“From a new helipad to a UFC fight on White House grounds, President Trump’s personal projects have been front-and-center in American politics this summer. Defense contractors that do business with the administration have often supported them. But the weapons industry has long leveraged flashy gifts and sponsorships to engender influence among politicians, key institutions, and the public. Here are 5 notable cases when it comes to the Trump White House …” (07/09/26)
“What would it take to honestly tell our children that we rose to the occasion, to make the AI transition go down alongside the American Revolution and D-Day as one of our country’s finest hours? If your brain sputters and throws an error message at the question, isn’t that a problem? It’s a total coincidence that Plan A comes out the week after America’s 250th birthday. It was supposed to come out earlier, but got delayed. Then it was supposed to come out later, but got pushed forward.” (07/09/26)
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by William L Anderson
“The Platner campaign is a microcosm of a much larger political crisis in this country, as both Democrats and Republicans are heading for disaster and taking everyone else with them, which is why Platner’s rise and spectacular fall are relevant. Democrats are in the midst of a hostile takeover attempt by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), while the Republicans are being emasculated by Donald Trump and his MAGA true believers. Both parties are on paths that will not end well for them or Americans in general, and while we can feel a small amount of relief that a violence-spewing socialist like Platner won’t be in the US Senate, his saga changes nothing.” (07/09/26)
“The Trump administration is preparing a list of Spanish goods to potentially embargo, after President Donald Trump ordered officials to cut off trade with the European nation Thursday morning. The Treasury Department will be working with the U.S. trade representative and Commerce Department to provide Trump ‘a menu of Spanish products that may be embargoed in the coming days,’ a U.S.official said via email. Such a move would potentially blow up the trade deal the U.S. struck with the European Union last year. Spain is a member of the 27-country bloc. The European Parliament recently passed legislation implementing the terms of the deal that includes a clause allowing the bloc to pull out if any breach of what is known as the Turnberry Agreement.” (07/08/26)
Source: Niskanen Center
by Caitlin Rowley Gallamore & Anna Spahn
“Congressional momentum on drug patent reform, tabled at the end of the 118th Congress, is building again. Bipartisan support is coalescing behind House legislation targeting ‘patent thickets,’ which brand-name drugmakers use to keep competing, lower-cost products from entering the market. The measure, along with a related Senate bill, reflects long-overdue progress on patent reform.” (07/09/26)
