Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“In the Middle East, reconciliation between warring factions, either ethnic or religious, often comes hard. In Turkey, however, small steps in recent weeks have pointed to an end of a four-decade war. They offer a glimpse into a transition to peace that might be able to balance justice and mercy. On Friday, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, designated widely as a terrorist group and known as PKK, began to get rid of its weapons and to disband. The public ceremony came more than four months after the PKK’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, called for an end to the goal of an independent state for Kurds – who make up 18% to 20% of Turkey’s population – and instead urged the seeking of greater Kurdish rights through democratic means. On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed the start of what may be a long peace process. ” (07/14/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/0714/A-fog-lifts-over-Turkey-s-rift-with-Kurds
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Dave DeCamp: The Escalating Ukraine Proxy War.” (07/15/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/new-episode-of-the-kyle-anzalone-show-guest-dave-decamp-blood-and-billions-the-escalating-ukraine-proxy-war/
Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker
“Drugs are almost invariably cheap to manufacture and distribute. It would be rare that a drug would sell for more than $30 per prescription without a patent or some other form of protection from the government, and many would sell for just a few dollars, as is the case with older generic drugs. Yet, there are many drugs that sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars per prescription. The reason is the government grants the manufacturer a patent monopoly on the drug. This means that the drug faces no competition. … We will spend over $700 billion this year on prescription drugs and other pharmaceutical products. If these items were available in a free market, without patent monopolies or related protections, they would likely cost close to $150 billion.” (07/15/25)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/07/15/cheap-drugs-matter-why-make-them-more-expensive-with-patent-monopolies/
Source: Reason
by Damon Root
“Barely two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court limited the use of nationwide injunctions by federal judges, a federal judge once again blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship from going into effect nationwide. But if you think that sounds like the actions of a judge gone rogue, think again. In fact, this latest ruling against Trump’s birthright citizenship order actually represents a careful judicial adherence to what the Supreme Court said on June 27. Yes, the Court’s big ruling in Trump v. CASA did tell federal judges to lay off on nationwide injunctions. But the Court also told those same judges that the path remained clear for them to certify national class action lawsuits against Trump’s order in appropriate cases. And so, here we are.” (07/15/25)
https://reason.com/2025/07/15/the-class-action-threat-to-trumps-birthright-citizenship-order/
Source: TomDispatch
by Tom Engelhardt
“Yes, he’s done quite a job so far and, in a way, it couldn’t be simpler to describe. Somehow he’s managed to take the greatest looming threat to humanity and put it (excuse the all-too-appropriate image) on the back burner. I’m thinking, of course, about climate change. My guess is that you haven’t read much about it recently, despite the fact that a significant part of this country, including the city I live in, set new heat records for June. And Europe followed suit soon after with a heat hell all its own in which, at one point, the temperature in part of Spain hit an all-time record 114.8 degrees Fahrenheit. And oh yes, part of Portugal hit 115.9 degrees as both countries recorded their hottest June ever.” (07/15/25)
https://tomdispatch.com/donald-trumps-greatest-triumph/
Source: Reuters
“South Korea’s defence ministry summoned Japan’s defence attache on Tuesday to protest over an annual white paper published by Tokyo, which made a territorial claim over disputed islands located in the East Sea. Both sides claim longstanding territorial rights over the islands, which are known as Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese, and lie roughly halfway between the two countries. … Tokyo has claimed the islands as its own territory in its annual defence white paper for decades, prompting protests from Seoul. The islands are currently controlled by Seoul with a small contingent of coast guards.” (07/15/25)
https://archive.is/eswuu
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Thousands of Afghans have moved to the UK under a secret scheme which was set up after a British official inadvertently leaked their data, it can be revealed. In February 2022, the personal details of nearly 19,000 people who had applied to move to the UK after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan were leaked. The previous government learned of the breach in August 2023 when some of the details appeared on Facebook. A new resettlement scheme for those on the leaked list was set up nine months later, and has seen 4,500 Afghans arrive in the UK so far. But the existence of the leak and relocations were kept secret after the government obtained a super-injunction stopping it from becoming public.” (07/15/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg8zy78787o
Source: National Review
“Not All Tax Cuts Are Created Equal.” (07/15/25)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/not-all-tax-cuts-are-created-equal/
Source: The Hill
by Gleb Tsipursky
“Imagine a hidden tax draining your organization of its most valuable assets. This tax does not appear on any financial statement, yet it quietly saps productivity, fuels turnover and stifles innovation. It is the tax of outdated managerial intuition, a toll exacted on employees who dare to work outside the traditional office walls. This is not a hypothetical problem. In the post-pandemic tug-of-war over the future of work, a groundbreaking 2025 peer-reviewed study published in ‘Work, Employment and Society’ reveals the shocking extent of this issue. … This is not a story about lazy employees; it is a story about leaders clinging to a bygone era, unable to see performance when it is not physically in front of them.” (07/15/25)
https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/5400428-proximity-bias-discriminates-remote-workers/
Source: Fox News
by Liz Peek
“The Democratic Party has no leader and no message. That’s not a right-wing talking point; that’s the findings of a poll commissioned by a Democrat SuperPAC. As reported by The Hill, a survey conducted between May and June by Unite the Country showed voters perceive the Democratic Party as ‘out of touch, woke and weak.’ Worse, perceptions and confidence in the party have actually soured since last year’s election, when Democrats not only lost the presidency, but also the Senate and the House. Democrat support from White men, Hispanic men and working-class voters in general has collapsed to below 35%. The poll is especially worrisome for Democrats in that it surveyed voters across 21 swing counties in 10 battleground states – the regions which will determine the outcomes of future elections.” (07/15/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/liz-peek-democrats-identity-crisis-shows-no-sign-getting-better-its-actually-getting-worse
