Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Source: EconLog
by Jon Murphy

“In my recent post on US manufacturing jobs and tariffs, I mentioned a Wall Street Journal article that pointed toward American tariffs having little impact on Chinese exports; the exports are simply being shifted to other countries. In the earlier post, I discussed what that fact meant for US manufacturing jobs. Here, I discuss what that shift means for who bears the burden of the tax.” (02/06/26)

https://www.econlib.org/econlog/the-us-is-a-small-country

Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Jack Hunter

“The Trump phenomenon was supposed to be a changing of the old Republican guard, however imperfectly, for a new foreign policy ethos that was closer to Pat Buchanan and Ron Paul than Bill Kristol and David Frum. That’s exactly why so many neoconservatives and War Party Republicans got behind the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. So seven years ago, when Bolton tried to redefine Donald Trump’s America First brand as a continuation of McCain-Bush interventionism, I laughed. Did Bolton really think the conservative base was this gullible? I’m not laughing anymore. Hawks, including old neoconservatives, now present pro-war interventionism as America First all the time.” (02/06/26)

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/america-first-trump/

Source: Foreign Policy
by Anchal Vohra

“In the face of U.S. bullying, European leaders are considering reaching out to Russia’s president.” (02/06/26)

https://archive.is/FGsLb

Source: CounterPunch
by Jim Hightower

“If you’re ever asked to define the word oxymoron, just say ‘Congressional ethics.’ People instinctively burst out guffawing at the absurdity of linking Congress to upright behavior. But surprisingly, Republican congressional leaders say they’re now taking a bold stand for a little less corruption among their own members, targeting lawmakers who’ve been secretly enriching themselves through ‘insider stock trading.’ … recently, the party’s designated ethics watchdog, Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI), rose on his hind legs to introduce the Stop Insider Trading Act. ‘If you want to trade stocks,’ Steil howled in operatic outrage, ‘go to Wall Street.’ Bravissimo! Except it was a fraud. Far from stopping the self-enriching stock scams of lawmakers like Bresnahan, Steil’s bill basically legalizes their corrupt transactions.” (02/06/26)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/02/06/gops-solution-to-corruption-just-legalize-it/

Source: Brownstone Institute
by Joseph Varon

“Recent studies reveal a striking statistic: over the last decade, approximately 30% of primary care physicians have either retired or switched to non-clinical roles, leaving a notable gap in patient care. Something subtle has been happening in American medicine, and it’s easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. There have been no emergency declarations, no ribbon-cutting ceremonies, no breaking news alerts. No one has announced it officially. But if you pay attention — if you walk into clinics that once buzzed with conversation, if you notice how long it takes now to get an appointment, if you see how often a familiar nameplate disappears from a door — you begin to feel it. The waiting rooms are quieter. Not calmer. Not healthier. Just quieter in a method that feels wrong. The type of quiet that doesn’t signal relief, but absence.” (02/06/26)

https://brownstone.org/articles/the-silence-of-the-waiting-rooms/