Peak Humanity, House Prices and Why UK Pubs Are Vanishing
Here's a thought for the weekend. You are living in (or at least very close to) peak humanity. Populations in countries including Japan and China are actually shrinking, with China losing more than a million people a year net. At this rate, it will see its population halve by the end of the century.
Japan's population fell by almost a million people last year and its government projects it will be down 40% by 2100. Across the sea in South Korea, the fertility rate is down to 0.72—that's one third of what's called the replacement rate (2.1 babies on average per woman). Fertility is also collapsing across Europe, and there's even a baby bust underway in Latin America. Here in the UK, the fertility rate is down to 1.44.
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CBS News
13 minutes ago
- CBS News
Transcript: Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," June 1, 2025
The following is the transcript of an interview with Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Democrat of Illinois, that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on June 1, 2025. MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to the top Democrat on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, that's Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. He's in Illinois. Good morning to you. I want to get-- REP. KRISHNAMOORTHI: --Good morning. MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to get straight to it. You heard from the Secretary of State this week that the State Department is going to work with Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields. There are like 300,000 Chinese students with visas in this country. The U.S. government already has a heightened level of vetting. What's going to change? REP. KRISHNAMOORTHI: I don't know. There's not enough details, but what it looks like if they're targeting all people of Chinese origin who are on international student visas because he's not limiting it to just people who might have ties to the Chinese Communist Party, and if they do have those ties, they don't belong here, especially if they're committing nefarious acts. However, this appears to be much broader and it's terribly misguided and it appears prejudicial and discriminatory. My own father was, came here on an international student visa. And I believe that these people are vital for our economy and for entrepreneurship in this country. And I think this is going to harm America more than help. MARGARET BRENNAN: You said if someone has ties to the Chinese Communist Party they shouldn't be here. Does that mean all the, the students who are children of leaders, for example Xi Jinping's own daughter, shouldn't have been allowed here? REP. KRISHNAMOORTHI: Well, if they were engaged in nefarious activities and if they are somehow deeply connected to the CCP, I think that we should be very careful. But in this particular case, they're not only going after people who might fall in that category, but it's anybody who is from China, including Hong Kong by the way, where people are actually persecuted for various freedoms they're trying to exercise, and who come here seeking to exercise those freedoms. So this is a terrible, terribly misguided policy. MARGARET BRENNAN: The Biden administration did conduct heightened vetting, as you know, of Chinese students. Do you think that there is a legitimate argument for expanding this, that certain areas should just be off limits? REP. KRISHNAMOORTHI: I think that you should definitely have heightened vetting, especially in certain critical areas because we know that the CCP tries to steal, for instance, intellectual property or worse. But the way that this is currently structured looks very, very suspicious and you have to remember that the people that are cheering for this policy, what Marco Rubio had called for, is the Chinese Communist Party. Why? Because they want these people back. They want the scientists and the entrepreneurs and the engineers who can come and help their economy. And so we are probably helping them, as well as other countries, more than helping ourselves with this policy. MARGARET BRENNAN: The Defense Secretary is traveling in Asia right now and he said in a defense forum speech that Beijing is quote "concretely and credibly preparing to use military force." He said their military is rehearsing. Take a listen. PETE HEGSETH: Any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world. There's no reason to sugar coat it. The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent. MARGARET BRENNAN: He did not say what the consequences would be. Are you encouraged by what appears to be a statement of support for allies? REP. KRISHNAMOORTHI: I am. I think what he's saying is largely correct, but I think the problem is at the same time he says that, either Donald Trump or even him or others say other things that push away our friends, partners and allies in the region and cause confusion. And so we need to be consistent and thoughtful with regard to our statements, and we need to be also very methodical about our actions in trying to curb military aggression by the Chinese Communist Party in the South China Sea and with regard to Taiwan. MARGARET BRENNAN: Since you track U.S. intelligence, I wanted to ask you if you have any insight into what appears to be the swarm of Ukrainian drones that has destroyed 40 Russian military aircraft deep inside Russian territory overnight. Sources are telling our Jennifer Jacobs that the White House wasn't aware that this attack was planned. What can you tell us about the level of US intelligence sharing with Ukraine right now and helping them with their targets? REP. KRISHNAMOORTHI: I don't want to get into classified information, but what I can say is that it's a little bit more strained in light of what Donald Trump has said recently. The one thing that I can also say is that Trump was right the other day to say that Putin is crazy in the way that he's going after civilian areas in Ukraine repeatedly, and so the Ukrainians are striking back. At the end of the day, the only way that we can bring these hostilities to an end is by strengthening the hand of the Ukrainians. Trump should, at this point, realize that Putin is playing him and aid the Ukrainians in their battlefield efforts. That's the best way to get to some type of armistice or truce at the negotiating table sooner rather than later. MARGARET BRENNAN: All right, Congressman Krishnamoorthi thank you for your insights today.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
China Urges U.S. to 'Stop Inciting Conflict' in Hegseth Row
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivers an address at the Shangri-La Dialogue Summit in Singapore on May 31, 2025. Credit - Mohd Rasfan—Getty Images China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday issued a strong public rebuke of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of touting a 'cold war mentality' after he said China poses a real 'threat' that "could be imminent." In a statement posted online, the ministry urged the country to 'stop inciting conflict' in the "Asia-Pacific." 'China urges the U.S. to fully respect the efforts of countries in the region to maintain peace and stability, stop deliberately destroying the peaceful and stable environment cherished by the region, and stop inciting conflict and confrontation and escalating tensions in the region,' the statement read. The ministry shared its stance after Hegseth addressed the Shangri-La Dialogue defense conference in Singapore on Saturday and issued a warning about China's ambitions in Asia, saying it 'hopes to dominate and control too many parts of this vibrant and vital region.' 'China seeks to intimidate you in your own waters,' Hegseth told the crowd of defense ministers and security officials. 'China's military harasses Taiwan.' 'It has to be clear to all that Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific,' Hegseth said, arguing that the other countries in the room should be upgrading their own militaries and boost defense spending to prepare. 'We are not going to sugarcoat it—the threat China poses is real and it could be imminent.' In response, China's foreign ministry said that Taiwan is an 'internal affair" and argued that the U.S. is overstepping its bounds by 'stoking flames' in the South China Sea. 'No country in the world deserves to be called a hegemonic power other than the U.S. itself, who is also the primary factor undermining the peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific,' China said. The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claims that Taiwan—which has its own democratically elected government—is a breakaway territory of China that is illegally run by separatists, and they seek to annex it or carry out a 'reunification.' The U.S. does not diplomatically recognize Taiwan, but it serves as a key ally and has made 'available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability,' according to Congress. Read More: Why China-Taiwan Relations Are Getting So Tense Tensions have risen between Taiwan and China in recent months, as both the U.S. and China have ramped up their military presence in the South China Sea. However, Hegseth said in his speech in Singapore that President Donald Trump 'does not seek war.' "We do not seek regime change, nor will we instigate or disrespect a proud and historic culture. We will be ready, but we will not be reckless," said Hegseth of the U.S.' intentions. "Instead, we seek peace. But we must ensure that China cannot dominate us—or our allies and partners." Beyond mounting geopolitical tensions, China and the U.S. are in the midst of a trade war as they go back-and-forth regarding tariffs. On May 12, both nations agreed to significantly lower their tariffs for a 90-day period. The U.S. said it would lower import taxes on goods coming from China from 145% down to 30%. While China agreed to lower its tariffs from 125% to 10%. It was agreed that the actions would be put into effect by May 14, but progress has stalled since the marathon trade talks held in Geneva. On May 30, Trump accused China of 'violating' its trade agreement with the U.S. 'Two weeks ago China was in grave economic danger! The very high tariffs I set made it virtually impossible for China to trade into the United States marketplace,' said Trump via Truth Social, claiming that there was 'civil unrest' as a result of the high levies. Read More: Trump Accuses China of 'Violating' Its Trade Agreement With the U.S., Laments Being 'Mr. Nice Guy' In response, China said that the U.S. has 'discriminatory restrictions' in its use of export controls within the chip industry. 'Recently, China has repeatedly raised concerns with the U.S. regarding its abuse of export control measures in the semiconductor sector and other related practices,' China U.S. embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu told NBC News. 'China once again urges the U.S. to immediately correct its erroneous actions, cease discriminatory restrictions against China and jointly uphold the consensus reached at the high-level talks in Geneva.' Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon on Friday said that China isn't America's biggest threat, and that the U.S. should look inward. Speaking at the Reagan National Economic Forum in Simi Valley, Calif., Dimon said: 'China is a potential adversary—they're doing a lot of things well, they have a lot of problems. But what I really worry about is us. Can we get our own act together? Our own values, our own capability, our own management.' Contact us at letters@
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Putin is preparing for more war, US senators warn, urging swift sanctions and global action
PARIS — Russian President Vladimir Putin is stalling at the peace table while preparing a new military offensive in Ukraine, two senior U.S. senators warned Sunday, arguing that the next two weeks could shape the future of a war that has already smashed cities, displaced millions and redrawn Europe's security map.
