Author Archives: Yves Smith
The Dark Enlightenment: The Tech Oligarch Ideology Driving DOGE’s Destruction
How DOGE isn’t just tearing down institutions but also laying the groundwork for an experimental new kind of authoritarian rule.
Read more...Putin’s Senior Aide Patrushev Shared Some Updates About the Arctic & Baltic Fronts
Even with a settlement in Ukraine and geopolitical thawing in the Arctic, the UK, Baltics and other refusniks can still cause trouble.
Read more...The Colorado Psychedelic Mushroom Experiment Has Arrived
Colorado joins Oregon in green-lighting the very much supervised use of psychecelic mushrooms.
Read more...Satyajit Das: DOGE – The Accelerant in American Decline
Republicans find DOGE’s actions are not universally popular. US courts have begun disallowing cancellation of contracts and terminations
Read more...When Will Courts Start Using Contempt Power To Stop Trump Administration Procedural and Constitutional Abuses?
I hate to put on my cynic’s hat, but I see a weird childlike faith in daddy figures behind the hope the the good daddy, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, will stop the mad bad dad Donald Trump. The other archetypal story line at work is the hero’s journey, with Roberts as the hero, […]
Read more...Links 3/22/2025
Trump Trying to Retrade Minerals Deal with Ukraine
Trump engaging in more self-defeating behavior, assuming he really does want a Ukraine settlement with Russia.
Read more...Digital imperialism: How US Social Media Firms Are Using American Law to Challenge Global Tech Regulation
An update on the hard-fought battle between foreign states trying to regulate social media platforms and the broligarchs.
Read more...Medicine Is Under-Politicised in the UK
A further discussion of how societal problems that impact medicine and health policy are largely kept out of political discourse.
Read more...Judge Blocks DOGE ‘Fishing Expedition’ in Sensitive Social Security Data Systems
A small win for Social Security beneficiaries in the battle against destruction by DOGE.
Read more...The Structural Transformation of the Public Space: High Street Changes and Populism
An intriguing connection between retail districts and populism.
Read more...Fed Not Buying Trump Administration Economic Snake Oil but Stands Largely Pat While Depicting Higher Inflation, Lower Growth Prospects
The Fed has noticed that Trump’s policies are chilling growth while stoking inflation, but is not yet ready to react strongly.
Read more...Replacing Foreign Aid: A Macroeconomic Plan B for Ukraine (and Europe)
Some Serious Economists make an analytically desperate justification of Europe providing big-ticket economic assistance to Ukraine
Read more...How an Israeli-US Startup Wants to Make Geoengineering Profitable
Forget contrails. Here’s a geoengineering initiative that should give cause for pause.
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