Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker
“Many of the Trump crew seem to be delusional about Trump accounts. They claim to believe that they will replace Social Security. It shouldn’t be a surprise to us that many supporters of Trump are out of touch with reality, but that is not a reason for the rest of us to take their nonsense seriously. Let’s keep our eyes on the ball. This is not 3-dimensional chess; it is an account for newborn kids in which the government deposits $1,000.” (05/11/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/05/12/trump-accounts-are-a-sick-joke-not-a-threat-to-social-security/
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“British Prime Minister Keir Starmer defied calls to resign on Tuesday, telling ministers he would ‘get on with governing’ despite a ‘destabilizing’ 48 hours of growing calls to set out a timetable for his departure after an election drubbing. At a meeting of his cabinet team of ministers, Starmer, in the top job for less than two years, repeated that while he took responsibility for one of his Labour Party’s worst election defeats, there had been no official move to trigger a leadership contest. … Starmer’s defiance was in marked contrast to the feelings of many in his Labour Party. On Tuesday, a junior minister resigned after a handful of ministerial aides also left the government. Housing, communities and local government minister Miatta Fahnbulleh stepped down and urged Starmer ‘to do the right thing for the country.'” (05/11/26)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/starmer-uk-resign-cabinet-9.7196157
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Sunsetting Visibly Worsens as Aides Go Full Cult All Around Him.” (05/11/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/210287/trump-sunsetting-visibly-worsens-aides-go-full-cult-around
Source: The Daily Economy
by Mohamed Moutii
“Over the past decade, Europe has played a leading role in shaping global climate policy, highlighted by the launch of the European Green Deal in 2019 — Ursula von der Leyen described it as a ‘man on the moon moment.’ The initiative aims to make Europe the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050 while fostering innovation and strengthening its industrial base. Yet several years later, the results are deeply disappointing. Instead of meeting its goals, the Green Deal is increasingly associated with higher energy costs, weakened competitiveness, and growing political backlash.” (05/11/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/europes-green-deal-is-unraveling/
Source: Law & Liberty
by Constanza Mazzina
“The decades after Argentina’s founding are a testament to the promise of Smithian economic and political thought.” (05/11/26)
https://lawliberty.org/adam-smiths-legacy-in-alberdis-argentina/
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“A leading people smuggler, whose network is believed to be responsible for the majority of illegal cross-Channel journeys in recent years, has been unmasked by a BBC investigation. The 28-year-old Iraqi Kurd has evaded arrest for several years by operating under the alias ‘Kardo Ranya.’ He has kept his real name a closely guarded secret, which has frustrated law enforcement agencies in their efforts to issue an international warrant for his arrest. … using contacts in the smuggling world, my colleague Rob Lawrie and I were able to follow a trail from migrant camps on the northern French coast, all the way to Iraqi Kurdistan, obtaining Kardo Ranya’s real identity and details, and ultimately confronting him.” (05/12/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3pl5093wpo
Source: Crooked Media
“AOC vs. Bezos.” (05/11/26)
https://audioboom.com/posts/8902307-aoc-vs-bezos
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by George Beebe
“At first glance, the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw two battalions from Germany and cancel the planned deployment of intermediate-range ground-launched missiles there looks like a win for those who favor reducing America’s overseas military presence or prioritizing the Indo-Pacific over Europe. But how the United States retrenches and refocuses its foreign policy ambitions matters enormously. And the way this announcement was handled could ultimately prove to be a setback for both so-called ‘restrainers’ and ‘prioritizers’ as they seek to reshape U.S. foreign policy strategy.” (05/11/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/germany-troop-withdrawal/
Source: Common Dreams
by Aamir R Mufti
“The war launched by Israel and the United States on Iran on February 28 has already proven a turning point in world history. So many elements of geopolitics have coalesced in it that we won’t understand its full significance for some time to come. A ceasefire, especially one as chaotic and fragile as this one, is not the end of war, so the new realities may soon be replaced by others. But safe to say that none of the countries of the regions directly impacted by this war so far (from the Levant and the Persian Gulf all the way to South Asia, and of course the United States and Israel) will be able to return to the status quo antebellum.” (05/12/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-china-unipolar-world
Source: CNBC
“eBay on Tuesday rejected GameStop’s $56 billion takeover proposal, calling the unsolicited bid ‘neither credible nor attractive.’ GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen last week unveiled an audacious bid for eBay, offering to acquire the online marketplace for $125 per share in a cash-and-stock deal. eBay is much larger than the video game retailer, with a market cap of just over $48 billion, while GameStop’s is roughly $10.3 billion. … Many Wall Street analysts threw cold water on the deal, citing a lack of meaningful synergies between the two companies. ” (05/11/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/12/ebay-rejects-gamestops-takeover-ryan-cohen.html
