Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Source: The Daily Economy
by Richard Morrison

“The zeal of the convert can be a terrifying force to behold. An acolyte convinced of their own prior heresy will often be a more thorough inquisitor than the native-born believer. This dynamic may help explain why It’s on You by Nick Chater and George Loewenstein is so shrill and devoid of self-awareness. Having been leading researchers in behavioral psychology and economics who sought to manipulate individuals into ostensibly healthier and smarter choices — the world of ‘nudge’ theory — they are doing a righteous penance by exposing the flaws of their former discipline.” (05/01/26)

https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/after-nudging-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-behavioral-economics-fad/

Source: Independent Institute
by Alexander Williamn Salter

“Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell held interest rates steady Wednesday for a third time this year, citing inflation running above the central bank’s 2% target. Christine Lagarde, the president of the European Central Bank, has also recently warned of ‘higher inflation and lower growth’ this year, citing energy shocks, geopolitical risks, and a high degree of uncertainty. Alberto Musalem, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, cited those same forces as likely to result in ‘persistent above-target inflation throughout 2026,’ which would justify the central bank holding interest rates higher for longer. None of these bank officials have called for raising the inflation target. They don’t have to. The implication is clear: Central banks are preparing the public for a world in which inflation persistently overshoots 2%.” (05/01/26)

https://www.independent.org/article/2026/05/01/the-feds-2-inflation-target-is-no-longer-enough/

Source: Law & Liberty
by Spencer A Klavan

“The media theorist Marshall McLuhan became famous in certain circles for insisting that the real importance of a new tool can be found in ‘the medium — that is, all the side-effects, all the unintended patterns and changes.’ He was anticipated in this by Plato, who had Socrates hint in a story that ‘the person who produces an instrument of technology is not the same as the person who can judge whether it helps or harms those who use it.’ If that’s true, then we would expect to find the architects of AI struggling to predict and control the ends it will be made to serve.” (05/01/26)

https://lawliberty.org/forum/ai-in-an-age-of-humanity/

Source: The Weekly Dish
by Andrew Sullivan

“Resilience, innovation, drones, and a Europe finally waking up. Who knew?” (05/01/26)

https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/the-ukrainian-miracle-ee5

Source: Reason
by Andrew Miller

“To put American traffic deaths in perspective, consider the Miami Marlins. Since 2012, the baseball team has played its home games at the stadium now called LoanDepot Park. The field’s official capacity is 36,742, roughly the number of Americans who die in traffic crashes every year. America loses a baseball stadium’s worth of lives to vehicular accidents every 12 months. For the first time, there’s a way to prevent many, and perhaps most, of those deaths: self-driving cars. But self-driving cars are controversial. Some worry about safety. Others worry about jobs.” (05/01/26)

https://reason.com/2026/05/01/the-self-driving-car-fight-in-congress-isnt-really-about-safety-at-all/