Source: The Daily Beast
by Michael Ian Black

“What’s Tulsi Gabbard’s big, bad secret? Our current Director of National Intelligence-meets-birthday party Cruella De Vil is the subject of a whistleblower complaint reportedly so explosive that the file itself requires Mission: Impossible-like security. Even teasing its nature would provoke such ‘grave damage,’ in the words of Gabbard’s own office, that it’s probably better for all parties concerned to just pretend it doesn’t exist at all, right? Well … no. What charge could possibly be so damning in an administration whose leader has already been credibly accused of any number of high crimes and dank depravities? It can’t be that she works for the Russians because (1) we already suspected that and (2) half the administration (allegedly) works for the Russians, including the aforementioned President. Well, maybe it can — let’s circle back to that.” (02/05/26)

https://archive.is/ku4tS

Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Ryan McMaken

“Whenever a new US president is sworn in, media pundits and court historians gush about the supposed ‘peaceful transfer of power’ that is taking place. This has become a key tenet of the mythology and ideology surrounding democracy — that governing elites willfully abandon their control over the machinery of the state in response to election outcomes. Indeed, this narrative about democracy is absolutely foundational to the perceived legitimacy of democracy. The contention that elections lead to a ‘peaceful transfer of power’ reinforces the idea that the governing elites are determined by elections, and therefore by the ‘will of the people.’ If ‘we the people’ vote for a new group of rulers, then the old leaders will step aside a new group will take over. At least, that’s how the story goes.” (02/05/26)

https://mises.org/mises-wire/why-americas-two-party-system-will-never-threaten-true-political-elites

Source: Law & Liberty
by George Liebmann

“Anyone reading the briefs and transcript of oral argument in the recent Slaughter case involving the president’s power to remove members of independent regulatory agencies can only be amazed at the lack of historical perspective of all the major actors, including counsel. All treat Article II of the Constitution as a perfect model of executive unity, the only issue being how far its powers extend. In truth, the drafting and history of Article II show that there have always been reservations with and limits to the unitary character of the executive branch.” (02/05/26)

https://lawliberty.org/historical-perspective-on-the-unitary-executive/

Source: Common Dreams
by Cabinet of the Progressive International

“We will not mince words. The ‘policy’ of the Trump administration is a total siege: a modern mechanism for collective punishment designed to strangle life itself by cutting off fuel for hospitals, schools, water, transport, and food distribution. Cuba already faces severe fuel shortages, with blackouts stretching daily and essential services collapsing under the weight of sanctions and depleted imports. Cuba’s remaining oil stocks could run out in mere weeks, threatening the lives of millions who have done nothing to justify this escalation. This is the culmination of a long-standing strategy articulated in US law — from the expansive embargo codified by the Helms–Burton Act in the 1990s to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations first enforced in the 1960s — that openly sought to apply ‘maximum pressure’ to force political transformation in Havana and defeat a vanguard in the struggle against the US’s hemispheric domination.” (02/05/25)

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/us-embargo-cuba