“[Bernie Sanders] proposed a one-time 50 percent tax on the largest AI companies, to be paid in shares held by a government-run sovereign wealth fund. The federal government would get voting shares, board representation, and the power to ‘block decisions’ it decides are bad for citizens. This is the worst idea Bernie Sanders has ever had, in a long and illustrious career of terrible ideas. … President Donald Trump’s economic nationalism has made federal ownership, veto rights, and backdoor nationalization feel terribly normal. His administration converted federal grants into a roughly 10 percent stake in Intel, using already-promised CHIPS Act and Secure Enclave money to make Washington one of the company’s largest shareholders. … The right calls it national security. The left calls it democracy. The results are the same: Washington wants shares, seats, vetoes, and a cut of the upside.” (for publication 08/26)
“A former Olympic canoeist who had been arrested in June on charges that he had vandalized the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has been indicted, according to court documents. He is charged with ‘destruction of property $1,000 or more,’ a felony. President Trump blamed vandals for the problems following a quick and costly makeover of the pool, and the canoeist, David Carter Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Md., was among the first to be charged. The U.S. Park Police had arrested Mr. Hearn near the pool on June 19, and accused him of destroying government property. … Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney in Washington, said in a news briefing that prosecutors had ‘tremendous evidence’ underpinning the indictment, and she condemned what she called ‘unchecked vandalism and civil disorder.’” (07/02/26)
“The chief justice, writing for the court, achieved a competent version of standard originalism. Heavily relying on historical sources and historically informed amicus briefs, the chief points out—correctly—that the English common law rule that shaped the background of U.S. citizenship law treated all kinds of temporary visitors and even persons subject to expulsion as nonetheless capable of producing British children if those children were born within the territory. (Anthony Michael Kreis has recently written a comprehensive account of the development of this principle that is worth your time.) Roberts also correctly points out that the most natural reading of the word ‘jurisdiction,’ being subject to the laws of the United States, is that the framers of the Amendment meant what they said.” (07/02/26)
“At least two people were killed in Russia’s border regions and several industrial sites suffered damage during Ukrainian drone attacks overnight, local authorities and media said on Friday. … Ukrainian officials said on Telegram that four people were killed and a further 10 people were injured in Russian overnight attacks on Ukraine.” (07/03/26)
“While Elon Musk is being criticized for his role in slashing the budget of the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID), our foreign aid programs have been killing people for more than 50 years. American food aid has sabotaged foreign farmers since the 1960s, causing waves of bankruptcies and subverting foreign nations’ ability to feed themselves. I have been hammering this program since 1984.” (07/02/26)
“German workers will have to report to a doctor in person to get a sick note on the first day they are ill, under strict proposals from Friedrich Merz. The tough new rules, aimed at boosting productivity in Germany’s stagnant economy, replace a system where employees could get a note by phoning a doctor and did not need to do so until their third day off work. … The move will be welcomed by employers, but has angered Germany’s powerful trade unions. Frank Werneke, the head of the services sector union Verdi, accused Mr Merz of creating ‘a culture of distrust of employees.’ Doctors also opposed the change, warning it would swamp Germany’s GPs with unnecessary appointments.” [editor’s note: The claim that any of that is any of the government’s business is both idiotic and horrifying – TLK] (07/02/26)
“Since 1776, at least 120 peoples have declared independence, echoing Jefferson’s universal claim about natural rights, self-government, and political legitimacy.” (07/02/26)
“A bomb blast at a crowded cafe in central Damascus has killed at least nine people and injured 22 others, Syrian state media say. The interior ministry said an explosive device was planted inside the cafe, which is located only 100m (330ft) from the Palace of Justice, a major government building in the capital’s Hejaz district. There was no immediate claim from any group for the attack. It was the deadliest bombing in Damascus since a suicide attack on a church in June 2025 killed 25 people. A shadowy jihadist group, Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah, said it was behind that bombing, but authorities blamed the Islamic State (IS) group.” (07/02/26)
