2018 NCAA Tournament: Estimated $10 billion to bet on March Madness

Link
Summary: The month of March is known for two things: Saint Patrick's Day and March Madness. The phenomenon of 64 college basketball teams battling it out for the top spot in the NCAA tournament is met with extreme amounts of illegal gambling. It is estimated that this year the total amount of money bet is $10 billion dollars, with only a third of this coming from legal means in Nevada. Geoff Freeman, the CEO of American Gaming association attributed the illegal betting to be not practical and works against the country as a whole stating "The failed federal ban on sports betting has created an illegal, unregulated sports betting market that offers zero consumer protections and generates zero revenue for state and tribal governments."

Analysis: Making a bracket is part of many American's experience with watching the NCAA tournament as it makes them more invested in teams that they may not have an outside attachment to, making every game important to their brackets success. From a marketing standpoint this is a great way for stations to pull in viewers as they would be drawn to games that they would not necessarily be interested in. Betting seems to be inevitable and to not address the issue in a reasonable manner by providing easier legal ways of betting they are perpetuating the issue. Through legalization the government would better able to monitor the betting and could provide ways of mitigating the issues associated with betting. 

Questions:
1) Should betting for amateur sports be legalized?
2) Is betting morally just?
3) Who do you have winning the tournament? =)

Walmart to Offer Home Delivery of Groceries to 100 U.S. Cities

Article Link

Recently, shopping services that deliver goods ordered online have been gaining in popularity with many emphasizing the idea of same day delivery. This has been especially important in the grocery business. Costco announced their own grocery service in October and Target said in December it would purchase the same day delivery service Shipt. Notably, Amazon acquired Whole Foods last year and earlier this month said that they would begin a same day grocery service in 6 cities. With so many corporations fighting to get into the industry, Walmart has also decided to expand its grocery deliver services from 6 cities to around 100 cities across the US. They plan to use the stores as places to fulfill customer requests and also plan to partner with Uber and other driving services for delivery.

Questions:
1. Do you think Walmart will be able to compete with Amazon in the grocery delivery industry?
2. Is Walmart's planned partnership with Uber and their large amount of stores give them a leg up in the race to control the grocery delivery industry?
3. How much of an impact will these new delivery services have on physical stores?

Trump 'admitted making up figures to Justin Trudeau'

Another link you probably won't click on

Summary:
At a private fundraiser, Trump said that he told Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the United States has a trade deficit with Canada. He later defended the point in a tweet, arguing that Canada is just one of many nations that we had a trade deficit with. In fact, Trump came out saying he had no idea if this was true. However, according to the Department of Commerce, we have almost a three billion trade surplus with Canada. Trump later came out and tried to clarify his point, arguing that if we ignored services and only looked at goods there would be a trade deficit. However, services make up almost 80% of the American economy, and the structure of the Canadian economy is quite similar. Trump’s administration has yet to release a statement on why he lied to Trudeau, but analysts have seen this as part of his approach to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Analysis:
I am quite surprised by Trump’s actions. It is amazing that he made up facts to argue with another world leader—especially one that is historically allied with America. I don’t know why he couldn’t say he wasn’t sure, and after Trudeau called him out on it he continued to defend his unbiased argument. In my opinion, his backpedaling is not much more effective, and once again he could have simply apologised and moved on. I am unsure of the benefits of lying to other leaders, but perhaps there is a merit that I am unaware of.

Questions:

1. Will this be beneficial for the new NAFTA in any way? If Trudeau believed him for a time, would the situation be different?
2. If this situation involved another country that we were less friendly with, would the situation be better? Would it be worse?
3. Does Trump’s arguments of “goods not services” hold any traction? Should it?
4. Do facts even matter now? 

How 'Icarus' Accidentally Exposed A Major 'Ocean's Eleven-Style' Doping Scheme

https://www.npr.org/2018/03/05/590869276/how-icarus-accidentally-exposed-a-major-ocean-s-eleven-style-doping-scheme


Bryan Fogel's movie Icarus just won Best Documentary Feature at the oscars, driving new public attention to Russia's Olympic doping scheme.  I highly recommend this movie.

Summary:
Bryan Fogel set out to document his experience using blood doping to excel at an Amateur bike race while passing all drug testing performed by race officials. After seeing Lance Armstrong win medals while passing drug tests, Fogel wanted to document this process for public eye. However, his inquiry into the world of blood doping uncovered surprising secretes. Fogel's doping advisor was Grigory Rodchenkov, a Russian scientist who was in charge of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited lab in Moscow. Throughout the movie, the plot diverges from Fogel's bike race, and focuses on Rodchenkov, and the crimes he divulges. He claims he was in charge of a state sponsored doping program that broke Olympic Anti-doping rules to get athletes to win. The state sponsored cheating program was started in the 60s and has been ongoing ever since. Fearing his life was in danger due to his friend dying form a sketchy heart attack(suspected to be an assassination), Rodchenkov escaped to the US, where he is now in protective custody. This movie highlights for public view the corruption in the Russian government, and the extent the Russian government used cheating to boost Putin's popularity for a swift invasion of Ukraine.

Before the Sochi Olympics Putin had an dismal approval rating, below 30%. So, Rodchenkov claims he set up a system to switch out drug testing vials at Sochi, tampering with results and allowing Russian Athlete to continue to take performance enhancing drugs throughout the competition. Russia won 13 medals, Putins approval rating went to 85%, allowing him to invad Ukraine with little pushback. Rodchenkov told his story because he felt he was no longer a scientist, rather a cheater, using KGB agents and dummy walls to cheat an international system.

Analysis:
With winning an oscar, the movie further highlights for public view the extent Russian corruption. Corroborated with the recent Russia suspected attacks in England, the movie shows to the public the willingness for Russia to assassinate and cheat their way to the top. After seeing this movie, Russian meddling in the election seems definite. 

Questions:
Have you seen this movie? Has it changed your perspective on Russia?
Where Russia's consequences in the last Olympics justified?
Should Rodchenkov be punished for his role int he scheme? Or commended for telling the truth to the world?
Now that the world has this information. What should be done? What will be done?

California Parents Killed In Car Crash After Fleeing ICE Officers Who Mistook Father For Arrest Target

Link to article 

Summary: A mother and father of 6 children were killed in a car crash in an apparent attempt to flee Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, who pulled them over after mistaking the father for an arrest target. Santo Hilario Garcia and Marcelina Garcia Profecto were both pronounced dead at the scene after officers arrived. The Delano police department said in a statement that the couple had been stopped by the ICE agents, who turned on their emergency lights to pull them over. However, they fled once the agents exited their vehicle. Police were saying the vehicle was driving at high speeds and eventually lost control, slamming into a power pole. The ICE confirmed that they not only pulled the couple over, but mistook Garcia for a target they planned to arrest.

Analysis: I think the ICE agents were at fault because of their false allegations; however, the parents faced this issue haphazardly. The ICE agents should have payed more close attention to the details of their target. The parents should have faced the agents instead of driving away recklessly, that could have also ended someone else's life. This miscommunication has led to a tragedy, and this problem should be brought to attention by the ICE agents and those affected by this.

Questions:
Who should be blamed for this incident?
Should there be changes in California's sanctuary policies?

United announces new in-cabin animal policy after puppy dies in overhead bin

article

A 10 month old puppy was found dead during a flight from Houston to New York after a flight attendant required the family to place the puppy in the overhead bin. After the incident, the flight attendant claimed she was unaware that there was a dog in the bag, but the family claims that she repeatedly told the flight attendant there was a dog and barks were clearly audible. In response to this unfortunate death, United announced that they will be distributing brightly colored tags that customers place on the bags containing their pets that will fly in-cabin.

I think the flight attendant wasn't sure about what to do in this situation and just treated the bag like any other cargo. However, there needs to be a protocol for in-cabin pets that are flying with families to prevent this from happening again, not just a brightly colored bag tag. Pets are part of families and they shouldn't be treated like extra baggage.

1. Do you think the flight attendant and/or United should be charged with animal cruelty?
2. What more can be done to protect pets and animals on planes?
3. How should United compensate for the family?

US punishes 19 Russians over vote meddling and cyber-attacks

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43419809

The US has imposed sanctions on 19 Russians for interference in the 2016 election and alleged cyber attacks. Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller charged 13 of those individuals. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also accused the Russians of cyber attacks and hacking infrastructure. The Russian military intelligence agency GRU, the St Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency, and the Russian Federal Security Service are targeted under the sanctions. The Treasury Department said the IRA created an managed a large number of fake personas, which of all posted as legitimate US grassroots organisations, interest groups, and a state political party on social media. By doing this, the IRA posted thousands of ads to millions of people online. The sanctions involve freezing any assets those individuals may have in the US and prohibits American citizens from doing business with them. The administration also accused Russia of an ongoing operation to hack and spy on the US power utilities. According to Interfax new agency, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow was calm about the new sanctions. He said that Moscow has already begun planning out counter measures. Yevengy Prigozhin said that he was unconcerned about the sanctions because he had no business plans in the US.

Questions:
1. Do you think these sanctions will be effective?
2. How do you think these sanctions will effect Russia?
3. What do you think about the possibility of collusion between Trump and Russia?

2 California schools could not participate in National Walkout Day because they were on lockdown

Article

School walkouts occurred all across the nation today to protest gun violence and to remember the 17 that died in the recent Florida school shooting. However, two schools in California- San Leandro High School and Righetti High School - were unable to walk out because they had their own school lockdowns due to threats made prior to the walkouts.

At Righetti High School in Santa Maria, students were on lockdown because of anonymous texts mentioning a weapon on school campus. In San Leandro, the graffiti shown in the photo was marked on a bathroom stall which prevented students from walking out. The threat caused the principal of San Leandro High School to even cancel school for tomorrow (Thursday, March 15) for the safety of the students and faculty.

Imagining walking into a bathroom and seeing this right before I was going to walk out to protest gun violence is a scary and ironic situation. It's disheartening to see that some may take these shootings like it isn't a big deal but there is a great number of students worried that anything can happen at any moment, and this isn't something to joke about. 9/11 happened once and since then, so many regulations were put in place. But how many more school shootings and innocent kids dying have to happen before something is done? This has been an ongoing problem for years, and it's finally the time when our leaders are acting like kids and kids are acting like leaders that change might finally happen.

Do you think the National Walk Out Day was a success?
Why do you think threats are made during national protests and do you think they are ever successful?
If you participated in the Walk Out today, what do you think is the next step in preventing gun violence?

Russian spy: Highly likely Moscow behind attack, says Theresa May

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43377856

Nerve Agent Used in Russian Assassination Attempt

Summary:
Sergei Skripal defected from Russia, seeking asylum in England, due to being convicted of passing secrets to MI6 in 2004. Both he, and his 33 year old daughter were found on a bench in Salisbury. They are now both in hospital in critical condition. On closer examination, the suspected cause of the incident is Novichok, a Russian nerve agent developed in the 70s and 80s. Det Sgt Nick Bailey got sick while attending to them, and is as well quite ill. Interestingly enough, it is reported that "One variant[of Russia's chemical development program] was reportedly approved for use by the Russian military as a chemical weapon," seemingly breaching the Chemical Weapons Convention agreement. Teresa May is outraged, calling this an "unlawful use of force," and requesting an explanation from the Russian Government in the face of consequences. Vladimir on the other hand, when asked about the attack, said "Get to the bottom of things there, then we'll discuss this." Seems pretty shady Russia.

Questions:
Given Russia's history of nationally sponsored assassinations, do you think this is another state sponsored job?
Is May's response acceptable? Should she have taken harsher measures against Russia?
Is this a form of Chemical Warfare?

The Seychelles Meeting

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/03/the-push-for-a-trump-russia-back-channel-what-we-know.html

Erik Prince, Photo: Chuck Kennedy/TNS via Getty Images

More Information Surfacing about Russian Meetings

Summary:
Special Council Director for the Russian Investigation, Robert Muller, is said to have found evidence of a secret meeting in the Seychelles days before Trump's inauguration between Erik Prince and Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian businessman, allegedly to set up a backdoor connection between Russia and the Trump Administration. Prince denies any malicious intent, saying he was there to see Zayed from the Emirati delegation, and the Russian just happened to be there. He cited his hopes to join with the Russians to "defeat Islamic fascism.” However, Muller is not entirely convinced. This, after reports of calls and meetings between Sergey Kislyak, Jared Kushner and Michael Flynn is starting to seem quite sketchy. In that meeting, Kushner talking about setting up direct communications between Russians and Trump through the embassy, while Kislyak preferred using an unidentified Russian contact in a third country. Muller is also said to be looking into whether or not foreign money was used to fund Trumps campaign.

Analysis:
All of the secrecy surrounding Russian meetings, though said by the cabinet to be virtuous, could have been set up though official channels rather than secret backdoor conversations, suggesting there is something else going on in those conversations. That, along with Flynn's resignation from the Trump administration imply wrongdoing. Given Flynn plead guilt to lying, he and Kushner are for sure in deeper water than they are letting on. Yet another meeting in June of 2016 between trumps son and a Russian Lawyer were said to be “primarily discussing a program about the adoption of Russian children.” I'm not buying it. All the meetings between Trump officials and Russian Businessmen, validated by shady excuses, seem to have a nefarious undertone.

Questions:
Do you believe the Trump administration in believing these meetings are righteous?
Do you believe Muller in saying there may be something more going on here?

Stephen Hawking, science's brightest star, dies aged 76

Website

Summary:
Early this morning, Stephen Hawking’s family released a statement confirming the great scientist’s death. Hawking was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 1963 when he was 21. He was given two years to live, but as we know live over fifty more years. He claimed that an eminent threat of death actually inspired him, and “although there was a cloud hanging over my future, I found, to my surprise, that I was enjoying life in the present more than before.” Hawking went on to make numerous breakthroughs in the field of physics and was decorated with many awards to signify the progress he made for humanity. However, Hawking was by no means a perfect man. Many of his claims were quite controversial: he starkly refuted religion as simply a comfort for those who need it, and he stood by many of his claims long after most physicists disregarded them. He was also regarded as sexist and misogynistic by some, including his first wife, who felt she became a slave as his health conditions worsened. The article details some of his discoveries, but I feel the specifics would not add much substance to our discussions.

Analysis:
Hawking’s achievements truly evolved the world of physics. Much of his discoveries may have stemmed from his illness, a concept I find intriguing. He has a checkered past, but I feel that many still see him as a great figure in physics and his personality has little weight for those who regard him as such a hero. However, with the growth of many progressive movements, there seems be decreasing tolerance for the private misdemeanor of public figures.

Questions:

1. Does a threat of death in the near future serve as a motivator, or does it seem more as a cause of surrendering and accepting death? Would Hawking make the same discoveries if he were perfectly healthy?
2. Does Hawking’s misogyny detract from his discoveries, or should his professional life stand isolated from his private life? Should this shadow last in his legacy for generations to come?
3. What are your general feelings about Hawking as a scientist and the position he held in the academic world?

Bruno Mars Accused of Cultural Appropriation

Link


Summary: Following Bruno Mars´ success at the Grammy Awards winning 6 of the awards he is facing backlash from African American activists as his music is perceived to be cultural appropriation. Mars is described to be at the cross section of multiple music genres such as funk, soul, R&B, reggae and hip-hop which are all historically dominated by African American artists. People are frustrated with his success winning album of the year while Prince a former artist that was a pioneer in the musical genres Mars has found success in, never won the award. Several African American artists have come to support Mars stating that he is allowed to sing how he chooses and according to his race.

Analysis: Hip hop has recently overtaken rock as the most popular genre of music as is a lucrative area. One of the major criticisms of Mars is that he overplays his racial ambiguity in order to have a different perception to different demographics. Critics claim that white people are not threatened by Mars and therefore have different feelings towards him than African American artists. Tastes are an important part of every industry and for music, hip hop is increasing in popularity becoming more and more relevant for all demographics. Bruno Mars being a Filipino and Puerto Rican artist does not face racial discrimination in his music as other artists may and should not be playing up his racial ambiguity to enhance these differences.

Question:
1) Is there legitimacy in the argument that Bruno Mars is appropriating in his music?
2) To what extent is it alright for artists to use singing styles that are not of African American heritage to be recording these genres of music(Ex:Post Malone)?
3) Would it be alright for a Caucasian person rather than a person of color to be singing in the same manner and playing up their racial ambiguity?

ICE Spokesman Resigns, Bashes Trump Administration On Immigration Raids

Link to article

JIM WILSON, NYT

Summary: A spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Francisco resigned after the Trump administration's handling of the recent immigration raid in the Bay Area. James Schwab told the San Francisco chronicle that President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions exaggerated the amount of undocumented immigrants that avoided arrest, after Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf publicized the raids to begin on February 25. Schwab added that if there were no prior warning to the raids they would not be able to capture 100 percent of the target list (which were stated by the ICE to be dangerous criminals). The ICE stated they've arrested 232 people, but originally claimed the number could have been higher. They later on stated Schwab's allegations were inaccurate.

Analysis: Major props to Mr. Schwab for standing up for what he believes in! He did this very maturely and brought much attention to the ICE that's much needed. His reasons for resigning were completely valid. His position had so much authority and with this recent incident, media attention will surely increase. Overall, I think Mr. Schwab did the right thing. 

Questions: 

What's your opinion on Mr. Schwabs' resignation?

Do you think his reasons for resigning were valid?

Whole Foods Addresses Efforts to Centralize Its Merchandising

article link

Summary: On March 19, Whole Foods Market will have a meeting with their key vendors that will address tensions concerning their move to centralizing merchandise. Normally, most food grocers pay brokers to manage the process food merchandise go through. However, Whole Foods is taking their own route to control this process themselves.  By April 2018, all suppliers are required to use SAS for in-store demonstrations, as their single provider of in-store merchandising services. Most of their large suppliers will have to bear the cost of outsourcing, which means a mandatory 3% discount on food products and 5% discount for health and beauty products.

Analysis: I don't particularly mind Whole Foods' decision to centralize their merchandise. I do still think most Whole's Foods' key venders will continue their business with them because customers will become more open to purchasing their product for a much lesser price. Especially, when Amazon began putting the Whole Foods private-label on their site, they are much more exposed to customers.

Questions:
1. What do you think about Whole Foods centralizing their merchandise?
2. Do you think Whole Foods' key vendors will continue their business with them? Or do you think they will seek business somewhere else?

Elon Musk: Mars rocket will fly 'short flights' next year

Link
Summary:
Currently, Elon Musk has announced plans of entering the space exploration industry. He recently launched a “falcon heavy” rocket, which can be landed and reused for later missions—unlike previous rocket designs. Now, Musk has announced plans to begin providing transportation on earth with this type of reusable rocket within the next year. This ship would be able to travel from Shanghai to New York in thirty minutes, significantly quicker than what airlines can promise.
However, this just serves as a stepping stone for SpaceX, who plans to colonize Mars. Musk plans to begin missions in 2022 and soon establish a direct democracy. Along the lines of Martian governments, Musk said “‘Maybe it requires 60% [majority vote] to get a law in place, but any number over 40% can remove a law…’ It should be ‘easier to get rid of a rule than to put one in.’ The text of the laws should be short and easy to understand, he added…According to Musk, too many regulations can be harmful and keep a society from moving forward. It leads to a ‘hardening of the artery of the civilization,’ he said.” Musk also pointed out the entrepreneurial benefits of colonizing Mars, as they will need their own industries, both those that are necessary and those that provide entertainment.
Despite the lofty goals, SpaceX has been known for missing their deadlines by long periods of time. For example, the rocket they just launched last year was supposed to be done in 2013.

Analysis:
Elon Musk plans to take great leaps in moving humanity to space. The rocket launched last month was already a big deal, but he calls for huge history-making events. A colony on mars will have unprecedented effects on humanity, both economically and psychologically. But if SpaceX was five years late for one rocket test, it seems that colonization may not actually be in the near future. His policy ideas seem interesting, but I don’t think he has the experience necessary to govern an entire planet.

Questions:

1. How do you feel about the privatization of space travel, and Musk’s progress in general?
2. What are your thoughts on Musk’s government ideas? Should he be the one deciding how Mars should be run? If not him, then who?
3. Do you think his plans will run on time? If not, when will we see the colonization of Mars?

Lotto Tickets Are Nice, Boss, but Can I Have My Bonus?

Article Link

After significant backlash online, United Airlines paused its lottery system replacing the past bonuses awarded to employees. The system would give a few lucky United employees rewards like large sums of cash or expensive cars based upon a lottery system instead of bonuses to employees who worked exceptionally well. This specific instance revealed the rise in popularity of more game-like systems as ways to motivate workers and lower production costs. But despite what appears to be a flawed system, a 2012 experiment showed that workers were more willing to complete a health risk survey when given a chance to up to $125 through a lottery than just receiving a $25 gift certificate. Other studies also revealed that cash rewards are poor motivators and many other companies besides United like T-Mobile and Uber have experimented with game like systems.

Questions:
1. Do you think the backlash to United's lottery system was deserved or do you think that their attempts to lower costs were justified?
2. How will the backlash to United's system in this instance impact other companies?
3. Is it worth it for companies to let their reputation take a hit in order to lower monetary costs?

Trump Chastises California for Immigration Policies

Article link

                                          Photo: Evan Vucci, Associated Press

In a rare visit to California, President Trump took the opportunity to lambaste the Governor Brown and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf for their handling of immigration, which he says endangers the nation. More specifically Trump believes taxes are way too high in California and was irate that Schaaf publicized Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids before they happened. The main purpose for his visit was to gather support and consider prototypes for his much publicized, but largely unpopular border wall.

Discussion Questions
1. Does California deserve criticism for challenging national immigration policies?
2. Is the border wall that Trump proposes a good long term investment as he suggests?
3. Are high taxes in California a point of concern as the President suggests?

As Bots Flourish on Instagram, Companies Form to Fight Them

Article Link

With social media being one of the most used platforms of this generation, more and more businesses are turning to popular social media personalities for sponsorships and advertisements. But with social media being filled with bot accounts, the numbers for determining how much they should pay get distorted. In order to separate what accounts are bots from which are real, Dovetale, a software company founded in 2016 has developed a method to identify in large numbers what accounts are or aren't real people. They then send the information to marketers who are able to better determine how much money should be payed to social media stars for advertisements or sponsorships. This service is becoming increasingly popular as a recent investigation showed a booming industry of people selling fake followers to distort viewership numbers.

Questions:
1. Is there enough of a demand for companies like Dovetale to survive?
2. How do you think these strategies to identify bot accounts will impact those selling fake accounts? Will people continue to purchase bot services or will the industry die out all together?
3. Should the owners of the social media sites intervene? How would they prevent the creation and use of bot accounts?

Trump defends White House gun proposals that back off new age limit

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/12/politics/gun-proposal-donald-trump-white-house/index.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43369991


In a Fox News interview on February 24, Trump previously said that he would support raising the age limit for certain firearms. Following the attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14, the White House described its plan on Sunday to fulfill the Presidents call for action. Their plan is to set up a new committee, fund programs to train school staff to use fire arms, encourage military veterans and retired police officers to become teachers, and improve background and mental health checks. The White House said the new federal commission for schools will deal with the age limit issue. Although, after chief NRA lobbyist Chris Cox visited the White House to speak with the president and vice-president, he tweeted that neither of them wanted gun control. The NRA also sued the state of Florida after its governor signed Senate Bill 7026, which raised the legal age to buying firearms to 21. The NRA argued that it is against the constitution. Survivors of the Florida shooting have been pressing for a complete ban on assault fire arms to the public.


Questions:
1. What do you think of the idea of concealed carry for teachers in schools?
2. What would be your proposals for gun control at schools?
3. Do you support raising the age limit to buy firearms?

EU 'will stand up to trade bullies'

Article link

More on the tariffs

Summary:

Trump’s plans for a 25% tariff on steel and a 10% tariff on aluminium is designed to promote American business, but may result in adverse repercussions from our trade partners. Despite requests for an exemption by the European Union, only Canada and Mexico are exempt from the new policy that will take effect on the 23rd. In fact, Trump stated that exemptions may take place in the future, but not for our allies. He argued that “many of the countries that treat us the worst on trade and on military are our allies.” This means that the European Union may not see the exemptions that they requested, so they may plan to take matters into their own hands.

The European Union has responded to steel and aluminium tariffs in a symbolic way, planning to place tariffs on symbolically American products such as blue jeans and bourbon. Other nations have replied to this tariff similarly. China threatens an “appropriate and necessary response” to any American tariff, and others have claimed that the tariffs violate the World Trade Organization decisions and that the United States should be taken to court. A notable fact, however, is that both China and the European Union have called for Trump to trade peacefully instead of beginning a trade war.


Analysis:

I believe that Trump’s decision to mandate tariffs will not be beneficial to the American industry. In addition to the international outcry, the tariffs will shift the American steel and aluminium market more towards a monopolistic structure as international competitors will be weakened. As we learned in our reading last week, a monopolistic approach is not beneficial to the consumers, and the government’s role is generally seen as protecting consumers.


Questions:

1. Is the international community just in their retaliation to the tariffs?
2. Is it more beneficial to stimulate the American steel and aluminium industry or protect consumers from a monopolistic shift?
3. Will this be an isolated issue, or is America starting a global trade war?