Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“James Roscoe, the deputy to Britain’s ambassador in Washington, has abruptly left his role. Foreign Office officials declined to give any explanation for why Roscoe had, as they put it, ‘left his post.’ Until his sudden departure, Roscoe held one of the most senior, high-profile roles in the British diplomatic service, as second-in-command at the British Embassy in Washington. He had also stood in for Lord Peter Mandelson for several months after he was sacked last year. Roscoe was one of those tipped to take over the role, which ultimately went to another official, Sir Christian Turner. He played a key role in President Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK and in King Charles III’s recent visit to the US. The British Embassy declined to comment further about his departure. Roscoe could not be reached for comment.” (05/20/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0520j079n2o
Source: Lions of Liberty
“What You Kill: Taking Ownership of Your Income.” (05/19/26)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/ff-what-you-kill-taking-ownership-of-your-income
Source: Law & Liberty
by Brent Orrell
“The standard account is that AI works best with a ‘human in the loop.’ This phrase emerges from minds deeply shaped by technology: the tech is the main thing, and the human is an occasionally useful add-on, the quality controller and manager of the machine-produced conclusion. This formulation has the relationship backwards. The biggest problem with AI, as many have noted, is that it does not ‘get it.’ Its utility collapses around questions of continuity, and intellectual and social context. And ‘getting it,’ as we have known all along, is the most important aspect of life and work.” (05/20/26)
https://lawliberty.org/forum/shaping-the-humans-who-run-the-machines/
Source: The American Prospect
by Ryan Cooper
“SpaceX is planning a monster initial public offering (IPO). Elon Musk is reportedly seeking to raise some $75 billion, at a valuation of $1.75 trillion, next month. It will be both his birthday and a moment when Venus and Jupiter will be in alignment. It would be the biggest IPO in history by far, utterly dwarfing Saudi Aramco’s $29 billion figure back in 2019. Musk might sell those shares, too. One reason why, despite the ludicrous valuation, is that stock indices are changing their rules to allow SpaceX to join almost right away and with fewer conditions, thus forcing investors who follow a passive strategy, like index funds and many pension funds, to buy the company’s shares.” (05/20/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/05/20/elon-musk-spacex-stock-ipo/
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The Philippine Supreme Court has refused to block the arrest of a senator wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity. Senator Ronald dela Rosa, whose whereabouts are unknown, is wanted by the court in The Hague for his role in the country’s ‘war on drugs’ during Rodrigo Duterte’s 2016-2022 presidency. … The interim ruling on Wednesday clears the way for the potential arrest of the senator, the latest turn in a dramatic story that has gripped the Philippines since early last week. Dela Rosa emerged from six months of hiding last week and took refuge at the Senate for several days before fleeing in the early hours of Thursday after a shooting incident between government agents and Senate security personnel that sent senators rushing for cover in their offices.” (05/20/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/20/philippines-top-court-rejects-bid-to-block-arrest-of-senator-wanted-by-icc
Source: Reason
“Why Populism Leads to Decline.” (05/20/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/05/20/why-populism-leads-to-decline/
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by David Vine
“Trump has indicated his intention to continue fighting wars with his proposal to fund the largest military budget in U.S. history: $1,500,000,000,000 ($1.5 trillion). This would send two-thirds of next year’s federal discretionary budget to what he calls the ‘Department of War’ (which is actually more honest than the official name, the Department of Defense). $1.5 trillion would be around a 50% increase over this year’s military budget and on par in real terms with the largest military budgets during World War II. Congress and the public must reject Trump’s $1.5 trillion proposal as the joke it is. They must also resist his plans to make a ‘supplemental’ request for up to $200 billion more for the war in Iran, which is already as unpopular as U.S. conflicts in Iraq and Vietnam. Congress should be cutting the war budget by hundreds of billions of dollars rather than irresponsibly inflating it further.” (05/20/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-increases-military-budget/
Source: Persuasion
by Francis Fukuyama
“Trump returned to Washington with little to show for his visit: only two agreements on opening Chinese markets to U.S. products, and no political help in the Middle East. China did agree to buy 200 Boeing aircraft (fewer than expected), but it has failed to follow through on similar announcements in the past. The White House also claimed that China has agreed to purchase $17 billion of agricultural products, but China has not confirmed this. It did not prevent Trump from claiming that they ‘did great trade deals’ and that the meeting was ‘a great success.’ It was the optics of the meeting that demonstrated how far Trump has fallen in Chinese eyes.” (05/19/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/what-xi-knows-that-trump-doesnt
Source: SFGate
“U.S. Marines test fired a dozen rockets from a mobile launcher on Wednesday at a range in the foothills of Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji, in an exercise to keep sharp on weapon that is a growingly important component of the American military’s arsenal. The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is a launcher mounted on the back of a military truck that can be rapidly brought out from concealment, fire its rockets, then move quickly to a new location to avoid counter-battery fire. The so-called ‘shoot and scoot’ tactics are becoming increasingly important with the proliferation of drones over the battlefield, which make static positions more vulnerable. The system has been used by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and most recently U.S. Central Command said it was employed in the opening attack on Iran where it launched a new precision-guided rocket that could reach targets hundreds of miles away.” (05/20/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/us-test-fires-mobile-rocket-system-near-mount-22268176.php
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“Understanding Iran | Robert Wright & Hamidreza Azizi.” (05/19/26)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/69489
