“The seizure of Max Blumenthal’s phones shows how the war on Iran and the border-security state can turn foreign conflict into domestic repression. Max Blumenthal returned from a reporting trip to Iran and left Washington Dulles International Airport without the two phones that contained much of his working life. According to a federal filing submitted on his behalf, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers questioned him about his journalism, funding, and travel plans and seized the devices after he declined to provide their passcodes. The Committee to Protect Journalists called the episode alarming. What happened at Dulles exposed how war abroad, exceptional border powers, and hostility toward dissenting media can converge in a single act of state pressure.” (07/23/26)
“Former special counsel Jack Smith was hit with a criminal referral Wednesday for allegedly misleading House lawmakers about the Biden-era investigation into President Trump. In his complaint to the Justice Department, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) contended that newly released records appear to contradict Smith’s testimony to the panel that he did not obtain or review text messages from lawmakers as his team looked into Trump’s alleged efforts to interfere in the 2020 election. ‘The Committee on the Judiciary writes to refer strong evidence that appears to show Jack Smith, former Special Counsel, knowingly made false statements during his December 17, 2025, deposition,’ Jordan wrote in a letter to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, obtained by The Post.” (07/23/26)
“Drive through almost any established suburb in the United States, and you’ll see the pattern: single-family homes large enough for growing families occupied by just one or two retirees whose children left the nest a decade ago. Meanwhile, young families double up in cramped apartments, first-time buyers are priced out of the communities where they grew up, and school enrollment data tells the story of whole neighborhoods closed off to the people who would benefit from access to what they offer. It’s a problem made worse by our tax code, but it’s one that the tax code can help correct.” (07/23/26)
“A Chinese coast guard vessel fired a water cannon at a Philippine government fisheries vessel in Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, scoring an indirect hit, a Philippine Coast Guard official said on Thursday. … The incident happened as Southeast Asian foreign ministers gathered in Manila for ASEAN meetings that were also attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Earlier on Thursday, China said it tracked and drove away two Philippine vessels it accused of having ‘intruded into’ waters near the disputed Scarborough Shoal despite warnings. It was the second incident this week involving both nations in the South China Sea.” (07/23/26)
“Liberty is a big jewel with many facets. All its facets are important, but you can pick favorites. I do. Even then, don’t try to dull the shine of the facets that don’t affect you as much. To someone, those are the important ones. No one can focus on every important liberty issue. Pick a few that matter most to you, or the one most under attack at this moment. If the threat shifts, adapt. Some people try to pass off cut glass or shiny plastic as jewels. Don’t be fooled. If it obligates you to provide something for someone else, or requires someone else’s life, liberty, or property to be violated, you have no right to it.” (07/22/26)
“Chief Judge James Boasberg is frustrated … and he is not alone. Recently, the D.C. federal judge reportedly groused that the D.C. appellate court had ordered him to reconsider a case about whether the D.C. government engaged in biased enforcement against political graffiti. Conversely, the litigants are equally irked over what they see as Boasberg’s bias after he responded by, again, dismissing their claims without a trial. For a second time, Boasberg has barred pro-life groups from access to a jury after members were arrested for writing in chalk, ‘Black Pre-Born Lives Matter’ on a sidewalk while Black Lives Matter writings were left untouched.” (07/22/26)
