The Trump Counterterrorism Strategy Makes America More Vulnerable
The Trump administration released a 2026 United States Counterterrorism Strategy that reads more like a political manifesto than a policy blueprint. Authored by Sebastian Gorka, the document is riddled with typographical errors, hyperbolic language, and an obsession with labeling domestic opponents—such as trans‑gender activists and antifa—as terrorist threats. It offers only generic actions, lacking concrete priorities, resource allocations, or inter‑agency coordination. Critics from the intelligence community and academia have dismissed it as an intern‑level product that endangers national security.
Send the Frigates
The United States and Israel launched a new campaign against Iran, imposing a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz that began on April 13. Without consulting allies, the U.S. has already escorted two commercial vessels and two destroyers through the narrow...
Why Stocks Keep Going Up
The S&P 500 has surged 29% over the past 12 months, hitting an all‑time high despite soaring oil prices, inflation above 3%, and waning consumer confidence. The rally is anchored in robust corporate earnings, especially from the “Magnificent Seven” tech...
The End of Cigarettes Is Coming
The United Kingdom will permanently ban cigarette sales to anyone born on or after Jan 1 2009, creating the world’s first generational tobacco prohibition. Similar bans have been tried in the Maldives and New Zealand, and 22 Massachusetts towns have already enacted comparable...
The Secret Weapon Against AI Dominance
Creators have filed more than 90 lawsuits accusing AI firms such as OpenAI, Meta, and Anthropic of training models on copyrighted works without permission. A 2024 appellate ruling in Thaler v. Perlmutter held that fully autonomous AI‑generated content cannot be...
A Mediocre Public-School Education for Just $40,000 a Pupil
New York City’s education budget consumes roughly $40 billion annually—about one‑third of the city’s total spending—and costs over $40,000 per student, the highest of any of the nation’s 100 largest districts. Despite this massive outlay, student performance remains average, with only...
Thou Shalt Not Post the Ten Commandments in Classrooms
Republican legislators in Alabama, Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas have enacted laws requiring Ten Commandments posters in public‑school classrooms, cafeterias and libraries. The movement began in 2024 after Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed similar legislation, reviving a debate dormant since the...
San Francisco Solved Metro Vandalism With One Neat Trick
BART installed six‑foot plexiglass fare gates in August, replacing the 1970s waist‑high barriers. The new gates are projected to add about $10 million in annual revenue and have cut cleaning labor by roughly 1,000 hours in the first six months. Crime...
The Film That Explains Contemporary America
Marcel Ophuls’s 1969 four‑hour documentary *The Sorrow and the Pity* dismantles the myth of universal French resistance by showing how ordinary citizens’ passive compliance enabled Nazi occupation. The film chronicles interviews with resistance leaders, former collaborators, and everyday people, exposing...
Ukraine Has Finally Given Up on Trump
Ukraine has publicly abandoned reliance on the United States after a year of dwindling aid under President Trump. Kyiv is accelerating diplomatic and military outreach to Gulf states, Germany, and other European partners, leveraging its rapidly expanding drone industry. President...
Israel Moderates Are Losing the Democratic Party
Hasan Piker, a popular left‑wing streamer, has become a flashpoint in the Democratic Party’s internal debate over Israel. His outspoken anti‑Zionist stance—defending Hamas and labeling Israel an apartheid state—mirrors a growing faction that pushes for ending U.S. military aid and...
Iran Could Speedrun the Vietnamese Path
An Atlantic essay argues that Iran’s ongoing war with the United States is following the early trajectory of the Vietnam conflict, with the U.S. potentially withdrawing after a costly stalemate. The piece notes that Vietnam, after a two‑decade isolation, embraced...
Only Losers Play the Madman
The article argues that the “madman theory” of foreign policy is a tool of leaders who feel they are losing, not of victorious powers. It traces the concept to Nixon’s Vietnam strategy and contrasts it with China’s stable messaging. The...
The Hormuz War Will End
The near‑closure of the Strait of Hormuz has removed roughly 9‑10 million barrels of crude, 5 million barrels of refined products and 20% of global LNG from markets, creating the worst energy shock since the 1973 Arab oil embargo. Existing bypass pipelines...
Does the Constitution Protect This Congresswoman From Trump?
Congresswoman LaMonica McIver was charged in May 2025 with assaulting ICE agents after she intervened during a mayor’s arrest at an immigration detention center. The indictment, filed by a Trump‑appointed Justice Department, hinges on whether the speech‑or‑debate clause shields her...