US appeals court says Noem’s decision to end protections for Venezuelans in US was illegal

Source: San Diego Union-Tribune

“A federal appeals court ruled late Wednesday that the Trump administration acted illegally when it ended legal protections that gave hundreds of thousands of people from Venezuela permission to live and work in the United States. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that found Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem exceeded her authority when she ended temporary protected status for Venezuelans. The decision, however, will not have any immediate practical effect after the U.S. Supreme Court in October allowed Noem’s decision to take effect pending a final decision by the justices.” (01/29/26)

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/01/29/noem-decision-venezuelans-appeals-court/

Thomas L. Knapp

Higher Education May Be Beyond Saving, Unless …

Source: Independent Institute
by Richard K Vedder

“I’ve spent more than two-thirds of a century (since 1958) at American universities. Never in all those years has their earned and deserved reputation as the best in the world suffered bigger threats than today. U.S. colleges and universities not only have behaved abysmally, but they’re now paying a high price for showing contempt for the prevailing values of the public that sustains them. … Can and will universities be saved, overcoming this crisis? Not without some serious behavioral modification.” (01/29/26)

https://www.independent.org/article/2026/01/29/higher-education-may-be-beyond-saving-unless/

Thomas L. Knapp

We Can’t Repeat It Enough: Privatize the Roads

Source: Libertarian Institute
by Patrick Carroll

“The libertarian position on driver’s licenses, on drunk driving, on human-driven cars, on speed limits, and every other road rule is the same as it has always been: privatize the roads and let private road owners make their own rules. If one is asked ‘What shall the government do if privatization is off the table,’ the answer is ‘Libertarian principle does not mandate a particular second-best solution, only that the right thing to do is complete privatization.’ If road privatization is thought to be undesirable for whatever reason, then that is understandable — but then the person with this position is simply not a libertarian on this question.” (01/29/26)

https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/we-cant-repeat-it-enough-privatize-the-roads

Thomas L. Knapp

The Murderers Among Us

Source: CounterPunch
by Eve Ottenberg

“Since Donald Trump took office in 2025, ICE has murdered at least 34 people in the U.S. It has deported 623,900 people. Those are not negligible numbers. They are the beginning – mark that, the beginning – of the ethnic cleansing of America. They are the first shot across the bow of any contraption or conglomeration that might oppose shipping nonwhites out of country. There are 68 million Hispanics in the U.S., and it’s safe to say that Scharfuhrer Stephen Miller wants to deport them all. Will Trump’s henchmen limit their ambitions to Hispanics? I doubt it.” (01/29/26)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/01/29/the-murderers-among-us/

Thomas L. Knapp

Saudi and Israeli officials visit DC to discuss possible US strikes on Iran

Source: Axios

“The Trump administration is hosting senior defense and intelligence officials from Israel and Saudi Arabia for talks on Iran this week as President Trump considers military strikes, two U.S. officials and two other sources with knowledge told Axios. Trump has ordered a U.S. military buildup in the Gulf to prepare for potential military action. Israel, Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region have been on high alert for days in anticipation of a U.S. strike. The Israelis came to D.C. to share intelligence on possible targets inside Iran. The Saudis, meanwhile, are highly concerned about a potential regional war and are trying to help broker a diplomatic solution.” (01/29/26)

https://archive.is/KhiAK

Thomas L. Knapp