Must read of the month. Would be even better if it spent more time applying its thesis to US domestic governance. www.cfr.org/articles/draft
Ed Dolan
@dolanecon.bsky.social
Economist, Senior Fellow at Niskanen Center. Political economy, social policy, environmental economics and more.
The US is on track to become a quaint island of antique fossil-fuel technology in a world of green energy. Iran is accelerating the trend. paulkrugman.substack.com/p/trump-is-l...
A great exposition of the thesis that "you can't eat GDP". www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | Don’t believe the claim about war and the economy
The “wartime economy” fairy tale misunderstands what GDP measures.
washingtonpost.com
Is the whole world changing? Is there going to be a place for the US in the new version? www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | Britain is ready to admit it has an America problem
Washington’s unquestioned leadership of the West’s postwar alliance system is dissolving.
washingtonpost.com
"World War III is already underway" -- A Ukrainian perspective on the Iran conflict. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
‘World War III is already underway’: Zelensky advisor Mykhailo Podolyak on what the new Middle East war means for Ukraine — Meduza
When the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran in late February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the new conflict could make it harder for Kyiv to obtain the missiles and othe...
meduza.io
@dsorennie.bsky.social With regard to your Feb 14 piece on Democracy and modernity: Here is some hard statistical evidence that you are right: Liberal democracies that succumb to populism do not become Singapores. www.niskanencenter.org/the-numbers-...
Capital is winning labor is losing. That's it -- the whole story. www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...
The Big Money in Today’s Economy Is Going to Capital, Not Labor
Soaring profits and stocks funnel more of GDP toward companies, their top employees and shareholders. AI will intensify this trend.
wsj.com
I ran across a Redditt thread (not new) that suggests US oil companies aren't really much interested in access to Venezuela's heavy sour crude. (See image for a small sample of the thread) Has anyone seen more on this topic from sources that know the industry well? www.reddit.com/r/stocks/com...
In a May '25 post, I cited Gallup data to show that American attitudes made it unrealistic to count on immigration to smooth population trends -- most people wanted to cut immigration or keep it the same. The latest data (next slide) show a sharp change www.milkenreview.org/articles/the... ...
The Birth Dearth: Panic or Celebrate?
milkenreview.org
" Technical workarounds that the agency used to deal with the collection issues may have biased the November figure downward, causing inflation to be understated." Let's wait to celebrate the end of inflation. www.wsj.com/economy/cons...
Inflation Eased to 2.7% in Report Distorted by Government Shutdown
Consumer prices rose 2.7% in November from a year earlier, according to a delayed government report, slowing from 3% in September.
wsj.com
According to this account, Russian foreign policy is in disarray. open.substack.com/pub/ironcurt...
The crisis of influence: How war and administrative stagnation undermine Russia’s foreign policy
November 16, 2025
open.substack.com
Great article on the importance of grasslands and biodiversity, including the role of very small, lawn-sized plots with dozens of different plant species. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Column | Scientists discover an ancient landscape – in our own backyard
Newly discovered patches of ancient landscape have somehow managed to survive without being turned into a farm, forest or subdivision.
washingtonpost.com
As @pkrugman.bsky.social explains, the GOP is shooting itself in the foot with its cutoff of SNAP funding. Just a glance at this map shows that SNAP cutoffs hit red counties (well, darker green on this map) harder than blue. paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-hunger...
Administration's immigration policy is disrupting farm labor market. This piece highlights the fact that no one seems to be thinking this through carefully. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Trump administration says immigration enforcement threatens higher food prices
U.S. farmers face labor shortages and potential food price hikes due to Trump’s immigration policy, the administration acknowledged in a Federal Registry document.
washingtonpost.com
From @niskanencenter.bsky.social , a potentially powerful tool to ease the nationwide housing shortage. www.niskanencenter.org/home-field-a...
HOME field advantage: Leveraging HUD dollars to build more housing - Niskanen Center
This proposal represents the single biggest action HUD could take on its own to increase housing supply and open the possibility to substantially address the U.S. housing affordability crisis.
niskanencenter.org
Sometimes we have to say "no." This yes-no-yes approach makes it easier to do without unnecessary antagonism. www.talkmarkets.com/content/sayi...
Saying No To Empower Your Yes: Practical Ways To Disagree Without Picking A Fight
By prefacing a principled
talkmarkets.com
1/2 Alarmed by the decrease in college enrollment? Most of the drop is in low-quality schools, says @prestoncooper93.bsky.social . Although humanities majors like me will be saddened by erosion of deeper learning in favor of career-boosting majors. prestoncooper93.substack.com/p/why-the-co...
It's far too soon to know the full effects of the Administration's war on immigration. But one thing is already clear: It isn't creating jobs www.wsj.com/opinion/trum...
Opinion | Trump Secured the Border, So Where Are the Jobs?
There’s little evidence that less immigration means more opportunities for Americans to work.
wsj.com
Forget about meaningless year-on-year inflation. What's important is what is happening now. August CPI inflation was 4.5 percent compounded annual rate -- and rising fast.
This California bill promotes more housing near transit hubs. Lists arguments for and against. Looks to me that the listed arguments against are things that make me like it better. www.slowboring.com/p/breaking-d...
Breaking down State Senate Bill 79
California debates a major transit-oriented housing reform
slowboring.com
Those of us in the academic world write about "state capacity." Sometimes that term is just too wonky for those who live on planet Earth. Here is a case study that says exactly what "state capacity" means in that real world. (Hat-tip to @pahlkadot.bsky.social ) www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025...
FEMA staff warn Trump officials’ actions risk a Katrina-level disaster
About 180 FEMA employees, many of them anonymous, signed a letter to Congress arguing that agency leadership has hindered the ability to effectively manage emergencies.
washingtonpost.com
"President says he’ll decide later “whose fault it is” that Moscow and Kyiv have not moved closer to end the war." (If he hasn't figured that out yet, things don't look good.) wapo.st/3JvvRrN
Frustrated, Trump signals pause in his Ukraine peace effort
The president, who had said a deal to end the war could be reached soon, expressed frustration over lack of progress and signaled he would pause his efforts.
wapo.st
By some reports, Russia is "winning" the war in Ukraine. However, the cost to its economy is enormous. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
As the Kremlin stalls on peace talks, Russia’s economy shows mounting strain — Meduza
The wartime mobilization of Russia’s economy has drained its reserves, though the country has so far avoided slipping into a recession. Civilian industries are stagnating or already shrinking, while o...
meduza.io
@pkrugman.bsky.social quotes Arendt: "Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first-rate talents, regardless of their sympathies, with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty." paulkrugman.substack.com/p/hackificat...
Hackification
Arendt’s Law comes for economic data
paulkrugman.substack.com
Utilities often keep coal plants online even when they are not the cheapest source of power. Trump rules are making this problem worse. We could have a win-win (cut electricity prices AND cut emissions) if we could thwart this coal-friendly practice. www.volts.wtf/p/trumps-lat...
Trump's latest attempt to save coal
Frank Rambo joins me to discuss the multi-billion-dollar utility practice of running expensive coal plants and the Trump administration's efforts to prop them up.
volts.wtf
What to expect in Alaska? “The ideal scenario for Putin would be to divorce the issue of relations with America from the issue of Ukraine, hoping that other political and economic matters would make Ukraine of little relevance to Trump.” www.wsj.com/world/russia...
Russia Has High Hopes for Trump-Putin Summit. Peace Isn’t One of Them.
The meeting represents a victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who seeks to end international isolation and separate Russian ties with the U.S. from the fate of Ukraine.
wsj.com
Looks much like Bukele's playbook. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump readies federal moves on D.C. crime, takes over D.C. police
The president is planning to flex his law enforcement power over Washington, declaring that he would clear the city of homeless people and crack down on crime.
washingtonpost.com
I, for one, am all for cutting government waste. Why, then, is the government becoming a major perpetrator of waste? www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...
Vast supplies of U.S. aid remain stranded, despite State Department promises
More than 60,000 metric tons of food have languished in warehouses in the United States and around the world — with expiration dates nearing on some items.
washingtonpost.com