Fearless commentary on finance, economics, politics and power

Elon Musk learned a costly lesson: he is not bigger than the law, here administered by a Delaware court judge.

An update on the impact on the war on the Israel economy, and the efforts to mitigate it.

~ Today’s Water Cooler ~

The US increasingly looks at if it has no clue as to the considerable limits on its power, now being exposed in the Middle East

Was the idea ever all that well thought out in the first place?

Does punishing people for substance use worsen the pain and isolation that make drugs so appealing?

A primer on the development of the concept of a just war and what it is considered to mean today.

A questionable report on a deportation plot causes a nationwide meltdown. A ban of the Alternative for Germany party is looking likely unless it loses support. Farmers and strikers join government’s enemy list.

Chronic Wasting Disease, which is contagious and always fatal, is spreading rapidly in deer, and the barrier to a spillover into humans is less formidable than previously believed. 

How algorithms screen and amplify social media content so as reward artists for reworking familiar forms.

Big Ag price gouging is driving still elevated grocery store prices. When will that become a political issue?

~ Today’s Water Cooler ~