Budgeting for Fiscal Sanity
Source: Law & Liberty
by James C Capretta
“Instead of pursuing minor cuts here and there, policymakers must address structural factors, including the budgeting process.” (03/05/25)
Daughter of French rapist Dominique Pelicot files sex abuse case against him
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“The daughter of convicted French rapist Dominique Pelicot said Thursday she had filed a complaint against her father accusing him of sexual abuse, after he was jailed for repeatedly sedating and raping her mother Gisele Pelicot along with dozens of strangers. Caroline Darian, whose parents are now divorced, filed the complaint on Wednesday, accusing Dominique Pelicot of drugging her and committing ‘sexual abuse’ against her, she told AFP. She said she took legal action as a ‘message to all victims’ of sexual abuse who were drugged not to give up. Darian has said she suspects Dominique Pelicot abused her too after pictures of her naked and unconscious body were found among the detailed records he kept of his crimes. Dominique Pelicot, 72, has always denied he abused his daughter.” (03/06/25)
Microschooling Journeys, 03/06/25
Source: Pioneer Institute
“Closing the Doors, Leaving a Legacy: Embark Microschool’s Story.” (03/06/25)
https://pioneerinstitute.org/featured/closing-the-doors-leaving-a-legacy-embark-microschools-story/
Google Shopping Gets Upgraded With AI-Powered Features, Will Help Users Find the Right Clothes
Source: NDTV [India]
“Google Shopping, the company’s product discovery platform, is getting upgraded with several new artificial intelligence (AI) features. Announced on Wednesday, these new features will enable them to find and experience new products before making purchases. The new AI tools are aimed at the apparel and makeup categories, and the company said that they were built by bringing together Google’s AI models with the platform’s Shopping Graph. These new tools will let users generate images of apparel and find a similar product, see how a makeup item would look on them, and more.” (03/06/25)
Trump Promised Disaster. His Supporters Didn’t Believe Him.
Source: Aaron Ross Powell
by Aaron Ross Powell
“The sense of dread from some corners of the Trump-supporting world as he carries out what he said he’d carry out — and with predictably dire results — is the sorry consequence of smart people talking themselves into drawing the wrong conclusion from the fact that America mostly survived Trump’s first term. Most politicians don’t follow through on their campaign promises, but Trump very much is. That’s a problem for America, and for the world, because what he promised during his campaign was to remove constitutional limits, rule as an autocrat, break the economy, and upend the global order. Now, lots of people who supported him in the election are freaking out.” (03/06/25)
https://www.aaronrosspowell.com/p/trump-promised-disaster-his-supporters-didn-t-believe-him
Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 03/06/25
Source: Antiwar.com
“Trump Threatens the ‘People of Gaza’ With Death, Trump Suspends Intel Sharing With Ukraine, and More.” (03/06/25)
Canary in the Coal Mine: Romania’s Dying Democracy
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ted Galen Carpenter
“The commitment of Washington’s European allies to democracy is increasingly fragile, if not hypocritical, as Vice President J D Vance highlighted in his speech to the Munich Security Conference last month. That problem is most acute in Romania. In the first round of the country’s presidential election on November 24, 2024, Calin Georgescu, the candidate of a right-wing populist party, unexpectedly led the field. In addition to having populist social views, Georgescu is an outspoken critic of NATO. His ‘apostasy’ on that issue makes him especially unacceptable to Romania’s political establishment and its U.S. supporters. … The response of the beleaguered establishment forces was to get the country’s election commission, which the PSD and PNL dominated, to nullify the first round election results.” (03/06/25)
With trade war a potential threat, European Central Bank cuts rates by quarter point
Source: SFGate
“The European Central Bank has cut interest rates by another quarter percentage point, lowering credit costs for consumers and businesses to support an economy that is struggling to show solid growth. The rate decision Thursday, which was widely expected by economists, was overshadowed by concerns over a potential trade war with the U.S. and the impact of a surge in defense spending, two factors that could upend expectations for growth and inflation. The ECB’s rate-setting council lowered its benchmark deposit rate to 2.5%. That should provide support for growth by making it cheaper to borrow and buy a house or expand a factory. The rate was raised to a record 4% to combat inflation that reached 10.6% in Oct. 2022, but has been reducing it steadily since June. As inflation has fallen to an annual, 2.4% concern has shifted to weak growth prospects in the 20 countries that use the euro currency.” (03/06/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/trump-tariffs-and-potential-european-defense-20205888.php
The Science of Politics, 03/05/25
Source: Niskanen Center
“Can judicial review stop a lawless executive?” (03/05/25)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/can-judicial-review-stop-a-lawless-executive
How a post-9/11 law could enable crackdown on “illegal protests”
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Elizabeth Beavers
“In yet another example of Donald Trump announcing new policy via social media, the president has now pledged to crack down on ‘illegal protests’ at universities, warning that ‘agitators’ will be headed to jail or targeted for deportation. … Many may see this and not be very alarmed. After all, peaceful protest isn’t illegal. But what many do not realize is that counterterrorism law gives enormously wide-ranging discretionary authority to the president, to law enforcement, and to immigration officials that could be used to squelch free speech and dissent. For example: providing material support for terrorism is a federal crime. This may seem fair enough on its face. But the breathtaking scope of this provision becomes more clear once we see how the terms are defined.” (03/06/25)