Author: nick

Photograph Source: Samschoe – CC BY 4.0 In a time of war, resurgent authoritarianism, and an escalating assault on higher education, the language of “institutional neutrality” has emerged not as a safeguard of academic integrity, but as one of the most effective ideological weapons in the campaign to depoliticize the university. In the wake of Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, the genocidal destruction of Gaza, and the return of Donald Trump to the presidency, universities have come under intense pressure to demonstrate their “balance” by retreating from political engagement. What has followed is not a principled defense of intellectual…

Have you ever wondered which members of the U.S. Supreme Court vote together most often? Well, fear not, because SCOTUSblog’s Kelsey Dallas crunched the numbers last year and determined the answer: Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito “agreed in 97% of all cases resolved with opinions from the court and in 100% of the closely divided (6-3 or 5-4) ones in the 2024-25 term.” In the vast majority of recent cases, Thomas and Alito stood together. But in a notable 6–3 decision that was issued yesterday, Thomas and Alito actually stood on opposite sides of the dispute. Is this the…

On April 10th, Pope Leo XIV posted on Twitter/X, “God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.” The Pope’s condemnation of war drew the ire of the self-proclaimed “Peace President” and his allies. On TruthSocial, President Trump described the Pope as “Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons” and “terrible…

Artist unknown (AI generated), Untitled (Trump as Healing Christ). TruthSocial.com@realdonaldtrump, April 12, 2026. Hidden in plain sight The image of a youthful Donald Trump, laying his hand on the forehead of a sick or dying man has by now been interred in the meme graveyard. By the time you read this, another will have taken its place, and then another, and so on. That’s one purpose of the AI barrage:  misdirection. By attending to obvious outrages – the supposed blasphemy of an image of Trump as Healing Christ — the public is more likely to overlook bigger, but less promoted…

From Magistrate Judge Anthony Porcelli (M.D. Fla.) in Ligeri v. Arizona Daily Independent, LLC, decided March 10 but just posted to Westlaw: Plaintiff holds himself out as an established entrepreneur in the e-commerce space. He is the Founder and CEO of Kangaroo Manufacturing & Ranked 1Pro Events. Through these businesses, Plaintiff generated “record-breaking sales on Amazon,” fostered a reputation in the online retail sales community, and has shared his expertise on manufacturing, importing, and ranking products on Amazon at various conferences. At some point, Plaintiff’s business relationship with two associates, Joshua Dean Tischer and John Andrew Burns, soured due to…

Last week, the Wall Street Journal editorialized on the ABA’s DEI mandates on law schools. The ABA suspended Standard 206 of its Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools, which required schools to demonstrate a “commitment to diversity and inclusion.” But that was only half the problem. The ABA left untouched Standard 303(c), which requires law schools to “provide education to law students on bias, cross cultural competency and racism” twice before a student graduates. Daniel Thies, chair of the Council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, wrote a letter to the Editor.…

Arms control advocates contend that by attacking Iran in the name of preventing the emergence of a “rogue” nuclear state, the United States may have “taken a sledgehammer” to the entire nuclear nonproliferation regime.  Iran could be one of the first technologically capable powers to confirm that fear.  The clerical regime has indicated that the country may withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.  Such a move would eliminate any official monitoring of Tehran’s nuclear research and nuclear fuel enrichment.  North Korea took a similar step in 2003, and the move clearly facilitated the growth of Pyongyang’s embryonic nuclear-weapons program. Foreign…

Israel’s bombing of Lebanon has reportedly killed more than a thousand civilians this year. Israel also drove out more than a half million civilians from southern Lebanon as part of an effort to commandeer that territory. Israel’s bombing has been so indiscriminate that even President Donald Trump objected. On Truth Social, Trump announced: “Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!” It remains to be seen whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heeds Trump’s command. Israeli has continued bombing Lebanon but not as vociferously as it previously did.…

Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair Presidents release their federal spending priorities annually in the form of a federal budget proposal. This is a moral rather than a practical document — the president’s budget virtually never passes Congress as written. Instead, it expresses the values of presidents and how they want to see the nation’s revenues raised and investments spent. It’s a blueprint for the kind of country they want us to be. These priorities fluctuate depending on which administration and party is in power. The fiscal year 2027 budget proposal from President Trump is a shocking departure from values most Americans hold. The…

There are no winners in the war on Iran. But if there were one, it would surely be China. Contrary to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s fawning remarks, “the whole world” is neither “safer” nor better for President Donald Trump’s decision to launch an illegal war on Iran. As the U.S. knows, Iran was not in pursuit of a nuclear bomb. Nor were its ballistic missiles intended for, or ever used for, offensive first strikes. The foundation of international trust has cracked, and partnerships have been broken. The world can no longer trust the United States. The bond between Europe…