Source: The Daily Economy
by Vance Ginn

“Larry Summers recently claimed on X that Republican tax policies — specifically the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) pushed by Trump and congressional Republicans — are a major reason why the US is headed toward a debt crisis. He even revived his favorite 40-year claim that ‘the economy performs better under Democratic presidents.’ Let’s be blunt: that’s nonsense. Summers is ignoring the actual root of the crisis — runaway spending by both major parties — while defending the very policies that got us into this mess. The real danger isn’t pro-growth tax reform, which the OBBB could improve. It’s the $2.5 trillion in overspending annually since COVID and the elevated trajectory that no one in Washington seems willing to reverse.” (07/16/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-real-debt-threat-government-spending-not-tax-cuts/

Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Peter Jacobsen

“A movement is growing in Europe about consumer protection in the video games industry. A citizen’s petition in the EU recently reached 1 million signatures, meaning that EU regulators will consider the issue. That petition has a simple message: stop killing games. The issue at hand is that game studios have been selling games as ‘licenses’ and then revoking those licenses without warning. While online multiplayer games have always had a problem with server shutdowns due to maintenance costs, developers are now tying even single-player games to online functionality. … The petitioners argue that studios should provide some sort of ‘offramp’ for buyers to enjoy their games individually, even when online support ends. The petition and problems in the industry deal with both single-player and multiplayer games. Are these demands a call for fair consumer protection or deleterious regulations?” (07/16/25)

https://fee.org/articles/game-over-for-ownership/

Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone

“The New York Times has published an op-ed by a genocide scholar who says that he resisted acknowledging the truth of what Israel is doing in Gaza for as long as he could, but can no longer deny the obvious. It’s an admission that may as well have come from The New York Times itself. In an article titled ‘I’m a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It,’ a Brown University professor of Holocaust and genocide studies named Omer Bartov argues that ‘Israel is literally trying to wipe out Palestinian existence in Gaza,’ and denounces his fellow Holocaust scholars for failing to acknowledge reality. ‘My inescapable conclusion has become that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,’ Bartov writes. … ‘I have been teaching classes on genocide for a quarter of a century. I can recognize one when I see one.'” (07/16/25)

https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/07/16/the-new-york-times-finally-stops-avoiding-the-g-word/

Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Connor O’Keeffe

“[B]y far the loudest opposition we’ve seen to the Trump administration from some of its highest-profile supporters came in response to this Epstein announcement. It’s the biggest schism we’ve seen in Trump’s base since he first decided to enter politics. And when Trump tried to regain control with a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform, the post was ‘ratioed’ — meaning it received far more replies than likes or reposts, which is usually taken as a sign of widespread disapproval — despite the platform being home to his most fanatical supporters. What this signals is that — for a particularly sizable segment of the people who supported and voted for Trump — this effort is not all about the individual man they voted for but the ideas behind his campaign.” (07/16/25)

https://mises.org/mises-wire/split-over-epstein-tells-us-something-important-about-maga-movement

Source: Law & Liberty
by David Lewis Schaefer

“While Americans are typically diligent in protecting their political and religious freedom, economists Phil Gramm and Donald Boudreaux observe in The Triumph of Economic Freedom that they often show less concern for defending their economic freedom — ‘control over their own livelihoods’ — despite its essential role in securing their other rights. This is so, the authors maintain, because they ‘understand it the least.’ Lack of appreciation for how the free-market system works leaves citizens vulnerable to misleading claims by politicians, interest groups, and ambitious intellectuals that induce them to accept restrictions on economic freedom that are detrimental to their welfare.” (07/16/25)

https://lawliberty.org/book-review/refuting-economic-sophistry/

Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff

“As its citizens demand integrity in their government, South Africa’s recent moves against corruption are gaining traction. In June, for example, a global financial watchdog indicated that Africa’s largest economy has made progress in curtailing illegal money transfers, perhaps allowing it to raise its credit standing. And a South African government watchdog found anti-corruption tribunals have shown ‘significant’ effectiveness in recovering stolen public funds and holding perpetrators accountable. Now a new challenge is testing President Cyril Ramaphosa and his commitment to rooting out corruption, especially among his political allies. In early July, a provincial police chief publicly claimed that the national minister of police had sought to sabotage investigations of political killings. The claim also alleged the minister’s collusion with criminal syndicates and the involvement of other politicians as well as law enforcement officers and judicial officials.” (07/15/25)

https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/0715/South-Africa-s-hints-of-clean-governance