Tocqueville versus the Groypers
Source: Law & Liberty
by Samuel Gregg
“The Frenchman’s treatment of Arthur de Gobineau offers a lesson for today’s intra-conservative debates.” (11/17/25)
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
Fed Governor Waller backs December rate cut as support for weakening labor market
Source: CNBC
“Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller on Monday voiced support for another interest rate cut at the central bank’s December meeting, saying he’s grown concerned over the labor market and the sharp slowdown in hiring. In an increasingly divided Fed, Waller’s comments put him squarely in the camp of those looking to ease monetary policy to head off further danger in the jobs picture. Others, including multiple regional presidents, have expressed opposition in recent days to more cuts as they view inflation as a persistent economic threat that could be reignited by additional easing.” (11/17/25)
My History Can Beat Up Your Politics, 11/17/25
Source: My History Can Beat Up Your Politics
“Death By Lightning: My Opinion of the Netflix Series, and Other Thoughts.” (11/17/25)
The Politics of Price Controls
Source; Cato Institute
by Ryan Bourne
“Aweekend NYT op-ed by Neale Mahoney and Bharat Ramamurti has caused a stir. It argues that policymakers should be open to considering price controls, given voters’ discontent about the cost of living. Price controls, the authors say, are a ‘tool’ to be used carefully. The key is to ‘design’ them to avoid the classic long-term consequences of ‘less investment’ in supply, but keep the benefits of providing ‘immediate relief’ to customers through lower prices. … Would ‘immediate relief’ via price controls really prove temporary as new supply is brought onboard? Mahoney-Ramamurti provide no historical or contemporary examples of such a bundle.” (11/17/25)
UN security council votes to endorse Donald Trump’s Gaza plan
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“The UN security council has endorsed proposals put forward by Donald Trump for a lasting peace in Gaza, including the deployment of an international stabilisation force and a possible path to a sovereign Palestinian state. The resolution, passed by a vote of 13-0 with abstentions by China and Russia …. However, on the eve of the UN vote, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu restated his government’s adamant opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state, raising questions on whether Israel will allow the implementation of the UN-mandated proposals. After the vote, Hamas rejected what it described as as an imposed ‘international guardianship mechanism’ and insisted it would not disarm.” (11/18/25)
Immigration, Innovation, and Half-Truths
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“Critics of low-skilled immigration usually lament their effect on low-skilled natives. Once in a while, however, the critics bemoan the effect of low-skilled immigrants on robots. Without low-skilled immigrants, there would be a much stronger incentive to mechanize agriculture, deliveries, driving, gardening, and beyond. Indeed, without low-skilled immigrants, we should expect much faster innovation for a vast range of labor-saving technologies. As J.D. Vance explained earlier this year: ‘[C]heap labor is fundamentally a crutch, and it’s a crutch that inhibits innovation.’ … The argument is correct — and deeply misleading. It’s a technophile’s variant on the classic Broken Window Fallacy.” (11/17/25)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/immigration-innovation-and-half-truths
Reason Roundtable, 11/17/25
Source: Reason
“How the Epstein Files Turned MAGA Against Trump.” (11/17/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/11/17/how-the-epstein-files-turned-maga-against-trump/
Bitcoin drops below $90,000
Source: Reuters
“Bitcoin slipped below $90,000 for the first time in seven months on Tuesday in the latest sign that investor appetite for risk-taking is drying up across financial markets. The risk-sensitive cryptocurrency has erased 2025 gains and is now down nearly 30% from a peak above $126,000 in October. It traded down 2% at $89,953 in the Asia afternoon, having collapsed through chart support around $98,000 last week.” (11/18/25)
Trump’s Saudi First Foreign Policy Continues
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington is a disgrace, and it is outrageous that he will likely leave with new U.S. pledges of support and more arms deals. The crown prince is a war criminal and a murderer in addtion to being an increasingly repressive despot. He is the de facto leader of one of the world’s worst governments, and he ought to be treated like a pariah. Welcoming him to the White House is an affront to American interests and basic human decency. Trump defined his first term with his abject servility to Saudi and Emirati interests. It seems that he wants to outdo himself in the second term.” (11/17/25)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/trumps-saudi-first-foreign-policy
Japan: Regime says warplanes scrambled as Chinese drone detected near southern island close to Taiwan
Source: CBS News
“Japan said Monday that it had scrambled aircraft after detecting a suspected Chinese drone near its southern island of Yonaguni, which is close to Taiwan, on Saturday, as tension between the Asian adversaries spiked. On Sunday, Chinese coast guard vessels spent several hours in Japan’s territorial waters around the disputed Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu in China and a frequent flashpoint, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said. The incidents came amid escalating tension between the neighbors over remarks by Japan’s staunchly conservative new leader, who suggested Tokyo could intervene militarily in any hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan.” (11/17/25)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/japan-china-tension-taiwan-war-takaichi-intervention/