Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Michael D Swaine
“Trump takes a stance toward China that is neither one of conventional engagement nor do-or-die great power competition. He apparently thinks that if he can make some great deals with Xi on Taiwan, on trade, and technology, etc., the great power problem will be resolved, and he can take another step toward his long-coveted Nobel Peace Prize. The problem with Trump’s novel treatment of the China-U.S. relationship is rather obvious, however. Great power relations are not real estate deals.” (05/17/26)
“The cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak has docked at the Dutch port of Rotterdam for disinfection, wrapping up a troubled journey that put international health authorities on alert. The MV Hondius was carrying 25 crew members and two medical personnel as it reached Rotterdam on Monday morning, after all the passengers disembarked elsewhere. An Associated Press journalist saw people board the boat via pier wearing white hazardous materials suits. A short distance from where the ship docked, authorities had set up 25 white containers along the water in between a line of windmills. The crew will enter immediate quarantine, with those who cannot be repatriated spending their time in quarantine in these containers with satellite internet and catering, said the port’s harbor master, René de Vries.” (05/18/26)
“Once upon a time, such wildly futuristic madness would have been left to the most dystopian of science-fiction novels — and undoubtedly not very popular ones at that, since such a plot and such a president would (once upon a time) have seemed far too unrealistic even for fiction. But now, thanks to President Donald J. Trump, the United States of America, in addition to all its other warring acts of recent months, is distinctly at war — and there’s no other adequate word for it — with Planet Earth (at least as a habitable place for future versions of us).” (05/17/26)
“Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee’s office announced the resignation of former city administrator Jestin Johnson after finding ‘degrading and unprofessional communications’ involving Johnson. ‘We promptly conducted our own investigation and verified these communications, which are wholly incompatible with the values of this administration and those of the people of Oakland,’ Lee said in a statement. ‘Under my watch, I will not tolerate transgressions of this nature.’ It was unclear what exactly was in the messages.” (05/17/26)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Jake Scott
“After a recent Andean Community (CAN) ruling, Ecuador and Colombia have been forced into a climbdown from an escalating trade war that has been heating up since the beginning of 2026. … CAN, formed in 1969 following the Cartagena Agreement and composed of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Per — since then expanding to include Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay as associate members and Chile leaving in 1976 — is explicitly set up to deal with trade in goods and services, the regulation of a customs union between members, a common market, and even foreign policy.” (05/17/26)
“Russia has attacked a Chinese-owned cargo ship that was headed for a Ukrainian port, according to Reuters, a move which could anger one of Moscow’s most important allies in Beijing. The Russian drone struck the KSL DEYANG vessel flying under Marshall Islands flag off the coast of Ukraine early on Monday, a source told the news agency. The vessel was did not contain cargo and was bound for Ukraine’s Pivdennyi port in the Odesa region where it was to load iron ore concentrate. The vessel did not sustain significant damage, there were no casualties and the fire caused by the strike was extinguished by the crew, the source added.” (05/18/26)
“Because California is the ‘authoritarian law idea? Hold my beer!’ state, governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation last October which requires operating system providers to collect age information on each new user account, and provide an API that lets Internet platforms and app developers access that information so as to exclude users Gavin Newsom doesn’t think should be using those platforms and apps [“for the chillllllllllldren”]. It’s almost, but not quite, funny. It’s almost funny because it won’t take the chillllllllllldren in question more than a few minutes to figure out ways around this kind of thing. ‘Age verification’ laws are, and always have been, political fantasy, as you know yourself if you were ever a 19-year-old college student who used a fake ID to get into a nightclub. It’s not quite funny because it isn’t, and never was, about ‘the chillllllllllldren.'” (05/17/26)
