Making Sweatshops Great Again

Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman

“No serious person mourns the offshoring of apparel employment. Clothing production is a low-tech industry that even in its heyday mostly employed immigrants who, despite being represented by a powerful union, were paid low wages and often faced harsh working conditions. For a poor nation like Bangladesh, apparel jobs are a big step up from the alternatives. But American workers have better, and better-paying, things to do. As I said, no serious person wants the apparel industry to come back. But Donald Trump’s economic team aren’t serious people.” (03/13/25)

https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/making-sweatshops-great-again

South Korean air force pilots charged with criminal negligence over accidental bombing

Source: United Press International

“South Korea’s military on Thursday charged two air force pilots with criminal negligence over the accidental bombing of a village near the DMZ last week that injured 43 and damaged dozens of buildings, citing pilot error as the cause. ‘The Defense Ministry’s investigation headquarters has confirmed that the pilot’s incorrect input of target coordinates was a direct cause of the accident,’ the ministry said in a text message to reporters. ‘Accordingly, as of March 13, two pilots were criminally booked on charges of occupational negligence resulting in injury,’ the message said. They were also charged for damaging military facilities, including a church, a ministry spokesman said during a press briefing Thursday.” (03/13/25)

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2025/03/13/South-Korea-Air-Force-pilots-charged-criminal-negligence-accidental-bombing-Pocheon/4021741851917/

The “Gulf of America” Is a Geographical Absurdity

Source: Independent Institute
by Allen Gindler

“President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order renaming the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge after Jocelyn Nungaray, a Houston girl whose tragic murder at the hands of two unauthorized Venezuelan immigrants, captured national attention. The decision, while framed as an honor to the young victim, raised eyebrows. It marked yet another instance in which Trump leveraged symbolic renaming as a political tool. Previously, in a move that defied geography, diplomacy, and common sense, President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming a section of the Gulf of Mexico as the ‘Gulf of America.’ But what exactly has been renamed? … While it was clearly intended as a symbolic assertion of American sovereignty, the renaming not only violated international conventions but also flew in the face of basic geographical principles.” (03/13/25)

https://blog.independent.org/2025/03/13/gulf-of-america-is-a-geographical-absurdity

Strategic Deregulation to Spur Economic Growth

Source: Law & Liberty
by John O McGinnis

“America’s central economic problem is preserving the nation’s capacity to sustain growth vigorous enough to counteract an impending fiscal crisis of escalating national debt. Part of the reason that growth has declined in the last decades is the stifling force of over-regulation. The new administration’s sweeping agenda for regulatory rollback thus need not represent merely political posturing, but has the potential to address one of the most profound threats confronting contemporary America. To understand its rationale and architecture is to grasp a bold attempt at putting the nation’s financial house in order and preserving its future prosperity.” (03/13/25)

https://lawliberty.org/strategic-deregulation-to-spur-economic-growth/

The Trump-Musk Recession: Because They Can

Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker

“Past recessions have been the result of policy errors or disasters. The most typical policy error is when the Federal Reserve Board raises interest rates too much to counter inflation. That was clearly the story in the 1974-75 recession, as well as the 1980-82 double-dip recession. Then we have recessions caused by collapsing financial bubbles, the 2001 recession following the collapse of the stock bubble, and the 2008-09 recession following the collapse of the housing bubble. And of course, we had the 2020 recession because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But now Donald Trump is threatening us with a recession — not because of something that is any way unavoidable, but rather because as president he has the power to bring on a recession.” (03/13/25)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/03/13/the-trump-musk-recession-because-they-can/

White House withdraws CDC director nomination

Source: The Hill

“The White House has withdrawn the nomination of Dave Weldon to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A source familiar with the matter told The Hill it became clear to the White House that Weldon did not have the votes in the full Senate to be confirmed. The source said Weldon was informed Wednesday night that his nomination was being withdrawn. A White House official confirmed Weldon’s nomination was pulled but did not offer an explanation, though Weldon has come under scrutiny for his longtime promotion of anti-vaccine views. Weldon, a former Republican congressman from Florida, was to be the first CDC director subject to the confirmation process.” (03/13/25)

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5192546-white-house-withdraws-cdc-director-nomination