America Appears in Another World

Chapter 9: The News Today

I plopped down on my chair and let out an exhausted sigh. Work has been tough since we appeared in another world. Who would have thought that we would be in this situation. But all I wanted to do was turn on the TV to watch some news. Although depressing most of the time, I can't afford to be ignorant. 

I flipped through the channels until I reached the news and started to talk about recent changes.

"Recently the U.S has established contact with a new country called the Astra Kingdom. They are approximately 200 miles from Guam and has nearly twice the landmass of Japan. What is more surprising is that they speak English as well. Such coincidence has boggled linguists all around the country."

"Yes, according to one expert, the chances of developing a similar language to us without any sort of outside force is simply very low. Almost impossible. However, this has made it convenient for the U.S government to work with the country."

"In other news, the president announced their recent mobilization of the navy and airforce against some pirates that were attacking an Astran fleet. The military swiftly took care of the pirates which has apparently been ravaging the country for some time now."

"Although many support the decision, congressional leaders were apparently not informed before the president made his decision. To say the least, they were not very happy."

"However, the kingdom of Astra reportedly started trade talks with the U.S and has also suggested a meeting to discuss a framework regarding a security treaty between our two countries."

"Right now, there is discussion regarding the security treaty as it would mean higher military spending. In addition, the pentagon is worried about the drastic loss of troops due to the "world transfer" as they coined it. This has sparked some protests to keep American troops home due to this fear."

"That is right. In a recent pentagon report, more than 200,000 troops were lost in the world transfer. This is due to the U.S's overseas military installations in other countries to support security agreements with other countries. The pentagon has not made an official statement regarding if these will be put as casualties. If they are, it would be the biggest loss for the military since the Vietnam war."

"However, congressional leaders are eagerly discussing whether the U.S should even consider entering such an agreement. While there is large support for increasing military spending, many are also worried about the increasing national debt and deficit spending this year. In addition, many argue that once the U.S enters the security treaty, overseas military bases will be inevitable."

"Now, let's take a look at the economy. Right now the Dow is up a couple of points while the S&P gained 3 points. However, the damage has been done since nearly two years of gains has been wiped out since the world transfer. The fed has mostly stopped the fall due to quantitative and qualitative easing. Interest rates set by the fed are at an historic low as relief loans are being sent out. However, despite the aggressive monetary policy, the economy is still slow to recover."

"Consumer spending is at an all time low and the bureau of labor statistics has shown that unemployment is at an all time high of nearly 15%. Many have attributed this to the destruction of the supply chains and just demand and supply completely changing over night. With no trading partners, the U.S is continuing to suffer. 

"The disappearance of trade has left the U.S with many problems that are unsolvable at the moment. Unfortunately for coffee lovers, right now coffee shops around the U.S are having to cut workers and raise coffee prices since the coffee supply chains has been broken. Some billions of dollars worth of coffee is imported into the U.S every year, and coffee shops around the U.S are suffering. However, the small amount of coffee farmers in the U.S has seen amazing profit growth since transferring into the new world."

"That's right. In fact there are coffee farms popping up in California, Puerto Rico, Georgia, and Hawaii to produce more coffee beans. Prices for beans have sharply increased and thus they are quite lucrative right now. However, many other farmers around the U.S are suffering since they have warehouses full of corn and soybean that can't be sold. The problem has been so big, the government has considered a policy of just buying up all of the excess product."

"That is right. However there are some critics that are saying that it is too socialist to do that and is a waste of tax dollars. However, experts have cited that millions of bushels of crop will go bad if nothing is done about it. Congress right now is going through the bill to authorize the purchase. If it does go through, it would be the biggest farming product purchase since government cheese, a program that bought up excess dairy to maintain prices in the 70's. It is likely that it will be distributed through welfare programs and foreign aid in the coming years similar to government cheese."

"Unlike government cheese, this excess is caused by the world transfer and not government subsidies of dairy. Many are supporting this effort for the farmers and preventing potential waste. In addition, the welfare is sorely needed with the economy as is. However, many in congress are considering directing more of the crop towards foreign aid. The kingdom of Astra has been facing food shortages for many years now."

"Yes, in fact the starvation is quite appalling and many hundreds of thousands will die if aid isn't sent. According to the office of foreign aid, the amount of malnourished people in the kingdom is higher than most countries back on earth. The only equivalent being attributed towards North Korea."

"Right now, the president is considering mobilizing a military relief force to aid people in Astra. As there is no UN peacekeeping force, the U.S has taken the first step to provide relief to the people of Astra."

"Now, let's get to sports"

However as the news was getting to my favorite part, my phone rang. I felt a sudden chill. It was the white house.

"Secretary of state, you are needed at the white house. It is an urgent matter."

"Right, on my way."

Gah, more problems ahead.