A new study in the Quarterly Journal of Economics reveals that nearly half of US federal judges attended crash courses in economics at the conservative-leaning Manne Economics Institute for Federal Judges between 1976 and 1999 — and it changed how they behaved on the bench.

Reviewing more than a million circuit and district court rulings, the study’s researchers found that after attending the popular economics “training,” judges ruled against regulators more often and imposed more severe sentences against criminals.

https://jacobin.com/2025/09/law-economics-federal-judges-conservatives/

I hope no one ever forgets or forgives Israel for this

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/08/almost-55000-children-in-gaza-acutely-malnourished-lancet-study-estimates

Global CO₂ emissions reached a record high, with average temperatures surpassing 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. To limit warming to 2°C, between 525 and 755 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide must be removed from the atmosphere by 2100, far beyond the 9 gigatonnes removed from 2019 to 2023—almost entirely through forestry. Novel methods like direct air capture (DAC), biochar, and enhanced rock weathering currently remove less than 0.004 gigatonnes annually. Scaling DAC to 6–12 gigatonnes per year, as required by IPCC scenarios, would demand roughly 4.4 terawatts of new carbon-free energy—more than the total clean energy generated in 2024. Although geological storage capacity is sufficient, current carbon capture projects mostly use CO₂ from fossil fuel production rather than atmospheric sources, and DAC’s high energy and chemical costs remain major barriers to large-scale deployment.

https://spectrum.ieee.org/scaling-carbon-capture-technology

The FCC’s “Delete, Delete, Delete” docket is being used as a platform for corporate broadcasters to push for sweeping deregulation of media ownership and competition rules. Proposals include eliminating the national TV ownership cap, which currently prevents a single corporation from owning stations that reach more than 39% of U.S. households—a limit in place to prevent excessive concentration of influence. Broadcasters argue it is outdated and hinders competition with streaming platforms, and removing it would enable large mergers like Nexstar-Tegna. Another key proposal is repealing local ownership limits, which restrict a company from owning more than two TV stations or an excessive number of radio stations in a single market, rules designed to ensure diverse local media voices since 1964. Finally, the dual network rule, which prevents mergers between the four major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC), is also targeted, with industry arguing it no longer serves the public interest in today’s media landscape.

The process benefits from an open-ended timeline, a political climate blending regulatory power with administration influence, and the 2024 Supreme Court decision weakening deference to agency expertise. Critics warn that fully realizing this agenda would lead to unprecedented media consolidation, diminished local news, and greater corporate alignment with political interests, worsening the broader information crisis threatening democracy.

https://www.openmarketsinstitute.org/publications/the-corner-newsletter-the-fccs-delete-the-public-interest-initiative-october-8th-2025

ared Abbott argues that rebuilding a working-class political majority in the U.S. requires more than union organizing or local experiments; it needs a supportive political and legal environment, economic populist candidates, and long-term community engagement. Working-class voters, now increasingly drifting from Democrats—especially non-college-educated and multiracial groups—are crucial for winning national elections and for countering far-right influence in local communities.

Progressives should run candidates who unapologetically challenge corporate power and highlight working-class struggles, as this messaging resonates strongly with these voters. Electing candidates from working-class backgrounds also boosts credibility and advocacy for pro-worker policies. Bold progressive economic platforms—covering wages, labor rights, public investment, and redistribution—are broadly popular among working-class voters, but Democrats often fail to foreground them, allowing conservatives to dominate the economic populist narrative.

Abbott warns against two failed strategies: “Trump Lite” cultural triangulation and passive “rope-a-dope” approaches, emphasizing instead authentic engagement on local terms. Long-term investment in political and civic infrastructure—persistent organizing, local offices, and community services—is critical to rebuild trust in progressive politics. Ultimately, a durable working-class majority depends on combining electoral power, economic populist leadership, and sustained local presence to deliver meaningful material improvements and reshape political expectations.

https://jacobin.com/2025/10/working-class-strategy-dealignment-populism/

Perhaps most consequentially, Israel is now dramatically reducing the amount of aid that it will allow to enter the strip, dropping the total number of permitted daily truckloads from 600 — the amount aid officials say is needed to help alleviate famine — to 300.

Israel claims that this reduced number of trucks will carry only humanitarian aid. But Al Jazeera reported Thursday that many of the shipments have contained commercial products, which are unaffordable for the vast majority of Gazans. Meanwhile, Israel has continued to carry out attacks within Gaza, killing at least nine Palestinians who allegedly got too close to Israeli military facilities in the strip.

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/gaza-ceasefire-deal/

Trump-led appropriations bills have also starved maritime capacity. In Trump’s most recent appropriations bill, the Small Shipyard Grant Program, one of the few federal mechanisms for helping grow shipbuilding capacity, received $8.75 million, a record low and less than half of the $21 million it received during the Biden administration.

For shipyards competing against heavily subsidized foreign rivals, these grants often determine whether they can afford to modernize equipment like cranes and welding machines or fall further behind. Demand for the grants has consistently exceeded supply, with applications surpassing available funds by more than five times. Underfunding the program not only reduces its effectiveness but also signals a retreat at a time when foreign shipyards are receiving significant government support.

https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/10/09/trump-shipbuilding-failure/