Source: The Daily Economy
by Lydia Mashburn Newman
“Kevin Warsh enters the Fed chairmanship facing sticky inflation, rising energy costs, and strong consumer demand. Prompt action may help avoid politically explosive rate hikes.” (05/20/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/warsh-inherits-a-fed-caught-between-inflation-and-trump/
Source: CNBC
“The days of going to college to secure a lucrative career are over, as skilled trade workers have seen a 30% wage bump in the past few years, the CEO of the world’s largest recruitment firm told CNBC. Sander van’t Noordende, CEO of Dutch staffing giant Randstad, recommended the skilled trades career track to young people in an interview on CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box Europe’ on Wednesday. … Specialized skilled trade roles are now offering salaries that compete with traditional office jobs, with wage growth up 30% in the U.S. in the past four years, up 21% in the Netherlands, 18% in Germany, and 9% in the U.K, according to Randstad’s latest data shared with CNBC.” (05/20/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/20/ai-skills-randstad-college-trades-jobs-pay-bump.html
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Screws Himself So Badly on Texas Race, GOPers Visibly Stunned.” (05/20/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/210706/trump-screws-badly-tex-race-gopers-visibly-stunned
Source: Law & Liberty
by Connor O’Keeffe
“A lot has already been written about the flaws and fallacies leading many to believe AI will trigger an employment apocalypse that will make everyone but a small sliver of the country much poorer. There are also reasons to actually expect positive political developments as AI begins to automate the exact kind of administrative, clerical, and bureaucratic work that has defined the so-called managerial class and made their positions necessary. And the environmental threat posed by data centers is often overblown by exaggerated projections based on earlier, less efficient forms of the technology that are now obsolete. Where the opposition to data centers does have some merit, however, is on the NIMBY front.” (05/20/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/rothbardian-case-against-bad-data-center-policy
Source: Quillette
by Maarten Boudry
“Worries about AI doom rarely take Darwinian evolution seriously. A new paper argues we should—but we are still further from that scenario than its authors suggest.” (05/19/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/05/19/why-ai-is-not-about-to-go-feral/
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“James Roscoe, the deputy to Britain’s ambassador in Washington, has abruptly left his role. Foreign Office officials declined to give any explanation for why Roscoe had, as they put it, ‘left his post.’ Until his sudden departure, Roscoe held one of the most senior, high-profile roles in the British diplomatic service, as second-in-command at the British Embassy in Washington. He had also stood in for Lord Peter Mandelson for several months after he was sacked last year. Roscoe was one of those tipped to take over the role, which ultimately went to another official, Sir Christian Turner. He played a key role in President Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK and in King Charles III’s recent visit to the US. The British Embassy declined to comment further about his departure. Roscoe could not be reached for comment.” (05/20/26)
Source: Lions of Liberty
“What You Kill: Taking Ownership of Your Income.” (05/19/26)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/ff-what-you-kill-taking-ownership-of-your-income
Source: Law & Liberty
by Brent Orrell
“The standard account is that AI works best with a ‘human in the loop.’ This phrase emerges from minds deeply shaped by technology: the tech is the main thing, and the human is an occasionally useful add-on, the quality controller and manager of the machine-produced conclusion. This formulation has the relationship backwards. The biggest problem with AI, as many have noted, is that it does not ‘get it.’ Its utility collapses around questions of continuity, and intellectual and social context. And ‘getting it,’ as we have known all along, is the most important aspect of life and work.” (05/20/26)
https://lawliberty.org/forum/shaping-the-humans-who-run-the-machines/
Source: The American Prospect
by Ryan Cooper
“SpaceX is planning a monster initial public offering (IPO). Elon Musk is reportedly seeking to raise some $75 billion, at a valuation of $1.75 trillion, next month. It will be both his birthday and a moment when Venus and Jupiter will be in alignment. It would be the biggest IPO in history by far, utterly dwarfing Saudi Aramco’s $29 billion figure back in 2019. Musk might sell those shares, too. One reason why, despite the ludicrous valuation, is that stock indices are changing their rules to allow SpaceX to join almost right away and with fewer conditions, thus forcing investors who follow a passive strategy, like index funds and many pension funds, to buy the company’s shares.” (05/20/26)
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The Philippine Supreme Court has refused to block the arrest of a senator wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity. Senator Ronald dela Rosa, whose whereabouts are unknown, is wanted by the court in The Hague for his role in the country’s ‘war on drugs’ during Rodrigo Duterte’s 2016-2022 presidency. … The interim ruling on Wednesday clears the way for the potential arrest of the senator, the latest turn in a dramatic story that has gripped the Philippines since early last week. Dela Rosa emerged from six months of hiding last week and took refuge at the Senate for several days before fleeing in the early hours of Thursday after a shooting incident between government agents and Senate security personnel that sent senators rushing for cover in their offices.” (05/20/26)