Jan 16, 2026

On Friday, the American machine printed more receipts of a protection racket for billionaires, by billionaires.

In a functioning democracy, the Commerce Secretary is a public servant. In this timeline, Secretary Howard Lutnick is a capo enforcing a shakedown. His ultimatum to Asian chipmakers today – invest in the US or face 100% tariffs – is not trade diplomacy. It is the logic of the mob: “Nice chip foundry you have there. Shame if something happened to your access to the US market.”

The all-clear from Wall Street is a recognition that the guys running the racket are their guys. The government provides the muscle. The made men provide the targets.

Meanwhile, Ashley St. Clair is suing Musk's xAI after Grok gene ...