The Libertarian Angle, 07/09/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“What Do We Like About America?” (07/09/26)
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
School choice for me, but not for thee
Source: Washington Post
by Corey DeAngelis
“[Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona)] sent his daughter to a private school. The senator’s own background includes public schooling, but the choice he made for his child stands in contrast to the opposition he now leads to making similar options available for more families. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) graduated from the private Emma Willard School and sent both of her sons to a private school in Washington. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) sent one of her two children to private schools — and then said she did not in 2019 at an event during her presidential campaign. … The pattern is consistent. Lawmakers who benefited from private schooling or chose it for their children now work to keep these doors closed for other families.” (07/09/26)
US Olympian David Hearn pleads not guilty to frivolous charges in Reflecting Pool case
Source: NBC News
“U.S. Olympic canoeist David ‘Davey’ Hearn pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Thursday in connection with alleged damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. … He is among at least four people facing charges in connection with the alleged tampering of the pool, which President Donald Trump began renovating this spring. The U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, alleges Hearn was seen ‘forcefully and violently pulling up and removing the bottom liner’ of the pool with both hands on June 19. Hearn’s legal team says he is innocent and calls the charges ‘outrageous.'” (07/09/26)
Fast Politics with Molly Jong-Fast, 07/09/26
Source: Fast Politics with Molly Jong-Fast
“Molly Jong-Fast Talks About The Reconstruction Papers With Adam Gurri.” (07/09/26)
The Death of Reading
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Ann Bauer
“People didn’t HAVE to read, they GOT to read. They did it ostentatiously and with zeal. And this habit lasted, in one form or another, until recently when reading for enjoyment started to tank. Blame the Internet and social media and our fractured attention span. Blame Oprah, who in her quest to ‘get people reading’ promoted one title and focused every English-speaking woman’s attention on it, to the exclusion of every other book on the planet. But the real culprit, if you ask me, is politics.” [editor’s note: Are people really “reading less?” Or are they just reading on screens instead of from books, just like people started reading from books instead of scrolls and scrolls instead of clay tablets? – TLK] (07/09/26)
EU considers tariffs on buyers of imports from illegal Israeli squats
Source: Politico
“The European Commission is proposing tough measures to reduce imports from illegal Israeli [squats] in the West Bank, as part of options presented to national capitals this week. A paper from the EU’s executive branch, marked confidential and seen by POLITICO, states that ‘strengthened enforcement may reduce imports from [squats] channelled into the EU in violation of existing rules, without requiring new EU legal instruments.’ Among the ideas being considered are an import licensing system, whereby goods from illegal [squats] would need special permission to be exported to the bloc; tariffs targeting goods originating in the [squats]; or an outright ban on imports from illegal s[squats].” (07/09/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-considering-import-licenses-tariffs-trade-israeli-settlements/
Underthrow Podcast, 07/09/26
Source: Underthrow
“The West is Going to Sh*t Thanks to Broken Feedback Loops.” (07/09/26)
Steaming Mad
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Jake Scott
“The average Dutch gamer has lost €130 ($148). At least, that is a claim being made in the Hague by a foundation. On June 11, the Stichting Consumenten Competition Claims (SCCC), acting under the banner GameClaim on behalf of every Dutch personal computer (PC) gamer, filed a €220 million ($250 million) claim against the Valve Corporation, the business that operates the Steam gaming platform. The SCCC claims that roughly 2 million accounts have lost collectively those €220 million on the basis that the Valve Corporation commands some 85% of the market, and defends that position through Most-Favored-Nation clauses—terms that forbid developers from undercutting their Steam price on rival storefronts such as Epic Games Store (EGS).” (07/a09/26)
Freakonomics Radio, episode 681
Source: Freakonomics
“How to Host a Talk Show, with Dick Cavett.” (07/09/26)
https://freakonomics.com/podcast/how-to-host-a-talk-show-with-dick-cavett/
A New Map of the Constitution
Source: Law & LIberty
by John O McGinnis
“Ilan Wurman offers a lucid case for recovering the Constitution’s original structure—and the responsibility rests with us.” (07/09/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/a-new-map-of-the-constitution/