New working paper w/ @hannafolsz.bsky.social In 2025, Trump targeted US law firms for their political opposition Some firms resisted by suing Trump. Others folded by agreeing to support the administration w/ pro bono work Resisting firms took a short term financial hit but improved reputations

Economist Paulo Dos Santos had a very funny observation on twitter: "There are now nine recipients named 'Robert,' opening a three-point lead over 'James'. The name 'Michael' now goes up to three awards, closing in on the four wins for a 'Paul.' This is getting really exciting."

Nathan Tankus@nathantankus.bsky.social · 4h ago

Its 2026 and we are giving the fake Nobel prize in economics to the inventor of the flat tax

I’m ok. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement. For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced.

Most top economics essentially missed the rise in wealth inequality that started in the 80s and the obsolescence of the income tax until the 2010s. Instead they were peddling stuff like this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall%E2...

Nathan Tankus@nathantankus.bsky.social · 4h ago

Its 2026 and we are giving the fake Nobel prize in economics to the inventor of the flat tax

Its 2026 and we are giving the fake Nobel prize in economics to the inventor of the flat tax

✅exciting sounding finding ✅authors funded by effective altruists ✅Bad study design ✅dumped in an industry funded conference ✅news coverage as tho it’s actual unbiased good science

Carl T. Bergstrom@carlbergstrom.com · yesterday

In our course and book _Calling Bullshit_, we posit that If something seems too good, or too bad, to be true, it probably is. Now as a college professor I'm pretty confident that overreliance can AI can harm our thinking ability, but just ten minutes of use? Let's dig into this this study a bit.

This is a premium piece so take out a paid subscription to read. www.crisesnotes.com#/portal/signup

Notes on the Crises

Coverage of the ongoing Impoundment and Unitary Executive Constitutional Crisis

crisesnotes.com

NEW @crisesnotes.bsky.social PIECE: For the past month or so I've been deep diving the narratives behind the concept of "petrodollar recycling". This is the first of three pieces I'll be writing debunking this narrative. www.crisesnotes.com/debunking-th...

Debunking the Petrodollar “Recycling” Myth: Part 1

This is a Premium piece of Notes on the Crises. Subscribe to Read I’m going to tell you a secret: for many years I’ve rolled my eyes when people talk about “recycling petrodollars”....

crisesnotes.com

If you praise the Confederacy, everyone knows what you're doing. If you praise Rhodesia, though, you still get that little frisson of naughtiness, the little tingle of rebelliousness that can power you through the drudgery of your eight-hour shift at your dad's car dealership.

How a defunct white supremacist state became a cult favorite on the Right

From battleground candidates to Elon Musk, Republicans can't stop posting wistfully about Rhodesia.

motherjones.com

I decided to record myself doing a reading of an article by the Bundist leader Victor Alter entitled "Jewish Blood", published September 27th 1929. Palestine will be free.

I reanalyzed the CDC data behind the LGB “free fall” headline. It rests on a change in bisexual identification among one grade, in one wave, of one survey. Gay or lesbian identification did not change significantly. Calling it a "free fall" is sensational and just gives bad actors talking points.

The Washington Post@washingtonpost.com · 4d ago

Young teenagers are less likely to identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual than a few years ago, according to a new analysis. “It really does look like a free fall,” Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology, said. “But what’s causing it is unclear.”

NEW: Mamdani has a policing problem & the ICE shooting in NYC only made it worse. Advocates say they want more than harsh words for Trump on ICE. And while his DSA allies have held back on pushing him too hard on policing, now they say they see an opening theintercept.com/2026/10/09/i...

ICE Shooting in NYC Inflames Mamdani’s Policing Problem

After ICE shot a young father in Manhattan, New Yorkers asked the mayor to protect them from his police department and federal agents alike.

theintercept.com

This is absolutely brilliant

Gavan Reilly@gavreilly.com · 3d ago

You know the xkcd strip about how all modern internet architecture is eventually built on something a hobbyist maintains for free? Someone went out and found them all. sheets.works/data-viz/hol...

jesus christ i have never heard a democratic talk this bluntly about an opponent

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 4d ago

Ossoff: "If John Lewis were marching today from Selma to Montgomery, Mike Collins would be grabbing a billy club"

Hahaha thanks @jwmason.bsky.social. I know if I have absolutely no audience for a piece like this, something terrible must have happened to you.

JW Mason@jwmason.bsky.social · 4d ago

<sickos meme> Yes!! www.crisesnotes.com/debunking-th...

<sickos meme> Yes!! www.crisesnotes.com/debunking-th...

NEW @crisesnotes.bsky.social PIECE: For the past month or so I've been deep diving the narratives behind the concept of "petrodollar recycling". This is the first of three pieces I'll be writing debunking this narrative. www.crisesnotes.com/debunking-th...

Debunking the Petrodollar “Recycling” Myth: Part 1

This is a Premium piece of Notes on the Crises. Subscribe to Read I’m going to tell you a secret: for many years I’ve rolled my eyes when people talk about “recycling petrodollars”....

crisesnotes.com

Another way of saying this is there was no productivity gains, introducing LLMs just changed the "recipe" for producing code of the expected quality.

Butlerian Jihadist of House Dornick@shimminykricket.blacksky.app · 5d ago

Basically AI allows software engineers to produce shitty code *faster* and in higher volumes which increases the amount time spent on code reviews and revisions nullifying the productivity gained from producing the code in the first place.

I don't know how but we have to teach people to be better at detecting bullshit. Instead we have this ersatz skepticism where people are suspicious about the wrong things and find their way to conclusions that are worse than if they just blindly accepted conventional wisdom

Being in one of these states, let me tell ya: the ads his PACs and groups create are INSANE. Mostly AI, always about nonsense issues not relevant to the economic moment....unhinged from reality. They're not even attempting to lie well; it's all fear mongering.

#TeslaTakedown@teslatakedown.com · 6d ago

In the last 24 hours, Elon added $5,423,645.66. New totals include: $13,131,789.48 vs @jamestalarico.bsky.social $6,308,848.86 vs @sherrodbrownoh.bsky.social $5,117,111.82 vs @abdulelsayed.bsky.social $1,991,872.98 vs @joshturek4iowa.bsky.social $1,176,301.42 vs @troyjackson207.bsky.social

Something about this image really cracks me up. The pseudointellectualism of it all.

"After all, jewish blood was spilled. And Jewish blood is the best lubricant for the wheels of the reactionary." Thanks for this, Nathan.

Nathan Tankus@nathantankus.bsky.social · 5d ago

I decided to record myself doing a reading of an article by the Bundist leader Victor Alter entitled "Jewish Blood", published September 27th 1929. Palestine will be free.

ah damn, RIP Margaret Hamilton. she took safety-critical software engineering seriously, and got people to the moon and back. news.mit.edu/2026/margare...

I decided to record myself doing a reading of an article by the Bundist leader Victor Alter entitled "Jewish Blood", published September 27th 1929. Palestine will be free.

On 10/31/18 I walked in on Anwar Shaikh & Lord Skidelsky having a drink (Robert & I had dinner plans) & what they were talking about was Keynes' writing on magic & Sir Isaac Newton. It's strange that they are now both dead & I am the only one who will remember that conversation

I get why Mamdani governs the way he does but the mayor or governor I'll really be excited about is the one who says "We're doing this because fuck them" when it comes to pro-Abortion, pro-Trans, pro-Immigrant and other such policies.

I am very glad this is happening but it's illustrative of what pre-planning would have done. This should have been a day one initiative. I will also note that many people defended Mamdani's earlier position even against the argument they could have funded ringfenced gender affirming care- like this

𝔫𝔬𝔯𝔞 𝔫𝔢𝔠𝔯𝔬𝔰𝔦𝔰𝔪𝔞𝔫𝔠𝔢𝔯 🏳️‍⚧️@neurosismancer.gay · 5d ago

YOOOO LETS FUCKIN GOOOOOOOOO

YOOOO LETS FUCKIN GOOOOOOOOO

NYC moves to spend nearly $9M of gender-affirming care fund for minors

The funding is part of a $15 million investment announced in June as major hospitals retreated from providing such care.

gothamist.com

Oh wow Anwar Shaikh has died. May his memory be a blessing. I actually have a book review getting edited right now that discusses "New School Marxism" at length.

They’re going to keep making it impossible to ignore how half measures to address state violence simply aren’t up to the task.

Mother Jones@motherjones.com · 6d ago

ICE has ordered 6,650 pairs—and says it'll ignore any bans.