The Briefing Podcast with Michael Waldman, 09/23/26
Source: Brennan Center for Justice
“Are the Midterms for Sale? (with Theodore Schleifer, Kareem Crayton & Dan Weiner).” (09/23/26)
Does Georgism Work? Five Years Later
Source: Astral Codex Ten
by Lars Doucet
“Five years ago, LVT was mostly a hypothetical idea people debated on blogs. Today, it has the most legislative momentum it’s seen in decades. Many states introduced bills this year, and Virginia and Kentucky passed land value tax enablement laws in April. These laws allow municipalities to opt into split-rate property taxes, which lower tax rates on buildings and raise them on land. My organization, the Center for Land Economics, maintains a public legislation tracker with an interactive map that makes it easy to keep tabs on these trends.” (09/23/26)
https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/does-georgism-work-five-years-later
What can burning a draft card teach us about agentic AI?
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by John Coleman
“One morning in the spring of 1966, David O’Brien burned his Selective Service registration card on the steps of a South Boston courthouse. … On the facts, the government’s case was airtight. It was a federal crime to knowingly destroy a draft card. When the case reached the Supreme Court, the justices agreed that some actions can contain both expressive and non-expressive elements. But just because an action might send a message, they reasoned, doesn’t mean it’s protected by the First Amendment. Otherwise, someone robbing a bank to protest capitalism could argue their unlawful conduct is actually constitutionally protected speech. … Nearly sixty years later, the O’Brien framework can help us think about the First Amendment’s intersection with artificial intelligence — a technology that is capable of talking and acting at the same time.” (09/23/26)
https://www.fire.org/news/what-can-burning-draft-card-teach-us-about-agentic-ai
The Only Cure for a Corrupted Republic
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Michael Boldin
“In order to restore our lost American principles, the first step is to understand what’s meant by a ‘corrupted republic.’ Today, the politicians and ‘experts’ across the political spectrum love to treat their power like they’ve been given a ‘living, breathing constitution’ that changes with the times. Of course, they don’t ever mean amending it as spelled out in the text of the document. They mean letting politicians, bureaucrats and judges re-write the rules as they go. Montesquieu warned us: that is the very definition of a corrupted system.” (09/23/26)
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2026/09/23/the-only-cure-for-a-corrupted-republic/
IL: Johnson proposes 12-month moratorium on new data centers in Chicago
Source: Axios
“Chicago could halt new data center development within city limits for a year. … Mayor Brandon Johnson, along with a group of alders, is pushing for a 12-month moratorium while the city develops a ‘comprehensive regulatory framework’ for data centers. There are 39 active data centers in Chicago, according to the city. … At least a half-dozen major U.S. cities, including Seattle, Charlotte, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Oklahoma City, have temporarily halted or restricted new data center development while considering new regulations.” (09/23/26)
The Moynihan Report, 09/23/26
Source: The Moynihan Report
“Michael Musto Remembers Everything.” (09/23/26)
https://www.themoynihan.report/p/michael-musto-remembers-everything
Make Congress Great Again
Source: Independent Institute
by Ivan Eland
“President Trump attacked Iran without approval from Congress, as was the Framers’ intent regarding offensive warfare, made plain in the debates at the Constitutional Convention. Trump also violated the War Powers Resolution of 1973 by not withdrawing U.S. forces within 60 to 90 days when Congress hadn’t declared war, given its legal approval or extended the statutory deadline—none of which happened. This is just one more recent example of a hyper-imperial executive thumbing his nose at a quiescent Congress. Yet the Constitution’s Framers intended for Congress, not the executive, to be the dominant branch of government; an independent executive and judiciary were meant to counteract and contain some of this predicted legislative preeminence.” (09/23/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/09/23/make-congress-great-again/
The Secret Monopoly Making Everything More Expensive
Source: Washington Monthly
by Carter Dougherty
“A proposed settlement would give Visa and Mastercard’s duopoly a free pass, and won’t deliver meaningful relief on swipe fees.” (09/23/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/09/23/the-secret-monopoly-making-everything-more-expensive/
Italy: Regime approves limits on non-Italian speakers and veils in school classrooms
Source: SFGate
“Italy’s government passed a decree Thursday to place an upper limit on the number of students in each school classroom who have only limited Italian language skills and to ban face-covering Islamic veils in schools. Premier Giorgia Meloni’s conservative government said the package is aimed at strengthening integration through language learning and has drawn support from right-wing allies. Opponents including some educators, unions and opposition parties warn that new rules could force students to attend schools far from their neighborhoods, while critics accuse the government of turning immigration into a political issue. With elections possible as early as next spring, analysts say the measures allow the premier to reassert her credentials on issues central to her conservative base, even though their impact is likely to be limited and significant questions remain about how they would be enforced.” (09/24/26)
Under Capitalism [sic], It’s Legal For Employers To Steal From Employees
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Doordash has reached a historic $131.5 million settlement to repay workers in New York City for wages the food delivery app stole from them over the last four years, which sounds like a big win for the little guy if you don’t think about it too hard. … A hundred and fifteen million dollars. What do you think would happen to you if you stole $115 million from your employer? Can you imagine that not being treated as a crime? Can you imagine going ‘Haha, ya got me! I’ll return the cash. Can’t blame a guy for trying!’ and then paying a small fine and just going back to your life like it was no big deal? Of course you can’t. You know you’d be arrested, handcuffed, prosecuted for grand larceny, and then spend many years behind bars.” (09/24/26)