“The Democratic Republic of Congo government and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group have agreed a roadmap for peace talks. In a joint statement after five days of talks in Switzerland, they said they had pledged to ‘pursue negotiations towards comprehensive peace and conflict resolution’ and set up a mechanism to monitor the ceasefire. The roadmap sets out a timeline for talks under a US-brokered peace framework which they signed in 2025 – only for fighting to then continue in eastern DR Congo, which has been engulfed in conflict for decades. But disagreements remain over issues including sanctions against M23, the release of detainees and the timing of political reforms.” (08/23/26)
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by George Leef
“When Jimmy Carter ran for president in 1976, he received support from the teachers’ unions, and to pay them back, he pushed for the Department of Education as a means to help the unions solidify their control and squeeze out more money than they could get just from states and localities. There was no public demand for federal meddling in education — this was pure, special-interest politics. … When Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United States in 1830, he noted in his famous book Democracy in America that the level of literacy here was amazingly high, without any government involvement. How, then, did what we call ‘public education’ get started?” (08/21/26)
“It has not been a banner summer for the United States. The country is mired in a war with Iran with no graceful exit opportunities; a new round of tariffs threatens to further disrupt fragile global trade relations; and the domestic economy faces inflation combined with paltry growth. President Donald Trump has not been a positive force for the U.S. this year, and many of his administration’s policies don’t bode well for the future. But by weakening America, Trump may strengthen the rest of the world.” (08/21/26)
“A federal appeals court handed conservative activist James O’Keefe a significant legal victory Friday, tossing out a $130,000 judgment a Democratic consultant won against him over an undercover video sting tied to the 2016 presidential election. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals said that award, which followed a 2022 jury trial, violated the First Amendment by muddling together the consequences of legal activity by O’Keefe and his group, Project Veritas, with unlawful aspects of its infiltration of the consulting firm, Democracy Partners. The video, which Project Veritas released weeks before the 2016 general election, contended that Democracy Partners and its founder, Robert Creamer, were seeking to foment violence at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s rallies. … Creamer and his firm sued Project Veritas and O’Keefe, claiming illegal wiretapping, trespass, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud.” (08/21/26)
“Patri Friedman joins Sal and Mark this week for a wide ranging conversation about the Free Cities movement, charter cities, and why special autonomous zones may be the most practical path to freedom in the modern world.” (08/21/26)
“The public’s confidence in higher education is falling rapidly. The share of the public that has confidence in higher education declined from 57% in 2015 to 38% in 2026. As colleges and their advocates try to win back the public’s confidence, one of their strongest arguments is that college is worth it for both students and for the country broadly. While it is true that a college education generally pays off for the typical student, there are a few problems with this view. The biggest, and most obvious, problem to note is that there are many predictable cases in which college is not worth it from a financial perspective.” (08/21/26)
“A federal judge struck down the Trump administration’s freeze on immigrant visas from 75 countries Friday, ruling Secretary of State Marco Rubio lacked the legal authority to order denials for applicants otherwise found eligible to enter the United States. U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas, a Biden appointee in Manhattan, vacated the State Department policy and any visa refusals based solely on it, directing the government to revisit those cases. ‘The Court holds that the Policy is contrary to law and was issued in excess of Secretary Rubio’s statutory authority,’ Vargas wrote in her 61-page opinion.” (08/22/26)
“The Trump-connected Polymarket is likely helping gamblers with inside military information cash in on wars the president wages. According to Reuters, a report by the Anti-Corruption Data Collective found that 152 ‘exceptionally successful’ Polymarket wallets otherwise known as ‘Orcas’ may have traded on inside military information to place high-stakes bets on critical U.S. defense operations, including the June 2025 attacks on Iran. According to the non-profit research group, these wallets had a 97.2% success rate and won $8 million collectively. President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., is an adviser for Polymarket. 1789 Capital, his venture capital firm, invested in the platform soon after it was founded. Moreover, Trump Jr. and his brother, Eric Trump, continue to profit from defense industry investments as the war with Iran continues.” (08/21/26)
“During the French Revolution, authorities in Paris turned to ‘a series of ventures in price-fixing and food control’ to ensure people did not go hungry. It didn’t work as planned.” (08/21/26)
“Uber has allegedly violated the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) again, but this time to the tune of a 824.9 million euro, or $966 million, fine. The Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP), or the Dutch Data Protection Authority, hit Uber with the massive fine, accusing the company of automatically deactivating driver accounts between 2018 and 2022 without human intervention. According to the Dutch regulatory agency, Uber has deprived its drivers of income through fully automated decisions, violating the GDPR in the process.” [editor’s note: Even if there was anything improper about that, note the word “fine.” It’s not restitution to the supposedly wronged drivers, it’s just bureaucrats demanding a huge bribe – TLK] (08/22/26)
