The Tom Kean Question

Source: The American Conservative
by Spencer Neale

“Against the wishes of his doctors, Rep. Tom Kean (R-NJ) returned to Congress on Tuesday, his first appearance there in more than 100 days. Addressing the House floor, Kean began by noting that he is a ‘private person’ before explaining his multi-month absence from his duties in Washington, DC. ‘Several months ago, due to health concerns, I entered the hospital for some testing,’ said the 57-year-old Kean. ‘I was given the diagnosis of depression.’ It was a stark admission for a politician whose critics have long questioned his absence but were met with silence. Though depression is not disqualifying in and of itself, the lack of transparency from a person who was elected to provide it is worrying. Furthermore, if a disability keeps you off the job for four months …. then the job likely isn’t compatible with the disability Kean is currently navigating.” (07/06/26)

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-tom-kean-question/

Israel: Regime Threatens to Ignore a Top Court Ruling

Source: New York Times

“The Israeli government threatened on Sunday to disregard an order by Israel’s highest court, escalating a long-running clash between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a judiciary whose authority he has vowed to weaken. … On Sunday, the members of Mr. Netanyahu’s cabinet passed a resolution attacking the court over a decision issued last month in a case involving Israel’s broadcast regulator. In apparent defiance of the decision, they said they would not recognize actions taken by the regulator for the time being and would use ‘every legal means’ to annul it. … At the heart of the latest legal dispute is Israel’s broadcast regulator, known as the Second Authority. The agency is still staffed by a board of commissioners from the previous government, which was run by Mr. Netanyahu’s opponents.” (07/05/26)

https://archive.is/sClm9

Washington Must Stop Arming A Serial Occupier

Source: Libertarian Institute
by José Niño

“A state that invades the same neighbor across eight decades, covets its water and land, punishes its civilians as a matter of doctrine, and then defies its own superpower sponsor is not behaving like a normal nation. It is behaving like a rogue one. Washington has spent those decades underwriting the behavior, supplying the aircraft, bombs, and diplomatic cover that make each new occupation possible. The honest response to a partner that treats American requests as optional is to stop financing and eventually break ties with it. The United States should end military aid to Israel and begin economically decoupling from it, and the wider international community should treat a serial occupier the way it treats other states that seize territory by force, with isolation rather than embrace.” (07/06/26)

https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/washington-must-stop-arming-a-serial-occupier

The United States at 250: An Ode or Goad?

Source: Antiwar.com
by M Reza Behnam

“The 250th anniversary of American independence is fundamentally incompatible with a foreign policy defined by overwhelming civilian casualties and global devastation. As the United States commemorates its semiquincentennial with celebratory pageantry, this milestone forces a reckoning. How can a nation built on the promise of ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ justify its role in upending and extinguishing millions of lives across the Middle East?” (07/06/26)

https://original.antiwar.com/reza_behnam/2026/07/05/the-united-states-at-250-an-ode-or-goad/

NYC: Legionnaires’ disease outbreak jumps to 14 confirmed cases

Source: United Press International

“An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City has jumped to 14 confirmed cases, health officials said Sunday. What began as a report of just two cases on Thursday has now increased sevenfold to cover three ZIP codes in the area, NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin said in an update. … Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia that occurs from inhaling water droplets from manmade water systems contaminated with Legionella bacteria, usually traced to cooling towers.” (07/05/26)

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/07/05/NYC-Legionnaires-disease-outbreak-jumps-14-confirmed-cases/2991783296722/