Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Graduation Without Testing

Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob

“While we’ve grown used to public school educators fiddling with grades, exams like those currently required — even if far from perfect — constitute an even better way to glean how well (or badly) teachers and students are doing. Government schools suffer, of course, from ‘increased spending and mediocre results,’ as Reason puts it. (I covered Michigan’s problems yesterday, for example.) The avoidance of ‘metrics’ — in business lingo — is just the kind of evasion that one might expect from under-performing institutions. New York’s opt-in downgrade is comparable to a failing student doctoring his report card or forging a parent’s signature.” (09/18/26)

https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/09/18/graduation-without-testing/

Thomas L. Knapp

Palestine: Israeli regime moving ahead with squat plans that would split West Bank in two, rights group says

Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]

“A rights groups says the Israeli government is forging ahead with a contentious [squat] expansion plan that would effectively divide the occupied West Bank, a plan long criticized as a threat to the viability of a future Palestinian state. On Wednesday, Israeli rights group Ir Amim said Israel’s government will open the bidding for an additional 2,167 units in a [squat] project that would effectively cut the West Bank in two. … [Squat] development in this open tract of land east of Jerusalem known as E1 is especially contentious because it runs from the outskirts of Jerusalem deep into the occupied West Bank.” (09/18/26)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/west-bank-israel-elimination-project-settlements-9.7349605

Thomas L. Knapp

Learning from the Failure of Maryland’s Digital Advertising Tax

Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Jared Walczak

“A recent tax court ruling in Maryland pours cold water on a tax proposal championed in Michigan by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The Maryland Tax Court struck down that state’s first-in-the-nation digital advertising tax, ruling that it violated the federal Internet Tax Freedom Act, as well as the interstate commerce and due process clauses of the US Constitution. Lawsuits have also been filed in Utah and Illinois, which adopted their own digital advertising taxes earlier this year.” (09/18/26)

https://fee.org/articles/learning-from-the-failure-of-marylands-digital-advertising-tax/

Thomas L. Knapp

US congresscritter doubles down on exit from GOP

Source: SFGate

“Rep. Kevin Kiley, a former Republican who is facing an uphill reelection battle after losing most of his district due to redistricting, said he won’t caucus with his former party if he wins in November. The announcement came Wednesday during a forum hosted by Semafor, where Kiley doubled down on his move to abandon his party if reelected. He said that would include him losing access to agenda-setting decisions with the Republican Party and mean he would lose his seat on key committees. Kiley said he’s trying to change those rules so independents aren’t automatically blocked. … Kiley, who is 41 and has served two House terms, captured national attention in March when he announced that he was leaving the Republican Party and was instead running as an independent,after Californians overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50.” (09/18/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/kevin-kiley-republican-party-congress-22438270.php

Thomas L. Knapp

Trump’s Iran War Is a Rolling Disaster With No End in Sight

Source: The UnPopulist
by Nicholas Grossman

“More than six months after Trump started the war, and nearly three months after he signed an agreement that would supposedly end it and normalize shipping, the U.S. and Iran are still fighting over the Strait of Hormuz. The damage keeps growing, and the Trump White House is both unable to fix it and unwilling to admit it.” (09/18/26)

https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/trumps-iran-war-is-a-rolling-disaster

Thomas L. Knapp

Trump bans CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House

Source: Axios

“President Trump said Friday he is banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House ‘effective immediately,’ escalating his long-running battles with news organizations. Trump is seeking to use White House access against news outlets whose coverage he objects to, while threatening to target additional organizations. Trump’s Truth Social post called the three outlets ‘Fake News’ and accused them of reporting ‘FICTION and LIES,’ before threatening to also ban other ‘Fake News Media Outlets.'” (09/18/26)

https://archive.is/Jhove

Thomas L. Knapp