Fearless commentary on finance, economics, politics and power

~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, pandemics: Updated Covid data: First sighting of XDV.1 variant from China; a campaign scenario and the Democrat National Convention; Israel accepts US ceasefire deal, but not Hamas. Nice timing! ~

Trying to make sense of a Washington Post story depicting Russia as willing give up its best weapon, its electrical war, for very little.

Investigation follows Tyson Foods’ recent closure of nine meatpacking plants across the country, allegations not only violated an agreement to sell the plants to a competitor but conspired to suppress that competition. 

An important Tucker Carlson interview on how Big Food and Big Pharma are profit from worsening American health outcomes.

Washington’s goal is to exclude Russia and China from energy and infrastructure projects extending from the Caspian to Europe, but the opposite is happening. 

The weird is that which introduces cracks into the edifice of the status quo, liberating possibilities for different futures. 

The North Missoula Community Development Corporation brings permanent affordable housing to Montana

Supposedly shuttered but toxic oil wells are yet another large-scale cost of the Western addiction to cheap energy.

~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, syndemics; new RCP polling table; Reticulum; and quasi-open thread ~

How disputed allegations against Planned Parenthood have given a big boost to the anti-reproductive-control juggernaut.

The volume of critical coverage of China’s proposed digital ID system in Western media stands in stark contrast to the near-total absence of coverage, critical or otherwise, of digital ID systems being developed by Western governments.