And there it is.... Update in Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against his own I.R.S., in which he seeks taxpayer-funded damages for the prior release of his tax records Trump legal filing says he's in "discussions" with his own I.R.S. to "avoid protracted litigation"

it's happening "PhD degree in Climatology or Atmospheric Sciences" "Deep knowledge of the mortgage business"

Killer live episode of @piie.com Tradewinds today featuring @adamposen.bsky.social, @chadpbown.com, @arvind2011.bsky.social, Mary Lovely, and Mari Pangestu - our version of the '27 Yankees.

Moment of silence for every duty free shop - it's gonna get heavy.

Literally the first comment. Also, the fact that authoritarians *can* lose elections in some systems does not mean democracy is unaffected. Would Cowen prefer to live in an illiberal democracy or competitive authoritarian state? Are they really the same as, say, Canada?

As usual, my @piie.com colleague Maury Obstfeld brings clarity: The dollar's global role is not a primary reason that the United States has a big and persistent current account deficit. Those reasons are fiscal imbalances (at home) and mercantilism abroad. www.piie.com/blogs/realti...

Hell yes.

If the deal for Iran to collect tolls on the Strait of Hormuz is interpreted literally, the US would pay $14-$20 million to Iran to move a carrier strike group—US 5th Fleet based in Bahrain—in & out of the Persian Gulf & to open water—each way, each time. By @cullenhendrix.bsky.social:

CATO: “.. the circumstances that would trigger Section 122 do not (and cannot currently) exist.” 🤡 @cato.org @scottlincicome.bsky.social www.cato.org/blog/new-tar...

Is the outcome of the ceasefire better than the world that existed on February 27, before the US & Israel launched their offensive against Iran? On that measure, the case for US strategic success is difficult to make. By @cullenhendrix.bsky.social:

Whoa. Need to follow up on this.

Madeline, this is just brilliant.

Be a #50

The "war on Christianity" takes an interesting turn.

The US-Iran ceasefire is a relief, but let’s not mistake "avoiding catastrophe" for "strategic victory." From effectively ceding control of the Strait of Hormuz to depleting US missile stockpiles, the costs of this conflict are staggering. My latest for @piie.com. www.piie.com/blogs/realti...

If nothing to this point was 25th Amendment territory, we're here now.

On April 15, 2026, 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT @jfkirkegaard.bsky.social, @warwickmck.bsky.social, and Anjali Bhatt will discuss economic security at one of the least economically insecure junctures of the 21st century (and there's competition). Join in person or online! www.piie.com/events/2026/...

The Vice President’s parents-in-law came to the United States as foreign students, at the University of California.

This is unconstitutional. Voting is a fundamental right for every American. Illinois will keep administering free and fair elections – and what Donald Trump puts on a piece of paper will not change that.

Doesn't believe in building libraries or museums? My dude, no one was confused about that.

In five minutes at the last No Kings protest in Denver I spoke with the Colorado Communist Party and a finance guy who'd made an elaborate sign based on this to protest insider trading. If you have the tech vest capitalists AND the communists, you have the beginnings of a movement.

The first legal scholar mentioned in this piece, John Yoo, is THAT John Yoo, the author of the GW Bush-era torture memos which sought to massively expand presidential authority beyond its constitutional limits, which is what the birthright citizenship EO does. This is not mentioned in the story.

Assuming you are not a city mouse, this is an amazing opportunity. @wm.edu is a fantastic school in a lovely setting. Among non-PhD IR departments I put it at the top of the list. Great colleagues, great environment. @miketierneyir.bsky.social and the team have something very special.

According to documents filed this morning by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of NY, ICE has been lying for a year — not only to the public, but to the courts and to prosecutors — about being authorized to make arrests at 26 Federal Plaza and other immigration courts. (1/2)

ICYMI @mdebolle.com, Bruna Santos @Inter-American Dialogue and Pedro Guerra (Office of VP @ MDIC) and yours truly talked about the criticality of #criticalminerals to the US-Brazil relationship. My take? Brazil has the ore, the leverage, and no reason to rush. www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfEu...

We already see this. I'm party of an international team of water scientists giving lectures on freshwater to Chinese university students. The first class has 1,500 students and they expect 10,000 to take the course. 10,000! Just on #water issues. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Do these people hear themselves speak?

My @piie.com colleague Adnan Mazarei and colleagues have a great new working paper that couldn't be more timely given the crisis in the Persian Gulf: who controls the global petrochemicals industry? A small group of firms — concentrated in China, the US, and Saudi Arabia.

Took California less than a day to begin the process of holding people accountable and making efforts to right wrongs. And Chavez was a revered figure! He wasn't some random finance bro pedo from NYC. Funny how the Ivys/prestige universities and the GOP protect Epstein and his buddies at all costs

Some good meditations on this from @jamellebouie.net www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-Rp...

Funny, but I don't remember family planning and parental leave policy being a big part of the NBA's CBA negotiations. It may be in there, but it's not one of the headline outcomes reported. I wonder why?

This is a remarkably glib (and manifestly bonkers) thing to say in this context.

I long for the days of drum-fueled summits.

* EXCLUSIVE- QATARENERGY CEO TELLS REUTERS: WE MAY HAVE TO DECLARE FORCE MAJEURE ON LONG-TERM CONTRACTS FOR UP TO FIVE YEARS FOR LNG SUPPLIES TO ITALY, BELGIUM, KOREA AND CHINA @reuters.com

I don't know where you live, but where I live, I see zero evidence of a groundswell of support for "the troops." I remember Desert Storm and the Iraq war; both enjoyed broad support at the outset. Hell, Topps made trading cards for Desert Storm. This time is different. And this won't help.

Read the room, man (and by man, I mean Trump).

Important discussion: “It is estimated that as much as 70 percent of the Gulf’s food imports pass through Hormuz. Its closure thus represents a threat to the food security of the Gulf, but the disruption also risks supplies for the wider Middle East.”

The new V-Dem report was released today. There are dramatic declines in democracy in the US. Much worse than during Trump I.

The new @vdeminstitute.bsky.social report is out; it should be sobering both in the US and abroad. On V-Dem’s Liberal Democracy index the United Stated dropped by a total of 0.18. This reduction is about three times larger than the country experiencing the second-largest drop over the year.

I realize these young people are adults. But I can't help but think they are the knowledge economy's equivalent of child soldiers: youths selected for obedience and an inability to grasp the broader social consequences of their actions.

As the Hormuz crisis becomes a food security crisis, the @wfp.org is going into 2026 in a massive funding hole due to aid retrenchment by the US and many European donors facing the prospect of rearmament. The geopolitics driving the crisis are also leaving the cupboard bare for crisis response.

If the jobs worth having are trades, then the wages currently associated with trades will go down, not up, with AI expansion. As more AI-displaced workers gravitate toward trades (where else?), wages will come down. It's simple supply and demand. And it's the biggest missing part of this debate.

Join us on March 25 for an exciting discussion of the role critical minerals play in shaping Brazil-US economic economic relations featuring @mdebolle.com, Pedro Guerra (MDIC) and Bruna Santos @ Inter-American Dialogue!

Join us on March 25 for an exciting discussion of the role critical minerals play in shaping Brazil-US economic economic relations featuring @mdebolle.com, Pedro Guerra (MDIC) and Bruna Santos @ Inter-American Dialogue! www.piie.com/events/2026/...

Pretty sure it's an F-16 Desert Falcon, a bespoke F-16 developed for UAE.

You're a captain of an oil tanker flagged to Liberia but operating out of, say, Greece. You are supposed to risk your life (and your crew's life) so Iran can capitulate to the US? "I widowed my wife and kids, but I sure am glad the US was able to get gas prices back down by the midterms."

I read this as Slate Audio and was hoping this Amazon person knows one-shots. Turns out I was seeing what I wanted to see.

2025 was a no-good, very bad year for U.S. musical instrument imports. Total down 15%, band/orchestra instruments down even more. About 75% of the drop came from Chinese exports. When the main supplier of student instruments slows, your kid’s string quartet becomes a trio.

Focusing on energy prices and the Strait of Hormuz while people are dying might seem crass, but energy prices are the prices that anchor prices for pretty much everything else - including food. And lots apart from oil passes through those straights. From @ifpri.org: www.ifpri.org/blog/the-ira...