Source: Sex and the State
by Cathy Reisenwitz

“For my BlueDot AGI Governance course, I’m reading AGI, Governments, and Free Societies by Justin B. Bullock, Samuel Hammond, and Séb Krier. I briefly lived with Sam Hammond many years ago. Great kisser. Mediocre housekeeper. I knew that kid was going places. Anyway, I stopped short at this line: ‘We already have AI models that can approximate and even surpass the decision making capabilities of humans in many domains.’ The authors aren’t saying that, necessarily. But they’re saying that people are saying it. Is that true? I don’t think so. I could be wrong. But I also don’t see much evidence for it.” (04/01/26)

https://cathyreisenwitz.substack.com/p/ai-decides-quickly-and-speed-is-underrated

Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker

“Ozempic sells for close to $300 for a month’s dosage in developing countries like China and India. It is expected to sell for around $15 for a month’s dosage when generics are introduced, and the price could eventually fall to around $3 when there is enough competition in the market. The price differentials in the United States and other wealthy countries are even larger. People without insurance can pay as much as $1,000 for a month’s dosage, although discounts are available that can cut this price in half. The drug still has several more years of patent protection in the United States …. With rare exceptions, drugs are cheap to manufacture and distribute; however, they can end up being expensive because governments give drug companies patent monopolies or other forms of protection.” (04/01/26)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/04/01/free-market-ozempic-will-make-a-huge-difference-to-tens-of-millions-of-people/

Source: EconLog
by Brianne Wolf

“While Adam Smith has often been thought of as only the father of economics, most scholars now agree that the projects undertaken in the two books published during his lifetime, Theory of Moral Sentiments (TMS) and Wealth of Nations (WN) are not separate endeavors of moral philosophy and political economy, respectively, but two ways of approaching one, unified project about realizing human flourishing. Though it is recognized that Smith’s moral philosophy informs, supplements, and supports his economic project, what has not been explored as much is that Smith’s political economy also has moral implications.” (04/01/26)

https://www.econlib.org/library/columns/y2026/wolf-wn250-4

Source: Law & Liberty
by Samuel Gregg

“Even when thriving markets are the goal, progressives have little interest in restraining the state.” (04/01/26)

https://lawliberty.org/forum/tiptoeing-towards-abundance/

Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff

“At the start of this week, a four-day gathering of the World Trade Organization ended in deadlock over a disagreement between just two of its 166 member countries. The United States sought a 10-year extension to existing duty-free digital purchasing rules (for items such as software, music, and movies); Brazil would only agree to a two-year extension. Nevertheless, working on the sidelines, 66 other members – from Asia, Europe, and the Americas – forged their own agreement on the issue. The recent increase in such ‘minilateral’ solutions to global obstacles signifies more than mere impatience with time-consuming multilateral processes. Rather, it highlights the impetus and realization among the world’s middle powers about their changing role – and responsibility – in shaping a world order amid major geopolitical shifts.” (03/31/26)

https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0331/EU-and-Canada-lean-into-a-new-world-role