What ought to be a cause for tariffs pause: unrepresentative and often high taxes were a major spur to the French Revolution.
Recent Items
Saturday, April 26, 2025
Extractive Taxation and the French Revolution
Topics: Economic fundamentals, Free markets and their discontents, Globalization, Guest Post, Income disparity, Politics, Taxes
Posted by Yves Smith at 12:45 am | No Comments »
Scholars Under Fire
An in-depth look at pressure campaigns against scholars.
Topics: Banana republic, Guest Post, Media watch, Middle East, Politics, Social policy
Posted by Yves Smith at 12:21 am | No Comments »
Coffee Break: The Current State of Science During Trump v.2.0 Plus One Signal Advance
As someone who has spent most of his working life as a scientific worker and later as an academic scientist, graduate supervisor, teacher, grant reviewer, and administrator, the current devastation being visited upon my colleagues and their institutions is sickening. I have never thought my work was more useful or more important than anyone else’s. […]
Topics: Coffee Break, Health care, Regulations and regulators, Science and the scientific method, Social policy
Posted by KLG at 2:00 pm | 19 Comments »
As History Erasure Intensifies, Independent Internet Archives Are Helping Fortify the ‘Digital Preservation Infrastructure’
How internet archives are thwarting the reactionary campaign to rewrite history and censor inconvenient information and ideas.
Topics: Guest Post, Media watch, Politics, Social policy, Social values
Posted by Yves Smith at 9:55 am | 18 Comments »
Links 4/25/2025
Topics: Links
Posted by Haig Hovaness at 6:55 am | 90 Comments »
One of UK’s Largest (and Oldest) High Street Retailers Suffers Week of Chaos After “Cyber Incident”
“Back to Normal”… Erm, Not Quite.
Topics: Guest Post
Posted by Nick Corbishley at 6:45 am | 13 Comments »
As Trump Administration Considers Retreat on Tariffs, Will It Resort to Usual US Fallback Option?
Washington’s focus on global chokepoints could see extra attention in wake of tariffs debacle.
Topics: China, Doomsday scenarios, Globalization, Infrastructure
Posted by Conor Gallagher at 6:00 am | 10 Comments »
How the American Economy Is Rigged to Serve the Rich, and Why Tariffs Won’t Change That
The money to support well-paid American jobs exists—it’s just being hoarded by the rich.
Topics: Banana republic, Economic fundamentals, Free markets and their discontents, Globalization, Guest Post, Hedge funds, Income disparity, Investment management, Private equity, Ridiculously obvious scams, The destruction of the middle class
Posted by Yves Smith at 1:14 am | 25 Comments »
Trump Wants World to Subsidise US Empire
A Trump advisor argues, in all seriousness, that other countries should help bear the cost of US empire because it confers so many benefits on them.
Topics: Currencies, Economic fundamentals, Garrulous insolence, Globalization, Guest Post, Income disparity, Ridiculously obvious scams
Posted by Yves Smith at 9:55 am | 46 Comments »
Links 4/24/2025
Topics: Links
Posted by Conor Gallagher at 6:55 am | 152 Comments »
Climate Change: Where are We and Where are We Going, in Five Recent Books?
A few weeks ago, I repeated the drive of seventy miles along the north-south path of Hurricane Helene that I made two weeks after the storm . In the few wealthier sectors along this highway, downed trees have been removed and sawn for lumber (at a large loss) or chipped. I have heard hardwood and […]
Topics: Guest Post
Posted by KLG at 6:50 am | 24 Comments »
China Sends Strong Message to “Global South” (and US) Via Its Embassy in Argentina
“[W]e urge the US side to detoxify its mind. Instead of devoting its time and energy to… attacking China, it would be much more productive to make real contributions to the development of the countries of the region.”
Topics: Guest Post
Posted by Nick Corbishley at 6:45 am | 30 Comments »
Company Accused of Organizing National Rental Housing Cartel Goes on Offense as Trump DOJ Mothballs Price-Fixing Case
In a lawsuit against Berkeley, RealPage contends that using pricing algorithms to coordinate residential rents among mega landlords is “free speech.”
Topics: Free markets and their discontents, Legal, Market inefficiencies, Private equity, Real estate, Regulations and regulators, Social policy, Social values, The destruction of the middle class
Posted by Conor Gallagher at 6:00 am | 6 Comments »
The Dangerous Illusion of Climate Resilience
The latest floods, wildfires, and other disasters reveal the flaws of adaptation as the main response to climate change.
Topics: Environment, Global warming, Guest Post, Infrastructure, Risk and risk management, Social policy, Social values, Technology and innovation
Posted by Conor Gallagher at 5:00 am | 14 Comments »
What Science Says About Food Additives
RFK Jr. has said the U.S. should end the use of synthetic food additives. How would that affect public health?
Topics: Guest Post, Health care, Politics, Regulations and regulators, Science and the scientific method
Posted by Yves Smith at 9:55 am | 26 Comments »