Trump’s Iran War Is Tearing Apart His Catholic–Evangelical Coalition
Source: Mother Jones
by Kiera Butler
“Once allies opposing abortion, gay marriage, and supporting Trump, the war broke them.” (04/08/26)
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
North Korean regime conducts multiple missile launches over two days, Seoul regime says
Source: United Press International
“North Korea fired short-range ballistic missiles on two separate occasions Wednesday, Seoul’s military said, marking three launches over two days after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over a drone incursion. At 8:50 a.m. Wednesday, the North launched several short-range ballistic missiles from its coastal Wonsan area toward the East Sea, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message to reporters. The missiles flew approximately 150 miles, the JCS said …. North Korea later fired a single short-range ballistic missile from Wonsan toward the East Sea at 2:20 p.m. Wednesday, the JCS said in a separate message. The missile flew approximately 435 miles.” (04/08/26)
Rising, 04/08/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on the U.S. and Iran agreeing to a ceasefire after President Trump threatened that ‘a whole civilization will die’ if a deal was not reached.” (04/08/26)
Confessions of a Neotenous Man
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“Today I turn 55. While my kids love to mock my age, the truth is that I feel young. Real young. Every day, my top priority is not fulfilling my duties or conforming to social expectations, but having fun. Biologists have an adjective for my state of being: neoteny. We neotenous creatures retain our juvenile traits long into adulthood.” (04/08/26)
The David Frum Show, 04/08/26
Source: The Atlantic
“What It Means to Be American.” (04/08/26)
“Very difficult, perhaps altogether impossible”: Smith’s political science
Source: EconLog
by Jacob T Levy
“Over hundreds of pages, Smith patiently shows why both peace and a tolerable administration of justice are historically rare, and continually fragile. To the extent that some society or other happens to have them, it seems to be neither the natural course of things nor the result of wise and judicious statesmanship but rather barely better than luck. Smith was not an esoteric writer, but he was a patient one. He laid out arguments and counterarguments at narrative length and expected readers to follow along with him.” (04/08/26)
Madman Theory
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Kym Robinson
“Richard Nixon employed a ‘madman theory’ while he negotiated with the North Vietnamese and Soviets. Nixon wanted the leaders of those countries to think that he was unpredictable, volatile and willing to risk nuclear destruction. In turn this caused the Vietnamese and Soviet leaders to tread with reason and use cool minded methods. It forced them to make concessions and placate the irrational leader of the ‘free world.’ The theory is based on the premise that an irrational leader is more dangerous than a rational one. … It is unlikely the current US president has the calculation and awareness for such methods, let alone the understanding of history.” (04/08/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/anti-war-blog-madman-theory/
The Fed’s Overton Window Is Shifting
Source: Macroeconomic Policy Nexus
by David Beckworth
“From supply-driven reserves to demand-driven liquidity.” (04/08/26)
https://macroeconomicpolicynexus.substack.com/p/the-feds-overton-window-is-shifting
Unionized ProPublica staff are on strike over AI, layoffs, and wages
Source: The Verge
“Unionized staff at ProPublica, one of the country’s leading nonprofit newsrooms, are walking off the job for 24 hours beginning Wednesday and asking the public to honor a digital picket line. The roughly 150 members of the ProPublica Guild are in the midst of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement after unionizing in 2023. The union says key issues are still in contention, including protections around the use of AI, ‘just cause’ provisions around disciplining or firing an employee, layoff protections, and wages. … The unit voted in March to authorize a strike if a deal was not reached with ProPublica management.” (04/08/26)
https://www.theverge.com/news/908401/propublica-union-strike-negotiations-ai-layoffs
The Illegal News with Sarah Longwell, 04/08/26
Source: The Bulwark
“Trump Knows His Election Order is Illegal. That’s the Point! (w/ Andrew Weissmann).” (04/08/26)