China, Monopolies, and Logging

“Hawley to Introduce Bill to Move Federal Agencies out of Washington D.C. to Economically Stagnant Areas.” Jack Crowe outlines Josh Hawley’s new proposal. It sounds like Senator Hawley has been listening to Patrick Deneen.

“Our Overdue Reckoning with China.” John Burtka critiques the amorality (or immorality) of global markets: “We live in the age of populism, nationalism and socialism — not because the American people are ignorant, but because they are outraged by the hypocrisy of an elite class whose commitment to liberal values extends only so far as their pocketbooks or their next deal in the PRC.”

“A Million People Are Jailed at China’s Gulags. I Managed to Escape. Here’s What Really Goes on Inside.” In related news, David Stavrou interviews Sayragul Sauytbay, who escaped from one of the “reeducation camps” in Xinjiang. She relates conditions that are truly horrific.

“How Democrats Became the Party of Monopoly and Corruption.” Matt Stoller traces the growth of monopolies in late twentieth-century America and denounces the Clinton administration which enabled them: “whether in farm country or steel country, the closed independent shop and the collapsed bank were as much monuments to the new political order as the sprouting number of Walmarts and the blizzard of junk-mail credit cards from Citibank.”

“Ep. 79: Predator Pits, Riding Moose, and Fighting for the North American Model with Dr. Valerius Geist.” Dr. Valerius Geist is a fascinating scientist and hunter. In the last hour or so, they discuss the ethics of hunting and the North American Model of wildlife conservation. (Recommended by Casey Spinks.)

“Washington State Is Thinning Out Forests To Reduce Wildfire Risk.” Kirk Siegler reports for NPR on a welcome development: logging the smaller trees in National Forests to keep forests healthy and support local economies.

“How States are Helping Farmers Adopt Sustainable Practices.” Lisa Held reports on state incentives for farmers to use regenerative agricultural practices.

“Up From Libertarianism?” James Antle III elucidates some of the complicated history underlying the Republican party’s ungoing realignment and today’s debates between its traditionalist and libertarian wings.

“Messages Show Boeing Employees Knew in 2016 of Problems that Turned Deadly on the 737 Max.” Michael Laris describes the broken system by which the FAA certifies the safety of Boeing’s airplanes.