“Diplomacy is difficult. It requires patience together with deep knowledge of the country on the other side and the issues under negotiation. The nuclear agreement Barack Obama negotiated with Iran took nearly two years and was 160 pages long. The negotiating team included experienced diplomats and scientists compared to Trump’s team of two real estate developers, one of whom is his son-in-law. Meanwhile, the American military, obviously far superior to that of Iran, presented another option. As Anton Chekhov put it, albeit in a very different context, ‘One must not put a loaded rifle upon the stage if no one is thinking of firing it.'” (07/14/26)
“Over the weekend, The New York Times came out with an overview of its coverage last month of the Graham Platner sexual assault allegations. It was just over one month ago when the outlet delivered its quasi-exposé on three women detailing troubling experiences with the Senate candidate who possesses no discernible resume. The primary focus was on Lyndsey Fifield, and there have been contentious reactions about that report—Fifield included. … If you are wondering why The Times is now doing this dose of introspection, it is because Fifield has since taken her story—and evidence—to CNN, and the network was able to do what The Times reporters Katie Glueck and Lisa Lerer were incapable of doing, and that is to corroborate Fifield’s details with others. This becomes an even more scalding hit to the paper’s credibility.” (07/13/26)
Source: Hoover Institution
by Dan Berkenstock & Walter J Manuel
“China aims to land taikonauts on the Moon before 2030—before the US returns to the lunar surface—and set the operating rules that will govern future lunar activity. Traditional deterrence won’t work in a domain where the US is unable to project military force, and space treaties lack enforcement. This essay presents four conflict scenarios to show what’s at stake, and proposes a near-term US strategy of accelerated missions, allied coordination, clear red lines, and concrete military doctrine.” (07/14/26)
“Like most Americans, I took part in the festivities over America’s 250th birthday. I found it quite remarkable to reflect on that number. On one hand, America is 250 years old, with so much history. On the other hand, America is still a baby compared to many other countries. I found myself having to pause and think about what was nagging me about that number. Two hundred and fifty years. Then the answer came to me. Two hundred and fifty years also marks how long race has played a role in this nation — and still does. Those who say race is as much a part of America as apple pie are not entirely wrong. We may not have the Klan riding through the streets, but I’m not talking about that kind of racism. I’m talking about government-sponsored racism.” (07/14/26)
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Angelo Monaco
“When mainstream schooling, media, and digital spaces reflect a dominant ideological lean, proactive conversations at home become essential to giving children a balanced perspective. Actively engaging your children in the principles of freedom, liberty, and natural rights equips them with the critical thinking skills needed to question prevailing narratives rather than absorb them passively. By introducing these foundational concepts early, you provide them with a moral and philosophical anchor, ensuring they understand that true rights are inherent to the individual, not granted by the state.” (07/13/26)
“There’s a familiar temptation in politics. The temptation to treat federal funding like a tool for ideological compliance. Starve blue states for funds, punish them until they fall in line, and run your victory lap. Turn the thermostat the other way, and red states get the same harsh treatment. The entire political game becomes less about good governance and more about finding which backs to scratch and which backs to stab. This isn’t a proposal for selective use of power but a decentralized, non-partisan strategy. Deciding which rural areas get flooded with cash while other areas starve for cash is bad.” (07/13/26)
“First, Silicon Valley’s founders believed they didn’t need government. Then they believed they could demolish it. Now they’ve decided to use it where they can and appease it where they must. This latest turn may usher in a new era of AI industrial policy.” (07/14/26)
“Economists use the term opportunity cost to describe the value of the best alternative that is sacrificed when making a decision. In the case of college, that means the income students don’t earn, the work experience they don’t gain, the promotions they don’t receive, and the businesses they never start because they spent four years pursuing a degree.” (07/13/26)
“British philosopher Gilbert Ryle famously mocked Descartes’s notion of mind/body dualism, dubbing it ‘the ghost in the machine.’ The mind is in the body, but it’s not of the body. The mind controls the body, independently, ‘everywhere yet nowhere.’ There is a related problem in identifying a ‘will’ in the state: is the state the sort of thing that can have an active, separate will? Or is the will of the state simply the aggregate of individual goals, actions, and votes? The branch of political theory I inhabit, public choice, holds that ghosts don’t exist, because a foundational assumption is methodological individualism. But many people have argued for a romantic, collectivist approach.” (07/13/26)
