Trump’s Taiwan Pact Reshapes Supply
Chains and Global Power
Posted By: FlyRight, 2/13/2026 8:49:41 AM
Trade shapes power structures, and when two economies tighten bonds, the ripple spreads far beyond shipping lanes and customs desks. On Feb. 12, 2026, the Trump administration finalized a sweeping trade agreement with Taiwan that cuts tariffs, boosts American exports, and pours hundreds of billions into U.S. industry. Taiwan agreed to eliminate or sharply reduce tariffs on nearly all American goods, as duties on U.S. beef, dairy, and corn were reduced immediately to 0%. Pork belly tariffs fell from 40% to 10%, and ham fell from 32% to 10%. Taiwan also removed non-tariff barriers on motor vehicles, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals, accepting U.S. safety standards in those sectors.
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Highlighting how the various anti-Trump factions of the Republican apparatus are using the Epstein drama to support their specific needs, Representative Nancy Mace announces yesterday she will use Epstein drama to, “go full blown scorched earth for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and his friends. With no regard to our personal, or professional detriment.”
The background and political timeline hold the key to understanding the mooonbat crazy of it all.
Thursday morning South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette to succeed him when he leaves office at the end of the year. {LINK} This triggered the generally unstable Nancy Mace into an explosive fit of rage,
Kathryn Ruemmler Out at Goldman Sachs
as Scale of Relationship with Epstein
Gains Attention 3 replies
as Scale of Relationship with Epstein
Gains Attention 3 replies
Former White House legal counsel/fixer to Barack Obama, and former personal lawyer/fixer of Susan Rice, Kathryn Ruemmler was Chief Legal Counsel for Goldman Sachs for the past six years. Throughout those jobs and networked professional relationships, Kathryn Ruemmler was also a personal friend and advisor to Jeffrey Epstein.
Yesterday it was reported that Kathryn Ruemmler has resigned from Goldman Sachs.
NEW YORK – Goldman Sachs’s top lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, resigned on Thursday in the wake of the Justice Department’s release of emails and other material that revealed her extensive relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier.
Russia announced it will limp to Cuba's rescue as the island bastion of communism in the Caribbean faces a complete economic breakdown due directly to President Trump cutting off black market Venezuelan oil supplies. Cuba has been an economic basketcase for decades, with its only exports being failed revolutionaries and miserable migrants. That situation changed markedly for the worse in early January when the U.S. military launched Operation Absolute Resolve; see Trump Announces Venezuelan Leader Nicolas Maduro and His Wife Captured Following ‘Large Scale’ US Strike – RedState.
At first, Cuba was pretty defiant, but then they all are.
This week’s Japanese Diet election produced a stunning outcome as the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, secured a historic landslide victory in a snap election for the House of Representatives. With 316 out of 465 seats—a supermajority not seen from a single party in the postwar era—Takaichi’s gamble on an early vote amid winter weather paid off spectacularly.
Just as stunning was how Takaichi scored this enormous win as one of President Trump’s strongest allies, contradicting claims by the mainstream media and many European leaders that President Trump’s strong foreign and economic policies are eroding America’s relationships with its allies.
Trade shapes power structures, and when two economies tighten bonds, the ripple spreads far beyond shipping lanes and customs desks. On Feb. 12, 2026, the Trump administration finalized a sweeping trade agreement with Taiwan that cuts tariffs, boosts American exports, and pours hundreds of billions into U.S. industry. Taiwan agreed to eliminate or sharply reduce tariffs on nearly all American goods, as duties on U.S. beef, dairy, and corn were reduced immediately to 0%. Pork belly tariffs fell from 40% to 10%, and ham fell from 32% to 10%. Taiwan also removed non-tariff barriers on motor vehicles, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals, accepting U.S. safety standards in those sectors.
Happy Thursday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. (It's the final two weeks of preparation for the whirlwind book tour, and the Sine Qua Non Sequitur is fancifying an illustrated book of Croatian meatloaf recipes.)
It is always a good day when I can kick things off with a headline that I know will trigger any lefties who happen upon it. Trust me, there is a lot of happening upon that's happening, or something.
As someone who grew up during the Cold War, the island toilet nation Cuba has always been a commie thorn in the side of the United States of America.
All Cuba’s Allies Have Left? Good Vibes
3 replies
I think all of us have those people in our lives who talk a good game about how they'll always support us in our time of need, but when that time of need actually materializes, they realize there's actual work or stakes involved and don't show up. At worst, they ignore your calls and texts or tell you they have a "scratchy throat" and wouldn't want to get you sick. At best, they send good vibes and pump you up, but then they go on about their lives. That's sort of where Cuba finds itself at the moment, which was exactly Donald Trump and Marco Rubio's—
As ICE agents continue to enforce immigration law in America, the radical Left continues to organise and inspire anti-ICE protestors who block streets, vandalize property, and harass law enforcement agents. The problem is that these protestors don’t see themselves obstructing justice and undermining democratic rule. To the contrary, they’ve been led to believe that they are heroes, good empathetic people bringing justice back to our world, standing up to Trump administration -- evil “revolting monsters” -- and ICE agents -- “thugs who terrorise” illegal immigrants.
California Governor Gavin Newsom wants to be the 48th President of the United States. In pursuit of that lifelong ambition, Newsom has positioned himself as principled but practical.
Even if Newsom’s positioning is genuine, his career conflicts with the promise of his new image. California’s considerable remaining economic vitality is in spite of Newsom, not because of him. On every issue that might differentiate him from the Democratic machine that runs California, Newsom’s pronouncements have been suspect. Either they have been completely fraudulent—his claims to have alleviated homelessness are a perfect example—or they have been flip-flops necessitated to avoid disaster.
And in those cases where Newsom actually flipped into doing something right,
Zohran Mamdani's 'Green Schools for a
Healthier New York City’ Is a Monumental
Waste of Money 13 replies
Healthier New York City’ Is a Monumental
Waste of Money 13 replies
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is an ardent climate alarmist who oversees the nation’s largest school district, the New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) system. Frankly, NYCPS is failing on all fronts. It is doing an abysmal job of educating and protecting the 900,000 students in the district. It is also in massive debt and spends nearly 10 percent of its $42.8 billion budget on annual debt service payments.
Given the awful state of affairs at NYCPS, it is absurd that Mamdani is prioritizing a $3.3 billion program dubbed “Zohran’s Green Schools for a Healthier New York.”
Progressive Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman (D) on Saturday made a last-minute bid to challenge Mayor Karen Bass (D) in the June primary election.
Raman made the announcement hours before the 12 p.m. filing deadline for candidates be on the ballot. She praised Bass in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, calling the mayor “an icon” but said the city needs someone who will tackle its problems.“I have deep respect for Mayor Bass,” Raman told the Times. “We’ve worked closely together on my biggest priorities and her biggest priorities, and there’s significant alignment there. But over the last few months in particular,
President Trump is planning to host the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace later this month, a source familiar with the plans told The Hill’s sister network, NewsNation.
The meeting will coincide with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House, which had already been scheduled for the day before, Feb. 18.
The news was first reported by Axios, which said the summit would be held at the rebranded Institute of Peace and serve as an opportunity to raise money for reconstruction in the Gaza Strip.
Trump is chairing the recently formed organization,
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More than a million dollars will soon be doled out to black residents of Evanston, Illinois, under the city’s reparations program.
Evanston’s Reparations Committee announced last week that 44 people will be getting $25,000 each, for a total of $1.1 million, according to the Chicago Tribune.
All 44 are descendants of individuals who qualify under the city’s program that pays out reparations to black residents who claimed they experienced housing discrimination between 1919 and 1969. The payments are intended to be used for housing expenses, Cynthia Vargas, Evanston’s communications and community engagement manager, said.
A horrible tragedy occurred yesterday in Canada when a killer, later identified as a “trans identifying woman,” shot nine people to death and injured 27 others, before turning the gun on himself. The Canadian establishment has been desperate to hide the truth about the shooter, but this was not a secret the establishment could sit on.
The shooting took place at the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in tiny Tumbler Ridge, a remote rural community in British Columbia. The killer began by murdering two people at a home, then headed for the secondary school (grades 7-12), where he opened fire. Six people died on school grounds, and one died en route
Ford announced significant financial losses for 2025 driven by its struggling electric vehicle division, with the automaker projecting continued losses in the segment for at least three more years.
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The announcement marks a dramatic reversal for Ford, which several years ago positioned itself as a leader among traditional automakers by rapidly introducing
Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is bringing cursive back to schools.
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Pennsylvania’s former education secretary, Khalid Mumin, “said cursive instruction is not vital for public classrooms,” according to Penn Live Patriot-News.
Mark Hamill is under fire from some "Star Wars" fans after his reported autograph prices sparked sticker shock and sharp criticism online. The actor, who played Luke Skywalker in multiple "Star Wars" films, is being slammed on social media over what critics say are sky-high fees for his signature at fan conventions. At Hamill’s signing table, a sign laid out the prices in bold lettering: "Mark Hamill – Autograph Prices." The sheet listed $400 for an 8-by-10 photo, $500 for premium items and $700 for bulky memorabilia, noting quantities are limited each day. While autograph pricing at expos has steadily climbed
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill (D) on Wednesday announced a slew of new anti-ICE actions in the state, including an online portal encouraging state residents to upload cellphone videos and photos of ICE activity.
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The governor said her first action was to sign an Executive Order banning ICE from conducting immigration enforcement on state property.
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'Snow White' Lost [GULP] How Much Money?
17 replies
You had to figure that Disney's live(ish)-action Snow White reboot would lose money, but even my eyes watered when I read this morning that the oft-derided musical lost about $170 million. But get this, had Disney not produced the movie in the U.K. — and received a reported $65 million (!!!) in tax credits — then Snow White would have lost the Mouse House a jaw-dropping $235 million...
...and entered the Hollywood Hall of Shame as one of the 10 biggest money-losing movie of all time, somewhere between Disney's 2012 stinker, John Carter, and Peter Berg's Battleship from the same year.
I could go over all the reasons
Judge Releases Four Illegal Immigrants
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From ICE Custody 16 replies
Convicted Of Murder, Child Sex Crimes
From ICE Custody 16 replies
A federal judge released four illegal immigrants who were convicted of murder and child sex crimes from the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. U.S. District Judge John deGravelles for the Middle District of Louisiana, an Obama appointee, granted the defendants release from ICE custody, the Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday. "The ramifications will only be the continued rape, murder, assault, and robbery of more American victims," Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. "Releasing these monsters is inexcusably reckless[.]"
If it's wrong to spend a week celebrating the misery of your opponents, like that of the scores of just-fired Washington Post hacks who are crying like teenage girls learning there are no more "Twilight" movies coming, then I'm incredibly, totally, enthusiastically wrong. The former journos/current drive-thru operators still have not shut up about the WaPo's mass layoffs, and I am taking unmitigated delight in their pain. Their suffering energizes me. Their tears nourish me. Their humiliation fuels my joy. Hey, maybe democracy dies in darkness, but as long as the WaPo dies, I'm good.
I would tell them to learn the code, but that's old and cliché.
Trump revokes EPA finding on greenhouse
gas threat in huge blow to climate change regulations 15 replies
gas threat in huge blow to climate change regulations 15 replies
The Trump administration on Thursday revoked a landmark scientific finding that serves as the legal foundation for federal regulations to limit greenhouse gas emissions, in a devastating blow to efforts to combat climate change.
The Environmental Protection Agency's endangerment finding, established under President Barack Obama in 2009, classified carbon dioxide, methane and four other greenhouse gases as a threat to public health and welfare. It underpins regulations under the Clean Air Act that set emissions standards and rules for cars and light trucks, power plants, and oil and gas industry facilities.
"Under the process just completed by the EPA, we are officially terminating the so-called endangerment finding,"
Europe warily awaits Rubio at Munich Security
Conference as Trump roils transatlantic ties 15 replies
Conference as Trump roils transatlantic ties 15 replies
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading a large U.S. delegation this week to the Munich Security Conference where increasingly nervous European leaders are hoping for at least a brief reprieve from President Donald Trump’s often inconsistent policies and threats that have roiled transatlantic relations and the post-World War II international order.
A year after Vice President JD Vance stunned assembled dignitaries at the same venue with a verbal assault on many of America’s closest allies in Europe, accusing them of imperiling Western civilization with left-leaning domestic —
Kids’ hospital is told to continue gender
affirming care for minors after California
AG ruling 14 replies
affirming care for minors after California
AG ruling 14 replies
A San Diego children’s hospital has been ordered to continue providing gender-affirming care to minors —despite a previous effort from the hospital to end the programs to save its federal funding.
Rady Children’s Health must continue providing the care, which includes therapies like puberty-blockers and hormone treatments, to patients under 19 until at least March 10, in a ruling from San Diego Superior Court Judge Matthew Braner Wednesday.
The decision comes amid a heated legal fight between the hospital and the California Attorney General’s Office. The AJ sued Rady after it announced it would stop offering the treatments and procedures.