To begin my posting today, I asked Google AI, what is the status of the U.S.'s war with Iran: The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has entered a new phase of intense economic warfare after a 60-day diplomatic window expired with no final peace deal . Following initial large-scale military operations launched on February 28, 2026, the conflict is now centered on a U.S. push for crushing financial sanctions, retaliatory maritime threats in the Strait of Hormuz, and persistent regional flashpoints. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ] Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted and meager. Cost of this war? Pentagon Tally: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reported direct military spending has reached $37.5 billion, driven heavily by high burn-rates for expensive precision interceptors countering cheaper Iranian drones and missiles. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] Consumer Energy Burden: According to energy cost trackers from Brown University cited in the Center for American Progres...

Taiwan was the top item on the agenda during President Donald Trump's summit with Chairman Xi Jinping.   While nothing was discussed of particular significance, all signs show that Trump has softened his support for the island China contend's is theirs .  I asked Google about Trump's current attitude on this subject: Donald Trump has not stated that he is willing to give up Taiwan. However, his highly transactional approach to foreign policy has sparked intense debate, as he has explicitly described pending U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan as a "negotiating chip" to leverage concessions from China . [ 1 , 2 ] Details of the situation include: Arms Sales as Leverage: Trump recently delayed approving a $14 billion U.S. arms sale package for Taiwan. In an interview following his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, Trump stated: "I'm holding that in abeyance and it depends on China... It's a very good negotiating chip for us, frankly....

Donald Trump has wanted something this large, but Chinese President Xi Jinping pulled it off yesterday.  Marking the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, Tiananmen Square was the location of  China's Really Big Parade .  More magnificent than  Trump's 79th Birthday Parade  in DC this summer.  Twice as many soldiers marched, and twice as many aircraft flew over Ji's parade. Maybe more important than the event itself was who were there:  Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian and North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, leaders of the Evil Axis.  Also: Besides Iran, North Korea, and Russia, heads of state or governments from more than a dozen other countries also   attended   the parade. These included a number of Southeast Asian countries—Cambodia, Laos,   Indonesia , Malaysia, Myanmar, and Vietnam—as well as Pakistan, Nepal, Mongolia, and the Maldives. Others in attendance included l...