“The ‘reformed’ Section 702 on which Congress was considering was worse than the already blatantly unconstitutional current version of Section 702, which allows spying without the required Fourth Amendment warrant from an independent judge (no exemption to this requirement for ‘national security’ appears in that constitutional amendment). According to the Brennan Center, the ‘reformed’ Section 702 not only has no warrant requirement nor restrictions on government back door searches of vast portions of its database, but also makes it easier to use such unconstitutional Section 702-gathered information in court. Fortunately, it appears the lawmakers won’t be forced to choose between two bad options. The House recently rejected a last-minute effort to extend Section 702 until July 2.” (06/19/26)
“Within the last ten years, the classical education movement has grown into a serious and formidable alternative to the progressive status quo. As it has grown, teachers at classical schools have grown accustomed to reading required texts such as C. S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man, sections of John Henry Newman’s The Idea of a University, and David Hick’s Norms and Nobility. These works and others help build a defense of classical education and its aims and methods. They create a vision for what the classical school can be and what classical school teachers ought to do for their students. They provide a road map for navigating conversations with students, parents, college advisors, and accrediting institutions for what takes place at a classical school.” (06/19/26)
“The wife of Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been barred from travelling abroad as she prepares to face trial on corruption charges. Investigating judge Juan Carlos Peinado issued the ruling on Saturday, ordering Sanchez’s wife, Begona Gomez, to hand in her passport and appear in front of court twice per month until a verdict is issued. She is charged with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds. Gomez has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the case, which stems from a complaint filed by an anticorruption group with far-right ties. It focuses on the creation and management of a chair at Madrid’s Complutense University that was co-directed by Gomez, as well as the alleged use of public resources and personal connections to advance private interests.” (06/20/26)
“The strategy is already leading groups to adapt to new illicit industries, divert trafficking routes, and expand operations to new subregions.” (06/19/26)
“Kevin Warsh’s debut Fed meeting brought no rate change but plenty of institutional change. The new chairman appears eager to rethink how the Fed operates.” (06/19/26)
“Self-possession as an existential (if not a moral) matter is self-evident. Only an individual can directly will his actions. No one has access to another’s will, the capacity to act. When we say that an aggressor forces a victim to do something, we don’t mean that the aggressor exercises the victim’s will. We mean the aggressor threatens harm or death if the victim doesn’t act as required. We might still ask why we must speak at all in terms of anyone owning anyone. The answer is at least implicit in Herbert’s essay. To live is to act (purposefully), to pursue objectives aimed at self-preservation, to value, that is, to prefer life to death. Life depends on such things.” (06/19/26)
“Police in Blue Springs say a homeowner shot and killed an intruder early Friday morning near Lake Lotawana. … According to a social media post, officers received a 911 call from the homeowner reporting a burglary in progress and that a person had ‘unlawfully entered the residence.’ Before officers arrived at the scene, police say the homeowner shot and killed the person.” (06/20/26)
