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Elon Musk of Tesla says the number of fake and spam accounts is "wildly higher" than the 5% that Twitter says. He wants to terminate the agreement with Twitter on grounds that Twitter made "materially inaccurate  representations." Twitter is planning to file a lawsuit to compel Mr. Musk to keep the agreement. 

Mr. Musk's Tesla Motors lost a third of its value during the period of the agreement. The slow growth in the US economy and in China presents problems for Tesla.

Mr. Musk's statement about social media as the future of civilization is more evidence of the kind of statements that are thrown around these days with a complete misconception of what civilization, health, moral wellbeing, even common sense are about.
 

 

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The U.S. economic recovery is happening, but a key question is how to handle the surges and hotspots such as today in western and southern states of California, Texas and Florida.

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Jack Hughes loses three teeth and yet hits the winning shot in US Olympic finals win 2-1 in overtime against Canada. His big brother Quinn Hughes says of him cited in this report in NYT- "He’s a freaking gamer. He’s always been a gamer. Just mentally tough, been through a lot, loves the game. American hero.”

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Pep Guardiola on Manchester City after the Uruguayan Valverde's hat trick and the 3-0 loss to Real Madrid. Pep says -"I've always said when we arrive in the last 10 games every team plays for something - for relegation, for Europa League, for Conference League, for Champions League, to be champions. It's normal, every game." Manchester City now face West Ham United in March 2026.

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Should age be a factor for running for president of a country. In the U.S. the main candidates are all in their seventies. Elizabeth Warren is the exception. She is 70 yeas but looks much younger with a lot of energy. Sanders even at his age of 78 is giving it all he's got with gusto and nerve, and so is Warren at 70, and Trump at 76. So how does one decide in favor of youth with inexperience as compared with age with experience and belief in oneself and ideas. It is also pertinent that old can become new again. Corbyn is trying to take UK back to a quieter more stable period post war. The young can get pragmatic or lose authenticity and connectedness.

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The most accurate study so far of what age groups get affected by coronavirus comes from the Office of National Statistics in Britain, showing that children are as likely to get infected as adults. Estimates in modeling created jointly by Public Health England and the Cambridge University show 18% of children in the data from 5  to 14 years age are infected by the virus in England, compared to 18% in the adults over 45 years age.  Across all age groups the modeling data found that there is no difference between age categories for infection by the coronavirus.

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UK will spend $3 billion more through NHS payment to pharma companies in UK to get the US to cut its pharma tariffs on UK to zero for 3 years. This agreement with UK helps to protect $11 billion in UK pharma exports to the US. For the US it addresses it's complaint that Americans pay more for the same drugs because in Europe the pharma customers pay less, and has called for a correction.

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Billie Jean King whose effort and persistence created the game of Women's Tennis, is alive and well with some words of encouragement, advice. Billie Jean King Commencement address at California State University Los Angeles, where she graduates in history in 2026, sixty two years after letting go college to play tennis. She grew up in Long Beach, with her brother, her parents a fireman who played basketball and a mother who was a teacher. For those who remember she comes from the period of Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith and in Australia Rod Laver, in the seventies. Stadiums are named after her at the US Open Tennis championships, and it was Billie Jean who helped create women's tennis. Some of her advice- "We can never understand inclusion unless we have been excluded." (the first African American player Althea Gibsen is celebrated in a postage stamp yet African Americans barely made it into the sport during her time. Billie Jean asked why it was all white dress, white people, white clubs.) "I like completing things. Finish what I started." (Sixty two years after postponing college in 1962 Bille Jean completes her history degree at Cal State LA in 1986). Billie Jean in another interview says history is so important and the only way to effect change that is good is to know what happened before and why. This is true for another pioneer for women a law student at Stanford named Sandra Day O'Connor of Arizona ranch territory that in those days stretched endlessly on all sides. Gandhi would agree. Hind Swaraj could not be written in 1909 by Gandhiji on a steamship to South Africa from London without asking about history and what had happened to create the Empire in India for the British East India Company traders, with warehouses and private armies, one that extended to Shanghai and Hong Kong in China. Gandhi says in 1909 "English merchants were able to get a footing in India because we encouraged them. When our princes fought among themselves they sought the assistance of Company Bahadur. That corporation was versed alike in commerce and war. We created the circumstances that gave the company control over India." Billie Jean gives some perspective on life and its lessons-"Wherever we are in life we can connect and we can impact change." "At 82 I have learnt about perspective and a few life's lessons- Champions practice their strengths. Concentrate on what you are strong and practice it." "Anything you do winning or losing, good or bad, its feedback not failure. Don't take things personally." "Don't let others define you. You define yourself." "Pressure is a privilege and champions adjust or adapt." "Just remember legacy is what others think about you, what is important is the value of the contributions you make." "Three principles for inner and outer success. Relationships are everything. Relationships with yourself, your family, your loved ones, your faith, and your friends. No. 2- Keep learning and keep learning how to learn. Be a problem solver and a innovator. Our decisions, our actions, our voices will shape what comes next. Have fun. Be fearless and make history." ...

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India is becoming a major destination for foreign investment in manufacturing in many industries. The youth population 15-24 now exceeds that of China. Over the period 2015-2019 the number of youth 15-24 will increase to be close to 250 million in India in 2019, compared to a rapidly declining youth population in China of little over 150 million in 2019, according to the International Labor Organization. China's one child policy, investigation of multinationals business practices, and increasing wages in manufacturing, are reducing its attractiveness for foreign investors. Other destinations such as Russia are less attractive because of the economic crisis after falling oil prices. India also benefits from the large drop in oil prices to help reduce its chronic deficit and lower inflation- significant dividends at a critical time. Raghuram Rajan, head of the central bank, estimates the gain from the drop in oil prices at about $50 billion. Indonesia also benefits from the same trends. Prime minister Modi is reducing the bureaucratic structures and red tape that are a legacy of the Congress governments since independence in 1947, creating a new climate for business investment. ...

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Andy Kessler looks at the prospects for China's effort to dominate the market for advanced chips used in everyday devices, just as it did in solar panels and electric vehicle batteries.  He says Apple leaves US manufacturing technologies at a disadvantage by securing its M1 processor chip from Taiwan's TSMC. Intel has fallen behind in 10 nanometer chips and will need a few years says Kessler.  Kessler says Chinese threat to invade Taiwan which has made the US and the EU take a firmer stand on Ukraine poses a danger to TSMC which has 5 fabs or factories in just 1 science Park- Hsinchu Science Park. This poses a question is it safe to concentrate about 92% of the world's semiconductor production in one place Taiwan so close to the mainland of China? And knowing sit tight taking no action? Google's last chairman Eric Schmidt asks this question in the WSJ and calls for a new investments in the US to manufacture advanced semiconductors and other semiconductors for everyday use so that the US national security is protected. Even the $50 billion that is in Congressional legislation has yet to be approved by the US Congress, says Schmidt, showing that US Congress is not moving quickly to address this problem. South Korea and Taiwan including TSMC need to be told to make a large part of the semiconductors in the US and other locations such as India to diversify production. 92% of world semiconductors made in Taiwan that could be taken out with a few missiles, is no way to diversify manufacturing, when manufacturing can be done in India or other parts of the world with lower costs and with needed engineering manpower. ...

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A stunning World Cup 2026 stadium in Monterrey, Mexico, Mexico's business capital in the mountainous north. It is called the Estadio BBVA after the name of the Spanish bank that sponsors it. It overlooks the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains around the city, giving it a nice background. It is 144 miles from the US border and with sweeping vistas of the Cerro de la Silla mountain. Four games will be played here- one of 16 venues for World Cup 2026.  Gills in its futuristic steel exterior enable it to let air in from breezes that blow in so that fans can be cool when it is hot 82-93 degrees F. Local team Rayados play here and  multinational drinks company FEMSA funded the $200 million to build the stadium. Rayados has asked Sergio Ramos of Spain to join and it plays another local team Tigres every year with about 51,000 fans in the stadium. Women's soccer is also popular in Mexico.

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A former Jharkhand state governor nominated for president of India. She will be the first tribal woman elected president of India if elected. She was born in a district in Odisha in 1958 and is from the Santhal community. She was a teacher at the Aurobindo Integral Education Center before running for the state legislature. 

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As president Biden signs the biggest Climate Bill in history Jim Tankersley says there is still more to be done. In addition to the work remaining for children, women and families, he mentions the Civilian Climate Corps with financing for $10 billion that is patterned on the Civilian Conservation Corps set up during the Depression by FDR, which is still to be passed. This would form "the next generation of conservation and resilience workers," says Biden. Much like the 3 million people who helped build parks, cut trails and planted trees around the US in the 1930's and 1940's under FDR.

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Weak and poorly equipped public health systems, densely crowded conditions, make coronavirus spread extremely serious in South Asian and African countries. India imposed a complete lockdown of the entire country. South Africa imposed a 21 day lockdown enforced by the military. Decisive and strong action is needed early. Pakistan acted early to quarantine pilgrims entering the country from Iran. Pakistan's government has announced a $20 monthly wage subsidy for poorer households. The average in Africa is 20, according to the UN, and South Asian populations are also very young. Generally hotter climates may offer some offsetting factors to makeup for the lack of strong public health systems. India made major strides in direct deposit to bank accounts of 1.3 billion citizens by the government for many social safety net schemes in the last 5 years. It has also computer records of all citizens under a plan underway for a decade. The nationwide rollout of 4G mobile technologies has connected every citizen including remote areas. This should assist in the identification and isolation of affected areas and people. Other factors that mitigate the spread will be access to medicine when medicine and vaccine is developed for the virus. India has a large pharmaceutical industry, scientific labs and other medical resources similar to South Korea, which should help limit the affected areas and people. ...

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George W. Bush, talks about his book on his father's presidency "41: A Portrait of My Father," at the Bush presidental library in College Station, Texas. This follows his book "Decision Points," on his own presidency. George W. says his father's accomplishments are overshadowed by the work of a transformative president (Reagan) who preceded him. The short period of four years in office also affects the assessment of the elder Bush. There is now greater appreciation of the work done in this period, especially the period when the Berlin Wall collapsed and the Soviet Union dissolved and the role played by the elder Bush in the transition. Bush describes the relationship with his father when he was president as one in which it was the comfort and help that counted for more than looking for any particular advice, especially as he admired his father. The elder Bush, 90, was in the audience. Remarkable for the longevity of the father-son pair compared to Adams and John Quincy, as Adams passed away 16 months after his son became U.S. president. And more so because his brother, Jeb Bush, is likely to run for president in 2016....

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On Jan 19, 2023 the US hit its debt ceiling of $31.4 trillion. Republicans control the House of Representatives by only a few votes after a strong showing in midterms by Democrats who control the Senate. A small section of the Republican party insists that raising the debt ceiling- a task performed by the House of Representatives- should only be done with serious cuts to Biden programs to help workers and families during a cost of living crisis. Biden says he will not negotiate, simply won't.  This report in NYT by Jim Tankersley, says president Biden in the last resort could resort to the 14th Amendment which says: "The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions shall not be questioned." What this means is that in the last resort if Republicans insist on serious cuts because of a faction within the party, and not because the whole party supports it, Mr. Biden could continue public borrowings to pay social security and make other payments. Moody's says this would lead to a rise in borrowing costs temporarily but would not lead to a recession, and have long term benefits as the debt ceiling could not be applied in the future. It would be challenged by Republicans and go to the Supreme Court which would have to decide on the issue: "the validity of the public debt of the United States shall not be questioned." This drew 1338 comments on NYT. ...

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Early warning about the danger of a small group of individuals deciding the future of an important technology that has dangerous potential if placed in a few hands. With the dangers ever present that the pace of development is outpacing regulatory effort, and the profit enabling a few corporations to stifle regulatory effort in America's flawed democracy. Sam Altman is seen by the board of OpenAI as "hindering the efforts of the board to carry out its responsibilities." The tension of the board with Sam Altman comes from the thinking at the board that the rapid expansion of commercial offerings was not giving time to consider the safety implications of the products rolled out. Watching Joanna Stern of WSJ interview Sam Altman and Murali Murthi gives the impression that Altman was  moving too quickly and Murthi was saying the right things but lacked the experience and capacity to tackle AI's vast responsibilities. This also stems from the fact that what young Stanford and other tech graduates in their early thirties have done in the last 2 decades ends a chapter in America's tech history. AI is an entirely different technology which requires the involvement of major parts of America's whole technological and scientific community and its society, not just a few individuals. This is also the lesson from the pandemic for virus research where not just the Cambridge, Massachusetts community needed to be involved, but vast parts of America'a health and medicine scientific community and the American public. A million lives were lost in the pandemic in the US alone, and millions all over the world. It is a lesson that should never be forgotten- that technology can get out of control. ...

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Greg Ip of WSJ points out that DJT's tariffs are not fully understood. DJT did not use tariffs in the way he is doing now in his first term. Today Congress understands that it is a negotiating tactic when the US is at a disadvantage with other nations using non tariff and hidden barriers. Mostly all countries except China will accept the tariffs and it generates $240 billion a year to finance US resurgence. In the past US spent years of negotiating to get agreements with recalcitrant countries like Japan or China or the EU. The US just doesn't have that kind of time when it has lost its manufacturing, its shipbuilding, its shipping and ports. The average tariff under Biden was 3%. It now is about 13.4%. DJT strategy is to simply hit all imports with a 10-15% tariff across the board as price for access to the US market and for its defense and military protection- this means EU, Japan, South Korea,Taiwan, India cannot retaliate.  ...

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Google Alphabet able to raise $80 billion by issuing more stock with the share price only down slightly by about 3%. The huge amounts of money raised have an impact on borrowing rates (which increase) for other borrowers and reduce the amount of capital available for needs other than AI.  About 60% of the capital raised from share issuance, IPO's and other ways of raising capital is going into AI, making capital scarce for everyone else and for the economy's needs other than AI. Education, Healthcare, Infrastructure will all suffer. Infrastructure that is crumbling in the US and some of it from the middle of the last century needs to be rebuilt. AI is sucking up all these funds meant for infrastructure projects meaning that much of it is put further away in time. DJT and Biden promised infrastructure projects would get first priority. Will this happen? And who gets to decide what the Nation's priorities are?