Source: The Daily Economy
by Matthew Blakey
“By redefining inflation as consumer prices, we distort how we interpret policy, inequality, and markets.” (04/07/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/redefining-inflation-to-obscure-its-origins/
Source: Gideon’s Substack
by Noah Millman
“Betting markets now suggest the Democrats are strongly favored to take the House, and it’s a coin flip whether they’ll take the Senate. In consequence of these developments, debates between moderates and left-wingers about how the party needs to run have been largely shelved in favor of a comforting consensus that ‘we’re not Trump’ will be enough in 2026, and possibly in 2028 as well. … Democrats might well win in 2026 and even in 2028 without having had any serious discussion about what they want to do, or having determined whether what they want to do has anything to do with what the electorate wants or the country needs. And if that is how they win, then what happens after they do?” (04/07/26)
https://gideons.substack.com/p/do-the-democrats-know-what-time-it
Source: Los Angeles Times
by Jon Duffy
“The problem in Iran is not that the military has failed to destroy things. It is that destruction is not the same as control. Wars must be judged by the political conditions they produce, not simply by the targets they hit. The Iranian regime still holds its core position. It is still imposing costs and shaping the terms under which other nations, including the U.S., must operate. Tactical violence has not produced durable strategic effect. The administration’s justifications have shifted repeatedly, and its claims of victory have grown more theatrical as the war’s practical results have grown less convincing. … The president launched this war in the name of defending America from imminent threats. He is now applauding limited relief from a coercive order the war itself helped create. What began as a show of force is now a search for smaller and smaller signs of progress.” (04/07/26)
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“Within a span of three weeks, the world’s main monotheistic religions have marked significant annual observances – Ramadan for Muslims, Easter for Christians, and Passover for Jews. Specific worship practices during these periods of prayer and reflection differ. But they all touch on common themes of forgiveness as well as redemption or liberation – both from severe external dangers and harsh inner sentiments. ‘Forgiveness … forms an important part of what it means to be a Christian (and to be a follower of many other major religions, too),’ Financial Times columnist Jemima Kelly wrote recently. In addition to benefiting individuals, she noted, ‘It can allow nations to heal after decades of conflict [and] bridge the kind of deep divides … we now see in our societies.’ Celebrating Eid, at the end of Ramadan, ‘is all about forgiving people,’ according to Sadaf Farooqi, a writer and Islamic educator based in Karachi, Pakistan.” (04/06/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0406/Times-of-forgiveness-and-redemption
Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker
“Let me be straight: the March jobs report was much better than I had expected. I always give my wife my predictions just before the report comes out, because that’s when I have all the data I’m going to have. My pre-release numbers were 40k jobs and 4.5% unemployment. The actual numbers were 178k jobs and 4.3% unemployment. That’s a big miss. Okay, so what did I get wrong?” (04/07/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/04/07/the-march-jobs-report-and-time/
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“Suppose you’re a juror on a murder trial. A witness testifies that he saw the accused hack the victim to pieces with an ax. When the defense lawyer cross-examines the witness, his only challenges are: ‘Prove it wasn’t a dream’ and ‘Maybe you’re a brain in a vat.’ The correct reaction for the jurors is not to peruse philosophy journals for the latest replies to these classic canards. It is to summarily declare, ‘Bah.’ If that’s your lawyer’s best defense against the charge of murder, the jurors should convict you. If ‘Bah’ seems dogmatic, my response is: ‘I’m not dogmatic; you’re gullible.’” (04/07/26)
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman
“When a political movement believes that ignorance is strength.” (04/07/26)
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/maga-is-winning-its-war-against-us
Source: Reason
by Damon Root
“Sometimes, a highly controversial political or social issue will lead to a highly fractious Supreme Court decision. Chiles v. Salazar is a reminder that even the most contentious issues do not always raise equally difficult legal questions for the Supreme Court to answer.” (04/07/26)
https://reason.com/2026/04/07/why-scotus-ruled-8-1-against-colorados-conversion-therapy-ban/
Source: The Dispatch
by Jeremiah Johnson
“It’s easy to propose ideas that make things feel more affordable without actually making them less expensive. And while both parties traffic in this kind of theater, the GOP — especially under President Donald Trump — has turned it into a governing ethos. The formula is simple. First, Trump will create an affordability problem through his own policies. Then, instead of fixing the underlying cause, he will propose to paper over the problem with a subsidy, a tax gimmick, or a check. Tariffs are the most obvious example.” (04/07/26)
Source: The American Conservative
by Bruce Fein
“Congress can brandish the power of the purse to end President Donald Trump’s unconstitutional attack on Iran, a criminal war of aggression as defined by the postwar Nuremberg Tribunal. Congress ended the Vietnam War through the power of the purse. All Congress needs today is a fraction of the courage displayed by the 56 signatories to the American Declaration of Independence who signed their death warrants in defense of unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness 250 years ago.” (04/07/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/congress-can-end-trumps-unconstitutional-war-in-iran/