Source: Los Angeles Times
by Thomas Renard and Colin P Clarke
“Terrorism is evolving, sometimes almost beyond recognition. The pace of radicalization is accelerating. Attacks have become increasingly basic, unsophisticated and cheap. For some, terrorism seems to be like a craving, a source of dopamine to satisfy carnal impulses. Quick preparation, convenience and mass production: Welcome to the age of fast-food terrorism.” (06/17/26)
“Renters may be able to significantly lower their monthly energy bills under a new piece of legislation that could let Californians power homes on their own with an abundant resource: solar. Senate Bill 868, introduced by state Sen. Scott Wiener, would allow consumers to buy solar panels at no extra cost to their utility, and it would also allow large retailers or your local hardware store to sell plug-in solar panels to power your home on your own — and ideally reduce your monthly utility bills. The idea was inspired by a bill passed in Utah last year, and plug-in solar is also popularly used in Europe.” (06/18/26)
“From time to time, we liberals must rethink the world. Deglobalization, the rise of economic decoupling, the return of tariffs, and the increasing salience of weaponized interdependence have come to define the current landscape. Where once the dominant terms were efficiency, integration, and mutual gains, now they are geoeconomics, resilience, chokepoints, and decoupling. The vocabulary shift is an indicator and a diagnostic. Rhetorical change of this order reflects structural change in how economic exchange and political power actually relate. A liberal position adequate to that new reality cannot be built by repeating arguments shaped by an earlier phase of globalization. We must rebuild — analytically and institutionally — for the world that integration, pushed to its limits, has actually produced.” (06/17/26)
“A Florida appeals court ruled Wednesday that the state’s ban on concealed carry by adults ages 18 to 20 violates the Second Amendment, finding that young adults are entitled to the same constitutional protections as law-abiding adults over the age of 20. In a sweeping opinion, the court said 18-year-olds can serve in the military and defend the nation but face restrictions on their ability to exercise the same self-defense rights available to older adults. … The ruling comes after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier declined to defend the law earlier this year.” [editor’s note: Rights don’t come into existence or disappear based on whatever number politicians happen to draw out of a hat. “18” is no more special than “21” – TLK] (06/18/26)
“The U.S. national average gas price has dropped back below $4 a gallon, per AAA, a sign of Americans’ pain at the pump easing after months of war in Iran. Iran’s squeeze on oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz battered the global economy. But crude prices in June fell to their lowest levels in over three months on news of an extended ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran. … The national average is now $3.9990 a gallon, per AAA. A year ago, the average was $3.1880.” (06/18/26)
“Scott interviews Trita Parsi about the deal Trump has apparently made with the Iranians to end the war. They discuss the panic we’re seeing about it from the Israelis and what Trump must do to rein them in and prevent Tel Aviv from sabotaging the peace process. They also discuss Parsi’s recent appearance on Tucker Carlson’s show and The Free Press story that tried to start a deportation scare about him.” (06/17/26)
“Thomas Jefferson, John Dickinson, and the Second Continental Congress said those were their two terrible options less than three months after the battles of Lexington and Concord and the ‘shot heard ‘round the world.’ This is the story of the forgotten declaration in which they explained why they fought back.” (06/17/26)
