Professor: Trump Could Be Good for the Economy

The International Monetary Fund’s former chief economist suggests that “after years of hibernation,” the economy “could rouse itself for a big comeback over the next couple of years.” For one thing, writes Harvard’s Kenneth Rogoff in The Boston Globe, Donald Trump’s policies “are staunchly pro-business (with the notable exception of trade).” He’d halt the growth of regulation, and “businesses will be ecstatic, maybe enough to start really investing again.” Add to that “the prospect of a massive stimulus, featuring a huge expansion of badly needed infrastructure spending.” Yes, there are risks, but “it is far more likely that after years of slow recovery, the US economy might at last be ready to move significantly faster, at least for a while.”

Media critic: Behind That Times Prison Racism Story

After a weeks-long investigation, The New York Times accused New York state of “systematically using race as the factor that determines which prisoners are detained” and which get parole. But Andrew McCarthy at PJ Media notes that the paper itself acknowledged that “it is not possible to know whether race is a factor in any particular parole decision.” Moreover, the Times admitted — in the 23rd paragraph — that it “did not have access to the full range of information the [parole] board took into account,” including “inmates’ time in county jail, full arrest histories, complete prison disciplinary records and whether required prison programs were completed.” All that’s left is “the social justice warrior’s favorite artifice: the ‘disparate impact’ theory of discrimination.” But “why let that spoil a good narrative?”

Business writer: Liz Warren Attacks the Wrong Man

Democratic far-left icon Sen. Elizabeth Warren recently took to Facebook to condemn pro-Trump hedge-funders, and one in particular: Whitney Tilson, who runs Kase Capital. One problem, notes New York Times Dealbook columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin: Tilson “happens to be of the few financial executives who fought against Mr. Trump’s election.” Moreover, he’s also “one of the rare Wall Street executives” who’s “donated to Ms. Warren and actively sought new regulations for the industry.” Says Sorkin: “Warren appears to be suffering from the same affliction that Mr. Trump’s critics accuse him of: a knee-jerk, fact-free reaction to something she had read in the news.”

From the left: New York Should Seize Trump Tower

The Washington Post’s Catherine Rampell has a semi-serious suggestion on how New York City should deal with the traffic nightmare surrounding Trump Tower and the feds’ refusal so far to fully reimburse security costs: “Use eminent domain to seize Trump Tower.” After all, the Supreme Court has ruled that “governments may now use this power to condemn property if they can devise virtually any use that better promotes ‘economic development’.” And while most “everyone hated that ruling,” Trump himself loved it — and the use of eminent domain in general, saying property owners “get a fortune.” Well, says Rampell, “that fortune can soon be his.”

— Compiled by Eric Fettmann