“When news broke on Sunday that Donald Trump wanted to implement ‘100% Tariffs’ on foreign-made movies, no one was entirely sure what he meant. I mean, about any of it. Did he mean foreign movies like The 400 Blows or American movies that are made overseas like the forthcoming Avengers: Doomsday? Did he mean a tariff on the budget, on foreign subsidies, what? There are no actual ‘imports’ of goods, so how would you levy these tariffs: on ticket sales, by taxing studios, what? Wait, a tax — doesn’t that require Congress? (Hahaha, just kidding!)” (05/09/25)
“Pope Leo XIV called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza with the release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid in his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff. ‘I too address the world’s great powers by repeating the ever-present call ‘never again war,” Leo said from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. It was the first time that Leo had returned to the loggia since he first appeared to the world on Thursday evening following his remarkable election as pope, the first from the United States. Then too he delivered a message of peace. Leo was picking up the papal tradition of offering a blessing at noon, but with several twists.” (05/11/25)
“As my co-blogger Ilya Somin notes below, White House aide Stephen Miller commented today that the Trump Administration is ‘actively looking at’ whether it would be possible to suspend the writ of habeas corpus on the grounds that the country is suffering an ‘invasion’ by illegal immigrants. My own view is that the White House can look at this question all it wants, but it is ultimately up to Congress whether the writ should be suspended (at least during times of peace). This is clear form the Constitution’s text and structure. The suspension clause is in Article I, section 9, as among several enumerated constraints on legislative power. It is an interesting question whether Courts can review a legislative suspension of the writ, but I think it is relatively clear that the Executive cannot do so unilaterally. I also think that the Supreme Court has fairly consistently operated under this assumption.” (05/09/25)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Peter Jacobsen
“Harvard is upset that the government is trying to tell them what to say, while simultaneously demanding that it continue sending them money. Of the $9 billion being threatened, not all goes immediately to Harvard. Some funding goes in grant form to students who then transmit it to the university in fees. Other grants go to researchers who share a portion (often more than half) with the university. But, regardless of the transmission mechanism, this funding is critical to Harvard’s current operations; otherwise, Trump’s threat would be inconsequential. Is Harvard entitled to receive millions of taxpayer dollars, directly or indirectly? Are the wealthy administrators and faculty the proper owners of taxes paid by Americans of all economic classes? In my view, no.” (05/09/25)
“A federal judge has issued a two-week pause on the Trump administration’s mass layoffs across the federal government, ruling that the effort to fire of thousands of workers and entirely eliminate some agencies cannot proceed for now. The plaintiffs behind the lawsuit, which include nonprofits, labor unions and multiple cities and counties, argued that the president does not have the power to ‘radically restructure and dismantle the federal government’ without congressional authorization. In a late-Friday order, Judge Susan Illston of the Northern District of California agreed. She instituted a 14-day pause on ‘reductions in force’ until May 23.” (05/10/25)
“Last week, my non-profit liber-net unveiled a new database of US government awards to mis-dis-and-malinformation (MDM) and other content control initiatives. A previous Network Affects post broke down where that money came from. This one details where the money went, specifically the countries, regions, topics, and activities, and the top organisations that took home the cash. The below graphs are based on 867 awards made between 2016-2024, out of nearly 1,100 that we reviewed from 2010 to the present day.” (05/09/25)
Source: Persuasion
by Greg Lukianoff & Adam Goldstein
“On May 5, Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent Harvard University a letter declaring that the school ‘should no longer seek GRANTS from the federal government, since none will be provided,’ effectively rendering Harvard ineligible for government funding for any new research. It was the latest volley in what has been a contentious battle between Harvard and the Trump administration, which in March convened a task force to review grants and contracts as part of its ‘efforts to root out anti-Semitism and to refocus our institutions of higher learning on the core values that undergird a liberal education.’ … Harvard has absolutely earned everyone’s scorn. … However, the administration’s actions towards Harvard pose a far greater threat to higher education and the principles of academic freedom than any of the sins committed by Harvard itself.” (05/09/25)
“South Korea’s embattled conservative party canceled then reinstated the presidential candidacy of Kim Moon Soo within hours as internal turmoil escalated ahead of the June 3 election. Saturday’s chaotic U-turn, after a failed attempt to replace Kim with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, underscored the People Power Party’s leadership crisis following the ouster of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his martial law imposition in December, which possibly doomed the conservatives’ chances of winning another term in government.” (05/10/25)
