“President Donald Trump’s original plan for addressing the purported threat posed by the longstanding U.S. trade deficit, which the Supreme Court rejected in February, involved declaring an imaginary emergency to justify tariffs under a statute that does not authorize them. His backup plan, which he revealed immediately after that decision, avoids the second difficulty but not the first one.” (03/11/26)
“Dementia has become the leading cause of death in Australia, a development that has prompted public health experts to call for a ‘shift in thinking’ about the disease. An estimated 446,500 people in the country are living with the disease as of 2026, according to data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. … a 2024 survey found that more than a quarter of Australians incorrectly believed there was nothing they could do to reduce their risk of dementia. … Estimates suggest that about two in five dementia cases in the country can be prevented.” (03/11/26)
Source: Independent Institute
by Phillip W Magness
“In his latest bid to salvage his protectionist trade agenda, President Donald Trump imposed a new 10% tariff on all imports to the United States. To justify this move, Trump cited the existence of a trade deficit and invoked an obscure clause of the Trade Act of 1974, called Section 122. This clause allows the president to impose tariffs for up to 150 days; however, its provisions only apply in the presence of a ‘large and serious United States balance-of-payments deficits.’ Trump’s use of Section 122 is illegal because the United States does not currently have a balance-of-payments deficit. … He is the first president to attempt to use this clause for a reason. Previous administrations have examined its text in detail and come to the conclusion that Section 122 simply does not apply to common trade deficits.” (03/11/26)
“Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told GOP colleagues Tuesday that they don’t have the votes to pass a House-approved voting reform bill through the Senate by forcing Democrats to use a talking filibuster to oppose it, rejecting President Trump’s full-court press. Senate Republicans at a Tuesday lunch meeting discussed the prospect of forcing Democrats to actively hold the floor for days — or even weeks — of continuous debate to make it as hard as possible for them to block the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which Trump called his ‘No.1 priority’ at an issues conference with House Republicans on Monday. Trump warned in Florida on Monday that passing the SAVE Act is critical to helping Republicans keep control of Congress in November.” (03/11/26)
“Contemporary debates over U.S. immigration policy are framed almost entirely in the language of pathology: cruelty, incompetence, authoritarian drift, constitutional erosion. These diagnoses are not wrong, but they describe merely surface phenomena while neglecting to account for the scope and intent of the policies, thus obscuring the form of power that generates them. What was sold to voters as a program of robust law enforcement intended to restore order has become something wholly different: a campaign of ethnic cleansing.” (03/11/26)
“Mortgage applications increased 3.2% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending March 6, 2026. On an unadjusted basis, the index increased 4.1% compared with the previous week. The refinance index 0.5% from the previous week and was 81% higher than the same week one year ago. The refinance share of mortgage activity decreased to 57.8% of total applications from 59.8% the previous week.” (03/11/26)
“How can the U.S. lead in rebuilding industrial capacity? Christian Keil believes the answer lies with American dynamism. He is a partner at a16z, who sees technology as a key to our future. Even through uncertain times and sharp competition from China. He joins host Megan McArdle to discuss his experience — from innovating satellite technology during his time at Astranis to now investing in companies through venture capital. He also gives more detail on his recently published the report ‘More Perfect,’ which explores how technology has shaped and will reshape America.” (03/11/26)
“Justice Neil Gorsuch’s concurring opinion in the tariff case of Learning Resources v. Trump rightfully has garnered favorable attention. This is largely due to its clear explanation of the Supreme Court’s ‘major questions doctrine.’ As recited by Justice Gorsuch, the major questions doctrine is that, ‘to sustain a claim that Congress has granted them an extraordinary power, executive officials must identify clear authority for that power.’ Not all the members of the court agree with that formulation, but it does seem to command a majority of the justices. Justice Gorsuch’s statement of the doctrine, however, leaves a circle open that I would like to close. My thesis is that the major questions doctrine is simply the logical obverse of the doctrine of incidental (or implied) authority.” (03/11/26)
“This war is notable not for its use of Artificial Intelligence, but for the fact that it is the first war that feels like it’s been launched by A.I: It’s all been done on a level less than thought. Trump’s remarks, Hegseth’s speeches; they all sound like autocompletes or snippets of half-remembered things. When Trump bellows, ‘UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER,’ he knows not what it means; he just heard it somewhere, probably on TV. … In the past, propaganda served the purposes of war; now war serves the purposes of propaganda. But the blood remains real. A.I. will supposedly give us fully automated wars in the future, but it’s here, right now. There’s a blind automatism to this war; It’s a war without thought or deliberation, public or private. It’s war as autocomplete.” (03/11/26)
