A Brief History of Trump’s Failures to Bring Peace

Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson

“Campaigning for the White House in 2024, retired game show host Donald Trump insisted that he would end the Russia-Ukraine war on his first day in office—maybe before. He repeated that boast more than 50 times—it clearly was not a one-off remark. The war rages on, of course, and we have a pretty good idea of who is going to put a stop to that war: the Ukrainians. How are the great peacemaker’s other projects going?” (07/17/26)

https://thedispatch.com/article/donald-trump-international-peacemaker/

Technology and Our Children: “They’re almost like addicts”

Source: Show-Me Institute
by Cory Koedel

“Most schools embraced digital learning during and after the COVID pandemic, dramatically increasing students’ screen time during the school day. Combined with the long hours many children already spend on screens outside of school, the result has been an unprecedented amount of daily screen exposure. But people are starting to push back. More than half of states have policies that limit or fully ban cell phones in schools. And many states and school districts have also enacted, or are considering, policies that limit screen use for instruction.” (07/17/26)

https://showmeinstitute.org/article/education/technology-and-our-children-theyre-almost-like-addicts/

France: Regime orders Internet providers to block access to Polymarket prediction site

Source: France 24 [French state media]

“France said Friday it was blocking access to the online prediction market Polymarket, as punters continued to make bets despite a ban already in place. The national gaming authority ANJ said Friday that Polymarket’s webpage would be blocked on French territory, which adds to a November 2024 ban on financial transactions to the site. Polymarket is one of a number of online prediction markets which allow people to bet on the outcome of future events.” (07/17/26)

https://www.france24.com/en/france/20260717-france-orders-internet-service-providers-to-block-access-to-polymarket

Cicero’s Life in the Arena

Source: Law & Liberty
by Tyler Syck

“With the exception of the Caesars, no ancient Roman political figure is as famous as Marcus Tullius Cicero. Like the Caesars, the myth of Cicero has taken on a life of its own: the philosopher-statesman who, until his final breath, withstood the forces of totalitarianism in defense of the republic. Certainly, there is a great deal of truth to this story. Cicero’s literary output is prodigious, and his defense of the Roman republic against Caesarism should remain an example to us all. However, as with most myths, the truth of the man is far richer and far more complicated.” (07/17/26)

https://lawliberty.org/ciceros-life-in-the-arena/

The New American Industrial Revolution Runs on Data Centers

Source: American Greatness
by Jordan Schachtel

“merican technological infrastructure is the building block for our modern lives. Data centers are not some side issue or a fringe zoning dispute; they account for a significant part of the physical foundation of the American economy. They are the functional infrastructure that can put the United States in a position to reindustrialize and onshore our economy, while allowing us to have the tools we need to compete with China. The loudest forces working to stop that buildout fall into exactly two categories: people who are simply misinformed about what these facilities actually do, and people who are being actively used, wittingly or not, to psyop American communities into fighting against their own country’s interests.” (07/17/26)

https://amgreatness.com/2026/07/17/the-new-american-industrial-revolution-runs-on-data-centers/

China: Regime dismisses Trump election interference accusations as “entirely fabricated,” threatens countermeasures

Source: Fox News

“China pushed back Friday after President Donald Trump accused Beijing of ‘working to influence the results’ of the 2020 presidential election, describing his accusation as ‘entirely fabricated.’ Trump said in a primetime speech Thursday night that ‘in mid 2018, China was working to influence the results of the U.S. midterm elections and later the results of the 2020 presidential election itself.’ … China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian on Friday said ‘the relevant allegations by the U.S. are entirely fabricated and aimed at vilifying China.’ ‘We have no interest in interfering in US elections and have never done so,’ Jian said. … He added that ‘China reserves the right to take reciprocal countermeasures.'” (07/17/26)

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/china-dismisses-trump-election-interference-accusations-entirely-fabricated-threatens-countermeasures

How California’s Plastic Ban Could Change What Every American Buys

Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Kerry Jackson

“The Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, passed and signed in 2022, went into effect on May 1. It demands a lot. By 2032, every shred of single-use packaging and single-use plastic food service ware sold in the state has to be recyclable or compostable. The law covers not just items made and consumed in California, but also those imported from outside the state. Because California is a massive market, many companies don’t produce one package for California and another for the other 49 states. Instead, they use a single design for everyone. That’s why the 17 states and other critics argue that California’s regulations have increasingly become national regulations.” (07/17/26)

https://fee.org/articles/how-californias-plastic-ban-could-change-what-every-american-buys/