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More than half the calories Americans eat is from ultra processed foods- it makes RFK Jr. admonition "Eat Real Food" a Big Deal. It is all about eating whole foods and avoiding packaged foods and sweetened foods. It says NO to more than 10% of daily calories from added sugars. It says whole milk and yogurt is good for you.

“My message is clear,” Kennedy told a White House press briefing. “Eat real food.” The new Dietary Guidelines take out the pyramid used for 30 years and make the message clear and outright plain- avoid artificial foods, packaged foods, added sugars, ultra processed foods altogether. A plate now replaces the pyramid and shows a carton of whole milk at the top, a block of cheese, a steak., fruits and vegetables, whole grains.

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Italian cooking in Italy- do's and don'ts for good Italian cooking. Food, agriculture around food is big in Italy. It adds up to $228 billion with huge export potential. Packaged product including pasta at $100 billion and about $136 billion for product consumed in restaurants and coffee shops. UNESCO has given its label to Italy as a top culinary place in the world.

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Protein supplement intake and protein sources in food.

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The US envoy to Belarus responds to overtures from Belarus's leader Lukashenko for improved relations, release of hundreds of political prisoners including the husband of a opposition leader who is thought to have won the last Belarus open elections in 2020. Today it is not realized that politicians with lack of vision or foresight - Bush, Obama, Merkel, failed to grasp that in 2020 two events happened that were linked- the Belarus electons bringing another pro-EU government on Russia's border which was squashed before it could take office and the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong also squashed in 2020 by China PRC. Crimea was made part of Russia in 2014 when Ukrainian protesters in Kviv and Lviv near Poland ousted the government of pro Russia leader Yanukovych in the Maidan revolution. Russia under Putin responded 2014-2020 with a simmering effort to take parts of eastern Ukraine that were close to and sympathetic to Russia. This was an effort to counter NATO or pro-EU countries coming to Russia's borders in the way JFK opposed pro-Russian regime in Cuba. Obama and Merkel never understood or grasped this or were too involved in the eurozone, migration crises (Merkel) or war in Afghanistan (Obama). The result was that in 2020 Russia helped squash the election results in Belarus with another pro-EU government impending. Within 2 years Russia under Putin with tacit Chinese support invaded Ukraine in Feb 2022. Belarus shares a border with Russia and it is closely allied with Russia in the Eurasian Economic Zone that includes former Soviet Bloc countries such as Kazakhstan. Gradually following the recovery of the Russian economy by 2010 the emphasis shifted to create something similar to the Soviet Union, a bloc of countries in central Asia and in Eastern Europe that are part of a Russian sphere of influence. For much of the period of the Obama/ Merkel administrations in US and Germany this was ignored as most of the politicians never gave Russia the importance it sought, not accepting that the economic power was not measured only in GDP- also in science and technology, nuclear technologies, space, in energy resources, and Russia's position in Northern/Central Europe and Central Asia since 1700.  It is this situation that the DJT administration faced with US challenges of the Mexican and Venezuelan drug and people trafficking in the western hemisphere has responded with the Monroe Doctrine to reassert American influence in Latin America by respecting Russia's effort to have some measure of influence on its borders, that the US seeks on it's borders. Without Russian or Chinese intervention in Latin America and with the the Monroe Doctrine in place America can protect the interests of the American people and the people of Latin America for free and good government. What Bush, Obama, Merkel lost sight of is that by each power having some strong measure of influence in their regions, and the tendencies for benevolent influence put in place, there is significantly more room for respecting the hopes and aspirations of people in their regions through democratic or other people oriented forms of government than by the situation in which economically the US was dominant after the fall of the Berlin Wall but other influences would lead to US decline- open but not free trade with China, and the recovery of the Russian economy, drug and people trafficking by gangs in Latin America where the Monroe Doctrine for US leadership had prevailed till the 1960's. ...

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Lula and Milei clash at Mercosur. Lula of Brazil talks about a humanitarian crisis in US policy to pressure Venezuela's military installed government but fails to say that a third of Venezuela's population, about 10 million people have left the country as refugees to neighboring countries including Colombia and the US. Inflation at over 100% and mismanagement of the economy have destroyed a once relatively affluent oil producing country in Latin America. Hyperinflation in 2018, and 270% inflation in 2025, and lack of open free elections, lack of food and medicine. A story of socialist ideas that have led to military involvement in politics followed by economic disaster in the western hemisphere, in a country that had a educated middle class and a thriving oil industry. Not since the Spanish opening up Latin America to immigration from Europe by 1600 has the continent of Latin America seen such a mass migration which is not reflected in many media outlets including the NYT, Washington Post and BBC, Guardian. The blockade by the US of oil into and out of Venezuela is affecting Cuba and other countries which depend on this oil. ...

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The inheritance tax in US kicks in at $15 million Swiss reject inheritance tax at $62 million in referendum.

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NY city Mayor elect Mamdani and DJT meet at the White House on November 20 2025. DJT has kind words for Mamdani and a a collegial spirit for the young mayor elect.

Elle Bisgaard-Church, close adviesr to Zohran Mamdani was present at the meeting and says “we were very heartened” by having the chance to meet the president and discuss the affordability crisis in New York City. Bisgaard said Trump “understands that New York City is a special place” and “he’s willing to join us”  in bringing down the cost of living in New York. Both the president and the young mayor emphasized their shared goal for the good of New York's people and effort to bring down the cost of living that has surged unbelievably in the last 5 years leading to a life from paycheck to paycheck. 

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Instead of $20 billion proposed before Argentine elections when the country was facing economic pressures, banks will lend $5 billion in a short term facility, according to this report in WSJ November  20 2025 

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The US Federal Reserve Report on Economic Wellbeing of US Households 2024-May 2025 gives some insights into the well being of American households. It shows food insufficiency households the same in 2023-2025 at 7%. The situation for cost of living remains a concern in 2024 as well as 2025. Retirement savings have improved for many middle class Americans, as confirmed by reports from Fidelity and Vanguard. The people earning less than 25,000 are 19% and about the same in 2024 under Biden as under DJT in 2025. 39% make $100,000 or more and 26% make $50,000 -$100,000. Combining the 19% making less than $25,000 and the 16% making between $25,000 and $50,000 shows about one third of the population under $50,000 living paycheck to paycheck. It would appear that $2000 DJT rebate putting $160 billion out of $550 billion of tariff revenues for 2025-2026  in the hands of 79 million households that make less than $100,000 would go a long way to keep the situation stable with optimism and hope arising from the restructuring of world trade that would bring trillions of dollars of investment into the US from Europe and Asia. A this investment plus domestic investment should bring back jobs and higher incomes to US manufacturing in small towns across America. The rest of $550 billion tariff revenue of $390 billion would go to reducing the deficit which would improve prospects for the economy in 2027 and produce a more resilient economy in 2027-2028. As shown on this page the popular Democratic Governor of Michigan in her op-ed in Washington Post supports strategic tariffs, and supports using the revenue for a check to American workers of $2000 per worker or per worker household and offers to work with the opposite party to get a WIN-WIN for the American People.  In the whole process of trade tariffs it must be remembered when seeing the inconsistent cases of tariff use by this Republican administration that these were special reason situations not aberrations or whimsical. First, it should be borne in mind that behind the appearance of DJT making tariff decisions is a carefully thought out process that took ten years to form under Reagan era Trade Representative Lighthizer who negotiated with Japan, and his deputy Jamieson for 2016-2024, and the economic and capital markets experience of Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary. The two cases of inconsistent application of tariffs relate to the 50% tariff on India and the reduction of tariffs on China agreement on rare earths, and the imposition of a large tarif on Japan and the EU. In the first instance with India it was intended to give Ukraine breathing room from Russian attacks as Germany steps up its military preparedness and assistance to Ukraine. With both countries it was about saving face important in Asian or any societies and it has achieved it's purpose. Reports show both Indian and Chinese refiners have quietly cut purchases of oil from Russia leading to Russian oil selling at about $20 discount to Brent crude oil. In the case of Japan the quick action to raise tariffs was intended not to get into long drawn negotiations and show serious intent- Japan is known for dragging out negotiations for years if not decades. The same is true for the European Union. With the Swiss it was about a certain disrespect of the US coming from attitudes that Swiss products were somehow superior. Not just in the long run, in 2026-2028 history will show that the effort done right - and it takes effort to get this right- to restructure world trade so that other nations are not siphoning off the benefits and leaving the US to lose its manufacturing and factories is the right one. And taken with courage and sincere desire to create a fair distribution of the benefits of world trade for too long distorted by egregious practices of competitors. It has nothing to do with 2 senators from the 1930's who were from places like the Mountain West in the US, having no concept of world trade, Smoot and Hawley, who under a irresponsible president Hoover got everything wrong. This is a carefully set out plan to evenly balance the benefits of world trade to all nations.   ...

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Outdated equipment in nation's aviation system dire need for more air traffic controllers neglected as $400 billion is invested in AI data centers. Congress is looking at $12.5 billion in upgrades to the nation's aviation system. More will be needed.

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Rollback of food tariffs on beef coffee and other agricultural goods by the US November 2025 to address cost of living concerns.

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Trade deal with India for $190 billion two way trade to double to $500 billion still on in November 2025. DJT says India has cut purchases of Russian energy and Russian oil trades at a large discount from Brent crude. The discount is $20 compared to $13 before Indian and Chinese refiners cut their purchases of Russian crude showing that US strategy was the right one.

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New Hampshire is known from poet Robert Frost's days to chart out its own path. It did so yesterday in typical Robert Frost ways- "Two roads diverged in a wood and I- I took the road less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." Fettterman of Pennsylvania Masto of Nevada, Shaheen of New Hampshire and King of Maine all Senators who helped get 8 Senators to vote with Republicans on ending shutdown Nov 10, 2025. Tim Kaine of Virginia was pulled in because of the 300,000 federal workers in Virginia that are his constituents for whom he felt a special responsibility and negotiated with Republicans to reverse layoffs, get back pay. This may be a key achievement of Time Kaine that is truly bipartisan. New Yorkers Schumer and Jeffries not having a federal workforce to worry about had no such responsibility and led the effort against a compromise. Masto says she saw long lines in northern Nevada for food pantry that she had not seen since Covid. Maggie Hassan joined King and Shaheen from their part of Maine-New Hampshire, and Masto was able to pull in Jacky Rosen of Nevada. All these senators are not up for reelection next year and Dick Durbin is retiring next year. As an experienced leader of Democrats Durbin might have felt that the Schumer-Jeffries demand on ACA subsidies was only going to hurt Americans who needed help, that 40 days of shutdown was accomplishing little. ...