Excellent piece by @yair-rosenberg.bsky.social

The Harm from Hormuz Why we should still fear a global slump from Trump’s Iran debacle

@pkrugman.bsky.social: “In my view, a full-on global recession is more likely than not if the Strait remains closed for, say, another three months, which seems all too possible.” open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...

Taiwan faces plastic bag shortage fears amid energy concerns Taiwan is facing a plastic bag shortage due to surging oil prices and global supply chain disruptions, highlighting energy security concerns. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.c...

Taiwan is facing fears of a plastic bag shortage amid a significant price hike for plastic goods, driven primarily by surging oil prices and disruptions in the global petrochemical supply chain owing to the prolonged conflict in the Middle East. www.straitstimes.com/asia/plastic...

Brussels pushes remote working to ease energy crisis European Commission also recommends heat pumps and public transport subsidies

The European Commission will encourage remote working and public transport subsidies to cut fossil fuel use, as countries grapple with the energy price shock from the war in the Middle East.

www.ft.com/content/bbc9...

Fourth of July Fireworks: A Festive Flood of IEEPA Refunds Some companies around the country will be celebrating more than the nation’s 250th birthday on July Fourth.

SCOTUS struck down Trump's IEEPA tariffs back in February.
The earliest that tariff refunds might be issued is...July 4. loriannlarocco.substack.com/p/fourth-of-...

Scramble for biodiesel as price drops below regular diesel for first time Oil squeeze driven by Iran war triggers rush to secure replacements

Scramble for biodiesel as price drops below regular diesel for first time
www.ft.com/content/a122...

US’s status as lowest-cost dollar borrower challenged as investors shun Trump risk Concerns over erratic White House policymaking have driven investors to ‘very stable’ development bank issuers

The US’s status as the world’s lowest-cost dollar borrower faces a challenge from foreign development banks as President Donald Trump’s erratic policymaking increases the appeal of alternative haven assets.
www.ft.com/content/ad21...

Federal judge unloads on ‘unserious’ RFK Jr., says anti-trans policy showed his ‘cruelty’ Judge Mustafa T. Kasubhai vacated the “Kennedy Declaration,” finding it unlawfully attempted to override medical standards and restrict care for transgender youth.

A federal judge forcefully struck down HHS Secretary RFK Jr.’s attempt to impose far-reaching restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors, ruling the policy unlawful and blocking its enforcement in the states that challenged it.

We regret to inform you that H-E-B has gone 'woke,' according to X H-E-B has gotten caught in the crossfire of anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Conservatives on X think H-E-B has gone 'woke' because they sell Halal meat www.chron.com/texas/articl...

Trump, IRS in talks to settle US president's $10 billion lawsuit Lawyers for Donald Trump ​and the Internal Revenue Service are in talks to settle the U.S. president's $10 billion lawsuit against the tax ‌collection agency for leaking his tax returns to the media i...

Every presidential administration gets accused of corruption—sometimes with good reason, sometimes not. But the corruption of the Trump administration is of a magnitude that is not only without precedent in American history but so large and brazen as to be difficult to wrap one's head around.

Trump’s Economy: You’re Either an Insider or a Chump The president is enriching friends, pardoning criminals, and impoverishing everyone else.

relatedly: www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-eco...

The white-collar defence lawyers with nothing to do The Trump administration’s approach to justice has made life quieter for those who defend alleged financial criminals

when there are no longer cops on the beat, criminals no longer need lawyers to defend them www.ft.com/content/befa...

The coming global food crisis Hunger and even famine are foreseeable consequences of the war on Iran. Now the world must act to shield the poorest from effects that will continue long after the fighting stops

The coming global food crisis www.ft.com/content/3634...

In Trump’s Orbit, Women Aren’t the Only Ones Concerned About Their Looks

the male gaze www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/s...

Top Fed official warns Iran war could spark ‘lasting’ price shock Christopher Waller says higher oil prices coupled with Donald Trump’s tariffs raise prospect of prolonged inflation

Fed governor Christopher Waller, who was one of the most dovish members of the FOMC, warned the impact of higher oil prices on top of Trump’s tariffs raised the prospect of a prolonged, pandemic-style inflation shock.
www.ft.com/content/5a93...

When Disregard for Population Health Becomes US Policy This Perspective discusses the consequences on population health of recent US policies, such as those that limit funding for scientific research or affect vaccine access.

"The nation’s inaction in addressing the US health disadvantage has been replaced by something worse, government actions that—intentionally or not—endanger population health"
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Lather, rinse, repeat

Here is what the guy who made that “bad deal” said about it at the time

Lutnick also called the USMCA a "bad deal."
If true, whoever negotiated it for the US must be a real dope

Between things like this, the FL/TX requirements that hospitals collect patients’ immigration status, and new Treasury rule requiring banks to reporter customer citizenship, it is striking how much the state is coopting civil society & private sector into enforcing immigration policy for them.

Florida seeks to bar undocumented immigrants from state colleges Undocumented immigrants would be barred from admission to state colleges under a proposed rule by the Florida Department of Education.

Florida seeks to bar undocumented immigrants from attending state colleges www.sun-sentinel.com/2026/04/16/f...

Cuban man dies by suicide in ICE detention in Miami — the second in Florida in a month At least nine immigrants have died of presumed suicides since President Donald Trump assumed office in January 2025.

Cuban man dies by suicide in ICE detention in Miami — the second in Florida in a month
www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

Exclusive | Altman Attack Suspect Called for ‘Luigi-ing Tech CEOs’ in Online Messages Law enforcement is highlighting recent alleged copycats of Luigi Mangione, the accused UnitedHealthcare CEO killer.

Months before his arrest for allegedly attempting to murder the chief executive of OpenAI, Daniel Moreno-Gama suggested “Luigi’ing some tech CEOs” in an internet chat. www.wsj.com/us-news/altm...

House defies Trump on immigration with move to shield Haitians The vote to advance a bill extending protections for Haitians marks the first time Republican lawmakers have voted this term to oppose Trump’s immigration policy.

This is an encouraging development: Several House Republicans joined Democrats to oppose Trump on an immigration policy. They forced a vote to advance a measure to reinstate temporary protections for some 350,000 Haitians who had been living/working legally in the US until Trump pulled their status

For Second Year in a Row, Trump Budget Seeks to Slash WIC Fruit and Vegetable Benefits for Millions President Trump’s fiscal year 2027 budget calls for sharply reducing the fruit and vegetable component of WIC’s food benefits for new and expecting parents and young children. We estimate the proposed...

Trump Budget Seeks to Slash WIC Benefits for Millions
www.cbpp.org/blog/for-sec...

SantaCon promoter arrested for charity fraud, New York federal prosecutors say More than 25,000 people dressed as Santa Claus and other Christmas characters pass through New York bars in an annual event meant to raise money for charity.

Come on, “con” was right there in the name www.cnbc.com/2026/04/15/s...

Jury finds Live Nation, Ticketmaster committed antitrust violations The companies were accused of using their market dominance to strong-arm artists and venues into anticompetitive deals, resulting in higher ticket prices for consumers.

Jury finds Live Nation, Ticketmaster committed antitrust violations www.courthousenews.com/jury-finds-l...

WYDEN: Are you gonna recommend the US taxpayer pay Trump $10 billion?

BISIGNANO: I'm not rendering an opinion

WYDEN: Give me your opinion! You're ostensibly somebody who is supposed to be doing stuff

Shiller's measure of long-term price-earnings ratio suggests stocks are overvalued, at least in historical terms. CAPE is now at levels last seen during the 2000 dot-com bubble

“The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth.”