Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“The increasing arc of instability running across Africa today resembles less a series of isolated crises than a single, widening belt of state collapse, insurgency, proxy war, and foreign intervention stretching from the Atlantic coast to the Red Sea. From Mali and Niger to Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia, and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the same themes recur with grim consistency: weak post-colonial states, ethnic and religious fragmentation, weapons flows across porous borders, foreign meddling, and Washington repeatedly insisting it can manage extraordinarily complex societies with bombs, military trainers, intelligence partnerships, and favored clients. It cannot.” (05/28/26)
‘The strength and reliability of a government’s word is a critical factor in its ability to make the deals and exert the leverage which allow it to pursue an agenda at home and abroad. By altering expectations of the future, both the government and opposition can affect how much credibility the government has. This opens several options for undermining the current regime, but also carries danger for the next Democratic president. In the here and now, I see no reason to avoid using our advantage.” (05/28/26)
“Inflation continued to hit consumer wallets in April, likely keeping the Federal Reserve on the sidelines until the current wave subsides, fresh pricing data released Thursday showed. The personal consumption expenditures price index increased a seasonally adjusted 0.4% for the month, putting the 12-month inflation rate at 3.8%, the Commerce Department reported. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for respective readings of 0.5% and 3.8%. Excluding food and energy, core prices rose 0.2% for the month and 3.3% for the year, against estimates of 0.3% and 3.3%.” (05/28/26)
“There are many ways in which we can make it easier for families to care for members needing social care by giving support at home instead of in care homes. Practical support measures might include direct payments and personal budgets. We could give families control over a care budget that lets them hire flexible, personalized support, such as a known carer for specific hours, rather than fitting into rigid council-commissioned services. Technology can help with smart home adaptations such as telecare alarms, medication dispensers, fall sensors, and voice-activated devices to extend independence and safety at home, reducing the need for round-the-clock supervision.” (05/28/26)
Source: Independent Institute
by K Lloyd Billingsley
“Candidates for Congress, governor, and various state offices promise to make California affordable again, build new housing, fight the ‘special interests,’ and so forth. Missing in the rhetoric are the powerful agencies that operate beyond the reach of the voters. Consider, for example, the California Air Resources Board.” (05/28/26)
“There’s a common trope among people who have collateralized debt that, until the debt is cleared, they never truly own their property. For example, the bank holds the mortgage, and if mortgage payments aren’t made, the bank can seize the house. The trope says that the ‘pay to stay’ nature of the loan means the bank truly owns the house, not the person who purchased it using their mortgage. Despite how common this trope is, it is incorrect. It fundamentally misunderstands the legal nature of ownership.” (05/28/26)
“Last week, OpenAI announced that an internal AI model had disproved the Erdős unit distance conjecture, a famous problem in discrete geometry that had stumped human mathematicians for the last 80 years. … It’s arguably the first time that an AI system has found a proof resolving a major open conjecture. That’s impressive, but I don’t view it as a radical break from the previous trajectory of AI progress in mathematics.” (05/28/26)
“Russia has claimed it has found evidence of a US-backed bioweapons programme operating in Ukraine. The country’s Investigative Committee has alleged that Ukraine’s Health Ministry was involved in projects funded by the US Department of Defence. The committee’s official spokesperson, Svetlana Petrenko, said the findings were based on documents and materials allegedly recovered during Russian military operations, according to Sputnik India. … In 2022, the Joe Biden administration rejected claims made by Russia and China that the US owned or operated secret chemical or biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine.” (05/28/26)
