America has made an unusually directional economic bet that is at this moment totally dependent on Chinese rare earth exports.
trade
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
America’s Greatest Mistake
This article appears in the October 2025 issue of The American Prospect magazine. Subscribe here. The World’s Worst Bet: How the Globalization Gamble Went Wrong (And What Would Make It Right) By David J. Lynch PublicAffairs For a time, globalization was synonymous with utopia: the untrammeled flow of capital across borders, new markets waiting to be opened, the growth of developing […]
Posted inLaw and Justice
Trump Ignores Forced Labor From China
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has dramatically reduced policing of forced labor violations, as the agency focuses more resources on tariffs.
Posted inTAP
Democratic Brazil, Autocratic America
Today on TAP: Their system is working as Bolsonaro is brought to justice. Ours is failing.
Posted inPolitics
The Oligarchy’s Best Friend
With all of Trump’s alarming moves toward authoritarianism, it’s easy to overlook that he is also an ordinary plutocrat.
Posted inEconomic Policy
Judge the Actually Existing Trump Economy, Not the Theory
Equity stakes, loophole closures, and protecting domestic industries might make sense in someone else’s hands. Not from a president with no strategy or plan.
Posted inTAP
Shooting the Messenger at BLS
Today on TAP: Could Trump’s new commissioner, E.J. Antoni, succeed in disguising the worsening economic realities?
Posted inEconomic Policy
What the Economy Really Looks Like
When you factor in all the data points, we have an anxious workforce, a business sector seeking opportunity in inflation, and an avalanche of bad policy bearing down on everyone.
Posted inEconomic Policy
Nevada’s Trump Slump Bleeds Beyond the Strip
With tourism sagging, Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo aims to elevate manufacturing, logistics, and tech. But Trump’s policies are hurting those industries, too.
Posted inEconomic Policy
When L’État C’est Trump, the U.S. Goes in for State Capitalism
It’s Trump, not Mamdani, who’s having government take over businesses.