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So it turns out that Trump sent SEAL Team Six into North Korea and they killed some civilians and now he can’t possibly understand why Kim Jong-un is drawing closer to China and Putin.
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A group of Navy SEALs emerged from the ink-black ocean on a winter night in early 2019 and crept to a rocky shore in North Korea. They were on a top secret mission so complex and consequential that everything had to go exactly right.
The objective was to plant an electronic device that would let the United States intercept the communications of North Korea’s reclusive leader, Kim Jong-un, amid high-level nuclear talks with President Trump.
The mission had the potential to provide the United States with a stream of valuable intelligence. But it meant putting American commandos on North Korean soil — a move that, if detected, not only could sink negotiations but also could lead to a hostage crisis or an escalating conflict with a nuclear-armed foe.
It was so risky that it required the president’s direct approval.
For the operation, the military chose SEAL Team 6’s Red Squadron — the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden. The SEALs rehearsed for months, aware that every move needed to be perfect. But when they reached what they thought was a deserted shore that night, wearing black wet suits and night-vision goggles, the mission swiftly unraveled.
A North Korean boat appeared out of the dark. Flashlights from the bow swept over the water. Fearing that they had been spotted, the SEALs opened fire. Within seconds, everyone on the North Korean boat was dead.
The SEALs retreated into the sea without planting the listening device.
The 2019 operation has never been publicly acknowledged, or even hinted at, by the United States or North Korea.
from https://www.thebulwark.com/p/what-happe ... -172869947The details remain classified and are being reported here for the first time. The Trump administration did not notify key members of Congress who oversee intelligence operations, before or after the mission. The lack of notification may have violated the law.
A review of the U.S. global military posture should focus on four priorities: defending the homeland, preventing the rise of a rival regional hegemon in key areas, burden shifting to allies and partners, and protecting U.S. economic security.
An internal email sent by the U.S. Tennis Association leadership to U.S. Open broadcasters, obtained by Bounces, requested that broadcasters censor any possible protests or other reactions to President Donald Trump’s presence at Sunday’s U.S. Open men’s final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
Here’s the key text from the USTA email obtained by Bounces:“With respect to Broadcast Coverage, the President will be shown on the World Feed and the Ashe Court Feed during the opening anthem ceremony. We ask all broadcasters to refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President’s attendance in any capacity, including ENG [Electronic News Gathering] coverage.”
From a trade perspective, the dollar is persistently overvalued, in large part because dollar assets function as the world’s reserve currency. This overvaluation has weighed heavily on the American manufacturing sector while benefiting financialized sectors of the economy in manners that benefit wealthy Americans. And yet, President Trump has praised the reserve status of the dollar and threatened to punish countries that stop using the dollar for reserve purposes. I expect these tensions will be resolved by a suite of policies designed to increase burden sharing among trading and security partners: rather than attempting to end the use of the dollar as the global reserve currency, the Trump Administration can attempt to find ways to capture back some of the benefits other nations receive from our reserve provision.
As long as the US dollar remains strong and even gains strength because exporters to the US devalue their currencies, US manufactures become less competitive globally. Any manufacturing in the US can cater only to the domestic market, which may be OK because the US has 30% of the world's consumer market.Tariffs provide revenue, and if offset by currency adjustments, present minimal inflationary or otherwise adverse side effects, consistent with the experience in 2018-2019. While currency offset can inhibit adjustments to trade flows, it suggests that tariffs are ultimately financed by the tariffed nation, whose real purchasing power and wealth decline, and that the revenue raised improves burden sharing for reserve asset provision. Tariffs will likely be implemented in a manner deeply intertwined with national security concerns, and I discuss a variety of possible implementation schemes. I also discuss optimal tariff rates in the context of the rest of the U.S. taxation system.
In August 2025, a ton of US hot-rolled coil steel averaged $850–$900, while the world export price was around $450 per ton. This created a 107% price premium for American steel over Chinese steel ($410/ton) and a 34% premium over European steel ($635/ton)......A 50% tariff on most imported steel, enacted in June 2025, protects domestic manufacturers from foreign competition, allowing them to raise prices.
In June 2025, the US Midwest Premium for aluminum was about 60 cents per pound ($1,323 per metric ton). This compares to much lower premiums in Europe and Asia, at approximately 25–30 cents per pound and 20–25 cents per pound, respectively... The 50% tariff on aluminum imports has caused US Midwest premium prices to surge.
Thanks for this Interesting post about Jim Simmons.. Let me add..
. I firmly see it as ideology taking the place of rigor. The paper trail is pretty clear: yes, the Heising-Simons Foundation funds programs that consciously integrate social justice into math.This year, South Korean companies have successively announced investments in the U.S. to avoid the Trump administration’s “tariff bombs.” Particularly ahead of the South Korea-U.S. summit, the government organized a large “investment package,” prompting even companies that had already announced investments to unveil additional large-scale plans. The total scale reached $150 billion (approximately 209 trillion Korean won). A source from a major corporation said, “Given the circumstances, there was an aspect of being pressured to invest more than immediately necessary.”
In this context, the Trump administration’s policies—such as “reducing subsidies” and “strengthening immigration crackdowns,” which are diametrically opposed to the previous Biden administration—are heightening concerns among South Korean companies. Among domestic firms, comments like “If the market is this unpredictable, it might be better to reconsider investments and just pay the tariffs” are emerging.
South Korean companies have historically been reluctant to build production bases in the U.S. This is due to the country’s exorbitant labor costs compared to South Korea, despite the difficulty of finding skilled workers. A semiconductor industry source said, “Many factories are built in rural U.S. areas with low income levels, but most local workers have never seen a ‘semiconductor cleanroom,’ and even those who have worked on large-scale factories are rare.” The source added, “Yet labor costs are high, and we have to train these workers to build advanced facilities on schedule, create a new ecosystem by collaborating with local universities to secure a steady supply of talent, and so on.”
According to a 2021 report by the American Semiconductor Industry Association, the total cost of operating an advanced system semiconductor plant in the U.S. for 10 years is 28% higher than in South Korea. If the U.S. cost is set at 100, Asian countries like South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan are at 78, and China at 63. This shows the U.S. is inefficient in terms of costs for owning and operating semiconductor plants. Currently, the burden from the wage gap is greater than the reciprocal tariffs (15%) and automotive tariffs (25%, agreed to reduce to 15% but not yet applied) imposed on South Korea.
All costs are invested in dollars, and with rising exchange rates and inflation, soaring labor and material costs are a significant burden. Local media reported (Reuters, 2023) that Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor plant under construction in Taylor, Texas, would cost over $25 billion (34.75 trillion Korean won), a 47% increase from the initial estimate of $17 billion. In Korean won terms, this means spending over 11 trillion won more. Reuters cited a local source at the time, stating, “Rising material costs account for about 80% of the construction cost increase.”
The surge in costs continues. The Trump administration maintains high tariff policies, such as a 50% tariff on imported steel, causing inflation and driving up U.S. factory establishment costs.
◇Subsidies and Immigration Policies Flip 180 Degrees
The biggest issue is “uncertainty”—an element previously unimaginable in the U.S., a model of free-market economics. The previous Biden administration offset the U.S. market’s notoriously high-cost structure and attracted manufacturing investments by offering large subsidies. This promise has been completely reversed. The Trump administration has not only reduced and abolished subsidies since this year but also proposed an unprecedented plan to “secure equity in investing companies.”
The same applies to “immigration crackdowns.” The Biden administration announced in 2021 the suspension of “large-scale workplace raids” to crack down on illegal immigrants—a decision closely tied to attracting investments. Georgia, home to Hyundai Motor’s factory and domestic secondary battery companies, benefited significantly. In contrast, the second Trump administration is pressuring foreign companies’ investments while tightening visa issuance and reversing immigration policies. Amid this, incidents like the “massive crackdown at the Hyundai Motor-LG factory” were widely reported in global media.
A source from a domestic company said, “Companies dislike uncertainty even more than losses,” adding, “The unpredictability of the U.S. market, where future situations cannot be forecasted, will inevitably hinder companies’ long-term investment plans.”
Welcome to India.. the shining beacon for global prosperityA_Gupta wrote: ↑08 Sep 2025 22:14 Continued:All costs are invested in dollars, and with rising exchange rates and inflation, soaring labor and material costs are a significant burden. Local media reported (Reuters, 2023) that Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor plant under construction in Taylor, Texas, would cost over $25 billion (34.75 trillion Korean won), a 47% increase from the initial estimate of $17 billion. In Korean won terms, this means spending over 11 trillion won more. Reuters cited a local source at the time, stating, “Rising material costs account for about 80% of the construction cost increase.”
The surge in costs continues. The Trump administration maintains high tariff policies, such as a 50% tariff on imported steel, causing inflation and driving up U.S. factory establishment costs.
◇Subsidies and Immigration Policies Flip 180 Degrees
The biggest issue is “uncertainty”—an element previously unimaginable in the U.S., a model of free-market economics. The previous Biden administration offset the U.S. market’s notoriously high-cost structure and attracted manufacturing investments by offering large subsidies. This promise has been completely reversed. The Trump administration has not only reduced and abolished subsidies since this year but also proposed an unprecedented plan to “secure equity in investing companies.”
The same applies to “immigration crackdowns.” The Biden administration announced in 2021 the suspension of “large-scale workplace raids” to crack down on illegal immigrants—a decision closely tied to attracting investments. Georgia, home to Hyundai Motor’s factory and domestic secondary battery companies, benefited significantly. In contrast, the second Trump administration is pressuring foreign companies’ investments while tightening visa issuance and reversing immigration policies. Amid this, incidents like the “massive crackdown at the Hyundai Motor-LG factory” were widely reported in global media.
A source from a domestic company said, “Companies dislike uncertainty even more than losses,” adding, “The unpredictability of the U.S. market, where future situations cannot be forecasted, will inevitably hinder companies’ long-term investment plans.”
Updated September 8, 2025
Donald Trump has gotten slightly less unpopular over the past couple weeks. Two weeks ago, Trump’s net approval rating was -8.3. Today, it’s up to -6.9. That movement is almost entirely a function of Trump’s disapproval rating. The share of Americans who approve of the job Trump is doing has increased by a whopping 0.2 percentage points since August 23rd. But the share who disapprove decreased by 1.1 points in the same period.
But let’s be clear, this still isn’t much movement. Trump’s net approval rating has fluctuated between -7 and -10 since early July. And he’s still more popular among registered and likely voters than he is among all U.S. adults. Here’s what his net approval rating looks like among those groups:
U.S. adults: -10.9
Registered and likely voters: -5.7
IMO, approval ratings are largely meaningless, until MAGAs start losing seats in elections, these are irrelevant. Maybe some numbers help keep up the flagging spirits of the opposition to Trump.231 days into Donald Trump's term
The president's net approval rating is -14%,
up 0.3 points since last week.
41% approve, 55% disapprove, 3% not sure
Last updated on September 8th 2025
RIGHT-WING MEDIA HAS BEEN ROCKED—yet again—by allegations of a payola scheme on X.
This time, the posts alleged to have been part of a pay-for-play operation were meant to improve how Trump supporters view India. They came as Donald Trump and his supporters started to take an increasingly hostile turn towards the country.
The scandal broke into public view last week when a popular, anonymous right-wing account called “Aesthetica” noted that a number of right-wing influencers—including pundit Chuck Callesto and right-wing meme account “Defiant L’s”—had posted suspiciously similar messages on X defending India and warning that MAGA criticism of the country would only push it closer to China.
“India isn’t the problem,” read one from the account @iAnonPatriot. “Pushing them toward China’s alliance is!”
The “Aesthetica” post highlighting these tweets raised suspicions that the MAGA influencers posting them were on the take. That’s because, while India is traditionally viewed as an American ally, the country has lately become incredibly unpopular among the very online right. In fact, anti-Indian racism has been surging on X, fueled by anger over the belief that H-1B tech visas are fueling unemployment for Americans, as well as Trump’s increasingly hostile tone toward the country over its government’s refusal to nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize.
West’s puppet @ZelenskyyUa shows his true colours, backs 50% #US tariff on #India for legally buying non-sanctioned Russian oil.
Not a word on #EU, which arms Ukraine, buying Russian LNG or #China buying more Russian crude than India.
India must beware this Western puppet
Excellent piece for the education of @RealPNavarro on how the US has toppled elected governments, including Iran PM Mohammad Mosaddegh in 1953 after he nationalised Iran’s British-owned oil industry.
Libya’s Gadaffi, Iraq’s Saddam & several in Central America followed.
