Mexican Congress approves trimming work week to 40 hours

Source: SFGate

“Mexican lawmakers approved President Claudia Sheinbaum’s initiative to gradually reduce the work week from 48 hours to 40 hours early Wednesday. The constitutional reform now goes to state legislatures for approval, where Sheinbaum’s governing party controls the majority. It passed the lower chamber of the Congress early Wednesday with 411 votes in favor and 58 against. The Senate had already approved it earlier this month. The change will be implemented gradually, trimming two hours per year beginning in 2027 and reaching a 40-hour work week in 2030. Lawmakers decided to maintain the requirement for one day of rest for every six days worked, rejecting a proposal to require two days of rest per week. The government has calculated that the change could affect 13.5 million workers, but some analysts say more than double that number could be covered.” (02/25/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/mexican-congress-approves-trimming-work-week-to-21940987.php

Steve Trinward

Ezra Klein’s Feeble Liberalism

Source: Quillette
by Brian Stewart

“Harvard professor Harvey Mansfield’s 1978 book The Spirit of Liberalism is a penetrating defence of liberal principles by a conservative political philosopher, but it also reproaches liberals’ failure to resist an onslaught from the radical Left. ‘From having been the aggressive doctrine of vigorous, spirited men, liberalism has become hardly more than a trembling in the presence of illiberalism,’ Mansfield writes. ‘Who today is called a liberal for strength and confidence in defense of liberty?’ More than a half-century later [sic], New York Times columnist Ezra Klein furnishes a good example of the spineless tendency Mansfield identified.” (02/24/26)

https://quillette.com/2026/02/24/ezra-kleins-feeble-liberalism-charlie-kirk-mahmoud-khalil/

Thomas L. Knapp

NH: Resident Charged With Shooting at Gang Thug

Source: US News & World Report

“Authorities have charged a New Hampshire resident in connection with a shooting that occurred at the state’s border with Canada, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Blu Zeke Daly, 26, who also goes by Cullan Zeke Daly, of Manchester, was charged with one count of attempted murder of a federal officer and one count of assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon, prosecutors said. Daly was shot near the border early Sunday by a U.S. Border Patrol agent who was returning fire from Daly, investigators said Monday. Daly is at a hospital receiving medical treatment under guard, prosecutors said. The Border Patrol agent, whom authorities have not named, was unharmed, authorities said earlier this week.” (02/24/26)

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-hampshire/articles/2026-02-24/new-hampshire-resident-charged-in-shooting-at-canadian-border

Thomas L. Knapp

Trump Has Other Means to Make Tariff Mischief

Source: The UnPopulist
by Joe Bishop-Henchman

“The administration’s rapid pivot to Section 122 reflects necessity, not legal strength. It rests on redefining a ‘balance-of-payments crisis’ beyond recognition, disregarding its own recent legal positions, and assuming that courts will decline to examine economic realities too closely. That is a fragile foundation for a policy affecting hundreds of billions of dollars in commerce and millions of consumers. And it’s possible he will get away with it. Ultimately, this episode underscores a constitutional reality that no statutory workaround can erase: trade policy belongs to Congress. And unless Congress takes it back, it will not be able to put a definitive end to his tariff mischief.” (02/24/26)

https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/trump-has-other-means-to-make-tariff

Thomas L. Knapp

What Does “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” Mean?

Source: Town Hall
by Americans for Prosperity

“When the Founders wrote ‘Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness’ into the Declaration of Independence, they weren’t guaranteeing comfort, equality of outcome, or a government-managed society. They were making a bolder claim that became the foundation of the American Dream: that people could build meaningful lives if government protected liberty and then got out of the way. That idea still matters today. At its core, the phrase shows trust in the American people. The Founders believed individuals, given freedom and responsibility, could make better choices for their lives than distant officials ever could. Perhaps more important is the idea that, as adults who are created equal, we have inherent dignity that must be recognized by our government. When this dignity is recognized, we can truly thrive as humans and give our best to our families, communities, and workplaces.” (02/25/26)

https://townhall.com/columnists/americans-for-prosperity/2026/02/25/what-does-life-liberty-and-the-pursuit-of-happiness-mean-n2671821

Steve Trinward

Study: Sperm swim more quickly in summer

Source: BBC News [UK State Media]

“Sperm quality is highest in the summer and lowest in the winter, according to a new study. Researchers from the UK, Canada and Denmark analysed semen samples from 15,581 men in Denmark and Florida, all aged between 18 and 45. Their findings show that sperm motility – the ability of sperm to swim effectively – was consistently highest in June and July for both parts of the world. Understanding these seasonal patterns could improve fertility treatments, by optimising the timing of treatment and fertility testing to provide better guidance to couples trying to conceive. The study, published in the journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology, suggests that sperm’s motility levels remain consistent across different climates, instead changing with the seasons. Levels were lowest in December and January, even though Florida remains warm all year round.” (02/25/26)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crl45x52ejgo

Steve Trinward