Source: The American Prospect
by James Baratta

“The reality is that, for all of the claims that Clayton is a saner, more acceptable DNI nominee than Pulte, the two share more in common than his supporters allow. Both of them lack real national security expertise, with Clayton being a corporate litigator, securities regulator, and enforcement attorney for his career. Both are fiercely loyal to the president, as shown by Clayton’s refusal to distance himself from the conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 election, which Trump plans to amplify in a prime-time speech tonight. And both have shown plenty of willingness to go after Trump’s political enemies, a significant character flaw in a choice for any DNI, with reams of classified information at their disposal.” (07/16/26)

https://prospect.org/2026/07/16/claytons-trump-loyalty-becomes-a-problem-for-warrantless-spying/

Source: Astral Codex Ten
by Scott Alexander

“‘Stochastic terrorism’ is the idea that if you spread fear and mistrust against a target, then eventually people will commit violence against that target, and it will be your fault, even if you never specifically said the words ‘you should commit violence’. … The ‘stochastic terrorism’ concept is near-unique in how effectively it can be discredited merely by listing many examples of its use together in the same place.” (07/16/26)

https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/against-stochastic-terrorism

Source: Cobden Centre
by Tim Price

“The chances are, if you speak to any financial adviser, they’ll tell you that asset allocation – how you divide up your investible pot among the major asset classes, including debt, equity, property, commodities and alternative investments – is the single most important investment decision you will make. And they’re right to do so.” (07/16/26)

https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/07/how-to-avoid-the-crash/

Source: CounterPunch
by John Kendall Hawkins

“Terminator 2: Judgment Day gave us intelligence as hunter. Ex Machina gave us intelligence as deceiver. Transcendence gave us intelligence as god. Surveillance, then persuasion, then something close to apotheosis. The films did not plan this arc together, but placed end to end they map the territory we now live in with an accuracy that ought to make us uneasy.” (07/16/26)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/07/16/the-god-in-the-machine-comes-with-an-owner/

Source: Law & Liberty
by Dennis Wieboldt

“Conservatives in Washington now seek to leverage their newfound power over American higher education more decisively than ever before. But not-too-distant history reveals that reform efforts led principally by the executive branch may come with unintended consequences. Indeed, that is the lesson of one major clash involving race, religious liberty, and Bob Jones University that unfolded less than 50 years ago before the US Supreme Court. By recalling the circumstances under which Bob Jones University v. United States reached the Court, both conservatives and progressives will find lessons about the perils that accompany the aggressive use of executive power to reform American colleges and universities.” (07/16/26)

https://lawliberty.org/bob-joness-warning/

Source: Townhall
by Mark Lewis

“Thomas Jefferson, as he nearly always did, nailed the point exactly. History shows that, as government grows, human liberty decreases. There is a metaphysical reason for this, and our Founders based the American system upon it. It runs like this. ‘People power’ is called liberty—the right to do what one wishes (in harmony with virtue and the laws of God). ‘Government power,’ when abused, is called tyranny. Government becomes necessary when people misuse their ‘power,’ their liberty, by living unvirtuous lives, which infringe on the rights of others. Thus, for that reason, government becomes necessary. But government power always limits somebody’s ‘liberty’—and again, sometimes, necessarily so.” (07/16/26)

https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2026/07/16/mr-jefferson-and-our-two-criminal-enemies-n2679543