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Canada's pitch to the US before tough negotiations with Jamieson Greer to preserve Canada's automobile industry, its aluminium industry, dairy industry with benefits gained in the past. US had also put forward its pitch for 82% North American content and 50% of it from the US for all automobiles sold in the US. Carney takes a positive approach presenting Canada as a strong partner that would Make America Great Again by offering its vast mineral resources, and its resources of oil and LNG. It says LNG will double from 2030 to 2040 from 50 million to 100 million tonnes of LNG annually. 56 critical minerals agreements with $18 billion in investment, doubling the electricity grid for lowest cost power and second lowest emission in OECD countries. Canada is an anomaly in trade says Sir Ivor Jennings in his book on the British Commonwealth. Its trade east to west is an anomaly when if it was truly apart of the North American economic region it would trade north to south. This is the result of Montgomery's failure to take Quebec during the War of Independence as Washington planned the war with Britain. For instance Ontario would trade with Vermont and New Hampshire and New York near its borders. Instead the dairy industry in Canada operates in competition with the US and sends product east to west. Washington and Oregon are not trading normally with neighbors British Columbia instead shipping product back to eastern Canada. For years the US allowed Canada and Mexico benefits in trade that hurt is own auto industry. Jamieson Greer is expected to change this so that US manufacturing can compete with China and European Union on a level playing field. ...

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Mann Ki Baat June 2026 Visions of Milkha Singh- India in the 100 Meters, 200 Meters, 500 Meters, Modi talks to Indian Athletes, Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur. Gurindervir Singh is from a family with father and grandfather in sports from the 1950's. He is India's fastest athlete in the 100 meters. Here he talks to Modi about his experiences competing in Indian athletics. He is part of the Indian Navy. One of the things he had to overcome is the sentiment that Indians could not compete with world class athletes like Roger Bannister in the sprint and fast running. He hope to dispel this sentiment. He is also a reminder of the achievements of Milkha Singh from his community in the Rome Olympics in 1960 where he came in 4th. Milkha Singh(known in India as the Flying Sikh) won the gold medal in 1958 and in 1962 at the Asian Games in the 200 meters and 400 meters races and the 4x400 Meters relay. He was part of the Indian Army. Kishane Thompson is one of the fastest sprinters under 10 seconds for 100 meters with most of the sprinters in top ten worldwide from the US or Jamaica. A whole new world is opening up in athletics in India with building of world class facilities, gyms, government support for athletes, and social recognition of the importance of athletics and sports. This extends to women's sports and the pesonal support to women's sports is well known throughout India from the prime minister. One of the aspects of running in Kenya, and Jamaica, is the hard scrabble conditions, which Indian athletes including Milkha Singh experienced, people from all parts of the country, without the necessary resources are also competing in sports in India in 2026. ...

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LA City and County  tax increases- increasing hotel tax from 14 to 16% and increasing sales tax to over 10% in 2026.

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The remarkable story of coronavirus vaccine given at 14,000 feet in the Himalayas of Arunachal Pradesh in India. A team trekked for 9 hours to reach a village in Tawang district so that 16 yak grazers could be given the vaccine. These grazers were away from home grazing their yaks and had missed an earlier vaccination camp. The village is aerially 30 miles from the Tibet border. The trek took them through dense forests, swampy stretches, and the Luguthang river, crossing two mountain peaks.

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The Hindu data team looks at the Indian vaccination drive with graphs by state and progress by dates. During the first 10 days of June the vaccination drive has been stepped up. It is now over 3 million a day and at this rate should reach 400 million vaccinated by the end of July, 100 million below target. For the remainder of the year vaccine supplies have to be pushed up so that 8 million doses can be given each day. This would get India to where everyone in the country of 1.2 billion has been vaccinated by Dec 31, 2021. This would make it possible for India to then use its technology and large manufacturing capacity to help other nations in Asia, Africa and Latin America in 2022. This is the first time in history that India has taken on a challenge of this size and complexity. The vaccine strategy has changed to where the federal government is taking over the overall responsibility of coordinating the production of vaccines in the country and providing access to vaccines from other countries. Federal government is also taking on overall responsibility for distribution of vaccines and setting up the logistical effort. Vaccine supply is being opened up by opening India to multiple vaccines including Pfizer, Moderna, and other vaccines. Production of Covaxin is being stepped up. This strategy is designed to get India to somewhere closer to the 8 million doses a day needed and to ensure distribution and logistical efforts are in place. More resources are put into the effort. The speed of economic recovery also depends on the vaccination drive. Lessons were learned during the second wave in May 2021 and the government is better prepared for the hard work ahead. ...

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The campaign in German schools "Smart ohne phone" or "Smart without a phone"  for school children in 2025. One student at Dalton High School in Alsdorf, North Rhine Westphalia, Klara Ptak, is cited in this report by  Oliver Pieper in DW.com. Klara 17 years old says- "A total of 51 phones were seized — that's a fairly significant number considering we have 700 students. And you can really see a difference, especially in the younger kids. They used to stand around in a circle staring at their screens, and now they are playing football, badminton, or board games together. It's a dramatic shift." A survey by the Körber Foundation, and pollster Forsa, says that parents of children ages 12 to 18 complain that their children's time spent on social media is out of control and is their leading source of stress. The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina is for banning phones upto tenth grade, it wants to keep children under 13 away from the internet for social media completely. It is interesting to note that the younger student are fine with it and adapted quickly seeing the benefits. This shows that a new generation of student can be trained for a different lifestyle. Today in the Washington Post Linda McMahon and RFK Jr. team up on an article saying just this that time spent on screens lifestyles along with nutrition and food fail school children badly, reminding people about the saying in Latin since the 2nd Century by poet Juvenal -"a healthy mind in a healthy body." ( Latin -"mens sana in corpore sano").   ...

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Online protest video of 12 year old Zulma Gonzalez leads to Mexican government changing policy to get 1 million at risk children vaccinated.

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The GM management does not get it , the GM spokesman does not get it, the workers don't get it, says Andrew Sorkin from what he hears them say. GM faces many problems, too many dealerships, too many models and brands, and union benefits and retiree benefits from another world of post 50's economic expansion, that can only be solved by a government sponsored bankruptcy or GSB. GSB is a necessary part of the solution as chapter 11 makes solutions possible without dealerships suing as state laws protect dealerships, unions striking and management insisting on the status quo. In all he sees the 35 plants of GM and Chrysler cut in half, only the Chevrolet , Cadillac and Buick and Jeep brands retained and Dodge Ram pickups merged with Chevrolet, in a GM-Chrysler merger. He cites Deutsche Bank's estimates that reducing the brands to the 3 mentioned for GM would reduce costs by $5 billion annually and reducing the dealerships by another $4 billion. Buick would be retained because its a huge seller in China. The government would setup a warranty insurance fund to insure the warranties of all GM and Chrysler vehicles bought while they are in Chapter 11. And some of the rescue money would go into retraining and helping promote new industry....

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China's dependence on an export sector that is uncertain 14% growth (EV's electronics) vs. 0.2% growth in domestic spending April 2026. Costlier energy inputs are affecting China in the way that is affecting Germany's economy in 2026. The US has increased tariffs, Germany and the EU are likely to do the same as they see their economy erode with Chinese exports in German markets replacing German manufacturing. China has set 4.5% growth target much of it from ramping up exports and depends on cheaper inputs for energy as Germany has done for economic growth. This is being gradually eroded as US/EU want to reindustrialize and make things and products realizing the errors in industrial policy of previous administrations Bush and Obama in US and Schroeder/Merkel in Germany. At the same time India wants to be a manufacturing hub like China. When that happens by 2030 China's growth will be similar to the US of 2-3% a year as exports decrease. Eastern India is the New East and South China with 700 million people for the first time in 2025-2026 under double engine governments. Double engine meaning state, local and federal governments all under the same party (the BJP National party) so that industrial policy is conducted along the lines of a Master Plan tested in western Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. This has been seen before. As Japan rapid rise of the 1960's and 1970's slowed by 1980, China's rapid rise of the 1990's and 2000's slowed by 2025 and India in 2025 is picking up from China in the way China picked up from Japan. This means an industrialized US and EU, rapidly industrializing India will face a slowing China and aging China by 2030. Knowing this pattern helps US and EU leaders, Indian leaders, look at the long term in their plans, having confidence in their investments in industrial progress for the next 5 years. ...

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The media in US and in Europe presents the US and China on a confrontational course little aware that there is quietly emerging a new trend encouraged by both leaders of the two world powers. "Strategic Stability" in US -China relations instead of China seen as a rival and a threat- is now the goal of Xi Jinping of China in 2026 US-China dialogues and meetings. This was abundantly clear during the DJT visit to Beijing August 14 2026 and will continue to shape relations during Xi's visit in September. This is different from the confrontational attitude taken by both DJT in the first administration and Biden in his four years in office. The result is that these tensions are being gradually brought down which started in 2014, were exacerbated by Covid pandemic in 2019, and were put to the test in 2025 with tariffs policies of the incoming DJT administration. A decade of mistrust now being replaced by  buildup of cooperation, establishing a sense of trust and friendship. Partly out of necessity and partly from choice.This was not secured by giving up on issues the US or China saw as important. US did not concede anything on issues of fentanyl entering the US from Mexico, and tariffs for reducing trade deficits. Similarly China did not concede much on issues it saw as important, mutual respect for China as a significant power, and seeing China's different system of government and industrialization as legitimate and worthy of respect. On Hong Kong and on Taiwan both sides decided to see ambiguity and live and let live as the best option. So that in 2026 nothing, not the Iran War or anything that happens in the Middle East is to be allowed to deter both sides from making the educated good and decent choices that are available to them based on attitude of mutual respect.  ...

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BBC's look at Andy Burnham, whom it calls "King of the North" having won 60% of the vote as Mayor of Greater Manchester for three successive terms. A brief look at Andy Burnham's life. His father was a BT enginee and his mother a GP receptionist both strong Labour party supporters. He studied for a Masters degree in English at Cambridge. BBC says he was inspired to join Labour at age 14 years after seeing a documentary "Boys from the Blackstuff,"' about life in the city of Liverpool for the disadvantaged. He is a soccer player and Everton soccer team fan, who played for Lancashire schoolboys cricket team. He starts out as ajournalist working for trade magazines, then as researcher for the MP for Duwich, later joining the Blair movement that returned Labour to power. Under Blair he was junior minister, then MP for Leigh in the Manchester area. He moved to Cabinet Minister under Gordon Brown as chief secretary to the Treasury and Health Secretary. With Conservatives in power he was Shadow Home Secretary under Jeremy Corbyn in the Opposition. He ran against Jeremy Corbyn and Ed Milliband for the leadership of the Labour Party before being elected as Mayor of Greater Manchester three times with 60% of the vote. As Mayor he put the bus and transport system back under government control and built the Bee Network, which is one of his success stories in Manchester. He is seen as the only Labour leader who enjoys confidence of the British public from the way he ran the large local government of Manchester. With UK Reform winning local elections he is seen as the leader who can bring confidence back to Labour, and to Britain as it navigates the post Brexit environment and strives for renewal of Britain, its economy and role in Europe. ...

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NYT's Simon Romero looks at Cumano in Venezuela, and the breakdown of water, electricity,  industry, and education systems in this city. How efforts to solve inequality without a grasp of how a modern economy works can lead to something worse. And how good intentions are not enough, lack of understanding and knowledge of of a government (Chavez and successors), on how industry, infrastructure for water and electricity, education and healthcare works is dangerous. Immersion in the rhetoric (Chavismo) makes things worse. Appeals to Simon Bolivar (history), mass communication (Alo Presidente), religious symbolism (socialist motherland and victory) and us vs them, (the marginalized poor and the established elites), mean little and take an entire nation backwards for making industrial progress and infrastructure building,  creating a strong modern economy. It in fact turns out to be dangerous and counterproductive, breaking up the very productive forces that are needed to build a modern economy. The Japanese visited and carefully studied the US transformation into an industrial advanced economy in the 1890's Meiji era, the Chinese visited and studied the Japanese plus the US transformation into industrial advanced economies in the 1990's, and Indians visited and studied the Japanese, Chinese, and American transformation into industrial advanced economies by 2014 in Gujarat State, to spread that model to all states to achieve the goal of building infrastructure, manufacturing, and modernization. America made some careful choices under Lincoln, TR, FDR, Truman and Eisenhower to achieve this transformation. Bringing factory labor, farmers, professional classes, and factory owners together under FDR with his first experiment in New York state building modern institutions with Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, and industrial interests, then repeating this across 51 states in the Union as president of the US. Frances Perkins documents this in her book "The Roosevelt I Know." ...

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Harris Interactive survey in 2024 finds 73% of French people support social media age limits for under 15 years and 15-18 years children. A bill will take this up in the French parliament Jan 19, 2026. The sceptical approach in this Politico Report is incomprehensible considering the negative effects of social media on children.

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Wilders party in Netherlands once with one fourth of vote now only fourth largest in parliament after 7 members defect Feb 2026 because of the autocratic nature of Wilders control of his Party for Freedom (PVV). It has roiled Dutch politics when Wilders withdrew his support and Rutte government lasted 2 years. A new coalition with Wilders joining the government of Rutte's successor also has collapsed quickly. In the 2025 elections the New Social Contract Party which campaigned for good governance as part of that coalition was wiped out and Wilders did not do as well as he expected losing 11 seats to end up with 26 seats in parliament of 150 seats and 16% of the vote surpassed by a new centre left party D66 with 26 seats and 17% of the vote. What Wilders has accomplished is the sense that all parties now accept that there is a Dutch way of life and immigrants do not just fit into it, that integration is only a concept that does not work in real life.

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Homeowners in California average ownership 17 years instead of 12 for US- reason is that property tax increases in California were limited to 2% a year under Prop. 13 of 1978, so older owners stay put. The result is fewer home on the market as older home owners avoid paying the higher property taxes for new homes that could be 10X what they pay under the old rules. This drives home prices up. Median home price is $900,000 in California.

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Berkshire new CEO Greg Abel 2026, Berkshire 2026 stock positions- Apple $60 billion American Express $55 billion Bank of America $25 billion, Coca Cola $25 billion, Chevron $20 billion, Chubb $10 billion. In addition GEICO wholly owned by Berkshire generates about $42 billion yearly in cash from premiums which can be used to invest in companies. By pursuing an affluent demographic American Express gets operating profit margins of 16% and return on equity of about 30%.  Apple has about 27% in net profit margin and 151% in return on equity in 2025. Because of the high affluence demographic of these two companies it offers a strong base for performance for Berkshire. The insurance company GEICO and its reinsurance operations offer a steady stream of cash. This  is the base on which Berkshire has done well over the last two decades. The efficient markets hypothesis moderate form for investors says that publicy available information is reflected in stock prices to a great extent except for anomalies and behavioural aspects. When investors use a basket of 1000 stocks reflecting the economy as Vanguard core index funds, the anomalies and behavioural aspects are less prevalent or cancel each other out creating a strong form of the efficient markets hypothesis in practice for investing discipline. Benjamin Graham, the mentor for all investment leaders would accept this as a way of securing investment gains without the vagaries and uncertainty in selecting stock positions. In 2025 the Berkshire funds achieved 10% gains vs the S&P 500 index which gained 17%, proof that the average investor can do just as well as the so called sage of Omaha, Warren Buffett. ...

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Gordon and Dowell report in WSJ on F-16's and Houthi use of radar turned on at the last minute. Ballistic missile aimed at aircraft carrier Harry Truman that caused it to change direction. Stretched forces in the Gulf region a warning from Gen Dan Caine of the US Air Force on capabilities. This is an account of the lessons learned from the Operation Rough Rider to get the Houthis to stop attacks on shipping in the Red Sea Suez route, including an attack on a Greek ship that had 1 million barrels of oil which after damage could have truned into an environmental disaster worse than the Exxon Valdez.  It shows the risks of the war, risks of stretching the forces and the fleet, the calculated risks taken each time as the US faces both the need to keep peace and shipping safe in the region and also address challenges in Taiwan and the Pacific, challenges closer to home in Latin America to keep America safe with the Monroe Doctrine. Every bit helps including the US doing the right thing, not being belligerant but standing up where it is right, working with the Russians and Chinese, and the Indians, with the Europeans, for what is fair and does good for the world at large. And working with the Europeans on a settlement of conflict in Europe that detracts from the need for addressing challenges that hurt the well being of the people of the world in Asia, Latin America, and the rest of the world. ...

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It might not all make sense that the Pakistan/China mediated ceasefire conditions (including US and Israeli condition of no nuclear weapons development and ballistic missile development) are really not known even in the media today, only known to the Iranian government and the US government. In these conditions Iran's government gets to show that it had achieved its goals, even with enormous reconstruction costs of the damage done during the war. DJT had pointed to a sort of regime change in Iran after most of the earlier leadership has been removed, and new leaders in place who are keen on setting up conditions for their own administration replacing the old one.  Over the period 2027-2030 the prospect is real that China, India and Japan may shift their oil supplies sources to other regions, increase conservation per unit of GDP, and increase supplies of renewable energy, steps already taken by Germany over the last decade. Most media looks only what happens today and in 2026. This may be the last of the Middle East Wars before Europe and the US, and India, China, Japan shift away from the Middle East to get supplies of fossil fuels, and it may bring new renewables technologies that reduce the dependence on fossil fuels to the point of making a true transition to renewable energy. It may also be the last of the Middle East Wars in the sense that people of European nations and the US insist on no involvement in MIddle East as a sort of quagmire for squandering American, European and Asian vital resources of people and capital, ample example being given over the last 40 years. Considering the costs of the war and the moral cost of destroying infrastructure such as power plants that hurt the local population more than the regime in power, China, Japan, the US, and EU, India may find it is easier to race each other in coming up with alternative supplies and shifting to renewable energy faster than planned, making Middle Eastern oil supplies  and volatility in prices redundant, which would be a good thing after the hugely negative and costly experience of the last 50 years of dependence.     ...

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Scholz of Germany and Xi of China meet for private talks at the G-20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2024. Efforts are made to avoid tit for tat tariffs on EV's and settle Ukraine war.