The Kyle Anzalone Show, 06/02/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Daniel McAdams: Axios Says US–Iran Deal Reached as U.S. and IRAN Trade Missile Fire.” (06/02/26)
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
Cutting Tariffs on Farm Equipment Is Another Admission That Trump’s Trade Policies Are Increasing Prices
Source: Reason
by Eric Boehm
“President Donald Trump and some of his top advisers have routinely insisted that the administration’s new, higher tariffs would not burden American consumers because foreign governments or corporations would pay for those tax increases. But with inflation rising and consumers (and voters) increasingly grumpy about the cost of living, the White House has turned to a telling strategy: cutting tariffs to make some products less expensive.” (06/02/26)
Drone strikes close Kuwait airport as Iranian, US regimes clash in Gulf
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“A drone strike on a passenger terminal in Kuwait’s international airport wounded several people Wednesday and forced air traffic to be suspended, as Iranian and US forces traded attacks in the Gulf. The attacks marked one of the more severe tests yet of a fragile April 8 ceasefire, that has largely held despite sporadic strikes after more than a month of war sparked by the US and Israeli attack on Iran. Kuwaiti officials blamed the attack on the airport on Iran, whose Revolutionary Guards accused US forces of triggering the night’s sequence of attacks by targeting a communications tower on the country’s Qeshm Island, forcing it to respond.” ()6/03/26)
We predict a black market arriving in 3 … 2…1…
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Tim Worstall
“Some say that economics is not a predictive science. We say ‘Pish’ to that idea, even ‘Pfft,’ and here is a prediction from economics: ‘The Conservatives are planning to introduce ‘ration cards’ to prevent thousands of criminals from spending their benefits on alcohol and gambling. The party wants to reduce Britain’s ballooning welfare bill by issuing criminal claimants with cards that severely limit what their money can be spent on.’ It will take some sub-triple digit number of hours for a black market to appear and given modern social media some sub-double digit number of weeks for it to be a commonplace across the country. There will be a trade of this restricted money for the unlimited ration coupons known as cash money. Further, we’d predict that the unlimited form will be worth more than the limited.” (06/02/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/we-predict-a-black-market-arriving-in-321
Trump Watch, 06/02/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Amusement on Cuba from America’s Right Wing.” (06/02/26)
https://www.fff.org/freedom-in-motion/video/trump-watch-amusement-on-cuba-from-americas-right-wing/
CA: Gubernatorial primary undecided as candidates vie for “top two” runoff positions
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]
“The primary election for California governor is too close to call, with vote counting continuing Wednesday. Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican business executive Steve Hilton lead the field with Democrat Tom Steyer in third place. In California’s unusual primary system, all candidates, regardless of party, appear on a single ballot open to any registered voter. The top two candidates then move on to the general election, even if they’re from the same party.” (06/03/26)
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/03/nx-s1-5844747/california-primary-election-results-governor
Florida Property Tax Debate: The Right Answer is Always “Cut Government Spending”
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“Florida home values have increased by about 150% since 2008, and that there now about 2 million more homes in Florida than there were in 2008. In other words, a lot more homeowners are paying a lot more in property taxes than used to be the case. In the meantime, average wages have only increased by about 35%, while inflation has driven up the prices of things Floridians buy by 75%. Which means those increased tax bills have become less affordable, even as county government budgets have continued to grow at or faster than the inflation rate. The state government has run budget surpluses since 2010. It seems to me that SOME kind of correction is in order. Government keeps taking, and spending, more of our money, but our earnings aren’t keeping up with either that government growth or the cost of living.” (06/02/26)
Russia: Ukrainian attacks target St. Petersburg as “Putin’s Davos” gets underway
Source: CNN
“Russia said it downed hundreds of drones over its territory, including about 60 over the Leningrad region Tuesday night, in a Ukrainian attack as a major economic forum gets underway. Saint Petersburg governor Aleksandr Beglov said three districts were targeted as part of an overnight Ukrainian drone assault that wounded several people and damaged infrastructure facilities. … Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky said ‘long-range strikes’ struck ‘key targets’ including the St Petersburg oil terminal, one of the largest oil transshipment complexes in northwestern Russia. … The attacks came as the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, or SPIEF, a major business event known as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s version of Davos, gets underway in the city on Wednesday.” (06/03/26)
https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/03/europe/ukraine-drone-attack-russia-st-petersburg-intl-hnk
If Congress Wants a Raise, It Should Do Its Job
Source: The Daily Economy
by Romina Boccia
“A Congress that routinely misses budget deadlines and adds to an unsustainable debt burden should not expect automatic raises with no accountability.” (06/02/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/if-congress-wants-a-raise-it-should-do-its-job/
Bitcoin hits lowest price since February as crypto competes for liquidity with blockbuster IPOs
Source: CNBC
“Bitcoin declined Wednesday to its lowest levels since February as other asset classes continued to lure investors away from cryptocurrencies. The world’s largest cryptocurrency fell to as low as $65,385, dropping 2.3%. That came after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 closed at records on Tuesday. Asian stocks mostly rose with Japan’s Nikkei 225 hitting a record high Wednesday. … Investors may be freeing up liquidity from bitcoin for opportunities in private markets or with initial public offerings such as SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic, QCP said.” (06/03/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/03/bitcoin-crypto-ipos-market.html