“Six European countries say that they ‘firmly reject any demographic or territorial change in Gaza’ after Israel announced plans to expand its military offensive in the Strip. Israel’s plan ‘would mark a new and dangerous escalation’ in the war, the foreign ministers of Spain, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway and Slovenia say in a joint statement. The foreign ministers, who apart from Luxembourg represent countries that have recognized a Palestinian state, say the plans would ‘cross another line’ and ‘endanger any perspective of a viable two-state solution’ to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” (06/07/25)
“On April 20, President Donald Trump dropped another executive order: Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities has been received by both supporters and critics as aiming at the complete elimination of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). Now, look, if you love your children (which of course you do), then the best thing you can do is take executive control of their education. You could directly educate them. You could hire tutors. You could enroll them in a private school and supplement their acquisition of knowledge. You could join an agrarian commune where humble folk till the soil and collectively edify their young beneath the towering mansion of the commune’s ruling elite. You’ve got options. But whatever you do, absolutely do not send them to a government school.” (05/07/25)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Alex Tabarrok
“The US Dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency confers significant financial and economic advantages that, in the long run, do not meaningfully erode the US’s manufacturing base.” (05/07/25)
“A federal appeals court panel Wednesday denied the Trump administration’s request to lift a judge’s order to physically transfer a[n abducted] international Tufts University student from Louisiana to Vermont. The administration has swiftly moved foreign-born students it wants to deport to Louisiana, which would route their legal challenges through more friendly judicial venues. Within hours of plainclothes officers [abducting] Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish national and Tufts student who co-authored a pro-Palestinian op-ed in her student newspaper, on March 25 near her Somerville, Mass., home, authorities had moved her to Vermont and then Louisiana. … The new order sets a May 14 deadline for the government to return Öztürk to Vermont, where she will remain in custody, for now. A bail hearing is set for Friday.” (05/07/25)
“WeightWatchers has filed for bankruptcy as more Americans turn to weight loss drugs to slim down. The 62-year-old weight loss program’s parent company, WW International, announced Tuesday that it aims to eliminate $1.1 billion in debt as part of the Chapter 11 filing and to focus on expanding its fledgling telehealth business. Services to WeightWatchers customers will continue uninterrupted, the company said. … WeightWatchers said it expects to complete the reorganization in 40 days and emerge as a publicly traded company.” (05/07/25)
“I am such a geek that I remember when Barack Obama made a splash by liberating reams of government data so Americans could use it to do things like compare colleges and start businesses. It was 2013 and talk of a catchy ‘abundance agenda’ was not even a glimmer in anyone’s eye. Instead, Obama signed an executive order called ‘Making Open and Machine Readable the New Default for Government Information.’ Way to go viral, guys. … This was a relatively obscure moment. I probably wouldn’t remember it at all, except for the contrast with Donald Trump’s first term, when government data became unreliable and sometimes disappeared completely. Now, in his second presidency, it’s a major obsession for me and many others.” (05/07/25)
“NASA is considering launching rockets to Mars next year, a major shift in priorities that could boost the fortunes of Elon Musk’s space company and speed up the timeline for astronauts to reach the red planet. The sudden switch follows the release of the White House’s 2026 budget proposal, which would increase funding for Mars-related projects by $1 billion and pay for the launches. It also signals the Trump’s administration’s intentions to prioritize sending people to Mars. … Congress may buck Trump and refuse to approve the funding in his budget request, especially if lawmakers worry the effort will delay lunar plans. The White House’s budget proposal also cancels the Gateway lunar space station program, which many senators support.” (05/07/25)
