small four person meeting around a round table watches everyone. You have to have some humor in cabinet meetings. DJT brings humor to the White House, lightening up the mood, while he says new letters will go out to Japan, South Korea and EU, recalcitrant nations when it comes to negotiations for agreements, and Putin is voicing meaningless platitudes on his desire for peace.

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Following the Gaza conflict in mid 2014, the situation in Nov. 2014 is one of continued unrest among young people in the West Bank. Here Rudoren and Kershner give a exceptional account of the feelings of Palestinians at the Askar refugee camp in the West Bank. With no prospect for a way out or the way ahead, and lack of confidence in the leadership, no peace talks, Palestinian young people engage in random acts of protest or violence. A decade of protest has put Palestine further behind in development, jobs, and economic progress. A decade of conflict has not reduced Israel's sense of insecurity, even as it has evolved into an advanced technological society. The situation of Jerusalem divides the two peoples, just as it did a decade ago under Palestinian leader Arafat. No novel or out of the ordinary solutions for Jerusalem that would preserve Jerusalem as a city open to Muslims, Christians and Jews, without a preeminent status for any one community, have been tried.

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Lifespan, Healthspan, Wealthspan, how about Mattering Span or Not Losing Purpose in Retirement? It is always on the mind of retirees how to do things to not lose the activity and sense of purpose in life. Much needs to be done to get retirees back into life, into participation in the economic life of the Nation. With so much knowledge and expertise, and the capital in trillions of dollars, this is apart of the population that has so much to offer and so much that can further advance the Nation in fields of education, health, the arts, culture, sports. With a slightly slower pace than youngsters, this group brings so much of value- knowledge and wisdom that can be tapped into at all levels of business activity with new ways and approaches to involvement.

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Foreign policy of DJT Administration in 2025- asserting US interests, reviving the Monroe Doctrine for US policy in the western hemisphere, and rapprochement with Russia, China, Japan, EU, in international trade after tariffs against unfair trade. Mead says this has improved the US standing in world affairs and also has helped other nations in the world achieve their interests in their region. EU takes on a larger role in Ukraine freeing the US to assert itself in a much needed way to protect its borders and remove threat of drug and fentanyl trafficking from Venezuela and Mexico. Russia accepted as a Northern European power and NATO is pulled back as it should have been after the Soviet Union collapsed,  (it gets the "respect" it needs from the US so that it relinquishes efforts to disturb the peace in Latin America and the Middle East). It also frees up the US from other entanglements so that it can concentrate on both competition with China and negotiating win-win solutions on trade with China. US relations with Japan and South Korea are improved and both nations are taking a bigger role in their region with other partners India and Australia -so that the US frees up resources for tackling domestic and foreign problems that ensure US regains its position as a powerhouse for manufacturing, industry and world class infrastructure in the next decades to 2050. That is the surest way to a safer, better world for Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa. ...

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European leaders emergency meeting Feb 16, 2025, after DJT lead negotiator Lt. Gen Keith Kellogg talks about Ukraine peace talks without Europe. Kellogg said "this will not happen."

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Misinterpretation of his remarks by the media with commentary presenting it incorrectly as criticism of DJT, says Pope Leo. Leo said that his speech in Cameroon “was prepared two weeks ago, well before the president ever commented on myself and on the message of peace that I am promoting.” “It was looked at as if I was trying to debate again the president which is not in my interest at all.” A lot of unnecessary commentary was made on this in the media exaggerating the Pope's comments to make political points about the opposite side in political discourse. When the Pope says he is going to talk loudly on the message of the Gospel in his visit to Africa, visit to Algeria, Anglola, Cameroon, it is clear he is talking about the domination of the colonial powers and the huge loss of life in these countries and about " the grossly "unequal distribution of wealth," in these  and other countries of Africa.  ...