“The legacies of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson have had an oversized influence on American political history. As important as their individual and distinct contributions to the formation of the American political order have been, their rivalry has had a lasting effect on American political thinking and conduct. In The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America, Jeffrey Rosen argues that American political history can be understood as a continued tension between Hamiltonian and Jeffersonian ideas. Rosen does not take sides in this ideological competition; his greater concern is how it has served the health of the American regime.” (01/16/25)
“The essence of tyranny is the imposition of one man’s will on an entire polity — with no checks, balances, or even reasons cited to back him up. It is, to coin a phrase, a triumph of will. In fact, you could argue that a tyrant aims for exactly such a demonstrable act of pure solipsism as soon as he can pull it off — against all elite and popular opinion and common sense — because it proves by its very arbitrary irrationality that only he matters. That’s why President Trump’s threat to the sovereignty of a NATO ally, Denmark, is a red line. No one — neither Greenlanders nor Americans — wants what is an insane idea. No one needs it. No reason can be given for it. And yet Trump keeps insisting, like a mafia boss, that he will take it. He must be stopped.” (01/16/26)
“Yoweri Museveni, has won the Ugandan election and his seventh term with more than 70% of the vote, state election authorities have said, amid an internet shutdown and claims of fraud by his opponent. His opponent, a youthful musician known as Bobi Wine, condemned what he called ‘fake results’ and alleged that members of polling staff were kidnapped, among other election irregularities. He called for peaceful protests to pressure the authorities to release what he called the ‘rightful results.’ Wine also alleged that he fled his home to escape arrest by security forces who raided his house on Friday, with his political party claiming earlier that he had been taken from his home in an army helicopter.” (01/17/26)
“Lindsey Granger gives her lens on the ongoing turmoil in Minnesota, with Governor Tim Walz asking President Trump to, ‘turn the temperature down,’ after Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in the state.” (01/16/26)
“Welcome to the Trumpian ICE Age, a vivid lesson in the frigidity of collectivism. Take note, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Compared to Trump, you’re a piker.” (01/16/26)
“Thanks to everyone who sent in condolences on my recent death from prostate cancer at age 68, but that was Scott Adams. I (Scott Alexander) am still alive. Still, the condolences are appreciated. Scott Adams was a surprisingly big part of my life. I may be the only person to have read every Dilbert book before graduating elementary school. For some reason, 10-year-old-Scott found Adams’[s] stories of time-wasting meetings and pointy-haired bosses hilarious. No doubt some of the attraction came from a more-than-passing resemblance between Dilbert’s nameless corporation and the California public school system. We’re all inmates in prisons with different names. But it would be insufficiently ambitious to stop there. Adams’[s] comics were about the nerd experience.” (01/16/26)
“Multiple documents released by Argentine President Javier Milei last year reveal how Argentina’s search for Nazi war criminals, who found refuge in the country during and after the Second World War, were able to avoid arrest and, for the most part, live ordinary lives. While Argentina’s Peronist government sympathized and often knew of Nazi criminals hiding in their territory – often under their auspices – once the populist regime fell, the South American nation half-heartedly tried to keep tabs on the war criminals hiding there. Though many high-profile cases went nowhere, the case of Hitler’s henchman Martin Bormann is exemplary in showing how inefficient Argentina was in its investigations.” (01/18/26)
“merican negotiators have been negotiating on separate tracks with Ukraine and Russia in the hope that those two tracks will eventually converge. Despite President Donald Trump’s recent statement that the two sides are ‘maybe very close’ to a deal, and the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s evaluation that a plan is ’90 percent ready,’ the two sides seem to be moving no closer together. In negotiating, the Ukrainian and European sides may be hoping to highlight that it is Russia that is saying no. And there is plenty in — and not in — their latest position that Russia will say no to. But, incoherently, Europe seems to have negotiated itself into a corner from which Russia doesn’t have to be the one to say no because Europe will.” (01/16/26)
“A Redlands man was arrested late Thursday after police say he broke into a home, pointed a shotgun at the resident and was then shot by the homeowner. The Redlands Police Department responded to a report of shots fired shortly before midnight on Jan. 15. The homeowner arrived home and found the intruder inside. He armed himself with a handgun before confronting the intruder, who pointed a shotgun at the homeowner, according to police. That’s when the homeowner shot the intruder and immediately exited the home to call police, officials said. When officers arrived, they cleared the home and followed a blood trail that led to the back yard where they found the intruder suffering from a gunshot wound.” (01/17/26)
