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June 12, 2025

China, Tesla, and the Electric Tech Stack Revolution

This week, Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg discuss China’s economic strategies, technological advancements, and geopolitical challenges, contrasting them with U.S. policy. They discuss topics from the Hong Kong protests to batt...

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June 4, 2025

Cost Disease, USAID Debate, and is Curtis Yarvin Trapped in 2020

This week, Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg explore persistent economic myths and recent developments—from cost disease in services like healthcare and education to stagnating manufacturing productivity, rising higher education ...

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May 28, 2025

Noah Smith & Matt Yglesias on the Electric Technology Crisis, China, and America's Future

This week, we're republishing a conversation Noah Smith and Matt Yglesias hosted live on Substack this past Monday. They revisit a wide-ranging conversation on the transformative role of electric motors, batteries, and indust...

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May 23, 2025

India-Pakistan, Building Back Military Power, and Immigration

This week, Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg examine global conflicts—especially India-Pakistan tensions—the U.S. military and industrial strategy amid rising threats from China, and the implications of AI and electrification, em...

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May 15, 2025

The Middle Class Myth, China's Future, and What Really Happened in 1971

This week, Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg debunk myths about the American middle class and globalization, analyze historical data on wage stagnation and trade, assess China’s technological rise, and discuss U.S. economic resil...

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May 2, 2025

You Can't Tariff Your Way to Greatness

This week, Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg explore how nostalgia influences politics and economic policy in the US and China, comparing their consumer cultures, industrial strategies, and the complex effects of tariffs on domes...

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April 24, 2025

The Deindustrialization Paradox

This week, Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg topics ranging from the futuristic themes of Black Mirror and the societal impact of technology to a critical analysis of Trump’s de-industrializing tariff policies versus Biden’s grow...

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April 18, 2025

The Bond Market Rules Everything

This week, Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg discuss the Trump administration’s trade policies, criticizing their impact on U.S. manufacturing and investment, discussing strategies to counter China’s influence through multi-count...

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April 14, 2025

Tariff Mayhem and Capital Flight

This week, Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg analyze the global repercussions of Trump’s broad tariff policies, critique misconceptions about trade deficits, and explore the economic fallout and potential policy responses. – SPON...

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April 1, 2025

The New Left vs The New Right

This week, Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg explore the rise of the 'abundance' ideology among Democrats, assess Obama's economic legacy, and analyze the New Right's evolving influence, offering a broad perspective on shifting p...

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