Profiles in Cowardice, Tariff Edition

Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman

“By any reasonable standard, most of Trump’s tariffs are plainly illegal. Two lower courts have ruled against them. The Trump administration appealed those decisions, and in early November the Supreme Court heard arguments on the case. Many businesses that have found it impossible to make long-term plans with the fate of the Trump tariffs in limbo eagerly awaited the Court’s ruling. They’re still waiting. And I can’t see any plausible explanation for the delay other than Supreme cowardice.” (02/04/26)

https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/profiles-in-cowardice-tariff-edition

Thomas L. Knapp

Vance pushes for socialist price controls in mineral trading

Source: The Hill

“The Trump administration on Wednesday pushed for a trade system involving price floors for minerals during a summit it held with representatives from multiple nations. Vice President J.D. Vance announced the price floor initiative at the Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting at the State Department. ‘This morning, the Trump administration is proposing a concrete mechanism to return the global critical minerals market to a healthier, more competitive state: a preferential trade zone for critical minerals protected from external disruptions through enforceable price floors,’ Vance said.” (02/04/26)

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5722520-vance-rare-minerals-state/

Thomas L. Knapp

ICE Was Terrorizing Worshipers Long Before Don Lemon Entered a Church

Source: The Bulwark
by Adrian Carrasquillo

“When Don Lemon was arrested after reporting on the aggressive protest of a church … the Trump administration claimed that Lemon and another journalist present at the event had violated federal laws meant, in part, to shield churches from having their services disrupted. The administration’s message was clear: Disrupting church services and taking away the right of others to worship freely and in peace is unconscionable. How dare protesters infringe on those congregants’ First Amendment rights! Who would do such a thing? Well, one of the first things this White House did after Donald Trump’s second inauguration was to rescind the 2021 guideline that required CBP and ICE agents to do everything in their power to avoid conducting operations in or near ‘protected areas’ like churches, hospitals, and schools. It wasn’t long before agents were showing up at just those sorts of places in the apparent hope of surprising their targets.” (02/04/26)

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/ice-was-terrorizing-worshipers-long-before-lemon-church-deportations-immigration-minneapolis-chicago-los-angeles-charlotte

Thomas L. Knapp

Facing political pressure with spiritual strength

Source: Christian Science Monitor
by Abraham McLaughlin

“Keeping up with today’s national and global developments can feel like living in a cauldron of political pressure. If we’re not in the storm ourselves, the sheer volume of political twists and turns can make us feel numb to the news. Yet, looking to those who have withstood the storm and triumphed shows us that responding with grace and confidence in good starts with the truths we hold in our heart. The Bible offers compelling examples. Consider the spiritual clarity and bravery of four individuals: Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel. They’d been taken from their home in Israel and were being indoctrinated by their Babylonian captors. Yet they held in their hearts strong spiritual truths – and got to witness dramatic turnarounds. In Babylon, the pressure – political, religious, and cultural – was ferocious. One of the world’s most powerful kings was insisting that all his subjects worship a lifeless statue (see Daniel 3).” (02/03/25)

https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/A-Christian-Science-Perspective/2026/0203/Facing-political-pressure-with-spiritual-strength

Steve Trinward

EU lawmakers request TikTok probe into alleged user suppression over Epstein files

Source: Politico

“European lawmakers from three left-leaning parties said Wednesday the EU should investigate TikTok over allegations of censorship [sic] in favor of the right. One of TikTok’s new owners as of late January is a Donald Trump ally, Oracle’s Larry Ellison. Users say that since the change in ownership, the platform has censored [sic] hot-button issues in favor of the president and his political camp, according to reports — including limiting posts about the Epstein files and protests against U.S. border agents in Minnesota. TikTok said some users have experienced disruption due to technical issues.” [editor’s note: TikTok is not a government and has no power to censor, just to control how its own property is used. It will be interesting if a government “nudged” them, though – TLK] (02/04/26)

https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-lawmakers-tiktok-probe-alleged-censorship-over-epstein-files

Thomas L. Knapp

Taking Trophies

Source: Hullabaloo
by Tom Sullivan

“Republicans enjoy using the Jim Crow-era Democratic Party’s support for segregation as proof that their embrace of white nationalism is not worth mentioning. It’s bothsidesism as a ‘get out of racism free’ card. There was a time post-September 11 when the GOP’s bogieman du jour was from somewhere vaguely Middle East or Muslim. We were coached to become a nation of bedwetters convinced that bearded men with long, curved knives were coming to kill us all in our beds. We packed heat and opened fire on anything that went bump in the night either at home or abroad. Now it’s anyone nonwhite.” (02/04/26)

https://digbysblog.net/2026/02/04/taking-trophies/

Thomas L. Knapp