Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Source: Liberalism.org
by Josh Zingher

“Our political battle lines fall increasingly along our growing educational divide, in which young women are advancing, and young men are falling behind.” (05/22/26)

https://www.liberalism.org/p/educational-polarization-and-the-politics-of-young-men

Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Katrina Gulliver

“Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) have reached a merger agreement, where Paramount will acquire WBD for $110 billion at $31 per share in cash. (The final terms of the deal have yet to be approved by the DOJ and the FCC.) But assuming it goes ahead, report author Jeff Ferry suggests: ‘At a time when the industry is struggling, the proposed merger of Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery stands out as the most significant opportunity for renewed growth in years.’ The merger will create Hollywood’s largest studio, churning out 30 movies a year, and their analysis finds that if this commitment is fulfilled, it could add almost $1 billion to Hollywood’s annual investment in movie production within Los Angeles.” (05/24/26)

https://fee.org/articles/hollywoods-golden-state/

Source: Brownstone Institute
by Steve Templeton

“If kids should place their education as a high priority, the messages and actions of administrators, teachers, and parents they observe should clearly reinforce that importance. Using the Appearance of Safety as a convenient foil to avoid responsibilities and making hard decisions undermines that message completely. Just because public education isn’t paid for directly like gymnastics competition fees doesn’t mean it should get a pass. Otherwise, we will continue to accept less and get less value, and our kids will pay even more for our carelessness in the future than they already have.” (05/24/26)

https://brownstone.org/articles/education-shrinkflation/

Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman

“Iran may or may not agree to exercise restraint in its control over the Strait of Hormuz and its nuclear program. But as Donald Trump of all people should know, agreements can be broken. At a fundamental level Trump, who began by demanding UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER and trying to impose a subservient new regime, is now slinking away, leaving Iran’s hard-liners empowered — and America’s reputation shattered.” (05/25/26)

https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/donald-trumps-ego-driven-excursion

Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Trita Parsi

“The regional buy-in — and the fact that Trump announced the agreement only after speaking with a wide array of key regional leaders, including those of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain, in addition to a separate call with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu — is highly significant. This regional anchoring affords Trump a degree of political insulation in Washington. Faced with inevitable accusations from hawks that the agreement amounts to defeat or that it betrays Israel, he can point to broad regional support as evidence that America’s principal partners in the Middle East prefer diplomacy to escalation. … Judging by the public panic now emanating from Washington’s war hawks and pro-Israel circles, however, the next 30 days are likely to be politically brutal for Trump.” (05/23/26)

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/iran-trump-deal-hormuz/

Source: The Daily Economy
by Michael N Peterson

“The real challenge isn’t deciding which generation suffered more — it’s restoring the conditions that allow every generation to prosper.” (05/25/26)

https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-boomers-vs-millennials-debate-misses-the-bigger-economic-point/