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“The Money, the Guard, The Black Hole,” by IP attorney and author Timothy Trainer

Here’s to headline-grabbing stuff the past several days, along with something that doesn’t grab.

First, we have the supposed concern that advanced computer chips might give the Chinese an opportunity to catch up with the U.S. in artificial intelligence. At a time when money talks louder than usual, Trump decides that if the chip manufacturers are willing to pay to export to China, he’ll allow them to do so. Trump opens door to sales of version of Nvidia’s next-gen AI chips in China | Reuters. Although the chips that China would have access to aren’t the latest available versions, it doesn’t mean they can’t use them as a stepping stone for their own research and development. But for a price, anything is possible as long as a company is willing to pay (extorted?) for the privilege to export.

The second big headline that will bring great applause from some corners is the Presidential Memorandum on Restoring Law and Order to the Streets of the District of Columbia. Restoring Law and Order in the District of Columbia – The White House. While Trump makes some interesting comments about how bad crime is in the city, the U.S. Justice Department issued a statement in January 2025 that stated: “Total violent crime for 2024 in the District of Columbia is down 35% from 2023 and is the lowest it has been in over 30 years”. District of Columbia | Violent Crime in D.C. Hits 30 Year Low | United States Department of Justice. Interestingly, statistics available from DC’s Metropolitan Police support the report issued by the U.S. Department of Justice. District Crime Data at a Glance | mpdc. Simply put, lies to justify doing things are easier than looking at data, analyzing information and realizing that the actions being announced are not supported by any facts or evidence.

If Trump or members of Congress want to engage in the daily details of running the District of Columbia, perhaps they should resign their positions and run for mayor.

Then there’s the absence of the big, bold, flashing headline that we should know more about: Defense Industrial Base-Dependence on Foreign Suppliers. It’s the type of story that falls into a black hole with few noticing, even fewer reading and the administration having no interest in anyone seeing. A July 24, 2025, report issued by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) should have the public telling the White House to pay attention to national issues that don’t grab headlines but are the hard work of government.

This GAO report is worthy of the public’s time. When we have a government asking for a trillion in taxpayer dollars for national security, it’s a problem when the Defense Department “recognizes that there are serious national security implications for not knowing where components of the goods it procures are manufactured.” GAO-25-107283, DEFENSE INSUSTRIAL BASE: Actions Needed to Address Risks Posed by Dependence on Foreign Suppliers.

The GAO report had to be self-limiting because of the hundreds, thousands of weapons systems that make up the U.S. military arsenal. Given the limitations, the GAO examined information available regarding supply chain information related to the F-35 fighter jet. The report states that the Defense Department knows that the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) “does not contain complete information about F-35 suppliers. . . . FPDS does not include information on the subcontracts that the prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, enters with suppliers that provide subsystems, components, and raw materials for the aircraft. DoD, through Lockheed Martin, found that magnets included on some F-35s originated from China.” The discovery of these Chinese-origin magnates resulted in a pause in F-35 production for several months.

The same GAO report found similar deficiencies related to the Defense Department’s acquisition of microelectronics/electronic microcircuits. The report noted that the current data collection systems do not provide complete supply chain visibility.

While the GAO report was unable to look at components/parts sourcing for all U.S. weapons systems, the GAO’s inquiry on three systems exposed a massive deficiency that it states puts the U.S. at risk to potential adversaries.

While millions in the U.S. might applaud Trump’s efforts to force domestic and foreign enterprises to add to our treasury and applaud fabricating lies to place troops in the streets of U.S. cities, when will we expect the U.S. Government to GOVERN and address issues like the one identified in the GAO report? A trillion-dollar defense budget is meaningless if our adversaries can bring us to our knees by refusing to supply us with critical components for our weapons systems.

The problem identified by the GAO is one of thousands of challenges that confront the government, Congress, and the nation, yet we are treated daily to retribution politics. What we seem to be witnessing is not a government for the people, but a government for Trump.

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About the Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.

Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights; the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff. 

Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.

In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.

In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in May.

Learn more about this book and Tim’s writing process when he’s interviewed by author Jeffrey James Higgins’ for his new Inkandescent podcast and video show: Elaine’s Literary Salon.

Learn about Tim’s work and books: timothytrainer.com