Just two days before the inauguration of Donald Trump as president, China was trying to position itself as the leader of the neoliberal world.

That's right - China!

Speaking at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week, Chinese president Xi Jinping gave a speech that many are saying could mark a turning point in how China works with the rest of the world - or at least how it presents itself to the rest of the world.

In that speech, the Chinese President warned against a trade war, and said that the world must remain "committed" to so-called free trade.

He also said China would stand firm in support of these ideas - even if other countries wavered in their support of them.

We must remain committed to developing the global free trade and investment, promote the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment through opening up and saying no to protectionism.... China will keep its door wide open to the world and will not close it. An open door allows other countries to access China's market and China itself to integrate with the world. And we hope other countries will keep their door open to Chinese investors

President Xi never mentioned Donald Trump by name in that speech but it was clear he was talking about him and what he represents: a sign that the neoliberal world order is in serious crisis.

But is that necessarily a bad thing?

If an authoritarian regime like China can posture as the defender of neoliberalism and so-called free trade - is it really a system worth saving?

-Thom

(What do you think? Tell us here.)

Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 10:30pm... How Trump Could Cause the Economic Meltdown (check your local listings for stations or stream at RT or Free Speech TV, and catch past shows on Youtube)

Friday's Daily Stack 

Quote: "To survive, democracy needs a truly radical, truly independent press more than ever before. We need to create a culture in this country in which reading and resistance go hand-in-hand" -- Howard Zinn.

 

Article: "Read President Trump's full, blistering inaugural speech, attacking Washington, promising 'America first'" by Rachel Cao.

Article: "I Really Do Swear, Faithfully: Obama and Roberts Try Again" by Jeff Zeleny, January 21, 2009.

Book: "The Late, Great Planet Earth" by Hal Lindsey with Carole C. Carlson.

Law: "Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act", 2010.

 

Women's Lawsuits against Trump, March
- Gloria Allred, Attorney/Author, Women's Rights Activist  

Article: "Apprentice Contestant Summer Zervos Slaps Donald Trump With Defamation Lawsuit" by Brandy Zadrozny.

Site: Women's March events January 18-21.

Event: January 21 2017: "Sister Marches - solidarity events around the world inspired by the Women's March on Washington".

Article: "The Women's March on Washington has spread to 57 countries around the globe" by Sarah Wildman.

Article: "Looking For Anti-Trump Protests? Here Are Dozens To Choose From" by Hayley Miller.

Movie: "The Prosecution of an American President".

Book: The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder by Vincent Bugliosi.

Article: "North American Free Trade Agreement" (NAFTA) by Wikipedia

Article: "General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade" (GATT) by Wikipedia

Video: "Giant Sucking Sound - Ross Perot 1992 Presidential Debate".

Article: "The Powell Memo or Powell Manifesto".

Article: "Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan & Kevin McCarthy: Plot To Sabotage US Economy with Frank Luntz" by keepemhonest.

Article: "Voter Purges Alter U.S. Political Map" (CrossCheck) by Greg Palast.

Article: "Gerrymandering" by Wikipedia.

Article: "The White House website's page on climate change just disappeared" by Tom DiChristopher.

Article: "Obama uses his final press conference to issue extraordinary warning to Trump that he will step in if he 'rounds up' children for deportation, hits voting rights or 'silences dissent'" by Geoff Earle.

Article: "Obama's Last News Conference: Full Transcript and Video".

Article: "Oath of office of the President of the United States" by Wikipedia.

Quote: "When the last man who remembers the horrors of the last great war dies, the next great war becomes inevitable." - attributed to Arnold Toynbee.

Law: "Voting Rights Act of 1965".

Article: "Supreme Court Invalidates Key Part of Voting Rights Act" by Adam Liptak, June 25, 2013.

Book: The Art of Money Getting by P. T. Barnum.

 

Talk Media News Segment:
- Ellen Ratner, Bureau Chief 

Article: "Obama's clemency did not extend to Bergdahl, Snowden and others".

Site: Governor Free Don Siegelman 

Article: "CNN: Trump Speech 'Dark,' 'Radical,' 'No Lofty Rhetoric'" by : Robert Kraychik.

Article: "Scrubbed of Climate Change, Trump White House Page Now Calls for 'Embrace' of Facking and Coal" by Andrea Germanos.

Article: "How The Trump Administration Could Gut Nasa's Climate Change Research" by Jeremy Schulman.

Article: "Nearly 100 arrested as inauguration protesters set fires, vandalize" by Theresa Vargas, Taylor Hartz and Arelis R. Hernandez.

Article: "'We Are All Exceptional.' Read Chuck Schumer's Inauguration Day Remarks" by Mahita Gajanan.

Tweet: "We will not stand silent as our brothers and sisters are betrayed by fascist deportations by a reversal of DACA. http://arturoforcongress.com/inauguration-day-warning/" by Arturo Carmona.

Article: "Fox News analyst running for DNC chair" by Mark Hensch.

Article: "Presidential Inaugural Parade to highlight agriculture: The Rural Tractor Brigade to represent farmers and ranchers".

Article: "Protesters take to DC streets to slam Trump's agenda" by TMN.

Article: "Trump embraces populism in inaugural address" by Justin Duckham.

Article: "Protesters and Trump supporters speak out" by TMN.

Article: "Demonstrators clash over their various causes" by TMN.

Hour Three: Demand the Impossible!
- Professor William "Bill" Ayers, Demand the Impossible!/University of Illinois at Chicago (retired)  

Article: "Albie Sachs" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Rashid Khalidi" by Wikipedia.

Article: "On the Nature of Mass Demonstrations" by Bill Ayers.

 

Article: "The Jeff Sessions confirmation hearings, Day 1" by Joshua Gillin, Linda Qiu, Katie Sanders, Miriam Valverde.

Article: "Fairness Doctrine" by Wikipedia.

Video: Trump on the Couch w/Dr. Justin Frank, MD.

Video: Busted! The Tables Get Turned On James O'Keefe....

Article: "Black bloc" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Red squad" by Wikipedia.

 

Marching Today in DC
- Nate Sweet, Progressive Commentator  

Monday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET 

 

I'll be talking to David Horowitz of the David Horowitz Freedom Center about Trump's "Big Agenda" to save America.

 

And, the best of the rest of the news along with your calls right here on...

 

The Thom Hartmann Program, Occupying The Media 3 hours a day 5 days a week" for "we the people"

 

And don't forget...Democracy is NOT a spectator sport...it begins with you...