Author: Thomas L. Knapp

China: Regime blocks Meta’s $2 billion takeover of AI startup Manus

Source: CNBC

“China’s state planner on Monday called for Meta to unwind its $2 billion acquisition of Manus, a Singaporean artificial intelligence startup with Chinese roots. The decision to prohibit foreign investment in Manus was made in accordance with laws and regulations, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a brief statement. It added that it has asked the parties involved to withdraw the acquisition transaction. … The deal had attracted scrutiny from both China and Washington, as lawmakers in the U.S. have prohibited American investors from backing Chinese AI companies directly. Meanwhile, Beijing has increased efforts to discourage Chinese AI founders from moving business offshore.” (04/27/26)

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/27/meta-manus-china-blocks-acquisition-ai-startup.html

Thomas L. Knapp

When a Chicken Isn’t Just a Chicken

Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Patrick J Lee

“A man stands at a farmers market stall. His wife is talking to the farmer. He picks up a chicken. Paper-wrapped, no barcode, a handwritten tag on the twine. He holds it close to read the label and sets it back down fast. The price is an insult. What are these people thinking? A minute later, another man reaches for the same bird, reads the same label, and smiles. What a deal. Same chicken, same label, same words. … Mises was clear that prices don’t emerge from some objective measure of worth. They emerge from subjective valuations, each party to an exchange believing—at the moment of transaction—that what he receives is worth more than what he gives up. The price is not a fact about the chicken. It is the meeting point of two different minds reading the world differently.” (04/27/26)

https://mises.org/mises-wire/when-chicken-isnt-just-chicken

Thomas L. Knapp

Faith Should Form Our Political Beliefs, Not Justify Them

Source: The Dispatch
by Andy Smarick

“The recent scuffle between Pope Leo XIV and the Trump administration, Vice President J.D. Vance in particular, reveals a great deal about the role faith principles play in shaping (and not shaping) those in public life. This ugly episode confirms what our era has been teaching us: America would be far healthier if more of our leaders were faithful to principles instead of partisanship, pique, or personal ambition.” (04/27/26)

https://thedispatch.com/article/catholicism-converts-pope-leo-jd-vance/

Thomas L. Knapp

“The Wealth of Nations” and 250 Years of Economists Missing the Point

Source: The Daily Economy
by Daniel J Smith & Gabriel F Benzecry

“From trade policy to public debt, today’s economic debates echo those of 1776. The problem isn’t a lack of knowledge — it’s a failure to teach and apply enduring principles.” 904/27/26)

https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-wealth-of-nations-and-250-years-of-economists-missing-the-point/

Thomas L. Knapp

Shield of the Republic, 04/27/26

Source: The Bulwark

“Eric and Eliot review an extended buffet of jackassery before turning to the current state of affairs in Iran. They assess the prospects for a negotiated settlement to the war, and whether we could end up in a ‘no war, no peace’ situation. They also discuss the mutual incomprehension that leaders in both countries exhibit regarding the interests and intentions of the other, Iran’s new collective leadership in the wake of Ali Khamenei’s death, and the structural similarity to the situation faced by Soviet leaders after the death of Stalin. Finally, they respond to reports that the administration is considering deporting to the Democratic Republic of the Congo roughly eleven hundred Afghans in Qatar who were evacuated in 2021 amidst the US withdrawal.” (04/27/26)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dm3kMrnPYE

Thomas L. Knapp