This article was originally published by Philippe Lemieux at The Mises Institute.  Modern economic life no longer unfolds within reality as it emerges from human action. It operates within a constructed order that substitutes itself for real processes. Governments do not engage with the economy as it is lived and experienced. They act upon abstractions that stand in for it. What is presented as analysis is in fact a replacement. Modern central banks often justify monetary policy decisions by targeting inflation indexes that no longer reflect the real cost of living experienced by individuals. While official statistics may report stable inflation, housing, food, energy, and debt burdens continue to rise for ordinary people. Economic policy, therefore, begins responding less to lived economic reality and more to statistical representations of it. This transformation follows the logic of simulacra. Economic representations no longer describe reality but precede and structure it. The map no longer reflects the territory; it produces it. What once served as representation has become autonomous, generating a system in which the real appears only as a residual effect. This shift develops through stages tied to the displacement of genuine market processes. Initially, economic signs emerge directly from exchange. Prices,…

In a season full of absolute misery, the Boston Red Sox finally did something right following another embarrassing home loss Thursday.The organization demoted starting pitcher Brayan Bello after another horrific outing, coupled with a postgame tantrum with the media.You can be awful at your job. You can be a clown. But — and this is important — you cannot be bad at your job AND be a clown.We’ll get to the postgame interaction here in a minute, but first, some quick context …THE ORIOLES POUNDED THE PATHETIC RED SOX INTO THE GROUND SO BADLY THEY RAN OUT OF HOME RUN FIREWORKS Bello has been, by far, Boston’s worst starting pitcher this season. Things got so bad, interim manager Chad Kelly actually started using him as a “bulk” pitcher as of late, meaning the team would use an opener in the first inning or two, and then bring Bello in for the rest of the game.That actually worked.In games where Bello would simply not pitch the first inning or two, he was excellent. In games where he actually had to start, he was literally incapable of not getting rocked. I’m serious. He could not NOT give up multiple runs in the…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! In the wake of NASCAR star Kyle Busch’s death from sepsis, a Virginia Beach mother who almost lost her life to the deadly condition is sharing her harrowing experience to raise awareness.In 2015, Audrey Wiggins was a healthy 31-year-old when she thought she’d come down with the flu. Instead, her condition spiraled into a severe case of sepsis that left her in the ICU for 10 days, including five days in a medically induced coma. Now recovered, Wiggins – who is married to professional golfer Marc Leishman – is dedicated to raising awareness about the condition through her nonprofit organization, the Begin Again Foundation. She has also written a children’s book aimed at helping families recognize the warning signs.NASCAR CHAMPION KYLE BUSCH’S CAUSE OF DEATH REVEALED BY FAMILYSudden declineWiggins’ ordeal began when she began to feel ill one evening while caring for her sons, then 19 months and 3 years old, while her husband was traveling. “I had never actually had the flu before, but I was achy, feverish and cold. And so I thought, this seems like the flu,” she told Fox News Digital during an on-camera interview.As the days went on,…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Scientists are rethinking the dates consumers see on food packaging — and their research could help reduce not only food waste but also economic losses and environmental impacts tied to discarded food.”The average American wastes more than 1,000 pounds of food each year,” according to Auburn University researchers.Part of the reason is that sell-by dates are overly conservative, the researchers said in a news release announcing their work to predict spoilage more accurately. VIRAL GROCERY SHOPPING METHOD PROMISES TO SLASH SPENDING: ‘WAY EASIER, WAY CHEAPER’The findings could help consumers make more informed decisions about food safety while reducing unnecessary waste throughout the supply chain.”This research is far more significant than a discussion about meat discoloration or shelf life,” Darin Detweiler, a food safety policy expert and professor at Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies, told Fox News Digital. “It is an example of how data, microbiology and artificial intelligence may help transform food systems from managing failure after it occurs to predicting and preventing inefficiencies before they happen,” he said. (Detweiler was not involved in the new research.)The Auburn study focuses on meat sell-by dates, which are commonly used by retailers to indicate…

The barrel and slide of the new Springfield Armory SA-35 is 4 inches shorter than the original Browning Hi-Power pistols and the original SA-35.Springfield’s SA-35 4-inch is baby in stature with big boy potential.I’ve always liked the Hi-Power pistol, partly because it fits my hand better than any other pistol and partly because of its historical allure. It has the unique distinction of being used by opposing forces during World War II. Many refer to it as the “Browning” Hi-Power, primarily because John Browning began the pistol’s initial development, and because Browning imported the pistols from FN Herstal until it was discontinued in 2018. It’s also commonly known as the BAP (Browning Automatic Pistol) or the P-35, which is why when Springfield Armory introduced their version of the Hi-Power in 2021 they called it the “SA-35.”Springfield Armory’s SA-35 is very similar to the Hi-Power pistols Browning sold for years, and the SA-35 has sold well. It has introduced a lot of new-age shooters to the original “wonder nine” pistol. The Hi-Power’s link-less barrel, pivoting trigger and double-stack magazine is basically the blueprint for every modern 9mm semi-automatic pistol since.Over the years, the Hi-Power has been frequently customized much like the…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Senate Republicans managed to stitch together a unified front to advance President Donald Trump’s roughly $70 billion immigration enforcement package, but divisions over the president’s agenda were laid bare after a marathon day of votes. Passage of the budget reconciliation package geared toward funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol for the next three and a half years closes a long, drawn out chapter in the Senate that began during the longest shutdown in history. It’s a point that Senate Republicans tried to return to throughout the day, reiterating that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democrats had forced their hands after refusing to fund immigration operations without a plethora of reforms. DOZEN GOP REBELS FAIL TO PERMANENTLY KILL TRUMP’S CONTROVERSIAL $2B FUND “Democrats would not agree to anything, and eventually they walked away altogether, presumably because they thought that it would serve them better to have an issue for November,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said.But the day, and preceding weeks, were dominated by a growing rift between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration that threatened to blow up the process altogether. First, it was the inclusion of $1 billion in…

A box of Federal 6.5 Creedmoor +Peak Terminal Ascent ammo and two loose cartridges in front of a rifle.Federal’s new 6.5 Creedmoor +Peak is supercharging the 6.5 Creedmoor with the company’s Peak Alloy Case Technology.Changing a single component of a cartridge can make a massive difference. We saw this at the end of the 19th century with the advent of smokeless powder. By simply loading existing cartridges with that instead of the old, low-efficiency black powder, their performance was massively improved overnight. Federal has just done something similar, but with case technology instead of powder.Federal’s Peak Alloy Case Technology was first introduced to the world with the 7mm Backcountry. While the new cartridge was a massive success and instantly exploded in popularity, its one drawback was that it required new rifles to shoot it. But, it sent a clear message to anyone paying attention: improved case material can allow for the loading of cartridges to higher pressures, and that means more performance. So, Federal has just used that technology to supercharge the well-loved 6.5 Creedmoor with the new 6.5 Creedmoor +Peak. The best part? It doesn’t require new guns. Just about any old, standard 6.5 Creedmoor rifle can shoot 6.5…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A routine traffic stop spiraled into chaos when a handcuffed suspect allegedly commandeered a Dallas police cruiser, drove off with an officer in the back seat and bailed out while the vehicle was still moving, authorities said.Newly released body camera and dash camera footage captured the moments leading up to the suspect’s escape from his restraints and the dramatic chain of events that followed.Police said the incident began around 5:35 p.m. on May 30 after two officers conducted a traffic stop in the 2300 block of South Marsalis Avenue.Stacey Huffman, 37, was arrested and placed in the back seat of a patrol car while handcuffed.WATCH: VIDEO SHOWS SUSPECT PUSH TROOPER TO GROUND BEFORE STEALING PATROL CRUISER ON CHRISTMAS DAY Video recorded inside the vehicle appears to show Huffman slipping his left hand out of the handcuffs before concealing his hands behind his back.As officers began transporting him to jail, Huffman allegedly attempted to open the locked rear door and removed his seatbelt.Officers stopped the squad car on Interstate 35 around 6:10 p.m. to further restrain Huffman, according to police.ILLINOIS MAN’S MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND IN KEY WEST WAS DERAILED AFTER HE WENT BAR…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The Carolina Hurricanes have evened up the Stanley Cup Final in thrilling fashion, coming back from down 2-0 to win in overtime, 4-3.It was Seth Jarvis, who has been criticized for not having his usual production in the playoffs, hammering home a power-play one-timer to send the crowd into a frenzy as the Hurricanes salvaged a home game before heading on the road.  This game looked like another chapter in Brett Howden’s surprising playoff run. The Golden Knights forward scored just 12 goals during the regular season, but his two-goal performance in this contest brought his postseason total to 13. He is in clear contention for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs. His first goal of this game was from a nifty Mitch Marner floater down ice. It’s unknown if he was trying to find Howden on the other end, or just clearing his own zone, but it worked out as Howden settled the puck and was quick to snap a wrister past Frederik Anderson.Then, just after a power play ended for Vegas, Ivan Barbashev, who scored in Game 1’s victory, found Howden streaking toward the…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Jurors in the Karmelo Anthony murder trial heard a frantic 911 call, watched surveillance footage and listened to emotional testimony Thursday from coaches and trainers who tried to save Austin Metcalf after the Texas teenager was stabbed at a high school track meet.Anthony, 19, has pleaded not guilty to murder in the April 2025 stabbing death of Metcalf and maintains he acted in self-defense. The case has drawn national attention and intense public scrutiny since the fatal encounter.Texas defense attorney and legal analyst Jeremy Rosenthal told Fox News Digital that the first day of testimony highlighted the central battle jurors will have to resolve — whether Anthony’s actions were criminal or legally justified as self-defense.”The defense is accepting part of the burden here because if they want the jury instructed on self-defense, they have to prove up that split-second statement,” Rosenthal said.KARMELO ANTHONY TRIAL IGNITES RIVAL CAMPS THAT THREATEN TO GET IN JURORS’ HEADS IN TRACK MEET STABBING: EXPERT Rosenthal also noted that opening statements can have an outsized impact on jurors.”Eighty percent of jurors make up their mind at opening statement and they never change it,” he said, citing trial advocacy…