“Waymo cars are currently being tested in driverless mode in London and UK cities, and prepared for passenger use later this year. Waymo has started letting its software take the wheel on London streets, with trained specialists on standby as it gradually accelerates toward a fully driverless ride-hailing launch. It is aiming for a commercial launch in London by autumn 2026, which would make it the company’s first operational city outside the United States. Road safety is arguably the most significant potential benefit. Waymo’s technology has been involved in five times fewer injury-causing collisions, and twelve times fewer injury-causing collisions with pedestrians compared to human drivers in US deployments. … One of the most compelling and less-discussed benefits is for people who cannot drive.” (04/23/26)
“A circuit court has ruled that Virginia’s new voter-passed congressional map, gerrymandered to give Democrats in the state a prohibitive advantage in the next congressional election, is unconstitutional.
Judge Jack Hurley, of the Circuit Court of the Commonwealth of Virginia for the 29th Judicial Circuit, Tazewell County, denied a motion to stay his injunction blocking certification of the election using the new districts. Former Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli reports that once a final order is drafted and entered, ‘it will be immediately appealed.’ If the rejiggering survives the challenge, it could be the factor that tips the balance in the House of Representatives toward the Democrats next November.” (04/23/26)
Source: Fox News
by Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis, (USA, ret.)
“On Tuesday, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he would extend the ceasefire with Iran — with no set deadline — until Tehran’s leaders can “come up with a unified proposal.” That announcement landed hours after Vice President JD Vance’s trip to Islamabad for a second round of peace talks was canceled without explanation, after Iranian officials told U.S. counterparts through Pakistani intermediaries that they would not appear at the table. Trump had said that very morning he did not want to extend. By Tuesday evening, he did. The extension may have been unavoidable. What happened in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday makes clear exactly what Washington bought.” (04/23/26)
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“While taxation is coercive, economically distortive, and ultimately something to be abolished, it does not follow that one may simply opt out of the existing legal regime. As much as one might wish otherwise, there does exist — at present — a binding legal obligation to report and pay income taxes under U.S. law. This article then is a response to a recent post on Twitter by Peter Schiff, who argued that, unlike excise taxes, the Internal Revenue Code contains no provision that creates a liability to pay the income tax, rendering it effectively ‘voluntary.’ This is not a new argument. It is, in fact, one of the more persistent claims advanced by so-called ‘tax protester’ theories. And like most such claims, it depends less on the structure of the law than on a selective reading of it.” (04/23/26)
“With the Middle East in flames, President Donald Trump’s desperate lobbying campaign for the Nobel Peace Prize looks ever more bizarre. Of course, his claim to have ended and prevented numerous wars is more fantasy than reality. Worse, his surprise bombing of Iran amid negotiations, twice, demonstrated that his goal is anything but peace. Moreover, his proposal for a massive military buildup with no connection to American security suggests he is preparing even more reckless wars of choice. … However, it would be a shame to disappoint someone so desperate for public acclaim. It is time to create a Nobel War Prize, to denounce rather than praise the year’s most ostentatious warmonger or warmongers. Although 2026 is far from over, Trump would be a strong favorite this year.” (04/23/26)
“Sadly, the history of nations that defeated the US provides Iran’s current misgivings with even more reasons not to trust anything Washington might promise. Soon after signing peace agreements with both North Korea and Vietnam, the United States of America immediately violated them. In short, the US cannot be considered trustworthy, no matter who is president. Whether Democrat or Republican, presidents come and go, but US dishonesty and deception remain steady.” (04/23/26)
“Despite rampant human rights violations, European elites refuse to break pact giving Israelis access to business and over a billion euros through 2027.” (04/23/26)
“The closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the temporary ceasefire is the culmination of an American policy defined by strategic incoherence. At the center stands Donald Trump, whose shifting positions, confused war objectives, and conflicting actions have not only failed to ease regional tensions but have actively deepened them. Nowhere is this clearer than in Trump’s threats to blow up the whole country, including its bridges and power plants. At the same time, he touted a military ‘big day’, presenting potential war crimes as diplomatic tool, aggression as diplomacy, and destruction as leverage. Trump’s inflated, almost delusional, promises ahead of potential talks come across less as statesmanship and more as a calculated sales pitch to the American public.” (04/23/26)
