“Americans of all persuasions routinely join and support groups — typically organized as corporations — to achieve their various goals, including political ones. However, critics of the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which upheld the rights of corporations to spend money in support of political causes, insist the decision ‘corrupted’ American democracy. Hawaii has now taken the campaign against Citizens United to its logical endpoint. In May, the state enacted Act 11, a sweeping law designed to strip most incorporated organizations of the ability to engage in election- or ballot-related advocacy. Any corporations that spend money on such efforts could be suspended or dissolved. This new law is not evenhanded. Act 11 exempts newspapers, broadcasters and periodicals. These institutional media corporations retain full First Amendment rights while most other organizations lose theirs, making the government the arbiter of which corporations deserve a voice.” (06/30/26)
“Win some blue-state and blue-city races, and the cocky new socialist Jacobins believe that they have either already taken over the Democratic Party or will soon absorb it. And in reaction to these new swarms, an increasingly terrified and ossified old Democrat guard either limps away from the hive or invites them in to take over more. It is fascinating but ultimately depressing to watch old-style Democrats say or do anything to avoid the new mob of Robespierres. Democrat candidates who recently begged for a Schumer/Pelosi/Jeffries endorsement now are telling them to get in line at the guillotine. Jewish American Democrats are terrified that what happened to the primaried and defeated Rep. Dan Goldman of New York, an arch-Trump hater, could befall them. Goldman’s obnoxious showboating hatred of Trump and championing of neo-socialist agendas offered no defense against the Jacobins’ antisemitism and hatred of Israel.” (06/30/26)
“If you’ve spent time traveling the Third World—or Japan—you’ve seen them: tiny pickup trucks, built for cargo, hauling lumber, produce, construction materials, or even groups of workers. They’re ubiquitous in developing countries because they’re inexpensive, fuel-efficient, and well-suited for certain types of work. Yet for decades they’ve been largely absent from U.S. roads. That’s a shame, because the humble Japanese kei truck represents the kind of practical vehicle that would benefit Americans. … The reason Americans rarely see kei trucks has to do with regulation, not lack of demand.” (06/30/26)
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“When I see President Trump condemning the self-described democratic socialists in New York as communists, I can’t help but wonder whether the U.S. national-security establishment (i.e., the Pentagon, the CIA, and the NSA) and the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress intend to revive their old anti-communist Cold War programs like COINTELPRO, McCarthy hearings, and even state-sponsored assassinations.” (06/30/26)
“On July 4, 2026, the United States of America turns 250 years old. Should the Left celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States with the signing of the Declaration of Independence? After all, this is a nation with a very dark and ugly past—with racism, genocide, and imperialism deeply embedded in its psyche. Surely Native Americans have no reason to celebrate. The history of the United States government’s treatment of Native Americans is one of cruelty, oppression, and extermination. Leaving aside the 56 million Indigenous people that were killed by European settlers across the Americas by 1600, since its independence in 1776, the US government has launched more than 1,500 attacks against various Indigenous people, slaughtering them, and taking their lands.” (06/30/26)
“After getting ChatGPT to score Nazi Germany’s economic freedom, I prompted it to ponder the bigger issues. … I wondered how many questions I’d have to ask to get the model to reach what I consider the correct interpretation of the historical facts. It’s like the classic ‘80s question, ‘How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?’ The answer, for both ChatGPT questions and Tootsie Pop licks, turns out to be exactly … three.” (06/30/26)
“The Republican National Committee (RNC) had hoped that its lawsuit challenging Mississippi’s mail-in balloting rule would end with a bang; instead, it fizzled into a whimper. But the Supreme Court’s decision yesterday—especially the dissent from four justices—still raises serious concerns about the Court’s fidelity to voters and their rights.” (06/30/26)
“Extraordinarily gifted legislators in the United States Senate are rare. As preconditions to their effectiveness, they must accumulate both significant seniority in the body of 100, and the respect of their ever-changing 99 colleagues. It’s a small club — the United States Senate — and everyone knows who has got the ability and the respect to guide big lifts through the (intentionally) complicated process. Maine Sen. Susan Collins is one of the handful of senators who command the respect of her Republican Conference colleagues and most of the Democratic senators who actually care about making the country run well. That is why Collins is the chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and is also one of the 17 senators on the critical Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. (Collins is also a member of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.)” (06/30/26)
