The Long Road
Source: Law & Liberty
by Charles Zug
“Building the first interstate was a Sisyphean task.” (07/23/26)
Category: Opinion
Elon Musk, the New Hero of Populism
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman
“Republicans have settled on their midterm argument: Democrats are all Communists. As an election strategy, this is as lame as it is ludicrous. But there is a small kernel of political reality underlying the new right-wing red-baiting: The emergence of a widespread public backlash against the extreme concentration of wealth in the hands of billionaires. … billionaires have had immense political power for decades, but they chose to exercise that power from the shadows, veiling their actions through patriotic sounding right-wing PACs and think tanks. Only political junkies understood what was going on underneath the surface. Today, however, the new generation of the hyper-wealthy are out there and in your face, flaunting their influence rather than concealing it. And the poster child for this change is, of course, Elon Musk.” (07/23/26)
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/elon-musk-the-new-hero-of-populism
Britain Is Losing the Falklands
Source: Foreign Policy
by Antonio De Loera-Brust
“In 1982, Argentina’s military invaded and occupied Britain’s overseas holdings in the South Atlantic, eventually surrendering after 74 days of conflict. The territorial dispute remains a deep source of grievance and national trauma for Argentina. With the navies of both nations a shadow of their 1982 selves, a resumption of armed conflict remains unlikely. This makes the diplomatic debate over the Falklands—both in multilateral international forums and in bilateral relationships between Argentina and Britain and the rest of the world—all the more decisive. The future of British sovereignty over the Falklands is in greater question now than at any time since the end of the war, while Argentina’s claims to the island have become both more persistent and politically unifying.” (07/23/26)
When Trump targets journalists, the public pays the price
Source: USA Today
by Saundra Torry
“Subpoenas of several New York Times reporters authorized by President Donald Trump’s Justice Department are far more than an attack on reporters. It’s an action that affects the rights of people in a free society to know what their government is doing. It’s also more than just a single strike against one news organization. It appears to be part of broader actions by the administration that have harmed press freedom.” (07/23/26)
The Problem With Middle-Class Socialism
Source: The New Republic
by Vinnie Rotondaro
“The Democratic Socialists of America are all about fighting for the working class—even though few of them are actually working class. What would George Orwell say?” (07/23/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/213121/democratic-socialists-america-problem-middle-class-socialism
Evil US Hypocrisy Toward Cuba
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“In an effort to show how good and caring they are, U.S. officials are shipping $100 million in humanitarian aid to Cuba. Wow! Let’s all bow toward Washington and express thanks for living under such a kind, gentle, and benevolent government, one that clearly loves the poor, needy, and disadvantaged and just wants to help them out. Let’s also not forget that this humanitarian aid also reflects how good, caring, and compassionate we Americans are. After all, it’s our government doing this Christian-like act. That means that since we participate in our nation’s democratic process, especially by voting, we are kind and benevolent too. Except for one thing: It is the U.S. government, in combination with Cuba’s socialist economic system, that is responsible for the desperate economic plight that has enveloped the Cuban people and placed them in a position of imminent death by starvation and illness.” (07/23/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/07/23/evil-u-s-hypocrisy-toward-cuba/
The Next Attorney General Should Enforce the Law, Not Perform Populism Theater
Source: Checks & Balances
by Matthew P Cavedon
“Todd Blanche, the acting United States Attorney General, appeared in Congress last week for his confirmation hearing. There was much talk on the administration’s weaponization of the Department of Justice against its political opponents. These concerns, of course, are valid. Yet focusing only on the DOJ’s partisan misuse misses another important problem: the Department cares more about political theater than enforcing the law. Much of its dysfunction arises from that fact.” (07/23/26)
https://chkbal.substack.com/p/the-next-attorney-general-should
Censoring with a vengeance: Indecent speech in the Yiddish theater
Source: Expression
by Max Friedman
“In 1923, New York police entered Broadway’s Apollo Theater and shut down an English-language production of a popular Yiddish play, Sholem Asch’s Got fun nekome (‘God of Vengeance’). Officers arrested the entire cast and production team, including prominent First Amendment lawyer Harry Weinberger of Abrams v. United States fame. The raid led to a sprawling obscenity trial that sharply divided the New York Jewish community. Got fun nekome was supposedly ‘obscene’ because it portrayed a Jewish family that defied norms of gender and social status. … Some Jewish leaders at the time feared that the play’s portrayal of Jews would inflame antisemitic stereotypes. … let Sholem Asch’s words guide us now. The mere fact that a message could provoke ill will toward Jews does not justify stamping it out in the name of Jewish safety.” (07/23/26)
https://expression.fire.org/p/censoring-with-a-vengeance-indecent
Who Wants to Be Tied to the Energy of War?
Source: Common Dreams
by Martha Molfetas
“Renewables are not just for highfalutin hippies, they’re cheaper and avoid the volatility of wars and chaotic leaders. We are not living the 1970s oil shock moment; there are alternatives to fossil fuels. Those who embrace renewable energy will be better off—from health benefits for communities to reducing energy shock burdens for households. The reality unfolding during this latest oil war is that many nations really do not want to be tethered to volatile energy resources. And who can blame them?” (07/23/26)
The Umpire’s Limits
Source: Law & Liberty
by John O McGinnis
“AConstitution that divides power among three branches and between the federal government and the states needs an umpire. Politicians, responding either to their own interest in expanding their authority or to public passions, will frequently overstep constitutional boundaries. Through judicial review, the Supreme Court therefore serves as a neutral arbiter charged with maintaining the Constitution’s boundaries. But the Court itself is an institution that must respect its own boundaries. Thus, in every constitutional case, the preliminary question is whether the Court can reach and resolve the constitutional issue in a manner consistent with the proper limits on its own power. This term, in two of its most notable cases, Trump v. Barbara and Trump v. Cook, the Court transgressed those constraints.” (07/23/26)