Source: Persuasion
by Quico Toro
“When I talk to climate people in rich countries, I find a lot of concern about capitalism, about our alienation from nature and the way capitalist consumption unbalances our relationship with the natural world. Which figures: when you talk to first-world people, you hear a lot about first-world problems. Most climate activists don’t seem very worked up about poverty in the developing world, probably because they just haven’t spent a lot of time with poor people in poor countries, and they just don’t think about them very often. The results are unsurprising. First-world climate activists tend to favor policies that risk making poverty in the developing world worse, and they don’t seem much troubled by this.” (04/23/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-kind-of-climate-activism-that
Source: SFGate
“In 2022, the Maine Legislature took a rare step and required municipalities to adjust local zoning rules in an effort to spur housing construction, a move that generated a fierce debate over state growth targets versus local control. Four years later, the State House may have finally worked out the kinks from that experiment. Municipal legal experts and town managers are hoping a new bill, L.D. 2173, signed by Gov. Janet Mills a week ago, is the last word on land use restrictions, a technical but critical piece of the housing puzzle, for a while. The bill marks the second big adjustment lawmakers have made to zoning laws since L.D. 2003, the landmark 2022 legislation that required towns to remove some regulatory barriers in order to encourage housing production. L.D. 2003 aimed to do this by eliminating single-family zoning restrictions and making it easier to build accessory dwelling units while creating support for communities to develop affordable housing.” (04/23/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/maine-tried-zoning-reform-to-fix-its-housing-22222480.php
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Rages Over Epic Self-Own in Virginia — and Reveals Deeper Weakness.” (04/23/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/209408/trump-rages-epic-self-own-virginia-and-reveals-deeper-weakness
Source: The Daily Economy
by Iain Murray
“Credit is not an artificial construct imposed by financiers or states. It arises because modern commercial life cannot function without it.” (04/23/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/from-shakespeare-to-smith-why-credit-exists-in-every-western-society/
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte will face trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) after judges on Thursday confirmed charges of crimes against humanity over his so-called ‘war on drugs.’ Pre-trial judges ‘unanimously confirmed all the charges … against Rodrigo Roa Duterte and committed him to trial,’ the ICC said in a statement. Duterte will be the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the ICC, which prosecutes individuals for the world’s worst crimes such as war crimes and crimes against humanity.” (04/23/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20260423-ex-philippine-president-duterte-to-stand-trial-at-icc-over-deadly-war-on-drugs
Source: Antiwar.com
“Iran’s IRGC Seizes Two Ships in Strait of Hormuz, Israel Kills Journalist in Lebanon, and More.” (04/22/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R-n83cbCqI
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Michael Boldin
“America was built on a foundation that constitutional violations are a deadly disease. Give government an inch – and they’ll take a few thousand miles, and never stop. And before too long, it’ll get to a place where it’s no longer a Republic, but a long slow coup. Or, as the Declaration of Independence put it, eating ‘out our substance.’ Our rights. Our money. And everything in between. The solution? The ancient Roman principle behind the American Revolution.” (04/22/26)
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2026/04/22/resist-beginnings-the-ancient-roman-maxim-behind-the-american-revolution/
Source: New York Post
by Miranda Devine
“The latest effort to neuter conservatives and force Republicans to surrender comes from a deceptively titled device called ‘The Dignity Index.’ The ruse is fronted by Kennedy relative Tim Shriver, who appears on Fox News in the guise of a perfectly reasonable moderate Democrat, the type we all wish still existed. His pitch is for politicians to treat their opponents with respect, lower the temperature of public debate and restore civility to public life. Who could be against such laudable goals? But whom does the pitch not remind you of? President Trump, of course, with his bare-knuckled, smash-mouth, macho belligerence. Trump is the antithesis of the gentle tone Shriver is trying to elevate as the core virtue of leadership ahead of the midterms. But the dignity blather is just a fancy way of damning Trump for mean tweets.” (04/22/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/04/22/opinion/miranda-devine-the-lefts-dignity-index-is-a-weak-attempt-to-disarm-republicans-and-disguise-their-own-hate/
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Cocaine, cannabis, laughing gas and prescription pills are being offered for sale in mini-marts on UK High Streets, a BBC investigation can reveal. They were readily offered to our undercover researchers who secretly filmed in shops across four neighbouring West Midlands towns. One street we visited was described as ‘lawless’ by an anonymous law enforcement source. Just a few miles away, in a town where we found illegal drugs being sold in shops, legitimate businesses told us they had been intimidated by gangs – and witnessed knife and gun violence. Across the country, shopfronts are being exploited by organised criminal gangs that have gained a foothold pushing illegal drugs, say both the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI).” (04/23/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62l429w2pko
Source: Liberal Currents
“Look at my Iran negotiator, dawg, we’re never getting through the Strait of Hormuz. Friend of the program Y. L. Al-Sheikh helps us understand the unfolding diplomatic and military nightmare that is the Middle East, and how the United States plays a role in each.” (04/22/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/understanding-israel-palestine-iran-and-lebanon-half-the-answer-79-with-y-l-al-sheikh/
