Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Trump’s new tariffs take effect: “Lots of companies will be wiped out”

Donald Trump's USA

Published 9 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Several analysts believe that the trade war is likely to escalate further in the near future.
3 minute read

On Wednesday morning, the trade tariffs previously announced by President Donald Trump were imposed – including import tariffs of 104% on Chinese products.

– Everything the US buys from China will disappear. There will be a huge price shock in every way and shortages of all kinds of things, warns Alexis von Sydow, China analyst at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs.

In addition, an additional tariff on some selected Chinese goods will begin to be levied during the day, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

She claims that Trump is confident that the Chinese will back down and withdraw their counter-tariffs – reiterating Trump’s message that the US has been unfairly treated as a trading partner and will ultimately be the big winner, becoming richer and more prosperous as a country from the tariffs.

The Trump administration has claimed, among other things, that the measures will lead to the creation of more American jobs and shift much of the production that takes place abroad to the United States.

However, most people do not seem to believe in this strategy, as evidenced by the stock market’s blood-red figures. China, for example, has announced that it is ready to fight “to the end”, and Alexis von Sydow believes that the tariffs mean that “everyone is in trouble”, and that many product categories will skyrocket in price.

“Will escalate”

Fredrik Cho, China consultant and vice-chairman of the Sweden-China Trade Council, agrees and does not believe that either side is ready to back down or that the conflict is coming to an end.

– Lots of companies will be wiped out, he predicts, and continues:

– It will escalate further. This will go on for quite a while,

It’s worth noting that China is by far the US’s top importing country, importing around $450 billion worth of goods last year. Many of these such as electronics are now expected to soar in price.

Cho emphasizes that Trump’s policy is directly counterproductive as it will negatively affect the US economy while rapidly forcing China in the direction its leaders aspire to with a greater focus on the domestic market.

– It will accelerate the process towards what the Chinese government wants. They want to focus more on domestic demand and consumption.

Sweden can “find new trade routes”

He does not see any disastrous effects for China, but it may be difficult for the Chinese to achieve the set growth target.

– It is clear that it will be noticed and there will be a bump in the curve.

How the tariffs will affect Sweden and other EU countries is not entirely clear. However, the centre-right government has warned of lower growth and price shocks on many products can be expected.

– In the longer term, there are other effects. For example, we will find new trade routes and will not trade in the same way if the tariffs remain in place in the longer term… But growth will decrease and that is why we say that this is bad, commented Elisabeth Svantesson, the Conservative finance minister, last week.

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Trump suggests possible deportation of Elon Musk

Donald Trump's USA

Published 2 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The relationship between tech entrepreneur Elon Musk and former U.S. President Donald Trump appears to oscillate between frosty and outright hostile these days.
3 minute read

US President Donald Trump recently suggested the possibility of deporting his former ally and advisor Elon Musk, while hinting that the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) might review the government subsidies received by Musk’s companies.

The unexpected statement came during a press conference on the White House lawn, where the president was directly asked about the possibility of deporting the Tesla and SpaceX CEO.

– We’ll have to take a look, the president responded.

Musk, who was born in South Africa, has been a US citizen since 2002. Under current law, deportation would require a criminal conviction. Trump elaborated on his comment with a sarcastic attack aimed at his former friend:

– We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible? He gets lots of subsidies, he said.

Escalating conflict

The conflict between Trump and Musk has escalated in recent weeks, particularly regarding the comprehensive “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, which forms the core of Trump’s domestic policy agenda. Musk has called the bill “completely insane” and “political suicide”.

The president responded to the criticism with a post on his Truth Social platform:

“Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa”, he wrote.

“No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”

The background to these statements is Musk’s repeated attacks on the bill, which he claims threatens both jobs and future technology. In a post on X on Saturday, he wrote that “The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!”

“Insane and destructive”

“Utterly insane and destructive. It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future”, he continued.

On Monday, he intensified his rhetoric:

“Anyone who campaigned on the PROMISE of REDUCING SPENDING , but continues to vote on the BIGGEST DEBT ceiling increase in HISTORY will see their face on this poster in the primary next year”.

Musk also described the political climate in the US as “a one-party country – THE PORKY PIG PARTY!!” and called for the formation of a new political party.

Electric vehicle dispute

On Tuesday, Trump emphasized that his previous support from Musk didn’t change his stance on electric vehicle policy:

“Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate”, Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one”.

Trump threatens to sic DOGE on his former ally. Photo: facsimile/Truth Social//Donald Trump

With Tuesday’s Senate approval, where the bill passed with a 51-50 vote, the conflict between Trump and Musk deepened further. Recently, Musk also expressed support for impeachment proceedings against the president, though he later retracted this and apologized.

Musk resigned from his position at DOGE on May 29, in accordance with the 130-day limit for special government employees.

Kennedy halts US support for global vaccine alliance

The criticized covid vaccinations

Published 28 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
According to Kennedy, Gavi has exhausted the public’s – and the US government’s – trust.
2 minute read

US Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced during a meeting in Brussels this week that the country is withdrawing its financial support for the global vaccine alliance Gavi.

The announcement comes as Gavi has launched a new funding round with the goal of raising at least $9 billion for the next five years.

Kennedy, who has long been highly skeptical of large-scale mass vaccination programs and experimental vaccines, sharply criticized Gavi and its collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) during the coronavirus crisis in a brief video address. He accused the alliance of systematically silencing “dissenting views” and ignoring health risks and safety issues related to the vaccines.

“In its zeal to promote universal vaccination, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance has neglected the key issue of vaccine safety”, Kennedy later wrote in a post on X, and continued:

“When vaccine safety issues have come before GAVI, it has treated them not as a patient health problem, but as a public relations problem”.

Kennedy also questioned the safety of the combined vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, claiming that research shows girls who received the vaccine are at higher risk of dying from other causes than unvaccinated children. He also expressed skepticism about WHO’s and Gavi’s recommendation to vaccinate pregnant women against COVID-19 – a recommendation he called “questionable”.

“I call on GAVI to re-earn the public trust and to justify the $8 billion dollars that America has provided in funding since 2001. Until that happens the United States won’t contribute more to GAVI. Business as usual is over”, he declared.

US promised one billion

According to Kennedy, Gavi must start “consider the best science available, even when that science contradicts established paradigms”.

In a statement on Thursday, Gavi claimed that the organization’s highest priority is children’s health and safety. They also stated that all decisions about which vaccines to procure are made according to recommendations from WHO’s expert group on vaccines.

Gavi is a global partnership between WHO, UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, the World Bank, and several governments, working to promote affordable mass vaccination programs in poor countries. The United States has long been one of the organization’s largest donors – and had, before Donald Trump’s re-election, promised support of $1 billion through 2030.

RFK Jr wants health trackers on every American within four years

Mass surveillance

Published 26 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
"We think that wearables are a key to the MAHA agenda", Kennedy claims.
3 minute read

US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has presented a plan for all Americans to wear body-monitoring technology that tracks their health in real time.

The measure is described as a crucial part of the national initiative MAHA – Make America Healthy Again – which aims to reverse America’s widespread public health crisis using modern technology.

During a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Tuesday, Kennedy revealed that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will launch one of its most extensive campaigns ever – to get Americans to wear so-called wearables, body-worn technology that collects health data around the clock.

– We’re about to launch the biggest advertising campaign in HHS history to encourage Americans to use wearables, Kennedy said.

Products mentioned in the initiative include FitBit, Oura Ring, and Apple Watch – popular devices that can measure heart rate, movement, sleep, and in some cases even blood glucose.

– It’s a way people can take control over their own health. They can take responsibility. They can see, as you know, what food is doing to their glucose levels, their heart rates, and a number of other metrics, as they eat it, he explained in a statement also published on the X platform.

“Key to the MAHA agenda”

Kennedy emphasized that he sees the technology as a crucial part of his vision:

– We think that wearables are a key to the MAHA agenda of making America healthy again and my vision is that every American is wearing a wearable in four years.

The Secretary, who belongs to the influential Kennedy family, often emphasizes individual responsibility for health but also links the issue to national security. During his Senate hearing, he described America’s obesity epidemic which now affects about 40 percent of the population as a threat to military readiness.

“Reduce global metabolic suffering”

One of the leading advocates for this type of technology is also President Trump’s nominee for Surgeon General, Dr. Casey Means. She is co-founder of Levels, a company that develops and sells Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGM) sensors attached directly to the skin that send blood glucose values to an app in real time.

Means claims in a blog post that “these small plastic discs” can “reduce global metabolic suffering” and provide much-needed help to the “93.2 percent of people” suffering from metabolic issues.

The food industry is also affected by MAHA. Kennedy recently revealed that Starbucks will make changes to its menu in line with the agenda – even though the company already avoids several common additives such as artificial colors, flavors, and high-fructose corn syrup.

Earlier this year, Kennedy implemented a ban on artificial colors in U.S. food production one of his first major interventions as Secretary. Critics have questioned both methods and priorities in the MAHA policy, but Kennedy sees it as a first step toward a healthier and more responsible nation.

Concerns about mass surveillance

The use of wearable health technology has raised questions about users’ right to privacy. Most health trackers collect large amounts of sensitive information including heart rate, sleep patterns, movement, and blood glucose levels stored in apps connected to companies.

Critics argue that there is a lack of clear transparency in how this data is used, shared, or sold, and that state-encouraged collection of health data risks blurring the line between voluntary health monitoring and systematic surveillance.

While Kennedy emphasizes voluntariness, some analysts warn that large-scale campaigns and technology adaptations by major companies may create indirect pressure to participate.

As more institutions such as employers, schools, or businesses adapt to health tracking, there is a risk that those who opt out may be seen as deviant, receive worse conditions, or be excluded from parts of society.

Fury from Israel lobby as Trump halts bombing campaign

Donald Trump's USA

Published 25 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Emily Shrader, an American political activist, has long worked to expand U.S. support for Israel and advocate for regime change in Iran.
3 minute read

Donald Trump’s harsh criticism of Israel and his call for the country to stop bombing Iranian targets has not been well received by the influential and bellicose Israel lobby.

American-Israeli opinion maker and lobbyist Emily Schrader is one of those calling for the hostilities to continue, going so far as to claim that Trump “is in bed with Qatar”.

Although the stated goal of the Israeli and then US attacks on Iran was initially claimed to be to eliminate the country’s ability to develop nuclear weapons, a long line of Israeli and neoconservative American voices have quickly shifted focus and are now demanding that the Iranian regime be overthrown – with US help.

After Trump criticized Israel in harsh terms and ordered the country’s military to stop bombing Iran, the Israeli lobby’s anger was not long in coming – and several of the figures who recently praised Trump for bombing Iranian nuclear facilities are now trying to discredit the president and portray him as an enemy.

One of those most upset that Trump has taken a stand against Israel’s bombing is Emily Schrader, who has long been involved in two issues: overthrowing and replacing the Iranian regime and increasing US support for Israel.

The lobbyist, who has both US and Israeli citizenship, claims that Trump “is in bed with Qatar” because he has demanded that the bombings stop.

“It must be done”

She also states that Iran’s leadership must be overthrown – and claims that no other alternatives are acceptable.

“The only way to ensure peace in the region is a regime change in Iran. It doesn’t have to be done through war, but it must be done. Trump is painfully naive as to the ideology and motivating factors of the Islamic regime in Iran”, she claims.

In another angry post, she claims that “In the last 24 hours, Donald Trump guaranteed a future war”.

“They’ll discard and mock him”

Critics point out that the Israel lobby is never satisfied – regardless of the concessions and efforts the US makes to appease Tel Aviv – and that they are only interested in supporting Trump if they can exploit him for their own purposes.

“Trump literally bombed Iran – he did that! – for this country’s government. The next day, if he doesn’t obey the next order they make up for him to do, Netanyahuists say he’s part of the Qatar World Conspiracy”, says Curt Mills, executive director of The American Conservative.

“If this isn’t evidence they’ll discard and mock him once he’s no longer president and they’ve used him, nothing is”, he continues.

The Nordic Times has previously highlighted the remarkable influence of the Israel lobby over American politics – and, among other things, pointed out how AIPAC, the largest pro-Israel lobby group, openly boasted during the last election that almost all the candidates they had financed won their respective elections.

“AIPAC endorsed 362 candidates and won in every primary we had a candidate on the ballot! We helped our friends win and defeated 11 anti-Israel candidates”, they proudly declared.

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