Source: Brownstone Institute
by Joseph Marine
“Afew months ago, I was one of several candidates under consideration for Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While I did not make the final cut, I was honored to be considered for such an important position. The administration has nominated a highly qualified team to lead the CDC and I wish them well. The experience gave me the opportunity to reflect on what reforms I would like to see at the CDC as it faces a pivot point in the history of medicine and public health. Here are six themes that I see as most important and urgent.” (07/08/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/how-to-make-the-cdc-great-again/
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“It is true that there is unfathomable cruelty in this world that will bring you crashing to your knees. And it is true that we are ruled by monsters with deeply entrenched power. But it is also true that we live in a mysterious universe whose ways are almost entirely unknown to us. And it is also true that we don’t really have any idea where humanity’s adventure is headed. … Our best scientists have produced no answers to any of life’s most significant questions, having to content themselves with a humble shrug over the most basic inquiries like why anything exists, what matter is, and what is the nature of consciousness.” (07/08/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/07/08/the-cure-for-despair-is-awe-wonder-and-humility/
Source: CNBC
“Jeff Bezos’[s] Blue Origin is raising about $10 billion, in its first outside funding round that will value the rocket company at $130 billion, sources told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin. Bezos is set to contribute $2 billion into the round, along with about $4 billion from hedge fund Coatue Management, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the details are private. The remaining $4 billion has seen significant demand, with several major investors expected to participate, the people said. … Bezos has in the past funded Blue Origin solely through sales of his Amazon stock. In 2024, Bezos said he believed Blue Origin will one day be a bigger company than Amazon.” (07/08/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/08/blue-origin-bezos-fundraising.html
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on the new allegations against Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, which have led to many Democrats calling for him to drop out.” (07/08/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5951300-rising-july-8-2026/
Source: Law & Liberty
by Henry T Edmondson III
“Would J. R. R. Tolkien be pleased to see new military technology named in honor of Middle-earth?” (07/08/26)
https://lawliberty.org/the-seeing-stones-of-modern-warfare/
Source: The Atlantic
by Mike Nelson
“Why was this horrific allegation the threshold when [Graham] Platner had so obviously transgressed so many times before? Perhaps Platner’s Nazi tattoo should have been a sufficient indicator that he lacked the character to be a senator. Perhaps maintaining that SS logo for two decades, covering it up only when it became politically inconvenient, demonstrated that he lacked the judgment for national office. Perhaps a multiyear history of not just having abhorrent views about women and minorities, but feeling the need to post them for the world to see, could have told us that he is not the person to be Maine’s voice in Washington. Maybe a well-documented history of contemptible behavior in his personal life should have been enough, when taken with everything else, for Democrats to conclude that Platner was exactly the person he appeared to be.” (07/08/26)
https://archive.is/g32yt
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“Are Russia and NATO Headed for War? | Robert Wright & Leonid Ragozin.” (07/07/26)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/69585
Source: Washington Post
“Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declared at a NATO summit on Wednesday that her country would defend its territory as President Donald Trump revived his longtime demand for control of Greenland. Earlier this year, Trump sharply raised tensions with allies and seemed to push NATO to a breaking point with his threats to seize Greenland …. Allies stood up to the president and Trump backed down, saying at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he had reached the framework of a deal brokered by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. But almost as soon as he arrived to meet NATO counterparts in Turkey, Trump restarted the fight, telling reporters that Greenland ‘should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark.’ … Asked if Denmark would defend its territory from friend or foe alike, Frederiksen said, ‘Of course we will defend the kingdom of Denmark.'” (07/08/26)
https://archive.is/8d9lR
Source: Washington Post
“How populists turn distrust into power.” (07/08/26)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/impromptu/how-populists-turn-distrust-into-power/
Source: Mindset Shifts
by Barry Brownstein
“Can the transformation of America into a ‘State without freedom’ be stopped? Is it possible to learn of the dangers to freedom and human progress without first living through our own bitter experiences? I know it is fashionable to believe that the new wave of communist/Islamist candidates is hardly a threat to become mainstream outside of blue urban centers in the United States. History says we are one economic crisis away from that view being proven wrong.” (07/08/26)
https://mindsetshifts.substack.com/p/the-indestructible-aspiration-toward
