Make It Make Sense, 05/13/26
Source: Washington Post
“Has the U.S. lost the Iran war?” (05/13/26)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/make-it-make-sense/has-the-us-lost-the-iran-war/
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
Why Walgreens Gives Up
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Walgreens closes another store in another crime-ridden Chicago neighborhood, so of course folks get mad at Walgreens. The defeated Chatham store, closing its doors on June 4, suffered a million dollars in losses last year, citing theft rates ‘far above company average’ — according to one astute observer on X. … Local leaders ‘and residents’ are rallying ‘to demand’ that the chain either keep this particular store open or give money to healthcare organizations in the area. Hey, I’d like Walgreens to give me money to help me with stuff too. I wouldn’t think of demanding it though. Or demanding that Walgreens stores operate at a loss.” (05/13/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/05/13/walgreens-gives-up/
NE: Powell wins Democratic primary for top US House battleground district
Source: NBC News
“Political organizer Denise Powell has won the Democratic nomination in Nebraska’s 2nd District, NBC News projects, emerging from a tough primary fight in one of her party’s top opportunities to flip a swing seat this year. Powell narrowly defeated state Sen. John Cavanaugh in a race that featured five other Democratic candidates on the ballot. Powell had 39% to Cavanaugh’s 37% in the primary with about 90% of the expected vote tallied. She will advance to a general election matchup against Omaha City Council member Brinker Harding, who ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. … Nebraska’s 2nd District has been a top target for Democrats for several election cycles, but GOP Rep. Don Bacon’s decision to retire at the end of his term has renewed enthusiasm among Democrats hoping to win his seat.” (05/13/26)
Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael, 05/13/26
Source: Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael
“Trump/Rubio’s Tough-on-Cuba Policy Has Yet to Bear Fruits & May Be a Disaster w/ Lee Schlenker.” (05/13/26)
The Kyle Anzalone Show, 05/13/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“We sit down with Nick Cleveland-Stout of the Quincy Institute (and a writer at Drop Site News) to track a sweeping Israeli influence campaign in the United States that goes far beyond the usual Capitol Hill lobbying.” (05/13/26)
The Thing About Griping About Bluesky
Source: Aaron Ross Powell’s Blog
by Aaron Ross Powell
“Let a thousand mutually suspicious communities bloom.” (05/13/26)
Political Islam Is Rank Populism That Perverts a Fundamentally Liberal Faith
Source: The UnPopulist
by Mohammed Nosseir
“The Western right’s smearing of the entire religion and the left’s romanticization of it are both misguided.” (05/13/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/political-islam-is-rank-populism
Ship reported seized off UAE coast, heading toward Iran
Source: Associated Press
“A ship anchored off the east coast of the United Arab Emirates has been seized and is heading toward Iranian territorial waters, the British military said Thursday. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said it received reports that the vessel was taken by unauthorized personnel while anchored 38 nautical miles (70 kilometers, 44 miles) northeast of the UAE port of Fujairah, near the Strait of Hormuz. … UKMTO did not name the ship and said it is investigating. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the seizure.” (05/14/26)
The Decline and Fall of Human Agency
Source: Law & Liberty
by Jeffrey Bilbro
“Whenever a new technology comes down the pike, some people identify themselves as agents who can benefit from it, and others see themselves as victims who will be harmed by it. Agents get excited about how AI will enable them to get work done more easily and quickly. They can generate code, whip out targeted ad campaigns, analyze data, cheat on quizzes, respond to customer inquiries, or eliminate military targets. Victims fear that AI will empower the systems that already constrain or oppress them. They will suffer from software bugs or security vulnerabilities, be inundated with AI slop, get surveilled by governments and corporations, have their relationships infected by mistrust, get lost in labyrinthine bureaucracies, or be eliminated (perhaps erroneously) by an autonomous drone. This distinction helps make sense of the wildly varying responses to AI technologies: Agents generate utopian hype narratives while victims succumb to doomer fears.” (05/13/26)
https://lawliberty.org/forum/the-decline-and-fall-of-human-agency/
The Political Orphanage, 05/13/26
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Fighting Crime Like an Economist.” (05/13/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/fighting-crime-like-an-economist