Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Catherine Lutz & Anne Lutz Fernandez
“The White House is ready for war. As the Trump administration’s made-for-Hollywood strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats have dominated the news, the Pentagon has been positioning military assets in the Caribbean and Latin America and reactivating bases in the region. More recently, The Washington Post reported that high-level meetings were held about a possible imminent attack on Venezuela and The New York Times has learned that the president gave authorization for CIA operations there. There is one problem: Americans don’t seem to be very enthusiastic.” (11/21/25)
“Good old (very old) Nancy D’Alesandro Pelosi got filthy rich doing ‘public service.’ Weird how that works out for politicians, isn’t it? One of the few people older than Pelosi is Warren Buffett, and while he is considered to be almost clairvoyant when it comes to the market, Nan puts him to shame – she ‘has generated a cumulative return of 816% from her investments, beating the S and P 500 by a whopping 559 percentage points.’ That’s almost impossible, and would be impossible if she hadn’t had access to insider information that would land a mere mortal in prison for using. It can be very beneficial if someone knows which government contracts are coming down the line or which industries are on the verge of getting massive subsidies, etc., and Pelosi had her finger right on the pulse of that for decades. Or should I say she had her finger on the scales.” (11/23/25)
“Presidents often lose control over their agenda, or the policy process, or pieces of legislation. Sometimes, they even lose control of their party. But Donald Trump seems to have lost control over the one thing every person, and especially those with immense power, should always maintain control over: himself. Yesterday the president called for the arrest and execution of elected American officials for the crime — as he sees it — of fidelity to the Constitution. … In what must be a first for any White House official, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had to step forward and answer whether the president of the United States wants to kill members of Congress.” (11/21/25)
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Roham Jaberi
“Almost all the rhetoric of social democracy today, especially its American version, boils down to this implicit statement: ‘Free market capitalism is great as long as it financially supports us and our campaigns. But for you common folks, it’s a lethal poison!’ Thus, free market capitalism can be turned into a monopolized private club for billionaire sponsors, allowing them to keep enjoying its benefits, and financing certain agendas, while imposing socialism on the people. This is just to make sure the spillover effects of the free market economy will not elevate people to a position where they might dare to rise against the elite, monopolized club.” (11/21/25)
Source: EconLog
by Peter Calcagno & Beatriz Maldonado
“Generally, trade agreements promote trade liberalization, which can have numerous positive effects, including fostering long-term economic growth, increasing foreign investment, and even initiating positive institutional change. Economist Russell Sobel argues that trade openness is a critical first mover in improving economic freedom. Liberalizing trade and improving economic freedom can reduce corruption or generate moral behavior. Corruption reduction could emerge from formal institutional changes (e.g., laws and legislation) or informal ones emerging from increased business with a less corrupt country.” (11/21/25)
“In mid-September, I wrote a moderately optimistic piece for the Prospect, taking stock of the various elements of resistance, most notably courts and elections. Many readers felt I was being a little too hopeful. Since Election Day, however, there has been a notable shift. And each aspect feeds on the others. They include: * A Democratic wave election that is likely to be repeated and intensified in 2026; * Lower courts becoming even bolder in striking down Trump’s excesses; * The Supreme Court likely to overturn three key Trump cases: tariffs, his efforts to fire Federal Reserve governors, and birthright citizenship; * At least some states, such as Indiana and Kansas, resisting Trump’s redistricting demands: * The continuing fallout from the Epstein files; * Republican defections.” (11/21/25)
“Unlike South African apartheid which backed supremacy and exploitation, Israeli apartheid condones ethnic cleansing, even mass atrocities — as evidenced by the obliteration of Gaza and anti-Palestinian violence in the West Bank.” (11/21/25)
“For those who missed the internationally publicized brouhaha, a tabby named Kit Kat had lived in the city’s Mission, where he sauntered into bodegas and bars. Dubbed the Mayor of 16th Street, Kit Kat was by all accounts a charming character. Then on October 27, the unthinkable happened: a Waymo self-driving taxi ran him over. Kit Kat’s fans have erected memorials and took to social media to mourn. There’s nothing wrong with mourning the death of a neighborhood cat. … my problem isn’t with the upset, but with the proposed solutions. As The New York Times reported, ‘Jackie Fielder, a progressive San Francisco supervisor who represents the Mission District, has been among the most vocal critics. She introduced a city resolution after Kit Kat’s death that calls for the state Legislature to let voters decide if driverless cars can operate where they live.'” (11/21/25)
“The reality that Donald Trump’s presidency will end in January 2029 is already making Republicans restless. Normally, Trump angers, exhausts, and eventually prevails over elected Republicans — not vice versa. Just this week, though, rebellious Republicans forced the release of the so-called Epstein files in defiance of Trump, who had spent months trying to suppress them before abruptly reversing course. Plenty of other cracks are showing too: Staunch allies of the president are mouthing critiques that would have been unfathomable a year ago. These disputes are the prelude to an ugly battle over the post-Trump Republican Party.” (11/21/25)
“Free-marketeers have long pointed out a particular asymmetry between capitalism and socialism (whether of the international or national variety). While anyone in a capitalist society would have a right to engage in socialism (as anyone can do now in our hampered market economy), the reverse would not hold: under socialism — that is, a centrally planned economy, democratic or not — no one would be free to engage in ‘capitalist acts between consenting adults’ (to use Robert Nozick’s phrase from Anarchy, State, and Utopia). It would upset the plan.” (11/21/25)
