“One prof I know likes to answer students’ yes-or-no questions by saying something like, ‘The short answer is ‘yes’ and the long answer is ‘no.’’ Asinine as it may seem, that is often the correct answer in legal matters: rules from a distance may seem straightforward and strict, but as a lawyer or court draws closer, they dissolve into an abstract pattern of unconnected dots that no one can decipher, much less enforce. The Supreme Court has been giving this kind of answer on fraught occasions for virtually all of American history — and it has given that answer to challenges to Donald Trump’s ascent: boldly proclaiming the rule of law while noting that there may be a very particular reason why this particular rule can’t be quite, you know, enforced just so at present. Like a Magic 8 Ball, the Court may suggest we ‘Ask Again Later.'” (04/21/25)
“Just in case I thought one couldn’t feel more forlorn right now, the word came this morning of the death of Pope Francis. It hit me hard, not because I’m a Catholic (I’m a Methodist) but because I had always felt buoyed by his remarkable spirit. If he could bring new hope and energy to an institution as hidebound as the Vatican, there was reason for all of us to go on working on our own hidebound institutions, and if he could stand so completely in solidarity with the world’s poor and vulnerable, then it gave the rest of us something to aim for. I thought this from the start, when he became the first pope to choose the name of Francis (that countercultural blaze of possibility in a dark time) and when he showed his mastery of the art of gesture, washing the feet of women, of prisoners, of Muslim refugees.” (04/21/25)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Justin Madura
“Carl Schurz (1829-1906) was one of many Prussian exiles who arrived in the United States following the failed revolutions of 1848. After reforms failed to materialize in Europe, Schurz became one of the German ’48ers’ who came to America to escape political persecution for his role in the unsuccessful uprisings. Schurz went on to contribute to his new homeland as a political reformer, a Union Army officer in the Civil War, a US Senator, presidential cabinet member, and commentator. He shaped a unique legacy throughout the Gilded Age as a determined classical liberal who advocated civil service reform, sound currency, low tariffs, and a non-interventionist foreign policy. Many key episodes in Schurz’s life offer meaningful lessons for Americans today, but perhaps none more distinctive than his 1897 dispute with a sitting US Senator.” (04/21/25)
“The relentless march of artificial intelligence (AI) is not confined to Studio Ghibli memes and automated email responses. It is rapidly becoming a central pillar of national security strategy. Within the labyrinthine corridors of the U.S. Intelligence Community (I.C.), which includes the military, CIA, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), among other organizations, an AI transformation is underway. It’s driven by the promise of AI to collect previously indecipherable data, uncover hidden connections, and anticipate threats with unprecedented speed and scale. Yet, as the I.C. races towards an AI-infused future, profound questions about governance, ethics, privacy, and due process loom large.” (04/21/25)
“If you maintain that over time, the United States has been the best country at exemplifying the teachings of Adam Smith, you would get no argument from me. Sadly, that imagined crown no longer fits. By one calculation, with President Trump’s new tariffs, the United States ‘is about to have the highest tariff rate of any advanced economy’ with a rate of ‘around 22 percent — up from 1.5 percent in 2022.’ Smith’s teachings on markets and human nature established the foundation for a free trade policy. It would seem the fate of humanity is to forget timeless truths, endure the consequences, and struggle to recover those truths.” (04/21/25)
“Mark Twain once quipped, ‘No man’s life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.’ In the 1800s, his wit was aimed at lawmakers — but if he were alive today, he’d likely reserve his sharpest criticism for unelected bureaucrats, who often wield more power than those we elect. Unlike legislators, these regulators don’t take recesses. They’re ‘in session’ 40 hours a week, every week, quietly issuing rules that extend into nearly every corner of American life. Most Americans are aware that federal agencies — the infamous ‘alphabet soup’ in Washington — have overstepped. But the problem is just as pervasive, and perhaps more dangerous, in all 50 state capitals. The truth is simple: in today’s America, the regulatory state isn’t solving problems — it is the problem.” (04/21/25)
“For Americans who still labor under the delusion that Donald Trump is an advocate of realism and restraint in foreign policy, the events in Yemen should come as a rude awakening. Unfortunately, the most prominent indicator took a form that enabled the president’s political opponents to evade their own share of the blame for the tragic events in that country. Revelations that members of Trump’s national security team had conducted a discussion of highly classified information about war plans in Yemen over an insecure system exploded in the news media last month. … However, the dominant focus of most news stories about the episode was both revealing and depressing. Critics vehemently denounced the Trump team for an egregious inability to keep the Yemen war plans secret. Very little of the criticism from journalists or members of Congress condemned the participants in the chat for planning to wage an unconstitutional war.” (04/21/25)
“Don’t try to sanewash what’s happening. It’s evil, but it isn’t calculated evil. That is, it’s not a considered political strategy, with a clear end goal. It’s a visceral response from people who, as Thomas Edsall puts it, are addicted to revenge. If you want a model for what’s happening to America, think of Mao’s Cultural Revolution. … The Cultural Revolution was, of course, a huge disaster for China. It inflicted vast suffering on its targets and also devastated the economy. But the Maoists didn’t care. Revenge was their priority, never mind the effects on GDP. … There is, however, one big difference between Chairman Mao in 1966 and President Trump in 2025: Trump probably — probably — doesn’t have the cards.” (04/21/25)
“Former Trump campaign manager and advisor Kelly Anne Conway, substituting for regular host Sean Hannity, opened the program by showing a picture she explained was ‘Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen staring affectionally into the eyes of admitted illegal [sic] immigrant and accused serial wife abuser and human trafficker with suspected gang ties, who was recently deported to his home country.’ Others claim Garcia is ‘a loving father and husband,’ who ‘has never been charged with or convicted of a crime in the United States.’ But whether adangerous criminal or an innocent, hard-working family man, Garcia’s status is hardly the issue. This is about whether our government must follow its written Constitution.” (04/21/25)
“Just a few days after being found liable of monopolizing digital advertising markets, Google will soon find out its penalty for monopolizing online search markets. On Monday, the remedy phase began of a trial that found that Google illegally muscled out competition in search by purchasing default space on devices and browsers. ‘This is the time to tell Google and all other monopolists watching (and they are watching) that there are consequences when you break the antitrust laws,’ said David Dahlquist, the attorney representing the Justice Department, in opening arguments. This is the first major monopolization case in 25 years, successfully argued by Joe Biden’s Justice Department antitrust division. Now Donald Trump’s antitrust division must argue the remedy phase, where they are calling for a partial breakup of Google. The hearing before Judge Amit Mehta in D.C. district court is scheduled to last three weeks.” (04/21/25)
