Trump Watch, 03/31/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“The Distraction of the Iran War.” (03/31/26)
If Europe can control American speech, our liberties are at risk
Source: The Hill
by Kristen Waggoner
“Who has power over your online speech? Ask most Americans that question, and they are likely to name tech giants like Meta, our elected representatives or federal agencies. Hopefully, some would mention our Constitution. But few would agree to the idea that unelected bureaucrats in Europe can control what Americans see or say online. Yet that is increasingly a reality — and one that Elon Musk and X are challenging with a new lawsuit at the General Court of the European Union.” (03/31/26)
Two Different Wars, Two Different Presidents, But the Same Lies
Source: TomDispatch
by Helen Benedict
“I’m writing this piece well into President Donald Trump’s new war with Iran, which, with the help of Israel, has already killed more than 2,000 civilians, including 175 schoolgirls and staff; displaced some 3.2 million people; and is costing the American taxpayer at least one billion dollars a day. All of which is tragically reminiscent of the last time a Republican president led the U.S. into a war on a river of lies and greed. I’m thinking, of course, about George W. Bush and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Weapons that don’t exist. Threats to this country that aren’t real. Liberation for a people that the U.S. will never win over. Freedom for women about whom nobody in power cares a jot. A war that will bring total victory in only a few days or weeks. All this we heard in 2003, and all this we are hearing again now.” (03/31/26)
Italy: Regime refuses US aircraft use of Sicily base for Middle East operations, sources say
Source: Reuters
“Italy last week denied permission for U.S. military aircraft to land at the Sigonella air base in Sicily before heading to the Middle East, sources said on Tuesday, because Washington had not sought prior authorisation from the government in Rome. According to the Corriere della Sera daily, which first reported the news, ‘some U.S. bombers’ had been due to land at the base in eastern Sicily before flying on to the Middle East, where the United States is at war with Israel against Iran. The report did not specify when the aircraft were due to land but said permission was denied because the U.S. had not requested clearance and Italy’s military leadership had not been consulted, as required under treaties governing the use of U.S. military installations in the country.” (03/31/26)
Some Declaration of Independence Charges Against King George Apply to Wannabe King Donald Trump
Source: Washington Monthly
by Bill Scher
“America is three months away from the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and President Donald Trump is claiming it as his own, with Semiquincentennial dollar coins featuring his image and dollar bills bearing his signature. But while Trump exploits America’s birthday for further self-aggrandizement, he should read the document we are ostensibly celebrating. If he bothers, he will find the king from whom America’s founders were declaring independence was behaving in very familiar ways.” (03/31/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/03/31/declaration-of-independence-charges-trump-king-george/
Chicago’s Hotel Tax Gamble: Raising Prices to Attract Tourists
Source: The Daily Economy
by Antón Chamberlin
“By hiking its hotel tax to 19 percent, Chicago is funding marketing meant to draw visitors — but higher costs are likely to deter the very tourists it hopes to attract.” (03/31/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/chicagos-hotel-tax-gamble-raising-prices-to-attract-tourists/
Indonesia arrests Scottish man sought by Spain in connection with an international crime syndicate
Source: SFGate
“A Scottish man, described as a senior figure in an international crime syndicate, was arrested shortly after landing on the resort island of Bali, authorities in Indonesia said Tuesday. The 45-year-old, identified as Steven Lyons, was taken into custody by immigration officers at Ngurah Rai International Airport on Saturday on arrival from Singapore, according to Untung Widiyatmoko, head of Indonesia’s branch of Interpol. The immigration system had flagged him as the subject of an Interpol Red Notice issued at Spain’s request. A Red Notice is an alert issued by Interpol at the request of a member country for police worldwide to arrest a suspect for extradition. Lyons, who is wanted in Spain and the United Kingdom in connection with organized crime, drug trafficking and money laundering, will be extradited to Spain on Wednesday, Widiyatmoko told reporters in Denpasar, the provincial capital of Bali.” (03/31/26)
Compound Interest, 03/31/26
Source: Semafor
“Can tiny homes — and tiny-home mortgages — solve the housing crisis?” (03/31/26)
The Austrian Fix for the Manufactured Iranian Energy Crisis
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Lucas Peters
“The ongoing destruction of the world’s largest natural-gas reservoir at South Pars and Qatar has produced exactly what Austrian economics predicts: sudden, irreplaceable capital destruction followed by a violent supply shock. Oil has spiked, European gas prices have jumped, and the Strait of Hormuz is now a flashpoint. Everyday Americans already face higher gasoline, heating, trucking, and grocery costs; businesses confront malinvestment cascades; and central planners are salivating over the opportunity to impose rationing, digital IDs, CBDCs, and ‘energy lockdowns.’ This is not mere geopolitics; it is state warfare smashing the capital structure and then using the resulting artificial scarcity to expand control. From a strict libertarian and Austrian standpoint, two interlocking ideas cut through the chaos and point to the only workable solution today: immediate, total disentanglement from the conflict, and uncompromising reliance on free-market prices, sound money, and voluntary exchange instead of any form of central planning.” (03/31/26)
https://mises.org/power-market/austrian-fix-manufactured-iranian-energy-crisis
US-Israel War on Iran Undermining Very Foundations of Rule of Law
Source: Foreign Policy In Focus
by Phyllis Bennis
“The US and Israeli war has, from its very beginning, violated both US domestic and international law. The legal consequences go beyond specific violations. Washington and Tel Aviv’s breaches of the United Nations Charter and other legal frameworks also undermine the very foundations of the rule of law. Even while international legal institutions too often lack sufficient capacity to enforce their decisions, they still provide a crucial framework for protest, for pressure on individual governments, and for the hope of a future world where the rule of law is paramount. Now, however, that future is in more danger than any other time in recent memory. Right now, Iranian civilians are paying the highest price. But the collapse of the rule of law makes the future more dangerous for everyone else, too.” (03/31/26)
https://fpif.org/the-u-s-israeli-war-on-iran-is-illegal-heres-why-that-matters/