Big Money and the Maine Election: Round 2
Despite Maine Democratic Party claims that outside interests won’t influence who replaces Platner, the money trail suggests otherwise.
Read more...Author Archives: Yves Smith
Iran War: Strait of Hormuz Traffic Falls as Trump Threatens Infrastructure Strikes; Iran Alleges $9 Billion of Witkoff/Kushner Profits from Negotiation Intel, Demands Cut
Today’s Iran war news: Trump’s bluster increases, evidently to compensate for military impotence.
Read more...Satyajit Das: Déjà Vu All Over Again! Are Stock Markets Repeating Dot.com Mistakes?
AI valuations make the dot.com era look pale. Yet genuine excitement seems to be wanting.
Read more...Senators and Representatives Block $1.15 Trillion Pentagon Bill Over Trump’s Illegal Iran War, Israel Integration
A preliminary success in blocking Trump’s plan to supersize the Pentagon budget and integrate the IDF.
Read more...Should BRICS+ Lead the Global South?
BRICS seems destined never to live up to hopes for it. Is strengthening the Non-Aligned Movement a better strategy?
Read more...Links 7/15/2026
Iran War: Trump TACOs on Strait of Hormuz Fee as Blockade Starts but Again Threatens to Attack Iran Energy and Critical Infrastructure as Iran Warns of Closure of Bab el-Mandeb, Destruction of Gulf State Energy Production
Today’s Iran war news: Trump’s continued ferocity is way out of line compared to what the US can achieve. So what might transpire?
Read more...Hochul Temporarily Bans New Data Centers in NY Amid Scrutiny of Climate Impacts
Mirabile dictu! New York intends to make data centers hew to more stringent pollution, water use and energy cost/impact rules.
Read more...Knee Pain? Ragged Cartilage? Research Suggests Surgery’s Not the Best Answer
Some news you can use: on a dodgy knee procedure that while deservedly falling in popularity, is still being practiced.
Read more...Links 7/14/2026
Iran War: Trump Lashes Himself to Strait of Hormuz Mast With Renewed Blockade, Intensified Attacks on Iran; Oil Crunch Worsens as Iran Halt Fujairah Shipments, Houthis Threaten to Close Bab el-Mandeb
Today’s Iran war news: Trump is indeed making himself Herbert Hoover 2.0 with his latest escalation.
Read more...On the US-EU Productivity Debate: James Galbraith Responds to Paul Krugman
An exchange about American versus European productivity is really about the US need to substantiate its superior status.
Read more...Trapped at Home: Climate Stress Is More Likely to Immobilize the Poor Than to Move Them
A new study argues that climate change will not produce mass migration of the poor, using debatable assumptions.
Read more...Iran War: What Happens When the US Hits the Limits of Escalation Options?
Today’s Iran war news: The current escalatory trajectory is set to lead only to bad outcomes, yet complacency seems widespread.
Read more...Iran War: Iran Rejects Trump 24 Hour Ultimatum; US Launches Intense Attacks With Kuwait and Bahrain; Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz, Starts Counter-Strikes; Rumors of Mining of Oman Channel
Today’s Iran war news: It looks as if a full-bore war, now over control of the Strait of Hormuz, is on.
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