Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Connor O’Keeffe

“[B]oth progressives and conservatives show a complete unwillingness or inability to distinguish between those who got rich by genuinely creating value that left society as a whole better off and those who are getting rich by expropriating wealth through force. Establishment conservatives will often agree that some businessmen and companies engage in rent-seeking or work with government regulators to protect themselves from competition. But they’ll usually write that behavior off as an isolated issue that in no way defines the economic status quo in the US. But it’s a major factor. The government has been intervening heavily in the economy on behalf of well-connected companies for at least the last century.” (05/13/26)

https://mises.org/mises-wire/progressives-and-conservatives-are-wrong-about-taxing-rich

Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum

“After the Supreme Court clarified the constitutional test for gun control laws in 2022, many longstanding restrictions on the right to arms looked newly vulnerable. Second Amendment groups jumped at the opportunity, filing one lawsuit after another in cases that frequently pitted them against the Biden administration. Those groups now have a powerful ally in the Trump administration, which has filed several lawsuits aimed at vindicating Americans’ gun rights, including two filed last week in Colorado. But even as the Justice Department advertises its commitment to defending the Second Amendment, its position in other gun cases belies that stance.” (05/13/26)

https://reason.com/2026/05/13/the-trump-administration-is-a-powerful-but-unreliable-ally-of-second-amendment-advocates/

Source: Niskanen Center
by Leah Sargeant

“With the introduction of the Supporting Newborn Parents Act, Reps. David Valadao (R-CA), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Blake Moore (R-UT), and Debbie Dingell (D-MI) have put forward a powerful piece of pro-family legislation. The proposed newborn credit would give nearly all families celebrating the birth of a child another reason to celebrate: a refundable tax credit of $2,000 shortly after their baby is born. This timely payment would help parents navigate the financial shocks that tend to come in baby’s first year.” (05/13/26)

https://www.niskanencenter.org/baby-steps-a-newborn-credit-relieves-pressure-on-families

Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger

“For decades, conservatives have condemned the socialist-communist regime in Venezuela. They have called it evil, immoral, deadly, and destructive. In fact, conservatives even came to describe the Venezuelan regime as a ‘narco-terrorist’ regime. Why, they have even supported unsuccessful regime-change efforts within the country. … What’s the situation today? It’s hard to believe. The U.S. government, led by President Trump, the Pentagon, and the CIA, is actively partnering with the very socialist-communist, narco-terrorist regime that conservatives have long criticized and condemned.” (05/13/26)

https://www.fff.org/2026/05/13/the-malignant-hypocrisy-of-conservatives-is-on-full-display-in-venezuela/

Source: Law & Liberty
by Julia R Cartwright

“The United States has reached a milestone, and unfortunately, it’s not one to celebrate. For the first time outside a genuine crisis, America’s national debt now exceeds the size of its entire economy. There is nothing magical about the 100% line; it’s more of a psychological threshold than a hard cliff. Indeed, debt hawks have sounded alarms for years, and the economy has not yet collapsed. But the absence of collapse is not the same as the absence of consequences. Like other developed nations that have drifted into high debt territory, cracks in the American economy are beginning to show, structurally and with compounding force.” (05/13/26)

https://lawliberty.org/americas-new-debt-milestone/