Author: nick

Turning Up the Economic Heat on Iran Source link

U.S.-Iran Talks Falter as Logic of Escalation Is Taking Hold Source link

First, they came for the writers, but I could not read. Then, they came for the artists, but I could not see. When they came for the musicians, I was unwilling to hear. Eventually they came for me, but I could no longer think. Source link

Individuals and corporations alike can spend infinite sums of money to influence elections and push candidates that will support and – at the very least – not oppose their interests. The Supreme Court protected such unlimited spending in its Buckley v. Valeo (1976) decision by classifying independent expenditures – which support or oppose a clearly identifiable candidate but are not made in coordination with a candidate – as constitutionally protected speech. The Court spread that right from individuals to corporations and unions in Citizens United v. FEC (2010). Money currently dominates American politics: + The presidential and congressional elections in…

Why EU Inc. Could Be a Boon to Startups–or Another Flop Source link

In October, I wrote a column in Civitas Outlook about how President Trump was refighting the wars that the Watergate Congress waged against President Nixon. That piece concerned the spending power. In a follow-up column, I write about a recent opinion from the Office of Legal Counsel concerning the Presidential Records Act. Here too, Trump continues that fight. In our current chaotic legal order, it is easy to get lost amid short-term controversies that will likely not endure beyond the present moment. Other far more enduring issues, however, often fly below the radar and garner little interest. Specifically, tensions between the…

Remember The Last Starfighter from 1984? In that movie a trailer-park kid with limited prospects spends his time on an arcade-style video game, Starfighter. He plays the game so much that he beats the final level, and it turns out he is the first person to ever do so. He is heavily criticized for spending so much time playing a game, which is seen as a sign of boredom and lack of ambition – a waste of time. The twist (42 year old spoiler incoming) is that the game was actually a test (the Excalibur test – a deliberate reference…

Ruler of the United States, Donald Trump, has proposed a $1.5 trillion “defense” budget in order to fund the war with Iran. On Friday, the ruler also requested a 10% cut in non-defense spending for the 2027 fiscal year. This proposal includes a massive $500 billion increase in the military budget, as the U.S. continues its war against Iran. The U.S. Department Of War Seeks “Killer AI” This huge proposed surge in defense spending to $1.5 trillion, up from about $1 trillion in 2026, includes a 5% to 7% pay raise for military personnel at a time when thousands of servicemembers are actively deployed, according…

One weapon in the hybrid arsenal Russia has deployed against Ukraine is the issue of religion. Russia has exploited the Orthodox Church to carry out various destructive actions on the ground, including through Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) campaigns. Religion in Ukraine Religion is a significant part of public life in Ukraine. According to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, about 70% of Ukrainians consider themselves Orthodox Christians. Two main Orthodox churches exist in the country. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) was established in 2018 as an independent national church, uniting several previously separate Ukrainian Orthodox groups.The Ukrainian…

I just came across this recent statute, Cal. Gov. Code § 6218 et seq.: (b) (1) A person … shall not publicly post … the personal information [including just the name, see below] or image of a designated health care services provider, employee, volunteer, or patient if that individual … has made a written demand of that person … to not disclose the personal information or image. A written demand made under this paragraph shall include a statement declaring that the individual is subject to the protection of this section and describing a reasonable fear for the safety of that…