Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“Since the inauguration of Donald Trump for a second presidential term, a student loan borrower has fallen into default every nine seconds. A federal appeals court wants to accelerate that process. Last week, a three-judge panel of the Eighth Circuit (which includes two Trump appointees and one appointed by George W. Bush) nullified the Biden administration’s income-driven repayment (IDR) program, versions of which have been in place under presidents of both parties for over three decades. The specific Biden-era version, known as Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE), which nearly seven million borrowers have opted into, was authorized through 2028 by Congress and President Trump in the fiscal mega-bill passed just last year. Yet without any hearing on the merits, the Eighth Circuit unilaterally tossed out the program.” (03/20/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/03/20/trump-biden-student-loan-borrowers-default-saving-on-valuable-education-save-act/
Source: New York Times
“Robert S. Mueller III, who led the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 12 tumultuous years, brought politically explosive indictments as a special counsel examining Russia’s attack on the 2016 presidential election, and then concluded that he could neither absolve nor accuse President Trump of a crime, died on Friday. He was 81. His family confirmed the death in a statement but did not say where he died or give the cause.” (03/21/26)
https://archive.is/GcQaS
Source: LP Alliance
“This week is a unique week. A Libertarian ally has been put in ICE detention, in what we believe is an utterly illegal maneuver. Join us in Solidarity for tonight to learn how to fight with us, on behalf of Izzy!” (03/20/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlsF-YjXb-M
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
“Do we have free will? If, for example, you have decided to read my article, was it up to you whether to do so, or was your decision determined by forces beyond your control? Most people think we do have free will, but there are some influential philosophical arguments that claim we don’t. The situation is quite complex; some philosophers argue that we have free will but are also determined.” (03/20/26)
https://mises.org/friday-philosophy/pink
Source: The American Conservative
by Anik Joshi
“he Iran hawks got the war they’d been seeking for the past decade or more—and they managed to kill off not just nuclear nonproliferation, but the concept of nuclear negotiations altogether. Every regime around the world remotely hostile to superpower interests will have to consider investing in nuclear weapons, as those have proven to be the only way to ensure any given regime’s survival. Given what just happened in Iran, the concept of negotiating that away has been torched, not unlike Golestan Palace in Tehran.” (03/20/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/thanks-to-the-iran-hawks-nuclear-nonproliferation-is-dead/
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ramzy Baroud
“When Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu launched their military aggression against Iran on February 28, they appeared convinced that the war would be swift. Netanyahu reportedly assured Washington that the campaign would deliver a decisive strategic victory – one capable of reordering the Middle East and restoring Israel’s battered deterrence. Whether Netanyahu himself believed that promise is another matter.” (03/20/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/ramzy-baroud/2026/03/19/no-time-for-losers-why-the-war-meant-to-save-israel-may-destroy-it
Source: NBC News
“Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirms that General Ali Mohammad Naeini, its spokesperson, has been killed in an Israeli-US missile attack. … Israel’s Oil Refineries, a refining and petrochemicals company, says an Iranian attack on its complex in Haifa has damaged essential infrastructure. … Iran’s attack on the Ras Laffan gas facility will cut Qatar’s liquefied natural gas export capacity by an estimated 17 percent, which could disrupt supplies to Europe, Asia and beyond. … Millions of Muslims across the Middle East celebrate Eid while Iran also marks Nowruz under the threat of war.” (03/20/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/3/20/iran-war-live-tehran-warns-of-intensified-strikes-if-energy-sites-targeted
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“Five years ago, the Postal Service came up with a 10-year plan for fortifying its financial situation. That was after it had lost $14 billion over a period of 14 years. For the past five years, however, the financial situation has not gotten any better. … Thus, to resolve its crisis, the Postal Service is asking Congress to permit it to borrow more money and to charge more for postage. But does anyone really think that borrowing more money and charging consumers more for postage is going to resolve the Postal Service’s financial woes? There is another solution, one that seemingly hasn’t yet entered the minds of the members of Congress: Simply abolish the Postal Service.” (03/19/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/03/19/abolish-the-postal-service-3/
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
“How foreign censors target American speakers.” (03/19/26)
https://www.fire.org/news/podcasts/so-speak-free-speech-podcast/how-foreign-censors-target-american-speakers
Source: Seattle Times
“U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, remaining in the same range of recent years despite a broadly tepid labor market. The number of Americans filing for jobless aid for the week ending March 14 fell by 8,000 from the previous week to 205,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 215,000 new filings analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet were expecting. Filings for unemployment benefits are viewed as a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.” (03/19/26)
https://archive.is/3i7kd
