“A senior Trump administration official is facing the ire of the Washington, D.C., Bar for his role in President Donald Trump’s push to end diversity, equity and inclusion practices in U.S. universities. The DC Bar filed disciplinary charges against Ed Martin, formerly the acting U.S. Attorney for Washington, stating that he threatened to withhold funding from Georgetown University’s Law Center and barred his staff from hiring its students in a bid to punish the institution for its DEI practices — a violation of the First Amendment, the DC Bar said. ‘Acting in his official capacity and speaking on behalf of the government, he used coercion to punish or suppress a disfavored viewpoint, the teaching and promotion of ‘DEI,’’ Hamilton Fox, disciplinary counsel for the DC Bar, wrote in a filing made public on Tuesday.” (03/10/26)
“The Supreme Court has ruled against Donald Trump’s tariffs. In a sweeping and landmark decision, the court found by a 6-3 majority that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the president to impose tariffs by executive decree. Tariffs remain an Article I power of Congress under the US Constitution, a power that cannot be delegated away by speculative inferences from a vague statute that does not even mention the word ‘tariff.’ The Framers placed this power in the legislative branch for a reason: Tariffs are taxes, and the principle of ‘no taxation without representation’ provided a central rallying cry for the American Revolution. The decision has nonetheless drawn the ire of a number of conservatives, who otherwise appeal to history and the intentions of the Founders as a guiding principle for constitutional law.” (03/10/26)
“I hate to be giving the Trump administration excuses for a weak economy, but I do feel an obligation to call the data as I see it and not make it up for political convenience. And the excuse actually does not buy them much anyhow. The seemingly simple point is that we might well have gotten a weaker than expected jobs report in February because of weather-related factors. It wasn’t that February weather was especially bad. We did get some snowstorms in late January and February, but that is what happens in winter. Since our data are all seasonally adjusted, the question would be if February’s weather (before the reference date – February 12th) was worse than an ordinary February. My guess is probably not. But January’s weather was likely better than a normal January.” (03/10/26)
“In a recent edition of this newsletter, I argued that the war with Iran is unconstitutional because President Donald Trump took the United States to war without first obtaining a congressional declaration of war as required by the U.S. Constitution. In response, a reader we’ll call ‘John A.’ wrote in to say the following: ‘Unconstitutional perhaps, but enforcement is political, not judicial.’ As a practical matter, ‘John A.’ is probably right. Despite the fact that the Constitution vests the power ‘to declare War’ exclusively in the hands of Congress via Article I, Section 8, the U.S. Supreme Court has proven itself unwilling over the past half-century or so to hear cases challenging the usurpation of that congressional power by the executive.” (03/10/26)
“The U.S. FDA on Tuesday approved leucovorin, a decades-old generic drug, for use against an ultra-rare disorder called cerebral folate deficiency, but not for children with the much broader diagnosis of autism that it had promised last autumn to help, citing a lack of data. The approval for the rare genetic disorder, which causes autism-like symptoms, is a significant step back from the government’s September press conference when President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promoted the drug as a treatment for autism symptoms. … Leucovorin, also known as folinic acid, is a form of folate, an essential B vitamin, or B9. It is currently used in people undergoing chemotherapy but can be prescribed off-label for other uses.” [editor’s note: That last bit is important — a drug is either “approved” or not “approved” by FDA. “Approval” supposedly means that it is 1) safe, and 2) effective for some condition, but no separate “approval” is required for it to be prescribed for OTHER conditions. Vis a vis autism, the FDA is “not recommending” it, not “not approving” it – TLK] (03/10/26)
“It’s my weekly check-in with Eric Peters from Eric Peters Autos and we have a lot to discuss. One of the biggest challenges we all currently face is sifting truth from propaganda. And it’s not getting any easier.” (03/10/26)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Lawrence W Reed
“Two hundred and fifty years ago this month, the Scottish philosopher and economist Adam Smith’s monumental work, An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, was published. Its lasting impact means that it belongs on any list of the 100 most influential books ever written. Great teachers produce great students. Smith produced too many to count, but one in particular stands out as extraordinary for his eloquence, his storytelling, and his passion for freedom and free markets. That would be Frédéric Bastiat, best known for his last of many books, The Law.” (03/10/26)
