Three people with knowledge of the talks told the Guardian that Vladimir Putin had signalled a readiness to effectively freeze the frontlines of the conflict in exchange for numerous concessions, including US recognition of Russian control of Crimea and considerable US sanctions relief. The Financial Times first reported Putin's proposal on Tuesday. The vice-president, JD Vance, confirmed on Wednesday that the US would seek to "freeze the territorial lines at some level close to where they are today". Some territory could change hands, he said. read more
U.S. beef sales to China have taken a dive, U.S. government data showed on Thursday, after Beijing allowed the expiration of registrations that had permitted exports from hundreds of American meat facilities. read more
Responding to a question at Tuesday's daily briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned President Donald Trump's "idea" to potentially deport "violent" and "heinous" U.S. citizens, adding a seemingly important caveat: "If it's legal." read more
President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on a list of dozens of countries today. read more
But NPR has obtained a State Department document detailing that Biden's State Department planned to spend just $483,000 in the 2025 fiscal year on buying electric vehicles and $3 million for supporting equipment, like charging stations. It represented less than 1% of the hundreds of millions of dollars likely destined for Tesla vehicles after the Trump administration quietly revised a State Department procurement document. read more
The main problem with trade deficits arises when they result in a very large international debt position
2012books.lardbucket.org
policy-and-theory-of-international-economics
By the late 1980s, the United States achieved the status of the largest debtor nation in the world.
-The trade deficit, when not financed as debt, is offset by foreign equity purchases, which I say is much worse.
We're selling off the instruments of wealth production to finance the trade imbalance. We're selling off our farmland to foreigners, how smart is that?
#26 | Posted by itchyp
From YOUR link?
"The truth about trade deficits is that sometimes they are good, sometimes they are bad, but most times, they are benign (i.e., they just don't matter)."
We don't have a command control economy. Our national debt is not linked to the trade deficit.