Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Damian Pudner
“When oil prices rise, economists ask what it means for inflation. Politicians ask what it means for voters. Since the Iran conflict and the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, that has become the more urgent question. This is no longer just a macro and monetary policy story. It is a cost-of-living story. And in Britain, that means it quickly becomes a political one.” (04/07/26)
Source: Center for a Stateless Society
by Hein Htet Kyaw
“History often remembers the 1962 coup as an unexpected seizure of power by a power-hungry General. However, the military’s current denial to depart the politics and their evolution into an elite ‘crony’ class from the military bureaucratic class are rooted in the seven-decade growth of their bureaucratic power and economic interests, which began in the 1950s. To understand today’s political situation, one must trace how the military successfully embedded itself into the nation’s economic and administrative core over the last seventy years.” (04/07/26)
“Maybe Trump’s ballroom will fare better in the appeals court. Or maybe he will act on Leon’s recommendation and obtain congressional approval. But his argument that no such permission is necessary, which relies on stretching a statute far beyond what its plain text can reasonably support, is of a piece with his attempts to rewrite other laws in service of his agenda.” (04/06/26)
“Earlier this year, Amazon threatened to cut US Postal Service deliveries by as much as two thirds. Now, the parties have reached tentative a deal that will see USPS deliveries reduced by 20 percent, The Wall Street Journal reported. While not as drastic as first menaced, the reduced volume will still deal a financial blow to the USPS. … Amazon is the USPS’s largest customer, accounting for 15 percent of its volume and $6 billion in revenue.” (04/06/26)
“Ernest Hancock (Publisher of Freedom’s Phoenix, Pirates Without Borders, Occpy the Land and Libertas.Earth; and Host of the Declare Your independence with Ernest Hancock show) declares ‘The Beginning is Nigh.’ What does that mean? What can we look forward to? What are some solutions?” (04/06/26)
“Following President Trump’s address to the nation on Wednesday about the Iran War, stock markets suffered losses while oil prices rose. The decline in stocks and increase in oil prices reflected disappointment over President Trump’s failure to articulate a plan to end the Iran War and the related restraint of shipping through of the Strait of Hormuz. The average gas price in America has risen to over four dollars per gallon since the US and Israel launched their war against Iran at the end of February. The increased cost of gas is raising prices at the pump and, by increasing shipping costs, resulting in higher prices at grocery stores and even on Amazon.” (04/06/26)
“Rank-and-file Democratic support for Palestinians has surged since 2024 and risen more since last summer, but there are influential party leaders who disagree. The US-Israel attacks on Iran are more unifying inside the party. Democrats are against them and happy to blame them for rising prices. But the demand for the official party to take a position is fraught with risk, at a moment when the party is feeling good about the issues this midterm election will be fought over.” (04/06/26)
“With Republicans in charge of Congress and the White House, Sanders’s concrete proposal is unlikely to succeed in the near term; one superforecaster gave the data center moratorium bill a ‘less than zero’ chance of passing. But his proposal for a national moratorium conditioned on subsequent AI legislation could provide a rallying point for diverse anti-AI forces. If passed, it would give NIMBY activists what they want — a short-term reprieve from data center construction — while also providing leverage for advocates of AI safety, child welfare, labor rights, and other causes. Even some Republicans might get on board.” (04/06/26)
