Favorites May 20th 2022: Trade Surpluses and Monkeypox

Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias

Antitrust and competition policy are important and I favor vigorous enforcement but I’m confused why we would want to go *beyond* the traditional price-focused consumer welfare standard at a time of worry about inflation.

axios.comSchumer seeks tech antitrust bill vote by early summerThe window for legislation to limit monopolistic practices by Big Tech is closing.

As much as the consumer harm formula sometimes causes problems for regulating monopolies, when you compare it to the other options it seems to come out ahead...

Walter Olson🌻 @walterolson

He didn't just leave the election-stealing to subordinates.

politico.comEastman provides new details of Trump’s direct role in legal effort to overturn electionThe court filing describes the direct role of Trump himself in developing strategy, detailing “two hand-written notes from former President Trump about information that he thought might be useful for the anticipated litigation.”

A bunch of new info on folks trying to overturn the election. Apparently Larry Ellison was involved?? Ginni Thomas turns out to be even more involved than previously reported.

Douglas Irwin @D_A_Irwin

Key, priceless graf from @paulkrugman: How the West Is Strangling Putin’s Economy nytimes.com/2022/05/19/opi…

No one will sell Russia anything, exports are only useful because they're how you afford imports.

Mark D. Levine @MarkLevineNYC

There are many people getting covid who don't realize they qualify for paxlovid and aren't asking for it. Everyone 65+ qualifies. As do those aged 12+ with a LONG list of underlying conditions (below). If you test pos tell your doc right away you want to be screened for pax.

If you test positive for COVID, and are over the age of 65 you qualify to get paxlovid, but if you have any of this HUGE list of underlying conditions, you still qualify.

Threads

• Thread regarding the disturbing spread of monkeypox. TL;DR spreads via contact, droplets and aerosols. Smallpox vaccine *may* provide some protection. (Warning, there are some skin disease photos in the thread)