Author Archives: Yves Smith

Billionaires Flail About Trying to Beat Mamdani; Wall Street Journal Describes Shambolic Plan to Spend $20 Million

What fun! Billionaires running around all hair on fire over their inabilty to do much to check Mamdani.

That $20 Dress Direct from China Now Costs $30 After Trump Closed a Tariff Loophole – and the US Will Soon End the ‘De Minimis’ Exemption for the Rest of the World, too

How the Trump tariff attack on low-value shipments from Hong Kong and China (and soon elsewhere) is yet another tax on the poor.

Food Giants Graded a “D” on Sustainable Farming Practices

More fiddling as the planet burns and soil quality degrades, as big agricultural buyers give lip service to regenerative farming.

Del Monte Foods Goes Into Bankruptcy: A Trump Tariff Casualty

Struggling Del Monte Foods keeled over due to its exposure to steel and aluminum cost increases from ‘Trump’s tariffs.

Genius Act: This New US Crypto Law Could Pave the Way for the Next Global Financial Crisis

On top of the leverage bombs in the US and other financial systems, the embrace of crypto, specifically stablecoins, is another systemic risk

Early Job Mentoring, Placement, and Training Boost Refugee Integration Without High Costs

Like it or not, advanced economies are committed to immigration to counter low birthrates. Better refugee integration reduces the friction.

The Inevitable Militarization of Space?

A high level review of the US efforts to project power in space and the actions/reactions of Russia and China.

The Sad (Very Familiar) New York Times and Its Mamdani Hit Piece

The hit parade, as in the hit piece parade, on New York City mayor candidate Zohran Mamdani, is still in high gear.

Links 7/9/2025

Trump Just Gave a Huge Gift to China’s Economy

The GOP’s huge new tax and spending law will make it even harder for U.S. companies to compete in clean technologies.

“The Pandora’s Box Has Been Opened”: Von der Leyen Faces Impeachment Risk

EU Commission head Ursula von der Leyen is (finally) in some trouble. How much of a sweat does she need to break to survive?

Will Russia Greatly Accelerate Its Ukraine Tempo to Facilitate Responding to Turkiye-Azerbaijan Threat to Iran?

Will Azerbaijan turning against Russia, perhaps supporting an attack on Iran, force Russia to move faster than it might otherwise in Ukraine?

Links 7/8/2025

AI, Antitrust & Privacy: When More Competition Makes Things Worse

Increased AI competition worsens surveillance, manipulation, and disinformation—threatening privacy, autonomy, and democracy.