Robert Pape on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Trump’s Ceasefire Does Not Close the Escalation Trap.” (04/09/26)
America’s Pro-War Elites Must Be Held Accountable
Source: Foreign Policy
by Stephen M Walt
“The United States is still good at many things, but holding elites to account is not one of them. President Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush pardoned the officials responsible for the Iran-Contra scandal, and Barack Obama declined to prosecute the men and women who had authorized the illegal use of torture. The architects of the disastrous wars in Vietnam and Iraq remained respected members of the establishment for the rest of their lives, in some cases occupying leadership posts or comfortable sinecures at prominent institutions and continuing to opine on foreign-policy matters whenever they wished. Nor were the fraudsters who brought us the 2008 financial crisis ever held to account—we just turned the page and moved on. Given that record, it isn’t so surprising that the United States tends to repeat past errors.” (04/09/26)
Trump’s CFTC goes to war with states — to protect his family’s business partners
Source: Popular Information
by Rebecca Crosby
“In an unprecedented move, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced that it had filed lawsuits against several states to block their efforts to rein in prediction markets. Arizona, Connecticut, and Illinois have variously sought to prevent Kalshi, Polymarket, Crypto.com, and Robinhood from running what they claim are ‘unlicensed gambling sites that circumvent state laws.’ Several of these companies are business partners of President Trump and his family members.” (04/09/26)
Argentina: Congress passes bill loosening protection of its glaciers
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Argentina’s Congress has passed a controversial amendment making it easier to mine in glacier regions, a move environmentalists say weakens protections for crucial water sources. The pioneering Glacier Law, approved in 2010, prohibited all mining and exploration activities in glacier regions by protecting them as water reserves. The reform shifts the responsibility of defining protected glacier areas from the Argentine Institute for Snow, Ice and Environmental Sciences (Ianigla) to the provincial governments. President Javier Milei, who backed the reform, said the change ’empower[s] the provinces to utilise their resources’ and allows mining activities ‘where there was nothing to protect’. The reform has proven divisive, with those opposed organising protest rallies. Argentina’s Senate had already approved the bill in February 2026, so approval by the lower house was the last major hurdle left.” (04/09/26)
TAC Right Now, 04/09/26
Source: The American Conservative
“Trump’s Baffling Iran Reversals.” (04/09/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/trumps-baffling-iran-reversals/
Quillette Podcast, episode 333
Source: Quillette
“Managing Editor Iona Italia talks to Michael Shermer, the author of a number of works on critical thinking, epistemology, and ethics, about his new book, ‘Truth: What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still Matters.'” (04/09/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/04/09/podcast-333-the-search-for-truth/
Half the Answer, episode 77
Source: Liberal Currents
“Trent and Caitlin ask Greg Sargent of the New Republic what he learned from experts about the ideology that underpins Pete Hegseth’s attitude toward violence.” (04/09/26)
The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 04/09/26
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Press Sec Seethes at Media as MAGA Trashes His Iran Deal Fiasco.” (04/09/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/208828/trump-press-sec-seethes-media-maga-trashes-iran-deal-fiasco
Why Rent Control Fails: Lessons From New York to Portland
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Tom Wilson
“Housing costs in New York City have reached a level that many people can no longer afford. The response has been to push for more control—limits on rent increases and expanded tenant protections. The intention is clear. However, housing markets respond to incentives, not intentions. Under Zohran Mamdani, New York City is moving further in that direction. The focus is on limiting rent increases, expanding tenant protections, and increasing the role of government in the housing market. The policy has not fully taken effect yet. Once these rules interact with rising costs, the housing market will respond to the incentives. Rent control keeps rents down, but it does not keep costs down for the landlord.” (04/09/26)
https://mises.org/power-market/why-rent-control-fails-lessons-new-york-portland
Government by Settlement
Source: Law & Liberty
by John O McGinnis
“In his piquant memoir, Streetwise, Lloyd Blankfein, former CEO of Goldman Sachs, shares an arresting anecdote about the administrative state. The SEC sued Goldman for allegedly misleading investors about the risks of mortgage-backed securities. Blankfein considered the suit meritless but settled for $550 million. ‘You can’t litigate against your regulator. It’s like a Star Trek episode: an alien controls the Enterprise’s bridge and threatens to shut off life support unless the ship surrenders.’ The dilemma for the regulated firm is that even if it wins the suit, its regulating agency has many other ways to make life unpleasant.” (04/09/26)