Update 7-19 (Russia, Fed Res, Al)

A few points. Last week’s major news included the Russia-Ukraine War. Trump’s peace effort is not going well. The longer the war lasts, the harder for the US to pivot to the Asia-Pacific. [1] is one event. Bombing Iran was Trump’s big decision and it was a great success. This will be studied extensively in the future, both tactically and strategically. Of course, Israel’s intelligence was crucial and so was Israel’s military success prior to the bombing. My understanding is that Israel wanted to take out the Iran Supreme leader and Trump did not allow it. I think the rationale was that Trump did not want to repeat the mistakes of Afghanistan or Iraq. So what is installed for the future is still uncertain. Hopefully, Iran will not attempt to make nuke bombs again. Without a nuke, Israel and others can handle Iran. 

Donald Trump attacks the Fed Reserve repeatedly. Jeremy Siegel’s suggestion is very good. I also agree with his comments that the two potential replacements, two Kevins, are very good. I will comment on this further. Although Trump comes from a rich family, he is unrefined. 

The Congress just passed laws to legalize crypto. This is a good move. I did not spend much time considering cryptos. I doubt that any of you need to know it. Some may try to lure you to invest in bitcoin or other crypto products. I am not in favour. Should you really want to know, send me an email. I can explain it. On the other hand, it is good for the US government to handle it so that it can dominate whatever widely used, either US dollar or crypto. 

Last week several AI and tech developments. Some can be very important. 

References: 

1. WSJ 7-13 Pentagon Official at Center of Weapons Pause on Ukraine Wants U.S. to Focus on China

2. WaPo 7-14 Iran sees chance for nuclear deal with U.S. even after attacks

3. G Will How the coronavirus sparked an epidemic of intellectual malpractice

4. WSJ 7-4 Xi Has Spent Decades Preparing for a Cold War With the U.S.  

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p.s. Just about to post this update, I saw a shocking political development:

1. NEW: Obama admin ‘manufactured’ Trump-Russia hoax, accused of ‘TREASONOUS CONSPIRACY’ (7-19)

2. Tulsi Gabbard Refers Obama Admin. to DOJ for TREASON, Trump Sues WSJ  (7-19)

3. Tulsi Gabbard Exposes Treasonous Conspiracy From Obama White House (7-19)  

4. Dems are ‘PROJECTING’ after Obama, Russia docs released, journalist says (7-19) 

(there will be more coming. If you want to learn the most current development, go to the web) 

World 

1. CEO warns of China's 'huge' impact on this global supply network (7-19)  

2. China 'walking tight rope' with factory activity during U.S. uncertainty, David Riedel (7-2025)  

3. *China Beige Book CEO: Saw a falloff 'in just about everything' in June China's economy (7-19) 

4. Gen. Keane: Trump did NOT do what Putin wanted (7-19) 

5. Russia threatens 'dangerous escalation' over US support for Ukraine (7-19) M Whitaker

6. Trump's Nvidia U-Turn Spurs Talk of Bargain With China (7-18) 

7. China wants to ‘decimate’ this key American sector, Gordon Chang warns (7-18) 

8. EU races for deal with Trump ahead of tariff deadline (7-18)   

9. ‘I DON’T LIKE WHAT I HEAR’: O’Leary says New York needs to understand this 

10. *Former Trump official reveals the 'more interesting question' on dealing with Iran (7-17) 

11. Our Honest Opinion on Israel - Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster 

12. Are we risking nuclear war by supporting Ukraine? (2024)

13. This would be a MAJOR issue for the US: Gen. Keane warns (7-17)

14. *Bill O'Reilly: Here Are the Two Most Important Stories That Impact the Country  (7-17) 

15. *Gary Cohn on state of the economy, Trump's tariff agenda & Fed's inflation fight (7-17) 

16. Is Trump on the Right Track With Russia? (7-16)  BOR 

17. Trump's Changing Approach to Putin (7-16)  

18. *China’s Surge into Pacific Shocks US Allies (7-16) 

19. *Gen. Keane: This is a major turning point between the US and Russia (7-16)  

20. How China Cracked Down on Tech Elite (clip )  

21. Host Didn’t Expect This Blunt Answer from JD Vance (clip)  

22. Trump supplying Ukraine with weapons 'great step' to fight Putin | Elizabeth Vargas (7-15)  

23. US ambassador to NATO explains the NATO deal Trump brokered (7-15) 

24. This is ‘absolutely’ Putin’s fault, Gen. Keane says (7-15) 

25. Jack Keane: A major turning point is coming (7-15) 

26. The dangerous new nuclear arms race | GZERO World with Ian Bremmer (7-14)  

27. Xi Jinping Back in Business? (7-13)  

28. Could China invade Taiwan? | GZERO World with Ian Bremmer (6-2025)  

29. Why the CCP Fears Taiwan – Sarah Paine (6-2025)  

30. Sarah C.M. Paine: Is U.S.-China War Inevitable? (5-2025) 

31. Xi Jinping’s paranoid approach to AGI, debt crisis, & Politburo politics — Victor Shih (6-2025) 

Legal 

1. Megyn Kelly on Firing Comey’s Daughter Won’t Satisfy MAGA on Epstein. As Pam Bondi (7-18)  

2. *Victor Davis Hanson: John Brennan Has Himself to Blame for FBI Investigation (7-12)  

3. Former FBI & CIA Heads Humiliated as Criminal Investigation (7-12) 

Politics 

1. *CNN Caught in an Embarrassing Lie About Trump’s Attack on Iran (clip)  

2. *Why Trump’s Second Term is So Different/ JD Vance's Big Role, with Brit Hume (7-17) 

3. O'Reilly details Trump conversation about innocent connected to Epstein | CUOMO (7-10) 

4. Harvard finally considers opening door to conservative voices in a surprising move (7-12) 

Economy & AI 

1. *Milton Friedman's Case Against the Payroll Tax | Uncommon Knowledge (clip)  

2. *Fed's long-term independence may be enhanced if Powell steps down, Jeremy Siegel (7-19) 

3. President Trump: We're not going to let the dollar slide  (7-19) 

4. What Nvidia H20s mean for China’s AI ambitions (CNBC tech check 7-19) 

5. Blockchain Association CEO: Crypto bills will make U.S. the crypto capital of the world (7-19)  

6. The U.S. is ready to take the lead in digital assets, says Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev (7-19)  

7. Congressman warns Americans: China 'track and control' its citizens (7-19) on crypto 

8. *Former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh: We need regime change at the Fed (7-18) 

9. *How AI Robots Are Taking Over Construction (7-17) 

10. David Sacks on Nvidia Chips to China, US Tech Stack (7-18)  

11. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang calls Huawei a formidable competitor (7-18) 

12. U.S. chip supply faces tariff risk (CNBC tech check 7-17) 

13. DeepTech Ep4: Navigating at AI Frontier (7-17)

14. Wedbush's Dan Ives says Wall Street is underestimating AI-driven growth (7-17) 

15. Nvidia allowed to sell to China: Here's the company's market opportunity (7-17) 

16. Richard Fisher: When presidents have interfered with the central bank we've had hyperinflation (7-17) 

17. Mohamed El-Erian: Fed should be cutting this month, but I don't expect them to (7-17) 

18. DeepTech Ep4: Navigating at AI Frontier (7-17) 

19. U.S. firms remain 'meaningfully ahead' of Chinese AI chips,'Chip War' author (7-17)

20. Can Grok Beat OpenAI At Its Own Game? (7-17) 

21. 'The Fed actually wants to fight growth' says former president of World Bank Group (7-17) 

22. The Federal Reserve needs to get ‘back on the curve,’ White House economist says (7-17) 

23. 'The strong are getting stronger' in the AI race, The Information CEO Jessica Lessin (7-17)

24. *Every Software CEO Is Terrified Of This AI Innovation - Travis Kalanick (clip) 

25. US Treasury Secretary Bessent on Inflation, Jerome Powell, Nvidia, Trade Deals (7-16)  

26. Wharton’s Jeremy Siegel on what's driving the market rally (7-16)  

27. Pressure Points: Nvidia H20 Ban Reversal (7-16)  (good, helpful) 

28. *H20 news should add 10% to Nvidia’s street estimates, Deepwater Gene Munster (7-16) macro  

29. Inflation Is A Choice | Uncommon Knowledge (Fed. Hoover clip)  

30. ‘A NEW REALIZATION’: Chang says China is threatening Europe over this (7-15)  

31. *U.S. tariffs on China are likely to stay at current levels, says AEI's Derek Scissors (7-15)  

32. NEC Hassett: The Fed has been 'very, very wrong' on the tariff issue (7-15) 

33. Meta's new superintelligence lab is discussing major AI strategy changes: NYT (7-15)  

34. *Ives: The AI revolution is now spreading across all corners of the tech sector (7-15)  

35. *Kevin O'Leary breaks down impact of Trump's tariffs (7-14)  

Religions & Ideologies  

1. *You Can't Be Half-Communist (7-19)  Stephen Kotkin

2. *The Left's 100 Year Long Civil War (7-19) Stephen Kotkin

3. Why Are Intellectuals So Attracted to Marxism? – Stephen Kotkin (7-14)  

4. *Why You Can't Trust The 'Experts' | Lord Matthew Ridley (7-18)   

5. Why Young People Are Voting to Burn It All Down (7-16)  

6. JD Vance Makes Crowd Go Silent with Brutal Facts on the True Appeal of the Left (7-9) 

7. What’s the Difference between Socialism, Fascism, and Communism? | Fireside Chat | PragerU (2024)  

8. What Is Critical Race Theory? | 5 Minute Video (2021) 

9. Climate Change: What Do Scientists Say? | 5 Minute Video (2014)