TAC Right Now, 06/30/26
Source: The American Conservative
“AI Might Be Humanity’s Biggest Test Yet, w/ Robert Wright.” (06/30/26)
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
The Federal Government Cannot Solve the Housing Crisis
Source: Independent Institute
by Christopher J Calton
“With the median sale price of a single-family home exceeding $400,000 since the pandemic, federal politicians have been champing at the bit to show voters they are working to lower housing costs. The recently passed bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is Congress’s attempt to expand the housing supply. It awaits the president’s signature. The problem is that there is little the federal government can do to solve a crisis that is primarily the byproduct of local regulations. The local nature of the housing shortage is apparent when comparing housing costs in San Francisco, where the median single-family home price has reached a staggering $2 million, and Houston, where the median home sells for only $371,000.” (06/30/26)
The Faulty Logic of the Anti-School Choice Position
Source: Show-Me Institute
by Cory Koedel
“The anti-school choice position is usually framed as a defense of public education. But at its core, what it really does is defend a particular way of assigning students to schools: where you live determines where your children go to school. The strongest opponents of school choice oppose vouchers, charter schools, and interdistrict open enrollment. In effect, they argue it is best if families have only one option: the public school assigned to them by their residential address. The problem with this argument is that it ignores a simple fact: many families already exercise school choice by choosing where to live.” (06/30/26)
https://showmeinstitute.org/article/education/the-faulty-logic-of-the-anti-school-choice-position/
How housing regulation holds back innovation and what HUD gets right about fixing it
Source: Niskanen Center
by Kimberly Burnett
“HUD recently issued a set of best practices for state and local governments to improve affordability by reducing the overall costs of construction, increasing land available for construction, and reducing the development timeline. By identifying specific regulatory and administrative barriers, HUD has taken a step toward a federal framework for encouraging housing production.” (06/30/26)
France’s National Rally targeted as part of Europe-wide raids over alleged far-right embezzlement
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“France’s National Rally was on Tuesday targeted as part of Europe-wide raids following suspicions of the misappropriation of European funds by the now-defunct Identity and Democracy (ID) group of MEPs, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) said, onfirming a report in French daily Le Monde. Searches are currently under way ‘in France and other European countries’ following suspicions of the misappropriation of European funds by the now-defunct Identity and Democracy (ID) group of MEPs, of which France’s far-right National Rally (RN) was a member, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) said on Tuesday, confirming a report in French daily Le Monde.” (06/30/26)
The Bulwark Podcast, 06/30/26
Source: The Bulwark
“David French: The Birthright Citizenship Ruling Should’ve Been 9-0.” (06/30/26)
Audio Mises Wire, 06/30/26
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
“Why Bernie Sanders’s AI Bill Is Fascistic and Dangerous.” (06/30/26)
https://mises.org/podcasts/audio-mises-wire/why-bernie-sanderss-ai-bill-fascistic-and-dangerous
The GOP Can’t Win on Ideas — So They’re Suing Our Candidates Off the Ballot
Source: Libertarian National Committee
by Evan McMahon
“If you’re a Libertarian candidate in America right now, the Republican Party doesn’t want to debate you. They want to sue you. When Republicans know they can’t win on ideas, they resort to their favorite tactic: suppressing voter choice. Right now, GOP operatives are dragging our candidates into courtrooms in Florida, New Jersey, and Iowa. Not because our candidates did anything wrong, but because Republicans would rather clear the ballot than compete on it. In Iowa, they went even further. Before filing their legal challenges, GOP operatives and even HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. personally contacted our candidates for Congress and offered them enticements to drop out. When they refused, they challenged their paperwork. This is a coordinated national attack. And we will not stand for it.” (06/30/26)
https://lp.org/the-gop-cant-win-on-ideas-so-theyre-suing-our-candidates-off-the-ballot/
How to Save The (Third) World
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“I recently spent a week in Chile as a guest of the Centro de Estudios Libertarios, interacting mostly with Chilean libertarians. Chile is the most free market country in Latin America and the richest but lately has been becoming a little less of both, so one topic of conversation was how to reverse that, more generally how to make Chile more libertarian (most Chileans would say more liberal). I then spent another week in Argentina, which is becoming more libertarian, again associating mostly with libertarians, so the same topic came up there in the context of how to keep it doing so. I have thought a good deal about the question in the American context. At a broad level the answer is the same.” (06/30/26)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/how-to-save-the-third-world
Make It Make Sense, 06/30/26
Source: Washington Post
“Is this the Democratic tea party? | Liam Donovan.” (06/30/26)