Category Sundance

Jan 1 2025

DC U.S Attorney Matthew Graves Resigns Effective January 16


Posted originally on the CTH on December 31, 2024 | Sundance 

The U.S. Attorney for Washington DC responsible for the arrest of 1,600 January 6th protesters, Matthey Graves, has announced his resignation in advance of President Trump’s inauguration.

WASHINGTON – Matthew M. Graves announced today that he is resigning as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, effective January 16, 2025, after serving in the role for more than three years.

“Serving as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia has been the honor of a lifetime,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “I am deeply thankful to Congresswoman Holmes Norton for recommending me; to President Biden for nominating me; and to Attorney General Garland for placing his trust in me.”

[…] While working to address the violent crime challenges that were plaguing the District when he joined the Office, Mr. Graves also led the largest investigation the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) has ever conducted to address the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. (read more)

Dec 31 2024

Susie Wiles Reminds Trump Nominees Not to Post on Social Media – Does Not Apply to Musk, Ramaswamy, Sacks


Posted originally on the CTH onDecember 30, 2024 | Sundance

It’s strange; it’s just strange.  According to the Washington Post (Bezos) and New York Post (Murdoch), President Trump’s incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles is reminding all of the Trump nominees not to post anything on social media.

Why?

No, seriously; why the reminder?

According to information relayed by a ‘source’ inside the transition team, this warning is not connected to the recent blowup controversy over immigration and H1B visas.  So why the reminder?

As reported, the warning from Wiles does not apply to the DOGE team, Ramaswamy and/or Elon Musk, or to any of the Czars (David Sacks) and appointees who do not need Senate confirmation.  The warning only applies to those who are going through the confirmation process.  But again, the timing… why?

The nominees Wiles notes in her admonishment, have not been posting on social media. So, what triggered the reminder that says, “no member of the incoming administration or Transition speaks for the United States or the President-elect himself.” It’s odd. The only issue that has erupted where that concern would be applicable are the issues around immigration and H1B visas. Yet the source on the transition team says Wiles was not speaking about that issue.

I consider myself a person with attune Spidey senses. Pretending just doesn’t work for me. When the principal officer says, “no member of the incoming administration or transition speaks for POTUS”, and then an anonymous transition person quickly says Wiles is not talking about team DOGE, my suspicions are that Wiles’s reminder was triggered specifically because of the dangerous controversy, and the anonymous transition team member is obfuscating the reason behind the warning.

In essence, I suspect the warning really is about what the Occam’s Razor indicates it would be about. As always, I could be wrong; but I’d be willing to wager on this one.

NY Post – President-elect Donald Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles sent a message Sunday ordering nominees to refrain from any posting on social media as Senate confirmation hearings are scheduled to start next week.

“While this instruction has been delivered previously, I am reiterating that no member of the incoming administration or Transition speaks for the United States or the President-elect himself,” Wiles wrote in a memo obtained by The Post.

“Accordingly, all intended nominees should refrain from any public social media posts without prior approval of the incoming White House counsel,” she said in the Dec. 29 missive.

The first-ever female chief of staff, nicknamed the “Ice Maiden,” also noted that she appreciates “how enthusiastic everyone is” about joining the second Trump term in her otherwise frank directive.

[…] The Wiles memo, according to a Trump transition source, is not in response to the recent social media ruckus caused by Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chairs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy over H-1B visas that had MAGA world spinning.

DOGE is not an official entity, despite its name, and does not need Senate confirmation, meaning the tech moguls are free to convey their opinions online. (read more)

For many, this immigration/H1B issue is critical.

I completely understand and support their concern for many reasons.

Elon Musk (et al) has made himself a wedge.

If you do not support Musk, you are anti-MAGA.

What’s missing in this new definition of MAGA?  President Donald J Trump.

Maybe Wiles can see it also.

The gaslighting, the demand to ignore what you witness with your own eyes, is stunning.  Yet the shouts are very familiar in abusive relationships.

Dec 30 2024

Elon Musk Changes Twitter Algorithm to Diminish MAGA Opposition to Silicon Valley Group and Support Influence Over Trump Policy


Posted originally on the CTH on December 30, 2024 | Sundance

Something very interesting and openly obvious is happening amid the backlash that Elon Musk and the Silicon Valley network are facing to their H1B position.

Elon Musk has changed the Twitter algorithm to dimmish the voices of those who would openly confront his network of supporters within Silicon Valley and beyond.  If large follower Twitter accounts, like those of Musk himself, David Sacks, Vivek Ramaswamy and Musks’ promoted network of influencers, begin blocking accounts on the platform, then the voices of those accounts get purposefully diminished by the algorithm.

Much like having a VIP section that can remove people from the audience, Musk is pushing opposing viewpoints to the acceptable narrative into the background of the public square.

[SOURCE]

The timing of this is not accidental.  The allies of Musk have been getting blasted by some rather large MAGA accounts over the H1B visa position of the Silicon Valley team.  In response, Musk is pushing those opposition voices out of the conversation.  This is another way for the newly aligned tech group to maintain influence over the policy of President-elect Donald Trump. In fact, I have been informed this is exactly the purpose.

President Trump announced that David Sacks would lead the tech, crypto and AI policy group.  This team being assembled by Sacks are all-in support of H1B visa use to bring in foreign workers.  They do not want publicly visible opposition to impede their agenda.

To be fair, it makes sense for the tech network to do this because it is akin to President Trump’s incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles, saying she would not let what she defines as “clown car people” influence President Trump.  It’s an issue of controlling a very directed policy initiative.  However, the issues around immigration in general, and H1B visas specifically are critically important to many of the long-term Trump supporters.

Elon Musk is building a bubble around Donald Trump to diminish opposition to the technocratic influence of the new allies.

Mr Musk is shutting out, or at least making quiet, the core MAGA base while elevating a new group of arrivals that support Donald Trump.  The new group of influential technocrats, billionaires in the tech industry and platform control operators, do not hold the same ideological interests as the core MAGA base.  This is the larger reason for the conflict that has been happening over the past week, on the subject of H1B workers.

Musk’s decision to essentially put a friendly super moderator system in place that can control and silence the microphone on Twitter, is a specific move that represents what I personally have been warning about.  This group of influence agents do not have the same priorities on much of the MAGA policy the voters expressed.

This is the same basic policy justification behind the “shadowbanning” and platform manipulation previously instituted by Twitter to silence opposition to the COVID-19 vaccination. Only this time it is Elon Musk instituting the algorithmic manipulation, to silence opposition to David Sacks, Vivek Ramaswamy, Sriram Krishnan, Peter Thiel, Chamath Palihapitiya, Jacob Helberg and eventually JD Vance.

If the technocrats control the visible public conversation, that’s not supporting free speech; instead, that’s manipulation and selective censorship of the audience.  This is exactly how social media was being controlled in the era of COVID.  The new boss motives are the same as the old boss motives, the policy is the only thing different.

LEE SMITH – “Don’t be lulled by fake MAGA truce: H1B issue is indeed consequential. When Dems & GOP offshored mfg (NAFTA, WTO), rationale was that Americans would get great “tech service” jobs—but H1B showed they wouldn’t get those jobs either.

And there’s nothing you can do about it, said Dems and GOP alike. You want those jobs back? Where’s your magic wand? And besides, you deserve the pain, clinging to your guns and God — you’re racist, homophobic, etc. you’re deplorables.

This is what Trump was elected to fight, but according to Vivek: In fact, the things that have caused you pain are your fault. Your culture prizes mediocrity, your parents raised you poorly. Then Elon: Fight me on a thing that has hurt you, and I will crush you.

Vivek continues to double down: instead of walking back or even just modifying his public rebuke of American families, he characterizes it as one of his “hard truths” — as other MAGA influencers have jumped to his defense:

‘In fact, nothing bad happened, it was simply a conversation, and it’s the left who is trying to divide us!’ But to tell people long targeted by an elite demoralization campaign that they shouldn’t believe what they heard with their own ears and blame it on others is predatory.

So, yes H1B matters because it’s an effect of the core issue — indeed the reason DJT is POTUS — a political and corporate establishment that has waged a half-century long campaign to destroy the American middle class. (LINK)

Predictably, there was always going to be uncomfortable moments in this tenuous MAGA alignment with the billionaire technocrats; however, this is not that.  This is far beyond uncomfortable.  This is a core issue for millions of Americans, and the Silicon Valley response to controlling the conversation is not good.

Ultimately, as we are all witnessing, many of these people do not have our best interests at heart.

Keep watching closely.

Dec 30 2024

Reached During Biden’s Exit – President Trump Tells Congress to Act Now


Posted originally on the CTH on December 30, 2024 | Sundance

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has announced the U.S. debt ceiling is likely to be reached mid-January, while Joe Biden is still in office.  President Trump tells congress to deal with the issue now.

First, here’s Secretary Yellen:

WASHINGTON, Dec 27 (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury Department may need to take “extraordinary measures” by as early as Jan. 14 to prevent the United States from defaulting on its debt, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told lawmakers in a letter on Friday.

Yellen urged lawmakers in the U.S. Congress to act “to protect the full faith and credit of the United States.”

U.S. debt is expected to decrease by about $54 billion on Jan. 2 “due to a scheduled redemption of nonmarketable securities held by a federal trust fund associated with Medicare payments,” she added.

She said: “Treasury currently expects to reach the new limit between January 14 and January 23, at which time it will be necessary for Treasury to start taking extraordinary measures.”

Under a 2023 budget deal, Congress suspended the debt ceiling until Jan. 1, 2025. The U.S. Treasury will be able to pay its bills for several more months, but Congress will have to address the issue at some point next year. (more)

The Biden spending is already baked into the proverbial cake. Congress will have to raise the debt ceiling limit and President Trump is urging them to do it now, before he takes office.

[SOURCE]

Specifically, because 38 republicans voted against the 2nd continuing resolution earlier this month, President Trump will face this debt ceiling mess on day one if it is not addressed before. They republicans knew this reality when they voted no.

Now President Trump is trying to avoid a potential mess early in his administration. No amount of spending cuts are going to stop the previously authorized spending. We are still going to hit the debt ceiling regardless of action from within the House to downsize government. Congress can freeze all spending, and we will still hit the debt ceiling.

It certainly looks like a crew of House republicans knew this would hamstring President Trump, and measures to avoid default are going to be needed.

Dec 30 2024

The 39th President, Jimmy Carter Dead at 100-Years-Old


Posted originally on the CTH on December 30, 2024 | Sundance 

Former President Jimmy Carter is dead following almost two-years of hospice care. He was 100 years old.  The Carter Center confirmed his death, saying he died peacefully at his home in Plains, surrounded by his family. He was the longest-lived president in U.S. history.

President Trump said, “President Jimmy Carter is dead at 100 years of age. While I strongly disagreed with him philosophically and politically, I also realized that he truly loved and respected our Country, and all it stands for. He worked hard to make America a better place, and for that I give him my highest respect. He was a truly good man and, of course, will be greatly missed. He was also very consequential, far more than most Presidents, after he left the Oval Office. Warmest condolences from Melania and I to his wonderful family!” [LINK]

Joe Biden Said, “Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian. Over six decades, we had the honor of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well. [LINK]

Dec 29 2024

Despite New York Post Phone Call, Question and Answer, Donald Trump Companies Do Not Use H1B Visas


Posted originally on the CTH on December 29, 2024 | Sundance 

When I read the New York Post article proclaiming that President Trump supports the fraudulent system known as H1B visa hiring, I knew something was amiss because we previously looked at Trump’s various business hires and use of the visa process.

Apparently, the NY Post called President Trump to get him to weigh in on the controversial subject that has been triggered by Elon Musk saying he would “go to war on this issue” to maintain the H1B visa system -and subsequent foreign employment for tech skilled workers- his various companies depend upon.

Here’s the topline takeaway from the article that has triggered many:

(NY POST) President-elect Trump told The Post Saturday he supports immigration visas for highly skilled workers, appearing to side with Elon Musk in the roiling intra-MAGA debate on the issue.

“I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump said by phone, referring to the H-1B program, which permits companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations.  

“I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program,” added Trump, who restricted access to foreign worker visas in his first administration and has been critical of the program in the past. (more)

However, if you go to the Dept of Labor website, search or download the database of H1B employment, specifically filtering to Trump’s various companies, what you will discover is that Trump Inc doesn’t use the H1B visa system at all. [Check for Yourself Here]

How does this reconcile? Well, having previously looked at the visa use by President Trump in his various companies {SEE HERE}, I can confidently assert (Occam’s Razor) that within the interview President Trump conflated H2B temporary worker visas, which he does use in his service industry, with H1B visas which he does not use.

The H-1B program applies to employers seeking to hire nonimmigrant aliens as workers in specialty occupations of distinguished merit and ability. At least that was the intent of the program before it was abused by companies who saw the opportunity to avoid domestic market wages and find alternative cheap sources of skilled labor in the tech sector. That abusive ‘labor diversion’ process has now expanded to find H1B claims in other sectors.  So much so, there are now a myriad of companies requesting H1B status employees for their various interests.

The H2B program applies to employers seeking to hire nonimmigrant aliens as “temporary workers” mostly in the service industry where extreme seasonal fluctuations in business make it challenging to hire from a very limited market base.  H2B workers are found in hotels, resorts, restaurants and service companies anywhere you find big seasonal shifts in service businesses, like Trump resorts.

As previously noted, Does the word “Snowbird” ring a bell?  Florida has a “tourist season” which runs from (generally speaking) just after Thanksgiving to Easter annually.  January, February and March are the peak.  The first Monday in February is the absolute peak as almost every time-share and hotel unit flips that week.

The volume of work within the service and hospitality industry doubles during the tourist season, and those businesses who hire within the general labor market struggle to increase their labor in relationship to the increase in business.  In addition, local workers looking for employment are reluctant to take temporary or “seasonal” jobs, and prefer longer term -more stable- employment.

Many businesses need to double, or in some cases triple, their workforce in order to meet the business demand. As a consequence, many companies, including Trump owned resorts, have used H-2B visa workers to fill the gap between large fluctuations in business and the needed staffing shortfalls.   From my own experience, many of the workers are students from South America (Argentina, Brazil, etc) who take the seasonal jobs Nov/Dec – March/April between their college seasons – and then return home.

Bottom line – President Trump is referencing H2B visas which he does use, and not H1B visas which he does not use.  Whether President Trump conflated the issue, or whether the Murdoch owned New York Post intentionally constructed their questioning to create a clickbait controversy, is entirely up to the reader to determine.  I think it’s likely a combination.

♦ All of that said, the issue of H1B replacement workers displacing American workers is not going away regardless of how uncomfortable it makes the Silicon Valley crowd.  Many highly skilled Americans have been impacted by the issue of H1B replacement, and the inherent fraud within the special interest employment system is a critical issue for a large percentage of the MAGA base.

In fact, for context you might remember the 2017 Trump suspension of visas from Muslim countries.  In response to that suspension, the state of Washington filed a lawsuit against President Trump seeking an injunction to continue the visas.  The main subject of their opposition was the financial impact to Microsoft and the H1B visa use.

BYRON YORK, 2017 – “Why is Washington State mounting such a vigorous challenge to President Trump’s executive order temporarily suspending non-American entry from seven terrorism-plagued countries? Of course there are several lawsuits against the president, and there are lots of motives among the various litigants. But Washington State’s is the suit that stopped the order, at least temporarily. And a look at the state’s case suggests that, behind high-minded rhetoric about religious liberty and constitutional protections, there is a lot of money at stake.

Judging by the briefs filed by Washington State, as well as statements made by its representatives, some of the state’s top priorities in challenging Trump are: 1) To ensure an uninterrupted supply of relatively low-wage H-1B foreign workers for Microsoft and other state businesses; 2) To ensure a continuing flow of high-tuition-paying foreign student visa holders; and 3) To preserve the flow of tax revenues that results from those and other sources.

[…]  Washington State argued that its residents have suffered from the Trump order, or might suffer in the future, because some of the state’s biggest businesses rely on H-1B visas, which are often used to bring foreign workers to U.S. companies at lower wages than their American counterparts.

“The technology industry relies heavily on the H-1B visa program,” the Washington State lawsuit said. “Microsoft, a corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, is the state’s top employer of high-tech — or H-1B visa holders and employs nearly 5,000 people through the program. Other Washington-based companies, including Amazon, Expedia, and Starbucks, employ thousands of H-1B visa holders.”  (link)

Vivek Ramaswamy, David Sacks, Elon Musk (with his influencers) and the tribe in/around Silicon Valley, have placed their flag of influence on this H1B hill.  They are willing to do whatever it takes to retain this system, much to the angst of the MAGA supporters who have been victimized by it.

When a system has been so thoroughly corrupted as to now create harm, there should not be a great deal of controversy in suspending that system until the market can correct itself.  However, losing control of the H1B visa system is viewed by the Silicon Valley tech group as a non-starter position.

♦ It will be interesting to watch how Silicon Valley’s ally, JD Vance – a political entity wrapped in the cover of Hillbilly values, reacts to this H1B visa and immigration debate.

As we watch the arguments inside the H1B debate, it is worth remembering the group who promoted, pushed and ultimately influenced the JD Vance nomination consisted of: Charlie Kirk, Tucker Carlson, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Bill Ackman, David Sacks, Chamath Palihapitiya, Jacob Helberg and of course, Vivek Ramaswamy.  On the inside of the Trump orbit, the network had Donald Trump Jr also promoting JD Vance.

JD Vance was then invited to be an attendee at the June 6th San Francisco fundraiser for President Trump, hosted by Sacks and Palihapitiya, and that’s likely when the first one-on-one running mate discussion between President Trump and Senator Vance took place.

Usha Chilukuri Vance, the wife of Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, quit her job as a corporate litigator at DNC-affiliated Munger, Tolles & Olson, within minutes of hearing that JD had been selected as President Trump’s Vice-President nominee and running mate.  Usha Chilukuri-Vance worked in Washington DC for the firm.

The American workers who Silicon Valley advocate for replacing with foreign workers, are the proverbial “Saxons, with nothing to lose.”

The Big Tech group may not have initiated the background; in fact, the offshoring and replacement cycle was started many years before. However, when you strip a group of Americans of their value, label them, ostracize them, ridicule them, belittle them and then denigrate them for failing to support your abuse, think “rust belt”, you create a group of Americans with nothing left to lose.

Calling people “racist” and “nativist” who voted for President Trump specifically on this issue is not going to work. Musk et al should be very aware that this H1B debate is targeting the “nothing left to lose” American team.

If they think their immigration position is both zero-sum and survivable, think again. There is much for them to lose. The true zero-sum position is already held by a much bigger tribe of American workers who truly do have nothing left to lose.

Silicon Valley ends up fighting an army that will never concede because they have already been stripped of everything they hold dear.

Beware the wrath of the angry Saxon. This immigration topic is Musk, Ramaswamy and Sacks’ first trip into what they call ‘flyover country.’ They are experiencing strong MAGA pushback, something very new and uncomfortable for them, likely for the first time; hence, their emotional reactions.

We understand the UniParty is smiling as they see us debating this issue; however, if Making America Great Again doesn’t benefit working Americans, then what exactly is the point.

Dec 29 2024

Rob Schmitt Gives Solid Summary of H1B Debate


Posted originally on the CTH on December 29, 2024 | Sundance 

Newsmax Rob Schmitt gives a good summary of the H1B immigration debate that has caught fire amid the Trump support base.

The initial issue surfaced with the appointment of Sriram Krishnan to serve as Senior Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. [Source] Krishnan has previously advocated for removing all limits on Indian immigrant use of H1B.

Vivek Ramaswamy, David Sacks and Elon Musk came to the immediate defense of their friend and colleague Sriram Krishan, while MAGA Americans started to look very closely at the use of H1B visas.  Things rapidly escalated from there.

.

Dec 29 2024

Mike Pence and Mitch McConnell Urge Supreme Court to Uphold Tik Tok Ban – President Trump Urges SCOTUS to Delay


Posted originally on the CTH on December 28, 2024 | Sundance

The central argument is this. “Whether the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (“the Act”), as applied to petitioners, violates the First Amendment.”

Congress enacted a law that effectively bans the social media app TikTok, or at the very least, forces the sale of the company to a non-foreign owned entity. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on the First Amendment aspect. Biden signed the law that requires TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to divest from the app or face a ban on U.S. networks and app stores.

Mitch McConnell [SEE HERE] and Mike Pence [See Here] are asking the Supreme Court to support the law and support the forced sale or ban. However, President Trump is urging the Supreme Court to be very careful.  [SEE HERE]

John Sauer, President Trump’s nominee to be solicitor general, has penned an amicus brief saying, “The power of a Western government to ban an entire social-media platform with more than 100 million users, at the very least, should be considered and exercised with the most extreme care—not reviewed on a ‘highly expedited basis.”

After initially supporting the ban on Tik Tok in 2020, President Trump changed his opinion and now contemplates whether a ban against the popular platform is in America’s best interest.

“Consistent with his commanding presence in this area, President Trump currently has 14.7 million followers on TikTok with whom he actively communicates, allowing him to evaluate TikTok’s importance as a unique medium for freedom of expression, including core political speech. Indeed, President Trump and his rival both used TikTok to connect with voters during the recent Presidential election campaign, with President Trump doing so much more effectively. As this Court instructs, the First Amendment’s ‘constitutional guarantee has its fullest and most urgent application precisely to the conduct of campaigns for political office.’” (source)

Many people have wondered what changed President Trump’s mind, with some pointing to President Trump’s meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Chew at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month.   Additionally, Elon Musk and the Silicon Valley tech team, including JD Vance, are opposed to Tik Tok.  However, the shift in Trump’s thinking since 2020 makes sense if you look at the timeline.

TikTok is a content and information platform that presents a significant issue from an American perspective.  It is a Chinese platform available in the USA, but American platforms are banned in China. As a consequence, there is a particular conflict on geopolitical interests. Thus, in 2020 President Trump was against TikTok as an equity/fairness issue.

However, if most or all of the USA social media platforms are under the influence and control of government, which they are. And when President Trump became a victim from that influence and control, which he did. And when the only counterpoint for pushback against the Mis-Dis-Mal information scheme of the U.S. Govt., is to use an external platform to deliver information…. Then the relative issues in the platform discrimination argument take on a different context.

If you look at the timeline, after he was silenced by the U.S government’s influence in Big Tech, President Trump changed his position on Tik Tok.

If USG control the public conversation, and the overwhelming evidence is that they do; then you can argue the merit of allowing a foreign platform to exist as a domestic vehicle for information uncontrolled by the USG.  This is also the essential argument that exists within communication platforms like Telegram; not coincidentally another platform targeted by the same USG.

TikTok may be garbage, I think it likely is.  However, in the era where we have a documented history of our government controlling the content on social media platforms, I can make an argument that their lack of control within TikTok is really the bigger part of the USG opposition to it.

TikTok is also a target for the European Commission who recently blamed the platform for an election outcome in Romania that Brussels did not like.

[Read Trump Amicus Briefing Here]

Dec 28 2024

A Highly Toxic Silicon Valley Meltdown Over Well Documented H1B Visa Fraud Explodes


The Silicon Valley immigration priority was not the topic I thought would explode and fracture the tenuous MAGA alignment with the New Big Tech group represented by Elon Musk and his billionaire network. However, we learn more every day.

This is a jaw-dropping moment to watch unfold as a very influential sector of the political discourse begins a full-frontal attack against those who are pointing out how the tech community abuse H1B visas to replace American workers. In the background, of course, is the context of widespread immigration policy fraud being one of the priorities for the average Trump supporter.

The Silicon Valley team do not seem to review discussion of the H1B manipulation/fraud within the larger American economy as a problem, as long as the discussion of the visa fraud does not impact their business models. However, as soon as the H1B abuse started to be framed around Silicon Valley’s participation therein, the New Big Tech group take a nuclear war approach to defending their interests.

[SOURCE]

Having followed the immigration issue for a long time, yet specifically only having a big picture review of the H1B visa issues, it has been astounding to watch how Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, David Sacks and the Silicon Valley supporters and influencers are responding to having the H1B visa fraud confronted.  The self-interest in their defense is just astronomical to watch unfold.

Empowered by what can only be reasonably defined as their perceived influence over President Trump, the new-era Tech team are quite forcefully telling the MAGA base of Trump-supporting American workers that their concerns, views and perspectives are irrelevant.

It appears that most of the explosive sentiments revolve around H1B visas in the tech sector issued to Indian workers specifically.  Apparently, the friendships, networks and teams attached to the sector of computer engineering carry with them an emotional component.  I guess that should not be a surprise considering this is essentially a peer-to-peer wagon circling, in defense of the H1B visa problems in the tech sector.

As said before, it always appeared the MAGA alignment with Silicon Valley would not be an issue until the interests of the billionaire tech team came into conflict with the MAGA base.  I did not anticipate the fracture being so fast, nor did I anticipate immigration would be the trigger.  However, H1B visa issuance is apparently a key part of the Silicon Valley business model.

That said, several pragmatic aspects of the discussion are now being lost amid a very toxic shouting match that has begun.  President Trump and JD Vance are, perhaps understandably, staying very quiet at the moment.  However, that silence is soon to be impossible as both sides of a very divisive issue are going to eventually demand President Trump to weigh in.

I will try to cut through some of the toxic noise so that we can discuss the larger issues.

Theo Wold provides some context:

“I led the drafting of legislation in the Trump ‘45 White House to create a new legal immigration framework. I saw firsthand what happens when ANY visa reform is proposed: executives from the biggest multinationals and lobbyists from all kinds of industries are banging on the door, demanding to keep what they have.

What they have is a tangled morass of visa classes that are carve-outs, handouts, and special favors to particular industries, bought and paid for through decades of lobbying feckless members of Congress and presidential administrations. Industries lobby for the foreign workers they claim to “need,” and then they get a visa class carve-out, which they protect (and seek to expand) at all costs.

And there are enormous costs for our nation – costs that fall on the American worker with devastating consequences. The statistics bear that out: job gains go to foreign-born workers while American workers post net job losses.

I also know this firsthand because I grew up a working-class kid, watching my father (and by extension, our family) suffer from unfair foreign labor competition.

For too long, Americans have been largely unaware of the source of these problems because the policies are designed to be too complicated and are made largely invisible to public scrutiny. I’m glad the right is having an open debate about legal immigration. It is past time.

To be clear, the difference between O1Bs and H1Bs matters in this debate, for example, because these visas are intended to accomplish very different goals and are entirely different in scale, BUT both visa classes are rife with abuse. (Plenty of Reggaeton stars and anti-American athletes enter the U.S. on O-1 visas.) Essentially ALL visa classes are abused. Again, that’s because these things exist to serve special interests on one side of the labor market (and it’s not the side of the American worker).

The debate can’t be confined to a single industry – it’s about Big Tech, Big Ag, tourism and hospitality, transportation (airlines, trucking), the media & sports entertainment complex (yes, the NFL and MLB have their own special visa classes and their own special treatment by DHS and State) and many many others. They all want special visas to import cheap and convenient foreign labor. Even the roofing industry is now seeking its own special visa class. And all of these special classes get expanded over time, allowing the American worker to be flooded with foreign competitors for no reason other than labor savings for employers.

I, like many Americans, voted for a sealed border and an immigration moratorium. Americans need to retake control of our immigration system — how many are coming in, for what reasons, and for how long. One question absent from our current system: how does this individual immigrant benefit the American nation and her people? No more blanket exemptions or economic rationales. Immigration is a regime-based question, as both Hamilton and Jefferson wrote on extensively, and our system should reflect that Americans must also demand meaningful investment in assimilation and integration requirements for legal immigrants here already.’ (Source)

Within the debate, those who advocate for the H1B visa process are quick to call anyone a “racist” or “nativist” who stands against it.  Within the tech industry the use of H1B is positioned as vital for their success.

As can be noted by the extreme position on the pro-H1B side of the discussion, they view this debate as a zero-sum contest.  The position of Musk and the Silicon Valley tech group is that if the H1B process is stopped, American technological advancements will immediately cease to exist.

When it is pointed out that Silicon Valley discriminates against white Americans with engineering degrees and or skills, Silicon Valley shouts back the same arguments as the DEI promoters Musk claims to abhor.  Musk and the tech group immediately use the Alinsky attack method (isolate, ridicule, marginalize) against anyone who speaks forcefully against their interests.   The Musk allies and influencers then pile on.  It is something remarkable to watch happen.

Years of Americans in various business sectors being forced to train their foreign replacements before the Americans are terminated from employment, underscore a very hardened stance against the H1B abuse. The decision by the Silicon Valley network to dismiss this problem because they want to sustain their current business operations is not going to end well unless some cooler heads immediately intercede.

Nicole Shanahan, Robert F Kennedy’s former running mate – and also a Silicon Valley network influencer, puts it this way:

“Having lived in Silicon Valley for 20+ years and founded and sold an AI company, I’ve seen firsthand how we rely on H-1B to fill grueling, unglamorous coding jobs. These jobs are essential, and we need capable people doing them. But the system needs an overhaul.

Here’s why:

To keep pace with global competitors like China and India, we need Americans ready to tackle the challenging jobs in these fields. We have them, but often our STEM grads turn their noses up at these entry-level, low-paying coding positions after investing in a costly education.
So why are immigrants from India, China, and elsewhere so eager for these jobs? It’s not because they’re glamorous or because these roles don’t exist back home. And definitely not because they offer high salaries. There’s something else driving this…

The undeniable proof that the United States is the single greatest nation on earth is that people from every corner of the globe dream of coming here—not to China or India—but America.

I take issue with some of the discourse I’ve read online today suggesting “lazy American culture” is the main driver for why we need to continue the H-1B program. Let’s be real: tech companies getting massive breaks on cheap labor at the expense of the American way of life is predatory.

Blaming our culture for why American STEM grads won’t take underpaying jobs is ridiculous and insulting.

The system we’ve constructed with H-1B visas, whether we like it or not, incentivizes people to come here and serve as essentially indentured servants for Big Tech, taking on the tough, grueling jobs that few here in America are excited to perform at the current suppressed salaries.

In return, if you’re good at your job, you’re then put on a fast track to get a Green Card, which means legal status and the chance to bring your family over through chain migration.

I’m reminded of this famous line by our second President, John Adams: “I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.”

Just because our kids have the “right” to chase artistic dreams like music and painting, doesn’t mean we should bring in hundreds of thousands of foreign workers to displace them in math-intensive careers. It’s a two-fold issue: both our education and immigration policies are broken. Instead of tackling these complex issues head-on, Big Tech monopolies and tech VCs are looking for the fastest way to outcompete globally and become industry giants. It’s paid off—look at the insane valuations of these companies!

We can’t entirely blame them for this approach—it’s been the industry norm for 40 years—but we can insist they seek out the tough, lasting solutions. No more temporary fixes.

I was asked if teaching American kids coding from a younger age would make them want these coding jobs. My response? No, it won’t. These jobs aren’t fun, people.

But, do I think removing the incentive of attaining legal status would reduce the volume of foreign applicants? Absolutely.

And, guess what? That might finally force Big Tech to look for workers right here at home (and pay them a competitive wage). Americans expect fair pay, which means these companies would have to start sharing their wealth rather than hoarding it.

Meritocracy is key to America’s greatness, but so are justice and fairness—we shouldn’t keep rewarding an industry that has curtailed free speech and American values. After Trump’s recent victory, the everyday worker feels empowered like never before. They won’t surrender that power, and frankly, it’s not right to imply they should.

There are numerous ways to improve our immigration system while safeguarding the American labor force (and I say “force” because it truly is capable, creative, and powerful).

Here are two straightforward steps to start the process:

1. Immigration policy must be designed to protect the American way of life and its workforce. Singapore’s work permit program, which they designed in the ’90s, was built from this standard and could provide good inspiration. They use a modern-day designation system to manage the influx of labor across various sectors.

⁃ Employers face levies (essentially fees that employers have to pay for each foreign worker they hire. It’s a way to manage the number of foreign workers coming in by making it more expensive to employ them, encouraging companies to also look for talent locally).
⁃ There are Dependency Ceilings, which essentially limit the number of foreign workers based on the local workforce—this is KEY.
⁃ They impose restrictions on the countries from which workers can come.
⁃ Permits are diversified across industries to ensure balance.

2. Special economic zones are amazing and can transform local tech job markets. Hiring locally is going to be critical for making sure Americans are taking key tech industry roles AND able to support their families.

If we really want to lift America to heights unseen in generations—not just talk about it, but actually do it—then we can’t continue to stick to outdated strategies that have harmed Americans. We owe it to ourselves and our communities to aim higher and do better.” (source)

As I watch this debate unfold, I find myself finally realizing why all the Silicon Valley tech people were such staunch Democrats.  Their worldview does not: (1) seem to comprehend American Economic Nationalism as a priority; (2) seem to appreciate the importance of true liberty in the creation of the remarkable outcomes from American exceptionalism; and (#3) they appear to be inside a bubble of self-interest, unattached and unaffected by the economic issues that have seriously harmed the MAGA base.

In essence, the Silicon Valley network represented by Elon Musk team, does not connect in the same way to the important priorities of middle America.  The technocrats are, well, Technocrats.

Watching this debate unfold is quite remarkable.

December 28, 2024 | Sundance 

Dec 28 2024

President Trump Indicates Bill Gates is Going to Mar-a-Lago


Posted originally on the CTH on December 27, 2024 | Sundance 

On December 19th we noted, “Apple CEO Tim Cook and META CEO Mark Zuckerberg were previous guests at Mar-a-Lago for tech meetings before Bezos. Heck, all that’s needed now is for Bill Gates to show up and a wormhole revealing a parallel universe is likely to open.”…

Well apparently, the universe is folding upon itself. President Trump has indicated that Bill Gates is scheduled to appear in Mar-a-Lago for a meeting with President Trump.

[Source]

The last arrival to the southern White House was Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (AWS), who hedged his bets too long and was late in supporting President Trump before the election.  This has put Bezos in a position of riding his bicycle in slow circles at the end of the driveway while Musk (xAI), Ellison (Oracle) and Thiel (Palantir) have full access ‘insider’ passes along with their ally Vice-President Elect JD Vance.

In term #1, the reacting allies dragged their heels to comply with Trump’s requests and expectations.  In Term #2 I expect one of the more visible elements for us to watch will be how fast those same allies react to requests and expectations. In fact, I think we are already seeing this play out.