Have you ever wondered why the world does business in US dollars? Or whether that dominance confers special benefits to the US? Have you heard doomers who claim the dollar is about to be dethroned, most recently because Iran is charging Strait of Hormuz tolls in cryptocurrency or Chinese yuan?

Well Nobel prize winning economist excels at explaining complex topics like this in layman's terms. This episode is somewhat longer than normal at about 27 minutes. If you prefer to read the original article, here's the link: The Dollar’s Special Status: Sources and ThreatsI'd appreciate it if you'd leave a comment letting me know if you do or do not like these longer, explanatory podcasts.

Harvard political theorist Danielle Allen wrote a series ofarticles for the Washington Post in 2023 and 2024. That series was called "Democracy Refreshed". Here is the 8th and final article where she examines the expansion of presidential power and how to overcome that problem.

If you wish to read the article instead of listening, here's the link: Opinion | The Founders didn’t envision a Mar-a-Lago executive branch - The Washington Post

Harvard political theorist Danielle Allen wrote a series ofarticles for the Washington Post in 2023 and 2024. That series was called "Democracy Refreshed". Here is the 7th articlewhere Danielle answers some FAQs about democracy renovation.

If you prefer to read the article instead of listening, here's the link: Opinion | What is democracy renovation? Here’s what to know. - The Washington Post

Harvard political theorist Danielle Allen wrote a series ofarticles for the Washington Post in 2023 and 2024. That series was called "Democracy Refreshed". Here is the 6th articleon the importance of urgently fixing our civic education.

If you prefer to read the article instead of listening, here's the link: Opinion | Civics education won’t succeed if we sell kids a broken democracy - The Washington Post

Harvard political theorist Danielle Allen wrote a series ofarticles for the Washington Post in 2023 and 2024. That series was called "Democracy Refreshed". Here is the 5th articleon the dangers AI poses for our democracy unless we renovate first.

If you wish to read the article instead of listening, here's the link: Opinion | Artificial generative intelligence could prove too much for democracy - The Washington Post

Harvard political theorist Danielle Allen wrote a series ofarticles for the Washington Post in 2023 and 2024. That series was called "Democracy Refreshed". Here is the 4th articleon how to free the Supreme Court from pernicious politics.

If you prefer to read the article rather than listen, here's the link: Opinion | The Supreme Court needs term limits. Justices can do it themselves. - The Washington Post

Harvard political theorist Danielle Allen wrote a series ofarticles for the Washington Post in 2023 and 2024. That series was called "Democracy Refreshed". Here is the 3rd article. In the first two articles she advocated for a larger House of Representatives. In this article she answers the question about whether our Capitol could handle it.

If you want to read the article instead of listen, here's the link: Opinion | What the U.S. Capitol would look like with a bigger House - Washington Post

Harvard political theorist Danielle Allen wrote a series of articles for the Washington Post in 2023 and 2024. That series was called "Democracy Refreshed". Here is the 2nd article on how to kill gerrymandering and grow the House.

If you want to read the article instead of listening, here's the link: Opinion | How to fix gerrymandering and the electoral college at the same time - The Washington Post