Just One Thing: Trump heads to Davos
Donald Trump is intent on shaking up international relations and doesn't care who doesn't like it. For the record, I think some of that is great. As is usually the case with Trump, he goes too far sometimes. And sometimes it's hard to tell how much is a negotiating tactic, like Russia's traditional "escalate to de-escalate" and how much is just Trump having wildly different ideas from most people about things like the importance of having allies and the value of international trade.
Some of his instincts are surely correct. Others aren't, and are noticed (and applauded) by our enemies like Russia and China as they see Trump dividing the West.
A couple of Trump social media posts from the last 24 hours are a case in point:
I have a lot more to say about this, and it's posted at my Substack. Please read and subscribe (for free!)
Trump heads to Davos - by Ross Kaminsky - The Ross Report
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Separately, this is utterly insane (by Trump): Trump threatens 200 percent tariffs on French wine after Macron snubs peace board – POLITICO
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Today's Guests
Leland Vittert is the host of "On Balance" on News Nation which airs weeknights at 7 PM MT and again at 10 PM MT. His daily "War Notes" newsletter is a must-read (and it's free). And his book, Born Lucky, is a great read.
"On Balance with Leland Vittert" on NewsNation
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Rory O'Neill is a National Correspondent for NBC News Radio and iHeart Radio. We'll discuss political potty-mouths. It seems like more politicians are using vulgar language in public. Who are the offenders, and does it impact their reputations and the respect of voters?
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Other Stuff
Stuff I wanted to talk about on MLK Day but didn't get to because of the huge Broncos news stories:
Views of how much discrimination racial and ethnic groups face in the US | Pew Research Center
Steady 64% Say Racism Against Black People Widespread in U.S.
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Krista Kafer got this one right (and I agreed with her though I didn't talk about it a lot): Colorado lawmakers again infringed on First Amendment rights and will again pay millions for it (Opinion)
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The economy is very complex and it's hard to tease out direct cause-effect relationships. There are multiple studies on this issue and they have a range of conclusions. This is the most aggressive I've seen in claiming that almost 100% of the cost of tariffs has been borne by consumers. America's Own Goal - Who Pays the Tariffs?
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As far as I can tell based on the brief mention in the story, the two women who got married aren't gay and aren't sexually involved with each other. Fascinating: The wedding of the two widows - Denver Gazette
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Secondary effects of economic issues can be very interesting: What mortgage rates have to do with shrinking backyards - The Washington Post
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I understand the desire to ban "insider trading" on platforms like Polymarket but I think it's close to impossible, at least on their offshore platform where transactions can be done anonymously with cryptocurrency: Are Insiders Making a Killing on Polymarket?
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That's an expensive mistake. Well, really it's sort of a break-even but it's a huge immediate burden: Lakewood faces $42 million fiscal hole in wake of TABOR tax ruling
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This helped me understand some of the cousin terms a bit better...but I'm sure I'll still forget: Second Cousin or Once Removed? Untangling the Family Tree - Interesting Facts The stuff about how much DNA cousins have in common is quite interesting.
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What's the purpose of even getting a grade? What's the purpose of any degree where almost all people in that major get an A? Nearly 80% of grades handed out at Yale are A's, study shows
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AI is changing the work force but not yet as much or as negatively as predicted.
5 signs that AI job destruction is bearing down
Anthropic study: AI isn't killing our jobs. It's changing them instead
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Trust is exceptionally important and getting rarer by the day. Some of this is due to politics, media malfeasance, etc., but AI is also a trust problem: Exclusive: Global trust data finds our shared reality is collapsing
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Is it important to you if your Broncos jersey is real and licensed? I'm kinda torn on this question but surprisingly I think the answer for me is probably "yes". I wonder if this is like a woman carrying a fake Louis Vuitton or Chanel or Fendi handbag versus a real one. You tell me...
Fans warned about counterfeit NFL gear as playoffs heat up
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Today's Video
This is BRUTAL, especially coming from a guy who's getting a lot of attention. This is a real problem for ICE and for the federal government and for Republicans in the midterms. As Leland likes to say (and will probably say today), perception is reality. And the perception is that ICE is out of control and that Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller and Donald Trump want them that way. I feel bad for ICE agents who are doing a good job for the right reasons.