Texas: No Magic Formula, Just Common Sense

In Texas America Trusts

The Economist this week (reluctantly, it seems) highlights that Texas is steadily establishing itself as "America Inc’s" new "center of gravity", outperforming all other states in business investment and population growth. Between 2020 and 2025, Texas created approximately one-fifth of all net new jobs in the United States, and it is currently on track to overtake California as the nation's largest economy.

They cover some key areas, yet they seem to miss the underlying reason behind these policies.  It's almost as if they're too proud to believe that a Southern state—the antithesis to California, New York and Washington (not to mention the "Old World")—is beating them at their own game.

The Lone Star State's success rests on a simple formula:

Venezuela’s Constitutional Clock: Update

Following up on Venezuela’s constitutional clock starts ticking:

We are approaching the end of the 90‑day period that began on January 4, when Delcy Rodríguez was made acting president following the Constitutional Court’s declaration of Maduro’s “forced absence”. The most likely move is a 90‑day extension, which would keep the temporary‑absence framework in place until July 3. If so, the key question becomes what happens after July 3. That’s when the constitutional situation becomes much murkier.

Venezuela’s constitutional clock starts ticking

In a ruling issued Sunday, the country's rubber-stamp Supreme Tribunal of Justice decided to treat Maduro's current absence as a temporary forced absence. This means the current government stays in place, but a constitutional clock starts ticking until elections are held.

Under this plan,