According to reporting by Reuters, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) has blocked the $14.9 billion takeover of US Steel (USS) by Nippon Steel (Nippon) due to the “consequences to national security” and a “continued loss of viable commercial production capabilities.” Because the United States defends Japan’s sovereignty, it is difficult to imagine the latter undermining US national security. Moreover, Nippon has agreed to no “layoffs or plant closures or idling of US Steel facilities.” Domestic politics may motivate this decision, namely helping Democrats in contested races, particularly Vice President Harris.

On August 31, San Francisco 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall was walking through downtown San Francisco when a robber pulled a pistol and demanded Pearsall’s upscale watch, according to some reports, a Rolex. The rookie receiver refused to hand it over, and in the ensuing struggle, the assailant shot Pearsall in the chest. Miraculously, the bullet struck no vital organs and passed out his back. 

Paying attention to government spending is often both a thankless and depressing task. What makes it that way are the horrible incentives that politicians and bureaucrats have. Too many politicians see spending whatever their supporters want as their easy ticket to election and re-election. Meanwhile, bureaucrats have perverse incentives to run through every dollar the politicians authorize them to spend because if they don’t use it, they lose it. The result is often highly wasteful spending.

U.S. Treasuries have functioned as a safe haven for investors during global turmoil for decades. Here’s Investopedia describes their role in providing financial stability:

Certain politicians have recently stated that Americans are paying more for what they buy because greedy corporations are hiking prices to fatten profits at their expense. Is this so? Legislation that governs the securities industry requires companies to disclose financial statements to ensure honesty and fair play. These financial statements should tell us whether companies are profiting at the expense of ordinary Joes.

The total public debt outstanding of the U.S. government has grown by $7.4 trillion since the end of 2020. That’s causing a lot of concern for the CEOs of foreign financial institutions, who don’t see it as a risk-free investment.

Sadly, the presidential race is unfocused on America’s most critical issue. This issue is so crucial that everything else, such as inflation, geopolitical conflicts, immigration, the decline of manufacturing, and cultural conflicts, depends on where you stand on it. I’m referring to the limits of government. Based on both candidates’ approaches, there seem to be no clear limits, except for Trump’s spasmodic criticism of excessive regulation.

In case you missed it, the U.S. government’s total public debt outstanding surpassed $35 trillion on July 26, 2024. This amounts to over $102,350 for every person in the country, based on the population of 341,963,408 in 2024. On average, this would be more than $255,875 per household, assuming each household has 2.5 members. These figures may seem daunting, especially when top executives from financial institutions who oversee high-priced deals express concern about them.

Mark Pulliam is a good fellow. He is retired from big law and regularly writes for publications such as Chronicles and the Law and Liberty Blog. Pulliam often sends me links to his publications and 99 percent of the time, I love his material. I enjoy my correspondence with him. However, I must take issue with his recent article entitled Nullification of the Constitution, in which Pulliam advocates for a supreme national government that dictates to the states. He argues that libertarian constitutionalists such as Tom Woods and the folks at the Tenth Amendment Center are off base for suggesting that the states may nullify/defy/reject federal dictates.

Vice-Presidential candidate J.D. Vance has been widely criticized for his gratuitous advice to American women on childbirth. The criticism can be extended to the broader goal of Vance and other isolationists, which is to defend American culture from past and future foreign influences. Their intent to purify culture from things foreign demonstrates extreme ignorance of American immigration history. For example, they appear to be unaware of a broad historical literature that includes Russell Kirk’s book, America’s British Culture and John Kennedy’s book, A Nation of Immigrants, which depict America as a melting pot that has always embodied foreign influences.