Open Thread December 23 2023 Nippon Steel Purchasing U.S. Steel
President Joe Biden “has been clear that we welcome manufacturers across the world building their futures in America with American jobs and American workers. However, he also believes the purchase of this iconic American-owned U.S Steel company by a foreign entity — even one from a close ally — appears to deserve serious scrutiny in terms of its potential impact on national security and supply chain reliability.”
Labor in the form of United Steelworkers union oppose the proposed sale. A number of Rust Belt politicians have called for a CFIUS review to determine whether it should be blocked on national security grounds.
Biden believes Nippon purchase of U.S. Steel deserves ‘serious scrutiny,’ POLITICO, Doug Palmer
Japan’s Nippon Steel to acquire US Steel for $14.9 billion
Reuters – Dec 18
(Japan) is the fourth-largest economy in the world by nominal GDP and also the fourth-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). – Wikipedia
(The world’s 4th largest steel company in the the world’s 4th largest economy apparently figures that buying US Steel will be good for its bottom-line. Go figure.)
US Steel to Be Bought by Japanese Rival After Takeover Drama
NY Times – Dec 18
Under Argentina’s New President, Fuel Is Up 60%, and Diaper Prices Have Doubled
NY Times – Dec 23
Javier Milei warned that things would get worse before they got better. Now Argentines are living it.
If nothing else, Donald Trump embodies the notion that in this country, one is innocent until proven guilty. If you never go to trial, you remain ‘innocent’.
Trump Asks Appeals Court to Toss Election Case on Immunity Grounds
NY Times – Dec 23
The court filing was the latest development in a battle between Mr. Trump and the special counsel, Jack Smith, over whether the former president can be prosecuted for his actions while in office.
(The government asserts that ‘running for reelection’ is not a presidential duty, and acts associated with it are not immune from prosecution.)
Fred:
What you do on an Open Thread in terms of wanting to post on various topics is fine to a point (I say the last few words as typically you take advantage of my words). Repeatedly, I have asked you not to Copy and Paste multiple articles to topic-oriented commentaries. Stop doing so. I have been pretty clear on this.
So you’re telling me that for topics on an Open Thread, I am not to post related material. You didn’t provide specifics on what the US Steel deal was about. I felt it needed explanation. It’s your privilege, always, to remove material you disapprove of.
Fred:
Open posts are open to “almost” anything you wish to post including C&Ps. Robert’s, Dales, mine, etc. posts are not open to multiple C&Ps. Furthermore and one of these times, the originator of your C&Ps is going to come and ask why so many C&Ps of their articles. Such is beyond fair use. I do not want to deal with them Fred. Which is another reason why I dislike multiple C&Ps during any one time from the same source. I have asked for permission at times to do a C&P. This is not a grant of permission either.
@Fred,
If you feel something needs explaining, please feel free to provide it–just use your own words. Fair use of published work would be ≤ 10% of the content. Pick out the nut graf, then provide a link to the source.
Links to NY Times stories are useless, generally. They are ‘free’ only to those who are Times subscribers.
If nothing else, my posts from NY Times material should suggest to people that maybe they ought to consider signing up with the Gray Lady.
Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.
Fred:
You do not have a right to post multiple times Copy and pastes on any one authored post. As far as an Open Thread, they are there to have commentaries back and forth. The Open Threads are for open discussions. And nothing at Angry Bear is your privilege. I keep asking you to stop and you seem to think I will not act. Don’t push your luck.
I am OK with Nippon Steel’s takeover as long as they commit to not make any steel for Yamato-class battleships.
One of the fairly obvious aspects of our now super-tight relationship with Japan is that they earn a LOT of US dollars by selling us stuff (that is often made in China), leaving them with funds to invest in US companies. This sort of helps to keep our relationship with them intact. Go figure.
Americans Are Signing Up for Obamacare in Record Numbers
NY Times – Dec 21
Fred:
Very true. I believe that was my next post.
If your readers do the Google on the title above, it will take them right to the NYT link for the article and a brief extract therefrom.
and a lot of related articles from other sources.
Fred:
I provided a link to a different site.
A qibble? You said their were graphs that did not post but apparently were important. You posted a link that had no graphs. I checked & found that the WSJ link was open, including the graphs, so I posted it.
I am just trying to be helpful here.
Fred:
Got 20 zillion things bouncing around in my head. It is possible, I did forget something. Jack and I were talking about such issues as we age. You know the information is there, somewhere, and just not at your finger tips. That is, until an hour later and than it surfaces.
Sorry,
Bill
How Trump Is Running Differently This Time
NY Times – Dec 26
(What follows may be utter fantasy. You can decide.)
To suggest or imply that ‘Biden wants chaos’ is just another fine example of Trump projecting his own extreme tendencies on his opponent, the duly elected President.
This is dangerous BS and needs to be recognized as such.
Ok, so Trump is the most ignorant President that US has every had, without doubt.
Do we want to hold that against him? Keep him from another term?
Maybe. (I hope so.) Maybe not.
Trump says he didn’t know his immigration rhetoric echoes Hitler.
PBS News – Dec 27
‘Of course’ Civil War was about slavery, Nikki Haley says, after facing blowback over N.H. town hall answer
Boston Globe – Dec 28
The standard GOP attitude toward the War Between the States, since the advent of the Southern Strategy about fifty years ago, has been that it was all about ‘states rights’ & the ‘property rights’ of slave holders. Ignoring the phrase that is of over-riding importance in American history: ‘All men are created equal.’
Maine bars Trump from state primary ballot
Boston Globe – Dec 28
As Maine goes, so goes the nation
“As Maine goes, so goes the nation” was once a maxim in United States politics. The phrase described Maine’s reputation as a bellwether state for presidential elections. Maine’s September election of a governor predicted the party outcome of the November presidential election in 22 out of the 29 presidential election years from 1820 to 1932: namely 1820–1844, 1852, 1860–1880, 1888, 1896–1908 and 1920–1932; more importantly, as Maine was a generally Republican-leaning state, the margin of the September elections compared to expectations could predict national November results more than the identity of the winning party in Maine. A contest still won by the Republicans but with a narrower margin than usual would still predict good Democratic results nationally.
Maine’s reputation as a bellwether began in 1840, when it elected Edward Kent, the Whig Party candidate, as its governor; two months later, the Whig Party presidential candidate, William Henry Harrison, won the 1840 presidential election. Again in 1888, Maine voted solidly for Republican Party candidates, and Republican Benjamin Harrison won the presidential election despite losing the overall popular vote nationwide. The saying originated following this election, though it is unknown by whom. …
Maine Bars Trump From Ballot, Cites 14th Amendment
AP via Voice of America – Dec 28
What to Know About the Efforts to Remove Trump From the 2024 Ballot
NY Times – Dec 29