How American Progressives Influenced Hitler

Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by William L Anderson

“In a recent article, I agreed with Justice Clarence Thomas that progressivism did (and still does) much damage to our body politic and our society. Obviously, the so-called intelligentsia in academe, politics, and the media didn’t agree. What really set off the critics, however, was Thomas’s claim that progressivism had helped pave the way for Hitler, Stalin, and Mao. Hitler, of course, is universally hated while both Stalin and Mao — despite their mass murdering — were roundly praised by the western intellectuals and journalists. … [E]was not a minor point of progressive thinking and held only by a small minority at that. Instead, eugenics as promoted by American progressives was an important part of their entire belief system, which held to the supremacy of ‘science,’ as opposed to governance by mere passions.” (06/11/26)

https://mises.org/mises-wire/how-american-progressives-influenced-hitler

Thomas L. Knapp

My AI Opinions

Source: Astral Codex Ten
by Scott Alexander

“AI has gone from ‘dumber than a child’ to ‘expert level’ in a few years in many domains. The gap between ‘expert level’ and ‘above top geniuses’ is smaller, so we expect it to take less time. This has been a pattern in fields like chess and Go, where it’s only a been a few years from beating professional players at all to beating all humans.” (06/11/26)

https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/my-ai-opinions

Thomas L. Knapp

UK: Healey resigns as defense secretary, accuses regime of not spending enough on military

Source: Independent [UK]

“John Healey has dramatically resigned as defence secretary, warning Sir Keir Starmer that his defence investment plan (Dip) ‘falls well short of what is required.’ His shock resignation comes amid mounting tensions within the Cabinet over the publication of the long-delayed plan, which will set out how new equipment and defence infrastructure will be funded in the next decade. In his resignation letter to the prime minister – which he said he ‘never expected to write’ – Mr Healey accused Sir Keir and the chancellor of having been ‘unwilling to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats.'” (06/11/26)

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/john-healey-resigns-defence-secretary-spending-plan-latest-news-b2993909.html

Thomas L. Knapp

The Smartphone, A Modern Miracle of Free Trade

Source: Cobden Centre

“This speech was given at the Beurs van Berlage, which was built as the Amsterdam Stock Exchange more than a century ago. Amsterdam was a pioneer of free trade and free enterprise for centuries. One of the companies [Max Rangeley] discussed was ASML, a Dutch company that is arguably the most important in the world right now for microchip fabrication, having pioneered extreme ultraviolet lithography, which enables intricate nanoscale manufacturing.” (06/11/26)

https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/06/speech-in-amsterdam-the-smartphone-a-modern-miracle-of-free-trade/

Thomas L. Knapp

An Unwarranted War, a Global Economic Drag

Source: Antiwar.com
by Dan Steinbock

“When the US-Iran conflict escalated earlier this year, the immediate concern centered on oil prices and the Strait of Hormuz. But the real danger was never confined to crude oil. The crisis has evolved into a broader energy, logistics, fertilizer, food and financial shock. What began as a regional conflict has become a structural drag on the global economy.” (06/11/26)

https://original.antiwar.com/dan_steinbock/2026/06/10/an-unwarranted-war-a-global-economic-drag/

Thomas L. Knapp

It must be June, as hysterical leftists [sic] whine they want to pack SCOTUS

Source: Fox News
by Kelly Shackelford

“It’s June, which means the U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to issue some of its most significant opinions of the term and, predictably, radicals on the political left are renewing their hysterical calls for sweeping changes to the court whenever decisions fail to align with their preferred policy outcomes. In recent years, virtually every Supreme Court ruling that has diverged from progressive policy preferences has been met with demands for so-called ‘court reform.’ This year, however, many prominent voices have abandoned any pretense of moderation, with demands for packing the court becoming the norm. U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, one of the most influential members of the Democratic Party, recently stated, ‘The Supreme Court is a disgrace. In the new Congress, we’re going to have to do something about this Supreme Court and let me be very clear: Everything is on the table — everything — to deal with this corrupt MAGA majority.'” (06/11/26)

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/must-june-hysterical-leftists-whine-want-pack-supreme-court

Steve Trinward

Pentagon on lockdown, hazmat crews rush in over “hazardous materials incident”

Source: New York Post

“The Pentagon is on lockdown Thursday as emergency workers respond to the Department of War’s headquarters for ‘a hazardous materials incident,’ Arlington County Fire and EMS said in a post to X. ‘ACFD units, including our Hazardous Materials Team, are currently operating at the Pentagon in support of PFPA’s Hazmat Team during a hazardous materials incident,’ it said. Building systems detected an ‘air quality issue,’ which prompted a shelter-in-place order, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. ‘The Pentagon has sophisticated systems to ensure the safety of the building and its occupants,’ Parnell said. ‘Those systems have detected an air quality issue necessitating precautionary measures until we determine its significance. The Department is executing standard protection protocols, including a shelter-in-place order for the affected area. Response teams are in place and ready to support building occupants.'” (06/11/26)

https://nypost.com/2026/06/11/us-news/pentagon-on-lockdown-hazmat-crews-rush-in-over-hazardous-materials-incident/

Steve Trinward