Trump Just Turned Nvidia and AMD Into His Personal ATM
A 15% “patriot tax” on AI chip sales to China could rewrite global trade rules
Good Morning, it’s Thursday, August 14th, 2025.
Washington just crossed a line the swamp’s been eyeing for decades — forcing two of America’s biggest tech companies to hand over 15% of their China sales directly to the federal government. Trump calls it a “patriot tax.” His allies call it genius. Critics call it extortion with a flag draped over it. Today we’re breaking down how this isn’t just about chips — it’s about a new precedent that puts every U.S. exporter in the government’s crosshairs.
Don’t keep this to yourself — send it to someone who still thinks “national security” means what it used to.
And as always, hit reply with your take — we read every one.
By the way, we’ve been tracking patterns like this for a long time. A while back, we pulled together 7 Truth Bombs the Media Tried to Erase — real, documented events that got buried, memory-holed, or rewritten in real time. It’s not theory, it’s receipts. If you haven’t read it yet, it’ll make today’s story hit even harder.
Trump Just Turned Nvidia and AMD Into His Personal ATM
A 15% “patriot tax” on AI chip sales to China sparks firestorm
The White House just declared that if Nvidia or AMD wants to sell AI chips to China, Uncle Sam gets a cut — 15% of gross sales, straight to the Treasury. Trump calls it a “patriot tax.” His allies say it’s a bold America First policy. Critics — including some free-market conservatives — say it’s government extortion in broad daylight.
Nvidia and AMD are now in a pay-to-play arrangement that would make any mob boss nod in approval. Trump’s move bypasses traditional tariffs and trade agreements, creating a brand-new cash spigot for Washington. The deal is sold as a national security measure, but the fine print shows no reinvestment mandate into defense or R&D. The money just disappears into the federal ledger.
Behind the headlines, it’s a masterclass in the chaos economy — create a crisis, declare it an urgent threat, then force private companies to pay tribute for “permission” to operate. Sound familiar? That’s how the swamp thrives: the rules change on a dime, and compliance comes with a price tag.
And the hypocrisy is stunning. The same political class that rails against corporate-government collusion when it benefits the other party is now clapping for what amounts to a state-run shakedown. If Washington can slap a “national security” label on selling computer chips, what’s next — a patriot tax on energy exports, software licenses, or even overseas consulting?
Bottom Line: Trump’s “patriot tax” isn’t just a revenue grab — it’s a precedent. Any company with global operations now knows the U.S. government can demand a cut, no court approval required. If you’re cheering because you don’t like Big Tech, remember: power like this never stays in one set of hands for long.
If you’re tracking moves like this, you already know the headlines are just the surface. Inside The Ledger, we go deeper — following the money, mapping the players, and spotting the next flashpoints before they hit the news cycle. It’s where I post tactical deep dives, forecast windows, and private alerts you won’t see in the public feed. The system is collapsing. Most will get blindsided. You won’t.
Trump Declares “Liberation Day” in D.C. — With Troops
Trump is deploying the National Guard into Washington, D.C., and taking direct control of the city’s police force. He’s calling it “Liberation Day.” The optics are pure pageantry — flags, speeches, and military convoys — but the substance is unmistakable: the capital will be under federal military command by sundown.
Every authoritarian regime in modern history branded its crackdowns as “liberation.” From Eastern Europe to Latin America, tanks in the streets were always framed as a gift to the people. Now, America’s president is borrowing the same playbook. The move is being justified as a law-and-order response to “rising unrest” — unrest defined almost entirely by the administration itself.
What’s striking is the selective outrage. The same voices who called Democratic federal interventions “tyranny” are now cheering a full-blown military occupation of the nation’s capital. Meanwhile, D.C.’s elected leadership has been sidelined, its police chief replaced by a White House appointee, and civil liberties groups are warning this could set a precedent for any president to militarize dissent away.
Trump’s supporters see strength. His critics see the creeping normalization of a permanent security state. Both are right — but only one side seems to care about the cost.
Bottom Line: “Liberation Day” isn’t liberation. It’s a rebrand of military rule — and history shows that once the troops roll in, they rarely roll back out.
From “Medical Miracle” to Budget Slash — The mRNA Flip
Back in his first term, Trump stood at the White House podium and called mRNA vaccines a “medical miracle.” Fast forward to 2025 — in his second term, with RFK Jr. as Health Secretary — and his administration is pulling $500 million in federal funding for mRNA research and production. Officially, the money will be “reallocated to safer, proven technologies.” Unofficially, it’s one of the sharpest political about-faces in recent memory.
If Trump suspected from the start that mRNA tech carried serious risks, why didn’t he say so back then? Why praise them while millions lined up for doses? The answer is either political calculation or outright deception. Praising the vaccines when it was popular gave him cover from the pandemic-era media storm. Waiting until RFK Jr. could take the public heat for defunding them lets Trump flip without admitting he got it wrong.
For thousands who experienced vaccine injuries, the question is personal: how many could have been spared if the truth had been told when it mattered? This isn’t just a policy change — it’s a case study in narrative management, accountability avoidance, and political self-preservation.
Bottom Line: Trump’s vaccine flip is either a confession he misled America or proof he’ll say whatever’s convenient for the crowd in front of him. Either way, the bill for that $500 million cut is being paid in trust, not cash.
State Department “Rewrites” Human Rights — And Drops the Mask
They’re calling it “rewriting human rights,” but here’s what really happened: the Trump administration just gutted the State Department’s annual human rights report. Whole sections criticizing allies like Israel vanished overnight, while the language targeting “foes” — now including Brazil — grew sharper and more politically loaded.
For decades, these reports were never about pure moral principle. They were a tool — a bureaucratic cudgel to justify sanctions, invasions, and regime changes. Allies could imprison journalists or crack down on protests without a word of U.S. condemnation, while adversaries were pilloried for far less. This year’s edition just made the quiet part loud.
Human rights groups are melting down. Editorial boards are screaming about “erosion of American values.” But what’s really happening is that Washington’s selective outrage is now on full display, stripped of its diplomatic pretense. If you’re shocked, you haven’t been paying attention — the double standard was always baked in.
By scaling back criticism of friends and escalating it against rivals, the administration has simply formalized the way foreign policy power projection has always worked. The difference now? No one in this White House feels the need to pretend otherwise.
Bottom Line: This isn’t a break from the past — it’s an unmasking. The U.S. human rights report was never about rights. It was about leverage. Now the mask is off, and the world can see the smirk.
We break down moves like this every week — the power plays, the pattern shifts, the stories the regime hopes you won’t connect. If you want that in your inbox before the noise machine spins it, subscribe to The Daily Briefing and join thousands of readers who refuse to be blindsided.
Texas GOP redraws maps as Democrats flee
The Texas Senate just approved new congressional maps while House Democrats remain holed up out of state to block the vote. These lawmakers were elected to represent Texans, not hide when they lose the numbers game. It’s the same party that lectures about “threats to democracy” while staging walkouts that paralyze legislatures. In the end, they’re serving DNC talking points, not the people who put them in office.
Kodak’s final shot
Kodak, the company that brought photography to the masses, says it may soon close its doors for good. This isn’t just a business collapse — it’s the obituary for a century of American manufacturing and innovation. Kodak didn’t die because of technology; it died because America shipped its industrial base overseas while China built the factories and skills we abandoned. “Creative destruction” turned out to be just destruction — of jobs, knowledge, and national capability.
If you value having this kind of analysis — sharp, fact-loaded, and unfiltered — it exists because readers like you keep it alive. Every contribution, big or small, fuels the research, writing, and independence that makes this newsletter possible. You can back the mission here: Buy Me a Coffee.
CDC blames RFK Jr. and Trump after Atlanta shooting — After a gunman opened fire at CDC headquarters, allegedly over vaccine beliefs, agency employees turned their anger toward RFK Jr. and Trump for “dangerous rhetoric.” They’re skipping over their own record: suppressing lab leak theories, lying about efficacy, and silencing dissenting doctors. Violence is wrong — but so is rewriting history to paint themselves as innocent victims in the trust collapse. Read more
UFC coming to the White House on July 4th — UFC boss Dana White is planning a July 4th fight card on the South Lawn as part of a billion-dollar Paramount deal. First combat sports event ever at America’s seat of power — and the perfect distraction play. While you watch the octagon, watch what bills slide through Congress. Rome had its Colosseum. We have ours.
Death faker extradited after UK hideout — Nicholas Rossi allegedly faked his death to dodge multiple rape charges, fleeing to the UK before being caught and shipped back to Utah. Pulling off a stunt like that takes deep pockets and connections — which makes you wonder how many others vanish without a headline. Read more
Spirit Airlines warns of collapse — Spirit says it may not survive another year, bleeding cash and sending shares into freefall. The pitch for a taxpayer bailout will write itself: “jobs” and “essential services” for budget travelers — just in time for election-year political leverage. Read more
Israel pounds Gaza amid famine warnings — Israel’s bombardment of Gaza City continues as the UK and allies demand urgent action to address what they call an “unfolding famine.” This is the classic “humanitarian intervention” setup — the same moral authority claims that paved the way for Iraq, Libya, and Syria. Read more
Coming Sunday in The Ledger
Western intelligence isn’t just watching — it’s steering. This week’s deep dive pulls the curtain on how spy agencies, surveillance tech, and covert ops shape both global events and our own political fights.
We’re connecting the dots from U.S.-backed campaigns in the Balkans and Middle East… to Israeli surveillance firms fueling the global security state… to domestic scandals like Russiagate, FBI overreach, and the legal targeting of political opponents. The pattern is clear: the same tactics used abroad are now aimed inward — and your rights are in the crosshairs.
Inside, you’ll see how the foreign/domestic line has blurred, how the revolving door between policymakers and profit-driven influence campaigns works, and why official narratives are the first weapon in every operation.
If you want the full map — not the sanitized headlines — you need The Ledger. Upgrade now for access to the War Room, private alerts, and the complete deep dive this Sunday.
“The essence of government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.”
— James Madison
Thanks for reading today’s Daily Briefing. Every story we covered — from the “patriot tax” to D.C.’s “Liberation Day” to the State Department’s human rights rewrite — is part of the same bigger picture: concentrated power, selective outrage, and a ruling class that’s betting you won’t connect the dots. That’s why we dig, name names, and keep receipts. If you think more people need to see through the fog, pass this along — the spin machine counts on your silence.
~ Scott 🇺🇸
P.S. Here’s my take on the chip shakedown: this isn’t just Trump playing hardball with Big Tech. It’s Washington realizing it can monetize “national security” as a permanent revenue stream. Today, it’s AI chips. Tomorrow it’s energy exports, software,and even your data. The only question is whether we’ll spot the pattern before the next precedent locks in. What’s your read? Hit reply — I want to see where you think this goes next.
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Uhm… no. It is actually, 100% tariff on AMD and Nvidia’s Foreign supply chain. At least get it correct, OK, if you want to remain relevant. One more skewed report from you, and I am unsubscribing.