Quantum Vibe, 05/18/26
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (05/18/26)
Category: Opinion
This Tiny Toad Blocked a Green Energy Project. A New Federal Rule Will Cut “Green” Tape.
Source: Reason
by Jeff Luse
“A streamlined process for environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act gives the government broader discretion to approve projects.” (for publication 06/26)
https://reason.com/2026/05/18/less-green-tape-for-more-clean-energy/
Boomers vs. Doomers
Source: Law & Liberty
by Jeffery Degner
“Forty years ago, the one-hit wonder, Timbuk 3 harmonized, ‘the future’s so bright, I’ve gotta wear shades.’ In the four decades since, the long-run trends in consumer sentiment cast a decidedly darker outlook. Consumer sentiment measures Americans’ views on their economic future, and it’s been getting consistently more dire over time. When that demoralization becomes ingrained in a generation’s psyche, ‘eat and drink, tomorrow we die’ becomes more than a slogan; it becomes a way of life. One of the institutions most dramatically undermined by this persistent gloom is the family.” (05/18/26)
The stock market has got to tune out Trump
Source: Washington Post
by Matthew Lynn
“A Rose Garden announcement triggers panic on Wall Street; then a post on Truth Social sends stock prices soaring. A promise of upcoming news launches a market rally, which slumps when the actual news is delivered that evening. Anyone who follows the stock market is familiar with the phenomenon. In President Donald Trump’s second term — particularly its first few months — his abrupt announcements have driven the stock market in a way that past presidents’ moves have seldom done. And that’s troubling.” (05/18/26)
Our Own Cognitive Dissonance Is Concealing the Epstein Network
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Christine E Black
“Distract and minimize, confuse and deny, justify and excuse, become angry or enraged, and call crazy those who speak what others do not want to see or hear. In the throes of cognitive dissonance, people resort to all these ploys to relieve their internal discomfort. These horrible events could not possibly be true; the abuse could not possibly have been this widespread, some insist. Governments could not possibly have covered up this sex criminal’s harms, over decades, regardless of which political party was in power while people investigating are connected to those being investigated, as reported by Whitney Webb.” (05/18/26)
Palantir Gets an Initial $3.9 Million to Spy on Federal Workers
Source: The American Prospect
by Whitney Curry Wimbish
“The Trump administration is building a surveillance network to spy on its own workforce across multiple agencies. It has already given Palantir an initial $3.9 million to do so at the Department of Agriculture (USDA), federal spending disclosures show. The artificial intelligence war profiteer will ‘design, configure, deploy and manage a secure, user-friendly tool to track USDA employees’ return to the office,’ according to a disclosure. The contract started May 1 and has the potential to grow to $13.3 million over the next fiscal year, which runs from October 1 to September 30.” [editor’s note: I have no problem with it … as long as all data collected are viewable by the public in real time – TLK] (05/18/26)
Prosecute These Corrupt Bastards!
Source: Liberal Currents
by Samantha Hancox-Li
“We can and must prosecute the degenerate officials and corrupt oligarchs and brutal thugs who would destroy our Constitutional system.” (05/18/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/prosecute-these-corrupt-bastards/
Trump Sues the IRS and You and the Constitution
Source: CounterPunch
by Kary Love
“When Trump ran for president of America, and swore his oath, he was telling the world he would preserve and defend ‘due process of law,’ against all enemies foreign and domestic. Due process of law was one critical principle the great American rebels died and bled and fought to establish as a foundation of America itself. Mr. Trump is engaged in a scheme to be ‘judge in his own case’ against the IRS and you (because you pay the IRS, any dollars awarded in the case are your dollars.) Because the IRS and the DOJ ‘representing’ the IRS in the case both work for the President, Mr. Trump ‘decides’ his own case.” (05/18/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/05/18/trump-sues-the-irs-and-you-and-the-constitution/
Fannie, Freddie, and the National Debt
Source: Law & Liberty
by Alex J Pollock & Edward J Pinto
“Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are huge, with $7.8 trillion in assets and $7.6 trillion in liabilities. They are an essential part of the finances of the US government. But we do not find them as part of the government’s consolidated financial statements. We should.” (05/18/26)
https://lawliberty.org/fannie-freddie-and-the-national-debt/
The Man Who Seeks To Rule the World
Source: Antiwar.com
by Lawrence Wittner
“Although Donald Trump has never been modest about his abilities or reluctant to exercise personal power, during his second term in office he has shown clear signs of megalomania.” (05/18/260
https://original.antiwar.com/lawrence-wittner/2026/05/17/the-man-who-seeks-to-rule-the-world