EightyGee (Athomas Goldberg)

Opinion | Progressives Need a Global Movement

I’ve been making this exact argument for months now - I’m glad it’s finally surfacing in the mainstream media.

Illustration of a half-carved statue of Thespius Green from the game Great God Grove. Several small Click Clacks work on carving it, save for one on its shoulder that looks into its face wistfully.

How could I hope to stand upon the pedestal I've put you on?

My piece for the Down Limbo Lane collab! Which is super cool and totally worth checking out the talent is INSANE #greatgodgrove #fanart

As the US Cuts Scientific Talent, Europe Launches an Initiative to Attract It The Choose Europe for Science program will invest more than half a billion dollars between 2025 and 2027 to recruit researchers and scientists—especially from the United States.

The Great American Brain Drain continues:

The UK is now the “Columbia University” of US trading partners.

Ironically, it’s probably true that the Conservatives hate Trump just a little more right now.

Microsoft Drops Simpson Thacher & Bartlett Law Firm from a Case The tech giant instead engaged a firm that is fighting the president’s executive orders, Jenner & Block, in a sign that those firms can still attract clients.

Kudos to my former employer - dropping one of the law firms that caved to Trump in favour of one that’s fighting the executive orders.

Trump becomes the first American president to lose a Canadian election

Law Firms Made Deals With Trump. Now He Wants More From Them. To avoid retribution, big firms agreed to provide free legal services for uncontroversial causes. To the White House, that could mean negotiating trade deals — or even defending the president and his ...

This should be a warning to EVERY law firm, university or country that thinks they can “negotiate” with Trump by capitulating to his demands. Any time he thinks he’s found an “opponent” who’s weak (and everyone who negotiates is an opponent) he’ll continue to subjugate until there’s nothing left.

YouTube video by NJ.com Trump Plaza implosion: The Atlantic City casino came down this morning

The US economy (and American democracy) under Trump:

Never fails

Trump says EU must buy $350B of US energy to get tariff relief Brussels’ zero-for-zero tariff offer not enough, U.S. president says, but indicates he’s open to a deal if the bloc commits to closing the trade deficit in goods.

Case in point:

Or put even simpler - Trump wants other countries to buy more stuff.

The problem is, of course, that “countries” don’t really buy things, their people and companies do, which the governments don’t directly control, which is why they’re confused about what they’re supposed to offer in negotiations.

White House keeps world guessing as clock ticks down to Trump's new tariffs The White House is sending mixed messages on tariffs as it pursues conflicting goals, frustrating foreign leaders and business executives who are desperate for clarity on a generational overhaul of in...

Oh FFS…

It’s not that hard, folks.

Any country with a trade surplus with the US gets tariffs above 10% until they buy more stuff from US than they sell to US. Once they do, they get 10% tariff forever.

That’s it. The whole plan. It’s not a mystery. There’s nothing to guess at.

Sheesh.

Scottish MP calls for 'special' visa for Americans fleeing Donald Trump administration Christine Jardine has called for a ‘special fast track’ process

So this is happening:

What Canada, the EU, and China, already recognize, and the rest of the world will soon learn is this: no tariff concession, or "negotiation" is going to change Trump's mind or policy on tariffs because they're the only way, in his mind, that he can possibly "win" the trade war.
4/🧵

This isn't an intelligent or rational view of trade - countries, especially poor countries like Vietnam (and Lesotho!), can't force their citizens buy more American products, so the only other option is to reduce imports to the US through tariffs.
3/🧵

For Trump, the only way the trade war ends is with the US having a trade surplus with every country on Earth, regardless of the circumstances. Anything else means the US is getting screwed.
2/🧵

This is it, right here:

“Let’s take Vietnam. When they come to us and say ‘We’ll go to zero tariffs,’ that means nothing to us because it’s the nontariff cheating that matters,” Navarro told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “They sell us $15 for every $1 we sell them.”
1/🧵

Might be the first time in forever that I’ve completely agreed with Musk on something.

Wow… Musk’s comment about Navarro may mark the first time in a long time that I’ve agreed 100% with Elon on something.

#HandsOff Burlington, VT

Hands Off - Burlington, VT

#HandsOff

The April 5th “Hands Off” protests planned across America will be the first real test of how far Trump is prepared to head down this road. I’m not expecting it to be invoked tomorrow, but I’m fully prepared for the protests to catalyze the move toward normalizing and eventually invoking it.

Once again for the kids in the back of the class:

I’m starting to think Trump’s plan to fix Biden’s “disastrous economy” is to roll the stock market back to 2019.

Trump's tariff idiocy is based on two mutually exclusive beliefs:

1. Trade deficits = other countries cheating you. Tariffs reduce deficits by reducing imports.

2. Tariffs = revenue to replace income tax.

Reduced imports = reduced tariff revenue.

Follow the logic: 0 imports = 0 tariff revenue 🤦‍♂️

YouTube video by International School History Hawley–Smoot Tariff - Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

I know it’s getting a lot of play nowadays, but it’s still worth reminding everyone:

These numbers aren’t the ceiling - They’re the FLOOR. It’s only going to get worse from here.