The United States effectively no longer has an asylum system. Our asylum system was created by our Congress, under the rule of law, and it is the duty of the Executive Branch to administer that system. It has instead disemboweled the system so that it no longer grants asylum.

BREAKING: in March 2026, *every single one* of the 1,341 refugees admitted in the United States were white South Africans: In FY 2026, the U.S. has admitted a total of 4,496 white South Africans, three Afghans (back in November), and nobody else. www.rpc.state.gov/documents/Re...

Our PhD student Kennedy Orwa, who studies applications of AI to health care, was hastily deported today to Kenya along with his 13-year-old son without opportunity to speak to legal counsel. King 5 reports that he held a valid visa that was rescinded without explanation.

#FundSocSci www.nber.org/calls-papers...

A new study predicts that Long Covid will cost OECD economies $135 billion a year, due to people leaving the workforce, lower productivity, and healthcare costs. COVID is not over.

If you enjoy playing golf & want to present your Applied Microeconomics research, submit to this terrific conference organized by @davidajaeger.bsky.social at University of St Andrews I went last year, and I'll be attending again this year Link here: standrews.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

I'm thrilled to share I helped design Arbeiter Brewing Co's newest can label! Liberator Doppelbock: release Party today, 4/8, 6-9pm. La Choza food truck will be on site: first 100 tacos free! A portion of proceeds from Liberator will go to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church's Immigration Justice Fund!

An AI slop-news site translated my job title "senior fellow" as... "elder chap"

Liam Conejo Ramos' father says his son now regularly sees a psychologist. Liam's mother, Erika Ramos, said he's been exhibiting signs of psychological trauma, including hypervigilance and isolation.

Congratulations to Ludwig Straub @ludwigstraub.bsky.social of @harvard.edu, winner of the 2026 John Bates Clark Medal! www.aeaweb.org/about-aea/ho...

My dear friend Paige Harden and I both have new books out, and both are about crime & punishment — but from different (though still evidence-based) perspectives.

Final week to apply for Poster & Speed Sessions at the RES Annual Conference. ⏳ Speed Sessions offer fast-paced, early-stage research pitches, while Poster Sessions offer a high-visibility way to showcase your work at the Welcome Reception. Apply by 13 April: bit.ly/4pt8RsF #EconSky

"Anyone who tells you that they know with any certainty where stock prices are going is a liar."

Current* conditions near Duluth, MN:

The Population of the United States.

This is an actual post. This is not funny. This is beyond desperate. This is a deeply unwell man who doesn’t belong anywhere near the levers of power. Every member of his cabinet and Congress is complicit in not demanding his removal now.

I really don’t understand this comms strategy but as long as we’re here, can you ask Charlie why “J-pilled” was glossed as “far-right slang for skepticism of Israeli influence”? That does not feel like an “unflinching view of the implications of these ideas,” but what do I know

Untranslated headlines in German are much clearer than New York Times headlines in English

I essentially took the entirety of the first 2.5 years of my PhD, 55 hours/week and set them on fire. Nothing productive or useful arose. Those years are also the years that made me a very good scientist. Grunt work and failure and friction IS the work. There is no way around learning.

🏆J'ai eu le plaisir de recevoir @adrienbilal.bsky.social ce lundi, soit le jour où l'on a appris qu'il avait reçu le Prix du meilleur jeune économiste de l'année. Réchauffement climatique, rapport aux mathématiques, et à l'économie bien sûr, c'est à écouter sur @franceculture.fr

had to go see the landback skyscrapers for myself

Can’t wait to show my advisor my new project I’ve been working on for the past…one day 🫠

native americans determined to not be birthright citizens; deported back to america

The medical examiner in Buffalo has ruled that the death of a nearly blind man left alone by Border Patrol agents on a frigid night was a homicide, a finding that could lead to criminal charges.

I don’t think I should be able to smell my cat’s breath when she walks in the room, and yet

Delighted to share our revised paper (w/ @juliaturner.bsky.social & @jacobbastian.bsky.social ) showing that Universal Pre-K has broad effects on local labor markets — effects well beyond only mothers. Larger effects for full-day programs. nber.org/papers/w33767 #EconSky #EarlyChildhood #ECE

So my kid had to go to McMaster Children's Hospital this year, and got to join a cool research study, then saw this Million Reasons Run fundraiser and said "hey Mom, you could do this", so.... I'm running 100km in May, raising funds for MacKids. Help me out? www.millionreasons.run/fundraisers/...

The #ArtemisII crew has launched on their way to the Moon. Read what they'll do next and what is up with NASA's Moon base plans: www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪🔭

Even my four year old knows we didn’t win the Vietnam war…

I’m very sorry to share that the most common filter for informal breastmilk donation is milk from a woman who has not received any vaccines.

Thinking about a PhD in Economics? I have an opening for a pre-doc / research position at UPF in Barcelona. You’ll gain research experience and I help you apply for PhD programs Highly relevant for Master’s students. Please share euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/420232

Claude is amazing. Just two years ago, my youngest was crying all the time and acting like a baby. But then Claude came out and now she’s crying less and acting more like a toddler.

The Political Economy of National Identity: a chapter with Moses Shayo for the Handbook of the Economics of Identity. We review econ & pol‑sci research on how national identities shape trade, welfare policy, conflict, and polarization. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

I’m trying to plan transportation and accommodation for a 4-country 5-city trip that includes a conference, business meetings, and vacation, with a preschooler, baby, and 4 adults and it is...killing me. There’s no good way to do the flights. And why is Dublin SO expensive?

Do you have a paper on financial decision-making? Want to present research & hike? Does Bozeman in early August sound good? The Financial Decision-making Conference is Aug 6-7! Submission deadline April 20. The call for papers is here: fdmconference.pages.dev#cfp

Obv this whole bill is terrible from top to bottom. I’d like to think that at least imposing LIFE for using the bathroom would be struck down as cruel and usual, but any hope of that likely rests w Idaho Sup Ct. Bc SCOTUS has held that 2 consecutive 25 yr terms for stealing 9 VCR tapes is fine.

Gee, maybe it was a bad idea for Trump to fire the people in government who knew what the fuck they were talking about when it came to Iran. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/federal-em...

Only 23% of government workers believe they “can report a suspected violation of a law, rule, or regulation without experiencing retaliation.” That's way down form the share the prior year (72%) who said they could report suspected illegal activity without fear www.thebulwark.com/p/two-more-g...

Always wondered whether visiting UChicago in April played a role in going there

I was just helping my kid with their high school Gov homework, and was astonished to learn the United States has a Congress.

EPI is hiring a Development Director!

Today is #EqualPayDay, but there's no cause for celebration. This is how far into 2026 women would have to work on top of the hours they worked in 2025 simply to match what men were paid in 2025. Emma Cohn and I detail changes in the pay gap and what we can do about it. www.epi.org/blog/the-gen...

Please know that ICE in Minnesota isn’t a last month thing. It’s a now thing. And at Nick Universe?

I was getting a little worried about my baby’s listening comprehension skills because she doesn’t really follow directions. Turns out she follows directions in Vietnamese just fine.

BREAKING: For the 11th time, Republicans have blocked Democrats from paying TSA. Republicans have been given ELEVEN chances to send TSA agents their paychecks, but they refuse.

57 of my fellow students were arrested, academically disciplined, and barred from campus 2 weeks before finals. And then the visas of some of those students were quietly revoked. And then the DEI office was killed. And then we watched our mentors’ grants evaporate over “woke”.

Apply!!!! I can think of a number of amazing IPE/CPE scholars 3-5 years from their PhDs who would be extremely well qualified for this position and could *diversify* Max Planck intellectually, geographically, and demographically.

Amazing to me how sticky this reactionary argument is. Just like with public schools, not all childcare is equal. Those of us who believe in public schools think investing in improved quality is the answer, not dissolving the system & replacing it with vouchers. www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

The number of people who traveled out of state for abortion care decreased from 2024 to 2025. This was accompanied by an increase in telehealth, especially to residents of states that ban abortion. LFG abortion access for everyone, everywhere. Thanks @guttmacher.org for this important work.

3,300 passengers travel through LaGuardia every hour, every day, every year. 29 million total. Running that airport with a single ATC in charge of both sky and ground traffic is inexcusable and if the shortage is that bad then we need to shut some airports down