Rising, 05/18/26
Source: The Hill
“Thomas Massie smeared by GOP establishment; MAGA is with him!” (05/18/26)
The Hungry Boar
Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders
“A Parable of Power and Subversive Innovation.” (05/18/26)
Dems’ idiotic rhetoric on courts reveals what they’re really after
Source: New York Post
by David Harsanyi
“The contemporary leftist [sic] is a consequentialist with no limiting principles. After the Virginia Supreme Court stopped the Democrats’ unconstitutional gerrymandering scheme, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, now the favorite Democratic Party presidential prospect 2028 in a number of polls, claimed that the court ‘didn’t overturn a map’ but ‘overturned an election.’ ‘The power of the American people, that should be the ultimate check on all three branches,’ she declared. In any other age, vocalizing illiterate nonsense about our system of governance might be an embarrassing career-ending flub. Today, it’s the norm among progressives.” (05/18/26)
Australia: Regime orders “China-linked” firms to sell stakes in rare earths miner
Source: Deutsche Welle [German state media]
“Australia ordered the shareholders linked to China to sell their stakes in Northern Minerals, a company that is developing a rare earth mine. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said he had issued orders on Monday following concerns that Chinese investors had tried to take control of Northern Minerals. The Australia-based mining company is developing its Browns Range project in the far north of the state of Western Australia to mine significant reserves of dysprosium and terbium. The six companies are to sell their stake within two weeks. Chalmer’s decision aims to protect the country’s national interest and to ensure compliance with its foreign investment framework, he said in a statement.” (05/18/26)
https://www.dw.com/en/australia-orders-firms-to-sell-stakes-in-rare-earths-miner/a-77192174
CPI Meets Goodhart’s Law: Can Economic Metrics Become Fallacies?
Source: The Daily Economy
by Per Bylund
“When measures like CPI and GDP become policy targets, they also become sources of confusion for both experts and the public.” (05/18/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/cpi-meets-goodharts-law-can-economic-metrics-become-fallacies/
There Is No Freedom in an Assassination Nation
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob Hornberger
“To date, President Trump and the U.S. national-security branch of the federal government (i.e., the Pentagon, the CIA, and the NSA) have assassinated around 200 people in small boats on the high seas near South America. Such assassinations are quickly becoming a normalized part of American life, especially within the mainstream press. There is no question but that the American people, as of now, can do little to stop these assassinations. Trump controls the congressional branch of government as well as the Justice Department. Ever since the conversion of the federal government to a national-security state, the Supreme Court has made it clear that it will not enforce the Constitution against anything the Pentagon, the CIA, and the NSA do in the name of ‘national security.'” (05/18/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/05/18/there-is-no-freedom-in-an-assassination-nation/
UK: Tube strikes called off by RMT union
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“A wave of strikes starting on Tuesday by London Underground drivers has been suspended by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT). Drivers were due to walk out at 12:00 BST on Tuesday and resume on Thursday in a dispute over the voluntary introduction of a four-day week with condensed hours. On Monday, the RMT said ‘at the 11th hour the employer has shifted its position allowing us to further explore our members concerns around the imposition of new rosters, fatigue and safety issues.’ Transport for London (TfL) described the suspension as ‘good news for London.’ Industrial action planned for 16 and 18 June has been suspended but fresh strikes have been called for 2 and 4 June.” (05/18/26)
Politico Playbook Daily Briefing, 05/18/26
Source: Politico
“Massie vs. Trump, Cuba, and 2028 already?” (05/18/26)
Economics is Intuitive: Rejoinder to Craig
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“Basic economics makes psychologically normal humans angry and disgusted. Usually mildly, but the uglier the economic lesson, the more extreme the anger and disgust become. … They don’t think very carefully, but they still have strong opinions against, say, letting developers buy up townhomes in San Francisco to replace them with skyscrapers. Which is very weird. Why would anyone have strong opinions about issues they haven’t thought about very carefully? Because they’re relying on emotion instead!” (05/18/26)
Trump’s Cabinet dramatically changed American foreign policy while the president made noise – a scholar of presidential rhetoric explains
Source: The Conversation
by Kevin Maloney
“The president’s rhetorical style, heard most recently on his mid-May trip to China, is explained by political allies as part of Trump’s strategic approach and criticized by his opponents as the dangerous musings of an unstable leader. In either case – whether it’s Trump’s defenders or detractors – it is increasingly difficult to ascertain whether the language of the president signals actual policy positions from the White House. If the words of the American president no longer function as reliable indicators of U.S. foreign policy, where can the public, U.S. allies and America’s adversaries look to better understand the administration’s geopolitical priorities? One answer may be found by examining the words of key Cabinet members.” (05/18/26)