The Kyle Anzalone Show, 03/15/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Harrison Berger: Will Trump Draft Americans for Israel’s War in Iran? Did Iran Try To Kill Trump?” (03/15/26)
How McDonald’s “epic fail” turned into a surprise marketing win
Source: Washington Post
by Megan McArdle
“Sure, we were laughing at him. But every reaction video or parody drove home the message that McDonald’s has a big new burger on the market, a message I’d never have heard if I hadn’t seen so many people making fun of the CEO. I would have eaten a Big Arch for dinner tonight — for research purposes, of course — if my column-writing duties hadn’t chained me to my desk. Such viral moments are marketing gold and at a bargain price — however much McDonald’s spent making that video, it probably only amounted to a fraction of the cost of producing a traditional ad, much less of blasting it into our consciousness in a prime time loop. Corporate America’s problem is that such moments are wildly unpredictable. If you want brand awareness on the cheap, you are dependent on the kindness (or more likely, unkindness) of strangers.” (03/15/26)
Leaked Report to Federal Advisers Calls for Urgent Recognition of Covid Vaccine Injuries
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Maryanne Demasi
“or the first time since the pandemic began, a federal vaccine advisory body in the United States has acknowledged a major blind spot in the country’s vaccine safety system. A leaked report prepared for the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices (ACIP) finds that many people with long-term illness after Covid-19 vaccination have gone largely unrecognised by the medical system meant to monitor vaccine safety. The document was written by the Covid-19 vaccine workgroup advising ACIP, chaired by MIT professor Retsef Levi.” (03/16/26)
Trump’s latest attack on US supply chains takes effect
Source: Washington Post
“Some 200,000 immigrant truck drivers will begin to lose their commercial driver’s licenses as they expire under a new Trump administration rule that takes effect Monday. The Transportation Department’s rule will weigh on the beleaguered trucking industry, which is critical to transporting goods across America at a time when energy costs are surging due to the war in Iran. The rule bars immigrants who are asylum seekers, refugees or recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses.” (03/16/26)
Politico Playbook Audio Briefing, 03/15/26
Source: Politico
“Sanders on BBQ, politics, and sneaking out of the governor’s mansion.” (03/15/26)
The Ethics of Limit
Source: Center for a Stateless Society
by Tommaso Biagi
“Every civilization — flawless, perfect in composition and intention — exists atop a quiet contradiction: We love freedom. We suffer domination. We justify it as ‘necessary authority,’ ‘the public order,’ ‘the social contract.’ We accept prisons ‘for safety,’ wage labour ‘for development,’ psychiatric coercion ‘for health.’ It’s the same ball game. A minority suffers, the majority lives ‘better.’ But better for whom? The one screaming in agony and the one smiling in comfort do not feel the sum. No one consciousness feels the totality. The ‘greater good’ is the fiction written by those for whom it works.” (03/15/26)
France: First round of local elections sees strong showing for National Rally and LFI
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“The first-round of the French municipal elections have seen a strong showing for Marine Le Pen’s far-right the National Rally (RN), as well as for Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s radical left, with both parties likely to increase their local presence ahead of next year’s French presidential race. The French local elections, which now go to a final round runoff on 22 March, are seen as a crucial test of the political temperature before next year’s presidential election. Emmanuel Macron’s two terms in office come to an end in spring 2027 and there is uncertainty about who will next lead the EU’s second-largest economy.” (03/15/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/15/french-local-elections-first-round-results
Zooming In, 03/15/26
Source: The UnPopulist
“Manosphere Men Want a Society That Loves Them For Their Vices: A Conversation With Toby Buckle.” (03/15/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/manosphere-men-want-a-society-that
Costs and Benefits from the New Energy Crisis
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman
“There are many losers, but also some winners.” (03/15/26)
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/costs-and-benefits-from-the-new-energy
The Trouble with Trump’s Maritime Action Plan
Source: Independent Institute
by Caleb Petitt
“The White House recently released America’s Maritime Action Plan (MAP) to revitalize America’s maritime industry. It proposes a variety of regulatory modifications, subsidies, government financing options, and fees to encourage domestic shipbuilding. Although it includes a wide variety of proposals, two of them, when taken together, show the Trump administration’s hostility to free trade, as well as a general naïveté about the plan. The first is the proposed ‘universal fee’ on foreign-built ships; the second is the proposed regulatory change to the definition of a ‘U.S.-built’ ship.” (03/15/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/03/15/the-trouble-with-trumps-maritime-action-plan/