“One of the perennial questions of political philosophy is the relationship between man and nature. Is nature fundamentally hostile to life, or does it — instead — make all we cherish worthwhile? For all their disagreements, thinkers as different as Aristotle, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau all saw man’s relationship with nature as a fundamental, perhaps the fundamental, problem of politics. But despite the ever-present character of this problem, contemporary American society has increasingly become uncomfortable with questions about it. The modern blockbuster — defined as it often is by stories of superheroes, fairy tales, and sci-fi universes — so often speaks to us not about the frequently uneasy relationship between man and nature but about the human capacity to transcend the limitations of our natures, to become whatever it is we want to be.” (06/27/25)
“There is nothing inherently wrong with using the doctrine of standing (that is, whether a case can legitimately be brought before the courts) and balance-of-power analytics to limit what courts can and should do. But when those doctrines are used so frequently to avoid providing remedies to blatant governmental misconduct, and when those decisions have the effect of unleashing the worst fever dreams of Donald Trump — who has already been favored by the Court with absolute immunity from prosecution for crimes committed in office — the independence of the Court necessarily comes into question. In less polite terms, the stink of political activism is all over this Court.” (06/27/25)
“President Trump says he’s ‘terminating all discussions on trade with Canada, effective immediately,’ after Canada announced a digital services tax on large foreign and domestic technology companies. Posting on Truth Social on Friday afternoon, the president said the U.S. will let Canada know what their tariff rate will be in the next week. The trade talks blowup comes only a week after the president met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the Group of Seven economic summit in Alberta. … Canada is one of the United States’ biggest trading partners. The U.S. has imposed tariffs on most imports from Canada, and Canada has hit back with tariffs on U.S. exports to Canada.” (06/27/25)
“Today’s Supreme Court ruling barring nationwide injunctions could empower the federal government to engage in large-scale violations of the Constitution. Exactly how bad the consequences will be depends on the extent to which other remedies can be used to forestall them.” (06/27/25)
“To say the least, Trump has a thing about Iran. That is likely explained in part by the 1979 Islamic revolution, which overthrew the American- and Israeli-backed dictator-monarch, and the taking of hostages in the American embassy. However, history did not begin in 1979. The U.S. government had helped abuse the Iranians long before that. A more suitable date on which to begin the story is August 15, 1953. That is when the CIA and British operatives ousted the democratically elected prime minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh, and restored the autocratic Shah of Iran to power. Mosaddegh, among other things, had nationalized the oil industry to the detriment of British oil interests.” (06/27/25)
“Riot police fired tear gas at thousands of anti-government protesters in Serbia’s capital on Saturday. The major rally in Belgrade against Serbia’s populist president, Aleksandar Vucic, was called to back a demand for an early parliamentary election. The protest by tens of thousands was held after nearly eight months of persistent demonstrations led by Serbia’s university students that have rattled Vucic’s firm grip on power in the Balkan country. The huge crowd chanted ‘We want elections!’ as they filled the capital’s central Slavija Square and several blocks around it, with many unable to reach the venue. … Vucic’s authorities have launched a crackdown on Serbia’s striking universities and other opponents, while increasing pressure on independent media as they tried to curb the demonstrations.” (06/28/25)
“Join Amanda and Kyle with special guest Jim Wiley from LP Colorado as we discuss what happened, how we got here, and what’s happening going forward.” (06/27/25)
