Category Archives: Politics

Worksheet for the 2018 Midterms (First Ripples of “The Wave”?)

First signs of a wave election.

Trump Willing to Give a China a Break on Sanctions Against ZTE Electronics. What Gives?

Trump again does what he seems to do best, the unexpected, with a Sunday tweet offering a break to sanctioned Chinese electronics maker ZTE. How does this fit into the US-China trade spat?

Michael Klare: Gearing Up for the Third Gulf War

Thinking about the now-too-thinkable: what a new Gulf War would look like.

Trump Vows (Again) To Lower Drug Prices But Skeptics Doubt Much Will Change

Why Trump’s drug price plan is unlikely to accomplish much.

CalPERS CEO Marcie Frost’s Featherbedding: Seeks Further Pay Increase Despite Underfunding, Municipalities Suffering to Meet Rising Pension Bills

Why authorizing a further pay increase for CalPERS CEO Marcie Frost is indefensible, but CalPERS cronyistic board will almost certainly set that plan in motion next week.

Ilargi: Iran – Let’s (Not) Make a Deal

And about that Iran deal….an elephant in the room the media and punditry are conveniently ignoring.

Europe Buys More Russian Gas Despite Strained Relations

Russia remains very much entwined in Europe’s economy.

Globalisation, Government Popularity, and the Great Skill Divide

How do voter reactions to globalisation vary by skill level?

Tyler Cowen, Koch Brothers Funding, Mercatus Center, George Mason University, and Academic Freedom

Recent documents disclose how private money, from the Koch Brothers, among others, curtailed academic freedom at George Mason University, its Antonin Scalia Law School, and its associated Mercatus Center.

Brexit: Crisis Nigh

Brexit crunch time is approaching fast.

Colorado River: The Water War That Will Decide the Fate of 1 in 8 Americans

Water wars loom on the horizon, arising from overuse for generations of the Colorado River, which carved the Grand Canyon and serves as the main water source for much of the American West.

How Wall Street Enabled the Fracking ‘Revolution’ That’s Losing Shale Oil Companies Billions

Fracking harms the environment and shale oil companies fail to turn a profit but that doesn’t stop Wall Street from lending them huge sums of money, driven by lust for fees.