“When President Donald Trump announced his nomination of Pam Bondi as attorney general, he extolled her “incredible job” in “work[ing] to stop the trafficking of deadly drugs and reduc[ing] the tragedy of Fentanyl Overdose Deaths.” Yet those deaths exploded on Bondi’s watch as Florida’s attorney general.”
…
“Bondi’s fans praised her for cracking down on “pill mills,” which may have made it harder for nonmedical drug consumers (as well as bona fide patients) to obtain prescription opioids such as hydrocodone and oxycodone. But the result was increased consumption of black market alternatives, which are much more dangerous because their quality and potency are highly variable and unpredictable. That hazard was magnified by the simultaneous proliferation of illicit fentanyl as a heroin booster and substitute—a development that likewise was driven by prohibition, which favors more potent drugs that are easier to conceal and smuggle.”
https://reason.com/2025/02/03/florida-drug-deaths-surged-on-pam-bondis-watch/
In some ways, the U.S. has fallen behind in air-to-air missiles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FnVJ0ziRTE
“FEMA’s failures stem from a bloated bureaucracy and perverse incentives. Because the agency is guaranteed to pick up the check in an emergency no matter its size, states have less incentive to prepare for natural disasters. However, the American disaster response system is intended to rely on federalism and private charitable efforts. “Unfortunately, growing federal intervention is undermining this efficient, decentralized structure,” writes Chris Edwards, an economist at the Cato Institute.
In the two decades since the agency’s infamous Hurricane Katrina blunders, FEMA has failed to upend its deplorable reputation. Months after Hurricane Helene, FEMA had delivered only 46 temporary homes to North Carolina for the more than 500 families approved for a trailer. North Carolinians in Avery County remain baffled at the 80 trailers that remain vacant at a nearby FEMA staging area even today. In a response to the unused trailers, an agency spokesperson blamed weather and permitting requirements for the delay. But charities such as Samaritan’s Purse and Cajun Navy have already overcome these hurdles to deliver temporary housing without the backing of federal funding. Perhaps organizations with better track records of resource stewardship might be better recipients of critical disaster response funding.”
https://reason.com/2025/02/04/fema-is-a-disaster-trump-is-right-to-demand-changes/
Tech guys want to rule their own countries because they are the true geniuses who know how society should be run.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLR1fPxZImI
Is America’s Red Sea defense really worth it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqYkj_aT-wI
How China Is Preparing for “Major-Power War”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDcWLm_ltIk
“If Trump decided he wanted to hold onto power past 2028, there are at least four paths he could try:
He could generate a movement to repeal the 22nd Amendment directly.
He could exploit a little-noticed loophole in the amendment that might allow him to run for vice president and then immediately ascend back to the presidency.
He could run for president again on the bet that a pliant Supreme Court won’t stop him.
Or he could simply refuse to leave — and put a formal end to America’s democratic experiment.”
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/01/31/trump-defy-constitution-third-term-00200239
“For years, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority warned Congress that the region’s airports were at capacity, DeFazio said in an interview with POLITICO Magazine. But their pleas for restraint fell short among lawmakers, who voted to add more flights to an airport already struggling with its heavy load and a shortage of air traffic controllers caused by previous government shutdowns and pandemic-era hits to its workforce.
“Every senator in particular wants a nonstop flight to and from wherever they live,” said DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat. He noted that a reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration passed last year added even more flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. “The airport said, ‘Don’t do it.’ And they did it. So they added to what DCA said is already an overly congested and over-capacity airport.” (Congress has added more than 60 new flights to Reagan since 2000, over the objections of airport officials.)”
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/01/31/defazio-plane-crash-blame-00201767
“Trump signed pardons for 23 anti-abortion protesters who were convicted of illegally blockading a reproductive health clinic in Washington, D.C.”
https://www.axios.com/2025/01/24/trump-pardons-anti-abortion-activists
“The construction industry needs to attract 439,000 new workers this year to meet demand, otherwise costs will rise — putting some projects out of reach — per projections from the Associated Builders and Contractors trade group out Friday morning.”
…
“Immigrants make up about 26% of the construction workforce, per census data cited by Pew Research Center last fall.”
…
“An estimated 13% of construction workers are undocumented”
https://www.axios.com/2025/01/24/trump-immigration-construction-industry