The Last Lesson My Mother Taught Me

Source: Brownstone Institute
by Joseph Varon

“My mother did not die in an intensive care unit. She was not surrounded by machines, alarms, or artificial light. She died at home, in a room imbued with the quiet weight of memory. Decades of life were embedded in those walls, which had witnessed birthdays, conversations, laughter, arguments, and the countless ordinary moments that, in retrospect, constitute the true foundation of a life. A peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line rested in her arm, serving not as a symbol of escalation but as an instrument of compassion. Medications were given to relieve discomfort rather than to reverse disease. Nurses entered the room with calm, deliberate purpose rather than urgency. Their voices were soft, their movements measured. Their objective was not to save her life, but to honor it.” (03/27/26)

https://brownstone.org/articles/the-last-lesson-my-mother-taught-me/

Thomas L. Knapp

US House Judiciary Committee calls out “monopoly” on medical resident matching

Source: The Hill

“In a report released Friday, the House Judiciary Committee found that the U.S. system for matching resident physicians to programs is monopolistic and anticompetitive. Every year, resident physicians in the U.S. learn which program they’ve been placed in. This is operated through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), commonly referred to as the ‘Match.’ The House Judiciary Committee determined in its investigation that the way residency programs are matched is the result of an ‘entrenched monopoly shielded from scrutiny by government protectionism.'” (03/27/26)

https://thehill.com/newsletters/health-care/5805266-house-judiciary-resident-matching-monopoly/

Thomas L. Knapp

We Are on the Road to Serfdom

Source: Town Hall
by Les Rubin

“Friedrich Hayek published The Road to Serfdom in 1944, a classic book on economics for the ages. We would do well to understand his message, because it reads today less like a theory and more like a warning. What Hayek described is unfolding right before our eyes, yet it is so gradual and insidious that few recognize it is happening. Hayek believed prosperity and freedom are inseparable. In [his book], he warned about what happens when government begins to control economic decision-making through central planning. The result, he argued, is the slow erosion of freedom. When societies abandon individualism and classical liberal economics, the power of the state expands and the liberty of the citizen contracts. Eventually, this evolves to government control.” (03/28/26)

https://townhall.com/columnists/les-rubin/2026/03/28/we-are-on-the-road-to-serfdom-n2673569

Steve Trinward

Cuba: Missing aid boats arrive safely in Havana

Source: Deutsche Welle [German state media]

“Two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid from Mexico to Cuba finally reached Havana on Saturday after disappearing en route leading to days of searching for the missing vessels. In the Cuban capital, the crew of nine which included a four-year-old boy along with American, French and German citizens appeared to be in good health and spirits. … On Saturday, the Mexican Navy said the sailboats were spotted by a maritime surveillance aircraft some 80 nautical miles (roughly 148 kilometers) northwest of Cuba. The Reuters news agency cited them as saying they were slowed by unfavorable weather conditions. A Mexican ship escorted them to Havana to ensure their safe arrival in the Cuban capital, the Mexican Navy said.” (03/29/26)

https://www.dw.com/en/missing-cuba-bound-boats-carrying-aid-arrive-safely-in-havana/a-76580010

Thomas L. Knapp