Abusing the Spiral
Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders
“When so-called systems thinkers turn stage theory into a political bludgeon.” (09/21/26)
Of Donald and Diesel
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman
“I still sometimes see commentators asserting that fears about the effects of Trump’s disastrous Iran war on energy prices were overstated, because the price of crude oil is “only” $102 a barrel, far above prewar prices but well below the $150-$200 range some analysts warned was possible. But nobody burns crude oil; they burn products refined from crude oil, mainly gasoline and diesel. And here’s what has happened to the price of diesel: Diesel is currently selling at more than $200 a barrel. It’s true that there is always a ‘crack spread’ between crude and diesel, but it’s typically on the order of $20. So the price of diesel is currently roughly what we would normally expect with crude at around $190.” (09/21/26)
We Could, We Should, We Must
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Josh Stylman
“Two professors at a medical school in Michigan published a peer-reviewed paper in the journal Bioethics. Their argument is that it is ‘morally obligatory’ to genetically engineer ticks to spread a disease that makes humans violently allergic to red meat. My first reaction was the natural one, in my opinion. It had to be an Onion or Babylon Bee headline someone laundered through a fake citation. … So I checked and it turned out to be real. … The author’s actual argument – and remember this is not satire – is that alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), the tick-borne red meat allergy, is a ‘moral bioenhancer.’ Their logic: if eating meat is morally wrong, and the allergy makes you stop eating meat (because it will now kill you), then the allergy makes you a better person.” (09/21/26)
Before the Fall
Source: Washington Monthly
by Merrrill Goozner
‘The number of Americans without health insurance is soaring this year. Last week’s Census Bureau report on the uninsured rate for 2025 is the last good news we’ll get for a while.” (09/21/26)
IL: Supreme Court to hear case that will determine future of Chicago police misconduct process
Source: Chicago Tribune
“After three years of negotiations, lawsuits and appeals, the Illinois Supreme Court this week will hear arguments from attorneys for the city of Chicago and the Fraternal Order of Police in a case that will determine the future of serious misconduct cases involving Chicago Police Department officers and the public’s right of access. The crux of the dispute is whether officers accused of severe wrongdoing may have their disciplinary cases heard and decided by a third-party arbitrator — as is the case for other municipal employees represented by labor unions — instead of the Chicago Police Board, which has been the city’s practice since 1961. … Also at issue is whether or not officers who face termination from CPD should be paid while their cases are adjudicated.” (09/21/26)
The Bulwark Daily, 09/21/26
Source: The Bulwark
“Trump’s Latest Meltdown Is a Dead Giveaway: He’s Rattled (w/ Andrew Egger).” (09/21/26)
Hidden from CPI, These Costs Are Eating Away at Real Wages
Source: The Daily Economy
by Karl-Friedrich Israel
“Official inflation calculations exclude taxes and asset prices. Add them in, and three decades of modest paycheck gains become losses.” (09/21/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/hidden-from-cpi-these-costs-are-eating-away-at-real-wages/
The Ones Who Walk Away from AI
Source: American Greatness
by Stephen Soukup
“Almost exactly a month ago (about a fraction of a second before the issue exploded into the public consciousness) I attempted to address the moral peculiarities of ‘Effective Altruism’, the philosophy-based behavioral code that animates and governs the lives of the tech elites who dominate AI. In retrospect, that column was not my finest. It was a bit of a mess …. In short, in an attempt to discredit the entirety of the Effective Altruism movement, I failed to pick a single target and, as a result, failed to make a particularly effective case against any of it.” (09/21/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/09/21/those-who-walk-away-from-ai/
UN: US strikes on alleged drug boats could be crimes against humanity
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“A UN report has concluded that recent US airstrikes on vessels allegedly trafficking drugs breached international law and could constitute crimes against humanity. The report by Special Rapporteur Ben Saul said since September last year there had been at least 68 US strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific, outside US territorial waters, which [murdered] more than 220 people. Saul said that even if targets could be identified as members of designated terrorist groups, they had not staged an armed attack on the US which would trigger a right to self-defence under international law. The report comes two days after the US military said it [murdered] four people in a strike on a vessel in the Caribbean.” (09/21/26)
The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 09/21/26
Source: The New Republic
“Trump’s Pollster Drops Bomb on GOP as Midterm Panic Grows: ‘Bloodbath.'” (09/21/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/215627/trump-pollster-drops-bomb-gop-midterm-panic-grows-bloodbath