They’re Tightening Their Grip Because They’re Losing It
A News Link Round-Up
The latest weekly round-up of links, covering: Trumps’ directionless Iran policy, the unwavering direction of his lawless tariff policy, how mass deportations have redefined the immigration issue, the vanishing Republican majority in Congress, economic “slopulism,” a few stories on medical innovation, and a quality old man rant on making the kids these days do the work.
“‘Do What Thou Wilt’ Shall Be the Whole of the Law,” But in a Bad Way
As Trump Weighs Iran Strikes, He Declines to Make Clear Case for Why, or Why Now
Though Mr. Trump is largely fixated on the nuclear weapons program, at various moments he and his aides have cited a range of other rationales for military action: protecting the protesters that Iranian forces killed by the thousands last month, wiping out the arsenal of missiles that Iran can use to strike Israel, and ending Tehran’s support for Hamas and Hezbollah.
Then there is the question of whether military force, the hammer Mr. Trump reaches for so quickly, can even accomplish those ends. Most of Iran’s near-bomb-grade uranium is already buried from the last strike, in June. And it is not clear how airstrikes would immediately aid protesters around the country or persuade Iran to stop funding terror.
Mr. Trump has never consistently described his goals, and when he talks about them it is usually in a haze of brief, offhand comments. The president has given no speeches preparing the American public for a strike on a country of about 90 million people, and sought no approval from Congress….
And when pressed on Iran, Mr. Trump regularly deflects questions about whether regime change is his true goal, leaving unclear what kind of end-state he seeks.
Trump Has Other Means to Make Tariff Mischief
The administration’s rapid pivot to Section 122 reflects necessity, not legal strength. It rests on redefining a “balance-of-payments crisis” beyond recognition, disregarding its own recent legal positions, and assuming that courts will decline to examine economic realities too closely. That is a fragile foundation for a policy affecting hundreds of billions of dollars in commerce and millions of consumers. And it’s possible he will get away with it.
Ultimately, this episode underscores a constitutional reality that no statutory workaround can erase: trade policy belongs to Congress. And unless Congress takes it back, it will not be able to put a definitive end to his tariff mischief.
Temporary emergency tools were never meant to substitute for democratic accountability. If tariffs are to exist, they must be enacted through legislation, debated openly, and owned politically by the representatives who approve them. Until then, each new Plan B will be an effort to outrun the limits of the law.
Trump’s Challenge to Free Market Capitalism
Ultimately, many economists say, it is a mistake to try to understand Mr. Trump’s actions through the lens of state capitalism, industrial policy or other clearly defined economic philosophy. Mr. Trump’s approach to policymaking is transactional and personal, not ideological….
But it may prove harder to persuade a future president to cede the power over the private sector that Mr. Trump has worked to build.
