March 2, 2026

“IT’S ALL GLOBAL GEOSTRATEGY TO COUNTER CHINA:”

Posted at 10:48 am by Ed Driscoll

MORE GOVERNMENT, HIGHER PRICES: We Didn’t Just Get Expensive Electricity. We Built a System That Makes It Inevitable.

When one looks inside the electricity system, the experience is less like analyzing an immense machine than being fed into one, resembling the immortal scene in “Modern Times” where Charlie Chaplin’s factory worker is swallowed by the equipment he’s working on.

The American electricity market is not guided by an “invisible hand” of supply and demand, but an accumulation of misaligned rules laid down over decades. Layer upon layer of regulation, subsidy, mandate, and accounting rules to a point where the system became fixed in an upward, inflationary tilt, impervious to efforts to change.

There are at least a half-dozen federal environmental regulations that have more to do with rising electricity prices than tariffs or the data-center buildout, and a good example to start with is called Construction Work in Progress (CWIP).

As a new issue brief makes clear, it helped change who pays for America’s infrastructure.

Read the whole thing.

Posted at 10:38 am by Stephen Green

NEXT! Iranian VP takes over during wartime, raising questions about Pezeshkian’s status.

Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref informed officials of plans to have him take charge of the nation during wartime, according to a report from the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) published on social media late Saturday night.

There was no explicit note of President Masoud Pezeshkian’s ability to carry out presidential duties.

Earlier on Saturday, security forces blocked roads in the Tehran area that is home to Pezeshkian’s offices, witnesses said.

Keep this up, and maybe nobody will want the job.

Posted at 9:36 am by Stephen Green

ICYMI, MY LATEST SUBSTACK: Trump Cuts Off The Snake’s Head.

As always, if you like these essays, please take out a paid subscription. I appreciate your support very much.

Posted at 9:18 am by Glenn Reynolds

THE LEFT’S FAKE HISTORY:

Posted at 9:16 am by Glenn Reynolds

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: The United Freaking States of America. Heck Yeah! “Since January 3, it’s felt less like a news cycle and more like a nonstop adrenaline rush. I don’t think I’ve ever loved this country more, and I am fairly certain I was waving a little U.S. flag the moment my toddler’s hands could hold one.”

Sarah Anderson is filling in for Kruiser today as he recovers from a birthday well spent.

Posted at 9:05 am by Stephen Green

IS ANYONE SURPRISED?

Posted at 8:51 am by Glenn Reynolds

21st CENTURY RELATIONSHIPS:

Posted at 8:35 am by Ed Driscoll

PUMP IT UP: Oil producers vow to boost output as world gauges Iran fallout.

A coalition of OPEC, Russia and allied oil-producing nations agreed Sunday to boost output by a larger-than-expected amount in a move that could help offset any shortfall from Iran amid this weekend’s strikes.

Why it matters: The OPEC+ boost of 206,000 barrels per day is an early sign of how producers and companies will respond to U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran as the world ponders the effect on oil prices.

Producers and companies also are anxiously watching the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and whether Iranian attacks damage oil infrastructure in Middle Eastern countries.

The big picture: The OPEC+ group “stopped short of a more forceful increase, underscoring the tightrope it is walking between responding to near-term geopolitical risk and avoiding oversupply later this year,” Jorge Leon, a top analyst with research and consulting firm Rystad Energy, said in a note.

But there’s also this: US gasoline prices to rise after attack on Iran, analysts warn.

I topped off the tank this weekend, just to be safe, but pump prices hadn’t spiked.

Posted at 8:34 am by Stephen Green

ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES:

Posted at 8:22 am by Ed Driscoll