Source: Freedom and Flourishing
by Winton Bates

“We do not yet know whether AI will develop a sense of self. We can be confident, however, that if an AI system does develop a sense of self, it will be because it serves a useful purpose for that system. That suggests to me that any intelligent system that has evolved to have a sense of self is likely to have good reasons to cling to it. I refer to AI to invite readers to ponder the motivations that humans have to cling to their individual identity rather than seeking to dissolve it or escape from it.” (04/02/26)

https://www.freedomandflourishing.com/2026/04/would-conscious-ai-also-cling-to-its.html

Source: Persuasion
by Francis Fukuyama

“It’s a conceit of foreign policy intellectuals to try to infer from statements and events a consistent doctrine underlying an administration’s activities. It should be clear by now that there is no such thing as a Trump doctrine. The administration itself tried to articulate such a doctrine last November when it went through the ritual of producing a National Security Strategy for the second Trump term. It’s clear today that that strategy document bears no relationship to actual administration foreign policy.” (04/02/26)

https://www.persuasion.community/p/theres-no-such-thing-as-the-trump

Source: Cobden Centre
by Tim Price

“The petrodollar, per Grok, refers to U.S. dollars earned by oil-exporting countries (primarily OPEC members, plus others like Russia and Norway) from crude oil exports. It is not a separate currency but simply dollars received in payment for oil. The term also describes the broader petrodollar system: the longstanding global practice of pricing and trading most international oil in U.S. dollars, which creates sustained worldwide demand for the dollar. … The decision by the West to freeze Russia’s foreign reserves (including US dollars and US Treasury bonds) was the first nail in the coffin for the dollar, obliging sovereign countries to favour stateless assets such as gold. The decision by the US to join Israel in military adventuring against Iran will likely prove the first nail in the coffin for the petrodollar (and similarly boost prospects for the likes of gold over the medium term).” (04/02/26)

https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/04/regime-change/

Source: Fox News
by Mike Davis

“At the core of our sovereignty is the right to determine who is entitled to citizenship. The Fourteenth Amendment grants citizenship to people born in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara, a case concerning the lawfulness of President Trump’s commonsense executive order that restores the original understanding of birthright citizenship.” [editor’s note: Even before the 14th Amendment, the US practiced birthright citizenship from its founding, as did it its parent country. “Born here, citizen here” IS the original understanding – TLK] (04/02/26)

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/mike-davis-sanity-must-restored-birthright-citizenship

Source: The Atlantic
by Ali Breland

“Conservatives are criticizing influencers for going too far.” (04/02/26)

https://archive.is/Hzo54

Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum

“There was little rhyme or reason to the president’s ’emergency’ tariffs, which fluctuated wildly depending on his mood.” (04/02/26)

https://reason.com/2026/04/02/trumps-mercurial-constantly-changing-import-taxes-took-american-businesses-on-a-wild-ride/