Source: Independent Institute
by K Lloyd Billingsley
“Who shot 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in 2024? No one knows, because California’s insane criminal justice system has kept the suspect’s identity under wraps. … Pearsall, the 31st pick in the 2024 NFL draft, was shopping in San Francisco’s Union Square when a thief approached and demanded his watch. Pearsall would not give it up. In the ensuing struggle, the 49ers’ top draft pick took a bullet in the chest. Miraculously enough, the bullet missed vital organs. Pearsall survived the attack in stable condition. … Meanwhile, the suspect himself remained something of a mystery. One report described him as a boy of 17, an age that brought labels such as ‘teen’ and ‘juvenile.'” (08/10/26)
“The Trump administration marked the 250th anniversary of US independence with a series of statements in support of American empire. Despite the fact that President Donald Trump campaigned against endless war and the White House issued a National Security Strategy that rejected ‘global domination’, the Trump administration celebrated the nation’s 250th anniversary by glorifying empire as one of the country’s highest achievements. Administration officials praised moments in US history when US leaders embraced empire, such as when Thomas Jefferson and John Adams spoke in favor of an ’empire of liberty’ and Theodore Roosevelt acted to take Panama. At a time when many people in the country were reflecting on the ideals of liberty and equality that Jefferson had emphasized in the Declaration of Independence, the Trump administration glorified the country’s imperial history, creating a rationale for Empire First.” (08/10/26)
“Few familiar with Westminster City Council will be surprised by its draft proposal to refuse licenses for new pubs and nightclubs unless they ban standing up while having a pint – an activity it calls ‘vertical drinking’. After all, when it comes to petty killjoy regulations, this council has form. Take its attitude to takeaway pizza. … Westminster council have found a way to spoil even this in Soho. The pizza restaurant ICCO on Greek Street has a limitation on its licence that dictates it may not sell pizza for takeaway after 11pm. … Like other restrictions on venues operating in Soho, the reason cited by the council for this strange ban is the dreaded ‘cumulative impact assessment’ (CIA).” (08/10/26)
“‘We need more witch poems written by fabulous asians.’ ‘We need more algorithms written by immigrant trans folk.’ ‘We need more supreme court decisions written by activist p.o.c. [people of color].’ ‘We need more speculative fiction written by indigenous latinx.’ In a Sheboygan, Wis. café, a series of posters assert as much before following up with a haunting question: ‘What are you doing to help make that happen?’ On Saturday night, attendees of an event hosted by the establishment could answer with their chin up: they’re going to elect Francesca Hong governor. A democratic socialist member of the state Assembly and the prohibitive favorite to succeed Gov. Tony Evers as the Democratic nominee for his office come Tuesday, Hong has featured in headlines for all of the wrong reasons over the last few weeks. In a much-maligned November 2020 tweet, she called on officials to ‘Cancel Thanksgiving’.” (08/09/26)
“The ongoing unraveling of fraud in the federal government’s welfare system, particularly involving medical subsidies, has gotten politically even more interesting. The egregious Ilhan Omar, Somalian America-hater and U.S. Representative from Minnesota, is now implicated. Well, at least one member of her family is under investigation.” (08/10/26)
“Oil deposits may be finite, but human knowledge is not. Freedom, innovation, and entrepreneurship continually transform our use of resources.” (08/10/26)
“Every time I hear about the insane amounts of money billionaires like Elon Musk and dark-money super PACs pour into our elections to crush grassroots candidates, it’s hard not to feel our democracy is broken beyond repair. But then I hear about the victory, against all odds, of someone like Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who the voters of Michigan just chose as their Democratic candidate for Senate. Dr. El-Sayed is a physician and Rhodes Scholar, born and raised in Michigan, who ran the Detroit Health Department and just defeated a massive dark-money primary campaign against him, the largest in American history. Out-of-state groups spent nearly $70 million to crush his campaign, spreading divisive lies and outspending him by more than ten to one. And yet despite all of the lies big money could buy, El-Sayed won.” (08/10/26)
“It is now August 2026. More than 560 days have passed since Trump took office again. He has attained more power, surrounded himself with yes-men, has a Republican House and Senate, a 6-3 tilt on the Supreme Court, and no excuse to fail. But here we are, with Trump polling in Biden territory and trying to convince Americans that things are going great. And yet, when pressed, Trump and company keep defaulting to how bad things were under Biden. … We have all dealt with kids that haven’t learned how to take responsibility for their actions. There is always someone else to blame because they believe that their parents, teachers or other adults will believe them.” (08/10/26)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Patrick McIlheran
“A political scientist laid out the grim numbers about lopsided ideology among his fellow Florida professors—whose donations go to Democrats by a 9-to-1 margin over Republicans—and ended up giving Wisconsinites who want exposure to a fuller spectrum of ideas something to dream about. Because when that political scientist, Ryan Owens, was a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he found in 2024 that the margin there was more like 490-to-1. This tilt isn’t just a curiosity or fodder for talk-radio segments. It leads, Owens tells me, to blind spots that weaken universities’ place in society.” (08/10/26)
