Bonjour! Here’s your PolicySphere morning briefing! If you were forwarded this, here’s more about who we are and what we’re doing and, of course, don’t forget to sign up.
NB: There will be no PolicySphere Briefing on Wednesday, May Day (also known as St Joseph’s Day)
#IndustrialPolicy #AmericanManufacturing – For the first time in a very long time, the US has a complete solar panel manufacturing supply chain again.
#Trans #TitleIX – National Review writer Madeleine Kearns is interviewed on the Biden Administration’s new Title IX rules. Apparently, they’re a disaster. Choice quotes : “Basically every educational entity across the states that is in receipt of any amount of federal funding is now prohibited from acknowledging biological reality.” — “women’s sports, spaces, scholarships […] and it’s not just college. […] It’s K right through college. It’s completely devastating.” — “Then there’s parental rights that are going to be affected as well in terms of schools transitioning kids behind parents’ backs. So really, really devastating stuff and all presented within this disingenuous language of moderation when it’s anything but.”
#Trans – A harrowing report from Independent Women’s Forum: “Alissa Kamholz, a female inmate sentenced 39 years to life under California’s three-strikes law, said that prison was once her “safe place” away from male rapists who abused her throughout her childhood… until the women’s prison forced her to live with a man who used to frequent the gang clubhouse she was routinely abused in.” Is there an intelligent defense of biological males in women’s prisons? We genuinely ask, if it exists we want to read it.
#Natalism #Media – We try to be moderate here at PolicySphere, but one of the most unpleasant aspects of the contemporary left is their hostility to babies and new people in general. Thus this terrible Politico hitpiece on the Natal Conference, a recent Austin gathering of people from all political persuasions (by no means only conservatives, let alone “the far-right”) interested in finding solutions to the birth rate collapse currently happening. According to Politico, this is horribly nefarious and, like, Nazi, or something. This is the media today. We at Sphere Media are trying to fix this, so please support us.
#Economy – Important from Heritage’s Rachel Greszler: there are about 2 million “missing workers”; that is to say, “there are 2.3 million fewer people employed today than if the employment-to-population ratio had stayed the same as it was [before the Covid-19 pandemic].” Even more worryingly, a growing share of those missing workers are younger Americans.
#Immigration – From News Nation’s Ali Bradley: “Sources confirm more than 840 ‘gotaways’ were recorded yesterday alone along the southern border. Current 7-day average is just over 750 people entering our country daily, undetected. Gotaways are seen on a camera or in a bailout/pursuit and are never apprehended. More than 6400 undocumented individuals were encountered by CBP at our southern border yesterday.” The evidence that the Biden Administration is deliberately refusing to police the border seems overwhelming. Is there any defense of this? If you support increased immigration, fine, but does that mean doing this in this lawless, chaotic manner? What about if you support “the rule of law”? Again: we are always interested in intelligent, rational defenses of such things, but we are unaware of any at present.
#AI – From Brookings: “Five Hollywood writers discuss AI’s impact on their careers”
#PublicHealth – Important catch by Brownstone Institute: “The World Health Organization’s Dr. Hanna Nohynek testified in court that she advised her government that vaccine passports were not needed but was ignored, despite explaining that the Covid vaccines did not stop virus transmission and the passports gave a false sense of security.”
Chart of the Day
From Jason Furman, who was Obama’s CEA Chair, but whose Twitter is enlightening and mostly-honest in spite of moderate-left bias: “The optimistic perspective on inflation is that latest numbers are noise so better off smoothing over 6 or 12 months. The pessimistic perspective on inflation is that it is turning back up.”
Meme of the Day
We have to repost this meme, shared by Elon Musk; the context is a reference to an interview of some “climate activist” explaining that technological or meliorist solutions to climate change would be bad (and “climate denial”) because they would prevent the advent of world communism. It’s perfectly reasonable to believe that climate change is a real and serious threat which much be addressed, including through policy. If you believe that, then your greatest enemy should be young know-nothing “climate activists” who clearly see climate change as a mere pretext for implementing communist-like policies.
