Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman

“The war goes on, and so does the global energy crisis. In fact, I believe that prices of oil futures remain too low given how much spot prices will need to rise to resolve the shortages that will hit once oil supplies that were shipped before the Strait of Hormuz was closed are exhausted. But a better future is coming, despite Donald Trump’s assault on renewable energy as he tries to drag us back into the fossil fuel past.” (04/03/26)

https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/in-batteries-we-trust

Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Joshua Mawhorter

“Where did money get its value? The original purchasing power of an ounce of gold (or another commodity) as money depended on the array of goods and services (or fractions thereof) for which that ounce of gold could have been exchanged in barter in the immediate past (e.g., the day before). In other words, a money’s purchasing power comes from its non-money exchange value. This leads to a logically-complete explanation for the origin of money’s purchasing power. It is also worth mentioning that this process happens spontaneously, through subjective valuations and market exchanges, rather than money being ‘invented.'” (04/03/26)

https://mises.org/mises-wire/barter-media-exchange-and-colonial-america

Source: Law & Liberty
by Daniel N Gullotta

“West Park Presbyterian Church on Manhattan’s Upper West Side is facing an existential reckoning. After more than 150 years in the neighborhood, the congregation has voted to sell its property, and the landmarked Romanesque Revival building now faces demolition. Long celebrated as one of the city’s architectural treasures, its potential loss has sparked public outrage, drawing protests and celebrity defenders such as Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, and Christian Slater. But despite these signs of support, weekly attendance hovers around a dozen people, the congregation is buried in unmanageable debt, and restoration would cost tens of millions of dollars. West Park Presbyterian isn’t unique.” (04/03/26)

https://lawliberty.org/book-review/no-sacred-ground/

Source: The Weekly Dish
by Andrew Sullivan

“The current clusterfuck in Iran makes the best case for a republic, and its virtues.” (04/03/26)

https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/a-strongmans-kind-of-war-81f

Source: Unpopular Front
by John Ganz

“On Wednesday, Trump became the first president to attend oral arguments at the Supreme Court. Maybe he is simply trying to intimidate the Justices who have already struck down much of his program, but it’s telling what case he picked: Trump v. Barbara concerns his executive order that attempted to effectively end birthright citizenship. I think if you wanted to boil down the Trumpist project to its essence, it’s an attack on American citizenship itself.” (04/03/26)

https://www.unpopularfront.news/p/birthright-and-wrong

Source: Foreign Policy
by Howard W French

“Anxious viewers may have expected a clarifying statement of the purpose of the U.S. war against Iran, a vision of its conclusion, or at least a credible timeline for its end. Anyone old enough to remember prime-time speeches by previous presidents during wartime may have hoped for a return to some of the solemnity that has typically marked such moments. On Wednesday, they got none of this. What national and global audiences saw instead was perhaps the clearest evidence yet that the leader of what has long been the world’s predominant superpower is an utterly chaotic thinker, whose aptitude for his job — never obvious to begin with — appears to be in accelerating decline.” (04/03/26)

https://archive.is/phwV4

Source: The Bulwark
by Will Saletan

“Language is constantly evolving, and Donald Trump is a restless innovator. Three weeks ago, The Bulwark published a glossary of terms he had redefined in his war with Iran. The list included imminent, obliterate, and unconditional surrender. Since then, he has added more words and phrases to his lexicon. Here are some of the most creative.” (04/03/26)

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-expanded-glossary-iran-words