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A Chinese-led global economy is on the horizon

A Chinese-led global economy is on the horizon

David Wallace-Wells writes: China’s share of global manufacturing has grown so much that by 2030, it is expected to reach seven times what it was in 2000; America’s will have fallen by half. And while Trump’s supporters describe the trade war as an effort to reverse that pattern, they’ve done so little beyond erratic tariffs — with no major pledges of government investment and no real commitment to policy stability — it all looks more like policy by culture-war meme….

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Trump’s pick for U.S. attorney, Ed Martin, is a Russian-state-TV darling

Trump’s pick for U.S. attorney, Ed Martin, is a Russian-state-TV darling

Tom Nichols writes: The United States of America is still a free country, and every private citizen has the right to speak to anyone, anywhere in the world, about anything. If the propaganda arm of an avowed enemy of the West calls and invites you to bash your own nation in public, you are free to do so. It might not be the most patriotic or sensible choice, but it’s your privilege. If you also would like to join the…

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Despair in Gaza as Israeli aid blockade creates crisis ‘unmatched in severity’

Despair in Gaza as Israeli aid blockade creates crisis ‘unmatched in severity’

The Observer reports: Gaza has been pushed to new depths of despair, civilians, medics and humanitarian workers say, by the unprecedented seven-week-long Israeli military blockade that has cut off all aid to the strip. The siege has left the Palestinian territory facing conditions unmatched in severity since the beginning of the war as residents grapple with sweeping new evacuation orders, the renewed bombing of civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, and the exhaustion of food, fuel for generators and medical supplies….

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What blew up the Local Bubble?

What blew up the Local Bubble?

Paul Sutter writes: In our neighborhood of the Milky Way, we see a region surrounding the solar system that is far less dense than average. But that space, that cavity, is a very irregular, elongated shape. What little material is left inside of this cavity is insanely hot, as it has a temperature of around a million Kelvin. What’s going on? We call this region surrounding the solar system the Local Bubble, which is a bit unimaginative, but it gets…

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David Brooks: It is time for a comprehensive national civic uprising

David Brooks: It is time for a comprehensive national civic uprising

David Brooks writes: In the beginning there was agony. Under the empires of old, the strong did what they willed and the weak suffered what they must. But over the centuries, people built the sinews of civilization: Constitutions to restrain power, international alliances to promote peace, legal systems to peacefully settle disputes, scientific institutions to cure disease, news outlets to advance public understanding, charitable organizations to ease suffering, businesses to build wealth and spread prosperity, and universities to preserve, transmit…

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The risk of a dollar crisis: A currency is only as good as the government that backs it

The risk of a dollar crisis: A currency is only as good as the government that backs it

In a lead editorial, The Economist says: The dollar is meant to be a source of safety. Lately, however, it has been a cause of fear. Since its peak in mid-January the greenback has fallen by over 9% against a basket of major currencies. Two-fifths of that fall has happened since April 1st, even as the yield on ten-year Treasuries has crept up by 0.2 percentage points. That mix of rising yields and a falling currency is a warning sign:…

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DOGE is making the IRS little more than a tip jar for public services

DOGE is making the IRS little more than a tip jar for public services

Donald Moynihan writes: The Internal Revenue Service may be America’s least-loved government agency, but it is one of the most important. Without the taxes the IRS collects, the United States would essentially have no funds for key services and no creditworthiness, and the nation would rapidly grind to a halt. Ensuring that everyone pays their fair share is also a key component of the social contract: If the wealthiest can skip their obligations, that weakens any shared commitment to the…

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This case is not just about one man; it’s about protecting the constitutional rights of everybody

This case is not just about one man; it’s about protecting the constitutional rights of everybody

I went to El Salvador hoping to meet with Kilmar & check on his well-being, and I had the chance to do that last night. Our courts have been clear: this was an ILLEGAL abduction. I’m speaking now about my meeting with Kilmar & our work to bring him home: https://t.co/0tZjVonkUF — Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) April 18, 2025 Politico reports: Chris Van Hollen has spent nearly a decade as an under-the-radar lawmaker. But the Maryland Democrat, who gave…

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Trump shifted on tariffs after bond holders, including himself, got jittery

Trump shifted on tariffs after bond holders, including himself, got jittery

The New York Times reports: When President Trump paused a punishing round of global tariffs last week, he attributed his change of heart to one main thing. “I was watching the bond market,” he said. “The bond market is very tricky.” Mr. Trump should know — he had a big personal stake in it. A New York Times analysis of Mr. Trump’s financial holdings shows that he had roughly $125 million to about $443 million invested in bonds as of…

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Immigrants prove they are alive, forcing Social Security to undo death label

Immigrants prove they are alive, forcing Social Security to undo death label

The Washington Post reports: Immigrants falsely labeled dead by the Social Security Administration are showing up at field offices with documents proving they are alive, leading staff to reinstate nearly three dozen people over the past week, according to records obtained by The Washington Post. The immigrants who have requested a reversal and been reinstated in Social Security databases include a Haitian asylum seeker and a child, the records show. Some immigrants have shown up with driver’s licenses and work…

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Learning the wrong lesson from Elon Musk’s business success

Learning the wrong lesson from Elon Musk’s business success

Adam Grant writes: Last December, I asked my students at Wharton to nominate and vote on topics for our final class. The runaway top choice was leadership lessons from Elon Musk. It’s become a hot topic among the corporate elite, too. At a recent leadership conference, the founder of a lucrative start-up said in passing that Mr. Musk was making dictators cool again. The chief executive of a large company said Mr. Musk was giving people like him their power…

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Court says White House, if it values the rule of law, must play more active role in freeing Abrego Garcia

Court says White House, if it values the rule of law, must play more active role in freeing Abrego Garcia

The New York Times reports: A federal appeals court in Virginia reaffirmed on Thursday that the White House needed to play a more active role in seeking the release of a Maryland man who was deported last month to a prison in El Salvador, despite a court order expressly forbidding that he be sent there. In a sternly worded ruling, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit expressed exasperation at the Trump administration’s continued…

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ICE director, Todd Lyons, wants Amazon-like mass deportation system: ‘Prime, but with human beings’

ICE director, Todd Lyons, wants Amazon-like mass deportation system: ‘Prime, but with human beings’

Nick Miroff writes: The Trump administration is working hard to convince the public that its mass-deportation campaign is fully under way. Over the past several weeks, federal agents have seized foreign students off the streets, raided worksites, and shipped detainees to a supermax prison in El Salvador using wartime powers adopted under the John Adams administration. The tactics have spread fear and created a showreel of social-media-ready highlights for the White House. But they have not brought U.S. Immigration and…

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Bessent privately urges caution as Trump attacks Federal Reserve Chair Powell

Bessent privately urges caution as Trump attacks Federal Reserve Chair Powell

Politico reports: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has repeatedly cautioned White House officials that any attempt to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell would risk destabilizing financial markets, according to two people close to the White House granted anonymity to share details of private discussions. Bessent’s private message reinforces what President Donald Trump already knows but comes as the president’s anger with the Fed chair is growing because Powell hasn’t shown signs that he will cut interest rates soon. It also…

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