Italy: Foreign minister says divers found bodies of four Italians dead in Maldives sea cave

Source: SFGate

“Italy’s Foreign Ministry said Monday rescuers have located the bodies of four Italian divers believed to be deep inside an underwater cave in a Maldive atoll. The searches had resumed on Monday after being suspended following the death of a local military diver during a perilous mission to try to reach them. … The body of one Italian — a diving instructor — was found earlier outside the cave.” (05/18/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/italy-s-foreign-minister-says-divers-found-bodies-22264171.php

Thomas L. Knapp

This Tiny Toad Blocked a Green Energy Project. A New Federal Rule Will Cut “Green” Tape.

Source: Reason
by Jeff Luse

“A streamlined process for environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act gives the government broader discretion to approve projects.” (for publication 06/26)

https://reason.com/2026/05/18/less-green-tape-for-more-clean-energy/

Thomas L. Knapp

South Korea: Samsung strike involving 47,000 workers looms as president urges labor deal

Source: CNBC

“South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Monday called for both labor and management rights to be respected as an 18-day strike at Samsung Electronics looms. … A final round of talks between the union and Samsung’s management was scheduled for Monday. The union’s demands center on Samsung’s performance-based bonus system. It is seeking performance bonuses equivalent to 15% of Samsung’s operating profit, the removal of bonus payout caps, and a formalized bonus structure, among other measures. Samsung’s management has offered to allocate 10% of operating profit to bonuses and provide a one-time special compensation package, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.” (05/18/26)

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/18/samsung-strike-lee-jae-myung-labor-deal.html

Thomas L. Knapp

Boomers vs. Doomers

Source: Law & Liberty
by Jeffery Degner

“Forty years ago, the one-hit wonder, Timbuk 3 harmonized, ‘the future’s so bright, I’ve gotta wear shades.’ In the four decades since, the long-run trends in consumer sentiment cast a decidedly darker outlook. Consumer sentiment measures Americans’ views on their economic future, and it’s been getting consistently more dire over time. When that demoralization becomes ingrained in a generation’s psyche, ‘eat and drink, tomorrow we die’ becomes more than a slogan; it becomes a way of life. One of the institutions most dramatically undermined by this persistent gloom is the family.” (05/18/26)

https://lawliberty.org/boomers-vs-doomers/

Thomas L. Knapp

The stock market has got to tune out Trump

Source: Washington Post
by Matthew Lynn

“A Rose Garden announcement triggers panic on Wall Street; then a post on Truth Social sends stock prices soaring. A promise of upcoming news launches a market rally, which slumps when the actual news is delivered that evening. Anyone who follows the stock market is familiar with the phenomenon. In President Donald Trump’s second term — particularly its first few months — his abrupt announcements have driven the stock market in a way that past presidents’ moves have seldom done. And that’s troubling.” (05/18/26)

https://archive.is/tTZjj

Thomas L. Knapp