“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” — Thomas Jefferson

“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” — Thomas Jefferson

In light of today's deaths of two US soldiers in Jordan, it's a good time to be reminded: Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’ www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Pew Research Center: Most countries don’t observe daylight saving time www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

Pew Research Center: People in Many Countries Now View China More Positively Than the U.S. More also have confidence in Xi than Trump, according to a survey in three dozen countries www.pewresearch.org/global/2026/...

Democracy Docket: "Donald Trump didn't reveal evidence of voter fraud on Thursday night. Instead, his speech was the culmination of a crisis he and Republicans manufactured as an excuse to take over elections..." newsletters.democracydocket.com/trump-didnt-...

Simply despicable: Trump administration allows killing of species threatened with extinction www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

"More voters would be more likely to support a democratic socialist candidate than a Make America Great Again supporter or a candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump, the CNBC All-America Economic Survey found." www.cnbc.com/2026/07/17/d...

The SAVE America Act Backfire Trump's speech didn't make the case, while sowing voting distrust www.wsj.com/opinion/dona...

A Look Inside the Newly Public Election Intelligence Files The White House released 269 pages of documents -- many newly declassified -- as part of an election-security review www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Trump's Week of Policy U-Turns and Election Allegations President's recent moves have frustrated some Republicans, who worry he isn't focused on the economy ahead of the midterms www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Nothing but lies:

"Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously." -- Hunter S. Thompson, born #OTD 1937

"A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance." -- Hunter S. Thompson, born #OTD 1937

"As I hurtled through space, one thought kept crossing my mind - every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder." -- John Glenn, born #OTD 1921

On this date in 1925, Adolf Hitler publishes "Mein Kampf." The original title was "Four and a Half Years (of Struggle) Against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice"

By Bill Bramhall:

"Never lose a chance of saying a kind word." -- William Makepeace Thackeray, born #OTD 1811, in "Vanity Fair"

"A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but it's lowest ones." -- Nelson Mandela, born #OTD 1918, in "Long Walk to Freedom"

"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate & if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite." -- Nelson Mandela, born #OTD 1918

"It always seems impossible until it's done." -- Nelson Mandela, born #OTD 1918

It's unconstitutional: DHS Secretary Mullin threatens to prosecute election chiefs who refuse voter roll demands www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

"We’re old enough to remember when insider trading was considered a crime."

Hunter Biden: "Last night Donald Trump released a declassified document that says his own intelligence community identified Putin as personally running an operation to defeat my father in 2020..."

Today's cartoon by Nick Anderson:

AP Exclusive: ICE Officer in Maine Shooting Has History of Violent Behavior, and is an Army veteran who has struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood www.usnews.com/news/best-st...

Trump Defiant as ICE Faces Pressure From Latest Killings Tied to Immigration Crackdown The president says immigration enforcement won’t budge as two fatal shootings bring more pressure for agents’ prosecution. www.usnews.com/news/nationa...

Trump rewriting history: Trump administration replaces slavery exhibition at Washington’s home in Philadelphia share.google/lrQMwb14qwCE...

Trump's "Golden Age": Economic outlook is worsening and Trump is getting blamed, CNBC survey finds www.cnbc.com/2026/07/17/e...

By Nick Anderson: "First comes the shooting. Then comes the official statement portraying the dead as dangerous. Then comes the slow release of contradictory evidence. Then comes the government’s reluctance to disclose body-camera footage, witness statements and investigative files..."

"No society can surely be flourishing and happy of which by far the greater part of the numbers are poor and miserable." -- Adam Smith, who died #OTD 1790

Democracy Docket: Trump pushes debunked election lies, demands SAVE America Act in primetime speech www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

"Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent." -- Adam Smith, who died #OTD 1790

"Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition." -- Adam Smith, who died #OTD 1790, in "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations"

"Civil government, so far as it is instituted for the security of property, is in reality instituted for the defense of the rich against the poor, or of those who have some property against those who have none at all." -- Adam Smith, who died #OTD 1790

"What greater bliss than to look back on days spent in usefulness, in doing good to those around us." -- Dorothea Dix, who died #OTD 1887

While fielding what were supposed to be softball questions from Republican Senator John Kennedy asked: “Are you and Trump friends?” To which Blanche revealed the worst-kept secret in Washington: “I’m his lawyer.” open.substack.com/pub/headquar...

NPR today: Trump's team says 'no children' died from USAID cuts. Consider these 3 cases www.npr.org/2026/07/17/g...

The guy's stock is down 6.13% today:

Trump is a shameless clown: Trump says ABC, NBC licenses should be revoked over refusal to air speech on election integrity www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

The New Republic today: Trump’s Own Election Fraud Guy Admits He’s Found No Proof John Solomon, a member of Trump’s election task force, confessed that there is no proof of election fraud in the last three elections. newrepublic.com/post/213185/...

NPR: "A year after federal funding cuts we haven't backed down on our commitment to serve you. Donate now to fuel what's next."

The Daily Mirror, April 2: "WORLD PAYS FOR TRUMP LUNACY"

The Associated Press today: apnews.com/article/us-e...

On this date in 1959, "North by Northwest" directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint premieres in Los Angeles.

On this date in 1956, in an attempt to undermine the local bus boycott by the Black community against seating segregation and unequal employment, the City Commission in Tallahassee ordered a police crackdown on drivers who had volunteered to carpool share.google/bMiOJDEFX2Q2...

He's delusional:

Trump Has Only Terrible Choices With Iran Some involve accepting Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz. The rest call for escalation. www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

Governor Gretchen Whitmer's statement on the President's speech last night:

On this date in 1945, Harry Truman, Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill hold their first post World War II meeting at the Potsdam Conference.