Bob Weeks

See:
https://www.wichitaliberty.org/economics/december-2025-pce-personal-income-outlays-analysis/

DECEMBER 2025 PCE REPORT: INFLATION TICKS UP, SAVINGS DROP, AND SPENDING HOLDS ON

The BEA's December 2025 Personal Income and Outlays report shows inflation rising to 2.9% annually while Americans dip into savings to keep spending. Here's what it means for your wallet and the Fed's next move.

Rattner, Steven. "Opinion | I Just Returned From China. We Are Not Winning." The New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026, www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/opinion/china-ai-ev-trump.html

Rattner rejects both protectionism and passive government. Sound industrial policy, he argues, does not mean taking equity stakes or demanding royalties, as the Trump administration has attempted. Instead, America must "get our own economic house in order" if it hopes to outpace China.

He calls for reversing cuts to science funding, focusing on advanced technologies rather than traditional manufacturing, and streamlining permitting for critical mineral extraction while maintaining environmental standards.

Rattner argues that the United States must rethink its own industrial policy, using government resources strategically to support key future industries.

He attributes much of China's success to state-directed capitalism. When Beijing determined it was falling behind in A.I., it mobilized funding, regulatory relief, and expanded electricity generation to catch up.

Rattner characterizes the country as having "two Chinese economies" -- one sluggish at home, the other a global manufacturing and technology powerhouse.

Still, China faces internal weaknesses. A deflating property bubble, weak consumer spending, slowing growth, and youth unemployment near 20 percent have dampened its domestic economy.

China has also transformed its pharmaceutical sector. Once dependent on foreign licenses, it now licenses more drugs to other countries than it imports and has surpassed the United States in the number of clinical trials.

Ford's chief executive, Jim Farley, has described Chinese in-vehicle technology as "far superior" to American models, and Ford recently halted production of its F-150 electric truck and recorded a $19.5 billion write-down on its EV efforts.

Rattner points to the electric vehicle industry as a striking example. At Xiaomi's highly automated factory, he observed advanced robotics producing sleek cars comparable in design to a Porsche. China installed nearly nine times as many industrial robots as the United States in 2024.

Despite tariffs, China's trade surplus reached a record $1.2 trillion last year, suggesting that many Chinese goods continue to reach the United States indirectly through intermediary countries. "Tariffs or no, everybody needs Chinese goods," he concludes.

agent Manus, which reportedly rivaled ChatGPT and was sold to Meta for more than $2 billion shortly after Rattner's visit. He also highlights the strength of China's human capital, describing young entrepreneurs whose ambition and drive rival Silicon Valley's.

In artificial intelligence, China benefits from enormous energy capacity -- more than double that of the United States -- and lower electricity costs for data centers. These advantages have helped it develop competitive products, such as the A.I.

While President Trump has pursued a confrontational trade policy and cut spending on government functions like basic research, China has made these areas national priorities. The result, Rattner writes, is that China's capabilities are accelerating even as U.S. policy becomes less coherent.

Rattner describes China as a formidable rival that continues to dominate global manufacturing and rapidly expand in advanced sectors such as artificial intelligence and pharmaceuticals.

Drawing on observations from a recent weeklong visit to China, he argues that the only viable response is for America to strengthen its own industrial and technological base.

Article Summary:
Steven Rattner contends that the United States is losing ground to China in critical industries and that neither aggressive tariffs nor traditional diplomacy will reverse the trend.

One-Sentence Summary:
After a visit to China, Steven Rattner argues that the United States is falling behind in advanced manufacturing and technology, and that only a robust domestic industrial strategy -- not tariffs -- can effectively counter China's state-driven economic rise.

OPINION | I JUST RETURNED FROM CHINA. WE ARE NOT WINNING. 🧵

See:
https://www.wichitaliberty.org/politics/psychological-analysis-trump-supreme-court-tariff-response-2026/

Observable language patterns can suggest psychological tendencies but do not constitute clinical assessment. All observations are inferences from communication style, not diagnoses. Assistance from Claude AI.

This analysis is based solely on a single press conference transcript and cannot account for contextual factors, personal history, or broader behavioral patterns. Speech in a press conference setting is performative and adversarial by nature, which may amplify certain rhetorical features.

This psychological briefing maps observable rhetorical patterns to persuasion techniques and leadership influence profiles — with implications for both leader and audience.

Following an adverse Supreme Court ruling on tariffs, Trump's February 20, 2026 press conference displays textbook authoritarian communication: moral disqualification of opponents, crisis-redemption narration, and systematic delegitimization of every constraining institution.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF AUTHORITARIAN COMMUNICATION: TRUMP'S SUPREME COURT TARIFF RESPONSE (FEBRUARY 2026)

Unlocked gift link:
https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/election/article314752790.html?giftCode=0b33bbb79a0c76054cd741bec56b7bc6c331fef67fd266c022e6d8ae4a0f6884

Community voices urge empathy, involvement and informed participation regardless of the vote's outcome.

Rengers, Carrie. "Since When Is a Sales Tax Election Not About Money? When It's About Trust." Wichita Eagle, 20 Feb. 2026, www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/election/article314752790.html

Critics cite limited transparency and campaign missteps, including a controversial ad. Mayor Lily Wu and council members acknowledge mistakes and call for more engagement. Scholars argue trust grows from relationships and transparency, yet rebuilding it may be slow.