Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 04/02/25
Source: Antiwar.com
“White House: Yemen Strikes ‘Incredibly Successful,’ Gaza Bakeries Close as Flour Runs Out, and More.” (04/02/25)
The Open Campus?
Source: Law & Liberty
by Law & Liberty Editors
“Should a university strive to be an open society? Many will feel an immediate impulse to answer in the affirmative. Universities should be places of exploration and discovery. They should foster lively intellectual exchange. They should create a space in which people feel emboldened to pursue the truth to surprising or unexpected places, potentially moving against the grain of the surrounding culture. These goods can only be realized in an environment where scholars and students enjoy some measure of freedom. That sounds like an open society. On further reflection, complications arise. … Four faculty members offered their views on whether, and in what ways, the university should be a free society.” (04/02/25)
The Fruits of Trump Tariffs: Closer Ties Between Canada and China
Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker
“With Donald Trump seemingly determined to push the US economy on a path towards autarky, our major trading partners will need to make alternative arrangements. This is especially the case with Canada, since its economy is so closely tied to the US economy.At this point, Mark Carney, the country’s new Prime Minister, knows there is little possibility of dealing with Trump rationally. … Trump’s erratic craziness makes the prospect of a real and lasting deal very dim. Carney has to look to secure stronger trade deals with more stable partners. Europe and Latin America are clearly part of the that story, but China needs to be too, as the world’s largest economy. There are opportunities for major gains from trade with China, especially in the auto sector, which had been thoroughly intertwined with the United States and Mexico.” (04/02/25)
Val Kilmer, 1959-2025
Source: New York Times
“Val Kilmer, a homegrown Hollywood actor who tasted leading-man stardom as Jim Morrison and Batman, but whose protean gifts and elusive personality also made him a high-profile supporting player, died on Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 65. The cause was pneumonia, said his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer. Mr. Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and later recovered, she said.” [editor’s note: I like Tommy Lee Jones, but let’s be honest — Kilmer got robbed at the 66th Academy Awards and should have received the Best Supporting Actor trophy for Tombstone – TLK] (04/02/25)
Fountainhead Forum, episode 289
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Mark Pellegrino on the American Capitalist Party and working in Hollywood.” (04/01/25)
War, Doublethink, and the Struggle for Survival: Geopolitics of the Gaza Genocide
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ramzy Baroud
“In a genocidal war that has spiraled into a struggle for political survival, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition and the global powers supporting him continue to sacrifice Palestinian lives for political gain.” (04/02/25)
Trump’s “Liberation Day” no cause for panic; here are five reasons why
Source: Fox News
by Stephen Moore
“The stock market has been throwing a temper tantrum over the Trump tariffs. The beatdown could get worse because President Donald Trump is expected to announce another round of import tariffs on Wednesday. The liberal media and Democrats in Congress — many of whom once supported tariffs — are feeding the flames. They hate Trump and want to see him fail. But is the market downgrade of American companies to the tune of roughly 10% a rational response to Trump’s trade restrictions? I am an economist, not a stock market sage, but it is worth a reminder that despite some higher tariffs imposed by Trump in his first term — which caused temporary stock sell-offs — those effects were truly transitory. The market later surged month after month. On average, stocks rose by roughly 60% in four years. Not a bad return.” (04/02/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/trumps-liberation-day-no-cause-panic-here-5-reasons-why
US regime cancels visa of Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“The former president of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias, says his US visa has been revoked. Arias, a Nobel laureate, said he was informed of the decision weeks after he had publicly criticised Donald Trump, comparing the behaviour of the US president to that of a Roman emperor. The 84-year-old, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in brokering an end to conflicts in Central America, said US authorities had given no explanation. Arias hinted, however, that it may be due to his rapprochement with China during the time he was president from 2006 to 2010. Speaking at an news conference in the Costa Rican capital, San José, Arias said he had ‘no idea’ what the reason for the cancellation was.” (04/02/25)
Nice Try, President Trump, But There Is No Third-Term Presidential Loophole
Source: The UnPopulist
by Paul Gowder
“While most of us are aware that the Constitution prohibits a president from serving more than two terms, some legal scholars have argued that there is a loophole that Trump, despite being twice-elected, could exploit. Unlike his plainly unconstitutional attempt to abolish birthright citizenship for everyone except the children of citizens and green card holders, the third-term question has been a live and serious debate within legal circles for years prior to Trump’s ascent. Now for the good news: The best reading of the Constitution really does rule out a third Trump term. In the end, even the sophisticated legal arguments for allowing a third presidential term depend on exploiting loopholes in a document that isn’t written to exhaustively anticipate and exclude them and therefore, as Chief Justice John Marshall warned us, end up undermining the very foundations of our Republic.” (04/01/25)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/nice-try-president-trump-but-there
Turkey: Regime Whines About Opposition Calls for a Day of No Shopping
Source: US News & World Report
“Turkey’s government denounced opposition calls for a mass commercial boycott following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu that sparked nationwide protests, describing them on Wednesday as an economic ‘sabotage attempt.’ After the mayor was detained two weeks ago, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) had called for a boycott of goods and services from companies with perceived ties to President Tayyip Erdogan’s government. That call widened on Wednesday to include a halt to all shopping for one day, prompting some shops to close in solidarity with those criticising the arrest as a politicised and anti-democratic attempt to hurt the opposition’s electoral prospects. Imamoglu is Erdogan’s main political rival and the CHP’s presidential candidate for any future election. Trade Minister Omer Bolat said boycott calls posed a threat to economic stability and accused those advocating them of seeking to undermine the government.” (04/02/25)