Source: Independent Institute
by Craig Eyermann
“The U.S. government’s total public debt outstanding is on the verge of permanently surpassing $39 trillion. In truth, it already has, first breaching it on March 17, 2026. Since then, it’s bounced around that level, sometimes over, sometimes under. This situation won’t last. Soon, the U.S. government will borrow even more money to support its excessive spending. When it does, it will leave $39 trillion in the rear-view mirror, probably for good.” (04/15/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/04/15/another-trillion-national-debt/
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Russian strikes killed at least 12 people in Ukraine, local authorities have said, after Moscow pummelled its neighbour in overnight attacks. Missile and drone attacks on the southern port city of Odesa killed six people, the head of the city’s military administration, Sergiy Lysak, wrote on Telegram on Thursday. Strikes on the capital Kyiv killed at least four people, including a 12-year-old, the state emergency service of Ukraine said, while another two people died in the central city of Dnipro, according to Oleksandr Ganzha, the head of the regional administration.” 904/16/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/16/russia-drone-missile-strikes-ukraine-kyiv-dnipro
Source: Reason
by Eric Boehm
“The executive branch is out of control. We’re now more than six weeks into a deeply unpopular, unnecessary war with Iran that lacks any semblance of congressional authorization. The Trump administration has sent masked, unaccountable goons into American cities, where they have harassed and arrested innocent people and killed multiple times. President Donald Trump’s signature economic policy is an illegal tax increase that his administration is refusing to refund. Congress has been unwilling or unable to stop these unlawful actions. If legislators will not deploy ‘the power of the purse,’ then it falls to the rest of us to do something. That’s why I have stopped paying the federal income tax. I’m not the only one doing it. I think you should, too.” (04/15/26)
https://reason.com/2026/04/15/trumps-illegal-war-in-iran-is-financed-by-your-taxes-thats-a-good-reason-to-stop-paying-them/
Source: The Political Orphanage
“War Without Coffins.” (04/15/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/war-without-coffins
Source: NBC News
“Senate Republicans voted down a resolution Wednesday pushed by Democrats to prohibit President Donald Trump from taking further military action in Iran. The vote was 47-52, largely along party lines. Once again, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was the only Republican to vote for the measure and Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., was the only Democrat or independent to vote against it. (Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., missed the vote.) It was the latest instance of Republicans rejecting attempts to end the war or rein in Trump’s authority to act without congressional approval.” [editor’s note: Trump HAS no “authority” under US law to wage war without a congressional declaration – TLK] (04/15/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-republicans-block-democratic-effort-end-trumps-iran-war-rcna331819
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Wendy McElroy
“Individuals may feel powerless but, in fact, individuals are the only restorative for civil society because they are the ones who can bind it together by establishing what is called ‘high trust.’ A high-trust society is characterized by members who reasonably expect others in the community to treat them fairly, which encourages voluntary association far beyond family bonds or other tight networks.” (04/16/26)
https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/civil-society-needs-the-high-trust-that-only-individuals-can-provide/
Source: Haaretz [Israel]
“Israel’s High Court of Justice is discussing petitions seeking to compel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remove Itamar Ben-Gvir from his position as national security minister, citing alleged interference in police work and harm to democratic norms. Four groups of citizens filed the petitions against Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and the government. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara supports the petitioners, who argue that the minister’s removal is required due to what they describe as systematic, ongoing violations of police independence and the transformation of the police from a law-enforcement body into a political instrument.” (04/15/26)
https://archive.is/8UADd
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“Why does government continually grow in size and in power? If you look at a roster of things it meddled with a century ago compared to today, you’ll notice today’s list is much longer and more comprehensive. Government is never satisfied; it never has enough control. It won’t give up control or take “no” for a final answer. If it loses in court (which it controls), it acts as though it didn’t. Often, it doubles down on its illegal activities. This is because there are no immediate, painful consequences for its defiant criminality. It lies, and many people still believe it.” (04/16/26)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2026/04/15/voices/opinion-the-government-never-stops-growing/233211.html
Source: Deutsche Welle [German state media]
“Chinese President Xi Jinping brought up the significance of the friendship treaty between Beijing and Moscow on Wednesday in a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Xi described relations with Russia as particularly ‘precious,’ calling for deeper cooperation and mutual support. He said both countries should strengthen coordination and defend shared interests, Chinese state media reported. The Russian foreign minister offered China Russia’s help in boosting energy supplies to offset disruptions caused by the Iran war, including constraints on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.” (04/15/26)
https://www.dw.com/en/xi-hails-china-russia-ties-signals-bigger-role-in-iran-war/a-76787130
Source: Cato Institute
by Jon Hoffman
“For more than eight decades, Washington has rooted its regional strategy in the ‘myth of authoritarian stability’ — the belief that select autocratic states are the best guarantors of regional stability and US interests in the Middle East. … The United States has consistently sought to expand its authoritarian client network by acting against adversarial governments in the region with the objective of installing more compliant regimes. Since the end of World War II, Washington has pursued regime change in the Middle East on average once per decade. The governments residing within the US-led regional order also push the United States toward status quo policies to advance their own interests, echoing the same pro-authoritarian rationales used by Washington to justify continued American support. Freedom, therefore, was never the objective in Iran.” (04/15/26)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/it-has-never-been-about-freedom
