The “Foreign Policy Consensus” Is Alive and Well in Washington

Source: Libertarian Institute
by Jose Nino

“Despite branding himself a political outsider, President Donald Trump’s foreign policy reflects a deep continuity with the bipartisan consensus that has defined U.S. interventionism since the Cold War. … The continuity of the American imperium — from Bush to Obama to Trump — makes clear that elections change personalities, not policies. A genuine break from endless war and global overreach requires more than a new president; it demands a total upheaval of the current ruling class.” (04/17/25)

https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-foreign-policy-consensus-is-alive-and-well-in-washington

Thomas L. Knapp

Lebanon: Military detains several people on suspicion of firing rockets at Israel

Source: Associated Press

“The Lebanese military said it has detained a group of people linked to firing rockets into Israel last month. The army said in a statement late Wednesday that those detained included a number of Palestinians who were involved in firing rockets in two separate attacks toward Israel in late March that triggered [sic] intense Israeli airstrikes on parts of Lebanon. … The army said that a vehicle and other equipment used in the rockets attacks were confiscated and the detainees were referred to judicial authorities. The army said it had carried out raids in different parts of Lebanon to detain the suspects without giving further details.” (04/17/25)

https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-israel-rockets-palestinians-detained-hamas-7c2be638daa75ecc39e5c89515d616b7

Thomas L. Knapp

Immigration Controls or Liberty? Which Will It Be?

Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger

“With his nationwide immigration crackdown, President Trump is unwittingly providing a tremendous service to the libertarian movement. He is demonstrating perfectly a point that I have been making for the past 35 years here at The Future of Freedom Foundation: that America’s system of immigration controls is incompatible with libertarianism.” (04/17/25)

https://www.fff.org/2025/04/17/immigration-controls-or-liberty-which-will-it-be/

Thomas L. Knapp

Trump’s War Against the Ivy League Is All Smokescreen

Source: RealClearPolitics
by Froma Harrop

“Let’s cut to the chase. Most of Donald Trump’s threats against Ivy League colleges are an attempt to divert attention away from an economy heading into crisis. The trade war is producing economic and foreign policy nightmares. Despite the DOGE show, budget deficits are projected to rise further under Republican rule. The stock market is traumatized. Investors are starting to bail out of U.S. Treasury debt. Recession and possibly stagflation are both forecast. Even Trump’s beloved oil drillers are suffering. The stock of the fracking company once run by Energy Secretary Chris Wright has fallen 43% this year. The U.S. already had ‘energy dominance’ under Joe Biden. Now it faces oversupply. And so Trump has chosen a target associated with the elitism that his MAGA base has come to resent. Better that MAGA fume over those Ivy leftists than plans to cut the Medicaid that so much of the base relies on.” (04/17/25)

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2025/04/17/trumps_war_against_the_ivy_league_is_all_smokescreen_152663.html

Thomas L. Knapp

Foreign students sue Trump officials over revoked visas as nearly 1,000 affected

Source: The Guardian [UK]

“Several international students who have had their visas revoked in recent weeks have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, arguing the government denied them due process when it suddenly took away their permission to be in the US. The actions by the federal government to terminate students’ legal status have left hundreds of scholars at risk of detention and deportation. Their schools range from private universities such as Harvard and Stanford to large public institutions such as the University of Maryland and Ohio State University and to some small liberal arts colleges. At least 901 students at 128 colleges and universities have had their visas revoked or their legal status terminated since mid-March, according to an Associated Press review of university statements and correspondence with school officials.” (04/17/25)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/17/trump-international-students-visas

Thomas L. Knapp