Washington and Africa Are Intertwining Their Chaos

Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen

“The increasing arc of instability running across Africa today resembles less a series of isolated crises than a single, widening belt of state collapse, insurgency, proxy war, and foreign intervention stretching from the Atlantic coast to the Red Sea. From Mali and Niger to Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia, and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the same themes recur with grim consistency: weak post-colonial states, ethnic and religious fragmentation, weapons flows across porous borders, foreign meddling, and Washington repeatedly insisting it can manage extraordinarily complex societies with bombs, military trainers, intelligence partnerships, and favored clients. It cannot.” (05/28/26)

https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/washington-and-africa-are-intertwining-their-chaos

Credibility and Consequences

Source: Liberal Currents
by Lucy

‘The strength and reliability of a government’s word is a critical factor in its ability to make the deals and exert the leverage which allow it to pursue an agenda at home and abroad. By altering expectations of the future, both the government and opposition can affect how much credibility the government has. This opens several options for undermining the current regime, but also carries danger for the next Democratic president. In the here and now, I see no reason to avoid using our advantage.” (05/28/26)

https://www.liberalcurrents.com/credibility-and-consequences/

US core inflation hit an annual rate of 3.3% in April

Source: CNBC

“Inflation continued to hit consumer wallets in April, likely keeping the Federal Reserve on the sidelines until the current wave subsides, fresh pricing data released Thursday showed. The personal consumption expenditures price index increased a seasonally adjusted 0.4% for the month, putting the 12-month inflation rate at 3.8%, the Commerce Department reported. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for respective readings of 0.5% and 3.8%. Excluding food and energy, core prices rose 0.2% for the month and 3.3% for the year, against estimates of 0.3% and 3.3%.” (05/28/26)

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/28/core-inflation-hit-an-annual-rate-of-3point3percent-in-april-as-expected-feds-preferred-gauge-shows-.html

Transforming social care

Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Madsen Pirie

“There are many ways in which we can make it easier for families to care for members needing social care by giving support at home instead of in care homes. Practical support measures might include direct payments and personal budgets. We could give families control over a care budget that lets them hire flexible, personalized support, such as a known carer for specific hours, rather than fitting into rigid council-commissioned services. Technology can help with smart home adaptations such as telecare alarms, medication dispensers, fall sensors, and voice-activated devices to extend independence and safety at home, reducing the need for round-the-clock supervision.” (05/28/26)

https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/transforming-social-care

Release the Biden tapes and let Americans hear the truth for themselves

Source: Fox News
by Gregg Jarrett

“Joe Biden’s elaborate game of hide-and-seek over his suspected theft of highly classified government documents may finally be coming to an end. The Department of Justice announced, ‘Ready or not, here I come!’ So, the former president scampered to a federal court on Tuesday, begging for protection to prevent the public release of audio recordings and transcripts in which he is known to have incriminated himself. Asking a judge to effectively cover up evidence of crimes — whether charged or not — is a fanciful proposition. The recordings were obtained lawfully in 2023 by then-special counsel Robert Hur. Hence, Biden can no longer legitimately claim a Fourth Amendment privacy interest in them. Once they entered the public and prosecutorial domain, they were stripped of privacy protections.” (05/27/26)

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/gregg-jarrett-release-biden-tapes-let-americans-hear-truth

France: Parliament votes to repeal slavery-era Black Code

Source: SFGate

“For nearly two centuries after France abolished slavery, the colonial-era law that classified humans as property has remained quietly on the books. On Thursday, the lower house of parliament voted to wipe it from French law. The National Assembly voted 254-0 — a rare show of unanimity — to adopt a bill repealing Code Noir, or Black Code, the 1685 decree King Louis XIV signed to govern slaves across France’s colonies. The law turned human beings into chattel, allowing them to be worked, beaten, sold, raped and murdered. And the realization that France never formally did away with it left many aghast.” (05/28/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/france-moves-to-repeal-code-noir-the-slavery-law-22280056.php

California Candidates Ignore Unelected Agencies

Source: Independent Institute
by K Lloyd Billingsley

“Candidates for Congress, governor, and various state offices promise to make California affordable again, build new housing, fight the ‘special interests,’ and so forth. Missing in the rhetoric are the powerful agencies that operate beyond the reach of the voters. Consider, for example, the California Air Resources Board.” (05/28/26)

https://www.independent.org/article/2026/05/28/california-candidates-ignore-unelected-agencies/

The Bank Doesn’t Own Your House (Neither Does the Government)

Source: EconLog
by Jon Murphy

“There’s a common trope among people who have collateralized debt that, until the debt is cleared, they never truly own their property. For example, the bank holds the mortgage, and if mortgage payments aren’t made, the bank can seize the house. The trope says that the ‘pay to stay’ nature of the loan means the bank truly owns the house, not the person who purchased it using their mortgage. Despite how common this trope is, it is incorrect. It fundamentally misunderstands the legal nature of ownership.” (05/28/26)

https://www.econlib.org/econlog/the-bank-doesnt-own-your-house