“Reported cases of the parasitic disease cyclosporiasis are on the rise in California, with a total of 215 cases in 2026 so far — more than double the yearly average of 106. The increase in cases comes amid a massive nationwide outbreak of cyclosporiasis, which causes watery and explosive diarrhea along with nausea and weight loss. Currently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported 6,358 confirmed cases of the parasitic disease across 15 states, believed to be linked to iceberg lettuce sold by Taylor Farms. In addition to those cases, multiple smaller cyclospora outbreaks without a known source have been reported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In total, there are 10,468 laboratory-verified cyclospora cases in the U.S., along with another 12,255 cases under investigation.” (08/07/26)
“Senator Rand Paul ‘has it in’ for Fauci — said Dr. Anthony Fauci at last week’s Senate hearing.
The former director of the NIAID and former Chief Medical Advisor to President Biden made it sound like the Kentucky senator was trying to put him in prison. But what Dr. Paul asked of Dr. Fauci was an apology — not jail-time. Why, though? ‘If we don’t want this to happen again, him acknowledging that he was wrong to fund this research will be a word of caution and warning to the next generation of people to come through,’ the senator told Mark Halperin.” (08/07/26)
“Russia has designated the New York-based Human Rights Foundation, chaired by Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of late Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, as an ‘undesirable organisation’. The ‘undesirable’ tag is used by Russian authorities to ban the activities of organisations it deems to pose a threat to the state, and means that any Russians who cooperate with them or share their content can face prosecution. In its announcement, the Russian prosecutor’s office noted that HRF had designated Russia as a ‘fully authoritarian regime’ in its ‘Tyranny Tracker’ project. It said HRF was engaged in discrediting the Russian armed forces — which was made a criminal offence after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — as well as promoting anti-Russian sanctions and supporting other undesirable organisations.” (08/07/26)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Kerry McDonald
“It is fully within a state legislature’s purview to enact new curriculum policies for public schools in response to constituents’ concerns. It is, however, not within the purview of the federal government. The federal government has no constitutional role in education. Education is not listed among the enumerated powers granted to the federal government by the US Constitution. Any authority around education policy belongs with the states. That is why current efforts to close the US Department of Education, which opened in 1980, or to diminish its role are commendable.” (08/07/26)
“U.S. President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Thursday that the White House said expands the definition of people who are ineligible for birthright citizenship and bans ‘birth tourism.’ Limiting birthright citizenship has been one of the top priorities in the Republican president’s crackdown on immigration. An earlier effort by Trump was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in June, prompting him to call upon Congress to act.” (08/06/26)
“When a thinker publicly changes his mind on major questions, neutral observers normally interpret it as a sign of courage and maturity. Almost no one enjoys admitting they were wrong — and ‘I changed my mind’ is tantamount to ‘I was wrong.’ On reflection, however, this favorable interpretation is premature. Yes, changing your mind because you discover surprising new evidence or arguments is courageous and mature. But what if you change your mind for purely emotional reasons, like ‘The idea that murderers shouldn’t be punished started to disgust me’? Or because you have a falling out with friends who share your views? ‘My girlfriend dumped me, so I left the church.’ Neither of these intellectual paths even hints at courage or maturity. The situation only slightly shifts if you change your mind because you ‘discover’ blatantly obvious evidence or arguments.” (08/06/26)
“Iranian state media on Thursday reported that Tehran could attempt to block U.S. and Israeli shipments from transiting the Strait of Hormuz under its joint venture with Oman to reopen the critical waterway to commercial traffic. Members of Iran’s parliament are reviewing a proposed bill to block “hostile” vessels from moving through the choke point responsible for carrying a fifth of the world’s oil transports per day under normal conditions. Ships caught violating the policy could face a 20 percent fine if caught by Iranian authorities, per state media. Each ship approved to transit the strait will face fees for insurance, refueling and or environmental costs, according to Iranian state media. … The Trump administration has maintained that there will be no tolls on the strait.” (08/06/26)
“The ‘farm bill’ concept is 93 years old, and it’s as bad an idea now, when only 1% of Americans work in agriculture, as it was in 1933’s first round of New Deal legislation, back when that number was 25%. We keep getting better at producing more food with less labor, but apparently buried deep within the US Constitution there’s an amendment obligating American taxpayers and consumers to ensure that anyone whose great-grandfather wore overalls and drove a tractor gets to make a living and have a career doing the same thing. I can’t find it, but it must be in there somewhere, right? Otherwise, why does Congress spend more than $70 billion a year to make it so?” (08/06/26)
