“The core of this argument is that the American Founding set the United States on a unique path that made it one of the richest and freest places in the world. Yet, this causal connection requires a leap of faith. Few have attempted to conjure a counterfactual in which America remained a British colony or became independent in ways similar to later British Dominions (e.g., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa). Serious causal inference generally requires the use of large datasets to infer the effects of important policy changes or some large exogenous shocks. For nations, especially in the more distant past, this is even more challenging because of data paucity, limited numbers of observations, and other confounding factors. It may even be impossible. A possible alternative course is to rely on analytical narratives to construct a theory, laying out assumptions and predictions.” (07/09/26)
“Rich and Riley discuss celebrating the 4th of July or ‘Independence Day,’ can Trump comprehend multilevel consequences, and what Riley talked about with Mitch McConnell.” (07/09/26)
“Way back in November 2022, disagreement broke out inside the Biden administration about the implications of recent military gains made by Ukraine. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, advised pushing hard for a diplomatic settlement to lock in those gains. He warned that Ukraine’s battlefield position—and thus also its bargaining position—was likely to worsen in the coming months. Biden listened instead to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. They counseled against peace talks while Ukraine had the momentum and a chance to roll back the Russian invaders. … Now, nearly four years later, Western media again are saying that ‘the tide has turned’ against Russia. And the White House has again concluded that it’s therefore a bad time to push for peace. But sooner or later, the tide will turn again, and the next big wave could drown Ukraine.” (07/09/26)
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“The recriminations and second-guessing are flying from all directions with respect to the flame-out of Democrat candidate Graham Platner’s U.S. Senate campaign in Maine. Most everyone’s commentaries are revolving out of the ramifications of the sex-abuse allegations, including rape, from old girlfriends of Platner. Some of the critics are pointing to other disturbing aspects of Platner’s life, such as a Nazi-like tattoo on his chest and crude and offensive remarks in Reddit posts. What the critics and commentators don’t do, however, is point to the core reason why this man got so screwed-up emotionally and psychologically: his four military deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. It is those four deployments that are at the core of Platner’s dysfunctional behavior and abusive relationships with women.” (07/09/26)
“Tuareg separatists and their allies attacked a convoy of Russian mercenaries and Malian soldiers Thursday morning, as they travelled to assist cohorts holed up at a northern military camp in the town of Anefis. Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM and FLA Tuareg groups launched coordinated attacks in Mali on Saturday, just over two months after another major offensive in which they captured the strategic northern town of Kidal and killed the troubled West African country’s defence minister.” (07/09/26)
