Source: Washington Monthly
by Keith Humphreys
“The most promising ways to make America’s streets safer unsettle ideologues on both sides. Maybe that’s why we aren’t pursuing them.” (03/23/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/03/23/where-left-and-right-both-go-wrong-on-criminal-justice/
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“In case you haven’t noticed, our president is a literal pedophile who kills children. Not only do I feel like I have every fucking right to my rage, I feel like anyone still capable of staying calm in this situation is the sick one and that their apathetic sickness in dire times might actually be getting people killed. I can just hear them now; ‘Stay calm and vote blue no matter who, the woker section of Team Epstein will clean up this mess!’ Fuck you, you Chicken Noodle Soup reading mental insect.” (03/22/26)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-art-of-coping-with-unfathomable.html
Source: Town Hall
by EJ Antoni, Ph.D.
“Iran’s efforts to close the Strait of Hormuz have made gas prices rise to the point where they may threaten President Donald Trump’s affordability agenda. Whether the closure is short or long, consumers are feeling the pain just as the latest economic figures show an economy that is sputtering and can use a boost. But the President can help absorb the disruption and deprive Tehran of its goal to push our economy into reverse by cutting a deal on planned global tariff increases. The Strait of Hormuz has been a key bottleneck for oil exports from the Gulf region with roughly one-fifth of global oil flows being impacted by the threat of Iranian missiles, mines, and drone strikes through the narrow waterway. The economic situation is becoming increasingly precarious as energy stockpiles worldwide quickly dwindle and prices rise in response to the choked-off supply that is not easily substituted.” (03/23/26)
Source: Common Dreams
by Rick Steiner
“By any measure, Homo sapiens is one of the most violent animals on Earth. At any one time today, humans are engaged in over 100 armed conflicts and wars across the world, many with a resource component—oil, diamonds, gold, timber, territory, water. In the 20th century alone, over 130 million people were killed directly in war, 210 million if including government killings in non-war situations. The United Nations now reports that the world is entering ‘a new era’ of increasing violence and conflict, and that ‘unresolved regional tensions, a breakdown in the rule of law, absent or co-opted state institutions, illicit economic gain, and the scarcity of resources exacerbated by climate change, have become dominant drivers of conflict.’ Such extraordinary intraspecific violence seems to be unique to humans.” (03/23/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/war-environmental-impact
Source: The Daily Economy
by Mohame Moutii
“Decades of subsidies, mispricing, and politically protected water allocations have left households paying the highest costs while agriculture wastes the most.” (03/23/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/californias-water-crisis-isnt-a-drought-its-bad-policy/
Source: The Bulwark
by Jonathan Cohn
“General Motors just rolled out a car that’s perfect for the moment. It’s the 2027 Chevrolet Bolt — a relatively cheap, all-electric subcompact that will let you drive right past gas stations, and dodge those high prices from the war in Iran. But if you want a Bolt, you’d better act fast, because they won’t be on dealer lots for long. GM has already confirmed that production will end next year. The plan is to convert the Bolt’s factory in Kansas City back to manufacturing vehicles with internal combustion engines. … a big part of the story is Donald Trump. Since taking office, he has launched an all-out assault on EVs — by working with Republicans in Congress to eliminate tax breaks for vehicle production and purchases, and by using his regulatory powers to gut federal and state emissions standards that favored fuel efficiency.” [editor’s note: No, those were good moves. But the US government should stop its similar subsidies, etc. to Big Oil as well, and let the market decide – TLK] (03/22/26)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-electric-vehicle-ev-industry-chevy-bolt-gas-prices
Source: Law & Liberty
by Jacob Williams
“Developments in Natural Law scholarship help recall the liberal tradition to its best self.” (03/23/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/surveying-the-new-natural-law/
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Eliot Wilson
“The Government’s approach to the UK’s steel industry has always looked like a cross between inveterate, unshakeable optimism and the panicked thrashings of a drowning man clutching for a flotation aid. An extremely charitable observer would argue that the Government had always had a very clear aim: to preserve Britain’s steel industry in order to safeguard employment in the sector and to provide resilience in manufacturing a product vital for growth and security. A more cynical mind might counter that someone who makes a wish as a penny is flipped down a well has a very clear aim. Without a practical, sustainable and realistic plan to achieve that aim, such airy, wouldn’t-it-be-nice ambitions are politically worthless at best.” (03/22/26)
https://fee.org/articles/tariffs-will-not-save-britains-steel-industry/
Source: Quillette
by Brian Stewart
“While Iran, Israel, and Gaza have dominated headlines, a bloody power struggle among Sudanese warlords grinds on.” (03/22/26)
Source: The American Prospect
by James Baratta
“For many years, Congress has maintained a bipartisan consensus on warrantless surveillance. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) has allowed the U.S. government to surveil foreign nationals abroad since its passage in 2008, and as the Prospect has reported time and time again, domestic intelligence agencies have amassed troves of communications data, including from American citizens, through the program. The National Security Agency (NSA) and FBI do not need a warrant to access this data, regardless of whether it comes from a foreign national or U.S. citizen. Section 702, which must be reauthorized by Congress periodically, is set to expire on April 20. The House is expected to vote on it in the coming weeks. Historically, lawmakers’ attempts to meaningfully reform the program have failed.” (03/23/26)