Month: April 2025

Chinese Response to 104% Tariffs and Insults From Vance

We begin with an analysis of China’s response to Trump’s trade war and the 104% tariffs he is about to impose on the PRC as well as the insult to the Chinese people from VP Vance who referred to “borrowing money from Chinese peasants to buy goods made by Chinese peasants.” Joining us is Barry Naughton, the Chair in Chinese International Affairs and a scholar with the 21st Century China Program at the University of California San Diego.  An authority on the Chinese economy, he has recently focused on Chinese trade and technology, in particular, the relationship between the development of the electronics industry in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, and the growth of trade and investment among those economies. His books include The China Circle: Economics and Technology in the PRC, Taiwan and Hong Kong, The Chinese Economy: Transitions and Growth, and his latest, State Capitalism, Institutional Adaptation, and the Chinese Miracle.

Trump Announces Talks Between Iran and the US in Oman on Saturday

Then we look into the talks between Iran and the US that Trump announced will take place on Saturday in Oman and how much they are a result of setbacks Iran has suffered with its proxies and the loss of Syria along with US threats from nuclear-capable B2 bombers deployed in the region. Joining us is Dr. Trita Parsi, the Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He has served as a professor of International Relations at Johns Hopkins University SAIS, New York University, Georgetown University, and George Washington University and he is the co-founder and former President of the National Iranian American Council. His books include, Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States and Losing An Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy.

Trump’s DOJ Will No Longer Stop Crypto Scams and Cyber Command Will No Longer Stop Ransomware Attacks

Then finally we examine the one-two punch of the DOJ closing down the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team as well as ending Cyber Command’s mission to stop ransomware attacks on hospitals etc. by Russian and other criminals who demand payments in cryptocurrency. Joining us is Alexander Sammon, a politics writer at Slate who has previously written for Mother Jones, The New Republic and the American Prospect. His latest article at Slate is “America is a Casino: We’re addicted to making money for the richest people alive. The Trump administration’s plan for cryptocurrency might be the greatest scam of all.”