System Update, 05/15/26
Source: System Update
“Q&A on ISRAEL SUING NYT, Trust in the Mainstream Media, Tucker Carlson, Ukraine & More!” (05/15/26)
https://greenwald.substack.com/p/q-and-a-on-israel-suing-nyt-trust
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
Universities’ Best Defense Against Censorship in the Public Square Is Free Inquiry
Source: The UnPopulist
by Jonathan Marks
“In their otherwise valuable new book, two prominent professors acknowledge the need for diverse viewpoints on campuses but don’t offer a cure for intellectual uniformity.” (05/15/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/universities-best-defense-against
UK: Tens of thousands march in London in far-right and pro-Palestine protests
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Tens of thousands of people are marching through central London in two separate protests – one pro-Palestine demonstration a day after Nakba Day, and the other, a far-right rally staged by Tommy Robinson. Police in the British capital deployed 4,000 officers, including reinforcements from outside the city, on Saturday and pledged ‘the most assertive possible use of our powers’ in what they called their biggest public order operation in years. … In a Saturday evening update, police said officers had made 43 arrests at the twin protests, which both ended by 18:30 GMT.” (05/16/26)
The Evil Within, part 9
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Public Schooling and Conscription.” (05/15/26)
The US Should Cut Its Losses in the Iran War
Source: Independent Institute
by Ivan Eland
“Presidential power is now running rogue. Congress needs to push back at its roots and use the War Powers Resolution of the 1970s to end both the Iran War and the continuing War on Terror. The president’s own party is paralyzed by congressional members’ fear that an adverse tweet from Trump will end their political careers, even though there should be strength in numbers to do the right thing. However, many should be even more frightened that the American people will fire them in November if they don’t act to end this pointless war of choice now.” (05/15/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/05/15/cut-losses-iran-war/
The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan, 05/15/26
Source: The Weekly Dish
“Jerusalem Demsas On Liberalism And The Dems.” (05/15/26)
https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/jerusalem-demsas-on-liberalism-and
Should Presidential Pardon Power be More Restricted?
Source: Cato Institute
by Dan Greenberg
“The pardon power is different from other constitutional powers. It is unchecked and absolute: There is no other branch of government that can interfere with a president’s pardons. The Constitution was created in the shadow of absolute royal power; it was designed to resist the corruption of such power. The division of government into three separate branches is meant to ensure a system of checks and balances on government power. From this perspective, the pardon power stands out: The unilateral pardon power looks like the last remaining remnant of royalism in the Constitution. … Do Donald Trump’s pardons give us good reason to change the rules of the Constitution? Is it time to put the brakes on solo pardon power? I think there are lessons to be learned from the president’s abuse of office.” (05/15/26)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/should-presidents-power-be-more-restricted
TX: High court rejects removal of Democratic lawmakers who led quorum break over redistricting
Source: Seattle Times
“The Texas Supreme Court on Friday refused to declare that Democratic lawmakers who briefly fled the state in 2025 to block a vote on new congressional voting maps pushed by President Donald Trump had vacated their office. The all-Republican court dealt a blow to Gov. Greg Abbott and state Republicans in their efforts to severely punish the more than 50 Democrats who bolted for New York, Illinois and Massachusetts in a bid to stop a vote on the maps during a special session. State Republicans had sought their arrest and threatened fines to bring them back to the state Capitol.” (05/15/26)
Mass Transit in the Sky: How Air Travel Went from Elite to Affordable
Source: The Daily Economy
by Donald J Boudreaux
“The golden age of airline service was also an era of restriction and high prices. From deregulation to the downfall of no-frills Spirit, competition exposes what travelers are truly willing to pay for.” (05/15/26)
Investigation identifies 13 victims of US regime’s maritime murder spree
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“A five-month investigation has named 13 previously unidentified victims of US attacks on boats allegedly carrying narcotics in a campaign that has [murdered] nearly 200 people in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific. It is unclear if the US has ever identified any of its 194 victims before attacking them, and the names of just three had previously emerged, after their families launched legal cases against the White House. … a joint effort by 20 journalists led by the Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism (CLIP) this week published the identities of 13 of those killed, some of whom showed no indication of involvement in drug trafficking.” (05/15/26)