Pod Save America, episode 1225
Source: Crooked Media
“One Flu Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” (10/13/26)
https://audioboom.com/posts/8963609-one-flu-over-the-cuckoo-s-nest
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
Going, Going … Gone?
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Mark Nayler
“Between now and November 29, there will be widespread speculation about whether the ‘Houdini’ of Spanish politics, as Sánchez is sometimes called, can extricate himself from another tight spot; and there will be hand-wringing editorials in the center-left press about the potential demise of Europe’s only ‘progressive’ leader and the deterioration of European democracy. All of which misses the point—because Sánchez himself has done a lot to damage Spain’s democracy. The key question posed by the snap election is ‘Why didn’t Sánchez call one sooner?’ Or, to put it the other way around: ‘Why is he still in power?'” (10/13/26)
Trump flies to Alaska in last-ditch attempt to save US Senate seat for GOP
Source: Newport News Daily Press
“It’s a long way from Washington, has a small population and hasn’t backed a Democrat for Senate in nearly 20 years. Yet President Donald Trump on Tuesday will devote a big chunk of his dwindling time ahead of crucial midterm elections to head all the way to Alaska — attempting to bolster a Republican incumbent senator in another sign of GOP fears about retaining control of Congress after Election Day on Nov. 3. Trump is headlining a rally for Sen. Dan Sullivan in Wasilla, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Anchorage — famous for being the hometown of former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and the headquarters of the Iditarod sled dog race across the state. … Seeking his third Senate term, Sullivan faces Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman running to put ‘Alaska First,’ emphasizing cost-of-living issues.” (10/13/26)
The Good Fight, 10/13/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“David Deming on the Future of Universities in the Age of AI.” (10/13/26)
The seven stages of American decline
Source: Asia Times
“For a time, the West comfortably regarded China as the world’s workshop, a place that made cheap goods and left the clever work to others. By the 2020s, that picture was untenable. Chinese companies led in electric vehicles, batteries, green energy, and 5G, and competed hard in artificial intelligence and semiconductors. Policymakers in Washington and Brussels were stunned. Like a bereaved person who functions normally on the surface while feeling nothing underneath, the West was slow to grasp that its monopoly had gone. Shock tends to give way to denial, and the Western response followed the pattern. … Reconstruction occurs when one ceases to wonder why this had to happen and wonders instead what could still be done. The crucial realization is that while one cannot change the situation, one can determine how one reacts to it.” (10/13/26)
https://asiatimes.com/2026/10/the-seven-stages-of-american-decline/
Cornell suspends fraternity parties, gives state police role in investigating campus assault reports
Source: SFGate
“Cornell University is suspending parties and other social events at fraternity houses for the rest of the academic year and will give the New York State Police a role in investigating sex crimes on campus, university officials announced Tuesday, amid mounting outrage over its handling of allegations that a female student was sexually assaulted at a fraternity house in 2024. The measures announced by Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff include a suspension of all parties and social events at Interfraternity Council houses through the end of the 2026-27 academic year and a new ‘zero tolerance’ policy for violations that would result in the immediate emergency suspension of a chapter.” [editor’s note: The majority of Cornell frat houses are privately owned and not on university property — but the school administration has waved a magic wand and declared them to be “campus housing” – TLK] (10/13/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/cornell-suspends-fraternity-parties-rest-academic-22475327.php
Capital Record, episode 328
Source: National Review
“The Crisis of Responsibility on the Right.” (10/13/26)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/the-crisis-of-responsibility-on-the-right/
Natural Law Principles in the Conservative Tradition
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Wanjiru Njoya
“Texas Republicans recently became embroiled in a dispute between two factions that we could call, for purposes of exposition, the ‘Heritage Texans’ and the ‘Creedal Texans.’ Heritage Republicans believe that a nation is constituted by a specific and identifiable people who are historically rooted in a place over time, while Creedal Republicans believe in a concept they call ‘the idea of Texas.’ Their idea of Texas involves hard work, love of football, and the savoir-faire to say, ‘Hook ‘em Horns.’ To the Creedals, anyone from anywhere in the world who embraces this idea is as much a Texan as anyone whose ancestors rode with the Texas cavalry in 1861. Which of these factions represents true conservatism? What is real conservatism, anyway, in a situation where different sides of an allegedly conservative party are unable to agree on such a fundamental issue?” (10/13/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/natural-law-principles-conservative-tradition
Report: Paxton attended 2025 Dubai New Year’s party with US fugitives
Source: Washington Examiner
“Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton attended a 2025 New Year’s party in Dubai with two fugitives who did not return to the United States, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal. The revelation comes as the Trump-backed Republican challenges Texas Democrat James Talarico in the final weeks of the Senate race. Paxton was seen in a short video celebrating the start of New Year’s Day atop a high-rise building with Anosh Ahmed and Sameer Suhail, two U.S. citizens who had been indicted on federal charges related to healthcare fraud in 2024. The two men were accused of embezzling more than $15 million in funds from a Chicago hospital into bank accounts they owned, the Department of Justice said in July 2024. Ahmed, a former healthcare executive, had donated $190,000 to Paxton, according to campaign finance records reported by the Wall Street Journal.” (10/13/260
Show-Me Institute Podcast, 10/13/26
Source: Show-Me Institute
“A Vision for the Future of American Education with James V. Shuls and Jason Bedrick.” (10/13/26)