Month: July 2025

I asked ChatGPT how Trump’s new tariffs impacted the construction of new AI data centers. It estimated that the tariffs would increase the cost by 15 to 20 percent. Here is what it said: Many types of data center equipment and materials—ranging from core infrastructures like steel and electrical hardware…

This executive order is not based on fact. The allegations are not true. Trump is making up lies to justify his sanctions on Brazil, whose sole goal is to manipulate Brazil’s elections to help elect his friend Bolsonaro. The US is interfering in Brazil’s democratic legal processes. There is no…

July 29, 2025 • I asked Grok to compare the Gaza and Sudan wars. I thought its answer, which follows, was excellent. Grok said: Comparing the violence in Gaza and Sudan requires examining the scale, nature, and impact of the conflicts in each region, based on available data up to…

Notes of an S&T officer ACDA In 1982 after my INR assignment, I took an assignment in the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA), which was not part of the State Department.  ACDA was an independent agency created by President Kennedy in 1961; it was abolished in 1999.  According to…

From the Financial Times: In Trump’s play­book, however, Brazil is in a cat­egory of its own. Cit­ing the pro­sec­u­tion of Jair Bolson­aro, Brazil’s last pres­id­ent, Trump earlier this month vowed 50 per cent tar­iffs on the west­ern hemi­sphere’s second largest demo­cracy unless it can­celled the strong­man’s trial. A few days…

Trump’s decision to sue the WSJ for $10 billion is typical Trump, all bluster and publicity, no substance.  No new information about Epstein, just a threat, “If you question me, I will destroy you!”  For Trump, the law is a weapon, not a means of doing justice.  That’s how he…

US Yanks Visa for Brazilian Judge Citing Bolsonaro ‘Witch Hunt’ – Bloomberg Bloomberg– US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced he’s revoking the visa for Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes after the high court sent police to raid the home of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro ahead of his trial on charges he attempted a coup…

In an email, Ian Bremmer (https://us12.campaign-archive.com/?e=2919ec9296&u=7404e6dcdc8018f49c82e941d&id=120ba644e8) commented on Trump’s attack on Brazilian President Lula. US-Brazil relations have been heating up for a bit, but President Donald Trumpratcheted up the temperature on the Lula administration a week ago when he announced that the United States would slap a 50% tariff on…

Trump’s big beautiful bill is unlikely to raise the opposition that Democrats hope it will. The tax cuts will go into effect immediately, but the Medicaid cuts will not go into effect until after the midterm elections.  The tax cuts will not be very apparent because they just extend the…

From the Financial Times: The writer is exec­ut­ive dir­ector of the Non- pro­lif­er­a­tion Policy Edu­ca­tion Cen­ter and was the Pentagon’s deputy for non­pro­lif­er­a­tion from 1989-93 Henry Sokol­ski Of all the ques­tions Amer­ica’s bomb­ing of Iran has gen­er­ated, the one that’s received the least atten­tion is how we got here. The…