The Case for More Competition

U.S. Airlines and Carmakers Need to Go Global
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/u-s-airlines-and-carmakers-need-to-go-global-8f76109a
Policies that insulate them from competition created the conditions that led to bailouts and bankruptcies. 

Political Lobbying by Big Tech

Silicon Valley’s A.I. Lobbying Reaches a Fever Pitch 
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/technology/ai-lobbying-washington-openai-anthropic.html

Related:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/technology/andreessen-horowitz-politics.html 

Obsession with the Future

Do We Think Too Much About the Future?
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/open-questions/do-we-think-too-much-about-the-future
For most of history, people didn’t try predicting it. Maybe that was wise. 

The Politicization of History

Writing the Trump Years into History
https://www.newyorker.com/news/american-chronicles/writing-the-trump-years-into-history
How do you bring an American-history textbook up to date when the country’s past has become a political battleground? 

The American Revolution Wasn’t the Main Event
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/05/11/republic-and-empire-trevor-burnard-andrew-jackson-oshaughnessy-book-review-freedom-round-the-globe-sarah-pearsall
Americans have long imagined that they set off a global age of revolt. Seen within the era’s wider wars of empire, the story looks rather different.

Real Wage Decline

Prices at the Pump Are Wiping Out Wage Gains
https://www.wsj.com/economy/jobs/prices-at-the-pump-are-wiping-out-wage-gains-d16d78c0
Americans’ hourly wages are up. The problem? Inflation is up even more. 

Middle-class Americans' living standards 'in decline at this point' as inflation outpaces wage gains
https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/article/middle-class-americans-living-standards-in-decline-at-this-point-as-inflation-outpaces-wage-gains-143939724.html

The Decline of the MBA Degree

There Is a Fire Sale on M.B.A.s
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/there-is-a-fire-sale-on-m-b-a-s-87d56c69
With applications down, more business schools are offering discounts on specialized degrees that promise AI-era training. 

China versus US

China Increasingly Views Trump’s America as an Empire in Decline
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/business/china-trump-xi-decline.html
For decades, many Chinese viewed the United States with a mix of admiration, envy and resentment. President Trump’s volatile second term shattered that image. 
 
China Seeks A.I. Independence, Weakening Trump’s Leverage
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/business/china-semiconductor-ai-deepseek.html
Before this week’s U.S.-Chinese summit, Beijing reached a milestone in its quest for technological self-sufficiency.
 
Xi’s China: Dazzling Technology, Military Muscle—and an Economic Mess
https://www.wsj.com/world/china/xi-china-technology-military-economy-mess-10eb1e22
China’s government is pouring money into AI, electric cars and military power, while consumer confidence sags and the job market grows bleak. 

China’s ‘Two Billion Feet’ Are Suddenly Running from Nike
https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/nike-china-competition-running-shoes-fbd3b8c6
Quick-moving domestic athletic brands are now able to match American quality and cachet in the hypercompetitive and increasingly nationalistic market.