Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“We’re in the midst of the quietest government shutdown in American history. For 34 days, funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been blocked in a standoff over the Trump administration’s deeply unpopular immigration enforcement, something the White House has finally realized is such a public opinion disaster that they’ve stopped calling it mass deportation. The biggest public-facing side of this shutdown is Transportation Security Administration workers, who have now worked without a paycheck for a month. But aside from frustration about longer airport security lines, there’s been little pressure on Washington to end the impasse. On Wednesday, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) had his confirmation hearing to run the department that currently has no funding. While his rhetoric was softer, he didn’t really offer many thoughts about the issues in the dispute.” (03/19/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/03/19/government-shutdown-trump-dhs-ice-cbp-funding-congress/
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“France’s attempt to suspend Chinese online platform Shein’s marketplace was rejected by a Paris Court of Appeal on Thursday, after a Paris court had already ruled against the government’s request in December. Shein has been embroiled in a scandal since France’s consumer watchdog found sex dolls resembling children and banned weapons for sale on its marketplace in November, prompting the government to attempt to suspend the platform.” (03/19/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/france/20260319-paris-appeals-court-rejects-french-govenment-bid-to-suspend-shein
Source: New York Times
“The Abuse Allegations Against a Civil Rights Icon, and a 48% Rise in Oil Prices.” (03/19/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgjWYfZHQpU
Source: Gracearchy with Jim Babka
“The Latest Attack on Tom Massie, Reading Between the Lines.” (03/19/26)
https://rumble.com/v772jpm-156-the-latest-attack-on-tom-massie-reading-between-the-lines-gracearchy-wi.html
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman
“Inflation was rising and job growth stalled even before the Iran War.” (03/19/26)
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/a-whiff-of-stagflation
Source: Foreign Policy
by Agathe Demarais
“All eyes are set on U.S. President Donald Trump’s escalating war against Iran, but on the home front, things are not going well. Nearly one year after he launched a barrage of steep tariffs on what he called ‘Liberation Day,’ economists have crunched the numbers for 2025 — and they are not looking good for the White House. By Trump’s own yardstick — his three goals of making foreigners pay for doing business with the United States, narrowing the U.S. trade deficit, and punishing China — tariffs have clearly failed.” (03/19/26)
https://archive.is/zWigq
Source: The Daily Economy
by Nikolai G Wenzel
“Capital loaned out can’t be invested or consumed. Interest compensating the lender is merely ‘the price of time.'” (03/19/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/interest-rate-caps-keep-coming-back-bastiat-explained-why-they-fail/
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Larry Johnson: Iran Has Washington Exactly Where It Wants Them.” (03/19/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/the-kyle-anzalone-show-guest-larry-johnson-iran-has-washington-exactly-where-it-wants-them/
Source: Understanding AI
by Timothy B Lee
“OpenAI and Anthropic are using the standard tech startup playbook.” (03/19/26)
https://www.understandingai.org/p/how-to-think-about-the-ai-company
Source: CNBC
“Gold and silver joined a broad sell-off on Thursday, with the metals shedding around 5% and 10%, respectively, as fears about the Iran war and inflation gripped global markets. At 8:43 a.m. ET, spot gold was down 4.9% at just over $4,600 an ounce. Front-month gold futures were down 5.8% at $4,612. Spot silver was 9.5% lower at $68.22 an ounce, while silver futures lost 12% to settle at $68.31.” (03/19/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/19/gold-and-silver-sell-off-as-inflation-fears-grip-global-markets.html
