On not-well-known elements of the US-Ukraine-Russia conflict, the fecklessness of the left, and the abject stupidity of Western leaders
Saturday, June 21, 2025
Satyajit Das: A Fist Full of Dollars
Two recent books seem unduly complacent about the status of the dollar as reserve currency.
“Is All Economic Growth Good?”
It can’t be said too often: what most economists call growth is too often what we here call groaf.
Coffee Break: Trump Deploys National Guard to LA
President Trump deploys National Guard and US Marines to Los Angeles in support of ICE. Gavin Newsom files suit in opposition. Waymos burn.
The Projected Death Count from Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill
Researchers projects that “big beautiful bill” cuts to public health insurance coverage may lead to upwards of 51,000 deaths a year.
How the ICE Raids and Crackdowns on Anti-Genocide Speech Are A Threat to All American Workers
The precarity of the undocumented worker is the future of US labor relations.
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling”: Why Are Young Men Giving Up on Sex?
Many, and perhapse even most, young American men have soured on sex. What could be responsible?
Do AI Models Think?
A new paper confirms early doubts that LLMs could ever meet AI boosters’ claims that they were intelligent.
Coffee Break: Armed Madhouse – Implausible Deniability and the Deep State
The Central Intelligence Agency has in many ways achieved the opposite of the purpose for which it was founded. Instead of increasing the security of the U.S., it has weakened it. The CIA is a main element of what is known as the Deep State, a permanent government that operates apart from the democratic machinery […]
“Is the US on the Path to Becoming a Failed State?”
Yes, the US is in the midst of multifaceted institutional collapse. But to see Trump as the cause as opposed to an accelerant is misguided.
A New Gold Rush Is Causing (Potentially) Irreversible Damage to the Amazon Rainforest, Study Warns
As the world is gripped by a new bout of gold fever that shows no sign of abating, the environmental risks for one of the world’s most important ecosystems are rising.
The 2025 Trade War: Dynamic Impacts Across US States and the Global Economy
Estimating the costs of the Trump trade war to Americans and foreign players.
“Trump Administration Closes In on Hard-Hitting Sanctions on Russia”
Russia sanctions enthusiasts try to talk over how Ukraine undercut Trump support with Ukraine’s attack on Russian nuclear deterrence assets
