“Can we all agree that Todd Lyons is kind of a sissy? The former acting director of ICE, the immigration enforcement agency that Donald Trump uses as his personal, occasionally homicidal goon squad, received an email nastygram from the author of Best Bike Rides Connecticut, David Streever, who is exactly the kind of imposing, Jason Statham-esque tough guy you’d figure the author of Best Bike Rides Connecticut is going to be. The email was pretty mild stuff—Shame on you, basically. Compared him to a Nazi, etc. Lyons, who has 22,000 armed agents at his disposal, was so freaked out that he sent ICE agents to Streeter’s house and then tracked him down while he was traveling with his 7-year-old daughter.” (07/08/26)
“The Social Security trust fund is projected to run out of money by 2032. Without legislative reforms, retirement benefits for tens of millions of Americans could face significant cuts. As lawmakers debate how to preserve the program, most proposals focus on raising payroll tax revenue or making other budgetary adjustments. But these discussions miss a larger point: The program itself is increasingly ill-suited for younger generations. Rather than forcing Americans into a system that may not deliver on its promises, policymakers should allow young workers to opt out and prepare for retirement in their own way.” (07/07/26)
Source: American Greatness
by Ned Ryun & Ed McFadden
“On the nation’s 250th anniversary, the mayor of the country’s largest city sat at a desk once used by George Washington and told Americans what was wrong with American exceptionalism. The story of this country, he said, has too often been written by people told they did not belong. Its achievements were really won by the excluded, in spite of America. Dissent, not gratitude, he intoned, is the truest form of patriotism. It was a deceptive speech, and it deserves a response grounded in facts because the argument now runs well beyond one mayor. A rising movement has made the critique of exceptionalism something close to a creed. And it rests on a lie so foundational that, once revealed, the falsehood collapses. The lie is this: that American exceptionalism means Americans are exceptional people.” (07/08/26)
“Wars are seldom judged fairly in the immediate aftermath. Generals and analysts often focus on tallies of destroyed sites, intercepted projectiles, and tactical wins. Yet the deeper political fallout usually surfaces later – and it has a habit of defying the expectations of those who started the fight. History offers plenty of examples where short-term military victories sowed the seeds of longer-term strategic setbacks. This reality merits close attention when evaluating the recent U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran. The central issue may not be simply how much Iranian military hardware was damaged. More important is whether the conflict has reshaped Iran’s internal politics in ways that run counter to what Washington and its partners hoped. If the goal of prolonged sanctions, isolation, and military action was to erode the Islamic Republic’s governing strength, the picture that’s emerging looks more nuanced than many anticipated.” (07/08/26)
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey
“Economic pressures and strict travel rules force Americans to cut back on international trips to places like the Bahamas and Jamaica. People choose to spend their money at home. They take vacations within the United States. We see this shift happening right now. The data show Americans changing their travel habits. Travelers from other countries do the same when visiting the United States.” (07/08/26)
“Recent Breitbart headline: ‘Report: Graham Platner Accused of Breaking Into Woman’s House, Sexually Assaulting Her; Campaign Canceled Multiple Events Over Weekend; Source: Platner Dropping Out This Week?!’ Well, let’s hope that this accusation against Platner proves to be false. It would be nice to see him drop out, but that is really irrelevant; the Democrats would just nominate somebody who, philosophically and politically, is equally rotten, but who maybe could avoid all the accusations of misconduct that have plagued Platner. Regardless of that, my question for this article is how did the Democrats become so vile as to get to a point where they would nominate people like Graham Platner in the first place? How did they sink to the putrid immoral depths they have degenerated to? And screaming, ‘Look how terrible Donald Trump is!’ is not an answer.” (07/08/26)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Kerry McDonald
“Demand for new schooling models continues to climb, and entrepreneurial educators plan to grow to meet that demand. That is the key takeaway from a recent survey of school founders conducted by our team here at FEE’s Education Entrepreneurship Lab. This spring, we asked the 200+ applicants to last year’s FEE Enterprising Founding Award to complete a survey about the status of their innovative schools and learning spaces, including private schools, microschools, hybrid schools, homeschooling collaboratives, and online learning platforms. More than 70 school founders responded, offering eye-opening insights about the current landscape of emerging schooling models and its future direction.” (07/08/26)
“This week, many eyes – at least when not glued to the World Cup soccer matches onscreen – are on Ankara, Turkey. There, the heads of NATO’s 32 member countries are gathered for the transatlantic alliance’s annual summit, amid a rather fractious atmosphere. Some 1,400 miles away, in Geneva, thousands of representatives from the United Nations’ 190-plus members are attending the first all-nations Global Dialogue on AI Governance. The mood there, in the search for shared approaches to safeguard against potentially negative impacts from artificial intelligence, is rather more collegial. And this same week, out of the limelight, it has emerged that quiet coordination among 59 countries has produced yet another successful crackdown on global human trafficking. The BBC reported Monday that 1,024 people were arrested and at least 2,070 individuals were aided through an operation led by Interpol, the international law enforcement network.” (07/07/26)
“Afew months ago, I was one of several candidates under consideration for Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While I did not make the final cut, I was honored to be considered for such an important position. The administration has nominated a highly qualified team to lead the CDC and I wish them well. The experience gave me the opportunity to reflect on what reforms I would like to see at the CDC as it faces a pivot point in the history of medicine and public health. Here are six themes that I see as most important and urgent.” (07/08/26)
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“It is true that there is unfathomable cruelty in this world that will bring you crashing to your knees. And it is true that we are ruled by monsters with deeply entrenched power. But it is also true that we live in a mysterious universe whose ways are almost entirely unknown to us. And it is also true that we don’t really have any idea where humanity’s adventure is headed. … Our best scientists have produced no answers to any of life’s most significant questions, having to content themselves with a humble shrug over the most basic inquiries like why anything exists, what matter is, and what is the nature of consciousness.” (07/08/26)
