Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Source: Independent Institute
by Craig Eyermann

“Between August 8 and October 21, 2025, the U.S. government’s total public debt outstanding increased by more than $1 trillion, reaching a total of $38 trillion. One month later, the national debt had risen to $38.3 trillion. … Divided equally, that works out to be $284,125 for each of the country’s 134,800,000 households. That amount is about what the typical house for sale costs in Kentucky, which the government is borrowing to pay for the equivalent of over 47,500 such houses per day. If you’re like most American households, you probably can’t afford the cost of borrowing to own an extra home in Kentucky. In truth, neither can Uncle Sam. And yet, the national debt continues to grow as if the U.S. government can afford to buy a town’s worth of houses every day. Elected officials and bureaucrats need to do more to get the government’s fiscal house in order.” (12/01/25)

https://www.independent.org/article/2025/12/01/government-pay-national-debt/

Source: The Atlantic
by Jonathan Lemire

“Although Trump hated being on the road, the travel took him out of the Manhattan skyscraper emblazoned with his name in gold and into many struggling, disgruntled communities. … The people Trump met clued him in to the issues his supporters cared about …. But it has been many months since Trump hosted a full-on campaign-style rally. He has opted instead to travel abroad, golf at his private clubs, and dine with wealthy friends, business leaders, and major donors. Beyond the rallies, Trump has dramatically scaled back speeches, public events, and domestic travel compared with the first year of his initial term. And that lack of regular voter contact has contributed to a growing fear among Republicans and White House allies: that Trump is too isolated, and has become out of touch with what the public wants from its president.” (12/01/25)

https://archive.is/CTvKQ

Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille

“As I write, European Union (E.U.) officials are debating the details of a proposal to either require or pressure tech companies to scan all private messages for child sexual abuse material. Dubbed ‘chat control,’ the scheme inevitably entails mass surveillance of private communications — targeting one sort of content for the moment, though it’s difficult to see how that would long remain limited in any way. It’s an illustration of the continuing decline in online liberty documented in a new report from Freedom House. … It’s unsurprising that countries already recognized as authoritarian are continuing repressive practices. Nobody expects China or Iran to suddenly develop a taste for protecting online dissent and respecting privacy of communications. More disturbingly though, as seen in the European debate over chat control, nominally free countries are becoming increasingly intrusive when it comes to the digital world.” (12/01/25)

https://reason.com/2025/12/01/the-free-world-is-coming-for-your-private-messages/