Trump Censorship Machine Bashed in Federal Court
Source: JimBovard.com
Jim Bovard on the Trump censorship-by-deportation scheme. (08/31/26)
https://jimbovard.com/blog/2026/08/31/video-on-trump-censorship-machine-bashed-in-federal-court/
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
The Molecule at the End of Politics
Source: Underthrow
by Max Politics
“Administered in responsible therapeutic settings, entheogens could be a path to reckoning with the profound changes ahead. Indeed, when we realize that personality is one of the strongest determinants of cultural values, we might conclude that psychedelics could be yet another technology for the coming era—whether in preparing for or catalyzing it. We needn’t belabor this idea, though. The point is that it will be important to open our minds, consider new perspectives, and embrace new values even if it means going against the grain a little.” (08/31/26)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/the-molecule-at-the-end-of-politics
Trump Has Peaked
Source: Foreign Policy
by Ravi Agrawal
“The president himself will remain a disruptive—and potentially destructive—presence on the world stage. He still has more than two years left in office and powerful economic tools to wield as cudgels against allies and adversaries alike. Yet countries and companies will learn that he has peaked. His coercive capacity, so potent last year, seems lessened from overuse. This realization will alter the very nature of Trump’s power—and the discussions about a world order to come.” (08/31/26)
Congo: Regime reports more than 6,000 confirmed Ebola cases and nearly 3,000 deaths
Source: New Haven Register
“Congo’s authorities said Monday that the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history has topped 6,000 cases with 2,911 deaths. More than 1,360 people have recovered from the virus, in what authorities said was an ‘encouraging’ development. The outbreak in eastern Congo is spreading under extremely difficult conditions, fueled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers’ strike and intense population movements. The situation is particularly concerning at displacement sites, where residents already live in extremely precarious conditions. Last week, the virus spilled into two new health zones in the region. The World Health Organization has said that it remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.” (08/31/26)
https://www.nhregister.com/news/world/article/congo-authorities-report-more-than-6-000-22410629.php
Beware of Starship Captains Who Bear Gift Cards
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Sofia Karstens
“You already know the ads. They appear each fall, a sign of the season as familiar as apple cider donuts and the changing of the leaves. A former quarterback or an actor from a venerable TV show looks straight in the camera and says, warmly: you may be entitled to benefits you aren’t getting today: dental, vision, a card for groceries, a ride to your doctor. Seniors at home just have to call the number on the screen to sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan today. Operators are standing by. They certainly are, but their primary aim isn’t to find the best plan for their caller’s needs. It’s to get them to sign up for the plan that’s most profitable for them.” (08/31/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/beware-of-starship-captains-who-bear-gift-cards/
High Agency is High Variance
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“Cate Hall’s You Can Just Do Things: How High-Agency People Get What They Want Out of Life sounds like a book designed to tell me what I want to hear. I’ve long believed in: 1. Literal free will. … 2. Widespread overestimation of constraints relative to preferences. … 3. Most humans are deeply conformist. … Nevertheless, reading Hall’s book starkly reminded me of the dangers of high agency.” (08/31/26)
House Republicans Launch Investigation Into DEA Tactic That Allowed [sic] Fentanyl to Hit Streets
Source: US News & World Report
“Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have launched an investigation into a controversial policing tactic that permitted staggering amounts of deadly fentanyl to reach the streets as federal authorities sought to build bigger drug cases. The committee’s chairman, Rep. James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, sent a letter Monday to Attorney General Todd Blanche requesting records related to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s controversial strategy of monitoring — yet not seizing — major fentanyl shipments. The request echoes concerns raised by officials in New Mexico, the epicenter of the fentanyl crisis and where DEA whistleblowers recently reported being ordered to stand down rather than seize hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills in possible violation of Justice Department rules intended to safeguard communities.” [editor’s note: In the war on drugs, drugs will always win. That war created the demand for fentanyl, and there’s no way it, or duplicate shipments, wouldn’t have “reached the streets” – TLK] (08/31/26)
The Belated Backlash Against Flock Cameras
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum
“Americans are starting to recognize the dangers of pervasive surveillance by automated license plate readers.” (08/31/26)
https://reason.com/2026/08/31/the-belated-backlash-against-flock-cameras/
Flock cameras are un-American. I’m glad folks are fighting back.
Source: USA Today
by Nicole Russell
“What do Darth Vader, the ACLU and some Democrats and Republicans have in common? They hate Flock cameras. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, is launching an investigation into Flock Safety, demanding answers about how the company retains data and tracks vehicles. Politicians aren’t the only ones worried. The AI-powered surveillance cameras track, scan and preserve license plate numbers, feeding them into a searchable database that law enforcement and others can access. Citizens in blue and red states alike are protesting cameras that were installed to make them safer. I’d expect pushback from Republicans, who tend to be wary about anything resembling a surveillance state. I’m more surprised by the resistance from the left.” [editor’s note: Republicans, for the most part, seem to LOVE the surveillance state these days – TLK] (08/31/26)
Trump Puffs Up Engagement With North Korea, But Can We Trust Him?
Source: Libertarian Institute
by José Niño
“Count the decades. Seventy-five years of confrontation, and Washington cannot point to a single durable peace agreement with North Korea. Diplomacy alone will not close that gap. The United States must pursue the only strategy that has never been tried, a full withdrawal from the Korean peninsula and the complete repeal of every sanction it has imposed on the North. The Cold War is finished. North Korea poses no threat to Americans. The Pacific Ocean serves as a moat no army has ever crossed, and the American nuclear stockpile outmatches Pyongyang’s many times over. The idea that North Korea threatens the American mainland is risible. Let the sleeping dog lie and let a new era of peace begin.” (08/31/26)