Source: Liberal Currents
by Christopher Whitaker

“DOGE never acted in good faith, and any claims that it delivered efficiency should be read as subterfuge. Elon Musk and his acolytes were bullying individual public servants even before they came into office. Emily Tavoulareas, one of the founding members of the United States Digital Service, describes technology infrastructure as the government’s spinal cord. Once in government, DOGE immediately began seizing the technical infrastructure and using it to attack programs they didn’t like regardless of the law. They ripped out talent, burned down the barriers designed to protect personal privacy, and carelessly defunded our nation’s scientific engines and sources of soft power. We are still, even now, uncovering more bad DOGE behavior.” (08/12/26)

https://www.liberalcurrents.com/congress-needs-its-tech-experts-back/

Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Giorgio Cafiero

“When the Taliban reclaimed power five years ago, China appeared poised to capitalize on Afghanistan’s new realities. Beijing quickly took important steps to establish de facto relations with the Islamic Emirate, such as keeping its embassy open in Kabul, maintaining direct ties with Taliban leaders, and expanding political and security cooperation. In January 2024, Xi Jinping became the first head of state to accept credentials from a Taliban-appointed ambassador. Many analysts latched onto these moves as evidence that China would quickly assert great influence in Afghanistan after the hasty U.S. withdrawal in August 2021. Yet Beijing has pursued a far more cautious course, stopping short of formal recognition, which China sees as a bargaining chip for possible future use.” (08/12/26)

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/afghanistan-china-taliban/

Source: The Daily Economy
by John Phelan

“Japan can watch debt-service costs consume its budget, or suppress rates and risk inflation. Decades of borrowing have eliminated the easy options.” (08/12/26)

https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/japans-debt-crisis-is-a-global-warning/

Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey

“What is going on in Texas? For all the talk that Texas Governor Greg Abbott is a principled Republican, he certainly reversed his free-market stance when it came to AI and hyperscale data center projects once polling showed how unpopular they are with his base. Abbott signed an executive directive requiring all kinds of roadblock-style regulations before any AI data centers can connect to the state’s grid. I am not saying it is right or wrong; I am just pointing out Abbott’s failure on the issue. Though I would suggest that government-managed energy monopolies and corporate tax subsidies always distort the free market, and he should just stand aside.” (08/12/26)

https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/greg-abbott-abandons-free-enterprise

Source: Common Dreams
by Olivia Dinucci

“One year ago, the Trump administration brought 800 National Guard troops to occupy the streets of Washington, DC, part of the ‘Safe and Beautiful Task Force’. There are now approximately 5,000 troops from 15 states deployed here, with some officially moved in and set to stay through 2029. This does not include the alphabet soup of law enforcement agencies swarming our neighborhoods across the city, from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the FBI, Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security, Drug Enforcement Agency, Park Police, and more. The National Guard can be found meandering around metro stations, museums, and grocery stores there for mere posture. Despite crime being down before they were deployed here. A new analysis from the Center for American Progress found the Guard deployment has not had a measurable impact on violent crime. They are not even trained in ‘civilian policing’, and are unable to make actual arrests.” (08/12/26)

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/dc-military-occupation