Dear Reader:
My apartment neighbour yesterday said mournfully, “The world is changing.” At the time I thought she was either over-reacting or merely being melodramatic.  Now however I am not so certain. Almost anything one hears or reads lately reflects a similar sentiment.  And it isn’t just the usual platitudes.

Below are some quotes lifted from the Axios Tampa Bay on-line newspaper which I thought were of relevance and interest.  Accordingly for the moment, you’ll have to bear the deprivation of my usual codswallop.

Billy

AXIOS
We launched Axios in January 2017 based on this shared belief: The world needed smarter, more efficient coverage of the topics shaping the fast-changing world. We pledged to put our audience first, always.

Our fact-based editorial guiding beliefs

• Misinformation and the erosion of truth, often propagated on social media, are existential threats to democracy. Journalism must be fact-based.
• Robotics, machine learning and AI will upend vast swaths of our lives.
• China’s influence is real and growing.
• Human activity is posing threats to Earth’s climate.
• Demographics don’t lie: America is quickly becoming more diverse, radically changing the nation’s politics, from local to state to national.
• The U.S. government faces mounting debt, an aging population and the need to adapt to new technologies and threats faster.
• America’s capitalistic system brims with economic possibilities but is often stacked to favor the powerful and rich, exacerbating inequalities that need to be addressed.
• Cities will showcase national trends, innovations and laws, particularly as 5G unleashes both the possibilities and challenges of automation at scale.

Now here’s some material from Axios:

Foreign arrivals into major U.S. airports tumbled in mid-to-late March compared to the same time last year, based on customs pass-through data.

Why it matters: The findings suggest a sudden reluctance to visit the U.S. isn’t a purely Canadian phenomenon and should sound alarm bells for the country’s $1 trillion-plus travel industry.

Driving the news: The number of foreigners passing through customs at the 10 busiest U.S. airports fell by over 20% year over year toward late March, based on a seven-day rolling average.

Between the lines: Trade wars, a volatile economic and political climate and fears of detainment or harassment may be dissuading foreigners from visiting the U.S.

• Several American allies, including Canada, France, Germany and others, recently issued new travel warnings or advisories about U.S. travel.
• Some of those warnings focus on transgender and nonbinary travelers, following President Trump’s recent order mandating that passports “accurately reflect the holder’s sex,” which his administration says is “not changeable.”

• “But the timing of the pullback in foreign arrivals — which emerged after tariff news escalated in both early February and early March — suggests that a more antagonistic policy stance by the Trump administration is contributing to a voluntary decline in visits.”

Threat level: Goldman predicts a pullback in foreign tourism plus boycotts of American goods abroad will cause a “modest drag” on U.S. GDP of about 0.1%.

• “Although small, this headwind provides an additional reason why U.S. GDP growth will likely underperform consensus expectations in 2025,” reads the note.

What’s next: Goldman’s note predates Trump’s sweeping new tariffs issued Wednesday, which stand to uproot the global economic order in unpredictable and chaotic ways.

Canadians’ desire to visit the U.S. is absolutely tanking, new data suggests.

Why it matters: President Trump’s tariffs and insistence that Canada should become the 51st American state is fueling a remarkable rally-round-the-flag effect. Canadian patriotism is skyrocketing alongside disdain for all things American throughout the Great White North.

Threat level: A mere 10% drop in Canadian visitors could cost U.S. businesses as much as $2.1 billion in revenue, TPG notes.

The big picture: Airline stocks are suffering mightily amid economic uncertainty and the prospect of continued trade wars.