Author Archives: Yves Smith
Here’s What’s in the New Rough Draft U.S.-Iran Nuclear Deal
A purported list of proposed US terms for its negotiations with Iran looks to go well beyond what Iran could accept.
Read more...Keynesian Militarism or Wishful Thinking?
European NATO members hope Keynes’ magic will make their newly adopted militarism feasible. A sanity check.
Read more...Michael Hudson: Return of the Robber Barons – Trump’s Inverted View of America’s Tariff History
Trump’s slash and burn tariff policy is to shrink government, gut regulation and sell off public assets to pay for his tax cuts on super rich
Read more...For Climate and Livelihoods, Africa Bets Big on Solar Mini-Grids
Nigeria pioneers in mini-grid installations to bring reliable electricity to remote communities — a model for other African countries
Read more...Links 4/12/2025
Trade in the Time of Trump
Trump promised in 2016 and 2024 to undo deindustrialization from globalization and free trade, with tariffs as his main tool. Can it work?
Read more...For Health Apps, Questions Over Privacy and Efficacy
Apps that track health data or help provide care may be beneficial, but experts worry about the lack of regulation.
Read more...US-Iran Negotiations: Why an Agreement Looks Unlikely
Happy endings look remote with the US attempt to escalate against Iran and bully them into a “deal”.
Read more...More Trump Punishment of the Poors: HHS Eliminates Office That Sets Poverty Levels Tied to Benefits for 80 Million People
Yet another Trump gutting of a whole swathe of programs, here by eliminating the experts who knew how to determine poverty thresholds.
Read more...International Trade Suppression and the Demand for US Treasuries
On how lower foreign government appetite for Treasuries might affect the status of the dollar as reserve currency.
Read more...Trump Tariff Climbdown: Consumer Impact Worse Due to China Retaliation; Who Wins Aside from Trump’s Ego
Some further observations about the Trump tariff train wreck.
Read more...Top Trade Expert Says Trump Tariff Pause Lays Bare ‘Just One More Con on Working People’
Do Trump’s trade flip flops, destructive to everyone save perhaps insider traders, show that he has entered a Mad Ludwig phase?
Read more...Food Banks Tighten Their Belts as Federal Cuts Keep Coming. Patrons Don’t Know Where Else to Turn.
Yet more Trump Administration cruelty: cutting support to food banks.
Read more...Data Center Boom Sparks Utility Spending—But How Real Is the Demand?
In an unexpected break for the environment, might much-hyped data center energy demand fall short of projections?
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