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Corbin Trent, America’s Undoing One of the major challenges we face in the US is a complete loss of faith and trust. Trust in each other, our institutions, our government, and our own ability to effect change. As a society, we can’t legislate or paperwork our way back to legitimacy and trust. We likely won’t be able to count on the courts to defend us from our current calamity. Gavin Newsom flew...

Happy New Year’s Eve! Next week, I’ll have predictions for ’26, but for now, it’s a bit of reflection on the year that was. 2025 was… a year. For me, it was very good. Everyone stayed healthy. We launched Noble Mobile, which has been a joy. It’s great building something that both saves people money and gets them off their screens a bit (17% reduction in screen time for early users!). Thousands of people...

Corbin Trent, America’s Undoing November 30,2025   Last Wednesday, two West Virginia National Guard members were shot near the White House. One of them, 20-year-old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, died. The other remains in critical condition. The shooter was a 29-year-old Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lakanwal. He worked for us. For a decade. He was part of what the CIA calls a “Zero Unit”—paramilitary...

By Ifay Chang, Ph.D.   Bilingual Columnist, U.S.–China Forum A recent report from an international relations research group has sparked widespread attention among Chinese communities around the world. Titled “The Top 10 Most Anti-China Countries in the World,” the report was produced by the World Impression Organization and presented in a YouTube video  (https://youtu.be/dLHXjGfhQFk?si=EUMDVtUkPMQkcZYA7)....

Sisters and Brothers, Crazy times. Dangerous times. Under Trump, things are moving very fast. We have an unstable megalomaniac who wants more and more power into his own hands. We can’t let that happen. His attacks against the media, universities, law firms, Congress, and the courts are creating fear throughout the country and moving us, step-by-step, toward authoritarianism. In an unprecedented way,...

By Ifay Chang, Commentator, U.S.-China Forum The Deadlock Sino–U.S. relations have now reached a new low and entered a deadlock. Since World War II, relations have undergone many changes. During the war, the two countries were allies resisting Japanese militarism. China, under the leadership of the Nationalist Party, fought against Japan, but internally was divided by warlords and faced the rise of...

Perhaps some Americans have heard about Taiwan as a hot topic today from the headlines of the mass media, but few know the history and real issues of Taiwan. In this article, the author shall give the readers an analysis of Taiwan’s past, present, and future. The Taiwan issue is a historical Chinese political problem created by the invasion of Imperialist Japan in China (Sino-Japanese War, 1893-1895)....

The current global landscape is undergoing dramatic change. Many view the confrontation between China and the United States as a power struggle between old and new hegemonies, framing it as the “Thucydides Trap”—a scenario in which a rising power challenges an established one. However, from a broader historical perspective, this conflict more profoundly reflects a transition between eras: from a global...

This is the central question in the geopolitical crisis of the Taiwan Strait. Unfortunately, understanding the answer to the question may or may not help resolve the situation, which is being fanned to the level that“a war will break out between China and Taiwan.” In this column, the author will first answer the question, then explain why knowing the answer may or may not help prevent a war. The current...

The Russia-Ukraine war is a major international event today, and it is related to Ukraine’s future. However, Ukraine, under the governance of President Zelensky, has led the country into a tragic war, resulting in today’s humiliating defeat and the country facing an unequal armistice agreement. This is all because Zelensky did not take in          to account the history of Russia and Ukraine,...

We can glorify the 250 years of history of the United States. We can be proud of the U.S. being a superpower, winning numerous wars, including the two World Wars. We can claim victory in the Cold War, as the hegemonic Soviet Union collapsed. But we cannot deny the fact that China has risen peacefully without declaring war against another country. China has advanced in all aspects in the past three...

We are living in one of the most consequential moments in modern history. Together, under Trump, we are fighting Oligarchy, authoritarianism, kleptocracy, and a corrupt campaign finance system that allows billionaires enormous power over our elections and legislative process. And the attacks against democracy are not just happening in America. All over the world, the right-wing extremists are fomenting...

ABSTRACT Recently, I attended a workshop, A Global Economy at a Crossroad, sponsored by the 1990 Institute. To my surprise, its first speaker, Andy Rothman (a former diplomat commissioned in Taiwan before), gave an excellent presentation on China’s economy with quite a bit of historical data. His data were consistent with some of the UN data, but more useful to dispel the myth or false notion that...

  Abstract A deeper analysis of headline news about President Trump’s words and actions may reveal that Trump is acting according to a plan based on his core beliefs.   In further analysis, this author believes that Trump does have a plan (which may be hidden as a poker player does). Trump’s plan may not be explicitly clear, but it is in his head, guiding his thoughts and actions. Trump understands...

The New York Times ran one of its bolder editorials about resisting Trump and saving democracy. As usual, I found it irritating. They still haven’t internalized what’s obvious to most people outside of power: Trump is the symptom, not the disease. The NYT Editorial Board says, “It pains us to write these words. Whatever our policy differences with other modern presidents, every one of them fundamentally...

Mainstream Media and Organic Views Abstract A deeper analysis of headline news about President Trump’s words and actions may reveal that Trump is acting according to a plan based on his core beliefs. Trump’s victory to become the 147th U.S. president is a historical occurrence, not only from the U.S. history point of view but also from a global perspective. Trump lost his second term bid in 2020 and...

In 2021, California had the largest state budget at $297.86 billion, while Delaware had the smallest at $6.31 billion (several other states have lower budgets in a multi-year budget format). The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), currently in the limelight of media, had a budget of ~$40 billion in 2021 and grew to ~$50 billion in 2023 and 2024. In 2025, Trump’s second term, the USAID...

Imperial autocratic regimes in world history are the result of the natural evolution of human beings. The natural law of the jungle and the strong dominating the weak in the animal world also applies to humans. However, the development of the human brain has given humans more advanced intelligence, making the raw intelligence of the human species different only in a small range.  Acquired environmental...

Elon Musk is a famous individual touted as a genius, one of the wealthiest men on Earth, if not the richest. He is also a politically powerful figure and a successful businessman in technology, media, and venture financing. Recently, Elon Musk entered the political limelight after he supported Donald Trump to become the 47th U.S. president. He became President Trump’s close confidant (he stayed...

Trump has entered the White House for a second term, and it’s now nearly 100 days in. His approval rating has dropped from 53% at the start of his term to 48% currently. Judging from the ongoing protests happening across the country, his support may continue to decline… I personally never had much fondness for Trump. During last year’s presidential election, I would rather have voted for another “rotten...