Source: Persuasion
by John B Judis
“Hegel viewed history as consisting of stages punctuated by times of upheaval. He assigned to what he called “world-historical individuals” a special role in spurring the transition from one era to another. These individuals didn’t necessarily grasp the full import of what they were doing, and their actions, while transformative, didn’t necessarily result in the outcomes they intended. Trump, I have come to believe, is exactly such an individual: He is speeding the transition from one historical era to another. The ultimate results are very unlikely to line up with his exact ideological aims, but they will be profound. And the world is never going back to what it was.” (04/06/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/what-hegel-knew-about-trump
Source: The American Prospect
by Ryan Cooper
“As an American political writer on the left, it is quite unusual to see one’s advice being followed. During Barack Obama’s presidency, I argued repeatedly that Democrats badly botched the response to the Great Recession. Thanks in part to backroom maneuverings from then-head of the National Economic Council Larry Summers, the stimulus package of 2009 was roughly half as big as it needed to be. As a result, unemployment was still 10 percent on Election Day 2010—a big reason why Democrats lost 63 seats in the House and six in the Senate, relinquishing full control of Congress that never returned for the duration of Obama’s presidency. Fast-forward to 2021, and much to my surprise, ol’ Joe Biden and congressional Democrats did exactly what I and other critics recommended. With the economy still coming out of a very severe recession from the pandemic, Biden met the challenge with a $1.9 trillion stimulus.” (04/07/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/04/07/apr-2026-magazine-retrospective-on-bidenomics/
Source: US News & World Report
“Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a measure that gave him and other state officials the power to designate groups as ‘terrorist organizations’ and expel students who support them, with rights groups saying the law will chill free speech. The law empowers the state’s chief of domestic security, governor and cabinet to designate any organization they determine engages in extremist acts as a ‘terrorist organization.'” (04/06/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2026-04-06/florida-governor-signs-terrorist-designation-law-raises-free-speech-and-due-process-concerns
Source: Lions of Liberty
“No Options With Ty Gipson.” (04/06/26)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/ff-no-options-with-ty-gipson
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Ann Bauer
“Ozempic and its cousins (Mounjaro, Wegovy, Zepbound, et al.) modify the pleasure centers of the brain, making everything people crave — food, sex, smoking, alcohol, shopping, gambling, cocaine — less appealing. It doesn’t address the underlying problems of addiction, such as depression or dishonesty. It just eliminates the part of the person that enjoys and revels, the colorful, joyous side. It’s a version of the drug in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, that the doctor ginned up to divide himself, creating a respectable man bound by reserve and a separate murderous, pleasure-seeking monster.” (04/06/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/what-would-robert-louis-stevenson-say-about-ozempic/
Source: New York Times
“Iran on Monday delivered a 10-point proposal to end the war with the United States and Israel, according to Iranian state media. … Two senior Iranian officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations, said the proposal included a guarantee that Iran would not be attacked again, an end to Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon and the lifting of all sanctions. In return, Iran would lift its de facto blockade of the key shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran would also impose a fee of roughly $2 million per ship that it would split with Oman, which sits across the strait. Iran would use its share of the proceeds to reconstruct infrastructure destroyed by American and Israeli attacks, rather than demand direct compensation, according to the plan.” (04/07/26)
https://archive.is/aZpf4
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Stephen Semler
“U.S. arms sales to Israel aren’t really sales, at least not in the typical sense. Israel’s position as purchaser in these weapons deals isn’t synonymous with funder. This is made clear in the arms sales notifications themselves. Consider the four most recent notified arms sales to Israel published in the Federal Register: $740 million for armored personnel carriers, $1.98 billion for tactical vehicles and accessories, $3.8 billion for attack helicopters and related weaponry, and $150 million for utility helicopters and parts. After ‘Prospective Purchaser,’ all these notifications list Government of Israel. After ‘[Funding Source,’ all list Foreign Military Financing — or FMF, the U.S. military aid program through which Israel receives at least $3.3 billion a year. In practice, FMF functions as a gift card for Israel to spend on weapons. U.S. taxpayers are stuck paying for the gift card.” (04/06/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/us-arms-sales-to-israel/
Source: Reason
“Why Does Trump Want the Biggest Defense Budget Ever?” (04/06/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/04/06/why-does-trump-want-the-biggest-defense-budget-ever/
Source: The Business Standard [Bangladesh]
“The Artemis II astronauts wrapped up their lunar flyby as they continue their journey back to Earth on Tuesday, bringing with them rich celestial observations including little-known lunar craters, a solar eclipse and meteor strikes that scientists hope will open doors. … The Orion capsule will now travel back to Earth in a so-called ‘free-return trajectory,’ a trip that will take about four days.” (04/07/26)
https://www.tbsnews.net/worldbiz/usa/after-milestone-rich-lunar-flyby-astronauts-start-trip-home-1404866
Source: ProSocial Libertarians
by Andrew Jason Cohen
“My own ideal theory is a classical liberal (libertarian) theory based on toleration. The view is necessarily very thin as it accepts that each person should be free to choose and act on their own conception of the good and thus live very different sorts of lives. All of those are to be tolerated unless they involve harm to others. … Importantly, having an ideal theory does not mean thinking we ought to stop with ideal theory. … I must recognize that there will be scenarios in the real world that challenge my own intuitions about what ought to be permitted when people would have difficulty exiting even when their right to do so is protected and figure out how to respond to that.” (04/06/26)
https://prosociallibertarians.substack.com/p/thin-libertarianism-ideal-theory
