Robert Wolfe
@bobwolfe.bsky.social
Professor Emeritus of Policy Studies, Queen's University, Canada. Most posts on trade policy personal website: rdwolfe.ca
If tariffs on aluminum were going to spur more domestic production, wouldn't that have happened by now? How many more ways does this policy have to be tried before it can be considered a failure?
Trump said tariffs on aluminum would boost domestic production. The White House now admits that didn't happen.
It's been more than eight years since Trump's first aluminum tariffs were imposed. How long do we have to wait before calling this a failure?
reason.com
In the coming decades, writes Helen Epstein, toxic fallout in Gaza could lead to “an epidemic of cancer, lung disease, and brain damage” that might “rival in lethality the war’s bombs and bullets.”
Gaza’s Deadly Soil | Helen Epstein
Long before October 2023, Gaza’s people suffered international sanctions, a humiliating occupation, and periodic Israeli bombardments. Few could leave the
nybooks.com
“Any Democrat associated with Aipac — a dwindling band — has a vanishing chance of becoming their party’s 2028 nominee.” Me on how Israel is splitting Dems. www.ft.com/content/07ae...
The Democrats’ civil war over Israel is getting worse
While the party fractures over Middle East policy, it is ignoring the threat posed by AI and social media
ft.com
If you want to check out a fairly balanced (I hope) classical view of Nolan's Odyssey, try our pedants' review on Instant Classics: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt-r...
Christopher Nolan's Odyssey 3: The Pedants Revolt
YouTube video by Instant Classics
youtube.com
CARTOON OF THE DAY (if you know who made this let us know)
Canadians overwhelmingly demand wealth tax after Kevin O’Leary says it will make him move away
Canadians overwhelmingly demand wealth tax after Kevin O’Leary says it will make him move away
OTTAWA - Pollsters report a split among Canadians over the idea of higher tax on the assets of wealthy individuals, though support skyrockets after noting that Kevin O'Leary has vowed that he will res...
thebeaverton.com
we talked about this more at the time but initially a lot of the ppl who died were in big blue cities and were not white. this is not incidental to the revisionist and eugenicist nonsense we hear now.
Sky Marchini@sky.skymarchini.net · 3d agothis boils down to "the pandemic didn't actually happen but they still closed the applebees" which frankly i think is a trauma response by a lot of people that buy it - lot easier to be in denial that things were that bad instead of reckoning with 1.3m dead people [in this country]
It’s important to understand that when 1.2 million Americans are dying from a disease, any government action is excessive and tyrannical, but if a dozen trans women want to play soccer no government action can go far enough
In the very near future, no one will believe we had a policy this good. www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/pe...
End of carbon tax rebates a financial hit for Canada’s poorest, research shows
Rebates were tax-free payments that compensated consumers for the cost of carbon taxes
theglobeandmail.com
I worked for New York’s largest medical center at the start of the pandemic. There were morgue trucks on the streets. They set up emergency medical tents in Central Park. Healthcare worker colleagues died. It is horrific that RFK Jr is on national TV lying that ICUs were empty.
The “Allison Inquiry” feels more like a political grievance session than a genuine attempt to improve anything. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
The diarrhea lettuce company, Taylor Farms, uses slave labor contracted from the Arizona Dept. of Corrections. The backbreaking labor is often performed by imprisoned Mexican nationals who would be otherwise ineligble to work in the US. They are paid $1.50 an hour.
The Diarrhea Lettuce Company Has Been Linked to Forced Labor
The lettuce-producing Taylor Farms was linked to the widespread use of prison labor before its involvement in a cyclospora outbreak.
futurism.com
I thought this needed wider circulation now we’re in August. H/T to @thelocalfrance.bsky.social @emmapearson.bsky.social
Warsh's ban on forward guidance is a legitimate policy choice. The problem is that his chosen justification for it is absolute nonsense.
Disappointed in number of stories about Fauci that neglected to point out that the attacks on him are part of an on-going effort by Trump and GOP to distract from their catastrophic mismanagement of the pandemic, mismanagement estimated to have caused hundreds of thousands of unnecessary US deaths.
Former American trade negotiator here. I wouldn’t negotiate with us.
Judges Can Void a Tariff. They Can't Rebuild Our Reputation. | The Daily Economy
The trust between America and its allies took generations to build and is being spent at a record pace.
thedailyeconomy.org
Rand Paul--who doesn't believe in evolution--holding a hearing of Dr. Fauci--a retired, life-long public servant-- while we are *actively* in the midst of SEVERAL disease outbreaks due to unnecessary public health cuts and corporate lobbying shows exactly how unserious Republicans are.
📊Nanos Research preferred PM tracker... January 3, 2025: 🔵41% Pierre Poilievre 🔴18% Justin Trudeau July 24, 2026: 🔴54% Mark Carney 🔵18% Pierre Poilievre www.338canada.ca/p/polls-disa...
Polls Disagree on the Race, but Agree on Poilievre
The latest Nanos and Angus Reid polls disagree on the size of the Liberal lead, but not on the Conservative leader's personal standing.
338canada.ca
Fauci hearing not exactly gripping. Rand Paul (Captain Ahab): "Will you respond [insert crazy conspiracy theory]..? Fauci: "On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline..." Paul is a crank.
Rand Paul is grilling Dr. Fauci for his work during COVID. Pay attention. This is a really good preview of how the Trump administration will handle THE NEXT PANDEMIC. They won’t handle it. They will ignore it and try to pray it away. Pay attention, folks! Don’t say no one warned you!
“Iran is a country run by religious extremists, y’all!!!”
A remarkable public health statistic: the US has now surpassed its highest annual measles case count in more than 30 years. It’s only July.
New research suggests an important nuance to the take that tariffs have been paid by Americans... My column this week: www.ft.com/content/7b53... Gift link: as.ft.com/r/bd82d62c-f...
