What We Want and How to Get It

Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob

“British-American philosopher Mick Jagger put it best: ‘You can’t always get what you want.’ A universal verity. But what about a sadder situation? ‘You must always get what you don’t want.’ Only the deepest pessimist thinks this pertains to our lives, our ‘lived experience’ in even these our mixed-up times. But it does apply to one huge domain of life: our representation in Congress.” (04/24/26)

https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/04/24/what-we-want/

Thomas L. Knapp

Left’s war on SCOTUS just hit a terrifying new low

Source: Fox News
by John Yoo

“Last week, The New York Times divulged a fresh trove of confidential internal memoranda between the Supreme Court justices. The documents allegedly show that Chief Justice John Roberts and his conservative colleagues have abused the Court’s technical procedures to block the agenda of Democratic presidents and to favor Republicans. While this accusation can only succeed by ignoring the broader context of the Court’s work, it heralds the latest progressive attack on the Court as a stabilizing institution in our national politics.” (04/25/26)

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/john-yoo-lefts-war-supreme-court-hit-terrifying-new-low

Steve Trinward

Israel: Netanyahu orders army to “vigorously attack” Hezbollah in Lebanon

Source: BBC News [UK State Media]

“Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his military to ‘vigorously attack Hezbollah targets’ in Lebanon, two days after a ceasefire was extended by three weeks. Fresh Israeli attacks followed the directive, which came after at least six people were killed in strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday. Further cross-border exchanges between the two sides have strained the truce agreement, highlighting the precarity of the ceasefire. The agreement, which has seen a reduction in fire rather than a complete halt, was extended on Thursday after talks between the countries’ envoys in Washington. Earlier on Saturday, Israeli strikes on a truck and a motorbike in the town of Yohmor al-Shaqeef in the Nabatieh district killed four people, Lebanon’s health ministry said, according to Agence-France-Presse.” (04/26/26)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yv1nvd4gjo

Steve Trinward

The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 04/24/26

Source: The New Republic

“As Trump’s polling slides again and his advisers search for a solution, a data analyst explains why Trump’s standing is even worse than it seems—and details what to expect as the election draws near.” (04/24/26)

https://newrepublic.com/article/209461/trump-hit-brutal-fox-poll-aides-scramble-he-bad-mood

Thomas L. Knapp

Congress Still Has a Chance To Curb Section 702 Surveillance Abuses

Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille

“With Republicans controlling both houses of Congress, President Donald Trump’s reversal from opponent to supporter of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) seemed certain to guarantee renewal of the law. That’s not what happened. Instead, Section 702 of the controversial spying legislation won only a temporary extension, to April 30, as civil libertarians and surveillance-state supporters from both major parties continue to battle. Hopefully, the outcome is the long-deserved demise of surveillance practices that threaten the privacy of Americans.” (04/24/26)

https://reason.com/2026/04/24/congress-still-has-a-chance-to-curb-section-702-surveillance-abuses/

Thomas L. Knapp

Judge orders Trump, DOJ to justify why president’s frivolous $10 billion IRS lawsuit should proceed

Source: ABC News

“A federal judge is raising concerns about whether Donald Trump’s attempt to sue the IRS for $10 billion can proceed, signaling she could throw out the case because the president oversees the government entities he is suing. Judge Kathleen Williams raised the issue in an order on Friday denying a request to delay the case amid possible settlement talks. She noted that Trump and the defendants — the Treasury Department and IRS — may not be ‘sufficiently adverse’ to one another for the case to proceed. … Trump, his sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., and the Trump Organization filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department in January related to the unauthorized disclosure of tax information during Trump’s first term. A government contractor with the IRS pleaded guilty in 2023 to stealing the tax information of Donald Trump and other wealthy Americans and leaking it to media outlets in 2019 and 2020.” (04/24/26)

https://abcnews.com/Politics/judge-orders-trump-doj-justify-presidents-10b-irs/story?id=132365447

Thomas L. Knapp

Soho Forum Debate: Can Zohran Mamdani Make NYC Affordable?

Source: Reason

“Fordham Law School professor Zephyr Teachout and the Manhattan Institute’s John Ketcham debate the resolution, ‘Mayor Zohran Mamdani is likely to fulfill his campaign pledge to make New York City more affordable for most residents.'” (04/24/26)

https://reason.com/podcast/2026/04/24/can-zohran-mamdani-make-nyc-affordable/

Thomas L. Knapp