Leverage Points

Archives
Subscribe
September 5, 2025

China's Soft Power, Market Slide & Ukraine Troop Debate

China touts Kim Jong Un’s daughter while stocks plunge and regulators mull curbs, spotlighting Beijing’s dual image push. Meanwhile, European leaders, encouraged by Trump, weigh sending troops to secure post-war Ukraine amid a flurry of other leverage-shifting moves worldwide.

💰 Economy and Finance

Trump asks US Supreme Court to uphold his tariffs after lower court defeat - BBC

Supreme Court appeal seeks to reinstate Trump-era tariffs

BBC News CNBC NPR

8. Rules of the System

A Supreme Court decision that clarifies presidential tariff authority would reset the legal boundary between Congress and the executive, rewriting the rulebook that governs how trade policy is crafted and enforced. By recalibrating this power balance, the ruling would shift incentives for future administrations, industries, and global trading partners, sending ripple effects through domestic sectors and international supply chains.

Chinese shares tumble as Beijing considers curbs on speculation

Financial Times Bloomberg

11. Mindset or paradigm

Changing the prevailing paradigm that treats unfettered gains as normal reframes volatility as a product of collective expectations, making prudent measures like trading curbs or margin limits socially and politically acceptable. This mindset shift converts the market’s dominant feedback from self-reinforcing exuberance to stabilizing caution, sharply reducing the frequency and severity of boom-bust cycles.

🌐 International Affairs

Kim Jong Un’s daughter showcased to soften his image in China

The Wall Street Journal

11. Mindset or Paradigm

Showcasing Kim Jong-un’s young daughter seeks to recast North Korea’s image from militaristic to family-oriented, altering deeply held perceptions in China and potentially easing diplomatic friction—one of the highest-leverage shifts possible.

Europeans eye postwar Ukraine troop deployment after Trump talks

The Washington Post

10. Goals of the system

Shifting the mission from indirect support to direct troop deployment redefines the overarching objective of European involvement, realigning diplomatic, military, and financial resources across the continent.

China’s military parade highlights advances in AI, lasers and chips

Post Magazine

6. Gain Around Positive Feedback Loops

Showcasing AI-enabled weapons and lasers signals an escalating arms race; managing the reinforcing loop’s gain is pivotal to preventing runaway militarization and maintaining strategic stability.

🎭 Culture and Entertainment

Anisimova stuns Swiatek in U.S. Open rematch

Associated Press

11. Mindset or Paradigm

The upset disrupts the prevailing belief in the near-invincibility of top-ranked players; shifting this paradigm can influence how athletes train, how coaches strategize, and how audiences and sponsors value competitive balance.

Mark Cuban clarifies Clippers stance amid Kawhi endorsement flap

New York Post

8. Rules of the System

Questions over salary-cap circumvention test the integrity of league rules that balance competition and finances, influencing future compliance, enforcement, and team strategies.

Nazi-looted portrait recovered in Argentina after online real-estate listing

CBS News

8. Rules of the System

Strengthening legal frameworks, provenance verification processes, and cross-border cooperation for looted art recovery alters incentives for traffickers and facilitates the return of cultural assets to rightful owners.

🩺 Health and Medicine

RFK Jr. to face questions over reported chaos at CDC

NPR

9. Power to change the system structure

As HHS Secretary, Kennedy’s ability to reorganize leadership and protocols at the CDC rewires decision pathways and long-term institutional behavior, eclipsing incremental policy tweaks.

Experts warn prolonged toilet phone use poses health risks

The Washington Post

7. Information Flows

Making clear evidence about the health risks of prolonged toilet sitting widely available is a relatively low-cost intervention that can quickly alter individual behavior and reduce hemorrhoid incidence without major structural changes.

🏙️ Regional or Local News

Lisbon’s historic funicular derails, killing 15 passengers

Associated Press Al Jazeera English

8. Rules of the System

Strengthening and strictly enforcing safety regulations, maintenance and inspection protocols, and operator-training standards rewrites the system’s rules to target the root conditions that lead to derailments. Embedding these requirements into routine operations prevents accidents, protects lives, and restores public confidence in transit systems.

🔬 Science and Research

Judge rules Trump administration cannot freeze Harvard funds

The Washington Post Harvard Crimson

8. Rules of the System

The ruling clarifies constitutional funding rules that bar the executive from arbitrarily withholding university research money, thereby preserving academic independence. By cementing legal boundaries on such interventions, it stabilizes the scientific investment climate and signals clear limits on political influence over the research ecosystem.

🏛️ Politics and Governance

Mamdani decries alleged White House meddling in NYC mayoral race

ABC News

8. Rules of the System

Clarifying or enforcing rules that prevent federal interference in local elections safeguards democratic integrity and public trust.

New ICE facility to open at notorious Louisiana prison

CNN

8. Rules of the System

Establishing a new ICE detention facility rewrites operating rules about where, how, and under what conditions undocumented migrants are confined. Modifying these rules influences who is detained, resource allocation, and public accountability—leveraging change beyond mere capacity expansions.

Intel visit canceled after Laura Loomer’s online attacks on Democrat

Axios

7. Information Flows

Targeted online harassment distorts information channels, effectively disrupting oversight visits; ensuring accurate, safe information flow is pivotal to institutional accountability.

🫂 Social Issues

Texas bill would let anyone sue providers of abortion pills

The Washington Post

8. Rules of the System

Allowing private lawsuits with financial incentives rewrites enforcement mechanics, deterring providers and reshaping healthcare behavior far more than incremental parameter changes could.

🏢 Business and Industry

Sydney Sweeney campaign credited with surge in American Eagle sales

BBC News The Wall Street Journal

7. Information Flows

Strategic use of celebrity endorsements and high-visibility ads redirects the information consumers absorb, quickly reshaping perceptions and demand. Because this leverage point operates upstream of production, it enables rapid market gains and even full brand resets without costly changes to products or supply chains.

Article Links

  1. Trump asks US Supreme Court to uphold his tariffs after lower court defeat - BBC
  2. Trump asks Supreme Court to quickly hear appeal to save his tariffs - CNBC
  3. Trump asks Supreme Court to reverse tariffs ruling finding them illegal - NPR
  4. Chinese stocks slide most in five months - Financial Times
  5. China Eyes Curbs on Stock Speculation to Foster Steady Gains - Bloomberg.com
  6. Shrouded in Mystery, Kim’s Young Daughter Softens His Image in China - The Wall Street Journal
  7. Encouraged by Trump, Europeans plan to send troops to secure postwar Ukraine - The Washington Post
  8. AI, lasers and chips: the science and tech of China’s military parade - South China Morning Post
  9. Amanda Anisimova upsets Iga Swiatek at the U.S. Open after 6-0, 6-0 loss to her in Wimbledon's final - AP News
  10. Mark Cuban makes his Clippers stance clear amid Kawhi Leonard endorsement scandal - New York Post
  11. "Portrait of a Lady," Italian painting looted by Nazis and recently seen in real estate listing, recovered in Argentina - CBS News
  12. RFK Jr. to face questions about chaos at the CDC - NPR
  13. The health risk linked to scrolling too long while on the toilet - The Washington Post
  14. Famed streetcar in Lisbon, Portugal, derails and crashes, killing 15 people - AP News
  15. Lisbon’s Gloria funicular derails: What we know about the cause and victims - Al Jazeera
  16. Judge rules Trump administration cannot withhold funding from Harvard - The Washington Post
  17. Judge Hands Victory to Harvard in Funding Lawsuit, Ruling Trump Administration’s Freeze Unconstitutional - The Harvard Crimson
  18. Mamdani calls reports of White House meddling in NYC mayor's race an 'affront to our democracy' - ABC News
  19. Trump administration to open new ICE facility at notorious Louisiana prison - CNN
  20. Top Democrat says intel visit canceled after Laura Loomer attacked him online - Axios
  21. Texas moves to allow anyone to sue abortion pill prescribers, distributors - The Washington Post
  22. American Eagle's shares soar as Sydney Sweeney boosts sales - BBC
  23. American Eagle Credits Sydney Sweeney Ads for ‘Brand and Business Reset’ - The Wall Street Journal
Don't miss what's next. Subscribe to Leverage Points:
Powered by Buttondown, the easiest way to start and grow your newsletter.