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Children's scores remain below pre-pandemic levels for kindergarden, and for 1st and 2nd grades for students tested in 2023. Test scores of over a million students in the US show this sizable gap in school readiness for these younger children.

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This report in WSJ says industry and Boeing officials now increasingly believe that workers at Boeing factory reinstalled a plug in 737 Max 9 jet but failed to put back the bolts. The door plug blew off 16000 feet over Oregon leading to an emergency landing. Boeing is affected by lack of good quality practices and worker training for quality standards for several years. The question remains why this sort of defect is not detected in the final inspection detail checklist, with a second final inspection and third for overall quality. And why the plane is not checked again for obvious defects by the airline when it receives the new plane.The cost of this is minimal compared to the cost of compensating airlines for losses in some way and loss of customer loyalty.

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Controversy surrounding the $55.8 billion pay package for Elon Musk that was disapproved by a judge, and the behaviour of the Board of Directors at Tesla, is the subject of this exclusive report in the WSJ. A series of WSJ articles in recent months have shown that Musk is not the role model for American business or for the younger generation.  A parallel with can be seen in the contrast between Sergio Marchionne of Fiat Chrysler and Carlos Tavares, current CEO of Stellantis, which includes Chrysler and Peugeot, Fiat. WSJ coverage of Tavares as head of Stellantis, and running the company from his home in Lisbon, shows a respect for the dignity of workers, their health and worklife balance with very productive work turning out as many as 75  new electric car models by 2030 that was absent under the CEO Marchionne. Marchionne's constant travel and long hours, reported continuous smoking with unhealthy work and health habits took its toll. It set the wrong role model at the time for workers of Stellantis Chrysler and for business and the younger generation even as it received favorable reporting in the Harvard Business Review and other places. The same can be seen with Elon Musk with such reporting giving a glamorous image and much hype, yet as the Wall Street Journal in its reporting shows setting the wrong role model for business and the younger generation and the renewed future of America. ...

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The WSJ of August 24 has flaws in that no questions were asked on wages and benefits for workers and climate change. About 73% of voters see Mr. Biden's age as a factor. Voters have not grasped Biden's vision for America. A Trump 10% margin for vision and record of accomplishments is unusual considering it is Mr. Biden who is making the changes on climate change, wages and income, infrastructure building with trillions of dollars of funding. The poll itself has issues because it was done by a Republican poster who is working for the Trump campaign and does not have questions on climate change or wages and benefits of workers. President Biden does well on infrastructure, on jobs, and the effects of inflation are being tackled by increase in wages and benefits supported by Biden.

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The federal government in the US is providing internet connections to rural part of America through its Internet for All program. The Biden administration has committed $60 billion to this program. At what point is satellite service that is less reliable but more cost efficient an alternative, asks this report in WSJ if service in Montana can cost $300,000 per location, or in a Indian reservation in Nebraska at $54,000 per household. These are remote locations and require drilling in mountainous areas and under the Missouri river. For the majority of locations the  average FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Fund location cost is $1753, the Treasury Capital Project Fund $3313, and the tribal projects are outliers for isolated spots. The government prefers fiber optic cables because this is good for generations to come for upgrading, and the benefits of this service will make rural areas of America attractive to live in for decades to come, say officials.

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A report in WSJ about misconduct by a former CEO of a software startup.

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In a 3 way agreement the US, Saudis, and Israel will reach a deal in which the Saudis will agree to increase oil production in 2024 to moderate oil prices. The Saudis are close to recognizing Israel and building a new relationship with the US.

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WSJ interview with Narendra Modi before he meets Joe Biden at the White House. This interview talks about India seeking larger role in world affairs, about Indian democracy. Seen from inside India the perspective is different. India is at the same stage where China was in 1990-2000 with the rising aspirations of a billion people, Japan in the Meiji period in 1900. It is all about jobs, investment, technologies and manufacturing on a scale that surpasses China in that period with newer technologies to meet the rising aspirations of 1.4 billion people. China's trade with the US was three times higher than the Indian trade with the US in 2022, India desperately wants to catch up and fast. The Danish ambassador to India was asked what he saw in India today and he said it was the rising confidence of people that struck him most. The digitalization that has changed the way government benefits are provided to 1.4 billion people and opened bank accounts for all, provided delivery of services to all parts of the population. The infrastructure that is being built at breakneck pace, and new colleges and universities expanding access to quality education, healthcare.   ...

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Exxon's Darren Woods was shown in WSJ yesterday battling it out with Rockefeller foundation family interests as they fervently opposed his aggressive push for fossil fuel supplies. This WSJ report looks at another side of Darren Woods as he breaks up a potential merger between Hess and Chevron that would give Chevron access to the Stabroek oil block off Guyana's coast for about 1.2 million barrels a day. There is a shrinking pool of investment for fossil fuels during the energy transition away from fossil fuels. There is also a period of 5-10 years that the world economies have to weather through by accessing US+ oil supplies to support easing household spiralling energy costs when Russian oil supplies are no longer accessible. This is leading to a higher value being placed on existing oil blocks such as the Stabroek oil block near the coast of Guyana that Exxon and Hess have developed. Crucial work was done by Hess engineers for the find when Exxon had given up. WSJ looks at the fight between CEO's Wirth of Chevron and Hess of Hess Oil against Darren Woods of Exxon that is shaking up Houston and the banking+ legal advisors involved in the potential merger of Hess and Chevron that Woods has succeeded in ending. ...

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The Bell 212 helicopter that crashed in dense fog over East Azerbaijan due to technical failures leading to death of president Raisi and the foreign minister of Iran, was originally built in 1971 for the Canadian Armed Forces. Later supplied to the US Army and in 1988 manufactured in Quebec, then discontinued in 1998. Iran and other countries in eastern Europe still use Bell 212 helicopters which were widely used for commercial purposes. Iran has to contend with difficulty of getting spare parts from the US and Canada. The only other crash reported for Bell 212 is one in 1986 in North Sea oil facilities in dense fog. Reports say the 50 year old Bell 212 depends on visual flight conditions meaning only what the pilot can see from his seat which would have made it very difficult in the steep mountain slopes of eastern Azerbaijan. 

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Biden joins Harris at an event in Largo, Maryland on August 15 2024, the first time president Biden joins Harris for a rally after Harris takes on the role of nominee. Biden is sort of on this ticket as the nominee Harris's mentor and colleague. Harris runs on Biden's achievements and the president will forever be part of the Harris team with experience to get important legislation through Congress in the years ahead. At the rally Biden and Harris focus on cost of living and how Medicare now brings down prices of out of control pharmaceuticals. President Biden is the first president to restore Medicare's right and obligation to the American people to negotiate fair prices for pharmaceuticals. This right and obligation was stripped from Medicare by the younger president Bush in one of the worst decisions of a Republican president since World War II, causing terrible hardship from corporate greed to hard working American families. 

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Tariffs are unconventional tools for border security yet appropriate in situations such as these. Canada could have done this before a 25% tariff was announced by DJT- it would have been common sense for Canada to do what it did after the tariff before the tariff- put 10,000 frontline personnel at the Canadian border with the US, appoint a minister in charge of drug flows and fentanyl, and list cartels as terrorists. Considering the damage to the US from the border it was imperative that Canada, and Mexico took responsibility for the borders a long time ago. 

Within 24 hours of the Trump announcement of 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico the leaders of the two countries turned around to do what should have been done a long time back.

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A series of actions by Ford to cut prices, Toyota to have no price increases, and Hyundai to invest $21 billion to Make in USA and similar actions by GM, mean that except for about 300,000 imported German VW cars the car market in the US will have no price increases for average Americans. Foreign media and media in the US that is misleading say there will be price increases in the US for cars after US tariffs on imports from Japan of 24% and on EU of 20%, South Korea 25%.  NHK Japan reports that Toyota will not increase prices in the US despite DJT Liberation Day announcement of 24% tariff on Japanese imports including auto imports. Toyota will continue to make the 3.12 million cars it makes in Japan as well as the employment, of which 586,000 are exported. Toyota says it needs to cross the threshold of 3 million domestic car production to keep its technological capabilities.  Toyota will also look at ways to increase US production.  Hyundai is planning investments of $21 billion in the US from 2025 to 2028. Hyundai is likely to follow Toyota and make no price increases till it ramps up American production to Make in the USA. Ford is cutting prices of cars under its From America For America sales program. Ford has 568,000 cars in inventory. It has 60% capacity and can ramp up to make up for VW cars that are priced higher to give American buyers of German cars a cost effective option.  ...