“Amazon.com is opening the supply-chain network that has powered its operations for decades to other businesses, pitting it directly against logistics heavyweights such as UPS and FedEx. ‘Amazon Supply Chain Services’ will allow companies across industries such as retail, healthcare and manufacturing to use the tech giant’s freight network spanning ocean, road, rail and air to move, store and deliver everything from raw materials to final products. … With a fleet of more than 100 cargo planes — behind only FedEx and UPS — along with a vast network of warehouses and sorting hubs, Amazon’s move could make it a key logistics player and intensify competition on pricing and speed.” (05/04/26)
“The verbal barbs between Japan and China have been a distraction; the real story is Japan’s deepening military integration with the Philippines. As the U.S. and its allies move to seal the Luzon Strait, Japan is shedding its pacifist skin to serve as the regional arsenal, providing the hardware and the boots on the ground necessary to turn the Front Door of the South China Sea into a strategic bottleneck. It is the tactical manifestation of a new cold war focused on maritime choke points and the kinetic kneecapping of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.” (05/04/26)
“A federal judge told the U.S. government Monday not to cut down more than 10 trees without first providing notice amid a legal dispute at a historic Washington golf course that President Donald Trump plans to renovate. U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes said during a remote hearing that she wasn’t going to issue a temporary restraining order just yet in the case brought by the DC Preservation League. She also told the National Park Service that it should first discuss any plans with government lawyers if it is going to cut down more than 10 trees. Monday’s hearing came after the plaintiff’s emergency petition seeking to stop work at the course, citing news reports that major renovations were to begin Monday.” (05/04/26)
“Jacob responds to a new video commentary by the noted conservative commentator Tucker Carlson entitled ‘Trump’s Flip-Flop on Immigration Is Strange …'” (05/04/26)
“Libertarians are not exclusively interested in libertarianism; rather, libertarianism functions as a living principle, a lens through which we examine social relations, institutions, and the boundaries of knowledge itself. It invites not only political analysis, but also a broader inquiry into how ideas are formed, challenged, and defended within society. In this sense, one of the grounding insights of libertarians and classical liberals concerns the nature and limits of knowledge and science, how we come to know what we know, and how institutions react when that knowledge is questioned. The case of Graham Hancock is particularly relevant here, as it illustrates both the potential gaps in scientific understanding and the often defensive attitudes of scientific establishments toward dissent.” (05/04/26)
“Jason Dick talks with Mark Kassen, the director, writer and star of the new movie ‘PH-1,’ a contemporary political drama whose mix of mystery, social media and taut pacing make it a pretty good encapsulation of our fraught time.” (05/04/26)
“Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leading politician in France’s left-wing Unbowed party, says he will run in next year’s presidential election, setting up a potential showdown with centrist and right-wing rivals. ‘Yes, I am a candidate,’ the 74-year-old told TF1 TV on Sunday. It is Melenchon’s fourth presidential bid; he also ran in 2012, 2017 and 2022, when he came third behind far-right leader Marine Le Pen and French President Emmanuel Macron, who made it to the second round of voting. Melenchon has been growing his share of the vote with each campaign.” (05/04/26)
