Source: Independent Institute
by Robert M Whaples
“In 1976, millions proudly recommitted themselves to the American experiment. Today, we should do the same.” (07/02/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/07/02/recapture-spirit-1976/
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Tyler MacQueen
“They could have died. We forget that now. After appeals to history and self-evident truths and the long train of abuses and usurpations, the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to a cause that was not certain. To an idea as radical as their revolution. To a notion of a nation yet to be built.” (07/02/26)
Source: Washington Monthly
by Bill Scher
“The recent string of primary victories from left-wing insurgents are not ushering out moderates, but fellow progressives.” (07/02/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/07/02/dsa-democratic-party-the-left-vs-left/
Source: Foreign Policy In Focus
by John Feffer
“The Trump administration concluded a recent mineral deal with Kazakhstan that, not surprisingly, enriches not only President Donald Trump’s own family but that of his secretary of commerce, Howard Lutnick. Trump’s two eldest sons, part owners of Dominari Securities, are set to profit from the Kazakh tungsten deal. So is Cantor Fitzgerald, the investment firm run by Lutnick’s two sons. As The New York Times pointed out in its investigation of the scheme, ‘Their sons were soon doing business with partners in a deal that their fathers were negotiating, continuing a pattern of self-enrichment in the second Trump administration that has few precedents in American history.’ The phrases (‘self-enrichment’ and ‘few precedents’) are interesting ways of characterizing this latest instance of the administration’s corruption. Isn’t self-enrichment a good thing, in the sense of profiting from your own hard work?” (07/01/26)
Source: The Hill
by Brett Erickson
“The Trump administration is currently coming under fire for their decision to temporarily lift sanctions on Iranian oil, but the proposed alternatives have become detached from reality. The vocal opponents are treating the decision as though Washington willingly handed Tehran an enormous economic windfall beyond what they would earn regardless of sanctions being imposed. Some are now even pushing for the administration to retroactively amend the waiver by forcing Iranian oil revenues into escrow accounts, which is something Iran would never have agreed to. That may sound tough. It may sound politically appealing. It is also a great way to ensure the destruction of the agreement that reopened the Strait of Hormuz. Diplomacy is not about obtaining ideal outcomes. It is about obtaining achievable outcomes.” (07/02/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/5949142-trump-admin-iran-sanctions-waiver/
Source: Law & Liberty
by James Wallner
“This weekend, Americans will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our country’s independence in nationwide celebrations featuring backyard barbecues, fireworks displays, and concerts. President Donald Trump echoed the sentiments of many patriotic revelers and underscored the Declaration’s centrality to America’s political identity when he described the event. ‘With a single sheet of parchment and 56 signatures, America began the greatest political journey in human history.’ But America didn’t begin its journey by declaring its independence. Before those 56 men signed the hallowed document, important events had already made independence a reality. By the summer of 1776, America was well on its way.” (07/02/26)
Source: Liberal Currents
by Steven L Taylor
“Putting a meaningless distinction to bed.” (07/02/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/is-the-united-states-of-america-a-republic-and-not-a-democracy/
Source: Brennan Center for Justice
by Michael Waldman
“How will we remember this Supreme Court term? For Louisiana v. Callais, which demolished the 1965 Voting Rights Act. For near misses, too, as when the Constitution’s plain-language guarantee of birthright citizenship was recognized by only a bare majority of the justices. (As JD Vance crowed, that core protection is now ‘hanging by a thread’.) I think the term may be remembered most as a time when the supermajority of very conservative, very pro-business justices bent the shape of American government. It was a power grab in legal garb, undermining Congress, granting presidents more authority, but with key decisions ultimately in the hands of the nine unelected officials now redesigning government. In 2005, The New York Times Magazine published a story about a cadre of intense anti-government legal activists. They bemoaned ‘the Constitution in exile’, what they saw as an epic wrong turn in the 20th century.” (07/02/26)
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/supreme-court-chips-away-checks-and-balance
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Sascha Hannig
“[E]lectrification has become a tool of strategic resilience, but electrification—both in appliances and in alternative and green energy supplies—depends on batteries, and batteries depend heavily on lithium; and who owns lithium? Few are asking this question, and, most importantly, how it affects liberal countries, the state of democracy in the Global South, and international supply chains. This is why the lithium market now sits at the center of geopolitical competition.” (07/02/26)
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman
“Fox News has a poll supposedly showing ‘socialism gaining ground with young voters.’ But I don’t believe it. Young people may be more receptive to the word socialism, but that’s only because right-wingers constantly use that word to smear policies that have nothing to do with real socialism — i.e., government ownership of the means of production. The fact is that very few Americans — even among politicians who call themselves ‘democratic socialists’ — are really socialists. What many, I’d say a majority, of Americans support is what Europeans call social democracy — an ideology that is OK with living in a mostly market-driven economic system in which some people make much more money than others, but one that advocates policies to tame markets and inequality with progressive taxation, safety net programs, and regulations.” [editor’s note: Actually, socialism is defined as worker control, not government ownership, of the means of production. In STATE socialism, the state is a supposed proxy for the workers – TLK] (07/02/26)
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/there-are-very-few-socialists-in