China continues to pull off big commercial and diplomatic coups in the US’ neighbourhood — this time with Ecuador, whose government is (or was) so closely aligned with the US that it recently asked Washington to directly intervene in its drug wars.
Thursday, August 21, 2025
“Crypto Is a Fraud on the Public”: Financial Watchdog Explains Ties Between Crypto and the Banking Crisis
Dennis Kelleher of Better Markets explains why crypto is the last place anybody should be running to for safety.
PBMs, the Brokers Who Control Drug Prices, Finally Get Washington’s Attention
Why it isn’t easy to slip the leash of PBMs.
2:00PM Water Cooler 5/11/2023
~ Today’s Water Cooler ~
Big Food Raking in Huge Profits From Price Hikes as US Hunger Persists: Analysis
Big food company profit-goosing price hikes confirms that the Fed is barking up the wrong tree in going after labor.
New Wave of Asylum-Seekers at US Southern Border as Title 42 Expires
Even the mainstream media acknowledges that an expected surge of immigrants at the US border will push a bad situation into crisis.
How Trade Fragmentation Affects Bank Credit Supply
Engaging in more bilateral trade to bypass the dollar fragments the activities of major international banks and even affects locak players.
NY Times Is Wrong on Dedollarization: Economist Michael Hudson Debunks Paul Krugman’s Dollar Defense
Michael Hudson calls out Krugman for invoking the favorite libertarian trope of hyperinflation.
2:00PM Water Cooler 5/10/2023
~ Today’s Water Cooler ~
The Mercenaries Who Fight for American Empire
How private military contractors, aka mercenaries, are now an essential part of America’s increasingly privatized wars.
What We Owe the Future: A Million-Year View, or How to Look at the World from the Philosophical High Ground
A critical look at William MacAskill’s new book on how human civilization can make it through the next few hundred years.
We Can Use AI in the Economy but Only If We Are Willing To Tax Capital More Heavily
What future is there for labor with AI?
The U.S. Needs To Double The Size Of Its Energy Grid
Will the state of the US grid constrain the conversion to electric vehicles and other green devices?
