The Oh, Hello and welcome to Behind the News. My name is Doug Henwood. The usual two

guests today. First we'll hear from John Clark and Anti- Poverty Organizer in

Toronto on problems with the concept of a universal basic income

and then at the bottom of the hour Isabel Hilton explores the meaning of

jijian ping becoming China's president for life. Before all that some words on

Trump's metals tariffs. I don't like them. Here's an audio

version of what I wrote for the nation's website explaining why. It was sad to see some labor

and labor-friendly people like Ohio Senator Sherritt Brown and

the AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka cheering Trump's decision to impose a 25% tariff on

unimported steel and a 10% tariff on aluminum. They framed it as a just

response to unfairness and cheating by foreign producers which usually means

China which is little different from Trump's rationale. Brown's rhetoric had a combative aroma to it. If we fail

to stand up for steel jobs today, China will come after other jobs up and down the

supply chain tomorrow. The tariffs are right for Trump, nationalistic, truculent,

bombastic, but people who cherish international solidarity and humane

social policies should think again. They will do little, if anything, to help the

steel industry could harm steel using industries,

will probably provoke retaliations that will leave everyone worse off, and will add a fresh dose of

bellicosity to a world already overdosing on it.

The European Union has announced intentions to raise duties on red-state products like peanut butter,

harlies, and bourbon.

Announcing the measures, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said, we can also do stupid.

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