Blank Space: Where American Culture Stalled

“This is Bach, and it rocks/ It’s a rock block of Bach/ That he learned in the school/ Called the school of hard knocks” — Tenacious D Has culture stagnated, at least in the United States? There are a number of prominent writers who argue that it has. For example, Adam Mastroianni blames cultural stagnation

Fulton Judge Dismisses Georgia Case Against Trump

A judge in Fulton County, Georgia, has dismissed the case against President Donald Trump and a group of alleged co-conspirators accused of attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Judge Scott McAfee’s dismissal marks the end of the last criminal case facing Trump related to that year’s election. Peter J. Skandalakis, executive director

EU Vulnerable to China’s Rare Earths Leverage

In recent years, rare earth elements have become the focal point of renewed competition between the world’s major powers. These materials are crucial to the manufacture of all manner of products, ranging from weapons to medical products, AI hardware and cars. In this new panorama, the United States and Europe are at a disadvantage, as

Why the Fed Treats Wage Growth as a Red Line

The 2021-2023 inflation surge saw sudden and persistent increases in prices for consumer goods, housing and assets. Wage inflation also rose, but it lagged behind other inflation measures. When wages finally accelerated, the Fed began hiking rates to cool the economy, consistent with its longstanding view of wage inflation as a precursor to spiraling inflation

How Tariffs Are Undermining Trump’s Presidency

Americans are not very happy with Donald Trump’s second term in office. Trump’s approval has trended downward since he returned to power and has recently fallen again. Here are some numbers from Nate Silver: Source: Nate Silver Even Fox News admits how bad it’s getting: Unhappy with the economy. Pain with prices. Unsure about Trump administration policies. It adds

Is Trump Pushing a Modern Lèse‑Majesté?

Donald Trump has a problem with comedian Seth Meyers and it fits a consistent pattern of hyper-sensitivity to criticism and satire. Early this month, Trump declared in a post on Truth Social that a Meyers monologue was “100% ANTI TRUMP, WHICH IS PROBABLY ILLEGAL!!!” (His capitals, not mine.) More recently, he called for broadcaster NBC

Wealthy nations fortifying borders against climate migration

The UK has announced much harsher rules for asylum seekers including the prospect of more deportations for those whose applications fail. The US is tripling the size of its deportation force. The EU is doubling its border budgets. And in the coming decades, hundreds of millions of people might be displaced by ecological changes. In

U.S. Military Pressure on Venezuela Risks New Intervention Era

A massive military buildup in the Caribbean has sparked speculation that the US is now engaged in its latest chapter of direct intervention in Latin America. For now, at least, President Donald Trump has walked back suggestions that Washington is eyeing strikes inside Venezuela, seemingly content with attacking numerous naval vessels under the guise of

Europe’s ‘America Worse’ Reflex Is Holding It Back

I recently attended the excellent Kilkenomics festival in Kilkenny, Ireland. If you ever get the chance to go, I recommend it. Putting comedians and economists on the same stage doesn’t sound like it makes sense, but it’s surprisingly effective; they balance each other out quite well. And Ireland is a wonderful country, of course. But I did

Democrats Say Emails Indicate Trump Knew of Epstein Abuse

WASHINGTON — US House Democrats investigating the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released emails Wednesday they say show President Donald Trump knew about the financier’s abuse of underage girls as far back as 2011. The three emails released by Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform were among 23,000 pages of documents turned
back to top