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April 2025 WSJ forecast of recession in next 12 months is 45%. In 2022 and 2023 forecasts for recession in US were at 60% higher than the 2025 forecast of 45%, yet no recession happened.  It all depends on the USTR's Jamieson, and DJT's advisers Bessent, Luttnick, and Navarro, and Lighthizer, DJT using all their experience and carefully using Tariffs to achieve US goals. This means working out the details of the US economy, of inflation, GDP growth, cost of living, to maintain confidence of people in America, the confidence of the working people in America. Action on pharmaceuticals bringing production back home is a win as here it is a clear way to get companies to reduce prices. Permitting imports removing backward looking laws restricting pharmaceutical imports would create the competition that was missing. US automobile companies knowing the government has their back can actually cut prices in the first 12 months of 2025, with Toyota and Hyundai-Kia following suit. This would remove another source of inflation. On iphones and computers getting companies to create a new US+1 with India by 2027 would enable 60% of iphones and computers to be made in India and the US by 2027, The new strategy would be to combine the industrial base of India with the US to create plenty of good US jobs as the priority. Piece by piece the puzzle can be put together with attention to details and keeping overall goals in mind to restore US manufacturing and US industrial base, jobs, that will create its own tailwinds for decades of future growth.   ...

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David Carr writes about the movie "The Company Men," and how it should be a must see for American business. He says the movie uses the plot of a couple of rich guys losing their jobs, to ask one of the big questions for today: How is it that corporate profits and unemployment can be so high at the same time. And companies have a large amount of cash raised in capital markets at the same time that only a fraction of that is being invested to create new jobs.

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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau comes out of a playbook of one party that supported no changes in the Financial system in the US and no consequences for financial wrongdoing in the mortgage and banking speculation financial crisis of 2009 that upended the world's financial system. The Obama administration did little to tackle the root causes of the crisis and no serious consequences for financial wrongdoing. With financial interests vested in the structure of both parties work in the financial business could go on as usual with minor changes such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and financial settlements of no serious consequence. Along with this rural areas, farmers and agriculture were given less priority than Silicon Valley during the years of the Obama administration 2008-2016. The passion for a serious overhaul stems from the sense of injustice suffered by rural America and by tens of millions of middle class Americans who took the first blows with patches of period of less work or parttime work at low wages in a battered economy in the aftermath years of the global financial crisis caused by irresponsible bankers in the years 2010-2014. This strained finances and savings only to be followed in 2019 by the Covid pandemic imposing more strains on finances of American middle class and working class people. ...

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Car insurance and tariffs on Mexico made auto parts would take a 2 year lag in inflationary impact, says this report in WSJ. Insurance companies will wait to see the impact and how long the tariffs are in place. Tariffs are put in place to stop fentanyl flows through Canada, Mexico and China to the US, which have cost 490,000 deaths in the US over the last 12 years. Canada now fully supports the US for action to be taken and cites similar loss of lives in Canada from fentanyl comparable to the US for its smaller population. Much of the focus on tariffs is seen as economic action in the media, when as Commerce Secretary Luttnick pointed out it is being used as an instrument to get immediate action from countries that have not acted to stop the flow of fentanyl -action they should have done taken many years back. DJT's action is to protect average Americans, communities across the US that have lost their manufacturing base to Mexico and China, and are being hit by the flows of fentanyl across borders for over a decade now. Never in American history has this kind of flow across borders happened since the first settlers came to America in 1600. ...

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“Getting gas from America is always a good thing.” Alaska's governor Dunleavy tells Japanese and South Korean, Taiwanese investors. Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba says the LNG from Alaska is "wonderful for us." It takes just 7 days to get this LNG to South Korea or Japan.  Mike Dunleavy's plan, called Alaska LNG, is for a 800-mile pipeline from Prudhoe Bay that would feed gas to a to be built liquefied natural gas terminal at Nikiski near Anchorage. What was once just a hope as investors pulled out is now a reality with DJT telling Dunleavy, "lets get it done, let's not just talk about it." Note that something similar is likely to happen for car investments by Japanese and South Korean companies. Already Hyundia Kia has announced a $21 billion investment. For Alaska LNG pipeline South Korea has said this has "infinite possibilities for growth." US Navy is rebuilding for protecting the Asia-Pacific, Japan and South Korea know the importance of the actions of the new Republican administration for Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean region, and tariffs can be a time to invest more in American manufacturing and show restraint in pricing. ...

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Manufacturing output showed brisk growth in the first quarter of 2011, growing at four times the estimated rate for the overall U.S. economy. The PNC Financial Group estimates growth for the first quarter for the overall economy at 2%. This growth is supported by exports to developing countries in Asia and Latin America with the help of a weaker dollar. American companies are also increasing investment in computers, machinery and other equipment. This has increased growth and profits for companies such as Intel, Caterpillar, Eaton, and United Technologies. Manufacturing in the U.S. is rebounding from the sharp drop in 2008-2009. During the first quarter it increased at an annual rate of 9.1% according to the Federal Reserve. In the second half of 2011 manufacturing is expected to slow to about 4%, according to Manufacturer's Alliance/MAPI. So far manufacturing has shrugged off concerns about oil prices approaching $110 a barrel and the earthquake in Japan. This growth has pushed the Dow Jones Industrial Averages to 12453, the highest close since June 2008....

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Barrack Obama's speech on closing Guantanomo, on the constitution and its abiding values and principles by which he would like to live by and be guided by, in making the decisions on various issues related to national security. " I stand here today as someone whose own life was made possible by these documents. My father came to these shores in search of the promise that they offered. My mother made me rise before dawn to learn their thruths when I lived as achild in aforeign land. My own American journey was paved by gernerations of citizens who gave meaning to those simple words-- "to form a more perfect union." WIth that Obama in his characteristic style addressed the fears, the passions, and dangers presented by the response America makes to global terrorism. And tries to find in the founding documents,- to which he refers again and again- and inside his own inner sense of what it takes to honor those documents and the principles enshrined in them, the guidance of how he should lead the country....

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This writer appeals to old Cold War views and even before that the views of Russia from the 19th century when it was seen as a threat to the British Empire and Turkey, when he says the conflict in Georgia threatens American interests in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. The mountains of Afghanistan make it appear remote even from India much more from Georgia but in the grand strategy view all this is of no importance. And the conflict in Afghanistan has religious overtones with Islamic militants and involves Pakistan and other tribal and communal interests and now has become intertwined with the opium farming in the south. Besides America has no other interests in Afghanistan except it being used by elements like the Taliban and Islamic terrorist groups and has after the Soviet withdrawal left Afghanistan to itself, and the situation in Afghanistan is more a result of a conflict between India and Pakistan and of communal conflicts and creation of Taliban by support from Pakistan at that time....

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Reading for pleasure leisure reading in US at 29% and 23% for women and men in 2004 drops to 18% and 14%. Lyrarc's Movement for Global Literacy seeks to revive the practice of reading step by step including reading in English in the modern world, for improved functioning as citizens of the modern world, and enhancing the practice of reading for curiosity in different fields to expand one's horizons and that of society at large. The decline of reading is about 40% studies done by the University of Florida and the University College of London show, much larger than anyone thought possible over 2 decades in which the Nation has lost some of its dynamism. More shocking is that only 2% of 240,000 Americans followed in this study over 2003 to 2023, a mere 5000 parents out of 240,000 read to children every day. Equally shocking is that half of all Americans about 46% do not read at all and most have parents not in the habit of reading. Bad as 150 second attention span sounds  as average for Americans in 2004 UC Irvine professor Gloria Mark says this is now a mere 47 seconds. This is what social media and interactions with google, internet have done to America. The major loss is in the happiness that leisure reading and reading for fun gives us, the deep loss  for our mental well being that reduces stress and anxiety makes us feel better, says Sonke of the University of Florida study. ...

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Jaishankar was asked at the 2021 GLOBSEC conference in Bratislava in 2021 why he thinks anyone will help India in case of a problem with China after it did not help others for Ukraine. Chancellor Scholz of Germany cites Indian Foreign Minister Jasihankar's remarks in Bratislava, Slovakia, in 2021. Jaishankar said- "Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problems, but the world's problems are not Europe's problems. That is if it is you it's yours, if it is me it is ours. I see reflections of that. There is a linkage today which is being made. A linkage betwen China and India and what's happening in Ukraine. Chia and India happened way before anything happened in Ukraine. The Chinese do not need a precedent somewhere else on how to engage us or not to engage us or be difficult with us or not to be difficult with us." These are Scholz's remarks at the Munich Security Conference. Scholz says Jaishankar has "a point."  "This quote from the Indian Foreign Minister is included in this year's Munich Security Report and he has a point it would't be Europe's problem alone if the law of the strong were to assert itself in international relations." To be credible European or North American in New Delhi or Jakarta, it is not enough to emphasize shared values. "We generally have to address the interests and concerns of these countries as a basic prerequisite for joint action. And that's why it was so important to me to not merely have representatives of Asia, Africa and Latin America at the negotiating table during the G-7 Summit last June. I really wanted to work with these regions to find solutions to the main challenges they face growing poverty and hunger, partly as a consequence of Rusia's war, as well as the impact of climate change or COVID-19. There is another side to this -Scholz and Germany's president Frank Walter-Steinmeier are from the social Democrats party which has sought closer cooperation with Russia, and also carry a great deal of ambivalence for the war. America is not fighting this indirect war in its neighborhood, Germany is. And some of the roots of this conflict go back to the Napoleonic invasion of Russia in the 1800's period and the German invasion in the 1940's. Macron is even more ambivalent in his position and he has remained this way from the beginning- not committed to humiliating Russia. In a way it is the position of the Social Democrats from the historical context of Germany's invasion of Russia, and Christian Democrats eagerness to create a German recovery with low cost Russian energy that created the dependence that Russia sought to use. In what it sees as the unfairness of NATO being allowed to expand right next to its borders. Because of a sense of righteousness on both sides- Russia of the Soviet period failing to see the feelings of a Budapest in 1956, East Berlin in 1953, and Prague in 1968, sees little wrong in an invasion of Kviv. And with it all the biography of Brezhnev the last leader of the Soviet Union, describes that very struggle in the Great Patriotic War the soviets fought against Nazi Germany which was fought by Ukrainians including Leonid Brezhnev with great will and purpose against all odds.  Cambridge historian has written the history of Europe that Scholz is cited to be reading in 2021- Europe The Struggle for Supremacy 1453 to the Present.  It shows Europe since 1453 engaging in balance of power of European powers, Sweden Denmark, Russia, Austria, Germany, France, Britain, Turkey, continually for 500 years. Europe simply forgot its own history. Asia including Japan, China, Indonesia and India, simply emerging from the situation of falling behind in science, technology, and the industrial revolution and building their economies with the help of the US since the Meiji Restoration in Japan in 1868. The Balance of Power Simms says was maintained for 500 years is simply based on no country allowed to act with impunity, no country allowed to do whatever it wanted because of its position of strength at that moment or period of time. In that situation all other powers regrouped to keep the balance from being upset. The war in Ukraine is also likely to end in a way that is consistent with that which Brendan Simms writes about because this has not changed now for over 500 years. Biden knows this and it has fallen on America to shoulder the burden for this in the last 150 years, Scholz is aware of this, Modi in India sees this, and Jinping in China realizes this even with its concerns about Taiwan.   ...

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Lenovo reorganization on geographical lines with divisions for China; North America; Europe, Middle East, and Africa; Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. Former Acer executive Lanci will assume charge of the EMEA region. Lenovo is looking for growth in overseas markets after consolidating its position in the Chinese market.

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Share of US Counties where 95% of Kindergarteners are vaccinated against Measles drops to 28% from 50% in Washington Post Investigation of 44 states December 2025. 95% vaccination rate is what experts say is needed for "herd immunity" or overall protection in a class. Washington Post examination of data shows marked deterioration from 2018-2019 school year to 2024-2025 school year data and public records. That is 5.3 million children are exposed from lack of herd immunity from measles now compared to 3.5 million children earlier increase of 1.8 million children. This Wash. Post investigation shows 19,000 schools are exposed and one can go to this article to find on a map how your school district and country are doing in the 44 states. A big problem is emerging from public skepticism and politics in vaccination. For generations schools required vaccination proof- by 1980 all 50 states had laws covering students first entering school. And caught in vaccine politics legislatures are creating religious and other exemptions that have weakened laws. Wash. Post says it's examination shows not a single County in Idaho, Louisiana, Oregon Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin meet the 50% vaccinated requirement for measles required for herd immunity. This could mean more of these diseases will be brought back home including whooping cough to affect elderly and infants. Democratic districts such as in St Louis and Chicago also see drop in measles vaccination rates. In the sense that newly decolonized countries since 1950 such as China and India have emerged with good health systems and mandated vaccination , other public health action, there is a great need for the US to focus on bringing back the public awareness that existed after the 1940's in the US that resulted in significant advances in public health in the US in the FDR, Eisenhower, Kennedy, LBJ and Reagan administrations. It shows there is no victory in public health. A lot of work needs to be done, as much of the gains can get undone by events and public awareness is necessary. As pharmaceuticals, chemicals and plastics and bad nutritional habits took over American lives there is an effort under Kennedy at HHS to tackle that health crisis, but it brings with it challenges that date from the pandemic and different responses in different parts of the US to mandatory vaccination which also have to be met through education not social media. ...

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After months of uncertainty and waiting for concessions, offering temporary exemptions, the Trump administration announced tariffs will go into effect on steel and aluminium imported from the European Union, Canada and Mexico. A tariff of 10% on aluminium and 25% on steel goes into effect on May 31st, 2018. The tariffs affect about half of the imports of steel and aluminium into the U.S. and are intended to keep promises to protect American industry made by president Trump during his election campaign.

Mexico and the European Union are imposing retaliatory tariffs. The European Union will impose tariffs on $3 billion of American goods in retaliation. 

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Dilma Rousseff's experiences as a student under the military dictatorship in Brazil in 1970. The years of the military dictatorship span 1964 to 1985. Other leaders who suffered detention and torture include Bachelet of Chile and Mujica of Uruguay. These leaders rarely talk about their experiences as they have changed from their years as students and Latin America has been transformed in the last two decades by democratic governments. The economic goals have now been achieved in a peaceful way.

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Chrysler's sales are dropping the fastest of all the car companies . April 2009 sales dropped 24% from March 2009. Ford sales are doing better than Toyota, as they declined in April over same month prior year by 32%, compared to 42% for Toyota. It appears that the Buy American factor may be helping Ford Motor more than the other American car companies, and that Chrysler also suffers from the lack of new models with new technology and investment in new features. At GM the situation is better at Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC, where sales in April 2009 declined by 29%, over same month prior year, which compares with a 55% decline in sales, of Pontiac, Hummer, Saab, and Saturn brands which are likely to be dropped. See the related link on same day on steep fall in Chrysler sales.

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The famous Chilean author of books including: A Long Petal of the Sea, talks to the BBC about her life and travels, about her home country Chile. She left Chile in 1975, spent 13 years in Venezuela and three decades in California. Here she talks about Chile as Pablo Neruda describes it as that long petal on the sea, a country with an insular mentality surrounded by high Andes range, Patagonia, and the Atacama desert. She is not entirely critical of Chile's development under the administrations that came after the dictatorship years. Chile has some upward mobility, the economic conditions have improved compared to the rest of Latin America even though a lot remains to be done. The events in Venezuela show the limits of regimes that have attempted change. Even with administrations from both ends of the spectrum Argentina has turned to the IMF in economic crisis the last in 2018. Brazil has seen a commodities boom followed by a severe bust, and the lack of funding for basic services including sanitation and health. This gives a sobering view of the economic situation in Latin America. Allende says Chile has modernized and created prosperity though at some social cost.  Isabel Allende is still nostalgic about her home country and still calls it home as she reaches 75 years, with a world wide audience for her books in 42 languages, 70 million copies sold. ...

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A short video showing how the Sustainable Development Goal of Clean Water for every rural household brings Swaraj to India's villages. Clean safe and easily accessible through home tap water for all rural households is the goal of the Har Ghar Jal Mission with target date of 2024. India will have modernized by 2035 as a nation but never could one forget the humble beginnings with Har Ghar Jal and Swacch Bharat- of clean drinking water and sanitation as basic human rights. Setting the pace for all of Asia, Africa and Latin America. Japan has embraced the UN's 17 SDG's, so has India in its own way, both setting an example for the rest of the world.

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 High school geography teacher Tim Walz says of actions taken such as the universal school meals signed into Minnesota law earlier this year, as simple common sense. “What a monster! Kids are eating and having full bellies so they can go learn and women are making their own healthcare decisions,” Walz says. Walz has the common sense that is lacking  when a failed cultural mindset puts everything into neatly labeled boxes such as "liberal" and "progressive." It took 50 yeas to get to this point after Reagan and four southern politicians two from Texas and two from Georgia and Arkansas left America in this mess where school meals vs going hungry is debated in political terms.

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At the gathering in the White House with the Los Angeles Dodgers the president DJT says-

"The scouting report at the start of the series said that the Dodgers could win by focusing on the fundamentals, and that’s exactly what they did.” There was the 5 run comeback in Game 5.

“You showed America that it’s not about individual glory. It’s about the team digging deep and sprinting right through first base."

Lighthizer, Jamieson and Bessent on the economic team at the administration need the same skills and digging deep for a just cause of a level playing field in world trade.

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The large response triggered on the internet by Anne-Marie Slaughter's article in the July/August 2012 issue of the Atlantic on women and work, how it is difficult for women to work and raise children without making changes in today's American society so that a healthy balance can be achieved.

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Food insecurity is a major issue for countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa, as this DW.com report from Bogota, Colombia shows. A big problem is that the informal economy is a big part of the economies of these countries, and governments try as they do, have difficulty tackling the income and other issues facing workers in the informal economy- street vendors, migrant workers, and others.

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USAID Administrator Samantha Powers talk at the IIT- Delhi is covered in detail in the Indian Express. Powers says India's aid to Sri Lanka with $3.5 billion in credit lines during the pandemic is an example of the kind of help the US and India have made to assist poor countries. She sees ever broader and deeper cooperation between the US and India to help African, Asian and Latin American nations build a better future.

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This WSJ report cites estimates showing 11 job openings in the US, with 6.9 million people looking for work or unemployed. About 5 million more job openings than people seeking work. Low wage sectors are hit hard with people shunning these sectors. People are quitting jobs looking for higher wages, better benefits and working conditions, better work-life balance. In August 4.3 million workers quit their jobs as the American workforce goes through big changes.

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Union efforts to unionize workers at a VW Tennessee plant after successful wage bargaining in the midwestern states where American automakers are based. Having similar wages and benefits, working conditions, at southern plants of German and Japanese makers in places such as Alabama and Tennessee makes it possible for workers in the South gain the same benefits and wages enjoyed by workers in the midwest, at a time when workers are struggling to meet cost of living.