John McLaren
johnmclaren.bsky.social
John McLaren
@johnmclaren.bsky.social

Economist, classical music nerd, and family man.

Economics 44%
Political science 23%
Pinned
I'm seeing a huge spike in interest in tariffs from people who normally don't work in the economics of international trade. Here are a few useful things to know about them. (1/14)

Reposted by John McLaren

A blistering critique of UVA’s presidential search process that also raises some serious concerns about Beardsley’s resume. That guy has got to go.

augustafreepress.com/news/vanishi...
How UVA’s presidential search missed what took us an hour to find
Inside Higher Ed frames the controversy surrounding Scott C. Beardsley's appointment as the University of Virginia's president.
augustafreepress.com

Reposted by John McLaren

Video: Regarding Trump’s Threats to Greenland, Sen. Tim Kaine Vows “Congress will stop him, both Democrats and Republicans…We’re not going to do it the ‘hard way’ and we’re not going to do it the ‘easy way’ either.” bluevirginia.us/2026/01/vide... h/t @atrupar.com

Reposted by John McLaren

The sheer indignity of citing a dictionary to a judge and then him taking a look at it and saying “ok but did you read the second line.” I would move to Mars.

This is *always* how it works with metals tariffs. We saw this with the Bush steel tariffs and the Trump I tariffs. You get a few jobs in steel and you lose a lot of jobs in every industry that *uses* steel. It kills manufacturing. There’s been a lot of work on this. #econsky
Manufacturing has been contracting for most of the past year. If you drill down you'll see metal manufacturing is doing ok, because Trump pummeled their competition with tariffs. Meanwhile the downstream US firms (machinery, electronics, autos) that have to *buy* more expensive metal are screwed.

A Turning Point for Trump’s Marauding Secret Police talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/a-tur...
A Turning Point for Trump’s Marauding Secret Police
People who don’t like Donald Trump are kinda gun-shy talking about turning...
talkingpointsmemo.com

Seems it would be within journalistic norms to use the word “sick,” doesn’t it? Same number of letters.
I can't believe I'm posting this video - but we actually have to have a conversation about the real world implications of America going to war over Greenland.

Let me walk you through it. It doesn't turn out well for us.

Reposted by John McLaren

A big thanks to the @cvilledems.bsky.social for celebrating Nancy Damon for her inimitable service! (And thank you Josh Throneburg for putting it together)

Reposted by John McLaren

Loved the opportunity to speak with folks at the @cvilledems.bsky.social meeting tonight! Great to celebrate Nancy Damon and the wonderful work she’s done.

Thank you to the past and future exec boards and everyone on the committee for all that you do!
Renee Good should still be here.

She was a beloved child of God, with inherent value and infinite worth.

She was murdered by her own government in broad daylight in what is supposed to be the greatest democracy on the planet.
DAVE MATTHEWS: “I don’t want my taxes to pay for masked thugs to roam our streets & terrorize our communities... She was trying to get away. He shot her 3x in the head. Murdered in cold blood. They’re trying to tell us not to believe what we see. FUCK ICE.”

(H/T @marcofoster.bsky.social )
Frey: "I think the initial impetus to come to MN was to arrest & deport a bunch of Somali people. They got here & realized the Somali people that would be deported are all citizens. Then they turned their ire toward our Latino community & others. These are communities that make Mpls a better place."

Reposted by John McLaren

🧵 1/4
First daily quarters is a heavy one. As someone who’s worked to protect his community, but in uniformed service and as a local elected leader, the killing of Renee Good by a federal ICE agent in Minneapolis weighs on my heart.
A Black man was killed by ICE (off duty) in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve. And like Renée Good, he was an American citizen. But most people have not heard about Keith Porter.

I need y’all to realize this. Black people experience this lack of visibility all the time when it comes to being victims.

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This one isn't as sharp as I would like but I still love this shot I got two years ago today! The vibrant reflection on the Puyallup River in Tacoma was caused by different colored shipping containers and I watched as this Common Merganser paddled right into the shot. #Birds #Nature #Photography

That’s impressive!
/8 A huge part of what makes it very hard to convict Jonathan Ross for murder was baked into America generations before Trump was President. That’s the primary factor that lets law enforcement kill with impunity, not Trump.

Dick Wolf has killed more black men than Leopold II.

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ICE Out For Good: Vigil for those murdered by ICE. Sunday 2-3 pm at Market Street Park, Charlottesville. Updates coming soon. #AbolishICE
ICE Out For Good: Vigil — Indivisible Charlottesville
Join Indivisible Charlottesville and other local organizations for an ICE Out For Good: Vigil for those murdered by ICE. Sunday 2-3 pm at Market Street Park, Charlottesville. On Wednesday, January 7t...
www.indivisiblecharlottesville.org

Reposted by John McLaren

A picture of dysfunction.

archive.is/6SDL6

Reposted by John McLaren

Manufacturing has been contracting for most of the past year. If you drill down you'll see metal manufacturing is doing ok, because Trump pummeled their competition with tariffs. Meanwhile the downstream US firms (machinery, electronics, autos) that have to *buy* more expensive metal are screwed.

Reposted by John McLaren

For Renee Nicole Good
Killed by I.C.E. on January 7, 2026
by Amanda Gorman.

Reposted by John McLaren

TOMORROW, Saturday, January 10.

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7 Democrats just voted today to confirm a Trump judicial nominee who refused to say what happened on January 6 or answer who won the 2020 election:

Durbin
Hassan
Kaine
King
Klobuchar
Shaheen
Welch
I invite all Americans to join Minnesota in a day of unity tomorrow.
Oh my gosh you guys! The House just passed my bill to extend the health care tax credits for three more years!

I think Waldo's is an improvement!
Yes, JD. Let’s ask them if they think a stay at home mom, avowed Christian, and widow of a veteran deserved to be shot in the face and left to bleed out in her own car after dropping her 6-year-old off at school, for the crime of looking out for her neighbors. Let’s ask everyone running for office.