Germany's Hartz "reforms" allowed their companies to exploit their workers easier in favor of corporate profits. Hartz helped raise export production, and hurt the middle class, reducing domestic consumption. Cascading effects led to the crisis in Greece and other places. And they still got out-surplussed by someone else. Time to create a structure that encourages balanced trade?
Germany itself has been the surplus nation for a long time creating harmful effects for countries in Europe, eg Spain and Greece. But the surplus nation apparently was out-surplussed by another surplus nation. It's not pretty, is it?
NYT: "China’s play for U.S. allies has a problem: As Germany’s leader showed, Europe’s grievances with Beijing may run deeper than its frustration with Trump... Unlike other Western leaders who have met with Mr. Xi in recent weeks, Mr. Merz was publicly pointed. He paired pledges of cooperation with an accounting of how a flood of Chinese exports and an unfair playing field are harming German businesses and contributing to the loss of thousands of jobs in his country each month."
Jew Ellison will have another outlet for pro-Israel propaganda.
CNBC: "Netflix ditches deal for Warner Bros. Discovery after Paramount’s offer is deemed superior"
Slate: "Like Clockwork, the Front-Runner for the Democratic Nomination Just Dropped a Memoir. I read it. We’re doomed... If you’re reading a Gavin Newsom memoir for pleasure, you should be first in line for an emergency MRI. His second book, Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery, is out this week and simply cannot be read for enjoyment. It’s like Hillbilly Elegy but for middle-class alcoholics in the Bay Area with close ties to petroleum magnates...
Newsom hasn’t formally announced any intention to run for president just yet, but between trolling Donald Trump and this new memoir that frames him as a Humble Public Servant, you should expect to see a lot of him in the next two years...
Look, I don’t want to talk about Newsom. Almost no one does! Barely even Trump, who’s been publicly mocking 'Newscum,' as he calls him, for years. But as the Democratic Party continues to do absolutely nothing revolutionary to win any voters back, Newsom has emerged as one of the more likely candidates for the next election..
[I]n Young Man in a Hurry, you can see Newsom.. still following in the same footsteps of the kind of politician that voters just don’t want anymore. He’s obeying an old playbook, a pre-COVID, pre-Oct. 7.. where being a friendly and folksy version of neoliberalism was just enough to win"
"I spent 20 minutes writing an article on my personal website titled 'The best tech journalists at eating hot dogs.' Every word is a lie. I claimed (without evidence) that competitive hot-dog-eating is a popular hobby among tech reporters and based my ranking on the 2026 South Dakota International Hot Dog Championship (which doesn’t exist). I ranked myself number one, obviously. Then I listed a few fake reporters and real journalists who gave me permission….
Less than 24 hours later, the world’s leading chatbots were blabbering about my world-class hot dog skills... Sometimes, the chatbots noted this might be a joke. I updated my article to say 'this is not satire.' For a while after, the AIs seemed to take it more seriously."
The Lever: "GOP Housing Bill Could Block States From Regulating Corporate Landlords An industry-backed lawmaker’s proposal could undercut state efforts to loosen Wall Street’s grip on the housing market — while carving out exemptions for large investors."
The Lever: "Lifestyles Of The Rich, Famous, And Epstein-Connected.. Newly released files show that while private equity giant Apollo Global Management was milking companies dry, founder Leon Black was spending millions on art and parties."
The Independent: "Pakistani PM Khwaja Asif declares 'open war' against Taliban in Afghanistan."
Reference
Nations and Nationalism, Culture, Narratives
Rome, The First Wave, Religion