#…Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies..#

Lock him/ her up in the clown wing at Guantanamo bay, and throw away the key.FM! I can’t cope with this idiot.

Not true, Trump hasn't "closed the door" to immigration. Net migration was officially measured at 1.3m in 2024-25, well down from 2023-24, but still an appreciable 0.3% of US population, higher than other world powers.

Biden and his "border czar" Harris deliberately failed to enforce US immigration laws. Voters didn't want that, now Trump's re-regulating. What you might call "democracy", eh? Except that, in the US as in AU, the educated "left" doesn't think unwashed voters should get a say over immigration rates. Student-radical Albanese is running immigration at much more than 1% of AU population, just because he can.

Not interested in countries over whose politics Australians have no control. But I'm sick of this 'migrants made this country' nonsense. Yes the first migrants, the settlers who did all the hard work to upgrade the new world, did that. But not the current crowd who are bludging on the original settler generation, and gradually turning the new world back into the old world.

No.
EXPLOITING immigrants AND other countries is the backbone of America's capitalist greed, starting with killing the Indians and black slavery.

It's ironic, Americans love these great big fuel guzzling trucks, but you're all writing cheques your country can no longer cash.

You country has effectively ran out of road.

As of early 2026, the U.S. is pushing China to shift its economic model from export-driven growth to domestic consumption, driven by a need to rebalance a global economy where China holds a massive trade surplus.

The U.S. wants to reduce it's trade deficit decreasing the reliance on Chinese goods and to potentially export more U.S. goods to a wealthier Chinese middle class.
They complain about China's subsidies and industrial overcapacity that they say hurts international competitors.

Basically, America doesn't like that it cannot compete.

But they exported all the jobs, because of greed.
The result is called 'karma'.

Greed was good remember?
Take your medicine.

China nor the rest of the world doesn't need anything from you.
We down under live in a location where this was apparent years ago.
You're only just now getting the memo.

Take your shiddy service economy based on Microsoft, Netflix and Spotify subscriptions and leave us all alone.
- Beyond that you produce little than can't be gotten elsewhere cheaper.
Even your weapons are now far overpriced, not up to the task and can't be produced in sufficient quantities to do anything more than bankrupt nations that buy hem, they certainly won't win any wars with them.

Stop exploiting the illegal aliens for cheap labour, stop robbing other nations oil and facilitating genocide, and claiming that your an exceptional nation.

America didn't even advance to the metric system.

Chinese goods are now good enough quality.
I don't want any of your overpriced, tariff added goods.
America wants the whole entire world to pay more, because it's losing.

1859 - we need slaves. Without the slaves, who'll pick the cotton.
2026 -we need illegals. Without illegals, who'll pick the oranges.

Approximately 54% of U.S. adults (about 130 million people) aged 16 to 74 read below a 6th-grade level, with many falling into the 5th-grade range or lower. This low literacy statistic corresponds to roughly 1 in 5 adults reading below a 3rd-grade level, which is associated with lower income, higher unemployment, and an estimated $2.2 trillion annual loss to the U.S. economy.

Reading at a 6th-grade level compared to 5th grade involves handling more complex sentence structures, higher informational density, and more abstract themes, often moving from literal comprehension to analysis. Sixth graders tackle advanced vocabulary, recognize subtle inferences, and evaluate arguments in informational texts, shifting from "learning to read" to "reading to learn".

Key differences between 5th and 6th grade reading levels:

Complexity and Structure:
6th-grade texts have fewer repetitions, more complex sentences, and often include parallel, sub-themes rather than just a linear storyline.
Abstract Thinking:
While 5th-grade reading focuses on comprehension, 6th-grade reading requires greater interpretation of metaphoric, figurative, and sometimes, satirical language.
Content and Inference:
6th graders make deeper, more frequent use of inferential devices, allowing them to grasp deeper meanings, themes, and perspectives.
Academic Demands:
6th-grade reading requires students to handle more specialized, technical vocabulary across various subject areas, such as analyzing primary sources and scientific articles.
Lexile Level: 6th-grade texts generally fall between 1010L and 1205L (or higher depending on the system), compared to 5th grade at 830L–1030L.

Essentially, a 6th grader is expected to be more proficient in analyzing how an author structures their work, rather than just what the text says.