It’s Memorial Day: The Newsletter

Introduction

Welcome to The Cameron Journal Newsletter! This week, it’s all about Trump Tariffs and the reverberations around the world from what can only be described as an economic reset.

The World is Hard, This is Not

Each week I send out the latest headlines, the latest videos from The Cameron Journal and commentary about the week’s events. If you’re new here, my name is Cameron Lee Cowan M.A. MFA, and I’m the Creative Director here at The Cameron Journal. You can learn more about me on the about page. I do research and commentary on politics, culture, and the world around us. Remember, The World is Hard, This is Not.

Updates

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! I hope there are hot dogs, bratwurst, chips, and more in your future! My propane tank is out so that’s my next project. Gas! I need gas!

This week was a busy one. In between many meetings and much progress made, I recorded a conversation with the wonderful Michael Soussan who is the author of Backstabbing for Beginners (also a Major Motion Picture) about his exposure of the UN Oil for Food program that turned into a giant grift for all involved. That conversation will be out soon. It was a long conversation but a very interesting one. We get to know him and his current view of things. The video and podcast episode will be out soon!

If you’ve been to The Cameron Journal lately, you’ll notice that there are some big changes happening. AI is beginning to eat away at Google searches. People just aren’t clicking on links like they used to and that has been a major source of new readers for The Cameron Journal. I’ve spent the last decade building up my SEO and promoting my brand via Google. That time has come to an end. The Cameron Journal will be moving more to a newsletter format (similar to this). I will continue to produce this each week with a news round-up but my content will be presented more in a newsletter format and delivered directly to my audience than always just relying on Google for views or just hoping for the best. This will mean that there will be less long-form content and more content like what you’re reading right now. Our efforts in video will remain the same!

Programming note: There will be no Newshour on Monday in observance of Memorial Day and a much needed week off for the host!

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The Latest

Harvard, Scientists, and Americans Moving Out

On Thursday, the Trump administration restricted Harvard’s ability to issue international visas; less than 24 hours later a judge has already blocked the move. Trump has been attacking Harvard’s grant funding, ending many programs, especially in cancer research and other critical projects. While the Right may argue that Harvard does not need government funding, the reality is that Harvard provides a valuable service. By amalgamating scientists, researchers and others into one place, the government does not have to find and recruit these experts. Harvard isn’t living off the government, it applies for grant funding just like many other institutions and government. This idea that the taxpayer is funding “the Left” or “the enemy” belies the real story. Trump and co. aren’t going after Harvard for “waste, fraud and abuse” they are going after power centers of the American Left. I’m not the first to say it but I was in the chorus of people who saw it for what it was. The damage that is being done is irreparable and will last far longer than Mr. Trump’s final term in office.

Meanwhile, scientists and researchers are looking for the exits. The story I linked is from Salon but there have been multiple anecdotal reports in addition to this quality reporting from them about researchers and scientists looking elsewhere to do their work. Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron made a speech inviting disaffected Americans to move and do their work in Europe (and hopefully France of course). Denmark and the Netherlands have had government offices open since the start of the Trump administration too. The latest attacks on Harvard and set to speed up this exodus. America has always had a special power to attract the best and brightest to our shores and it has given us an edge for over a century. As someone on Twitter quipped today, “I never thought I’d live to see the end of the American century.”

The Chinese Century?

Today I was watching a Peter Zeihan video about the perils of Chinese leadership and how cloistered Xi Jinping has become and why that may lead to China’s collapse. For balance, we have a fresh op-ed this week in the New York Times announcing the end of The American Century and promoting the rise of China. Written by a Chinese industrial researcher at Princeton, he promotes the industrial might of China and why that will lead China to taking over the world. His evidence and arguments are compelling. I think China has awhile to go before it has the kind of cultural might of the U.S. Their foreign development projects have often stalled (remember Belt and Road?) and while China has made in-roads in places like Africa and parts of South America, you don’t replicate 80 years of American hegemony overnight.

If you want to be properly frightened about the decline of American power, especially economic power, this Hasan Minhaj video definitely took me aback. The guest is Tim Miller and he does not mince words when he says, “I hope we end like France but we won’t have any of the social obligations.”

What the Media Never Gets Right About Trump

I found this fascinating article from Press Watch about the Trump administration and how the media often fails to cover the truth about Trump’s latest action or toothless Executive Orders (like the pharmaceutical EO that really is a big win for Big Pharma). What they don’t reveal is what the rest of the world is getting very used to and that the fact that he is an unstable partner who can reverse himself at any time. Trump day trades with facts and often out-right lies when it is convenient for whatever narrative he has in his head. This is a man who doesn’t know that it is his Constitutional duty to uphold the Constitution. He has only taken the Presidential oath twice but apparently never listened to the words either time.

Back at the ranch, the DNC has decided that its best strategy is to counter right-wing clout online with its own funded efforts to move into new media. I’ve been advocating for more funded left-wing outlets and I’ve been in conversation with David Beckemeyer on that subject. But I also know that the DNC frequently does things like this that simply fall flat. I am worried that they will fund the wrong people, not be serious about funding people who criticize them or build real audiences of people who are already not aligned with the DNC agenda. Remember, the biggest podcasts that delivered Trump new voters were even political podcasts, they were non-political podcasts who decided to get a little political for the sake of the election. Remember Al Gore’s erstwhile Air America? Yeah, neither does anyone else.

The GOP House Passed a Budget

The GOP passed its latest reconciliation bill that sets the budget and prioritizes several items in the Trump agenda. There are some major reforms like the big reforms to student loan repayment. There will be only 2 options for repayment moving forward with various forgiveness standards depending on what repayment you pick and how many qualified payments that are made. The budget also entirely eliminates Grad Plus loans which can be used to cover tuition plus living expenses during grad school. This is a massive setback for upwardly mobile young people who need funding to pursue advanced degrees that may not have the funding to do so from family.

There is also a provision to restrict Courts ruling against the Trump administration by taking away their contempt enforcement mechanism. The 2017 tax cuts are made permanent and in additional legislation, the taxes on tips and overtime are eliminated. There are various adjustments to tax credits and the elimination of many deductions that people have relied on including ending dependency for children at age 7 in some cases. Taken together, this budget will expand the deficit by $3.3 Trillion over the next decade. Not a word from deficit hawks either. This comes amid rising borrowing costs and a bond meltdown Japan this week. As of this writing, the 20Y Treasure was still hovering around 5% interest.

The budget goes on to the Senate for approval after the Memorial Day break.

Articles of Interest:

From my What the Hell is Going On? collection:

Post-Covid Economics

Keep up with The Cameron Journal Podcast

The Interview:

The Cameron Journal Newshour: