“Trump administration officials are discovering that a daunting number of longstanding U.S. allies and security clients are adopting hedging policies or even openly opposing Washington’s decision to wage war against Iran. That sobering reality has become even clearer over the past week than it was during the earlier stages of the armed conflict. On April 12, the president called upon NATO members to join U.S. naval forces in blockading Iranian ports. The proposed move was in response to Tehran’s continuing efforts to selectively close the vital Strait of Hormuz to foreign shipping. However, most of Washington’s alliance partners refused to join the retaliatory blockade.” (04/17/26)
“The U.S. Treasury Department has been publishing its consolidated financial statements annually since 1997. In every single one, the U.S. government’s projected liabilities over the next 75 years from when the reports were published have outweighed the projected value of its assets. What has been true throughout these years, and also in 2026, is that the U.S. government doesn’t really face the risk of insolvency. To be insolvent, the U.S. government would have to have no way of paying its bills. If a business had a similar balance sheet, it would be headed to bankruptcy court. Unlike a business, the U.S. government has options. It can raise taxes. It can inflate the nation’s currency. It can use tools of financial repression to artificially lower its borrowing costs, making it seem more affordable. These are all things the U.S. government is already doing and has been for years” (04/17/26)
“Elon Musk claims AI-driven growth could fund UBI transfers without inflation. But relative prices — not just totals — still drive economic allocation.” (04/17/26)
“Counseling, by its very nature, is value-laden, and the process and results are greatly influenced by both the therapist’s and the client’s worldview. One critical question that must be asked is what to do when there appears to be a conflict of values related to the therapeutic process. How should a treatment provider respond if a client seeks therapy because his or her behavior is incongruent with their deeply held spiritual or religious values, and those values appear to take precedent above all others? Which set of values is more valid? Should the client have the autonomy to make that decision? The ethical answer to the last question is an unequivocal ‘Yes!'” (04/19/26)
“The Justice Department is turning to former Trump attorney Joeseph diGenova to spearhead a probe into ex-CIA Director John Brennan and others over the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation, as the department reshuffles leadership of the sprawling inquiry. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has tapped diGenova to serve as counsel overseeing the matter, according to a New York Times report, putting a former Trump attorney in a key role in the high-profile probe. A federal grand jury seated in Miami has been impaneled since late last year. … DiGenova, a former U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., who represented Trump during Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, has repeatedly accused Brennan of misconduct tied to the origins of the Russia probe — allegations that have not resulted in criminal charges.” (04/19/26)
“What could be more presidential than Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats? Millions of people, threatened by economic collapse and endangered by world war, huddled around their radios to hear the avuncular FDR speak plain, reassuring words that Americans could rise together and conquer the nation’s challenges. That’s the way FDR’s leadership is remembered, anyway. Forgotten is the way Roosevelt used his radio addresses to spin conspiracy theories.” (04/17/26)
“Lindsey Granger gives her lens on the increasing number of Republicans breaking ranks with President Trump, and how Democrats could respond.” (04/17/26)
