Source: Reason
by Jac Nicastro
“Trump’s trade war has created a carve-out bonanza for industries with political connections and big lobbying budgets.” (for publication 06/01/25)
https://reason.com/2025/06/03/the-list-who-got-a-tariff-exemption/
Source: Common Dreams
by Sulma Arias
“Nothing fills my heart more than when ordinary people speak up for the ones they love. That’s what our members just did last week in Washington, D.C., when thousands came from all across the country to demand our elected officials do their jobs and stop the Trump administration from ripping health care and housing away from tens of millions of Americans. That’s what will happen if the cruel budget Congressional Republicans have proposed gets passed. Nearly a trillion dollars will be cut from Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP food aid, education and housing. And every penny they take away from you and me will go to pay for tax cuts for the ultra-rich and big corporations. Our people spoke up, because they know firsthand the harm these cuts will cause to their families.” [editor’s note: I’m guessing this is the disinformation source Bono is citing – SAT] (06/01/25)
https://ourfuture.org/20250601/it-is-our-time-to-fight-for-democracys-promise
Source: United Press International
“The maker of Chips Ahoy cookies is suing a discount grocery store chain, claiming it ‘blatantly’ copied its chocolate chip cookie and other snack packaging to ‘deceive and confuse’ customers. Mondelez, which also makes Oreos and Wheat Thins, filed the federal lawsuit May 27 against German grocer Aldi, seeking monetary damages and a court order to stop Aldi from selling the products. Aldi has more than 2,400 locations in the United States.” [editor’s note: I shop at Aldi, and have no problem at all distinguishing its store brands from other brands. In fact, when you shop at Aldi, you EXPECT to see its store brands rather than other brands. Apparently Mondelez did some market research and discovered its customer base’s (or the court’s) average IQ is 40 – TLK] (06/03/25)
Source: The Dispatch
“Tariff-ic Meltdowns.” (06/03/25)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/tariff-ic-meltdowns/
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that foreign officials who act to censor U.S. speech on U.S. soil won’t get visas. … The policy is the least the U.S. can do to combat despots of even ‘friendly’ countries who target speech in the U.S. or demand that U.S. firms abet local repression.” [editor’s note: Now if the US regime would refrain from its own free speech violations … – TLK] (06/03/25)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/06/03/leave-our-speech-alone/
Source: SFGate
“A man who identifies himself as New Orleans jail escapee Antoine Massey released videos on social media while still on the run from authorities, leading to a police raid that failed to recapture him, an Associated Press source says. Authorities were so convinced about the authenticity of the videos that they searched a New Orleans home late Monday where they believe the videos were filmed, according to a senior law enforcement official who spoke to The AP on the condition of anonymity. The official said he was not authorized to publicly discuss the ongoing investigation into the May 16 jail escape by 10 inmates. Massey was not at the home, the official said, but authorities did locate some clothing they believe he wore during the filming. Authorities had been tipped to the videos, which were posted on Sunday, by relatives who recognized the residence from which Massey was speaking.” (06/03/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/new-orleans-jail-escapee-releases-videos-20359380.php
Source: Antiwar.com
by James Carden
“The discursive rhetoric President Trump deploys when speaking about Russia and its apex-leader, Mr. Putin, risks lending the impression that once the unfortunate business of the war wraps up, he and Mr. Putin will at last be free to guide US-Russian relations to unimaginable levels of peace, prosperity and cooperation between the two nuclear superpowers. Yet, in point of fact, the war in Ukraine is only one of a number of obstacles toward normalization. The administration should be encouraged to tackle those obstacles, but pretending they don’t exist does no one any favors.” (06/03/25)
https://original.antiwar.com/james-carden/2025/06/02/toward-a-policy-of-restrained-pessimism/
Source: Financial Times [UK]
“Switzerland’s inflation rate has dipped into negative territory for the first time in four years, fuelling bets that the country will return to sub-zero interest rates in a bid to ignite prices and restrain a soaring currency. Annual inflation was minus 0.1 per cent in May, with prices for air transport and accommodation among those dragging on the consumer price index. Prices rose 0.1 per cent month on month. Traders have increased their bets in recent months that the Swiss National Bank will reduce interest rates to zero or below to deal with lagging inflation and a surge in the value of the Swiss franc, a haven currency that investors have bought up as a refuge from US President Donald Trump’s trade war.” (06/03/25)
Source: Antiwar.com
“Trump Contradicts Report on Iran Enrichment, Matt Miller: Israel Committed War Crimes, and More.” (06/03/25)
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“The owners of dishwashers pay for water and power, so if making them more efficient in those dimensions was costless, did not require giving up something else, there would be no need for the Department of Energy to make the manufacturers do it. I conclude that it was not costless, that it either made dishwashers cost more or do their job less well — take longer, not dry the dishes as well, not clean them as well. Using more power or water to do a better job is not waste. Covid provides a much larger example of the same mistake. Regulations were tailored to minimize infections from Covid, whatever the cost in other values.” (06/02/25)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/optimizing-on-a-single-variable