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One of the enduring myths of American economic history is that the Smoot-Hawley tariff of 1930 deepened the Great Depression. Here’s James B. Stewart in Friday’s New York Times. After Smoot-Hawley was passed, Stewart solemnly warns, other nations retaliated and exports “plunged 61 percent from 1929 to 1933. … [T]he ensuing trade war exacerbated and prolonged the hardships of the Great Depression.” The only problem with this received wisdom is that it has been thoroughly debunked by the respected dean of trade historians, [...]

One possibly redeeming consequence of the latest massacre of school children is that the scapegoating of mental illness and the parade of politicians who take NRA money expressing “thoughts and prayers” for dead children and grieving parents are wearing thin. It’s time to take over the national narrative. These are not “shooters.” They are domestic terrorists. And this is not about balancing gun rights with other rights. It’s about keeping our children safe. As I suggested the other day in this space discussing [...]

Just in case we needed one more thumb on the scale of today’s Alabama Senate election, how about this: The Alabama Supreme Court last night inserted itself to block a lower court ruling requiring election officials to preserve ballots, in case of challenges to voter suppression or even a just plain recount. In Alabama, about 85 percent of ballots are recorded digitally, and the lower ruling required the preservation of digital images. Ironically, Roy Moore, the Republican candidate, served [...]