The Banana Trump Republic

Trump Announced That Transgender People Will Not Be Allowed in the US Military: On Wednesday, via Twitter, President Trump abruptly announced a ban on transgender people serving in the military, reversing a year-old policy. He stated that the US military could not afford the “tremendous medical costs and disruption” of transgender service members. Trump said he had spoken with generals and military experts, but Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who is on vacation, received only one day’s notice about the decision and had no comment on the new policy.

Sources close to Mattis said he was appalled that the president announced his decision in tweets, in part because of the message they sent to transgender active-duty service members, including those currently serving overseas, that they were suddenly no longer welcome. Trump’s decision was so hasty that the White House could not answer basic questions about how the new policy would be implemented, including what would happen to openly transgender people on active duty. Eight defense officials were interviewed about the change, and none could provide any details. Pentagon officials also expressed concern that the president’s tweets could open them to lawsuits.

Contractors to Trump on Afghanistan: Let’s Try It Again and See If It’s Different Would it help if certain people (like military contracting and defense firm owners, soldiers of fortune, billionaire opportunists) had the oft-quoted definition of insanitytattoo-ed on their foreheads in mirror writing so they could read it every morning while they brush their teeth?

Probably not. And yet those same get-rich-quick-by-exploiting-natural-resources-of-countries-the-US-invaded/occupied-schemes (that didn’t work for past presidents) are being pitched once again, to President Trump this time, to persuade him to send more troops to Afghanistan. Sprinkle encouragement from some Trump advisers and Afghan officials dangling business opportunities for Western companies and that might be reason enough for keeping troops engaged in a foreign country after 16 years of war.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and National Security Adviser H. R. McMaster have been reviewing the administration’s Afghanistan policy, with friction developing between McMaster and Trump and Steve Bannon over troop increases and a multi-year commitment. Now, Trump is considering sending an envoy to Afghanistan to meet with mining officials to explore the economic possibilities that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani promoted in one of his first conversations with Trump. (Three of Trump’s senior aides met last week with a chemical executive, Michael Silver, to discuss extracting rare-earth minerals. Stephen Feinberg, a billionaire financier, owner of a large military contracting firm, and informal adviser to Trump on Afghanistan, is also looking into ways to exploit the country’s minerals.)

But here’s the thing: During President Obama’s tenure, the Pentagon set up a task force to try to build a mining industry in Afghanistan, a challenge that was waylaid by rampant corruption, security problems, and completely insufficient infrastructure. According to former officials, none of these conditions has improved in the last eight years, and some have worsened. “It would be dangerous to use the potential for resource exploitation as a selling point for military engagement,” said the State Department’s former special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. “The barriers to entry are really quite considerable, and that kind of argument could fuel suspicion about America’s real intentions in Afghanistan.”

Foolish, yep. Maybe even the definition of insanity.

Uh-Oh, Now the EU Hates the New US Sanctions: Congress can’t catch a break. After the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to pass that tough new sanctions bill against Russia, Iran, and North Korea, the European Union is unhappy.  Apparently “America First” feels to them like “Europe Last.” The bill is currently back in the Senate for a vote. President Trump hasn’t given any indication of what he’ll do when or if the legislation reaches his desk, but this latest international reaction could perhaps provide a plausible reason for him to veto it.

President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker angrily warned the US that enacting the new legislation risked worsening the already poor relations between the two allies. He wants the US to reassure Europe that the new sanctions won’t harm European interests, in particular companies that are involved in financing a controversial new pipeline, Nord Stream 2, that would carry natural gas from Russia to Germany, which Germany strongly supports. Juncker said the bill could have “unintended unilateral effects” on the EU’s energy security and vowed quick action by the bloc “if our concerns are not taken into account sufficiently.” He expressed frustration over the US acting unilaterally, adding that “New sanctions should always be coordinated between allies.” (Russia’s reaction writes itself.)

Amazon Launches Prime Now in Singapore: On Thursday, Amazon.com Inc launched Prime Now, its two-hour delivery service, in Singapore, marking its biggest push into Southeast Asia and its first head-on clash with Chinese rival, Alibaba Group Holding. Amazon was already operating in Singapore, but higher-end services had not yet been offered. Amazon’s arrival in Singapore has been touted as the gateway to the Southeast Asian region of 600 million people, where currently only a fraction of sales are conducted online. But Singaporeans rushed to download the app, and Amazon’s 100,000 square foot warehouse in Singapore was buzzing on Thursday dealing with orders placed in the early hours of the morning.

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba owns Southeast Asia-focused Lazada, which operates in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. While Southeast Asia may be the last battleground for e-commerce in Asia, it will be no easy feat: There are regulatory hurdles, language barriers, and logistical battles like the huge number of islands that make up the Philippines and Indonesia, or Jakarta’s paralyzing traffic. Internet connections can be slow or non-existent, and in many places credit card use is rare.

When you’re staring at your half-awake self, brushing your teeth, are you really thinking, “Let’s get all the plaque!”? Are you concentrating on eradicating your mouth of food particles and bacteria? No. Of course not. No one does. You’re thinking about the cute new hire, or the pointlessness of the morning’s meetings, hoping the commute will be painful and not super-painful. Maybe you’re reviewing for a test, or thinking, “Surely, it’s been two minutes of brushing already?” You’re thinking about anything except good brushing technique.

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