Source: Liberalism.org
by David Mitchell

“The idea of harm reduction begins with a realistic premise: people sometimes continue risky behavior despite prohibition, stigma, or advice to stop. Harm reduction policies attempt the opposite of a prohibition or abstinence approach. Harm reduction policies are based on the belief that lives can be saved by helping people move from more dangerous choices to less dangerous ones. Fentanyl test strips, vaping, and even ordinary automobile driving all demonstrate the promise of this approach and its limits. Harm reduction works best when the relative risks are clear, people can act on the information or substitute offered, and the intervention complements rather than replaces prevention and treatment. The lives saved, and the other harms prevented, extend both to those who’ve undertaken the risky behaviors and to nonparticipant bystanders.” (08/19/26)

https://www.liberalism.org/p/first-do-less-harm

Source: Town Hall
by Derek Hunter

“The situation in Iran is going to hurt Republicans in the fall. Not because the majority of the American people want Iran to get a nuclear weapon or because Democrats in the media are lying about things, but it’s going to hurt Republicans because it is a major distraction from the things average voters care about. President Donald Trump either doesn’t see that or does not care. Let me start by saying I firmly believe the world would be a better place without the Islamic Republic of Iran in it. They have been killing Americans and innocent civilians around the world for half a century, so wiping them out is something I fully support. The problem is we don’t have the will to actually do that. We have the ability and the technology, but the will matters more than anything else, and it just isn’t there.” (08/20/26)

https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2026/08/20/heres-trumps-problem-with-iran-n2681542

Source: The Next Move
by Evan Gottesman

“Earlier this year, Donald Trump made some additions to the White House Palm Room: two photos of himself with autocratic leaders; one alongside Xi Jinping, the other with Vladimir Putin. The picture of the president with Putin, a memento from the Russian dictator’s 2025 Alaska visit, was placed above a photograph of Trump’s own granddaughter. Trump has since taken down the picture of his grandkid, but Putin is still there. Trump’s admiration for foreign authoritarians is shared by Hasan Piker, the influential political streamer who’s staged frequent interventions in Democratic primaries. Piker has interviewed numerous successful primary candidates on his stream, including Darializa Avila Chevalier, Chris Rabb, and Abdul El-Sayed. He praises Mao Zedong as one of the greats and dresses like him too. Piker even has a Chinese flag positioned prominently in the background of many of his streams.” (08/19/26)

https://www.thenextmove.org/p/americas-authoritarian-fantasies