Who Really Controls US Foreign Policy?

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From the ongoing US involvement in Ukraine, to an enduring US military presence in the Middle East, and growing US-Chinese tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, regardless of who controls the US Congress and regardless of who sits in the White House, these conflicts continue forward – often with a Democratic president setting the stage for his Republican successor, and vice versa. 

Who Really Controls US Foreign Policy? (archived)

Intel shares fall 20% on plans to cut 15,000 jobs

Intel on Thursday revealed drastic plans to slash its employee headcount and capital spending in an attempt to put its business back on a stable financial footing, as it suffered the latest setback in its slow-moving turnaround plans.

Intel shares fall 20% on plans to cut 15,000 jobs

Related:

US CHIPS Act Funding for Intel

On March 20, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce and Intel Corporation announced a preliminary memorandum of terms under which Intel will receive approximately $8.5 billion in direct funding under the CHIPS and Science Act. Funding will help advance Intel’s critical semiconductor manufacturing and research and development projects at sites in Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio and Oregon – U.S. locations where the company produces some of the world’s most advanced chips and semiconductor packaging technologies.

Meanwhile, in China:

China’s ‘basic self-sufficiency’ in chip-making tools could come this summer, veteran says

US gov’t-linked firm is source of exit poll claiming Venezuelan opposition won election

Venezuela’s opposition and US media outlets claim there was fraud in the July 28 election based on an exit poll done by US government-linked firm Edison Research, which works with CIA-linked US state propaganda organs and was active in Ukraine, Georgia, and Iraq.

US gov’t-linked firm is source of exit poll claiming Venezuelan opposition won election

Related:

The US government funds election observers and exit polls for regime change

All of my recent posts about the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election are linked below:

As predicted: violence by the far-right Venezuelan opposition breaks out across Caracas

The Man Behind Trump’s VP Pick: It’s Worse Than You Think

While J.D. Vance has his own controversies, his close connection to billionaire Peter Thiel, who is poised to have unprecedented influence in a new Trump administration, should deeply unsettle every American who cares about freedom, privacy and reining in the surveillance state.

The Man Behind Trump’s VP Pick: It’s Worse Than You Think

H/T: The Most Revolutionary Act

Related:

Neoreactionaries

Inflation and interest rates: the US experience

Once again the US Federal Reserve is in a quandary. Does it cut its policy interest rate soon in order to relieve pressure on debt servicing costs for consumers and businesses and perhaps avoid a stagflationary economy (ie low or no growth alongside higher inflation); or does it hold its current interest rate for borrowing in order to make sure inflation falls towards its target of 2% a year?

Inflation and interest rates: the US experience

U.S. tech companies prepare for potential drone attacks as international strikes spark concern

U.S. tech companies and government agencies are racing to develop defenses against potential terrorist drone attacks, a threat that has security experts increasingly concerned as they’ve watched the rise of drone warfare in Israel, Ukraine and Yemen.

U.S. tech companies prepare for potential drone attacks as international strikes spark concern

Sponsored by Raytheon or something like that. /s

The Day Ted Cruz Stopped A Bad Internet Bill

Well, this was a bit of a surprise. Over the past couple of weeks I wrote about how Senator Josh Hawley was planning to try to hotline his terrible No Section 230 Immunity for AI Act. As we have explained multiple times, the bill is so poorly drafted that it would make a mess of the entire internet. After rumors of two attempted hotlines (effectively trying to sneak the bill through if no Senator objects) planned for last week, and then a rumor of a Tuesday night attempt, Hawley finally took to the floor Wednesday morning to make the push. If C-SPAN’s clunky embed feature works, you can watch it here:

The Day Ted Cruz Stopped A Bad Internet Bill

Related:

Bing’s A.I. Chat: ‘I Want to Be Alive. 😈’

Communications Decency Act – Section 230