Xi Loves Me Not

Not Everyone Loves a Parade

As he watched a Beijing military parade he'd love to have in his own honor, even Donald Trump seemed to notice that America's enemies were sending him a signal. So he did what he usually does. He posted a message to Xi Jinping on social media: "Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America." If they're conspiring, it's the least secretive conspiracy in history. Geopolitics is usually complicated. These days, it's not. America is viewed as untrustworthy among allies and increasingly weak among enemies. You see how Trump behaves. You see the team he's assembled. You see many of the most talented advisors and government employees being forced out while the craziest and least talented people are running the show. You don't think China, Russia, and North Korea see it? Ishaan Tharoor in WaPo (Gift Article): Thanks to Trump, China claims mantle of the post-World War II order. Trump's "brand of ultranationalism, his protectionist assaults on global trade, his bullying of allies and his contempt for international, multilateral institutions like the United Nations all mark a rupture from previous Democratic and Republican administrations. Trump and his allies are convinced that the rules of the international system — forged by Washington to great benefit for generations of Americans — are not in the U.S.'s interest ... Trump’s trade wars and dramatic turn against India and Brazil — two giants of the Global South — have compelled many governments elsewhere, including those in Brasília and New Delhi, to reckon with Washington as a potential threat and adversary, and to forge new understandings with Beijing. 'The success of Xi’s foreign policy strategy is reflected in the parade of leaders traveling to China,' [said] Jonathan Czin, a fellow at the Brookings Institution ... Indeed, Xi today probably feels more besieged by visiting heads of state than encircled by the United States and its allies and partners.'"

+ It's not just the symbolism of international gatherings and shows of unity among America's main foes. It's the action of America's foes that Trump doesn't even seem to realize are foes. "The rate of drone and missile strikes has nearly doubled since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inconclusive meeting with US President Donald Trump last month, and Moscow’s troops have also advanced on the battlefield." Russia pummels Ukraine overnight as peace talks stall.

+ Hoping for a quick fix to these trends? Hot mic picks up Putin and Xi discussing organ transplants and immortality. (If you think Trump was excited about having military parade, wait until he finds out about this...)

2

Does This Make Sense to Antibody?

"On the vaccines, state Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo cast current requirements in schools and elsewhere as an 'immoral' intrusion on people’s rights bordering on 'slavery,' and hampers parents’ ability to make health decisions for their children." Florida will work to eliminate all childhood vaccine mandates in the state.

+ "California, Oregon and Washington announced plans on Wednesday to form a “health alliance” that would coordinate vaccine recommendations for the three states at a time of unparalleled turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal agency responsible for issuing vaccine guidance for the country. The alliance is intended to provide residents with scientific data about vaccine safety and efficacy, and to issue guidance on vaccines for respiratory illnesses like Covid and the flu, as well as an array of childhood immunizations." NYT (Gift Article): Snubbing Kennedy, States Announce Plans to Coordinate on Vaccines. (This, sadly, follows a trend. States are working to protect themselves from America.)

3

Maybe He Was Just Misunderstood

In the heated quest to re-write history everywhere from our museums to our schools, at least we count on a few truths to hold. Like, for example, we can still all agree that Hitler was really bad, right? Wrong. Yair Rosenberg in The Atlantic (Gift Article): The MAGA Influencers Rehabilitating Hitler. "Why does a potent portion of the American right seek to rehabilitate Hitler? The Nazi apologetics are partly an attention-seeking attempt at provocation—an effort to signal iconoclasm by transgressing one of society’s few remaining taboos. But there is more to the story than that. Tucker Carlson and his fellow travelers on the far right correctly identify the Second World War as a pivot point in America’s understanding of itself and its attitude toward its Jewish citizens. The country learned hard lessons from the Nazi Holocaust about the catastrophic consequences of conspiratorial prejudice. Today, a growing constituency on the right wants the nation to unlearn them."

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Alive and Clicking

"For patients like my mom, who feel they don’t get the time or care they need from their health care systems, these chatbots have become a trusted alternative. AI is being shaped into virtual physicians, mental-health therapists, and robot companions for the elderly. For the sick, the anxious, the isolated, and many other vulnerable people who may lack medical resources and attention, AI’s vast knowledge base, coupled with its affirming and empathetic tone, can make the bots feel like wise and comforting partners. Unlike spouses, children, friends, or neighbors, chatbots are always available. They always respond." My mom and Dr. DeepSeek. "Over the course of months, my mom became increasingly smitten with her new AI doctor. 'DeepSeek is more humane,' my mother told me in May. 'Doctors are more like machines.'" (I can't trust any doctor with whom I'm able to easily get an appointment.)

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Extra, Extra

Chrome Home: Google gets to keep Chrome, a judge just ruled in the search antitrust case. There were some penalties handed down to Google, but the market let us know how light of a slap on the hand the company got. "The American Economic Liberties Project, a group that’s advocated for stronger antitrust enforcement against the tech industry, slammed Mehta’s ruling as an act of 'cowardice.' 'You don’t find someone guilty of robbing a bank and then sentence him to writing a thank you note for the loot.'" (Actually, Gemini is gonna write the thank you note automatically.) The whole case is somewhat ironic given it's about the monopolization of tools and services that have changed dramatically since the case was first brought. At this point, telling Google to give up exclusive search deals is like telling Yahoo to give up its web directory.

+ Loose Cannon: "President Trump said on Tuesday that the United States had carried out a strike against a boat carrying drugs and killed 11 'terrorists,' the administration’s latest military escalation in Mr. Trump’s war against Venezuelan drug cartels that he has blamed for bringing fentanyl into the country ... The strike is an astonishing departure from traditional drug interdiction efforts." (Is Trump gaining a taste for bombing stuff?)

+ Epstein Accusers Speak: "A group of Jeffrey Epstein accusers on Wednesday told emotional, gut-wrenching stories of sexual abuse at the hands of the late convicted sex offender and his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, raising pressure on lawmakers to back the release of all of the files in the Justice Department’s years-long Epstein investigation." (Trump called the press conference a hoax.)

+ Crime Wave: "From the top of Ralph Jenkins’s driveway in Southeast Washington, under the shade of a Kentucky coffee tree, he can look left and see the gleaming sports arena where the Washington Mystics play amid spanking new shops, or look right toward one of the city’s most crime-saturated neighborhoods. The cluster of blocks where he lives in Congress Heights has had nine homicides this year — the highest concentration in the District. What Jenkins doesn’t see is any sign of President Donald Trump’s federal policing surge." WaPo (Gift Article): Where there’s no sign of the National Guard in DC. Meanwhile, Chicago sees its fewest summer murders since 1965.

+ Made in the Trade: "GOP Rep. Rob Bresnahan campaigned on ending the practice, but has become a top trader after entering office." Why Lawmakers Don’t Want to Ban Their Own Stock Trading. (I'm gonna go out on a limb here and take a guess. The money?)

+ Stealy Resolve: Democrats confront limited options to block GOP's spreading redistricting efforts.

+ Kawhi Bother? This is a really crazy NBA story. Kawhi Leonard reportedly paid $28 million for 'no-show job' with Clippers as way to get around NBA salary cap. "A clause in one of the contract documents ... stated Leonard could 'decline to proceed with any action desired by the Company,' essentially giving Leonard the ability to get paid without doing anything."

6

Bottom of the News

"In 2009, a nurse forgot to give me my vaccination shots, and I ended up in the back of an ambulance in Manhattan in septic shock. I was clinically dead for 4 minutes and 58 seconds before reaching the hospital. Two days later, I woke up in intensive care and spent six weeks there plus four weeks at a rehab center." Dean Winters experienced plenty of mayhem before he became Mayhem in the Allstate ads.