my private podcast channel
President-elect Trump has promised changes in economic policies. How well they work and how they will affect us remains to be seen. Here is a look at proposals that have promise—and proposals that are likely to cause harm.
Original article: Trump’s Economic Policies: The Good, The Bad, and the Uncertain
Democracy is the watchword with the ruling classes, yet a democratic political system does not protect individual freedoms. Indeed, democracy often has become the main road to socialism. It‘s time for some honest discussion.
Original article: Real Democracy Can Only Be Freedom
Some legal “experts” are claiming that the Supreme Court‘s infamous 1857 Dred Scott decision is still used in current law. That, of course, is nonsense. In fact, soon after its passage, many northern states essentially nullified “Scott” at the state level.
Original article: Dred Scott, Politics, and the “Living” Constitution
While the US dollar still is the world‘s “reserve” currency, its abuse by the Federal Reserve and federal government has weakened it precipitously. While President-elect Trump recognizes the threats to the dollar, is he willing to do what needs to be done to change the situation?
Original article: Can Trump Save the Dollar?
Washington has wielded the sanctions weapon against nearly a third of all nations on earth. It is time to rethink these policies, and one hopes the incoming Trump administration will do just that and change course.
Original article: The Second Trump Term and the “Sanctions Industrial Complex”
A modern misconception of antebellum slavery is that it “built the country.” Actually, the institution of slavery, economically speaking, was a deadweight loss to the US economy.
Original article: Slavery—Cronyism, Opportunity Cost, & Deadweight Loss
Modern academics are relentless in trying to find any nuances they can from the works of Karl Marx, but they miss the larger issues with his work. Marx was alive and active when the marginalists logically took apart his value theory, but hope springs eternal for Marx‘s supporters.
Original article: The Missing Secret
Progressives are openly cheering the murder of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. However, it was progressive legislation that created this healthcare crisis in the first place.
Original article: Progressivism and the Murder of a Health Insurance CEO
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to run the Pentagon, faced tough questions — at least from Senate Democrats — during his confirmation hearing Tuesday. The veteran and former Fox News host is facing allegations of excessive drinking, sexual misconduct, and financial mismanagement. But none of that seems to be disqualifying for Republicans, because Hegseth appears headed toward confirmation. Veteran and Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth joins us to share her thoughts on Tuesday’s hearing.
Later in the show, Atlantic staff writer Rogé Karma breaks down the intra-MAGA war over H-1B visas.
And in headlines: Congress passes legislation banning trans athletes from female school sports teams, the Justice Department released part one of former Special Counsel Jack Smith's report on his investigations into Trump, and TikTok users are migrating to the Chinese social media app RedNote.
Show Notes:
How did an investigation into an effort to violently overturn a US presidential election end up coming out as a whimper, well after it could have carried any weight or legal repercussions?
Guest: Jay Willis, editor-in-chief at Balls and Strikes.
Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.
Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices