Novi, MI Correspondent — Yes, and the industry has been saying so since 2025 for reasons that had nothing to do with who was president. You cannot make a capital decision against a tariff that a court can vacate. That was the argument, it was correct, and February proved it in the most expensive possible … Continue reading With the emergency tariffs struck down in February and replaced under a narrower authority that expires by its own terms, does trade policy now have to go through Congress?
China
Should mass-removal operations be paced to agricultural and hospitality labor demand, or does that pacing recreate the old wink under a new name?
Myrtle Beach, SC Correspondent — This coast sells rooms and plates. I know what a July without dishwashers looks like, and I know what a wink looks like, and they aren't the same kindness. We are not speculating about this. Three weeks ago there was a public statement about farm and hotel workers being hurt, … Continue reading Should mass-removal operations be paced to agricultural and hospitality labor demand, or does that pacing recreate the old wink under a new name?
Have mid-year tariff actions produced more reshoring and bargaining leverage than they have raised input costs for builders, farms, and retailers?
Gastonia, NC Correspondent — A tariff is a price and a letter. At mid-year we have more of the letter than we have of a finished plant. That isn't a reason to call the letter a failure. It's a reason not to call it a factory. Input costs are real. Builders are paying them in … Continue reading Have mid-year tariff actions produced more reshoring and bargaining leverage than they have raised input costs for builders, farms, and retailers?
Briefly, what are the three or four most consequential issues the winner must confront in the first year, and which candidate is better equipped to address them?
Clermont, Florida Correspondent — Restore operational control at the border and fix the asylum mismatch. Address cost-of-living pressure through energy production, housing supply, and spending discipline. Rebuild deterrence in the Middle East and hold a competitive stance toward China without new open-ended wars. Signal fiscal seriousness on the debt path. Trump's record and stated priorities … Continue reading Briefly, what are the three or four most consequential issues the winner must confront in the first year, and which candidate is better equipped to address them?
Do gasoline prices at midsummer levels require a temporary federal tax holiday and drawdown of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, or would those steps worsen the longer shortage?
Myrtle Beach, SC Correspondent — A holiday on a federal tax of eighteen cents against a five-dollar sticker is a rounding error with a ribbon. A reserve drawdown is a one-time sale from a tank built for a blockade, not for a midsummer poll. Neither drills a hole or finishes a pipe. Midsummer prices hurt … Continue reading Do gasoline prices at midsummer levels require a temporary federal tax holiday and drawdown of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, or would those steps worsen the longer shortage?
Briefly, what are the three or four most important issues that the winner must address in the first year, and which candidate is better positioned to handle them?
Clermont, Florida Correspondent — Finish the acute phase and get a vaccine distributed, assuming one works, without leaving permanent emergency rules behind. Restore economic activity and employment. Re-establish order in the cities that had sustained unrest. Set a coherent course on China and critical supply chains. Trump's instincts on reopening, on order, and on strategic … Continue reading Briefly, what are the three or four most important issues that the winner must address in the first year, and which candidate is better positioned to handle them?
Foreign policy differences on China, Iran, Russia, and alliances have received less attention than domestic crises. Which candidate’s approach is more likely to reduce long-term strategic risk, and why?
Sydney, Australia Correspondent — I don't have a vote and I'm not going to pretend to a preference, but I can tell you how this looks from an allied capital, and it's more mixed than either campaign would like. On China the substance was correct and I'd say so plainly. The prior consensus underweighted the … Continue reading Foreign policy differences on China, Iran, Russia, and alliances have received less attention than domestic crises. Which candidate’s approach is more likely to reduce long-term strategic risk, and why?
Should Congress reassert clearer statutory limits on the use of emergency economic powers by the executive branch?
Dayton, Ohio Correspondent — These authorities were written for genuine, time-limited crises. They've become a route for policy that would be harder to pass ordinarily. Tighter definitions, automatic sunsets, faster congressional review. That restores balance without stripping the ability to act when speed genuinely matters, which it sometimes does. The practical case from my side … Continue reading Should Congress reassert clearer statutory limits on the use of emergency economic powers by the executive branch?
Should the United States continue to treat the Hong Kong protests primarily as an internal Chinese matter, or take a more active diplomatic stance?
Sydney, Australia Correspondent — Hong Kong occupies a middle position — legally part of China, operating under a framework the world has treated as distinct for twenty-two years. Treating the protests as purely internal concedes the argument that no external interest exists, which is precisely the claim being tested. A more active stance built on … Continue reading Should the United States continue to treat the Hong Kong protests primarily as an internal Chinese matter, or take a more active diplomatic stance?
How can the United States reduce its dependence on single foreign sources for critical rare-earth minerals without triggering new trade conflicts?
Novi, Michigan Correspondent — Diversify among allied countries, invest in domestic processing, improve recycling. The automotive angle is that an electric motor needs magnets and the magnets need these elements, and the industry is committing to electrification on the assumption that the supply exists. Nobody in my business has a plan B for neodymium. We … Continue reading How can the United States reduce its dependence on single foreign sources for critical rare-earth minerals without triggering new trade conflicts?
