Author Archives: Yves Smith

The Legal Limits of Trump’s Crackdown on Sanctuary Cities Like Philadelphia

Trump is escalating his campaign against sanctuary cities, and potentially even sanctuary churches. How might that play out?

Global South and Multilateral Financial Institutions: Where Does BRICS Stand?

Why BRICS has gotten barely anywhere on launching its own finanicial institutions and why that is unlikely to change soon if ever.

Satyajit Das: The Unravelling – Part 1: Economic & Financial Furies

Why the Trump-induced economic and financial train wrecks will be more severe than most pundits seem to anticipate.

Links 4/30/2025

China Leapfrogging the U.S. in Tech Innovation

Some sobering facts on how China is outstripping the US in science and technology advances.

Michael Hudson and Yanis Varoufakis with Ann Pettifor on Economic and Political Paradigm Changes

The formidable trio of Michael Hudson, Yanis Varoufakis, and Ann Pettifor assess the rapid changes in our economic system.

Links 4/26/2025

Extractive Taxation and the French Revolution

What ought to be a cause for tariffs pause: unrepresentative and often high taxes were a major spur to the French Revolution.

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.

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.

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?

Satyajit Das: On Cinema –Surviving Childhood

A look at some prime cinematic treatments on the coming of age, not the treacley or heroic sort, but nuanced portraits.