themarketswork

a common sense approach to a liberal world

Should Antifa Be Designated a Domestic Terror Group?

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Andy Ngo, a Portland, Oregan, based editor & photo-journalist for Quillette, was assaulted and hospitalized by masked and hooded far-left Antifa extremists on Saturday.

Ngo, who has extensively documented violence by Antifa, had written on Twitter a day earlier that he was nervous about the coming rally, noting that Antifa members had been “promising ‘physical confrontation’ & have singled me out to be assaulted.”

Following the assault, Ngo was hospitalized with multiple contusions, a black eye, and a torn earlobe. He also suffered a brain bleed that required overnight hospitalization. Ngo posted a video of himself moments after the attack, appearing shaken and covered in a white substance. Portland police later said that Antifa was mixing quick-drying cement into milkshakes to be thrown at those they targeted. It is not known if Ngo was hit with one of these mixtures.Continue Reading

The Inconsistencies of Bill Browder & the Magnitsky Act

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The Magnitsky Act, co-sponsored by Senators John McCain and Ben Cardiff, was signed into law by Obama in December 2012. The Act barred Russian officials suspected of human rights abuses from entering the United States, allowed for their U.S. assets to be frozen, and prohibited financial transactions with U.S. financial firms. The Act was expanded in 2016, allowing the U.S. Government to sanction foreign government officials anywhere in the world.

The Magnitsky Act came into being through the actions of Bill Browder, the CEO of Hermitage Capital Management. Hermitage Capital was formed in 1996 for the purpose of investing in Russia. The firm benefited from the wave of privatization that occurred, ultimately becoming one of the largest foreign investors in Russia.Continue Reading

The Shifting Political Sands of Italy

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Many observers have noted that populism is inherent to representative democracy; after all, do populists not juxtapose ‘the pure people’ against ‘the corrupt elite’? – Cas Mudde

On April 25, 2017, I wrote the following words in an article titled The EU’s Two Intractable Issues & Election Anxiety:

Brussels is breathing a sigh of relief. Macron is heavily favored to win the runoff election according to polls.

But Brussels should not feel overly confident with this short-term respite. While Le Pen is likely to lose the runoff election, it’s telling that candidates from the French establishment parties were defeated.

Italy may be the true test for the European Union. Indeed, Italy may be the place where the fate of the European Union is decided.Continue Reading

Tariffs as a Tool Towards Broader Free Trade

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President Trump signed Trade Section 232 Proclamations on Steel and Aluminum today.

The signing starts a 15-day countdown before a 25% tariff on imported steel and a 10% tariff on imported aluminum goes into effect.

The Executive Order included a clause granting Canada and Mexico a roughly 30-day grace period to avoid being impacted – but only while NAFTA talks continue.Continue Reading

A Very Telling Trade Meeting

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The Conservative Treehouse pointed out an unexpectedly televised roundtable with Members of Congress and President Trump’s Cabinet regarding our nation’s Trade Policies.

What transpired was nothing short of astonishing:

Yesterday President Trump invited the media to keep their cameras on during a round-table discussion on trade. He did this for a reason. President Trump wanted the American voters to watch Republican politicians demand that he stop trying to bring manufacturing jobs to the United States.

Which is exactly what the Republican Congressmen did.Continue Reading