Author: nick

[ad_1] As cities across the United States put their own spin on the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations, New York City and Mayor Zohran Mamdani also honored the Big Apple’s place in American history. “I’m so proud to be the Mayor of New York City — our nation’s first capital — and to be celebrating America’s 250th anniversary on its historic shores,” Mamdani wrote July 4 on X. Online critics quickly contested Mamdani’s historical reference.  “Philadelphia was our first capital. Everyone knows that,” conservative activist Jack Posobeic said on a reshare of the mayor’s post.  “So [Mamdani] gets an “F” on…

[ad_1] Can Los Angeles Be Saved? [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] The future of the United Nations (UN) is in play, largely because of its refusal to censure Iran—a member nation. In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reprimanded the UN: “If you’re telling me that the international community and hundreds of countries cannot rally behind that, then I don’t know what the utility of the UN system is.”  Severing all ties to the UN could require an act of Congress, but the US is moving in this direction. On February 4, 2025, Executive Order 14199 directed the US to withdraw from 31 UN organisations. A great deal hinges on how highly Rubio still prizes…

[ad_1] Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D–Mass.) has a plan to “save” Social Security from upcoming benefit cuts—and all it will require is sacrificing a huge chunk of the economy via the biggest tax hike in over 40 years. Is that worth it? Americans ought to be skeptical. Warren’s plan calls for eliminating the cap on the payroll tax as a way to generate more revenue for Social Security. Right now, Social Security is funded with a 12.4 percent tax on all earnings up to $184,500. Earnings that exceed the cap are not taxed—so, a single worker cannot pay more than $22,878 into…

[ad_1] CNN’s sources say that shortly after Washington’s attack on Iran’s Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school U.S. military officials knew it was based on badly outdated targeting information, Brad Reed reports. A U.S. destroyer firing a Tomahawk missile on Feb. 28 at the start of the Trump administration’s unauthorized war on Iran. (DoD/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain) By Brad ReedCommon Dreams U.S. military commanders “bypassed warnings” indicating that their database of strike targets inside Iran was badly out of date shortly before launching a deadly attack on an Iranian primary school in the city of Minab, according to a report from CNN. Three…

[ad_1] Q: Is President Trump the anonymous 79-year-old man getting a still-unapproved obesity drug via a Food and Drug Administration program? A: A news article, and subsequently Democratic lawmakers, questioned whether Trump is receiving the Eli Lilly weight-loss drug, which is reportedly being given to one 79-year-old man. However, the White House has said the unnamed man isn’t the president. FULL ANSWER When we recently published an article about Trump’s claims regarding access to unapproved drugs for seriously ill patients, several readers brought up the news about the Eli Lilly drug in comments on our social media posts. The readers…

[ad_1] As Americans contend with persistent inflation, it makes sense that President Donald Trump would be desperate for any good news on the subject. This week, he claimed credit for a national grocery chain’s sale on barbecue essentials. “This summer, Walmart and Sam’s Club are helping customers and members save more with thousands of lower prices,” the retailers announced Monday. “From backyard barbecues and family vacations to pool days and neighborhood gatherings, the savings are designed to help customers and members make the most of the season while spending less on the products they need, want and love most.” The…

[ad_1] When he was arrested in 1965, Charles Katz “was probably the preeminent college basketball handicapper in America.” Or so says Harvey Schneider, who presumably should know, since he later represented Katz at the Supreme Court in a landmark Fourth Amendment case. The Court’s 1967 decision in Katz v. United States, which held that the Constitution’s prohibition of “unreasonable searches and seizures” applies when people have a “reasonable expectation of privacy,” continues to shape Fourth Amendment rulings six decades later. That was clear on June 29, when the Court decided Chatrie v. United States, holding that a government-ordered analysis of…

[ad_1] Another very interesting item from my Hoover colleague Andy Hall (Free Systems); a brief excerpt, though you should read the whole thing: Something is shifting in the Democratic party. A string of primary upsets has fed a growing narrative that the party’s base now rewards a more aggressive brand of economic populism, one aimed squarely at billionaires, corporate power, and the political influence that money buys. And a number of sharp observers, including Jasmine Sun [piece here] and Archie Hall [piece here], have been arguing that this energy may come for AI next, a prediction that draws support from David Shor’s polling showing voters souring on…

[ad_1] Joshua Scheer Before the bombs fell, many Western officials and commentators predicted that the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, would fracture the Islamic Republic from within. Instead, images emerging from Tehran this week have presented a very different picture. According to estimates cited during funeral coverage, millions of mourners filled the streets over several days, transforming Khamenei’s funeral into both a religious ceremony and a political statement. In an interview with Democracy Now!, Tehran-based journalist Reza Sayah described the gathering as the largest public assembly he has ever witnessed and argued that, for many Iranians, Khamenei’s…