2040. While the fighting-age population was pulled away from those f[inks]ing Chinese spyware apps and sent off to fight in the third world war, the envelope of manufacturing friendshoring and automation was pushed like never before by President Newsom. North America is effectively autarkic- nothing left to rebuild in Eurasia this time and not enough resources to do it, those howling cannibals don't even have enough food to be hunter-gatherers- and the population back home is culled enough for the coders, the securities traders, management, and the boards of directors to live sustainably. Most Americans live in trendy podshares fed by local algae farms, entertained by the latest VR games, and travel in regularly combusting electric vehicles with a guaranteed supply of lithium thanks to the free helicopter rides given to any Argentines who don't meet their daily quota. The old crop of extremists have been taken care of, of course- Russian agents, the Disinformation Governance Board discovered- and the moderates in charge have instituted common-sense gun control, so there's nothing to worry about from any new traitors. Not that anyone would have any reason to oppose such a utopia.
