Source: Los Angeles Times
by Jonah Goldberg
“There is an enormous difference between the United States declining to provide additional military assistance to a country fighting for its survival and deliberately interfering with its ability to defend itself. The disruption fits a broader pattern of Trump administration decisions that have constrained Ukraine while offering concessions to Russia.” (10/21/26)
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Charles Goyette
“The liberal tradition that is central to Western civilization sees the individual as the bearer of rights, the locus in which conscience manifests itself. It is in the individual that freedom is experienced. Yet these jewels in the crown of Western civilization were crowded out by the speech’s undisguised imperial core: national power, relentless ambition, adventure, risk and glory, skyrocketing defense spending, historic defense commitments. Nor did the sweep of [Marco Rubio’s] survey acknowledge that the failure of the West’s will to survive is an inevitable and sorrowful compensation for the vitality drained by its imperial overextension.” (10/21/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/a-western-civ-speech-only-a-neocon-could-love/
Source: The Atlantic
by David Frum
“‘BALANCED BUDGET!!! DJT’ Donald Trump posted that promise on February 7, 2025, the 18th day of his current presidential term. During the 2024 campaign, he had promised even more: the elimination of the entire national debt in a single term of office. Trump insisted that he could reach his budget goals without disagreeable spending cuts. … Instead, he proposed eliminating deficits and debt with magic money from growth, from crypto, and—above all—from tariffs. Tariffs would generate so much revenue that they might replace the income tax, maybe even finance a $2,000 dividend for every American taxpayer.
Basic budget math contradicted Trump’s fantasies.” (10/21/26)
Source: Politico
“Liechtenstein’s Hereditary Prince Alois vetoed a bill on Tuesday that would have legalized abortion during the first 12 weeks of a woman’s pregnancy, blocking a citizens’ initiative co-signed by a quarter of voters and passed in the micro-state’s parliament. Performing an abortion is currently illegal in the principality, unless the pregnancy presents a severe risk to the pregnant woman’s health or if it is the result of a sexual assault. Women seeking an abortion usually travel to clinics in neighboring Austria or Switzerland, which campaigners say adds uncertainty and an unnecessary financial hurdle to the process. … The bill ‘is not suitable for adequately protecting unborn life as a central legal interest,’ a statement from the princely house reads. Alois had already indicated in June he would veto the proposal on these grounds.” (10/21/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/liechtenstein-prince-vetoes-abortion-bill/
Source: Antiwar.com
“Netanyahu Discussed ‘Eliminating’ Iran’s Government With Trump, US Airstrike in Somalia, and More.” (10/20/26)
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Steven Kritz
“In recent months, there’s been a torrent of document releases that prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, the scope of the atrocities committed in the name of the Covid response by the public health establishment. As someone who has been submitting articles to Brownstone Journal covering this subject for more than 3 years (20 have been published), it has been suggested that I once again bring my perspective into the arena regarding these recent revelations. Frankly, I have felt no such calling. Why is that? For me, it’s a matter of been there; done that! … I’ve reached the point where the only thing I care about is accountability. Without it, these atrocities will keep happening.” (10/21/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/accountability-is-all-that-matters-now/
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“WILD Midterm Ads! Libertarian Votes and the Mistresses of JFK (with Andrew Heaton and Laurence Leamer).” (10/20/26)
https://www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/p/wild-midterm-ads-libertarian-votes
Source: Property and Environment Research Center
by staff
“A newly proposed federal rule changes how grizzly bears are managed under the Endangered Species Act and creates a smarter path for long-term recovery. The proposed tiered 4(d) rule rewards conservation success with greater state management flexibility, while keeping federal protections in place if populations decline. It’s a practical, science-driven approach that recognizes what recovery looks like on the ground.” (10/20/26)
Source: Astral Codex Ten
by Scott Alexander
“The latest bugbear is ‘AI successionism’, the belief that AIs should succeed humans as rulers of Earth. But some critiques fail to distinguish between two different ideas. True successionism says that AIs should take over, killing humans or steamrolling over their interests. This is very bad: a compact description of the thing that AI safety is against. Handoverism says that humans should prioritize their own interests, but that those interests may be well-served by having aligned AIs in positions of control. Some people in AI safety, including me, find this latter position plausible.” (10/20/26)
Source: Liberal Currents
by Samantha Hancox-Li
‘People who believe their choices don’t matter choose poorly.” (10/21/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/disordered-institutions-make-disordered-publics/