From Baker, Bloom and Davis, as well as Caldara et al., in the wake of Section 232 (“National Security”) tariffs on bathroom vanities, upholstered furniture, and some pharmaceuticals.
Figure 1: EPU-trade from Baker, Bloom and Davis (blue, left scale), and Trade Policy Uncertainty from Caldara et al. (red, right scale). Source: policyuncertainty.com and Iacoviello.com.
If you’re wondering how bathroom vanities productive capacity is central to US national security, I have no answer for you; nor does the Commerce Department’s BIS.
Off topic – China steps up preparations to invade Taiwan:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-29/us-intelligence-warns-china-ferries-built-for-taiwan-preparation/105606720
My knee-jerk response to this kind of journalism is “Of course China is preparing to invade Taiwan, you ninnies!”, but that’s unfair. If ABC headlines don’t sound breathless, nobody will bother to read the article. So good for ABC.
China is preparing to invade Taiwan…and parts of the Philippines and parts of Japan and even parts of Russia. China is an expansionist hegemon, a racist regime that bullies its neighbors. Quotidian journalism involves reminding us if the obvious broader themes – China is an expansionist, bullying, racist, hegemonic regime – while adding new detail to the story. The new detail – refitting existing vessels to carry armament for an invasion – confirms the broader theme that China is preparing to invade Taiwan.
“Quotidian journalism involves reminding us if the obvious broader themes – China is an expansionist, bullying, racist, hegemonic regime.”
You could say the exact same about the US, word for word.
have to agree with you on that one. militaries are not built to be defeated. they are built to win wars and expand. whether they are actually used in that regard is a different story.
Well, yesterday the commander in chief stood before all 800 generals and admirals and declared to them that Canada must be the 51st state. Will they take him up on it?
This stuff ain’t funny. The Canadians certainly don’t think so.
Here’s a knife at the heart of our democracy:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/countering-domestic-terrorism-and-organized-political-violence/
Having ignored and sometimes encouraged right-wing violence, and erased federal findings that right-wing political violence is by far the most prevalent sort in the U.S., the felon-in-chief is now using support for civil liberty and a handful of violent against as an excuse to criminalize opposition to his regime.
Anybody have a copy of “Das Horst-Wessel-Lied”? I want to brush up my repertoire of patriotic ditties.
President Donald Trump appeared before the White House press corps Monday, proclaiming it “one of the great days ever in civilization … a historic day of peace … let’s call it eternal peace”. After 45 minutes of mutual back rubbing between Trump and Netanyahu it was revealed that the historic day of peace is between Trump and Netanyahu, having resolved their differences. Hamas and Gaza has nothing to do with it. The war goes on.
Give Trump the Nobel Peace Prize for peace between the US and Israel.
the absurdity of linking everyday items like bathroom vanities to national securityputi
This is what is posted on the front page of HUD.gov, the official government web site, by Secretary Scott Turner:
The Radical Left are going to shut down the government and inflict massive pain on the American people unless they get their $1.5 trillion wish list of demands. The Trump administration wants to keep the government open for the American people.
The Hatch Act is so yesterday. Department of Justice is apparently too busy prosecuting James Comey to enforce the law.
Trump: “I never walked into a room so silent before…If you want to applaud you applaud. You can do anything you want. If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room. There goes your rank and there goes your future.”
Trump, is upset that he was faced with dead silence during his hour long demented rant before 800 generals and admirals today.
I think this little stunt is going to backfire. I’m sure there a lot of MAGA generals, but most of them are intelligent, serious folks. It is one thing to read about all the crazy stuff Trump says and does, but it is a another thing to witness it with your own eyes in person. It think most of them were horrified at the scene before them of a unhinged, senile old man suffering from dementia as their commander in chief, as he whined about the rigged 2020 election, whined about Biden, and his plan to build new battleships with 6-inch steel, no less.
And I suspect there was a lot of eye-rolling for Pete Hegseth skipping around the stage like a maniac, cosplaying as a manly warrior.
I don’t think Trump won over a Hitler-style personal army. I think they are going to be quite wary of what might come.