Day: May 6, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top U.S. officials are set to meet with a high-level Chinese delegation this weekend in Switzerland, the administration announced Tuesday, in the first major talks between the two nations since President Donald Trump sparked a trade war between the two powers with stiff tariffs on imports.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and trade representative Jamieson Greer will meet with their counterparts in Geneva in the most-senior known conversations between the two countries in months. It comes amid growing U.S. market worry over the impact of the tariffs on the prices and supply of consumer goods.

Trump had claimed previously that the U.S. and China were holding negotiations on lowering tariffs, which Beijing has denied, saying Trump must first lower his stiff tariffs.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s governor came under fire Tuesday as her pledge to support the investment of millions of federal dollars in solar projects across the U.S. territory appeared to fade.

More than a week has passed since the U.S. Department of Energy missed a deadline to finalize contracts worth $365 million that would see battery-operated solar systems installed at health clinics and public housing units in Puerto Rico.

Since last month, the department has not been in communication with those awarded the grants, including the nonprofit Hispanic Federation.

“There’s been deathly silence,” said Javier Rúa Jovet, public policy director for Puerto Rico’s Solar and Energy Storage Association.

The lack of communication by the federal government comes as Puerto Rico prepares for the Atlantic hurricane season, which starts June 1 and is predicted to be above average, with nine anticipated hurricanes, four of them major.

Puerto Rico already struggles with chronic power outages, including two island-wide blackouts that occurred on Dec. 31 and April 17.

“There are people who really need this help immediately,” said Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of the Hispanic Federation.

Until recently, Gov. Jenniffer González, a Republican and supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, had backed more than $1 billion appropriated by Congress for solar projects in Puerto Rico, including the $365 million slated for public housing units and health centers, including those that provide dialysis.

But the governor’s public affairs secretary, Hiram Torres Montalvo, told Radio Isla on Monday that the governor tried to defend the funds but ultimately withdrew her support for the grant. He said that González has proposed using the funds to improve the generation, transmission and distribution of power, and is focused on ensuring there’s enough electricity for the summer months.

“We are extremely surprised and shocked over this development,” Miranda said in a phone interview. “We want the governor to reconsider her position and continue to fulfill her word.”

Miranda and others have noted that some $18 billion in federal funds is already slated for the grid.

Neither Torres nor a spokeswoman for the governor returned messages seeking comment.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Energy sent The Associated Press a statement saying that the agency was conducting a department-wide review of grant processes, and that it was working with Puerto Rico’s governor and the White House to strengthen the island’s grid and ensure that the island has “reliable, affordable and secure energy.”

“In the wake of recent outages that impacted families, businesses, and critical infrastructure, the Department of Energy remains focused on advancing solutions that provide urgent relief, prevent future disasters, and restore long-term reliable energy access across the island,” the agency said.

The department did not say whether Puerto Rico’s government has formally requested that the funds be reassigned.

More than 60% of energy on the island is generated by petroleum-fired power plants, 24% by natural gas, 8% by coal and 7% by renewables, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The push for more renewable energy comes as crews continue to rebuild Puerto Rico’s power grid after Hurricane Maria hit the island in September 2017 as a powerful Category 4 storm. But the grid was already weak before the storm hit given a lack of maintenance and investment for decades.

As the world’s two largest economies square off in the most consequential trade war in nearly a century, metaphors are flying.

“Eat Bitterness,” China’s Xi Jinping often admonishes his people as he urges them to remain strong despite the costs of his economic programs.

“Eat crow” is what many critics hope President Donald Trump will do — as they argue he should stand down on his tariff plans and halt the damage his trade war is doing to the US economy.

China is more vulnerable than Xi believes: Widespread protests against the Trump tariffs’ economic shock spread across the nation this week.

Workers’ fury at layoffs, plant closures and employers’ failure to pay salaries could dangerously accelerate social unrest.

But Trump, too, faces risks in this high-stakes game.

Xi has accelerated Beijing’s past efforts to build self-sufficiency and in effect to decouple from US economic supremacy.

His decade-long “Made in China 2025” program pushed state resources into the goal of dominating global production in the most important industries of the modern economy.

Meanwhile, Beijing’s “Belt and Road Initiative” to link other nations to the Middle Kingdom economically and politically, its BRICS grouping of mostly authoritarian states and its Shanghai Cooperation Organization for trade and finance all aimed to construct pillars of an economic bloc separate from the US-led global system.

Xi’s ongoing attempt to set up a payment and finance system for global trade and to undermine dollar dominance crowns his program.

Yet the economic structure of Xi’s scheme depends on exports to maintain the steady growth of the Chinese economy — mainly exports to the United States.

In sharp contrast with the US and most developed economies, household consumption in China only accounts for about 40% of GDP, while fixed capital investment in infrastructure and factories hovers around one-third. Last year exports represented 18% of China’s GDP.

China continues to invest in new goods manufacturing instead of consumption: Its capacity in steel, autos and solar panels is at least 150% of its domestic consumption of these products, resulting in the stampede to export.

Real-estate investment in China is now a source of weakness and financial distress, with values plummeting since the COVID-19 pandemic. The blow to personal wealth has undermined consumption.

In these circumstances, most economists argue that China should boost domestic consumption to keep its growth engine vibrant.

But Xi is adamantly opposed to what he calls “welfarism.”

He disdains improvements in old-age pensions and unemployment insurance — rural retirees receive as little as $160 per month — and underinvests in medical care, education and basic social welfare programs.

“To promote common prosperity, we cannot engage in welfarism,” he declared in 2022. ”It will inevitably bring about serious economic and political problems.”

China’s anemic social welfare system compels its citizens to save for elder and child care, decent education and medical emergencies — not to spend on consumer products.

All this means “eating bitterness” has become China’s daily reality, as much of its economy’s apparent modernization benefits not its own people, but the rest of the world through subsidized exports.

Many indicators of public sentiment, including government surveys, show growing discontent among young and old alike.

Low birth and marriage rates point to a lack of confidence in the future, and the youth phenomenon of “laying flat” (dropping out) is another sign of disillusion.

Trump’s tariffs add stress to an already teetering Chinese economy beset by deflation, declining tax revenues, massive layoffs and consistently high youth unemployment.

Xi has already had to back down from Beijing’s declared tariffs on 25% of imports from the US — and has reportedly sought behind-the-scenes negotiations with the Trump team.

Trump, on the other hand, is facing the prospect of higher inflation, soaring retail prices and weak bond markets.

Key US defense and manufacturing industries could soon be harmed by China’s ban on sales of critical minerals.

Given China’s internal weaknesses, Trump would do well to cultivate cooperation with US allies, instead of confronting them with tariffs.

Joint action could weaken Beijing’s trade-war resolve — but the tenor and substance of Trump’s criticism of allies thus far poses a real impediment to their assistance.

Still, Xi’s ideological opposition to improving social welfare and increasing domestic consumption, and his insistence on relying on exports for China’s economic growth, put him at a disadvantage in this battle.

If Trump can withstand the domestic pushback, Xi is the one who will end up eating crow.

Thomas J. Duesterberg is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute.

Published
May 6, 2025, 6:00 p.m. ET

Just like Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls, Netflix‘s new series, The Four Seasons, is chock-full of cozy corners and hilarious moments that make you wish you were inside the show.

Unlike the filming of Gilmore Girls, however, Tina Fey, Colman Domingo, Will Forte, and the rest of the cast of The Four Seasons were actually on the side of the country the show was set; sorry to be the ones to break it to you, but Stars Hollow, Connecticut is really Burbank, California.

As more and more fans have sat down to watch the new comedy from Fey, Tracey Wigfield, and Lang Fisher, one overwhelming sentiment has emerged from watching episode after episode and seeing lush greenery, sandy white beaches, brilliantly hued fall foliage, and snowcapped mountains. And we’re going to borrow from Fey’s 30 Rock character, Liz Lemon, to deliver the message: “I want to go to there.”

Apart from Episode 3 and Episode 4 — the summer portion of the series — the show is pretty much localized to the New York area, with spring, autumn, and winter all taking place in and around Orange County in the Empire State.

For a full breakdown of the filming locations we know about from The Four Seasons, read on to see where the cast and crew shot the series.

Where Was The Four Seasons Filmed?

Thanks to interviews and social media posts confirming several of the spots where the cast brought the series to life, we know a lot about all of the beautiful places from the show. And since every two episodes is a new season, there are plenty of locations for those looking to find a little slice of heaven no matter the time of the year.

Spring:

The first two episodes of the Netflix comedy kick off in New York City where Jack (Forte) and Kate (Fey) leave their own apartment to pick up Danny (Domingo) and Claude (Marco Calvani). From there, the group heads out to Nick (Steve Carell) and Anne’s (Kerri Kenney-Silver) beautiful lake house, located in the Hudson Valley. According to local outlets, filming for these two episodes took place at properties in Cold Spring, Fishkill, and Newburgh.

Summer:

By far, the easiest locations to track down from the show come from Episode 3 and Episode 4, where the gang heads to a tropical destination for the summer. This is also where the audience is introduced to Nick’s new girlfriend, Ginny (Erika Henningsen), who planned the vacation. Being young and adventurous, Ginny planned for the gang to stay at an eco-resort, which the rest of the group struggled with. The eco-resort portions of the Puerto Rican vacation were filmed on Palomino Island where tourists can experience reefs, cays, and islets.

As those who have devoured the show know, however, it doesn’t take long for Danny and Claude to escape the eco-resort and head over to a nearby resort called the El Coronado Hotel. This is, of course, where they run into Anne, who was excluded from the trip because of Nick and his new girlfriend. These segments were shot at the El Conquistador Resort in Fajardo. With beach access, stunning views, pools and lounge space, the resort makes for the perfect filming location for a tropical oasis where Danny and Claude can escape.

Autumn:

Episode 5 and Episode 6 — the fall episodes where the group visits Lila (Julia Lester) and Beth (Ashlyn Maddox) at college for parents’ weekend — were filmed at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie. The school is not named in the show but it is also the location of the fictional Essex College from Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls, a series co-created by Fisher and Wigfield’s close friend and producing partner, Mindy Kaling.

The show also shot these episodes in the Hudson Valley, specifically in Beacon. One particular shot of Kate, Jack, Danny, and Claude walking down the street in the town of their alma mater sees the group walking past Raven Rose, a floral shop located in downtown Beacon. Many of the scenes from those episodes are shot in the downtown area where the group visits their old haunts.

Winter:

Looking to hit the slopes? Hoping to recreate the hilarious scenes from the Netflix series? You will want to check out Mount Peter in Warwick, New York. While Nick and Ginny spend the winter holiday away from the rest of the group, the entire cast was really filming at the ski resort that makes for a quick day trip from NYC.

Just one hour outside of the city, The Four Seasons reportedly filmed the winter sequences on the mountain in November as filming wrapped around Thanksgiving last year. Traditionally, Mount Peter is open for the winter season from December to March so you can’t hit the slopes now but you can start planning for your next ski vacation. And for those who are less experienced, you can also go tubing and snowboarding so there’s something for everyone.

Anyone down to try and pull off trips to locations where they filmed all four seasons? I feel like this could be a new trend and we should jump on it ASAP!

The Four Seasons is currently streaming on Netflix.