“Every time the U.S. military blows up a suspected drug boat, President Donald Trump claims, it saves ‘25,000 American lives.’ As of late January, Trump’s deadly campaign against cocaine couriers had destroyed 37 vessels in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, killing 126 people. According to Trump’s math, he had already prevented 925,000 U.S. drug deaths — 11 times the total recorded in 2024. Although Trump has repeatedly touted that improbable estimate, the basis for it remains fuzzy. But it seems to derive from several empirical and logical errors.” (03/05/26)
Source: Niskanen Center
by Rachel Levine & Grace Olsen
“A new era of load growth will require a far more abundant supply of electricity. Yet on its current trajectory, the U.S. risks falling short of meeting rising demand. While policymakers acknowledged the scale of the challenge, last year offered little concrete progress that the gap is closing fast enough. Federal and state leaders are grappling with this issue in markedly different ways.” (03/05/26)
“The 74’s Bright Spots project identifies public schools across the country that are beating the odds in reading. Specifically, ‘Bright Spot’ schools have literacy rates that are significantly higher than what is predicted based on their student poverty rates. In other words, these schools are outperforming expectations in terms of teaching kids to read. The project is impressive in both scope and purpose. Using data from 41,883 schools across 10,414 districts in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., it shines a light on excelling schools. Too often, education debates fixate on failure. Highlighting success—and learning from it—is just as important. While there are surely all kinds of interesting tidbits in the data, in this post I want to focus on the disproportionate representation of charter schools among Bright Spots. Charter schools make up seven percent of The 74’s national sample, but 11 percent of schools identified as Bright Spots.” (03/05/26)
“President Donald Trump’s illegal, unconstitutional war on Iran is not only a moral and humanitarian disaster, but also the latest assault on our way of life. Trump and his enablers count on us to endure their ever escalating egregious abuses of power that imperil our democracy, potentially fatally. We must prove them wrong. We can and must overcome these clear and present threats to our lives, liberty, and way of life. Our Constitution cannot defend or protect itself. Not when Trump and his administration keep violating their oath to defend and protect it. It’s up to us to do that. We the People must not fail to meet this crisis. We must not let these abuses of power go unchecked. The Congress and the American people must hold Trump and all those complicit in the Trump administration accountable for their escalating attacks on the rule of law.” (03/05/26)
“‘Remember, my friends, from whom you sprang.’ Commemorating the anniversary of the Boston Massacre – March 5, 1770 – John Hancock was issuing a challenge to all of us. And he was far from alone. For 13 years, from 1771 to 1783, the Sons and Daughters of Liberty held annual events to remember, with a keynote speaker each year. These speeches provide us with an uncompromising blueprint for a free people – the foundation of the Revolution. As you read through them all, a number of themes become obvious. They tell us what they fought for – and against. And they leave us with a brutal question for today: Have we remembered, or have we let this country become a den of thieves?” (03/05/26)
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“This flare-up, rooted in disputes over border security, militant safe havens, and the contested Durand Line, has resulted in hundreds of casualties on both sides, with Pakistan claiming to have killed over three hundred Taliban fighters and affiliated militants, while Afghanistan reports significant Pakistani losses. The conflict threatens to destabilize an already fragile region, drawing in broader geopolitical forces and underscoring the perils of unresolved historical grievances in South Asia.” (03/05/26)
“According to the World Population Review’s Cost of Living Index, the overall cost of living in Massachusetts is roughly 1.5x greater than in Louisiana. The difference in housing costs is even greater, with housing in Massachusetts about 2.3x more expensive than in Louisiana. To provide a concrete example of what this looks like, I bought my 1,200 sq ft, 2 bed 1.5 bath condo for $142,000 in August. A similar condo in Worcester, Massachusetts sold for just under $400,000 this past fall. … My position is that Massachusetts should ‘build, baby, build.’ My aunt objected, pointing out that there is a ton of building going on in Massachusetts. And she is right; some 90,000 units are under construction in the state. My response was ‘It’s still not enough housing.’ In that response, I made an Econ 101 error: I was reasoning from a quantity change.” (03/05/26)
“For much of the past decade, Europe has been weighed down by prolonged economic stagnation. Growth has slowed, productivity has stalled, and even the continent’s largest economies — Germany and France among them — have struggled to regain momentum. Yet amid this malaise, one large European economy has been moving decisively in the opposite direction.” (03/05/26)
“Lost in the noise of the broadening regional war sparked by the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran was a historic turning point: Qatar shot down two Iranian jets approaching its territory. The Monday action, the first time an Arab state militarily clashed with Iran, carried a message: Under siege, once-passive Gulf Arab states are striking back. In less than 72 hours of this new war, the Gulf states have been transformed, evolving from dependents on American security that were pushing for peace to wartime ralliers actively fighting to defend their countries. The Gulf states still hold out hope that diplomacy can end the conflict. Until then, however, they are showing willingness to do whatever it takes, even increasingly offensive action, to protect their citizens, residents, and economies. In so doing, they are changing the way they view themselves and their relationship with the United States.” (03/04/26)
