Fearless commentary on finance, economics, politics and power

In a lawsuit against Berkeley, RealPage contends that using pricing algorithms to coordinate residential rents among mega landlords is “free speech.”

The latest floods, wildfires, and other disasters reveal the flaws of adaptation as the main response to climate change.

RFK Jr. has said the U.S. should end the use of synthetic food additives. How would that affect public health?

Dietary supplements are a large part of the alternative medicine universe, with annual sales of more than $70B in the United states and much more than that in the rest of the world.  I have followed the supplement business since tryptophan, a canonical amino acid marketed as a sleep aid, caused an outbreak of eosinophilia-myalgia […]

At her recent meeting with Trump, IItalian PM Giorgia Meloni declared her allegiance to “western nationalism.” What does such nonsense portend for Italy and Europe?

An AI-fossil fuel axis is forming in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia as AI advocates pledge an endless need for energy — spelling disaster for the climate.

The 9/11 attack on the U.S. triggered a series of disastrous wars in the Mideast in which the U.S. pursued the goals of overthrowing despots, securing oil supplies, and removing any real or potential military threats to Israel. The result was a large expenditure of blood and treasure for very little geopolitical gain and the […]

Silicon Valley’s darkest and most secretive unicorn “has finally made it big”. But at what cost to the rest of us?

Should Brussels join in, the economic fallout from Project Ukraine could seem quaint, and it could contribute to shortages in the US. 

As many as 700 USDA workers on the frontlines of pest detection and crop protection have accepted deferred resignation offers. Their departure could slow inspections, delay outbreak response and leave the nation’s crops exposed to invasive species — which could harm the agricultural economy.

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

With the government at a loss as to how to arrest the decline of the UK, stupidity seems to have taken the place of sound policy