The smartest insight and analysis, from all perspectives, rounded up from around the web:
It's been a "remarkable use of the presidential bully pulpit," said Michael Shear at The New York Times. For much of the past week, President Trump has aggressively attacked Amazon, labeling the nation's largest e-retailer a "tax cheat and a job killer" and accusing it of profiting at the expense of the U.S. Postal Service. Amazon "pays little or no taxes to state & local governments," Trump said in one tweet, adding that it "uses our Postal System as their Delivery Boy (causing tremendous loss to the U.S.)" and has put "thousands" of retailers out of business. People close to the president say he is "obsessed" with Amazon and has hinted that he wants to "use the power of his office" to rein it in. That possibility has "spooked investors," tanking Amazon's market value by about $75 billion. The president's war "is personal," said Gabriel Sherman at Vanity Fair. He believes that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who separately owns The Washington Post, uses that paper's coverage "as a political weapon" against him. It doesn't matter that Bezos has no newsroom involvement. The president is intent on causing "further damage" to Amazon, perhaps by pressuring the Post Office to increase the company's shipping costs.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Democrats: How to rebuild a damaged brandFeature Trump's approval rating is sinking, but so is the Democratic brand
-
Unraveling autismFeature RFK Jr. has vowed to find the root cause of the 'autism epidemic' in months. Scientists have doubts.
-
'Two dolls': Can Trump sell Americans on austerity?Feature Trump's tariffs may be threatening holiday shelves but they've handed Democrats a 'huge gift'
-
The pros and cons of noncompete agreementsThe Explainer The FTC wants to ban companies from binding their employees with noncompete agreements. Who would this benefit, and who would it hurt?
-
What experts are saying about the economy's surprise contractionThe Explainer The sharpest opinions on the debate from around the web
-
The death of cities was greatly exaggeratedThe Explainer Why the pandemic predictions about urban flight were wrong
-
The housing crisis is hereThe Explainer As the pandemic takes its toll, renters face eviction even as buyers are bidding higher
-
How to be an ally to marginalized coworkersThe Explainer Show up for your colleagues by showing that you see them and their struggles
-
What the stock market knowsThe Explainer Publicly traded companies are going to wallop small businesses
-
Can the government save small businesses?The Explainer Many are fighting for a fair share of the coronavirus rescue package
-
How the oil crash could turn into a much bigger economic shockThe Explainer This could be a huge problem for the entire economy
