Source: The Daily Economy
by Barry Brownstein
“The ability to direct one’s attention is an increasingly scarce and valuable practice — and a prerequisite for meaningful freedom.” (04/30/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/ben-sasses-warning-reclaim-your-attention-before-its-too-late/
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Dan M Ford & Joseph Brennan
“But the UN and US never seem to learn. There have been numerous cycles of peacekeeping and police missions there. Here’s why they don’t work.” (04/30/26)
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by William L Anderson
“Although the original DOGE program by all measures failed to cut government spending in any significant way, its influence was strongly felt by one agency: the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The Donald Trump administration slashed the agency’s budget and laid off most of its workers in both the US and abroad. At the same time, the agency also stopped payment to numerous non-profits whose employees worked with USAID employees to promote and establish programs. Whether the evisceration of USAID was good or bad depended upon one’s viewpoint, ideological leanings, and what one is willing to believe in support of ‘the cause.'” (04/30/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/usaid-funded-aid-programs-abroad-mainly-was-jobs-program-progressives
Source: ABC News
“Brazil’s Senate dealt a political blow to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday by rejecting his nomination to the Supreme Court, the first in more than 130 years and a sign that the veteran leader is not popular among many important lawmakers as he seeks reelection. Only 34 senators voted in favor of Jorge Messias, who has been Brazil’s solicitor-general since 2023 and a close legal adviser to Lula, while another 42 rejected his appointment. Many of the latter, including presidential hopeful Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, celebrated in the chambers after the result. Messias, who also worked for former president and Lula ally Dilma Rousseff, needed 41 votes to be approved.” (04/30/26)
Source: New York Times
“What the Voting Rights Act Decision Means, and Hegseth’s Heated Testimony.” (04/30/26)
Source: Law & LIberty
“Contributing Editor Luke Sheahan’s keynote talk at Law & Liberty‘s recent event on conservatism and constitutionalism.” (04/30/26)
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andy Worthington
“For the last two and a half years, the State of Israel has unilaterally — and with jaw-dropping illegality — reimagined warfare as a religiously-mandated existential struggle against alleged ‘forces of darkness’ in which there are no rules, and no sense of proportionality or restraint.” (04/30/26)
Source: The Atlantic
“The ‘Great Man’ Presidency.” (04/30/26)
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/04/donald-trump-presidency-legacy/686999
Source: Foreign Policy
by Robert Zaretsky
“On April 30, 1956, the commander of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Moshe Dayan, spoke at the funeral of Roi Rotberg. A young man in charge of security at the Gaza border settlement of Nahal Oz, Rotberg had been murdered and mutilated by Palestinian fedayeen. Dayan, who had met Rotberg a few days earlier and was impressed by his youth and courage, quickly drafted a eulogy that, in the original Hebrew, runs just 285 words. Nearly the same length of Abraham Lincoln’s 272-word address at Gettysburg, Dayan’s speech has assumed nearly the same foundational role in his own nation’s self-understanding.” (04/30/26)
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“The US is ‘studying and reviewing’ whether to reduce the thousands of troops it has stationed in Germany, President Donald Trump has announced via social media. His remarks came days after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticised his approach to the war in Iran, suggesting that US had been ‘humiliated’ by Iranian negotiators. Trump said in a social media post late on Wednesday that a decision on troop numbers would be made ‘over the next short period of time. Then early on Thursday he rounded on Merz, saying he should ‘spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine (Where he has been totally ineffective!).’ The BBC has reached out to the White House for comment. The US has a significant military presence in Germany, with more than 36,000 active duty troops assigned to bases across the country as of last December.” (04/30/26)