Oh Boy, Oh Boy! Listen Or Watch April 8, 2025 Last night’s Lawrence O’Donnell, if you missed it, was a home run. Here is the first segment, which seems to be unrestricted. To watch the full episode, you need to jump through a hoop or two . . . but can listen to it all without commercials here. It seems Musk may actually be doing something good, pressing Trump for free trade, not tariffs. So far, that’s been in private. But look what his brother Kimbal Musk, a Tesla and SpaceX board member, posted: Who would have thought that trump was actually the most high tax president in generations? Through his tariff strategy, Trump has implemented a structural, permanent tax on the American consumer. Even if he is successful in bringing jobs on shore through the tariff tax, prices will remain high and the tax on consumption will remain in the form of higher prices because we are simply not as good at making all things. A tax on consumption also means less consumption. Which means fewer jobs. Should turn leads to less consumption. Then even fewer jobs. America has incredible strengths. We should play to those strengths and not be forced to play to our weaknesses. Same with the rest of the world. So Peter Navarro (recently released from prison and again a key advisor to the convicted felon in the Oval office) may not win the tariff policy battle after all. He bases a lot of his trade theory on the work of economist Ron Vara — just read his book and you’ll see — but it turns out, as Rachel Maddow explains*, economist Ron Vara does not exist. He is just an anagram for Navarro. So the expert on whom he bases his world view that currently threatens global depression is . . . himself. Maybe economic sanity will prevail? One can hope, anyway. *And yes, of course, Rachel is almost always, a must-watch, too.