News of the Week for July ^27th, 2025

• Abortion
• Gun Rights
• Hide the Decline
• Socialized Medicine
• War & Terror
• National News
• Economy & Taxes
• International News
• Opinion

 

Abortion

Court Cases & Legislation

 

NV parental notification law for minors seeking abortion in effect; Planned Parenthood lawsuit seeks halt
The Nevada law is going into effect for the first time in 40 years after a federal district judge lifted the temporary pause Tuesday afternoon.

Gun Rights

 

Ninth Circuit Panel Rules California’s Ammunition Background Check Law Violates the Second Amendment
Last January, United States District Judge Roger Benitez ruled in Rhode v. Bonta that California’s ammunition background check law violates the Second Amendment. He then issued an injunction blocking enforcement of the law. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, as rabid an anti-gunner as has ever held public office, then appealed the ruling to the Ninth District Court of Appeals. Unfortunately for him, a three-judge panel agreed with Judge Benitez today in a two to one ruling.

 

Hide the Decline

Environment &“Green Energy”

 

Drilling Plummets Under Trump Despite ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Promise
slump in active oil and gas rigs across the United States has undercut President Donald Trump’s rallying cry to “drill, baby, drill,” raising economic and political stakes for his administration.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright to break ground on first US rare earth mine in 70 years
Taking place on July 11 at Ramaco’s iCAM Technology Center in Ranchester, Wyoming, the event celebrating the Brook Mine Carbon Ore Rare Earth project will host speakers from the national and state levels, according to a press release.

Netherlands rations electricity to ease power grid stresses
Country provides early warning for rest of EU if investments in new cables do not keep pace with shift to greener economy

The European Central Bank, Climate Cop
A central bank should stick, ideally, to preserving the value of the currency for which it is responsible and to supporting the integrity of the financial system over which it presides.

US electricity prices skyrocket under Trump, hitting highest levels in years
Electricity prices across the United States have continued their steep climb since Donald Trump returned to the presidency in January 2025, with average residential rates rising faster than the pace of inflation and reaching their highest point in over a decade.

According to the United Nations, You’re Already Dead
If you’ve never heard of Earth Overshoot Day, congratulations! You’ve somehow managed to escape exposure to a Malthusian mania that bears no resemblance to our shared reality. Until now, at least. You can thank me later.

 

Socialized Medicine

Government in Healthcare

 

National Public Health Groups Sue RFK Jr. Over Vaccine Policy
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians and other major national public health organizations filed a lawsuit Monday against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to defend science-based vaccine policy.

Medicaid Enrollment Should Decline
It is currently too high because of abuse and mission creep.

Kennedy’s Battle Against Food Dyes Hits a Roadblock: M&M’s
The health secretary has used peer pressure to persuade food makers to nix synthetic dyes. The candy industry is holding out, arguing American consumers like bright sweets.

What to know about the pneumonic plague after Arizona patient’s death
A person died in Flagstaff of the rare illness related to the bubonic plague. Once called the “Black Death,” plague is now curable in all its forms if treated quickly.

DOJ drops charges against Utah doctor accused of throwing away COVID vaccines, distributing fake vaccination cards
The Department of Justice (DOJ) moved to dismiss charges against a Utah doctor charged in connection with a COVID-19 fraud scheme, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Saturday.

Medical Journal Article Pretends Medical Objections to Puberty Blockers Don’t Exist
The New England Journal of Medicine continues to besmirch its once august reputation by pushing ideology rather than medical science when discussing our nation’s most contentious social issues. This is particularly true about so-called gender-affirming care for minors experiencing gender confusion. Even as repeated medical studies undercut the ideological narrative that puberty blockers, hormones, and even surgeries are the best means of caring for dysphoric children — and as country after country severely restricted those interventions — (with the exception of an unsubstantive criticism of the Cass Review) articles in the NEJM on the question usually pretend that the pushback never happened.

Suicide Pushers Celebrate Elderly Self-Terminations in Swiss Death Clinics
Geriatric suicides used to be considered a tragedy. But these days, increasingly, they are celebrated — whether Compassion and Choices (formerly, the more honestly named Hemlock Society) teaching elderly people to starve themselves to death (VSED), joint lethal jabs of aged married couples in places like the Netherlands, Belgium, and Canada, or suicides facilitated at Swiss death clinics.

What Larry Summers Gets Wrong About Medicaid Reform
The former Treasury secretary oversaw a more “brutal” policy when he was in government.

Washington Ceases Publishing Legally Required Annual Assisted Suicide Reports
Another “strict guideline to prevent abuse” of assisted suicide has just been euthanized in Washington State, continuing an ongoing trend of loosening assisted suicide laws and practices.

How Canada became the centre of a measles outbreak in North America
Morgan Birch was puzzled when her four-month-old daughter, Kimie, suddenly fell ill with a fever and rash.

RFK Jr. is completely reshaping vaccine policy. This is the man helping him do it.
Stuart Burns might be the most important CDC official you’ve never heard of.

Attacks on Medical Conscience Would Force Doctors to Take Human Life
Legalizing euthanasia/assisted suicide, abortion, and transgender interventions for dysphoric children is only the beginning of the ongoing destruction of Hippocratic moral values in medicine. Once such interventions are legal, activists next insist that they become readily available.

War & Terror

 

Land Mines, a Cold War Horror, Could Return to Fortify Europe’s Borders
Five countries plan to revive the use of a weapon prohibited by treaty for more than a quarter of a century, hoping to strengthen their defenses against any Russian attack.

On Point: Russia: The Vulnerable Sick Man of Eurasia
Popular history credits Russian Czar Nicholas I with describing 19th-century Ottoman Turkey as “The Sick Man of Europe.”

Russia ‘Ready to Assist Tehran in Refilling’ Uranium Stockpiles, Foreign Minister Says
Leaders of both the United States and Israel have stated that they are open to further strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure should the Islamic Republic attempt to rebuild its program

Trump said he threatened to bomb Moscow if Putin attacked Ukraine, 2024 fundraiser tapes show
Donald Trump told a private gathering of donors last year that he once sought to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from attacking Ukraine by threatening to “bomb the sh*t out of Moscow” in retaliation, according to audio provided to CNN.

Donald Trump Threatened Putin and Xi He Would Bomb Moscow, Beijing: Audio
Donald Trump said he had separately warned both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping that he would bomb their respective capitals if either of them invaded their neighbors, newly released audio broadcast by CNN shows.

Canadian soldiers charged over plot to seize part of Quebec
Group conducted military-style training with illegal weapons under plan to form ‘anti-government militia’

Are Defense Department Officials Freelancing on Major Policy Decisions?
On the menu today: Is it too much to ask that the top minds at the Pentagon coordinate with the White House when making major policy decisions? Evidently, it is; we keep hearing America is now a “gig economy,” and apparently now even Defense Department officials are freelancing. Elsewhere, in a sign of some gypsy curse, the Senate and Trump administration are finally embracing a form of new punishments for Russia — one that strikes me as thoroughly unworkable. And asking just who is responsible for what the New York Times decries as the “Misogyny Slop Ecosystem.”

US demands to know what allies would do in event of war over Taiwan
Trump administration says it is trying to prevent war but raises eyebrows by calling for commitments from Australia and Japan

The Philippines is quietly working with Taiwan to counter China
Faced with intensifying Chinese encroachment at sea, the Philippines increasingly sees its national security as intertwined with that of Taiwan and is quietly ramping up both formal and informal engagement with the self-governing island, including on security, according to government officials, defense analysts and diplomats here.

China Promoting South American Transcontinental Railway Project as Panama Canal Alternative
Since Sec. of State Rubio reminded Panama of its treaty obligations, BlackRock purchased Hong Kong’s canal ports and its traffic has surged.

‘They executed him then called his wife to brag’: Inside the Druze city ravaged by militias
Surgeon shot in the head as Syrian regime forces wearing Islamic State badges carry out bloody rampage, say witnesses

Clashes rage in Druze region as Syria struggles to enforce ceasefire
Sectarian clashes escalated in Syria’s predominantly Druze region of Sweida on Saturday, with machinegun fire and mortar shelling ringing out after days of bloodshed as the Islamist-led government struggled to implement a ceasefire.

U.S. citizen who works for Commerce Dept. ensnared in Chinese exit ban
The development comes at a fraught time in relations between Washington and Beijing, amid an escalating trade war and persistent geopolitical tensions.

Army Touting Grenade Dropping Drone Shows Just How Alarmingly Behind The Curve It Still Is
The U.S. Army asks “Have you ever seen a drone drop a GRENADE?” The answer is yes.

Watch world’s first laser tank that can jam and fry drones in mid-air in eerie vision of the future of warfare
It can disable hostile drones using electromagnetic jamming tech and powerful lasers

House Republicans Still Have Some Reaganism Left in Them
An oft-retailed narrative about congressional Republicans is that they have grown isolationist over the last decade, aligning themselves with President Trump’s general aversion to international commitments. We are told the party has all but abandoned Ronald Reagan’s brand of conservative internationalism, opting instead for restraint and retrenchment. On Friday night, Republicans in the House of Representatives demonstrated that their party’s supposed transformation on foreign policy has been overblown — much to the disappointment of those members who despise the use of American power.

Troops Question Los Angeles Deployment
An inside look at the ill-fated mission in soldiers’ own words

Nuclear Weapons Agency Breached in Microsoft SharePoint Hack
The US agency responsible for maintaining and designing the nation’s cache of nuclear weapons was breached by a hack of Microsoft Corp.’s SharePoint document management software, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. No sensitive or classified information is known to have been compromised in the attack on the National Nuclear Security Administration, said the person, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly. Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said that even access to business systems could yield useful information about personnel that could be exploited for social engineering purposes.

China denies wrongdoing in preventing dozens of Americans from leaving under shadow ‘exit ban’
Beijing claims it’s handling entry and exit affairs ‘in accordance with the law’

Space-Based Missile Interceptors For Golden Dome Being Tested By Northrop
Competition to supply parts of Golden Dome is heating up with Northrop Grumman stating they have begun ground testing orbital missiles.

Pentagon watchdog has evidence Hegseth’s Signal messages included classified information, sources say
The Pentagon’s inspector general has received evidence that the military plans shared from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s Signal account to a group chat earlier this year were taken from a US Central Command document that was marked classified at the time, according to two people familiar with the ongoing review.

Russia Is Losing Its Near Abroad
How America and Its European Allies Can Help Erode Moscow’s Declining Influence

‘Just Pray and Go’: How One Protestant Pastor and His Family Escaped the Russians
On the menu today: I hate to end this week’s reporting from Ukraine with an account that includes so many grim parts — a trigger warning is in effect for anyone who can’t handle reading about threats to children — but this is a story that needs to be heard, particularly in the face of Russian propaganda that asininely paints Vladimir Putin and modern Russia as some sort of defender of traditional or Christian values.

What We’re Selling to Ukraine
On the menu today: A perusal of recent U.S. arms sales to Ukraine, approved by the little-known but important Pentagon office that keeps track of American weapons and supply stockpiles; a look at U.S. artillery shell production, which is not quite where the Pentagon wanted to be by this point but is still more than doubled from September; and explaining why North Carolina Republicans still have a decent shot against former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper in next year’s U.S. Senate race.

The Air Battle That Could Decide the Russia-Ukraine War
Kyiv’s front-line drone superiority has been slipping away as Moscow’s forces adapt.

Academic with history of incendiary remarks to lead US Institute of Peace
Darren Beattie once said on X that “competent white men must be in charge.”

Chinese research ship detected off Alaskan coast, Coast Guard says
A China-flagged research vessel was detected Friday off the coast of Alaska, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard reported Saturday that the Xue Long 2, an icebreaker, was detected about 290 nautical miles north of Utqiagvik, Alaska, in the North American Arctic.

 

National

 

Who Is Scott Ruskan? Coast Guard Hero Saves 165 People From Texas Floods
Scott Ruskan, a 26-year-old rescue swimmer with the U.S. Coast Guard, is being applauded as an “American hero” after his first mission saw him save 165 people affected by the flash floods in Texas.

Pam Bondi blasted as DOJ, FBI review finds no existence of Epstein client list, ‘Was she lying then?’
A review ordered by President Donald Trump-appointed leadership of the Justice Department and the FBI has said that they found no evidence that Jeffrey Epstein kept a “client list” of associates, according to a new memo reviewed by ABC News. It was previously claimed that the financier blackmailed or conspired with the individuals mentioned in the list to victimize dozens of women.

Pam Bondi Under Scrutiny Over Jeffrey Epstein Client List Revelation
Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing scrutiny after a memo from the Department of Justice (DOJ) said there was no evidence that the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein kept a “client list” or was murdered.

‘No One Believes This!’ MAGA Heavyweights Flatly Reject Trump DOJ’s Claims That There Was No Epstein Client List
Some of the most prominent MAGA influencers on social media are completely rejecting the claim from President Donald Trump’s Justice Department that Jeffrey Epstein did not keep a client list.

How “Free” Are North Carolina’s Colleges?
Tar Heel State universities are excellent on speech and expression. Except for those that aren’t.

Potential 2028 GOP contenders already making moves
Less than six months into President Trump’s second term, several possible GOP contenders for president in 2028 already are racing to build their national profiles, travel to early primary states and establish relationships with major donors.

Trump’s DOJ: There Is No Jeffrey Epstein ‘Client List’
On the menu today: The notorious Jeffrey Epstein died on August 10, 2019, and for nearly six years many people have believed that the whole story of his sordid sex-trafficking, exploitation of underage girls, and famous friends and alleged clients has never been told. This week, the Trump administration’s Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation are announcing that there’s no evidence Epstein kept a client list, or blackmailed anyone, nor is there any evidence Epstein’s death was anything but a suicide. If that seems like a dramatic reversal from past comments from the likes of Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, it’s because it is.

Jesse Jackson Jr. explores a House comeback bid
The Illinois Democrat has spent more than a decade out of office — and two years in prison.

Elon’s America Party could be on North Carolina ballots in 2026 midterms
After an Independence Day question on his social media platform, the world’s richest man offered Americans an alternative political party independent of Democrats and Republicans.

Texas officials face scrutiny over response to catastrophic and deadly flooding
Local officials have insisted that no one saw the flood potential coming and have defended their actions.

The Republican-Appointed Judge Decrying Trump’s ‘Deeply Disturbing’ Attacks on the Rule of Law
When Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick is worried about our constitutional order, we should all pay heed.

Maga backlash over ‘botched’ Jeffrey Epstein investigation
Elon Musk joins conspiracy theorists questioning joint investigation of FBI and Department of Justice that finds no evidence paedophile kept a blackmail list

A Marco Rubio impostor is using AI voice to call high-level officials
An impostor pretending to be Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted foreign ministers, a U.S. governor and a member of Congress by sending them voice and text messages that mimic Rubio’s voice and writing style using artificial intelligence-powered software, according to a senior U.S. official and a State Department cable obtained by The Washington Post.

Experts unveil radical change in how autism is diagnosed – could YOU have one of the new types?
Autism isn’t one condition but four, according to new research that could help children get diagnosed earlier and receive more tailored support.

Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego will make stop through Iowa amid early 2028 presidential buzz
Gallego will attend the Iowa State Fair Aug. 8 and then travel to the Quad Cities Aug. 9. Gallego defeated MAGA firebrand Kari Lake in 2024 to become Arizona’s first Latino U.S. senator, and he is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party. Gallego’s trip to Iowa may help renew a conversation about whether Iowa belongs in the early state lineup as the 2028 presidential primary process gets underway.

Pam Bondi attempts to explain mystery of the missing minute in 11-hour video of Epstein’s prison cell
Pam Bondi attempted to silence conspiracy theories by explaining the mysterious one-minute gap in surveillance footage from outside Jeffrey Epstein’s jail cell on the night he died.

Over 2,000 senior staff set to leave NASA under agency push
The losses could endanger the administration’s plans for landing astronauts on the moon and Mars.

FEMA’s response to Texas flood slowed by Noem’s cost controls
As monstrous floodwaters surged across central Texas late last week, officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency leapt into action, preparing to deploy critical search and rescue teams and life-saving resources, like they have in countless past disasters.

Justice Dept. Whistle-Blower Warns of Trump Administration’s Assault on the Law
In an interview with The New York Times, a former Justice Department lawyer, Erez Reuveni, said officials pressed subordinates to mislead judges, and dared the courts to stop it.

New Hampshire judge pauses Trump’s birthright citizenship order
A federal judge in New Hampshire said Thursday he will certify a class action lawsuit including all children who will be affected by President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship and issue a preliminary injunction blocking it.

Fabled 60s folk rock band that took charts by storm outed as an AI-generated group
The Velvet Sundown boasts 1.1 million monthly Spotify listeners and took the number one spot on the app’s daily viral chart – but there’s a bit of a catch with them

Vanderbilt LGBTQ Health lays off employees, cuts ‘Trans Buddy Program’
LGBTQ Health advisory board accuses medical center of ‘violence’

United Arab Emirates Sharia-Based Judgments in American Court
Back when the debate about foreign law—including especially Islamic law—in U.S. courts was in the news, I blogged quite a bit about it. I also wrote two law review articles on the subject, see Foreign Law in American Courts and Religious Law (Especially Islamic Law) in American Courts.

Trump’s Border Czar Sparks Firestorm of Anger By Telling Fox News ICE Can Detain Based on ‘Physical Appearance’
President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, sparked a wave of angry reactions on Friday after he told Fox News that border patrol doesn’t need probable cause to detain suspected illegal migrants.

ICE handcuffs 71-year-old grandmother, a U.S. citizen, at San Diego immigration court
Barbara Stone was handcuffed and held by federal agents for hours, according to her family; she was accused of pushing an ICE officer, which she denies.

Deputy FBI Director Bongino has told people he is considering resigning amid Epstein files fallout, sources say
Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino has told people he is considering resigning amid a major clash between the FBI and Justice Department over the continued fallout from the release of the Jeffrey Epstein memo, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

Whistleblower Erez Reuveni vs. Emil Bove: Assessing the Claims
Two-and-a-half weeks ago, lawyers for Department of Justice whistleblower Erez Reuveni presented his charges against Third Circuit nominee and other senior DOJ officials in a 27-page letter. I summarized Reuveni’s charges and expressed my doubts about Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s claim that the charges “are utterly false.”

FEMA Didn’t Answer Thousands of Calls From Flood Survivors, Documents Show
Two days after deadly Texas floods, the agency struggled to answer calls from survivors because of call center contracts that weren’t extended.

ICE memo outlines plan to deport migrants to countries where they are not citizens
The dramatic shift in policy could result in thousands of people being sent to places where they lack family ties or even a common language.

‘Put Up Or Shut Up!’ Dems Suddenly Want Trump Admin To Disclose Epstein Secrets
Democrats in Congress say they will introduce measures this coming week to press for the disclosure of the Jeffrey Epstein files as the Trump administration balks.

Trump: Don’t Waste Time on ‘Jeffrey Epstein, Somebody That Nobody Cares About’
On the menu today: The Department of Justice concluding that Jeffrey Epstein killed himself, that there’s no evidence he ever blackmailed anyone, and that there’s no evidence he had a “client list” has outraged much of MAGA world, and this weekend, President Trump told his followers that they should stop wasting time thinking about and talking about Epstein. Shockingly, this was not persuasive.

Texas Governor Says Emails With Musk Are “Intimate or Embarrassing”
Greg Abbott refuses to release his communications with Elon Musk.

9 dead, dozens hurt in fire at assisted-living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts: Officials
Nine people have been killed and dozens are hurt after a five-alarm fire tore through an assisted-living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, officials said.

California Regresses on Women’s Rights
In 1896, California hosted the world’s first women’s intercollegiate basketball game, between Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. It was the same year that an effort to amend the state constitution and grant women the vote first appeared on the ballot; the effort failed.

Retired Navy veteran Kishla Askins joins Nebraska 2nd District U.S. House race
The former Biden administration VA assistant secretary is running to serve something greater than herself

GOP lawmaker blames processing error for failure to pay thousands in rent
GOP Rep. Cory Mills (Fla.) said Monday he failed to pay thousands in rent due to a processing error, while criticizing a journalist over his reporting on the matter.

‘Are we subsidizing ICE?:’ Nye County, ICE part ways over negative audit, sparse funding
A jail in deep red Nevada played a key role in immigration detention, until ICE said it didn’t meet standards and locals said they’re left holding the bill

Top state Senate Democrat Cannizzaro to run for attorney general
The state’s first ever female Senate majority leader is poised to face off against Treasurer Zach Conine in a primary.

New York’s Zohran Mamdani wins over some of the city’s business elite
Self-declared democratic socialist mayoral hopeful answers questions from corporate leaders at a private meeting

FBI agents were told to ‘flag’ any Epstein records that mentioned Trump, Sen. Durbin says
FBI agents assigned to review files in the criminal case against Jeffrey Epstein were instructed to “flag” any documents that mentioned President Donald Trump, Sen. Richard Durbin said. Durbin asked the Justice Department and FBI to explain what his office called “apparent discrepancies” regarding handling of the Epstein files and findings from a Justice Department memo. Trump has called on supporters to drop their pursuit of the release of the files, saying the controversy of their withholding by Attorney General Pam Bondi is a “hoax.”

Trump’s Son Just Went Public With His Company and It Flopped Spectacularly
Like father, like son.

Federal Court Enjoins Unconstitutional Washington Law Attacking the Sacrament of Confession
I wrote previously on the egregiously unconstitutional, and unconscionable, Washington state law attacking the sanctity of the Catholic confessional (by imposing reporting requirements for sexual abuse that not only break the absolute seal of the sacrament but single out clergy while exempting all manner of other professions and privileges), and about the Washington bishops’ lawsuit challenging the law, which was due to go into effect July 27. The bishops are represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

US citizen says he was jailed for three days after California immigration raid
Army veteran claims mistreatment during arrest. Immigrant rights groups report raids ensnaring citizens and legal residents. DHS confirms man’s arrest, says case under review for potential federal charges

The Epstein Story Just Won’t Go Away
On the menu today: Other than when I’m traveling abroad to places like Ukraine, Taiwan, Transnistria, or Syria, I try to cover a variety of topics in this newsletter in any given week. Whether or not a particular topic deserves to stay in the news cycle longer, new big news is always developing and overtaking yesterday’s big news.

Voting records from 2025 Nevada legislative session show continued polarization
Moderate lawmakers continue to be a rare breed in the Nevada Legislature, and there don’t appear to be any signs of that changing.

Warning as underwater volcano off US West Coast is rocked by 300 earthquakes: ‘It could erupt any day’
A massive underwater volcano off the coast of Oregon has been rocked by hundreds of earthquakes a day, a sign that it could soon erupt.

Donald Trump’s lawsuit against Bob Woodward over audiobook is dismissed
A federal judge on Friday dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s nearly $50 million lawsuit against the journalist Bob Woodward for publishing tapes from interviews for his 2020 best-seller “Rage” as an audiobook.

The 5 Senate seats most likely to flip
An already active start to the 2026 cycle has kicked into overdrive in recent weeks with a major retirement announcement, the passage of a key GOP priority and moves by candidates that could further scramble the chess board.

Wyden Demands Answers on Shadowy, Mass Collection of DNA from Immigrants by DHS
Agents Often Take DNA Without Explanation, Including from Thousands of Children; DNA Surveillance Targets Immigrant Communities and Resembles Authoritarian Government Practices

JD Vance flew to Montana for secret meeting with Rupert Murdoch and Fox News executives
A source familiar with the trip told The Independent that the vice president spoke to both Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, as well as a group of executives from the right-wing network

Ring’s flying ‘spy drone’ that monitors your home in the AIR ‘coming soon’ – it stalks burglars & even recharges itself
Privacy campaigners have voiced concerns over the gadget

Rick Scott bill would cap foreign student visas, prioritize U.S. applicants
Sen. Rick Scott has proposed legislation to put a cap on student visas and promote American citizens at U.S. colleges and universities. Scott’s website announced the American Students First Act on June 24 and lists key provisions of how the bill intends to benefit students at colleges and universities across the country.

Democrats’ 2024 Autopsy Is Described as Avoiding the Likeliest Cause of Death
An audit being conducted by the D.N.C. is not looking at Joe Biden’s decision to run or key decisions by Kamala Harris’s team, according to six people briefed on the report.

House GOP Will Recess Early to Avoid Floor Action on Epstein Resolution
House Republican leadership canceled Thursday votes to avoid legislative floor action related to government files involving disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) told reporters on Tuesday.

Detention of two Italians at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ sparks backlash at home
The detention of two Italian nationals at “Alligator Alcatraz,” the new immigrant detention center in Florida’s Everglades, is sparking criticism from lawmakers in Italy, who are calling on their country’s conservative government to speak out.

Well-timed or just lucky? Top Trump officials’ stock sales clustered before tariff news
Several top Trump administration officials sold off stock market holdings in the days leading up to the president’s announcements of sweeping tariffs that sparked fears of a global trade war and rattled financial markets.

Republicans push bill that would force Kennedy Center Opera House to be renamed after Melania Trump
The First Lady is the honorary chair of the Kennedy Center

MAGA clamors for arrests as Trump accuses Obama of “treason”
The Trump administration’s sweeping “transparency” crusade has electrified MAGA loyalists eager to see “Deep State” officials and Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged clients paraded to prison.

GOP Senator, 73, Freezes During Fox News Interview
Another GOP member of Congress has had what appears to be a health scare, with septuagenarian Senator John Kennedy freezing during a Fox Business interview on Tuesday.

FEMA search and rescue chief resigns after frustration with Texas flood response
The head of FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue branch, which runs a network of teams stationed across the country that can swiftly respond to natural disasters, resigned on Monday.

Supreme Court sides with Trump administration in battle over ability to remove agency commissioners
The Supreme Court on Wednesday cleared the way for the Trump administration to remove three of the five members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission from office while their challenges to their firings continue.

Federal Judge Withdraws Opinion “After Lawyers Complained That [It] Contained … Made-Up Quotes and Misstated Case Outcomes”
“A New Jersey US district court judge withdrew his decision in a biopharma securities case Wednesday after lawyers complained that his opinion contained numerous errors, including made-up quotes and misstated case outcomes.”

Shapiro rebukes Mamdani for failing to condemn ‘blatantly antisemitic’ extremists
The Pennsylvania governor told JI: ‘When supporters of yours say things that are blatantly antisemitic, you can’t leave room for that to just sit there’

Fox News Poll: Trump facing headwinds at six-month mark
58% oppose the new budget law, while economic outlook shows uptick

DNI Tulsi Gabbard Dumps More Documents, Says She’s Referring Obama for Possible Criminal Prosecution’
If there were a criminal offense that fit, Gabbard and Trump would cite it, rather than chanting ‘treason.’

J6 Pardon Recipient ‘QAnon Shaman’ Turns on ‘Fraud’ Trump: ‘F*ck This Stupid Piece of Sh*t’
January 6 pardon recipient Jake Chansley, better known in the media and online as the “QAnon Shaman,” lashed out at President Donald Trump this week in a series of posts calling Trump a “piece of shit” and a necrophile.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Senate hopeful, claimed 3 homes as his primary residence
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, Angela, are longtime owners of a $1.5 million house in a gated community outside Dallas. In 2015, they snapped up a second home in Austin. Then another.

Hulk Hogan, Hall of Fame Wrestler and Actor, Dies at 71
Hulk Hogan, the wrestling icon and actor who became the most recognized star in the sport, has died. He was 71.

Supreme Court pauses ruling that potentially weakens the Voting Rights Act
The Supreme Court on Thursday put on hold, at least for now, a ruling by a federal appeals court that could limit the power of the Voting Rights Act. In a brief unsigned order, the justices agreed to pause a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit holding that private plaintiffs cannot rely on federal civil rights laws to bring claims under Section 2 of the VRA, which bars racial discrimination in voting. The 8th Circuit’s decision will remain blocked to give the plaintiffs in the case – two Native American tribes and several individual voters – time to file a petition for review of that ruling.

Trump order pushes forcible hospitalization of homeless people
Trump’s executive order could increase hospitalization of homeless individuals with mental health and substance use disorders.

Justice Department Told Trump in May That His Name Is Among Many in the Epstein Files
Bondi also told president at the meeting that Justice decided to not release more Jeffrey Epstein documents because of the presence of child pornography and the need to protect victims

Conservative Blogger Jeff Dunetz of ‘The Lid’ Passes Away at 67
“Dunetz was one of the early blogging leaders and commentators when the world of center-right blogging really caught fire in the early part of the 2010s.”

ICE memo outlines plan to deport migrants to countries where they are not citizens
The dramatic shift in policy could result in thousands of people being sent to places where they lack family ties or even a common language.

Federal judge dismisses Trump administration’s lawsuit against Chicago over its sanctuary city policies
The judge determined the state’s policies are protected by the 10th Amendment, a blow to Trump’s efforts to crack down on sanctuary jurisdictions.

US citizen says he was jailed for three days after California immigration raid
A U.S. citizen and Army veteran who works as a security guard at a California cannabis farm said on Wednesday that U.S. officials arrested him during an immigration raid last week and held him for three days without explanation.

Ghislaine Maxwell received limited immunity during meetings with deputy attorney general: Sources
Ghislaine Maxwell, who sources told ABC News initiated the meetings with the Department of Justice, answered questions for about nine hours over two days after being granted a limited form of immunity, the sources said.

Cornyn Senate Campaign Runs Ad Hitting Texas AG Ken Paxton on ‘Mortgage Fraud’ Accusations
Texas Senator John Cornyn’s 2026 reelection campaign is launching a five-figure digital ad buy on Friday hitting his Republican primary challenger, the Lone Star State’s Attorney General Ken Paxton, on allegations of mortgage fraud, National Review has learned.

Hallucinations in the District of New Jersey
Is it an abuse of judicial power for a judge to issue an opinion with AI hallucinations?

Short Circuit: An inexhaustive weekly compendium of rulings from the federal courts of appeal
A sovereign See, a safehouse, and an infinite number of pronouns.

Why Yellowstone has had to euthanize 2 bears in 1 summer
Yellowstone bears are getting into trouble by defeating bear-resistant food storage

GOP Texas Rep. Capriglione drops re-election bid after reported affair, allegations he funded abortions
An exotic dancer alleges the anti-choice Republican paid for her abortions and shared disturbing fantasies about children.

A man accused of stabbing 11 people at a Walmart is in Michigan authorities’ custody
Eleven people were stabbed at a Walmart in Traverse City on Saturday — with six in critical condition — in what a Michigan sheriff said appeared to be a random act. A suspect was in custody, authorities said.

Another whistleblower claims that top DOJ official suggested department could ignore court orders
Another whistleblower has made claims to the Justice Department’s watchdog that Emil Bove — a top agency official who is now nominated for a judgeship — suggested others in the department could ignore court orders during a contentious legal battle in an immigration case.

Dental Floss Could Be the Future of Vaccines
The world of dental floss is undergoing some radical technological advancements. It appears that medical researchers worldwide are simultaneously discovering that one of the most effective ways to reach the rest of the body is through the gumline.

Self-deportations. Factory layoffs. Military zones. How Trump is transofrming the U.S>-Mexico border.
Once a hub of migrant passage, the El Paso–Juárez corridor has fallen eerily quiet. Trump’s tariff threats have stunned industry on the Mexican side of the border, with factories laying off thousands of workers.

Kansas State U. closes LGBTQ ‘Spectrum Center’ following anti-DEI law
Center provided ‘advocacy and education’ for LGBTQ-identifying students

 

Economy & Taxes

 

Elon Musk: What Was the Point of DOGE If We’re Just Adding $5 Trillion in New Debt?
Some folks didn’t like my recent piece in the magazine, entitled, “DOGE Takes a Nibble Out of Big Government,” because it was allegedly too pessimistic and critical. I wrote that despite a great deal of effort, the savings generated by the Department of Government Efficiency are, so far, way below Elon Musk’s pledges at Trump rallies in autumn 2024 ($190 billion as of this morning, compared to $2 trillion predicted at the Madison Square Garden rally). Throw in all the clashes with other cabinet members and a lack of support from Congress, endless lawsuits, erratic decisions on firing and then quickly re-hiring federal government workers, the posting of erroneous data, and so on, and DOGE looks like a good concept that ended up being poorly executed by a Washington outsider who underestimated the scale of the challenge, and the intensity of the opposition to spending cuts.

The GOP Gambles on ‘Trump Accounts’
Are they an investment in future capitalists, or the start of a basic guaranteed income?

DOGE Takes a Nibble Out of Big Government
Who’s shrinking whom?

Trump Threatens Extra 10 Percent Tariff on ‘Anti-American’ BRICS
President Donald Trump said the U.S. will impose an additional 10% tariff on any countries aligning themselves with the “Anti-American policies” of the BRICS group of developing nations, whose leaders kicked off a summit in Brazil on Sunday.

‘He likes the game too much’: Why Trump isn’t sweating his lack of trade deals
As his July 9 deadline to reimpose steep tariffs approaches, Trump has only netted a couple of deals. He doesn’t seem too worried.

Social Security Sends Misleading Email Claiming to Eliminate Taxes
The Social Security Administration circulated an imprecise email about the provisions in the new law. Here’s what it actually does.

New Economic Plan, Old Economic Folly
The protectionist agenda of national conservatives strikes me as nonsensical.

The Milei ‘Miracle’ Is a Vindication of Free Markets
‘Instead of talking about growth at Chinese rates, the world will soon be talking about growth at Argentine rates,” President Javier Milei of Argentina said in April. And here we are in July doing just that.

IRS Tells Court That Churches Can Endorse Political Candidates to Parish
Why even bother having the Johnson Amendment?!

IRS says churches can endorse political candidates without losing tax-exempt status
The IRS in a new federal court filing says that churches can endorse political candidates to their congregations without risking the loss of their tax-exempt status. The move upends a 70-year interpretation of the U.S. tax code, whose Johnson Amendment has barred certain non-profit groups, including churches, from endorsing political candidates without putting their tax-exempt status in jeopardy.

Global stock markets are calling Trump’s bluff on tariffs
Fourteen countries received letters from U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, outlining steep tariff rates that will affect their goods from Aug. 1. Global markets shrugged off the news, however, with both Asia-Pacific and Europe stocks staging a muted response Tuesday. One reason is likely to be because of Trump’s seemingly more flexible approach to the new policies. Speaking to reporters on Monday, he labeled the Aug. 1 deadline “firm, but not 100% firm.”

Intel layoffs begin: Chipmaker is cutting many thousands of jobs
Intel began laying off employees across the company Monday, notifying workers individually about whether they will keep their jobs.

Ag secretary says able-bodied Medicaid recipients should replace immigrant farm workforce
USDA secretary says there’s “no amnesty” from mass deportations for farm labor, but that enforcement should be “strategic.”

Trump sends more letters dictating high tariff rates around the world
President Donald Trump sent letters dictating new U.S. tariff rates on at least seven more countries’ imports. The latest letters, revealed via Truth Social screenshots, were sent to the leaders of the Philippines, Brunei, Moldova, Algeria, Iraq, Libya and Sri Lanka. The new round of tariff letters comes two days after Trump first shared screenshots of letters telling 14 countries’ leaders that their exports to the U.S. would face steep new tariffs starting Aug. 1.

Throwing out the garbage? Did you ask your local union first?
Philadelphia’s sanitation workers shouldn’t have power to trash the city in pursuit of a labor deal.

Trump on DOGE Cuts: ‘I Would Have Done It Differently a Little Bit’
I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but every couple of days, we get some new story indicating that the Department of Government Efficiency was something of a Roman candle for reducing federal spending, burning brightly but dimming fairly quickly.

Overview of the Amicus Briefs Filed in Our Tariff Case
The diversity and quality of the briefs opposing Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs speaks for itself.

Unsold Homes Surge Nationwide As Housing Market Stalls
Thousands of unsold homes are piling up in the U.S. housing market as Americans— facing climbing prices, historically high mortgage rates and growing economic uncertainty—buy fewer homes, according to the latest figures.

Trump imposes 30 per cent tariffs on EU and Mexico
US president cites trade deficits and security concerns as motivations behind new levies

The Labor Department Gives Disabled Workers a Break
The Department of Labor announced on Monday that it will continue a program that allows tens of thousands of disabled workers to hold jobs that pay less than the federal minimum wage. Previously, under President Biden, the department had proposed a rule that would have ended applications for the exemption — authorized under section  14(c) of the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act — and required current participants to shut down their programs within three years.

Amid uproar, Titus seeks fix to Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ gambling deduction change
In this week’s Indy Gaming, Titus authors a bipartisan fix to the legislation that angered gamers and customers. Also, Buffalo Bill’s in Primm closes.

Nucor Raises Prices: How Steel Tariffs Are Shaping the Market
Nucor Corporation has implemented another price increase effective June 30, 2025, raising its Consumer Spot Price (CSP) for hot-rolled coil

American Allies Want to Redraw the World’s Trade Map, Minus the U.S.
Facing growing chaos, the European Union and numerous other countries are seeking to forge a global trading nexus that is less vulnerable to American tariffs.

Student loan borrowers will have fewer repayment options under GOP megabill
House Republicans narrowly passed their spending megabill on Thursday. President Donald Trump is expected to sign it into law on Friday, July 4.

Weakening Shareholders Means Strengthening Corporate Executives
Shareholder primacy, the precept that public corporations should be operated for the benefit of their owners, has been under attack in the United States. It is a basic foundation of the laws of corporate governance. Yet the idea of “stakeholder capitalism” has been all the rage, in which shareholders are demoted to be equal to employees, activists, the environment, and other concerns.

Tariffs give the U.S.’s only native caffeinated plant a shot at stardom
When the Sons of Liberty dumped over 92,000 pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor in protest of the passage of the wildly unpopular Tea Act of 1773, colonial Americans knew the political performance wouldn’t force them to kick their caffeine habit. While they still hadn’t found a way to successfully cultivate their beloved Camellia sinensis – the scientific name for the tea plant- on American soil, they had another locally grown option: yaupon.

CPI Increases at 2.7% Annual Rate in June, Highest in Four Months
Eggs continue to drop, but gas and electricity slightly ticked up in June.

Oh Good, More Protectionism for Sugar and Tomatoes
In the last 24 hours, the Trump administration announced new protectionist measures for two supermarket staples: sugar and tomatoes. It’s about time!

Trump’s Tariffs Are Not Going Well
Much attention has been given to the “TACO” phenomenon, in which President Trump threatens wildly high tariffs on certain countries, then routinely backs off. However, as the New York Times notes today, many new tariffs actually have gone into effect at Trump’s direction. Over the past six months, the president “has steadily and dramatically raised U.S. tariffs, transforming global trade” in the process.

Econ 101 is wrong about tariffs
They’re even worse in reality.

Warren Buffett has set alarm bells ringing on Wall Street
The veteran investor’s decision to ditch billions in banking stocks could be a canary in the coal mine

Higher Pay and More Jobs: ‘China Shock’ Communities Aren’t What You Think
One narrative goes like this: China joined the WTO with U.S. support in 2001. This worked great for the U.S. economy as a whole and helped China get rich, but it hollowed out specific U.S. communities affected by trade, especially those with many manufacturing jobs, which have been turned into economic wastelands where no one can find work, and the jobs that do exist are poorly paid. This “China shock” is responsible for dissatisfaction with the U.S. economy and needs to be corrected through robust protectionism and manufacturing subsidies.

Tariffs Don’t Make American Cars Great Again
The protectionist message is simple: Impose tariffs to protect American manufacturers, make the U.S. auto industry more competitive, and re-shore production. It is a message that truly appeals to many.

Florida’s Brightline: Not on Track?
Railways, say anti-car puritans, are part of the solution to America’s supposed transportation horrors. Collectivist bliss on the tracks is the way to go, efficient, planet-saving and (whispers) a gift to organized labor. Driving where and when you want is so retrograde. Given the chance, people will leap at the chance of hopping on a train. Fixed destination. Fixed timetable (theoretically). None of that pesky choice!

Gross(ery) Confusion
Zephyr Teachout’s NYTs op-ed on grocery store prices is poorly argued.

GM Profit Shrinks After $1.1 Billion Tariff Hit
Automaker warns tariff impact will be greater next quarter; stock price tumbles

Ivy Leaguers Aren’t Auto Workers
But federal law allows them to unionize as if they are, at least for now.

Here’s the best response to Trump’s tariffs
Want lower trade barriers? Then be the change you seek.

GM Is on the Road to Nationalization
One more thought on Veronique’s post: General Motors will be nationalized at some point, and you’ll be expected to feel patriotic about it.

More Than 40% of Americans See Decline in Real Pay, Indeed Says
Paychecks for more than 40% of American workers are lagging the rate of inflation, and it’s likely middle- and lower-earners who are getting squeezed, according to job-search firm Indeed.

Republicans are split on extending Obamacare tax breaks as higher costs loom
Trump’s pollster warns that the GOP will pay a “political penalty” in the 2026 election if the funds expire this year. But many conservatives in the party say they should end on schedule.

Copper Prices Hit Record After Trump Unveils Steep Tariff
U.S. copper prices vaulted to an all-time high Tuesday after President Trump said Washington would slap imports of the metal with a 50% tax. Futures contracts for the metal—key for electrical wiring, motors and more—jumped by 13%. That was largest single-day price surge in records going back to 1968, according to Dow Jones Market Data.

Donald Trump’s Plan to Unilaterally Control Foreign Investment in America
As George Will recounts in a recent column, Donald Trump has deployed a range of open-ended executive powers to reshape global supply chains at will, extract favors from firms seeking either exclusion or protection from tariffs, threaten price controls, effectively nationalize private companies, and more. When given the choice between spontaneous order — allowing private individuals to allocate and consume scarce resources as they see fit — or exercising personalist control over economic decisions, Trump often opts for the latter.

ICE Took Half Their Work Force. What Do They Do Now?
Glenn Valley Foods tried to verify every hire through a federal system. After a raid, the company is wondering how it can keep going.

Republicans Fumbled the Ball on Social Security
They had a chance to institute private accounts 20 years ago but allowed Democrats’ scare tactics to kill the idea. That failure cost us all dearly.

 

International

 

Roger Waters faces prosecution for Palestine Action support
Former Pink Floyd songwriter describes group as ‘non-terrorist’ and a ‘great organisation’

Today in 1815: The Great Volcano of Tambora
The great Age of Revolution that began in May 1754 when 22-year-old George Washington confronted the French at Jumonville Glen in western Pennsylvania would end in June 1815 with the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in the Belgian mire at Waterloo, to the great relief of a war-weary Europe. By the spring of 1815, even the earth itself seemed unable to bear any more. On this day in April 1815, on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa just east of Java and Bali, the 14,000-foot-high Mount Tambora exploded and collapsed upon itself. It was the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history, and produced the most extreme short-term disruptions in the Earth’s climate since at least the sixth century. A later-estimated 10,000 people were killed by the eruption and related tsunamis, including aftershocks that ran into July. Probably ten times that number died of the resulting famine and disease. The local kingdoms of Tambora and Pekat were destroyed without a single survivor, and the Tamboran language itself became extinct.

Contrasting Coercion for the Free Exercise Clause in Mahmoud and Coercion for the Establishment Clause in Kennedy
The Court finds that the government cannot indirectly coerce children who are exercising their religious beliefs, but the government can indirectly coerce children who are not exercising their religious beliefs.

New leader, or new system? The Conservatives ponder life under two-party politics
The NDP, it is well known, is in deep trouble. With seven seats and 6.3 per cent of the popular vote in the recent election, the party posted its worst showing, not only since its founding, but since the founding of its predecessor, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, in 1935.

Rugby schoolgirl punished for wearing Union flag dress and celebrating British heritage at school’s cultural day
Bilton School has U-turned and apologised after segregating a pupil for celebrating her British heritage on culture day.

Japan ruling bloc projected to lose majority in Upper House election drubbing
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito, were projected to lose their majority in the Upper House, media reports said Sunday, a defeat that could trigger Ishiba’s resignation or political deadlock in parliament.

Ozzy Osbourne dead: Black Sabbath singer dies aged 76 ‘at home with Sharon & kids by his side’ weeks after last show
The legend cemented his place in rock history early in his career with controversial displays such as biting the head off a bat

German AfD moves to expel young politician who fought Russians in Ukraine
A 22-year-old German politician who secretly served in Ukraine’s army now faces expulsion from the pro-Russian Alternative for Germany party after calling his own leadership “Russia-kissers.”

French Prosecutor Rules that Social Media Platform X Is an ‘Organized Crime Group’
If you have any doubt that the European Union is devolving into a soft totalitarian state, think again.

Britain: ‘Shut Up,’ the Government Explained
The U.K. may have left the EU, but it continues to be ruled in much the same way, certainly when it comes to matters relating to free expression, and particularly when it comes to views expressed online. And Britain’s Labour Government is even less enthusiastic about “wrong tier” free speech than the Conservative governments which preceded it.

Scientist Just Learned Our Ancestors Ate Toddlers
Roughly 850,000 years ago, someone looked at a toddler and saw dinner. That’s the conclusion researchers have drawn after analyzing a child’s neck bone found in the Gran Dolina cave system in northern Spain. The bone, belonging to a 2- to 5-year-old Homo antecessor, shows precise cut marks—signs of decapitation and defleshing. In other words, this poor kid got butchered and eaten.

 

Opinion

 

The Madness Rises
Some Democratic voters now apparently believe that the most valuable contribution their elected representatives can make to their shared cause is to be shot. That tells you something about the level of esteem in which Democratic officials are now held by their own voters.

When the Gods Betray You
On October 5, 2024, a tropical system in the Atlantic consolidated into Hurricane Milton. It became the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico to have originated in the Atlantic. Rapidly growing to a Category Five hurricane, Milton began to collapse on itself and, by the time it reached Florida, it was a strong Category Three hurricane and wrecked portions of Florida.

Fire Pam Bondi
All his life a man had waited for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein list of clients. Then, the Attorney General of the United States announced there was no list. Enraged at the deep state cover-up, his blood pressure climbing, he dropped dead of a heart attack.

Why State Supreme Court Justices Would Rather Be Federal Judges
Compensation, tenure, and other factors

Supreme Court Reiterates: Judges Don’t Run the Executive Branch
That’s not a license for Trump to violate the law. It’s a call to judicial restraint unless and until he does.

The Eternally Unrealized MAGA Crack-Up
The bitterness of the very online right is unlikely to register with the vast majority of GOP voters.

Margaret Thatcher Is Having a Moment
The mummy returns for her centenary

FDR Was Right About Public Sector Unions
Public employees in Philadelphia got basically the same wage increase Mayor Cherelle Parker initially offered them, but their union, AFSCME District Council 33, stunk up the city first, with garbage workers going on strike for eight days.

The Texas Senate Race Is Turning Into an Absolute Mess
For Democrats looking to flip the state, Ken Paxton is clearly the preferred GOP nominee. But polls show Paxton as the preferred nominee for Republicans, too.

A Terrible Candidate with a Terrible Idea, by Any Metric
It’s enough to drive a man to drink; I could use a pint right now.

Joe Rogan’s Latest Guest Might Turn Texas Blue
State Rep. James Talarico opens up about what it’s like to go on the most coveted podcast in politics, his potential run for Senate and how his party needs to change.

The Trump Administration’s Light Communism
What do a little-noticed $400 million Pentagon purchase last month, the details of the Nippon Steel merger with U.S. Steel, Apple’s iPhone production process, and the name of Washington, D.C.’s football franchise have in common? They’re all evidence that as the right attempts to convince New Yorkers that they shouldn’t elect an actual literal farshtunken communist as mayor, the president of the United States keeps making it clear that he’s just fine with state ownership of private companies, and/or those companies obeying orders issued from the Oval Office. I know, I know, it’s different when your guy does it, because he has good intentions, unlike those sinister statists on the other side.

Once Again, Dean Phillips Is the Democratic Party’s Cassandra
It appears that former Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips is destined to play the role of the Jeff Goldblum character in Jurassic Park, pointing out to his fellow Democrats that the progressive wing of the party was so preoccupied with the question of whether they could propose and enact far-left policies that they never stopped to ask whether they should.

Meddling With the Fed Could Backfire on Trump
Slashing government interest rates could have the paradoxical effect of raising the interest rates paid in the real world.

The Ukrainian Government Shoots Itself in the Foot
On the menu today: For a guy who gets accused of being obsessed with Ukraine, I write about it surprisingly infrequently, both here and elsewhere, and when you strongly support the continued independence of Ukraine and wish the people there could give the invading Russian forces a Guy Gardner-esque middle finger, you get accused of being a cheerleader for the Ukrainian government. Well, my friends, the Ukrainian government has its flaws, and in fact it can make some strikingly bad and dumb choices — like this week’s decision to make the National Anticorruption Bureau of Ukraine less independent and under the authority of President Volodymyr Zelensky. I’m not anybody’s cheerleader, but I find it extremely frustrating to tell the Ukrainian government: You just made your own job harder.

Why Does Ghislaine Maxwell Think She’s Going to Get a Presidential Pardon?
On the menu today: Federal prisoner 02879-509 — Ghislaine Maxwell — will be interviewed by the U.S. Department of Justice today, and is scheduled to be questioned by the House Oversight Committee next month. And yet, Maxwell appears confident she’s going to get either a pardon or a commuted sentence. Considering the heinous nature of her infamous crimes, that’s either a delusion or a sign that there’s another shoe to drop.

Tucker Carlson’s dark turn
We have faithfully followed Tucker Carlson’s descent into the gutter. In my opinion, every writer, public figure, publication, or institution that lauded him in years past is obligated to speak out against the vile figure he has become — deceitful and destructive in his own right and a discredit to everyone with whom he associates.

Once Again, Dean Phillips Is the Democratic Party’s Cassandra
It appears that former Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips is destined to play the role of the Jeff Goldblum character in Jurassic Park, pointing out to his fellow Democrats that the progressive wing of the party was so preoccupied with the question of whether they could propose and enact far-left policies that they never stopped to ask whether they should.

Tucker Carlson’s Dark Turn
He can’t stop talking about the Jews

The GOP Calls to Appoint Yet Another Russiagate Special Counsel Are Ridiculous
Senators Lindsey Graham (R., N.C.) and John Cornyn (R., Texas) are leading the charge of Republicans who are calling for a special counsel to investigate former President Barack Obama and top national security officials of his administration in connection with Russiagate — in particular, actions taken circa 2016-17 to investigate the Trump campaign and, later, President Trump himself.

Originalism and the Insular Cases
In the Insular Cases of the early twentieth century, the Supreme Court ruled that much of the Constitution does not apply to America’s “unincorporated” overseas territories, such as Puerto Rico and other territories acquired as a result of the Spanish-American War of 1898. Thus, the federal government could rule the people there without being constrained by a variety of constitutional rights. Only “fundamental” rights were held to constrain the federal government’s powers over the inhabitants of these territories, while other constitutional constraints on federal power did not apply. In a 2022 concurring opinion, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch urged the Court to overrule these decisions. Prominent originalist legal scholar Michael Ramsey’s important new article explains why Gorsuch was right.

War on Capitalism
I expect it from the left. They blame free markets for racism, “horrifying inequality” and even, according to Economist Joseph Stiglitz, “accelerating climate change.” People on the right generally defend capitalism, but today, a growing number agree with the left.