Politics

In the latest sign that China is moving to dramatically limit its exposure to its restive neighbor and long-time economic dependent, Chinese authorities on Thursday ordered all North Korean firms to stop doing business in the world's second-largest economy, fulfilling Beijing's obligations according to the latest round of UN Security Council sanctions, which were passed two weeks ago.

The order comes just days after President Donald Trump revealed that the People’s Bank of China had asked the country’s banks to sever their business ties with North Korea.

In just over six weeks, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen’s term expires. This allows President Trump to choose a new IRS chief who may have two high-profile and sensitive jobs: helping implement the the president’s proposed tax cuts and overseeing an audit of his tax returns.

Trump hasn’t nominated anyone to replace Koskinen yet, but as Bloomberg reports, Koskinen, who was hired by President Barack Obama and is loathed by congressional Republicans, who tried to impeach him in 2016, is unlikely to be reappointed.

While proclaiming that "the biggest winners will be everyday American workers," President Trump's top economic adviser, Gary Cohn told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos that he can't guarantee that taxes won't go up for some middle-class families under the administration's sweeping tax overhaul.

"The biggest winners will be the everyday American workers as jobs start pouring into our country, as companies start competing for American labor and as wages start going up at levels that you haven't seen in many years," Trump said.

Last Friday the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) dropped a "bombshell" statement that sent a "thrill up the leg" (to quote Chris Matthews) of every CNN reporter across the country.  The news from DHS implied that the election systems of 21 states around the country had been hacked, or at least were close to being hacked, which set off a new wave "Russian collusion" speculation in the U.S. news media (see: DHS Notifies 21 States Of Hacker Targeting; Election Officials Blame "Russian Government Cyber Actors").

Patriotism Is A Two-Edged Sword

Paul Craig Roberts

I sometimes wonder if America’s greatest threat is the population’s hyper-patriotism. The bulk of the population is now at work shutting down the NFL players’ First Amendment rights, and none of the incensed censors are capable of understanding that it is they, and not the NFL players, who are attacking the U.S. Constitution. We have been through all this flag business before, and federal courts have ruled for the protesters who burnt flags, wore them on their clothes, whatever. Yet, here we go again.