“A White House teleprompter operator who has worked behind the scenes of Donald Trump’s biggest speeches since 2016 is now the subject of a federal investigation into whether he used advance knowledge of the president’s remarks to win more than $100,000 on a prediction market, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to ABC News. Gabriel Perez, a technical assistant who operates Trump’s teleprompter, is reportedly in settlement talks with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission over allegations he placed winning bets on Kalshi’s ‘Mentions’ markets, ABC News reported. Those markets let users bet on whether a speaker will say specific words or phrases during a public address.” (07/16/26)
Source: The American Conservative
by Anthony J Constantini
“Some have also argued that America’s presence in Europe allows for power projection into the Middle East. Leaving aside the question of whether facilitating our involvement in that region’s interminable conflicts is itself desirable, the recent kerfuffle with Italy over the use of our bases for Operation Epic Fury suggests that even this is not guaranteed. By appearing to condition U.S. commitments on European defense spending, Trump is ultimately giving our allies a measure of control over our foreign policy. They themselves recognize this: during the summit, one NATO diplomat said NATO leaders increasingly viewed Trump as ‘the boy who cried wolf.’ Indeed, the playbook for future NATO summits—if the alliance keeps up the practice—has already been written.” (07/16/26)
“Samuel Adams and James Otis Jr. -.along with the rest of the founders and old revolutionaries – knew that freedom cannot exist with a government that doesn’t have strict rules. A clear line in the sand that it’s not allowed to cross. In other words – when government determines the extent of its own power. The lessons they learned in the American Revolution gave birth to the written constitution. But what they told us are the reasons for it – are completely ignored by the government-run ‘education’ system.” (07/16/26)
“A new nation needs many things. A way of ordering its political life. A way of protecting itself. A way of sustaining its population. But a nation also needs something far less practical. It needs a story to tell itself about itself. These kinds of origin stories have often been told in the form of poetry. … One of the most prolific—but now most forgotten—poetic mythmakers was the editor of Philadelphia’s National Gazette, friend of James Madison, critic of the Federalists, sea captain, and abolitionist Philip Freneau (1752–1832). One could pull nearly any poem from his list of works and find something interesting to say about American identity and the revolutionary era.” (07/15/26)
“The Trump administration said Wednesday it will impose an additional 25% tariff on [American buyers of] many Brazilian goods, escalating a trade fight it says is rooted in Brazil’s treatment of U.S. companies. The new policy includes exemptions for key consumer staples like coffee and beef, suggesting the White House is trying to minimize the inflationary impact on American shoppers even as it steps up pressure on Brazil over disputes involving U.S. tech firms, ethanol and more. A senior administration official says the tariffs are in response to Brazil’s unfair barriers against U.S. technology and payment companies.” (07/16/26)
“The Department of Justice recently charged 455 defendants with $6.5 billion in healthcare fraud, one of a spate of recent revelations of fraud, waste, and abuse (FWA) tied to government programs. The insight of Nobel Laureate economist Gary Becker, the experience of America’s Framers, and the wisdom of an ancient guru from India reveal that the route forward entails a combination of tighter auditing and greater punishment. People, even the most virtuous ones, drawn to public service, respond to incentives. Good governance recognizes that universal truth and deliberately constructs incentive systems designed to catch and punish wrongdoers. The mere establishment of well-designed incentive systems stops most FWA in its tracks by creating an expectation that crime will not pay.” (07/15/26)
“An Argentine court struck down a decree by President Javier Milei that transferred the authority to grant citizenship by naturalization from the federal judiciary to the executive branch, reversing a change to a system that had existed for more than 150 years. This week’s ruling marks another setback for the Milei’s strategy of implementing institutional reforms through emergency decrees rather than legislation approved by Congress. The decision was issued by Argentina’s National Electoral Chamber, which declared Emergency Decree 366/2025 null and void. Milei signed the decree in October as part of a broader immigration reform package. The measure tightened immigration controls and shifted responsibility for granting Argentine citizenship by naturalization to the National Directorate of Migration.” (07/16/26)
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by the Monitor’s Editorial Board
“Individual and institutional confidence in the credibility of official data from the United States, the world’s largest economy, is the grease that helps keep the engines of global productivity and commerce humming. And, as with most engines, a timely tuneup helps ensure smooth and predictable functioning, avoiding hiccups or holdups.” (07/15/26)
