The Editors, 02/19/26
Source: National Review
“State of the Union Pregaming.” (02/19/26)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/the-editors/state-of-the-union-pregaming/
As Consumer Confidence Sags, Policy Prescriptions Miss the Mark
Source: Cato Institute
by Romina Boccia
“year into President Trump’s second term, inflation may have eased, falling from 3 percent year-over-year in January 2025 to 2.7 percent in December, but the cost of living remains elevated for many households. This affordability challenge is the result of fiscal excess and politicized policymaking that have raised costs while undermining confidence in the U.S. economy.” (02/19/26)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/consumer-confidence-sags-policy-prescriptions-miss-mark
US War on Iran Would Be a Cynical, Lawless, and Catastrophic Escalation
Source: Common Dreams
by Nicolas JS Davies
“After some delays, the United States is dispatching a second aircraft-carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, from the Caribbean to the Middle East to join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and threaten Iran. This is the third Atlantic crossing for the Ford’s crew since it set sail from Norfolk, Virginia, in June 2025, and the second time its deployment has been extended, first to redeploy from the Middle East to the Caribbean, and now to redeploy back to the Middle East. There is a grave danger that the US government is preparing to exploit the genuine sympathy of people all over the world for the Iranian civilians massacred during protests in December and January as a pretext for an illegal military assault on Iran.” (02/19/26)
Palestine: Israeli squatters murder American
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
“Clashes in the Israeli-occupied West Bank killed a 19-year-old Palestinian-American man late Wednesday night, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The ministry said Nasrallah Muhammad Jamal Abu Siyam was shot by [squatters] in the village of Mukhmas, north of Jerusalem. The Israeli military said soldiers responded to a violent confrontation in the area and attempted to disperse a riot. The military said that suspects shot at several Palestinians, who were evacuated for medical treatment.Abu Siyam’s mother told The Associated Press that he also held American citizenship. The U.S. Embassy did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.” (02/19/26)
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/02/19/west-bank-palestinian-american-killed/
Underthrow Podcast, 02/19/26
Source: Underthrow
“America has a Corruption Contagion only the People Can Cure w/ Max Borders.” (02/19/26)
We need to talk about the right’s new voter suppression target: Women
Source: Liberal Currents
by Alan Elrod
“The SAVE Act would make it harder for married women in particular to vote, and that is just one part of the MAGA right’s misogynist project.” (02/19/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/we-need-to-talk-about-the-rights-new-voter-suppression-target-women/
A Very Liberal Conservative
Source: Law & LIberty
by Max Skjönsberg
“Josiah Tucker (1713–99), dean of Gloucester Cathedral in England, is best known in the history of political thought as a proto-conservative who had the audacity to question the Lockean natural rights school in the age of the American Revolution. The rebellious spirit of the American Revolution, and even more so its supporters in Britain, made him suspicious of Locke’s theory of government based on the social contract and consent. As a consequence, Tucker is a neglected and underrated thinker who contributed to both the conservative and liberal traditions; his Political and Economic Writings repay careful study.” (02/19/26)
Phillis Wheatley and Black Heroes of the Revolution
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Lawrence W Reed
“Whether free or slave, did black Americans play a role in the fight for liberty during the American Revolutionary era? Yes indeed, they did. It’s a story that didn’t earn much attention in history books until recent decades. When I was in school in the 1950s and 1960s, I think I heard of just one of them, Crispus Attucks, a black sailor who was the first person killed by British soldiers in the March 1770 Boston Massacre. Black people were to be found among both patriots and loyalists, depending in large part on which side seemed more likely to advance their prospects for freedom.” (02/19/26)
https://fee.org/articles/phillis-wheatley-and-black-heroes-of-the-revolution/
Ron Paul Liberty Report, 02/19/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“The Iran Deception, With Guest Dr. Matt Rostami.” (02/19/26)
You Cannot Beat Nihilism with Nihilism
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Thomas Harrington
“Today, Barcelona is today one of the great tourist destinations of the Western world. Fifty years ago, however, it was a somewhat dusty backwater still smarting from the punishments inflicted on it by the Franco regime (1939-1975) for its citizens’ stubborn refusal to abandon their attachment to the Catalan language and culture, and for having served as the nerve center of the defeated Second Spanish Republic (1931-1939) during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) eventually won by the Nationalist general. The city’s dramatic transformation is rooted in actions taken under the leadership of Mayor Pasqual Maragall in the six or so years leading to the city’s hosting of the 1992 Summer Olympics. While the mayor of every Olympic venue promises that the Games will enduringly change his city for the better, this actually occurred in Maragall’s Barcelona, especially in the realm of public infrastructure.” (02/19/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/you-cannot-beat-nihilism-with-nihilism/