Politico Playbook Audio Briefing, 05/04/26
Source: Politico
“‘Warning signs are flashing’: GOP anxiety builds with six months to midterms.” (05/04/26)
When America Chose Empire
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by George Ford Smith
“In 1901, on far-away Balangiga — a village in Eastern Samar of the Philippines — an American general gave an order that stripped away any notion of ‘civilizing’ or ‘Christianizing’ a foreign people: ‘Make it a howling wilderness.’ General Jacob H. Smith’s command — accompanied by the instruction to ‘kill everyone over ten’ — was not an aberration. It was consistent with a decision made only a few years earlier about America becoming one of the ‘great’ nations. The government would abandon its anti-imperial tradition and join the ranks of empire.” (05/04/26)
Cyberattack Exposes Risks of Policy-Driven Healthcare Concentration
Source: The Daily Economy
by Vance Ginn
“When one provider goes offline, others should step in. Mississippi’s experience shows how certificate-of-need laws prevent that — and why reform matters for public health.” (05/04/26)
GameStop makes daring $56 billion bid for eBay, hoping to rival Amazon
Source: CNN
“GameStop has offered to buy ecommerce giant eBay for $55.5 billion, a tie-up that the video game retailer’s boss believes could produce a ‘legit competitor’ to Amazon. The offer comes amid something of a revival at eBay, which has pushed to reinvent itself in the face of rising competition from the likes of Walmart, Amazon, Shein and Facebook Marketplace. GameStop — which became a household name during the meme stock craze of 2021 — has offered $125 per share for eBay, half in cash and half in stock, the company announced Sunday. That represents a 46% premium to eBay’s closing share price on February 4, the day GameStop started building a 5% stake in the company.” (05/04/26)
EconTalk, 05/04/26
Source: EconTalk
“Golfing Alone (with Gary Belsky).” (05/04/26)
This Energy Crisis Is Undoing the Last Ones
Source: Foreign Policy
by Giuliana Chamedes
“Unlike earlier oil crises, which strengthened Western unity, the current situation is fragmenting it. It has become clear that the United States and Israel are not able to protect the Gulf from Iran’s attacks. Horizontal agreements are accordingly being negotiated everywhere one looks: Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates with Ukraine, Canada with China, and European powers with independent countries in the region. The United States faces particular challenges. Under President Donald Trump, the country has tired out its erstwhile allies, who are looking elsewhere for more reliable trade partners.” (05/04/26)
Regulators risk destroying local TV by blocking key media merger
Source: Fox News
by Steve Forbes
“The Nexstar-Tegna transaction is exactly the kind of pro-growth, common-sense deal Washington should applaud, not bury under a mountain of legal briefs, bureaucratic nostrums and political posturing. These two companies are major owners of local television stations. For years, America’s local broadcasters have been battered by forces far larger than any single station group: Big Tech, streaming behemoths, social-media platforms, cord-cutting, cable fragmentation and the steady siphoning of advertising dollars away from local outlets. The old world of three networks, a handful of hometown stations and a captive evening-news audience has long gone the way of the dinosaurs. Local television today is not operating in a sheltered village. It is competing in a global, fiercely competitive marketplace. That is why the Nexstar-Tegna deal matters.” (05/04/26)
Rubio expected to meet with Pope Leo amid Trump’s clash with pontiff on Iran
Source: Washington Post
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio is slated to travel to Italy to meet with Pope Leo XIV this week, according to a senior Vatican official, marking the first high-ranking encounter between the pontiff and a top administration official since President Donald Trump issued withering criticism of the Chicago-born pope last month. The visit comes amid a deterioration in relations between the United States and the Vatican, as well as Italy, with observers viewing the trip as an attempt to patch up troubled ties. Rubio, a prominent Catholic in the administration, is expected to meet with Leo on Thursday, according to the Vatican official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a meeting that has not yet been made public.” (05/04/26)
The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 05/04/26
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Blurts Out Damning Admission of Iran Blunder as GOP Panic Grows.” (05/04/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/209885/trump-blurts-damning-admission-iran-blunder-gop-panic-grows
US quest for superweapons runs into reality
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Mark Thompson
“For every successful dream of a new military technology that ends up working as advertised, there are 100 nightmares into which U.S. taxpayers are forced to pour money with little to show for it. The challenge, of course, is to pluck the winners from the losers before the billions have been spent.” (05/04/26)