Source: Quillette
by Matt Johnson

“The post-Cold War democratic wave has receded and the free world now appears to be learning from authoritarian regimes instead of the other way around.” (06/13/25)

https://quillette.com/2025/06/13/the-rise-and-fall-of-liberal-internationalism-blair-clinton-iraq-trump/

Source: Isonomia Quarterly
by Derrill Watson

“I found myself bothered recently by a Noah Smith substack post making the case that tariffs and industrial policy can be successful in increasing US manufacturing. To the extent his point is to counter ‘a natural skepticism’ that America doesn’t and can’t produce physical goods, I guess this is a harmless and obvious enough point to make. He cites evidence that tariffs and industrial policy have worked to increase production in solar panels, semiconductors, and batteries. … The theory of trade based on comparative advantage does not claim that reshoring is impossible. It does agree that tariffs and subsidies make us all poorer, but not that they can’t successfully increase production in the areas being protected.” (06/13/25)

https://isonomiaquarterly.com/archive/volume-3-issue-1/tariffs-increase-domestic-production-theyre-still-bad-for-the-economy/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Source: Christian Science Monitor
by Howard LaFranchi

“You might say Mario Eusebio is the fisherman who got away. Mr. Eusebio is the president of the 322-member Union of Artisanal Fishers of the Port of Chancay on Peru’s Pacific coast. I came across the engaging leader of Chancay’s threatened fishing industry on an April reporting trip to Peru for the June 2 Monitor Weekly cover story on President Donald Trump’s revival of the Monroe Doctrine. The once-sleepy (and still picturesque) Chancay fishing village and its seasonally hopping beaches were a focal point of my reporting because it is here that China, through its state-owned Cosco Shipping Corp., has built a mega maritime port to serve the country’s rapidly growing trade with South America.” (06/14/25)

https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/From-the-Editors/2025/0614/howard-lafranchi-peru-behind-the-scenes

Source: Town Hall
by Michael O’Reilly

“Uncle Sam needs contractors. When more companies bid for government business, the taxpayers get lower prices and better service. The converse is also true. When interest from contractors ebbs, there is less competition and higher costs generally result. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr inherited an agency so focused on punishing companies within its purview that contractors have to weigh whether the risk is worth the reward. This overzealous approach to enforcement started during the Obama era and grew even more pernicious during Biden’s term. Americans expect that companies doing business with the government follow all rules, regulations and laws. Indeed, when contractors fail to do what they promise, serious consequences can arise, ranging from minor sanctions to fines and even criminal charges. The problem is that the FCC in particular seems bent on imposing the maximum penalties for even technical or inadvertent errors.” (06/14/25)

https://townhall.com/columnists/michael-o-reilly/2025/06/14/throwing-a-flag-at-the-fccs-overzealous-enforcement-n2658789