“It’s easy to propose ideas that make things feel more affordable without actually making them less expensive. And while both parties traffic in this kind of theater, the GOP — especially under President Donald Trump — has turned it into a governing ethos. The formula is simple. First, Trump will create an affordability problem through his own policies. Then, instead of fixing the underlying cause, he will propose to paper over the problem with a subsidy, a tax gimmick, or a check. Tariffs are the most obvious example.” (04/07/26)
“Congress can brandish the power of the purse to end President Donald Trump’s unconstitutional attack on Iran, a criminal war of aggression as defined by the postwar Nuremberg Tribunal. Congress ended the Vietnam War through the power of the purse. All Congress needs today is a fraction of the courage displayed by the 56 signatories to the American Declaration of Independence who signed their death warrants in defense of unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness 250 years ago.” (04/07/26)
“Everyone remembers the photo of little Liam Ramos, the 5-year-old migrant child pictured in ICE custody wearing a sky blue bunny hat. ICE said that they tried to detain Liam’s father, an illegal [sic] migrant from Ecuador, who ran from them, leaving Liam in their custody. They then tried to give Liam to his mother, but she refused to open the front door, leaving ICE no choice but to detain Liam. Liam and his father were later taken to an ICE detention center, but a judge ordered them released after a few weeks on the grounds that they had a pending asylum case. … Just a month later, the truth that I and many others had suspected came out: The Ramos asylum case is bogus. … You probably didn’t hear about that. The media doesn’t tend to report such things.” (04/07/26)
“The current automation of governance is an evolution in the long-standing tension between democratic responsiveness and technocratic executive power.” (04/07/26)
“‘Gerrymandering is detrimental to our democracy,’ declared Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger . . . back in 2019. ‘Let voters decide, not politicians,’ former President Barack Obama offered just last month. The problem? They’re correct! And Republicans are now sharing the statements by these two high-ranking Democrats with Virginia voters. Why? They oppose the April 21 constitutional referendum that, if passed, would allow the legislature to gerrymander the state’s congressional district lines to likely turn the federal delegation from its current six- to five-seat Democratic majority into a ten to one Democratic majority.” (04/07/26)
“The epithet ‘anti-vaxxer’ is common in our time for anyone who resists mandates or resents the enormous legal privileges, protections, patents, and subsidies the industry receives today. It also pertains to those who attempt to bring attention to vaccine injury and death, a sensitive and even suppressed subject for an industry that relies on a utilitarian measure to demonstrate its social value. The label does not always or often make sense. The dominant theme of the movement now – and this has always been true – is to reject intervention and instead regard this industry as any other in a free marketplace (hamburgers, bottled water, washing machines, etc.), neither subsidized, nor mandated, nor protected from liability from imposed harms. If that goal were achieved, the ‘anti-vaxx’ movement would shrink dramatically.” (04/07/26)
“The Finland–Russia border is 830 miles long. It is the longest land border with Russia in Europe. It is not only the Finnish border, but also the European Union’s and, more recently, NATO’s too. Therefore, when the president of Finland, Alexander Stubb, writes a book on foreign policy and the world order, it should be of interest to the West. His new book, The Triangle of Power, analyses the transformation of the international system after the end of Western dominance.” (04/07/26)
“Democrats should go on challenging shows — but no one should be pressured to prove their populist bona fides on a streamer who may cost them more voters than he delivers.” (04/07/26)
“Streamlined regulations and fair insurance rules can make rideshares safer, more affordable, and more competitive — benefiting drivers, riders, and the broader transit system.” (04/07/26)
“On April 1, the Supreme Court began hearing arguments in Trump v. Barbara, the class-action lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship. Trump insists that this ban is necessary to stop birth tourism. This refers to the practice of traveling to another country to give birth, thereby allowing the child to automatically acquire citizenship. Via TruthSocial, Trump writes: ‘Birthright Citizenship has to do with the babies of slaves, not Chinese Billionaires who have 56 kids, all of whom ‘become’ American Citizens. One of the many Great Scams of our time!’ Solicitor General D. John Sauer has raised similar concerns. He remarks, ‘Media reported as early as 2015 that, based on Chinese media reports, there are 500 — 500 — birth tourism companies in the People’s Republic of China, whose business is to bring people here to give birth and return to that nation.'” (04/07/26)
