Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Lego has unveiled Smart Bricks – tech-filled versions of its small building blocks – which it says will bring sets to life with sound, light and reaction to movement. However, the new product range is causing unease among play experts, who say it risks undermining what makes Lego special for children in an increasingly digital world. Announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 in Las Vegas, the Danish toymaker’s Smart Play system introduces new electronic components to the classic plastic blocks. Lego says its new tech-enabled products, launching in March with a new Star Wars set, are its most revolutionary innovation’ in nearly 50 years. But Josh Golin, executive director of children’s wellbeing group Fairplay, believes Smart Bricks ‘undermine what was once great about Legos’ – harnessing children’s own imagination during play.” (01/06/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crmlnmnwzk2o
Source: EconLog
by Jon Murphy
“In any principles of economics class, students learn the difference between accounting profit and economic profit. Accounting profit, which is what one typically understands when discussing ‘profit,’ is total revenue minus your monetary costs. It is what appears on the bottom line of an accounting statement as ‘profit.’ Economic profit is a broader term. Recall that, for economists, ‘cost’ is a term of art: it is the highest-valued alternative not undertaken. This includes both monetary costs and alternative uses of your resources, often called implicit costs. Economic profit, thus, is total revenue minus total costs (both your monetary and your implicit costs). Implicit costs do not show up on an accounting statement, yet they are still vital to making life decisions.” (01/06/26)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/accounting-vs-economic-profit
Source: NBC News
“Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday closed out the Vatican’s 2025 Holy Year by denouncing today’s consumerist and anti-foreigner sentiment, capping a Jubilee that saw some 33 million pilgrims flock to Rome and a historic transition to the first American pontiff. With cardinals and diplomats looking on, Leo kneeled down in prayer on the stone floor at the threshold of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. He then stood up and pulled the two doors shut, symbolically concluding the rarest of Jubilees: one that was opened by a feeble Pope Francis in December 2024, continued during his funeral and the conclave, and then was closed by Francis’[s] successor a year later. Only once before, in 1700, has a Holy Year been opened by one pope and closed by another.” (01/06/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/pope-leo-xiv/pope-leo-xiv-closes-2025-holy-year-critique-consumerism-xenophobia-rcna252520
Source: The Dispatch
“The Legality of U.S. Operations in Venezuela.” (01/06/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/the-legality-of-u-s-operations-in-venezuela/
Source: Reason
by Joe Lancaster
“Over the weekend, American military forces arrested Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife during an operation in the capital city of Caracas. While the action was nominally undertaken to prosecute Maduro and his wife for ‘narcoterrorism,’ President Donald Trump soon added another potential justification: accessing the country’s generous oil reserves. If this is Trump’s plan, it will be easier said than done. … ‘American oil executives are unlikely to dive headfirst into Venezuela for multiple reasons: The situation on the ground remains very uncertain, Venezuela’s oil industry is in shambles and Caracas has a history of seizing US oil assets,’ reported CNN’s Matt Egan.” (01/06/26)
https://reason.com/2026/01/06/trump-wants-oil-companies-to-fix-venezuelas-infrastructure/
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“If you were wondering why the US establishment was so much more chill about Trump becoming president this term than they were the first time around, you’re watching the reason now. The powers that be were assured that he’d carry out longstanding imperial agendas like kidnapping Maduro, bombing Iran and overseeing a final solution to the Palestinian problem, and they trusted him to carry out those plans. The MAGA narrative that the establishment hates Trump because he’s fighting the Deep State has never been true; there were certain factions within the US imperial power structure which disliked Trump, but that was only because he was not a proven commodity like Hillary Clinton and they didn’t trust him to be a reliable steward of the empire.” (01/06/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/01/06/the-us-empire-needs-men-like-trump/
Source: Reuters
“Venezuela’s main opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, has vowed to return home quickly, praising U.S. President Donald Trump for toppling her enemy Nicolas Maduro and declaring her movement ready to win a free election. Trump appears, however, to hope for now to work with interim President Delcy Rodriguez and other senior officials from Maduro’s government, disappointing the opposition and contributing to nervousness in Venezuela. ‘I’m planning to go back to Venezuela as soon as possible,’ said Machado, 58, who escaped from Venezuela in disguise in October to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, which she dedicated to Trump. ‘We believe that this transition should move forward,’ she told Fox News’ ‘Hannity’ program.” (01/06/25)
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/maduro-opponent-machado-vows-return-venezuela-wants-election-2026-01-06/
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Rachel Chiu
“Chief Justice John Roberts is right: The Declaration of Independence, while not law itself, must be the benchmark that guides all three branches of government. On New Year’s Eve, the Chief Justice released his annual year-end report on the state of the judiciary. Of particular note is the brief prefatory letter that Roberts has often used to opine on controversial issues such as judicial independence, artificial intelligence in the legal profession, and security threats against judges. This year’s letter focuses on the Declaration of Independence, which celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2026. While many commentators have criticized Roberts for ‘dodging’ the biggest questions of the day — especially perceived favoritism for the Trump administration — his words are apt for the times, focusing on the foundational ideals that define the American experiment.” (01/06/25)
https://fee.org/articles/the-declaration-of-independence-is-still-our-guidepost/
