Agorist Nexus Podcast, episode 173
Source: Agorist Nexus
“A Dark Cloud Looms: Dystopian Technocracy with Aaron Day.” (06/26/25)
https://www.agoristnexus.com/a-dark-cloud-looms-dystopian-technocracy-with-aaron-day-173/
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
Want More Families? End Inflation
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“For decades, Americans have been told that modest inflation is a sign of a healthy economy. Central bankers and mainstream economists have repeated the mantra that 2% annual inflation is a desirable target, something to be managed rather than avoided. But as [Jason] Degner lays out with devastating clarity, this kind of thinking is disconnected from the lived experience of ordinary people — particularly families trying to build stable, secure lives amid the wreckage of decades of monetary expansion. One of the most glaring and immediate effects of persistent inflation has been on asset prices, particularly housing.” (06/26/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/want-more-families-end-inflation
Trump’s “Art of the Deal” Politics Undermines America’s Future
Source: The Daily Economy
by Vance Ginn
“In game theory, a ‘first-mover advantage’ gives the opening player the power to set the rules of engagement. President Donald Trump built much of his political brand — and his Art of the Deal persona — on this idea: act big, set the tone, make others play defense. The strategy is simple: push hard up front, frame the deal, and only backtrack if necessary. It’s a tactic that can yield results in business, where individual stakes are limited and profit-and-loss signals keep players accountable. But politics and governance aren’t business transactions. They’re repeated, dynamic games with millions of stakeholders, unclear incentives, and no bottom-line feedback. In this setting, the first-mover tactic, combined with erratic unpredictability, doesn’t create leverage — it creates dysfunction.” (06/26/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/trumps-art-of-the-deal-politics-undermines-americas-future/
It’s high time to end unfettered ICE and border patrol abuses
Source: Orange County Register
by Rafael Perez
“There’s a video going around social media of a man named Narciso Barranco being beaten while pinned on the ground by Border Patrol agents in Orange County. The 48-year-old father of three Marines was working a landscaping job when he was approached – before officers subdued Barranco and punched him multiple times in the back of the head, footage shows Barranco running while holding a weedwacker. On Twitter, the Department of Homeland Security alleged that Barranco swung the weedwacker at agents – of the several angles available of Barranco holding the machine, none show him swinging it or assaulting border agents. … What the videos do show is that at least four agents directly holding the roughly 5 ‘6’’ Barranco down on the ground wasn’t enough for them to consider him neutralized – they also had to beat him in the back of the head.” (06/26/25)
Bill Moyers, 1934-2025
Source: New York Times
“Bill Moyers, who served as chief spokesman for President Lyndon B. Johnson during the American military buildup in Vietnam and then went on to a long and celebrated career as a broadcast journalist, returning repeatedly to the subject of the corruption of American democracy by money and power, died on Thursday in Manhattan. He was 91. … To Americans who grew up after the 1960s, Mr. Moyers was known above all as an unusual breed of television correspondent and commentator. … But before that, Mr. Moyers was President Johnson’s closest aide. Present on Air Force One in Dallas when Johnson took the oath of office after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Mr. Moyers played a pivotal role in the inception of Johnson’s Great Society programs, and was the president’s top administrative assistant and press secretary when Johnson sent hundreds of thousands of troops to fight in the Vietnam War.” (06/26/25)
Kyrgyzstan: Parliament Backs New Censorship Measure
Source: US News & World Report
“Kyrgyzstan’s parliament has approved a bill that tightens state controls over media outlets, in what critics say is a blow to press freedom in a country once seen as more open than other Central Asian nations. Under the legislation, approved late on Wednesday, all news websites must register with a state-authorised body, while the government acquires the power to grant and revoke licences as it deems fit. Legal experts and media watchdogs say the new framework could be used to muzzle independent and critical outlets.” (06/26/25)
The Learning Curve, 06/26/25
Source: Pioneer Institute
“Ian Rowe & Steven Wilson on The Lost Decade.” (06/26/25)
https://pioneerinstitute.org/featured/ian-rowe-steven-wilson-on-the-lost-decade/
The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent, 06/26/25
Source: The New Republic
“MAGA Dope Pete Hegseth Accidentally Exposes Trump’s Vile Scam on Iran.” (06/26/25)
Republicans, quit blaming the CBO for those big, ugly numbers
Source: Washington Post
by Jessica Riedl
“As Republican tax-cut legislation struggles to get through Congress under the weight of its staggering cost, party leaders have responded to criticism by trying to shift the blame. They’re assailing the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office for the transgression of honestly describing the ugly $2.4 trillion reality of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as the legislation is titled. GOP leaders have rallied around the talking point that the CBO’s egghead economists just don’t understand that tax cuts will unleash economic growth so stupendous that the additional tax revenue will offset the bill’s entire cost. What began with a May strategy memo from Newt Gingrich has grown to a chorus of condemnation of the CBO from congressional leaders, the White House press secretary and President Donald Trump. Don’t fall for this spin.” (06/26/25)
An Unstable Fusion
Source: Law & Liberty
by Kevin Vallier
“The recent rupture between Donald Trump and Elon Musk occasioned dark chuckling in many corners. Nearly everyone saw this coming. Both men are used to running the show. Neither plays well with others. But the Trump-Musk fracture was more overdetermined than most realize. The personality conflicts mask deeper ideological tensions with implications beyond two oversized egos. The right now hosts a strange blend of populism, Catholic postliberalism, and techno-optimism. These elements don’t mix well, as recent tensions in the conservative movement show us.” (06/26/25)