Yesterday, Donald Trump was officially inaugurated as president, marking the beginning of his second term in office after four years out of office. He is now one of the only presidents to achieve this feat, alongside Grover Cleveland. Trump has set out to sign an unprecedented number of executive orders. In his inauguration speech, he once again commented on the Panama Canal, claiming that it does not treat Americans fairly and is controlled by China. Over the weekend, TikTok had briefly suspended service as the ban went into effect on January 19th. While the outgoing Biden administration had instructed the Justice Department not to enforce the penalties associated with the ban, the language was not strong enough for TikTok and application platforms to continue operations. Trump’s assurance prior to being sworn in, followed by more specific language setting a grace period, appears to have provided enough of a guarantee for TikTok and service providers Google and Apple to resume operations.

In this week’s articles, Alvaro Vargas Llosa dispels the concern about the Panama Canal, addressing claims about its ownership and operation. Michael Makovi rebuts the right-to-repair letter written by senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jeff Merkely (D-OR), and Josh Hawley (R-MO). Scott Semet explains the fascination over Greenland. Lastly, Lawrence McQuillan points to the transformative power of private initiative where governments fail.

Enjoy!

Jonathan Hofer
Managing Editor