Tai could represent a new era in Democratic trade policy, replacing both “free trade” scams on one flank, and the incoherent economic nationalism of Donald Trump on the other, with careful, substantive policy that serves America’s economic interest.
But the way these things work, Tai is at risk of having corporate types imposed just below her, in the key deputy USTR slots. There is a revolving door between USTR and powerful corporations, notably Big Tech companies, which have much to gain or lose from trade deals. As I’ve written, the next round of trade deals will resolve significant questions about e-commerce, privacy, the use of algorithms, and much more.

[Clete] Willems said she would “share Lighthizer’s hawkishness on China and has a tonne of direct background on China’s industrial policy from her days at USTR”, adding that “having someone who can directly converse with China in their own language is going to command respect”.

How the ‘West Point Mafia’ Runs Washington

December 10, 2020December 10, 2020 Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Wall Street and finance workers could get COVID vaccines before most Americans

December 4, 2020December 4, 2020 Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Wall Street and finance workers could get COVID vaccines before most Americans

Let the bankers be the guinea pigs!

Cultured meat has been approved for consumers for the first time

December 3, 2020December 3, 2020 Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Cultured meat has been approved for consumers for the first time

Most cultured meat is made in a similar way. Cells are taken from an animal, often via a biopsy or from an established animal cell line. These cells are then fed a nutrient broth and placed in a bioreactor, where they multiply until there are enough to harvest for use in meatballs or nuggets. A slew of startups have been founded using variations on this approach, in the belief that cultured meat will appeal to flexitarians—people who want to reduce the amount of meat they eat for ethical or environmental reasons, but don’t want to give it up entirely.
…
Memphis Meats, which counts Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and traditional meat manufacturer Tyson Foods among its many investors, has teamed up with a number of other firms, including Just and cultured-seafood makers BlueNalu and Finless Foods, to form a lobbying group that is working with US regulators to get their products approved.

How Biden’s Foreign-Policy Team Got Rich

November 22, 2020November 23, 2020 Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

How Biden’s Foreign-Policy Team Got Rich

Tasked by Obama to end the Iraq War, Biden supported Nouri El-Maliki, the leader he knew, and rescued the Iraqi prime minister’s career even though it ended up fracturing the country. When Maliki narrowly lost in 2010, Biden didn’t give Iraqi political parties time to broker a new coalition. With Biden’s endorsement, Maliki gained a second term; he grew more authoritarian, which is now widely believed to have led to the rise of ISIS. Biden ignored experts who were skeptical of Maliki and preferred to glad-hand. “He came to deal with Iraqi politicians like local political kingpins in Delaware or Pennsylvania,” said Robert Ford, who was deputy ambassador in Baghdad from 2008 to 2010.