Source: Associated Press
“Agrochemical maker Bayer and attorneys for cancer patients announced a proposed $7.25 billion settlement Tuesday to resolve thousands of U.S. lawsuits alleging the company failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller Roundup could cause cancer. The proposed settlement comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to hear arguments in April on Bayer’s assertion that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of Roundup without a cancer warning should invalidate claims filed in state courts. That case would not be affected by the proposed settlement. But the settlement would eliminate some of the risk from an eventual Supreme Court ruling. Patients would be assured of receiving settlement money even if the Supreme Court rules in Bayer’s favor. And Bayer would be protected from potentially larger costs if the high court rules against it.” (02/17/26)
https://apnews.com/article/bayer-monsanto-roundup-lawsuits-settlement-154ad7c6bdff3a91b06c4e327321160b
Source: Reason
by Eric Boehm
“Much of President Donald Trump’s economic policy rests on the idea that the United States doesn’t need global trade in order to prosper. A sizable portion of the rest of the world might be ready to put that sentiment to the test. Canada, Mexico, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and 11 wealthy nations across the Indo-Pacific region are taking the first steps toward a globe-spanning trade deal that would encompass nearly 40 nations and over 1.5 billion people …. Though it is a long way from a done deal, the attempt to link most of the world’s largest non-U.S., non-China economies into a single economic bloc is perhaps the most significant sign that the rest of the world is preparing for a future where America is no longer pushing for open markets and free trade. But it is not the only sign.” (02/17/26)
https://reason.com/2026/02/17/the-world-has-turned-and-left-me-here/
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“Iran and the United States reached an understanding on the main ‘guiding principles’ in a second round of nuclear talks in Geneva on Tuesday, but work still needs to be done, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. … After the exchange of documents, the two sides will decide on a date for a third round of negotiations, he said. The U.S. has sent a battle force to the Middle East to press Tehran to make concessions in the decades-long nuclear dispute and President Donald Trump has said ‘regime change’ in Tehran may be the best thing that can happen. Iranian state media reported earlier that Iran would temporarily shut part of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil supply route, as it held talks over its nuclear program with the United States, which has sent a battle force to the Gulf region to press Tehran to make concessions.” (02/17/26)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/iran-strait-of-hormuz-nucleur-talks-united-states-9.7093310
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“You probably use a computer — in fact, you’re probably reading this column on a computer. For 72% of you, that computer is the ubiquitous ‘standard’ Windows PC or laptop. For 20% of you, it’s a Mac. The other 8% of you oddballs mostly use Linux or (Linux-based) ChromeOS. I know the 92% of you who use Windows or macOS get tired of the cool kids telling you this, but it should be the other way around. Almost everyone should be using Linux almost all the time. Instead of leading off with the technical reasons why, though, I want to hit you with the political, and personal financial, reasons for making the switch.” (02/17/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20378
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by Scott Baldauf
“It’s not every day that a reporter gets an email from Ben Franklin. In the course of reporting a story on historical reenactors from the American Revolutionary War period, I was in regular email contact with two Ben Franklins, one George Washington, and an 18th-century tavern owner from the British colony of New Hampshire. One of the Bens invited me to read his Substack column. It reads exactly like Ben Franklin would have written it if he did, in fact, live in a society that had capitalized on the newly discovered energy source of electricity, taken a magical carriage ride through the Industrial Age to the computer age, and ditched typeset printing tools for digital publishing. Why would a Monitor reporter do any of this? The answer is right there in the headlines we read (or avoid reading) every day.” (02/17/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/From-the-Editors/2026/0217/founding-fathers-wisdom
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
“A Guatemalan driver fleeing a Georgia traffic stop by federal immigration officers crashed into another vehicle, killing a teacher who was headed to work, authorities and school officials said. Oscar Vasquez Lopez, the driver accused of causing the Monday crash just outside of Savannah, remained jailed Tuesday on charges including vehicular homicide, reckless driving and driving without a valid license. Lopez, 38, is in the U.S. illegally [sic], according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration officers were looking for Lopez to enforce an immigration judge’s 2024 deportation order, ICE spokesperson Lindsay Williams said Tuesday, noting that Lopez has no other [sic] criminal history.” (02/17/26)
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/02/17/immigration-enforcement-fatal-crash/
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Jacob Savage on the Costs of the Great Awokening.” (02/17/26)
https://writing.yaschamounk.com/p/jacob-savage
Source: Bet On It
by “Chris Andrews”
“The politics of immigration show how positions far outside the center can undermine achievable reforms. Public opinion currently opposes the Trump administration and ICE tactics, but most voters also don’t support dramatic departures from existing immigration laws, such as open borders or blanket protections for all undocumented immigrants. During the year of our last presidential election, polling suggested voters still prefer Republicans to Democrats on immigration. Voters seemed uneasy with the Biden administration’s policies, associated with limits on deportations and reduced interior enforcement.” (02/17/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/why-politicians-should-stay-inside
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave delivers his radar segment fact checking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) statements that Venezuela is ‘below the equator’ and on the history of the Americas.” (02/17/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5735553-rising-february-17-2026/
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Gabriel Giguere
“It’s not news to anyone that European governments love to over-regulate. But last year, worried about emerging AI technology, European lawmakers took their regulatory habit even further. In an act of economic self-sabotage, they implemented a ‘regulate first, innovate later’ approach to AI. Instead of waiting for technological innovations to emerge and then responding with appropriate regulation, the European Commission decided it would be the first major regulatory body to pre-empt the innovation and regulate it right away, sight unseen. If it weren’t so misguided, this self-parody would be laughable. In any case, it’s an approach Canada needs to avoid.” (02/17/26)
https://fee.org/articles/dont-follow-europe-by-over-regulating-ai/
