Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Cláudia Ascensão Nunes

“The European Union has just unveiled the so-called European Democracy Shield. The name, while promising, claims to ‘protect’ democracy on the basis of two pillars which, on principle, should raise concerns: combating ‘disinformation’ and ‘foreign interference.’ To that end, the EU will create a new European Centre for Democratic Resilience, intended to collect data from Member States on information manipulation; foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI); and phenomena classified as disinformation. The same package also includes a European network of independent fact-checkers and a European Digital Media Observatory, which will be endowed with monitoring and analytical capacities during elections or moments of crisis. Regarding free elections and the risk of foreign interference, the Commission additionally proposes to finance ‘independent journalism.’ The irony that journalism financed by political institutions can never be genuinely independent seems lost on the Commission.” (11/24/25)

https://fee.org/articles/democracy-at-risk/

Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Paulo Ferreira

“It is no secret that the demographic exodus from the Douro is widespread and will continue to plague the region, with declining birth rates and the lack of economic attractiveness for both workers and investors. It is little wonder, then, that people receive some of the lowest wages in the country. Port wine is the heart and soul of the nation’s wine sector, yet the laws regulating it end up harming, rather than benefiting, small wine producers …. We do not possess property; it is regulated by the IVDP, established in 1933. Owners are not only prohibited from producing the wine of their choice but also from deciding the volume they produce, the price at which they can sell their products, the way they store and vinify according to protocols, and the list goes on.” (11/24/25)

https://mises.org/power-market/port-wine-crisis

Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille

“Cancellations, sometimes violent protests, behind-the-scenes censorship, and overt government threats to muzzle the media. Free speech is doing better in the U.S. than elsewhere in the world, but that doesn’t mean it’s doing well. It’s besieged by hostile politician and a shifting culture that is eroding the foundations of tolerance for dissent and an open marketplace of ideas. That has Americans worried, though even as they fret over the future of free speech a significant minority contribute to the problem.” (11/24/25)

https://reason.com/2025/11/24/most-americans-think-free-speech-is-on-the-decline-survey-finds/

Source: Bluegrass Institute
by Caleb O Brown & Colleen Hroncich

“Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman’s passionate case for guaranteeing preschool access for every 4-year-old in the state deserves scrutiny. The evidence for universal pre-K as an economic development strategy is far weaker than she suggests. Kentucky families deserve honesty about what this expensive and expansive program can – and cannot – deliver. Coleman omits the most rigorous recent research on the subject. Researchers from Vanderbilt University followed nearly 3,000 low-income children through sixth grade with alarming results: Children who attended Tennessee’s Voluntary Pre‑K (TN-VPK) program fared worse on a range of metrics compared with children who didn’t attend.” (11/24/25)

https://www.bluegrassinstitute.org/universal-pre-k-is-an-expensive-experiment/

Source: The Dispatch
by Kim Holmes

“For many years, I found my ideological and professional home at the Heritage Foundation. I first joined the organization in 1986 as a policy analyst and departed it in 2021, ending my 35-year tenure there as executive vice president. My years at Heritage taught me many things about how a think tank should — and perhaps equally importantly, should not — operate.” (11/24/25)

https://thedispatch.com/article/think-tank-research-institute-heritage-liberalism/