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File photo of US President Donald Trump with Chinese President Xi Jinping. It is unclear how the tariffs will affect their warm relationship
China on Saturday continued its second day of harsh criticism of the Trump administration for imposing tariffs set to go into effect on July 6.
A Chinese state newspaper said the US President had an “obsession with playing the disgraceful role of global economic disruptor.”
“The wise man builds bridges, the fool builds walls,” it said.

Rotten eggs, oil spill spoils and devouring plastic + this day in history w/the Freddie Gray riots and our song of the day by Father John Misty on your Morning Monarchy for April 25, 2018.

A memo released, a person of interest and a preemptive attack + this day in history w/the Tybee Bomb and our song of the day by Middle Kids on your Morning Monarchy for February 5, 2018.

Brazil’s unions have planned a day of struggle to protest Temer’s proposed social security reform bill. The president is already very unpopular in Brazil; polls show voters want him to be accountable for alleged corruption [Xinhua]
Brazilian President Michel Temer is facing a tide of opposition regarding his promise to reform the social security program.
Many among his supporters see the reform initiative as damaging to their relection bids in the general election next October.

Major cities in Brazil, China and India are witnessing rapid urbanization [Xinhua]
The Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur will next week host the Ninth Session of the World Urban Forum to discuss the challenges societies as more people move to the cities.
The forum titled, Cities 2030, Cities for All: Implementing the New Urban Agenda, will focus on the efforts of major countries, such as China, India, and Brazil to overcome the challenges posed by rapid urbanization.

Economic growth forecasts for 2018 have been ratcheted higher as data exceeds expectations
Growth rates in BRICS nations such as China and Russia have exceed expectations of the IMF and other forecasts [Xinhua]
The news that China’s GDP growth in 2017 was 6.9 per cent as opposed to the government target of 6.5 per cent and the January 2017 international Monetary Fund (IMF) projection of 6.5 per cent is merely the latest in a sequence of economic data releases that has pushed economists to play catch-up with economic reality.

Trade barriers sound reasonable on paper but in practice they present a nightmare of bureaucracy that harms consumers and businesses alike, while doing very little to actually accomplish their stated goals. What sounds like a noble goal has greatly impacted my ability to enjoy music.

Economies are just collections of individuals, no one person on this earth could live beyond the barest of subsistence absent the ability to trade freely. Life without trade would be defined by unrelenting poverty, and for a high percentage, death by starvation, lack of protective clothing, shelter, or all three combined. The free trade that is essential for an individual's productivity and wealth is essential for a country's economy.

President Trump and Commerce Department leader Wilbur Ross are set to hit Canada with a 24% tariff on lumber. The result of which will be 150,000 consumers priced out of the housing market and a loss of 8,241 homebuilding jobs.

A few days ago, the White House announced that new tariffs will be imposed on imports of Canadian lumber. Happy Arbor Day, now cue the destruction of our domestic forests.