The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 07/29/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Coercion and Attrition | Interview: Ken Pollack.” (07/29/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/coercion-and-attrition-interview-ken-pollack/
Ukraine’s “turned tide” doesn’t comport “with basic military reality”
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Stavroula Pabst
“Encouraged by Ukraine’s sustained advances in drone warfare, Western media is abuzz with the idea that Kyiv just might be able to defeat Russia after more than four years of bitter fighting. … But this isn’t the first time the press has played up Ukraine’s military capabilities, despite repeated setbacks on the battlefield. As experts warn RS, such coverage reinforces the idea that more military aid can still help Ukraine win back all of its territory, thus downplaying the need for a negotiated solution.” (07/29/26)
KS: High school teacher dragged out, arrested for clapping at city meeting over proposed data center
Source: New York Post
“A Kansas high school teacher was arrested and dragged out of a contentious city zoning meeting for continuously clapping in opposition to a proposed data center. Lux Claridge was yanked out of a chair by three police officers and carried out of the Emporia City Commission meeting on July 22 for seemingly disobeying the mayor’s orders regarding clapping against the controversial Flint Hills Digital Campus data center proposed in Emporia, Kansas, the Emporia Police said. … Several oppositionists gave comments and testimonials against the 1,000-acre, gigawatt-scale project that garnered rounds of applause, which provoked one board official to call for order against the clapping that was ‘rude and disruptive.'” (07/29/26)
Back in the USSR: Spending Two Weeks in a Real Socialist Country
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Patrick Barron
“So-called ‘Democratic Socialists’ are winning elections in America (New York City and Colorado). I’m sure that no one who either is running on a socialist platform or who voted for a socialist candidate has ever visited a real socialist country. One of the reasons is that there are not that many left. I can think only of Cuba and North Korea.” [editor’s note: Bernie Sanders honeymooned in the Soviet Union, and many American “democratic socialists” have made highly publicized trips to Cuba – TLK] (07/29/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/back-ussr-spending-two-weeks-real-socialist-country
Punishing Trump: New War on Saudi Refineries by Iran Allies
Source: Informed Comment
by Juan Cole
“he Trump administration’s 13 nights of strikes on Iran, including on bridges and energy infrastructure, have been followed by three nights of calm. The Iranians, however, clearly do not trust Trump to halt his war of aggression on their country for very long, especially with the visit to Washington, D. C. this week of Trump Whisperer, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Even Trump is complaining about Netanyahu’s loud campaign to have Trump bomb specific targets in Iran. To show what they thought about Netanyahu’s warmongering against them, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commanders sent a barrage of missiles against covert US bases in Jordan early on Wednesday local time.” (07/29/26)
https://www.juancole.com/2026/07/punishing-refineries-allies.html
US Regime Bans Foreign-Made Humanoid Robots, Tries to Kill Increased Solar Adoption
Source: US News & World Report
“The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is banning imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots and power inverters, citing national security risks, in a move that targets China. The measures are likely to test relations with Beijing ahead of a planned U.S. visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in September. China dominates the global market for humanoid robots with an estimated market share of roughly 85%. The FCC’s ban also includes new imports of quadruped robots – often referred to as four-legged robot dogs. … The ban on power inverters, which are used to convert direct current (DC) electricity into alternating current (AC) electricity and are used in renewable energy systems, data centers and household appliances, could have sweeping ramifications.” (07/29/26)
Why AI Could Trigger Mass UK Job Cuts
Source: Cobden Centre
“Interview with City AM on The Artificial Intelligence Revolution.” (07/29/26)
The Echoing Failure of Acoustic Gunshot Detectors
Source: Independent Institute
by Jonathan Hofer
“Acoustic gunshot detection (AGD) systems are designed to detect and report gunfire to law enforcement. Promoted as a high-tech solution to urban gun violence, AGD has been widely adopted by police departments across the United States, with California a leader in the number of cities that use the technology. To be considered a successful public safety innovation, a technology would be able to demonstrate effectiveness in assisting law enforcement in reducing violence and solving crimes and do so in a cost-efficient manner. However, AGD does not meet these criteria and constitutes a costly failure that undermines effective policing.” (07/29/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/07/29/the-echoing-failure-of-acoustic-gunshot-detectors/
I want to farm my land responsibly. That shouldn’t make me an outlaw.
Source: Washington Post
by Cody Peterson
“In the 1960s, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service came to landowners across the Midwest, including the farmer who previously owned my land, with a deal. The government wanted an easement on part of the property to protect wetlands that provide habitats for ducks and other waterfowl. The agency did not offer much money. It paid about $630 for rights across roughly 328 acres of land I now own. The easement document explicitly states that farmers could continue ‘normal farming practices.’ Farmers across the northern Great Plains signed these deals. … When my family bought farmland in LaMoure County‚ the property had one of these easements on it. If the government had stuck to the agreement, the easement would not have been a big obstacle to our land management practices. But in 2024, the Fish and Wildlife Service reinterpreted the scope of the wetland easements and updated the restrictions applied to prairie potholes.” (07/29/26)
Kenya: Mysterious deaths of elephants prompt urgent inquiry
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“An urgent investigation has been launched into the mysterious deaths of 15 elephants in southern Kenya near the Amboseli National Park. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) told the BBC that experts were examining the carcasses and said that tissue samples had been sent to laboratories to determine whether the deaths were caused by disease, poisoning or another factor. The park and its surrounds are known as the Amboseli ecosystem, a vast area that straddles the border with Tanzania, which is famous for its wildlife. Officials say this is the first time in decades that elephant mortalities on this scale have been recorded in the region where they have successfully cracked down on poaching.” (07/29/26)