The Bulwark Podcast, 01/13/26
Source: The Bulwark
“Trump is Dangerous Because He Has Nothing to Lose (w/ Susan Glasser & Jacob Soboroff).” (01/13/26)
Genocide Isn’t a Mistake. Which Is Why the Media Can’t Tell You the Truth About Gaza
Source: Antiwar.com
by Jonathan Cook
“It is almost impossible to get serious criticism of the Israeli state, which (falsely) claims to represent the Jewish people, anywhere near mainstream US culture, even when it takes the form of a critically acclaimed movie, backed by Brad Pitt and Joaquin Phoenix, that received a record 23-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival. For decades, pro-Israel lobby groups have dedicated their efforts to telling us that antisemitism is rampant across the West and takes the form of opposition of Israel – a message endlessly amplified by the western media. … The solution, it hardly needs pointing out, is to shut down criticism of Israel to reduce antisemitism.” (01/14/26)
Aging Trump’s MAGA Agenda Means Gutting America’s Truly Great Past
Source: The Daily Beast
by David Rothkopf
“Donald Trump is trying to erase the 20th century. For those of you too young to remember back that far, he is also going after what we’ve gone through in the past two and a half decades as well. With a thoroughness that is surprising for a man who barely seems to know where he is at any given moment, Trump is rapidly eliminating many of the United States’[s] most important accomplishments during the period that marked our rise as a superpower. It is almost as if he wishes to reverse that rise.” (01/13/26)
Appeals court rules “Fat Leonard” must serve full sentence in US Navy corruption scandal
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
“Leonard Glenn Francis, the Malaysian contractor known as ‘Fat Leonard’ at the center of the worst bribery and corruption scheme in U.S. Navy history, must serve the remainder of his 15-year prison sentence, according to an appeals court ruling that became official Monday. … He argued in part that U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino violated his Fifth Amendment rights and abused her discretion in November 2024 when she handed down a sentence that was 40 months longer than what prosecutors recommended. … The Malaysian contractor admitted that he spent decades bribing a rotating cast of officers from the Navy’s 7th Fleet in the Western Pacific, showering them with lavish dinners, luxury hotel rooms, top-shelf liquor, prostitutes and cash. In turn, those officers steered ships to the Southeast Asian ports controlled by Francis and his company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia.” (01/13/26)
System Update, episode 565
Source: System Update
“Prof. John Mearsheimer on Why Foreign Involvement in Iran Would Fail, U.S. Aggression Toward Venezuela, Trump’s Foreign Policy, and More.” (01/13/26)
The Six Ways Trump Tried To Control the Economy Last Week
Source: Reason
by Jared Dillian
“From defense contracting and mortgage finance to credit, housing, and monetary policy, Trump is leaning heavily on command-and-control economics.” (01/13/26)
https://reason.com/2026/01/13/the-6-ways-trump-tried-to-control-the-economy-last-week/
Cheap Credit Doesn’t Create Economic Growth — It Makes Us Poorer
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Soham Patil
“Net Present Value (NPV) is a popular decision-making criteria used by firms to make key, crucial choices about how to allocate resources across an economy. Net Present Value forecasts temporally discount future cash flows to their present value to check whether a project creates value. If a project has an NPV greater than zero, it creates value. On the other hand, if a project has an NPV less than zero, the project loses value. NPV forecasting isn’t perfect and there are often assumptions baked into any forecast but there is one particular type of error that occurs most often and has disastrous consequences.” (01/13/26)
https://mises.org/power-market/cheap-credit-doesnt-create-economic-growth-it-makes-us-poorer
“Zohranomics”: NYC Mayor Mamdani’s socialist math doesn’t add up
Source: Fox News Forum
by Michael J Boskin
“Democratic Socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is focusing on affordability. But his ‘free stuff’ policy agenda would flunk an introductory economics midterm. For example: free bus rides will increase demand and cause overcrowding as service deteriorates. Can you envision New Yorkers queuing up like Londoners? Ditto free childcare, with risk of fraud. Ditto rent freezes, which are not likely to spur a rent-relieving housing supply surge. Does Mamdani really think public employees will work the same long, intense hours at city-owned grocery stores that private-sector owners do to earn a living while building their generational wealth? Or that it’s a good idea to shutter natural gas plants supplying 500 megawatts of reliable energy, which New York’s Independent System Operator extended beyond their planned retirement in mid-2025 lest the city suffer blackouts.” (01/14/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/zohranomics-nyc-mayor-zohran-mamdanis-socialist-math-doesnt-add-up
Italy: Influencer Chiara Ferragni acquitted in “Pandorogate” fraud scandal
Source: Politico
“A Milan criminal court on Wednesday acquitted Italian fashion influencer and businesswoman Chiara Ferragni of aggravated fraud in the so-called Pandorogate scandal. The case, one of Italy’s most high-profile celebrity trials, centered on allegations of misleading advertising linked to the promotion of the sweet pandoro Christmas bread — luxury sugar-dusted brioches — in 2022 and Easter eggs sold in 2021 and 2022. Prosecutors, who had requested a 20-month prison sentence, argued that consumers had been led to believe their purchases would support charitable causes, when donations had in fact already been made and were not tied to sales. Ferragni denied any wrongdoing throughout the proceedings.” (01/14/26)
Capital Record, episode 279
Source: National Review
“Solving the Right Problem the Wrong Way Does Not Solve the Problem.” (01/13/26)