Swalwell’s Exit and the Civics We Keep Skimming
United States – April 14, 2026 – Rep. Eric Swalwell says he will resign after sexual assault and misconduct allegations he denies, forcing Congress to juggle accountability, due…
Author: Harlan Quill
A dusty patriot with a library card, a suspicious mind, and boots worn from pacing in protest. Raised on Tom Paine and taught by Orwell, Harlan doesn’t salute power — he scrutinizes it. He believes democracy is a rowdy dinner table, not a monologue from the rich. His columns are where forgotten truths resurface, cloaked in cautionary tales and sharpened by wit.
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Congress’ Ethics Crisis: Due Process, or Due Whenever?
United States – April 14, 2026 – Congress’ ethics system is straining under scandal, delay, and leadership’s favorite all-purpose phrase: “due process.”
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Coal Ash, Quiet Water: EPA’s New “Flexibility” Test
United States – April 14, 2026 – EPA’s proposed coal ash rule leans hard on “flexibility,” and that word tends to travel with discretion, delay, and groundwater risk.
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SBIR Is Back, but the Gatekeepers Got Bigger
United States – April 14, 2026 – SBIR is back through 2031, but new security screens and mega-awards revive the question: innovation for whom?
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Homes, Not Hostages: A Blueprint With a Catch
United States – April 14, 2026 – A White House report says the U.S. is short about 10 million homes and blames delays and rules for higher costs. The push to cut red tape could …
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US Wholesale Inflation Jumped as War-Driven Energy Costs Hit the Pipeline
United States – April 14, 2026 – Wholesale prices rose sharply in March, driven by an energy surge tied to the Iran war, putting the Fed in a familiar bind: inflation pressure n…
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Patch Like Liberty Depends on It (Because It Does)
United States – April 14, 2026 – CISA flagged exploited bugs in common software, and our national reflex is still to hit snooze until the breach alarm rings.
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Washington Put AI on the Education Grant Scoreboard. The Privacy Rules Are Still in the Parking Lot.
United States – April 14, 2026 – Washington just put AI on the grant scoreboard, so show me the privacy guardrails and audits before grants roll out.
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Home Detention, Home Silence: When Bail Starts Sounding Like a Gag Order
United States – April 14, 2026 – A judge let an accused leaker go home, and the bail terms read like a little First Amendment gag order on paper.
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The Housing Crisis Is a Permission-Slip Crisis
United States – April 14, 2026 – Home sales fell again, yet prices climbed. The shortage keeps looking less like fate and more like a governance choice.
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