Weekly Recap & Recommendations
Welcome! Let’s get caught up on what happened this week.
(Please click on the titles below to access linked videos and articles for further details)
The Oval Office Show: Are There Coincidences in Politics?
The aftermath of last Friday's shocking episode at the White House was very much on full display this week. Over the weekend, Donald Trump announced he would halt arms shipments to Ukraine, a promise he later delivered. Zelensky changed course several times, finishing up the week by indicating that Ukraine is not ready for a ceasefire. But what actually happened at the Oval Office, and what other, much more consequential events did we miss?
The EU Leaders Promise “Boots on the Ground and Planes in the Air” to Zelensky During the Summit in London: What’s Next?
The European Union and the UK announced their intention to militarize their declining economies, continue funding the proxy conflict in Ukraine against Russia, and create funds worth approximately €800 billion for defense and infrastructure programs. As I explained in this video, transitioning to a “warfare” state will be less than elegant since the “coalition of the willing” will have to redirect funds from social programs towards military purposes, possibly increase taxes, take on more debt, etc.
NordStream 2 Relaunch Plans: the US and Russia Are in Talks to Restart Gas Transit
Although official investigations into who blew up the pipeline yielded no meaningful results, the United States is said to be involved in talks with former NordStream officials to restart transit.
US Oligarchs Celebrate BlackRock's $23 Billion Panama Canal Takeover with the Direct Backing of US
BlackRock, the world’s top asset manager, announced its acquisition of two key Panama Canal ports, Cristobal and Balboa, in a $19 billion deal with Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison. The deal reportedly includes over 40 additional ports. BlackRock will now control more than 40 percent of all shipping container traffic through the Panama Canal.
Larry Fink, BlackRock CEO, worked directly with the Trump administration to acquire the Panama Canal. Despite Trump claiming that the US is now “reclaiming” it, the statement is far from reality as the Panama Canal becomes yet another asset on BlockRock’s books, and its shareholders are the ultimate winners.
Donald Trump’s Trade War on China, Mexico and Canada
Donald Trump’s all-inclusive tariffs officially took effect on March 4, 2025. The same day, the target states indicated they were ready to retaliate. Surprisingly, China was the most outspoken this week in its attempt to de-escalate the economic madness.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China responded in the most straightforward manner imaginable, underscoring the hypocrisy of putting full blame on China for the fentanyl pandemic instead of the US taking responsibility for its own failed policies and working with China to address the crisis:
"If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end. Intimidation does not scare us. Bullying does not work on us. Pressuring, coercion or threats are not the right way of dealing with China. Anyone using maximum pressure on China is picking the wrong guy and miscalculating. If the U.S. truly wants to solve the fentanyl issue, then the right thing to do is to consult with China by treating each other as equals." (read full statement here)
Two days later, the US president announced he was pausing tariffs on auto imports until April 2, 2025. The Trump administration is starting to roll out new trade policies, so flip-flopping and confusion may be part of the game.
In the News
Besides the events covered in my videos this week, let’s run through other events worth being aware of:
President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing Bitcoin Strategic Reserve.
Trump says he’s now considering new sanctions on Russia because it is “pounding Ukraine on the battlefield.”
Why not stop arms shipments to Ukraine and halt intel sharing via third parties to force Zelensky to negotiate?
On March 7, Fed Chair Jerome Powell admitted that the US economy is facing an increased level of uncertainty:
“Despite elevated levels of uncertainty, the US economy continues to be in a good place. The path to sustainably returning inflation to our target has been bumpy, and we expect that to continue.”
During the next meeting on March 18-19, the Fed is expected to leave the interest rate unchanged.
What I’m Reading This Week
Donald Trump and the Military-Industrial-Tech Complex
Written by Norman Solomon for TomDispatch
The article explores U.S. militarism and foreign policy continuity. Regardless of one’s political perspective, serving the industries of war has become an integral part of Washington’s modus operandi, and it is unlikely to change under the Trump administration. The tech giants in the U.S. are closely tied to the military-industrial complex, and the warfare state is alive and well under the new administration.
What I’m Listening To…
How the West Fell for Its Own Propaganda
Pascal Lottaz of Neutrality Studies had an excellent conversation with Ambassador Chas Freeman about the role of propaganda in deceiving the public to further political agendas. It's definitely worth a listen!
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Other countries are buying gold and Trump is after a Bitcoin Reserve. Nothing shows us on the way to a pure banana republic than this. What is he going to buy Bitcoin with, more debt?
Great weekly recap miss Lena. A whole lot of important and interesting info this week. Thank you I appreciate your fine efforts.