Source: Reason
“The Nobel Prize-winning economist says the Iron Triangle of Politics must be defeated to cut down the government for good.” (04/08/25)
https://reason.com/video/2025/04/08/milton-friedmans-warning-to-doge/
Source: The UnPopulist
by Faisal Saeed al Mutar & Ahmed Alrayyis
“Lumping every Gazan with this brutal outfit is morally wrong and is leading to catastrophe.” (04/08/25)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/the-world-shouldnt-ignore-that-hamas
Source: Racket News
by Greg Collard
“There was the retaliatory chicken tax in 1964. West Germany placed tariffs on our poultry, so LBJ responded with a 25% tariff on light trucks. I don’t know anyone who questions Ronald Reagan’s free trade bonafides, yet he imposed a 45% tariff on imported motorcycles to protect Harley Davidson. Japanese bikes were overtaking the market. The motorcycle tariff, as it became known, expired in 1988. I should probably be thankful for that since I ride a Yamaha. My first experience dealing with tariffs as a journalist was in 2002. President George W. Bush imposed tariffs on steel because countries were ‘dumping’ steel in the U.S. at below-market prices. Steel companies were filing bankruptcy and laying off workers. It seemed so obvious that something needed to be done. But it’s a little more complicated. I didn’t realize at the time that lots of people and companies really don’t care where their shit comes from.” (04/08/25)
https://www.racket.news/p/timeline-a-recent-history-of-tariffs
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal
“The family of a man killed by a Las Vegas police officer filed a federal lawsuit on Monday. Metropolitan Police Department officer Alexander Bookman fatally shot Brandon Durham, 43, on Nov. 12 after Durham called police to report a burglary. The Clark County district attorney’s office is expected to seek an indictment of Bookman, according to an attorney for the officer. … Durham called the police to report a break-in to his home …. Durham also told dispatchers that the intruder was wearing red. When police arrived, body camera footage showed, Durham was in his underwear, and Boudreaux was wearing a red hoodie. The two were struggling over a knife. Bookman gave two commands to drop the knife, and less than two seconds later, fired shots at Durham, according to the footage. In the footage, Bookman fired his gun and continued shooting at Durham as he and Boudreaux fell.” (04/08/25)
Source: System Update
“As Tariffs Dominate News, Trump and Netanyahu Make Increasingly Militaristic Threats; Plus: Mixed Supreme Court Ruling on Deportation Powers.” (04/08/25)
Source: EconLog
by Giorgio Castiglia
“US antitrust enforcement is likely to change in the new administration. However, it is also likely that the antitrust cases against big tech firms – and concerns about their effects on society – will continue. Over the past years, countries all around the world have passed or are considering new laws which antitrust authorities can use to prosecute what are seen as abuses by large tech platforms. Most notably the EU has passed and is now enforcing the Digital Markets Act. Similar new laws were proposed, but failed to pass, in the United States, telling enforcers that the way to prosecute any novel harm is to do it the traditional antitrust way: bring cases ex post against conduct that agencies deem illegal under the existing antitrust laws.” (04/08/25)
https://www.econlib.org/big-tech-antitrust-postelection-edition/
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Donald Trump’s higher tariffs on [American buyers of goods from] 60 countries which he deems the ‘worst offenders,’ including 104% duties on [American buyers of goods from] China, have come into effect. … Several US-based global brands such as Nike and Apple, which manufacture their goods outside the US, have suffered steep falls in their share prices over the last few days — and are expected to be impacted further by the reciprocal tariffs. … many US consumers fear rising prices on everyday goods such clothes and food, with some people stockpiling while they can.” (04/09/25)
Source: EconLog
by Jon Murphy
“[T]he reason for rules is to prevent arbitrary behavior. Even when there may be cases where the rules hinder some desired outcome, where the temptation to break rules is highest, rules should be followed. Once the rules are broken, once arbitrary behavior becomes the norm, it makes planning extraordinarily difficult and ends up undermining the goals of the actions. … we are seeing exactly this now with Donald Trump’s arbitrary tariff ‘policy’ (‘policy’ is in quotes here because, since there is no consistency, it’s hard to call it policy by any reasonable sense of the word). Trump’s decrees on tariffs change day to day, sometimes even hour to hour. It’s quite impossible to predict what’s going to happen as there is no rhyme nor reason to these changes.” (04/08/25)
https://www.econlib.org/the-reason-of-rules-uncertainty-is-the-growth-killer/
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Tariffs and Trade Wars Destroy Liberty.” (04/08/25)
Source: Bloomberg
“Israel’s Supreme Court told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he couldn’t dismiss Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet intelligence agency, until further notice. The decision Tuesday came at the end of a heated 10-hour court hearing debating multiple petitions against Bar’s firing that were submitted on grounds of improper procedure and conflict of interest on the part of Netanyahu. The Shin Bet has been investigating ties between his close aides and Qatar. The Israeli premier’s cabinet voted unanimously to fire Bar several weeks ago, saying that he had a ‘misunderstanding of the subordination of the service and its head to the political echelon.’ Netanyahu and the Shin Bet chief have quarreled over responsibility for the failure to prevent the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas that triggered the war in Gaza, and the subsequent handling of hostage negotiations.” (04/08/25)