“Although it feels insane to have to write this in 2026, I guess I probably should: All Trump’s claims about the supposed mendacity of the 2020 election have been endlessly litigated and relitigated. The votes have been counted, recounted, investigated, and audited. Every investigation into the matter has confirmed the same thing: Trump’s claims were preposterous lies in 2020, and they remain just as preposterously untrue six years on. There’s one thing that’s new, though. It’s possible that now, unlike in 2020, we no longer live in a world where the actual truth or falsehood of such claims actually matters.” (01/29/26)
“Having reached a certain age and long been fascinated by obituaries, I sometimes think about both Donald Trump’s and my own. At 79, he’s just slightly less than two years younger than me, though of course I wasn’t the 45th president of the United States or the 47th one either. And eight chaotic years (or more?) as president (assuming he makes it that far) guarantee him a monster (and I do indeed use that word advisedly) set of obituaries when he dies, whereas almost a quarter-century at TomDispatch guarantees me nothing at all.” (01/29/26)
“As gold and silver reach historic price levels in early 2026, two specific analyses offer sharply different interpretations of what the U.S. dollar’s recent movement signals about U.S. policy, capital flows, and global markets.” (01/29/26)
“In a year dominated by sharp partisanship, numerous lawmakers improbably united around the revival of America’s commercial shipbuilding industry. Congressional legislation that would channel billions into shipyard subsidies and new trade restrictions attracted scores of cosponsors. The White House issued an executive order aimed at maritime revitalization, and a trade pact with South Korea includes a pledge to invest $150 billion in U.S. shipyards. But expectations of a genuine American shipbuilding renaissance should be kept in check. The United States is ill-suited to quickly transform from a virtual non-participant in commercial shipbuilding to a competitive producer of large cargo vessels. More likely is another round of costly subsidies, continued shipbuilding dysfunction, and little progress toward addressing the country’s key maritime challenges.” (01/29/26)
“President Donald Trump has sharply diverged from his predecessor on nearly every issue, perhaps most of all concerning federal home appliance regulations. The Biden administration loved regulating appliances, imposing new requirements for stoves, dishwashers, furnaces, air conditioners, water heaters, light bulbs, refrigerators, washing machines and more. Trump wasted no time targeting such meddling with an Inauguration Day executive order reconsidering these regulations, and his administration is making progress on this priority. Here is an overview of what the administration achieved in year one on home appliance regulations — and what remains undone.” (01/29/26)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Cláudia Ascensão Nunes
“The archipelago of the Azores, a Portuguese territory located in the North Atlantic between Europe and North America, is frequently celebrated for its natural beauty, volcanic landscapes, and the idyllic image of dairy cows dominating the green islands. This tourist imagery, however, hides a historically difficult economic reality. The geographic location of the Azores, marked by insularity, market isolation, and natural limitations on agricultural production, has imposed deep economic costs.” (01/29/26)
“I’m a bit of a freak for human irrationality. My first love was politics. My profession is marketing. I’ve read more Behavioral Econ than a normal person. So a book whose thesis is ‘humans are bad at reasoning and that’s why politics sucks and is so tribal, irrational, and populist’ was obviously going to appeal to me. Enter Enlightenment 2.0, by Joseph Heath.” (01/29/26)
“AI’s embodiment in grimly purpose-built data centers is drawing grassroots opposition from across the political spectrum. Deeper fears of AI doom are generating proposals for more serious regulation of the technology. The EU has already acted. And the ever-growing anxiety over the cultural acid leaking through our phones is leading many schools and parents to clamp down. Will we get a political movement that is equal to the challenge this time?” (01/29/26)
“First it’s nukes, then it’s conventional missiles, then it’s protesters, and now it’s back to nukes again. Kinda seems like war with Iran is itself the objective, and they’re just making up excuses to get there. As the US moves war machinery to the middle east and holds multi-day war games throughout the region, President Trump and his handlers have been posting threats to the Iranian government on social media warning them to ‘make a deal’ on nuclear weapons.” (01/29/26)
