Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

We have no idea how bad things will get, but they could get very, very bad

Let’s do some pessimism. Trump has already made it clear that he does not recognize any legal limits on his behavior – no constitutional limits, and no statutory limits.  This is reflected in his effort to halt broad swaths of federal spending for 90 days (which violates both the constitution and the Impoundment Control Act […]

Trump is poisoning biomedical research in the US

The US has been an international leader in biomedical research for decades. Now, the Trump administration wants to blow that up. “The directive also brings the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) lengthy scientific grant review process to a standstill. “All NIH study sections canceled indefinitely. This will halt science and devastate research budgets in universities,” […]

The coming infectious disease apocalypse

As I’ve said here before, together with water purification and sanitary sewers, vaccines are a triumph of public health. Hundreds of millions of lived (at least) have been saved by vaccination, not just as a direct result of immunization but indirectly by slowing the rate of pathogen evolution. It is both shocking and frankly dangerous […]

Healthcare and immigration

“California is advising healthcare providers not to write down patients’ immigration status on bills and medical records and telling them they don’t have to assist federal agents in arrests. Some Massachusetts hospitals and clinics are posting privacy rights in emergency and waiting rooms in Spanish and other languages. “Meanwhile, Florida and Texas are requiring healthcare […]

Trump cancels military history

“Donald Trump’s move to block diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives has led to the US Air Force removing material on the role of black and female pilots during World War Two from its training programmes. “A military official said “immediate steps” were taken to remove material to “ensure compliance” with the US president’s order, […]

What’s in a name?

Once they seized power, the Bolsheviks set about re-making Russia in their own image. One manifestation of this was changing place names: Saint Petersburg became Leningrad, Tsaritsyn became Stalingrad. Following in their footsteps, Trump has renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. This calls to mind the pathetic attempt to rebrand French […]

Stealing Jobs from Real J.D.s

Trump’s B.S. ‘Efficiency’ Effort Steals Jobs from Real J.D.s, – by Joe Patrice Above the Law, Joe Patrice Hiring freeze leaves young lawyers in the cold. Elon Musk’s cost-cutting efforts are mostly a farce to sell chintzy merchandise to America’s most gullible marks. The “Department of Government Efficiency” is not an actual cabinet department, but rather rebrand […]

What’s the matter with Germany?

I see where Elon “Sieg Heil” Musk attended a AfG neo-Nazi party rally. In these times when authoritarianism is in ascendency throughout the world, I wonder whether Germany will be the next to succumb to right-wing extremism. I don’t have the resources to do my own polling, but I have an American friend who has […]

Immigrant Deportations

Immigrant Deportations: Trends and Impacts, Econofact, Tara Watson The Social Cost of Deportation The Issue: Immigrant Deportations have long been a part of immigration enforcement and their number has fluctuated significantly in the last few decades. Former President Trump has promised to take this further and significantly ramp up the policy with a mass deportation of people who do […]