Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“Both the FDA and CDC pages make a point of the fact that vaping is not safe while conceding that it is less bad than smoking. That, plus the absence of numbers, made me suspect that they might be exaggerating how dangerous vaping is. If vaping is only a tenth as dangerous as smoking, if the benefit from getting one smoker to switch to vaping is as large as the benefit from persuading nine vapers to quit entirely, putting the emphasis on how unsafe vaping is instead of on how much safer it is than smoking might be counterproductive.” (05/04/26)
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Ryan McMaken
“The phrase ‘political opportunity’ was developed decades ago to describe the phenomenon that successful revolutionaries, reformers, and activists have long understood: that significant changes in political institutions come out of a mixture of ideology and historical conditions. Political events are not determined only by the battle of ideas, but also by ideological and political movements being present in the right place at the right time. It’s not enough for an ideology to have a ‘good argument.'” (05/04/26)
“A woman was shot and killed after allegedly breaking into a home in North Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon, according to police. Philadelphia Police Inspector D.F. Pace said preliminary information indicates the woman entered the home through a back window on the 2300 block of North Cleveland Street. Residents inside told her to leave, but she did not comply and was shot multiple times, police said. ‘It appears that this is a case of a person defending oneself inside their own home,’ Inspector Pace said.” (05/04/26)
“Just 60 years ago, we were talking the end of ideology. Thirty years ago, we were talking about the end of socialism — and of history itself! — as capitalist democracies seemed triumphant after the fall of the USSR. But here it’s A.D. 2026 and we have socialist mayors in New York and Seattle and … we don’t need to argue about definitions. They call themselves socialist.” (05/04/26)
“The U.S. and Iran launched new attacks in the Gulf on Monday as they wrestled for control over the Strait of Hormuz with duelling maritime blockades, shaking a fragile truce. The fresh volleys of missiles and drones came after U.S. President Donald Trump launched a new effort to get stranded tankers and other ships through the strait, the vital energy-trade chokepoint that has been virtually closed since the U.S. and Israel began attacks on Iran in February, a war that has killed thousands of people across the region. Before Monday was out, several merchant ships in the Gulf reported explosions or fires, the U.S. said it had destroyed six small Iranian military boats, and an oil port in the United Arab Emirates, which hosts a large U.S. military base, was set ablaze by Iranian missiles.” (05/04/26)
“Traditionally, a public-health problem was something that damaged or threatened the health of a large number of people without their consent and could only be addressed through collective action. Industrial pollution, cholera in the water supply, infectious disease, that kind of thing. If you walk around infected with SARS, it affects me in a way that you walking around with obesity doesn’t. That is what makes it a public-health issue rather than a mere lifestyle choice. … Over time, ‘public health’ has been redefined to include activities like smoking and it is now virtually a catch-all term. … As we saw during the pandemic, politicians can get away with nearly anything so long as it involves ‘public health.’” (05/04/26)
“Alberta separatists said Monday they have formally submitted almost 302,000 signatures to try to trigger a referendum on the province leaving Canada. The group needed 178,000 signatures to force the province to consider such a vote. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said if the petition is verified, there will be a referendum. Smith has said she personally does not support the oil-rich province leaving Canada. … the petition could face another hurdle this week as an Edmonton, Alberta judge is expected to rule on a court challenge launched by a group of Alberta First Nations who say Alberta separation would violate treaty rights.” (05/04/26)
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“The Watson family has been dairy farming since before the Civil War. But no longer. [Brad] Watson recently had to auction off all of his dairy cows, each of which had a name that Watson’s children had given them. The reason that Watson lost all of his daily cows? Two reasons: Trump’s tariffs and Trump’s war on Iran, which have caused fertilizer costs to soar. Barely making it as it was, the tariffs and the soaring fertilizer costs sent the Watson dairy operation over the cliff. … the Watson story is just one of many across the United States. There are countless other people who are suffering the consequences of Trump’s tariff sprees and his illegal war of aggression on Iran. Only a few of these horror stories will end up in the mainstream press.” (05/04/25)
