As the situation festers, the new POTUS’s idea to invite China’s President, Xi Jinping, to the White House seems to have been the precisely correct thing to do at the most appropriate moment. That's because during the visit, Xi delivered a promise to work together to try to get North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, to settle down and calm his hostility, or else.
And that may be exactly what’s happening now, whereas according to the Associated Press @FoxNews.com: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, while pledging support for dialogue between the sides, “There can be no winners in a war between the U.S. and North Korea over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and missile programs.”
The next paragraph, however, holds what will most likely be the most important determinant of North Korea’s actions, whereas: “Wang's comments Friday mark the latest attempt to cool tensions by North Korea's most important ally and key provider of food and fuel aid.”
Thus, one would have to assume that if one’s key provider of food and fuel makes any kind of suggestion, the chances are that strict attention would certainly be paid. And at present: “China also has grown increasingly frustrated with the refusal of Kim Jong Un's regime to heed its admonitions, and in February cut off imports of North Korean coal that provide Pyongyang with a crucial source of foreign currency.”
State media also reported late Friday that “starting Monday, the Chinese flag carrier Air China will cancel flights from Beijing to Pyongyang due to poor ticket sales.”
A very probable indication of North Korea’s intention to heed China’s warnings was found in an article by Anna Fifield and Simon Denyer today @washingtonpost.com, saying: “North Korea put on a huge military spectacle Saturday to celebrate its founder’s birthday, parading its series of new and technologically advanced missiles in front of Kim Jong Un, and in a defiant show of force in front of the world.
“North Korea did not, however, carry out another nuclear test or ballistic missile launch, against widespread speculation that it would seek to celebrate Kim Il Sung’s 105th birthday with a bang.”
Moving on to another subject, also involving the new POTUS, Ben Schreckinger writes @politico.com: “Parting ways with Donald Trump’s chief strategist, it seems, is rarely a simple proposition. But with Trump undercutting [Steve] Bannon in recent interviews and speculation running rampant that he could soon lose his job amid vicious West Wing infighting, the White House may soon be doing just that.
“I asked friends and foes alike to imagine how, should Bannon get the boot, the pugnacious populist might exact his revenge.”
Mr. Schreckinger also related examples of previous situations where Bannon exacted revenge against a landlord, a female journalist and one more that involved his second wife, which tied right into another article, this one by Raheem Kassam, Editor in Chief of Breitbart London @breitbart.com.
Writing about Detroit, Michigan, Kassam states that: “President Trump’s base appears to be growing concerned with the direction of his administration, against the backdrop of a number of drastic policy shifts from the campaign period as well as his first few weeks in office.
“As the notorious “first 100 days” mark rushes up on him, President Trump will have to perform a careful balancing act between the two evident camps in the White House: the nationalists and the globalists, between which a real reconciliation looks unlikely.”
Modifying the negativity Kassam attempts to take the edge off, writing: “It’s not all bad news for the President, but it is a warning to be heeded. Here in Michigan, Trump voters, campaigners, and low-level donors expressed concern to this Breitbart News correspondent on the recent change in his direction — citing the travel ban, border control, and the power of his relatives in his administration as key areas of concern.
“I feel like it’s gone so far now the wrong way that it’s going to take something magnificent on his part to get people back. We’re fish that are off the hook right now. He only has one small chance to get us hooked again,” Penny, a middle-aged lady from Sterling Heights, told me, adding:
“Jared and Ivanka were not on the ballot. I did not vote for them, nor would I if given the opportunity. There is a reason we have anti-nepotism rules. The fact that they were aided by the odious Jamie Gorelick in circumventing those rules pours salt in our wounds. Now it looks like the counterbalance of Bannon and Kellyanne is being marginalized. President Trump seems to have forgotten the loyal supporters who have been behind him since the early primary days. I feel so very betrayed.Providing several more examples in support of his premise, Kassam concluded his piece, this way: “The writing is obviously not yet on the wall as far as a second Trump term goes. But if the first 100 days — especially the second half of that time period — are anything to go by — the Donald will have some serious explaining to do in about three years time.
With this column coming from one of, if not the most, supportive outlets of both the Trump campaign and administration, one can only assume that the change in perspective stems from the present out-falling between the POTUS and former executive chair of Breitbart News, Bannon.
Most interestingly 12,039 comments from readers followed the article the vast majority of those sampled still solidly supportive of the POTUS. To the extent that many expounded on abandoning Breitbart altogether, moving instead to others such as The Gateway Pundit.
Here are some of the readers thoughts.
maxedgar wrote: “My better half works at a pork plant - he just told me they had to shut down a line because so many illegals have left. What others at the plant were saying that they were going back so they don't get caught and can't come back legally. This is a good sign. It's that many we don't have to pay to deport.
The comment received 567 ”Likes.”
Gordon Geikko wrote: “Another Breitbart story to turn Trump's base against him...
Reads like fiction...Fake News I think they call it...
I think he's doing a great job.
He works 18 hours a day and has accomplished a great deal.
It's not his fault that our system is an obstructionist cluster****.”
Give him some damn time.
That got 469 ”Likes.”
Carrington Spensor Geralt of Rivia wrote: “Over the past few weeks, I spend less then 5% of the time I used to spend on here. As much as I liked Breitbart, if they don't cut this BS, their readership is going to plummet......and all that will be left will be white extremists....mostly school dropouts.
162 “Likes” were recorded here.
Despite the indications of negativity toward what may be a changing Breitbart, another of their articles today is in keeping with their traditional conservative outlook.
Warner Todd Huston reported @breitbart.com: “A new review of the restaurant industry in San Diego, California, shows that since its minimum wage hike to $11.50 per hour, the city has lost a whopping 4,000 restaurant jobs.
“Just over a year ago, the city of San Diego decided to skip ahead of the state’s rules to raise the minimum wage to $10.25 per hour and went straight to $11.50. But since that decision, a look at the workers most affected by the new wage seems to show it has hurt, rather than helped them.”
While about half of San Diego workers earning minimum wage are food service workers, according to Reason.com, “since last year’s wage hike, restaurants have shed jobs or ceased expansion to make new jobs at a very high rate. San Diego has dropped sharply, with perhaps as many as 4,000 jobs lost, or never created in the first place.”
“Lynn Reaser, chief economist of the Fermanian Business & Economic Institute at Point Loma Nazarene University, told The San Diego Union-Tribune: “If job growth in the restaurant sector had just kept pace with the state’s performance … the industry could have created 5,200 jobs instead of the 1,300 that took place.”
Similarly, “Forbes magazine’s Tim Worstall recently noted, a similar situation was seen in Seattle after the city ordered a hefty raise in its minimum wage.”
Another take was found from a reader, showing how unwarranted minimum-wage increases have also eliminated unskilled workers attaining valuable education from on-the-job training, as those increases make their hiring unaffordable.
Reader Bob X from Texas wrote: “That's exactly what's been happening in the plumbing/electrician/appliance repair /auto maintenance fields. Used to be able to hire folks with no experience, pay the minimum wage as they were learning the skills. They were basically overhead- being paid more than they were producing. But, if they stuck around would get higher pay as they could handle the job.
“Shops can't afford to hire apprentices anymore. Need folks who can produce walking in the door. They've got to have some actual experience in the field.”
And thus, another upside-down liberal fallacy comes to roost in the real world.
That’s it for today folks.
Adios
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