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Nonsense. Epidemiological studies showed where vaccine usage was lower there was a higher death rates. The politics of COVID-19: Differences between U.S. red and blue states in COVID-19 regulations and deaths Highlights •Political party-affiliation has shaped response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic. •Red states had higher COVID-19 infection rates and deaths in 2021 compared to blue states. •Red states implemented fewer political decisions to mitigate COVID-19 than blue states. •Biological factors such as age and obesity predicted deaths only in red states. •Vaccination rates predicted fewer deaths in blue states. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590229623000199

National Institutes of Health officials have urged scientists to remove all references to mRNA vaccine technology from their grant applications, two researchers said, in a move that signaled the agency might abandon a promising field of medical research. Use Our Content It can be republished for free. The mRNA technology is under study at the NIH for prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, including flu and AIDS, and also cancer. It was deployed in the development of covid-19 vaccines credited with saving 3 million lives in the U.S. alone — an accomplishment President Donald Trump bragged about in his first term. https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/nih-grants-mrna-vaccines-trump-administration-hhs-rfk/

Why do you think there's been such a sharp drop in Canadians crossing the border? Sunspots?

I think you need some instruction in the use of quotes. Nowhere did I write "Destroying economies." And here once again for your delectation is the evidence Kwonitoy has provided that shows how contrary-to-fact your claims are:

Just possibly. Just maybe, it might be that they might just harbor the tiniest little bit of resentment over the fact that he's trying to damage their economies.

So, are you claiming that the people of countries insulted by Trump and Co. aren't coming to the US because they are left wing wackos? And what has burning Teslas got to do with any of this? Your comment is unhinged.

Here's another sentence for you to contemplate. It's actually the final sentence in the post you took your excerpt from: "At least, that's how it works in Oppositeworld."

Thanks for the correction. Still, there's this: No actual evidence of a kill switch has ever materialized. But the U.S. could almost as easily degrade others' F-35s by withholding spare parts, canceling services, and blocking software updates delivered by U.S. cloud-based software systems. https://www.defenseone.com/business/2025/03/trumps-anti-nato-turn-could-sink-f-35-sales/403720/#:~:text=No actual evidence of a,U.S. cloud-based software systems.

Given Trump's over-the-top hostility to both countries, you make a fair point.

Right. Pretty much the all the fully developed economies experienced inflation rates similar to what the USA experienced. Is that Joe Biden's fault too. A more rational approach would be to look at what common factors influenced the sharp rises in inflation.

You clearly don't understand the definition of "tourist".

I'm guessing you're joking. Which doesn't mitigate that fact that Trump's policies will hurt the American tourist industry. Well, maybe more Russians will visit.

I think you missed the point. Contemplate this sentence from the post you quoted an excerpt from: "Unlike humans, microbes have always been great respecters of the borders of the USA."

This approach saves money? Really? It's not like these countries are developing nations where costs should be lower. I think it's more likely a sop to those countries to make these purchases politically palatable.

Make them useless. These things come equipped with an awful lot of high advanced electronics.

When that government funded stations shows no reluctance to report news unfavorable to the United States, it performs an essential service: showing that the US takes free speech seriously. Of course, that should now be put in the past tense.

Actually, Trump's beef with V.O.A. was that it wasn't a propaganda outlet. He tried to turn it into one and failed. Defined By Scandal At Voice of America, CEO Resigns At Biden's Request Michael Pack resigned Wednesday as the CEO of the federal agency over the Voice of America and other federally funded international broadcasters after a turbulent seven-month tenure. He leaves the U.S. Agency for Global Media with a Trumpian legacy of ideological strife, lawsuits and scandal, his departure effective just two hours after the swearing-in of President Biden, who requested him to leave... Pack came to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media with the support of former President Donald Trump; his appointment was delayed more than two years in the U.S. Senate by lawmakers who feared he was too ideological and also who questioned his finances. https://www.npr.org/sections/inauguration-day-live-updates/2021/01/20/958875488/voice-of-america-ceo-pack-defined-by-scandal-resigns-at-bidens-request

The thing is, it would be a greater disaster if these countries continued with the purchases only to have the US effectively brick them if it so chooses. And what percentage, by value, of the components are going to be manufactured outside of the USA? Got any figures for that? Might this not just be a case of throwing good money after bad? And, it doesn't address the issue of why countries should purchase new weapons systems from the USA. Why would they expose themselves to that risk? Especially given that with Trump's imposition of tariffs, the economic stimulus from buying weapons is best kept at home.

You sure about that? Maybe you should stop projecting. International tourism recovers pre-pandemic levels in 2024 . A majority of destinations welcomed more international tourists in 2024 than they did before the pandemic, while visitor spending also continued to grow strongly. According to the latest World Tourism Barometer from UN Tourism, an estimated 1.4 billion tourists travelled internationally in 2024, indicating a virtual recovery (99%) of pre-pandemic levels. This represents an increase of 11% over 2023, or 140 million more international tourist arrivals, with results driven by strong post-pandemic demand, robust performance from large source markets and the ongoing recovery of destinations in Asia and the Pacific. https://www.unwto.org/news/international-tourism-recovers-pre-pandemic-levels-in-2024#:~:text=International tourist arrivals are expected,growth in most other regions. .

Even if they'll still be working, what are the larger implications for the US arms industry? Why would former allies buy from a country that now treats them like they're adversaries? Disengagement is coming. It can't happen all at once but I don't see how anyone can rationally predict it won't happen.

International travel to the United States is expected to slide by 5 percent this year, contributing to a $64 billion shortfall for the travel industry, according to Tourism Economics. The research firm had originally forecast a 9 percent increase in foreign travel, but revised its estimate late last month to reflect “polarizing Trump Administration policies and rhetoric.” “There’s been a dramatic shift in our outlook,” said Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics. “You’re looking at a much weaker economic engine than what otherwise would’ve been, not just because of tariffs, but the rhetoric and condescending tone around it.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/03/16/international-tourism-travel-trump-canada/

The stupidity was in the comments. I wrote nothing about the maker of them.

If that's the case, and it's not a loss for America, I guess you believe that the balance of payments and the loss of US jobs doesn't matter. So why exactly is Trump imposing tariffs?

As the saying goes "Talk is cheap". Or to put it another way, "Money talks." Or how about "Put your money where your mouth is."?

As usual, you offer no evidence to back up your claim. Which is not surprising given what the article says. Here's the final paragraph from the article: "Bottom line: The days of unbridled U.S. shale expansion are over, oil executives say. The industry is moving cautiously, balancing supply growth with financial discipline. Trump may want a flood of new production, but Wall Street wants profits. Right now, Wall Street is winning." How do you reconcile that with "Drill, baby, drill?" Today the price of a barrel of oil in the USA averages $67.18 Here are the costs that are incurred extracting oil from an existing well and drilling a new one: https://www.statista.com/statistics/748207/breakeven-prices-for-us-oil-producers-by-oilfield/ Not a lot of incentive there to increase the supply to the market. Especially considering the uncertained created by Trump's economic policies and the fact there's a huge amount of new production coming online outside of the USA For example Guyana’s Buoyant Oil Exports Find Eager Buyers In Europe https://www.forbes.com/sites/gauravsharma/2025/03/12/guyanas-buoyant-oil-exports-find-eager-buyers-in-europe/ There are lots of other pieces in play. On the one hand, Iranian and Venezuelan production will probably suffer. On the other hand, how long will the Saudis put up with restricting their production to accommodate others?