Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Connor O’Keeffe
“Fauci’s ‘personal diary’ was really a long digital document where he would write up a summary of his workday every night to help inform his post-retirement memoir and any sympathetic future biographers. The release provided some new details on the nature of the government’s response to the pandemic and, to an even greater extent, exposed the mentality of the bureaucrat who quickly emerged as the public face of it all. These insights are instructive because, perhaps more than any other government official in recent years, the career of Anthony Fauci can teach us a lot about where power actually resides in America and how our system really works.” (08/05/26)
“So the geniuses in the white house have begin to suspect that maybe, just maybe, as journalist Mark Ames noted on X, after weeks of CIA-targeted bombings from Ukraine into Russia, maybe those nefarious Russkies are assisting Iran in targeting U.S. bases in the Gulf. I’ve got news for these Beltway Einsteins: China’s helping Iran too. And probably North Korea. In fact, every member of the multipolar alliance is likely doing their part: the mental opacity afflicting Washington does not afflict them. They know very well who is trying to destroy them. So they take countermeasures. That’s called sanity.” (08/05/26)
“While Trump repeatedly fails to grasp the seriousness of the situation, American bases are becoming more vulnerable. NBC News recently reported that in an effort to preserve the quickly-depleting supply of defensive systems, U.S. military commanders have begun allowing Iran to hit certain American targets. Not only does this report further prove that U.S. stockpiles of key missile interceptors are rapidly shrinking, but it also reveals the increased risk posed to U.S. troops. To put it simply, U.S. bases do not have the weapons or infrastructure needed to defend against extensive attacks during a prolonged conflict with Iran. For years, the Pentagon has warned presidents about this dynamic.” (08/05/26)
Source: Independent Institute
by Sam Jenson & Ella Reed
“ALPRs have the potential to serve public safety by aiding in the recovery of stolen vehicles and the location of missing persons. However, the prevalent lack of policy safeguards and rigorous enforcement, combined with questionable police practices, raises significant concerns about the misuse of this technology. The ability to access historical ALPR data carte blanche allows law enforcement to track individuals’ movements and construct detailed profiles based solely on suspicion or criticism. While ALPRs can be effective tools for law enforcement, they should not be used in ways that infringe on individual rights, and clear boundaries and oversight are critical.” (08/04/26)
“If you’re surprised, you haven’t been paying attention. Abdul El-Sayed is a ‘Defund the Police’ socialist who has fantasized about putting an ‘ogre’ (fellow Democrat John Fetterman) on a pike, stumped alongside a 9/11 apologist and constructed an entire campaign around insidious Jew-baiting amid a raging epidemic of antisemitism. He is also the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan after narrowly dispatching establishment favorite Haley Stevens in Tuesday’s primary contest. El-Sayed’s triumph marks not the beginning of the end for the party’s old guard, but the final nail in its coffin. After all, the civil war was over before the (relative) moderates ever started fighting it in earnest.” (08/05/26)
“Concerns about constant government surveillance are legitimate. Surveillance equipment such as this was used by police around the world to enforce authoritarian restrictions during COVID. We shouldn’t have to give up our personal liberty—and that liberty includes the right not to be tracked by the government without a warrant—under the guise of safety. Thankfully, people are starting to push back against Flock and similar police surveillance equipment. I don’t believe our state or our country should become a vast surveillance society (assuming we are not already there), even if it makes us ‘safer’ in some ways.” (08/04/26)
“The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) published a new policy program and platform this summer called Workers Deserve More. A committee elected under the group’s 2025 convention rules drafted it, its National Political Committee approved it, and it now stands as the clearest statement of what America’s largest socialist organization wants. Below are the DSA program’s main arguments for socialism, my short responses to them, and links to some of the most relevant evidence.” (08/04/26)
“Luddite dynamics have been replayed in the context of almost every important technology of the last half-century: fracking, incandescent light bulbs, SUVs, childhood vaccines, water fluoridation, nuclear power, wind turbines, genetically modified crops—each became a proxy fight in which the combatants often let pro- or anti-technology symbolism crowd out consideration of risks and benefits. Data centers have now joined the list of contested technologies, and the fight follows a familiar script.” (08/04/26)
“As good investors know, it is often better to cut your losses and move on rather than ride a bad investment to the bottom. Despite his bluster, Trump is reluctant to pull the trigger on attacking Iran’s energy structure. He should follow that instinct and avoid such escalation. The next step will be harder for him, however. His psychology seems to prevent him from admitting that his war on Iran has failed. Yet, as a master of bending perceived reality to fit his own ends, Trump should take the famous advice that Rudy Giuliani gave him for a previous caper: ‘Just say we won.'” (08/04/26)
