Source: EconLog
by Dennis C Rasmussen
“Much of Book 3 is dedicated to a historical account of how and why the feudal order that prevailed throughout Europe for many centuries eventually gave way to a liberal, commercial order—that is, how a world dominated by hierarchy, dependence, and intrastate conflict was superseded by one in which the rule of law reigned and people enjoyed comparative freedom and safety. Smith’s account of how the feudal lords squandered their immense power for the sake of frivolous luxuries has become a famous one.” 903/25/26)
https://www.econlib.org/library/columns/y2026/rasmussen-wn250-3
Source: The Daily Economy
by Satya Marar
“Two years after the European Union (EU)’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) took effect, the results have been mixed to negative. Promises about certainty, lower enforcement costs, and a more innovative and competitive digital ecosystem haven’t materialized. Rather than learn from Europe’s mistakes, Californian policymakers and federal proponents of Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)’s American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA) would import similar ideas to ostensibly help small businesses and hold tech giants accountable. The EU’s experience shows that DMA-style proposals aren’t just unlikely to achieve these goals. They’re also likely to harm consumers, competition, and innovation.” (03/25/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-eus-digital-markets-act-failed-why-are-us-politicians-copying-it/
Source: Engadget
“Apple has introduced more than just new features, like an AI playlist generator, with iOS 26.4 in the UK. The company now requires users in the region to verify their ages and to prove they’re 18 years old or above before they can access ‘certain services or features, or take certain actions on their account.’ Users can verify their ages in Settings by linking a credit card to their account or scanning an ID. For people who’ve had an Apple account for a while, the company will check if they already have a payment method on file that can prove they’re of age. The company says it will automatically switch on its Web Content Filter and Communication Safety features for everyone under 18 and for those who haven’t verified their ages.” (03/25/26)
https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-introduces-age-verification-for-icloud-accounts-in-the-uk-115340237.html
Source: Politico
“Democrats got more big wins on Tuesday night, flipping two legislative seats in reliably red Florida, including the district containing President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. The wins don’t dent Florida Republicans’ supermajority, but they mark more performances for Democrats that have defied expectations ahead of the pivotal midterm elections. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns discuss the warning signs for Republicans, and a notable Trump absence.” (03/25/26)
https://traffic.megaphone.fm/POLL7231637913.mp3
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Martin Di Caro
“This is a story of the unintended consequences of a Pyrrhic victory celebrated 35 years ago as a history-making triumph. As the U.S. fights its latest war in the Persian Gulf — this time against Iran, the country that benefited most from Saddam Hussein’s demise — it’s a good moment to reflect on Operation Desert Storm. That intervention now appears to have been an avoidable war that set the United States on a disastrous course from which it has failed to extricate itself. What seemed like a clean victory in 1991 has turned into a strategic quagmire.” (03/25/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/persian-gulf-war-iran/
Source: Grist
by Jake Bittle & Rebecca Egan McCarthy
“The government is paying TotalEnergies to halt a wind farm it isn’t building, in exchange for fossil fuel investments it’s already making.” (03/25/26)
https://grist.org/politics/trump-interior-offshore-wind-total/
Source: CoinDesk
“On Friday, bitcoin options or derivative contracts worth billions will expire on crypto exchange Deribit. Traders might want to note that the dynamics of the expiry are such that BTC’s market price could be lifted toward a very specific point: $75,000. Deribit, the world’s largest crypto options exchange, will settle bitcoin options contracts worth $14.16 billion on Friday at 08:00 UTC. This means nearly 40% of all open interest – the dollar value of all active contracts on the exchange – are set to expire in roughly 48 hours. On Deribit, one options contract represents one BTC. … According to Deribit’s data, the ‘max pain’ price — the level where the most contracts would expire worthless (lottery tickets that don’t win) — sits right at $75,000. As such, this level could act as a magnet, according to Deribit’s Chief Commerical Officer Jean-David Péquignot.” (03/25/26)
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/03/25/there-s-a-huge-usd14-billion-bitcoin-options-expiry-this-friday-and-it-points-to-usd75-000-as-price-magnet
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“More than 350 years after the death of legendary French musketeer d’Artagnan, remains have been found under the floor of a Dutch church that may well have been his. Jos Valke, who is deacon at St Peter and Paul Church in Maastricht, helped unearth the skeleton and is 99% certain that the remains belong to Charles de Batz de Castelmore, a close aide to France’s Sun King Louis XIV who was known as Count d’Artagnan. D’Artagnan was killed during the Siege of Maastricht in 1673, but later immortalised in the adventure stories of Alexandre Dumas as a friend of the Three Musketeers. His remains were long rumoured to have been buried in the church but no evidence has been found until now.” (03/25/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2rew2dgzzo
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Tirades on Iran Take Ugly, Sadistic Turn as Crushing Polls Hit.” (03/25/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/208152/trump-tirades-iran-take-ugly-sadistic-turn-crushing-polls-hit
Source: The Dispatch
by Jonah Goldberg
“The Trump administration has been obsessed with maximizing the president’s war powers to justify his agenda on such things as industrial policy, immigration, domestic deployment of the National Guard, and, most glaringly, trade. But now, when we’re actually at war, officials are reversing their economic philosophy in service to Trump’s seat-of-the-pants decision-making. Trump’s trade policies are exactly what the great 19th-century economist Henry George had in mind when he warned, ‘What protectionism teaches us, is to do to ourselves in time of peace what enemies seek to do to us in time of war.’ What’s so strange is that Trump is turning George on his head by easing economic pressure on our wartime enemy. But he’s also reversing his own biases by liberating our domestic economy.” (03/25/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/iran-war-economy/
