Epstein Files: An Opportunity for Libertarians

Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Ron Paul

“Those who have examined the Epstein files have seen information about how connected Jeffrey Epstein was to members of the political, business, and academic elites. Many of these connections started after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. The Epstein files support claims that Epstein worked with intelligence agencies, in particular Israel’s Mossad and the American CIA. Yet the mainstream media and most politicians seem uninterested in whether Epstein used underage girls in a scheme to blackmail powerful individuals on behalf of intelligence agencies. Fortunately, the alternative media is not afraid to discuss Epstein’s intelligence connections or any other matters related to Epstein, including suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.” (02/24/26)

https://mises.org/power-market/epstein-files-opportunity-libertarians

AI Goes to Bat for Valerie Foushee

Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen

“When we last left Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC), she was getting massively outspent in her March 3 Democratic primary for re-election in the Fourth Congressional District, where she faces Durham County commissioner Nida Allam. But that million-dollar deficit has now been mostly made up by a super PAC linked to artificial intelligence model designer Anthropic, makers of Claude, which is now dumping nearly $700,000 into supporting Foushee. Another $250,000 has been put toward Foushee by a mysterious PAC with ties to Democratic leadership. Jobs and Democracy PAC is Anthropic’s super PAC and part of an umbrella organization called Public First, which has been trying to give off a vibe of being the kinder, gentler AI super PAC, dedicated to prudent regulation rather than rampant accelerationism. The headline on Jobs and Democracy PAC’s website reads: ‘Supporting Democrats who put people before Big Tech.'” (02/25/26)

https://prospect.org/2026/02/25/ai-anthropic-claude-super-pac-valerie-foushee-congress-north-carolina/

Court: IRS can continue leaking taxpayer data to violent gang

Source: Orange County Register

“A Washington, D.C., federal court on Tuesday rejected a request from an immigrant rights group to temporarily block the IRS from sharing certain taxpayer data that could make it easier to [abduct] people who are in the U.S. illegally [sic]. A three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit declined to issue a preliminary injunction for the immigrants’ rights group, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, and other nonprofits that are suing the federal government over the data-sharing agreement signed last April by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The agreement allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally [sic] to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records.” (02/24/26)

https://www.ocregister.com/2026/02/24/irs-immigrant-taxpayer-data-ice/

Mexico’s Unrest Is a Predictable Consequence of the War on Drugs

Source: Independent Institute
by Kristian Fors

“America’s fentanyl crisis and the deaths associated with cartel violence have a common cause: the war on drugs. The criminalization of drugs does not eliminate demand. Instead, it creates a void in the marketplace for illicit actors to fill — one that provides these actors with supernormal profits. Like compressing a strong spring, that pushes back the more you push on it — the drug war cannot be won through decapitation.” (02/24/26)

https://www.independent.org/article/2026/02/24/mexico-war-drugs/

Do K-12 students have the right to walk out in protest?

Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Adam Goldstein

“Walkouts are a recurring form of student protest; students have used them to oppose gun violence, protest against racial injustice, call attention to climate change, protest wars, and more. Is there a right to walk out? Are states censoring students by pushing back? The short answer is that the First Amendment protects students’ rights to express views, but not the right to walk out of class to express them. But there’s a lot to unpack.” (02/24/26)

https://www.fire.org/news/do-k-12-students-have-right-walk-out-protest

Old man yells at Congress again

Source: Bloomberg

“President Donald Trump offered a strident defense of his administration and economic record, declaring the nation is ‘bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before’ in a State of the Union address that contained few new policy announcements. The president on Tuesday staged his version of a pep rally for a beleaguered nation, celebrating Olympic victories and military heroism while pledging better fortunes for the public — all while attacking his rival Democrats. … ‘We have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before, and a turnaround for the ages,’ he said in a speech that lasted a record one hour and 47 minutes. ‘You’ve seen nothing yet.'” (02/24/26)

https://archive.is/TaK1J

Tariff Refunds: Honest Policy Would Be Smart Politics

Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp

“On February 20, the US Supreme Court ruled part of US president Donald Trump’s crazy-quilt tariff scheme illegal in its particulars. … Tariff victims had already begun preemptively suing for the restitution they’re owed even before the Supreme Court ruling, and since that ruling other companies, including FedEx, have also initiated court proceedings. The victims shouldn’t HAVE to sue.  President Trump SHOULD just order the US Treasury to refund the money immediately. That would be the honest thing to do. … Refunding the money wouldn’t just be honest policy, it would be smart politics. … eight months of economic recovery would certainly help his party, and him, out.” (02/24/26)

https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20390