Author: nick

On the relationship between the pointless cosmos and purposeful living organisms. I am a firm believer in miracles—a confession that will be immediately off-putting to readers of Skeptic. Below I will offer a definition of miracles and attempt to justify belief in them, but for the moment I will focus on a fundamental distinction between two modes of causality. I call these because-of causal mode and so-that causal mode. We can think of these as two ways of explaining an event. Because-of causal mode example: a man walks into a bank and we ask for an explanation. One explanation tells us about…

Americans feel squeezed on Tax Day. And it’s not just about tax rates, but how Washington spends the money. Source link

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is trying to unmask an anonymous Reddit user whose only crime seems to be criticizing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Last month, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which is part of DHS, withdrew an administrative subpoena demanding information about the Reddit account “Tired_Thumb” after facing a legal challenge in the Northern District of California, where Reddit is headquartered. But as The Intercept reported last week, federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., now seem intent on obtaining information about the ICE critic from Reddit via a grand jury subpoena. “Government critics are not suspects and free speech…

Embassy Dedication Ceremony A resolution proposed by Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, instructing President Donald Trump to end the war against Iran, was rejected by the Senate.  On Wednesday, the upper chamber rejected the legislation on a 52-47 vote. Senator Rand Paul was the only Republican to vote for the resolution, and John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote against the legislation. Republican Jim Justice did not vote.  Some Republicans indicated they could change their vote if the war continues beyond two months. “I will not support ongoing military action beyond a 60-day window without congressional approval. I take this…

This piece is reprinted from RealClearPolling’s twice-weekly newsletter “The Takeaway.” Get it in your mailbox each Tuesday and Friday by signing up here. . Today is April 15, the day of reckoning between the Internal Revenue Service and millions of (procrastinating) taxpayers. Two recent surveys give us a sense of how Americans view their annual obligation to pay Uncle Sam. According to a Gallup poll conducted last week, 59% of those surveyed consider the amount of federal income tax they have to pay is “too high.” That number has been stable over the last three years, but represents a significant 13-point…

President Donald Trump and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., have been at odds over the next chairman of the Federal Reserve. They can’t even agree on whether Tillis is still a senator. During his second term, Trump has tangled with Fed Chair Jerome Powell, with the president saying Powell hasn’t lowered interest rates fast enough and Powell seeking to invoke the Fed’s traditional independence. The Justice Department has been investigating Powell over cost overruns involving Fed headquarters renovations, but the investigation has been criticized as politically driven and has run into court obstacles.  Tillis is a member of the Senate Banking,…

A U.S. blockade threatens the regime’s grip. Source link

When it comes to Iran, the play is over. It remains only to Trump and Vance to strike the set and sweep the theater. Source link

Trump Waging War Against the Rest of the World Source link

Reprinted with permission from The Realist Review. There is a saying often repeated in circles critical of the foreign policy establishment: “Whoever gets elected, you always get John McCain”. You’re especially likely to hear it when a president turns into a war hawk after explicitly campaigning against regime change, military adventure, and even entangling alliances. And yet, thanks to a well-networked group of bipartisan operatives, the clear desires of the majority of the populace for a more restrained foreign policy are blatantly disregarded after every election cycle. George W. Bush campaigned against nation-building and then launched regime-change wars. Barack Obama…