This and that for your Tuesday reading.

– Brian Beutler comments on the Trump regime’s absolute lack of distinction between war and politics, and what that means for any hope of a peaceful transition to reflect electoral choices. And Robert Reich discusses the absurdity of the U.S. launching increasingly destructive wars without having the slightest clue what their endgame is in any of them. 

– Dave Levitan writes about the dangers of allowing people to gamble on choices and outcomes in war. 

– Meanwhile, Alexander de Croo points out that development is no less an exercise of hard power than military action – while providing a much-needed prospect of positive outcomes. 

– Surya Sakhar-Suot writes about the myriad benefits of remote work – and the concurrent folly of imposing return-to-office mandates. 

– Finally, Ben Steverman discusses how the rise of 19th-century billionaire robber barons is being reflected in the emergence of the trillionaires of the near term. And Hugh Gusterson writes about the elite gifts and manipulations that tied together Jeffrey Epstein’s network of influence and control.