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Manhattan Institute Issues Commentary to Wall Street Journal: Don't Let Terrorists Run Nonprofits
NEW YORK, Aug. 29 -- The Manhattan Institute issued the following excerpts of a commentary on Aug. 27, 2026, by legal policy fellow Tal Fortgang to the Wall Street Journal:
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Don't Let Terrorists Run Nonprofits
A proposed change to the Form 990 would require 501(c)3s to disclose whether their top officials have been convicted of financial or terrorism-related crimes.
The U.S. Treasury is mulling dramatic changes to our nonprofit system. It announced in April that it plans to revise the Form 990, which nonprofits file annually with the IRS, "to improve transparency, strengthen tax administration,
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Aug. 29 -- The Manhattan Institute issued the following excerpts of a commentary on Aug. 27, 2026, by legal policy fellow Tal Fortgang to the Wall Street Journal:
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Don't Let Terrorists Run Nonprofits
A proposed change to the Form 990 would require 501(c)3s to disclose whether their top officials have been convicted of financial or terrorism-related crimes.
The U.S. Treasury is mulling dramatic changes to our nonprofit system. It announced in April that it plans to revise the Form 990, which nonprofits file annually with the IRS, "to improve transparency, strengthen tax administration,and provide clearer reporting on certain activities . . . to detect misconduct and hold wrongdoers accountable." The main condition for nonprofits' favorable tax status is scrupulous adherence to the law. Without some transparency, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pointed out, bad actors can hide "fraud, abuse, and extremist activity behind complicated nonprofit arrangements."
One potential measure for increased transparency has raised eyebrows. CBS News has reported that "the Trump administration is weighing a proposal to require nonprofits to disclose in their annual tax filings whether their top officials have been convicted of certain financial or terrorism-related crimes."
Though there is nothing inherently illegal about employing ex-convicts, the government wants to know if nonprofits are being run by people who have engaged in "material support to terrorists, fraud, money laundering, securities fraud, tax evasion" or similar unlawful acts.
Continue reading the entire piece here at The Wall Street Journal (https://www.wsj.com/opinion/dont-let-terrorists-run-nonprofits-2279f7c0)
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Tal Fortgang is a legal policy fellow at the Manhattan Institute. His interests include law, political theory, religion, ideology, and culture, and his popular writings have appeared in City Journal, Commentary, National Affairs, National Review, and other publications.
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Original text here: https://manhattan.institute/article/dont-let-terrorists-run-nonprofits
[Category: ThinkTank]
Ifo Institute: Strong Improvement in Business Climate in Germany's Chemical Industry
MUNICH, Germany, Aug. 29 -- ifo Institute issued the following news release on Aug. 28, 2026:
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Strong Improvement in Business Climate in Germany's Chemical Industry
The business climate in Germany's chemical industry improved sharply in August. The index rose to minus 2.4 points, up from minus 26.3 points* in July. For the first time in four years, companies are even positive in their assessment of the business situation.
The figure rose to plus 11.6 points, up from minus 14.6* points in July. Business expectations were also considerably brighter, rising from minus 37.2* to minus 15.5
... Show Full Article
MUNICH, Germany, Aug. 29 -- ifo Institute issued the following news release on Aug. 28, 2026:
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Strong Improvement in Business Climate in Germany's Chemical Industry
The business climate in Germany's chemical industry improved sharply in August. The index rose to minus 2.4 points, up from minus 26.3 points* in July. For the first time in four years, companies are even positive in their assessment of the business situation.
The figure rose to plus 11.6 points, up from minus 14.6* points in July. Business expectations were also considerably brighter, rising from minus 37.2* to minus 15.5points. "Supply failures in Asia resulting from the ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz are driving up demand for German-made chemical products," says ifo industry expert Anna Wolf.
Since there are no signs of geopolitical tensions easing, companies expect this economic upturn to continue. Their production plans indicate an expansion in production. Export business is also continuing to gain momentum:
The corresponding balance rose to plus 10.1 points, up from minus 22.7 points in July. At the same time, the supply situation has eased somewhat: In the third quarter, only 13.8 percent of chemical companies still reported material shortages, compared to one in three companies in the second quarter. However, structural problems such as high energy and location costs continue to burden the industry.
As a result, companies expect further job cuts despite the upturn. "In the medium term, however, government infrastructure and investment programs could support demand for chemical inputs, as long as the announced projects are implemented swiftly," says Wolf.
*Seasonally adjusted
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More Information
Survey (https://www.ifo.de/en/facts/2026-08-28/strong-improvement-business-climate-germanys-chemical-industry)
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Original text here: https://www.ifo.de/en/press-release/2026-08-28/strong-improvement-business-climate-germanys-chemical-industry
[Category: ThinkTank]
Hudson Institute Issues Commentary to First Breakfast: Getting Creative About the Munitions Crisis
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 -- Hudson Institute, a research organization that says it promotes leadership for a secure, free and prosperous future, issued the following commentary on Aug. 28, 2026, by distinguished fellow Mike Gallagher and senior fellow Nadia Schadlow to First Breakfast:
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Getting Creative About the Munitions Crisis
First Breakfast asked several experts, "If you had free reign to fix America's munitions bottleneck, what would you propose?" Below are responses from Mike Gallagher and Nadia Schadlow.
Mike Gallagher: Stop Lighting Money on Fire
The Pentagon is rightly rushing to
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 -- Hudson Institute, a research organization that says it promotes leadership for a secure, free and prosperous future, issued the following commentary on Aug. 28, 2026, by distinguished fellow Mike Gallagher and senior fellow Nadia Schadlow to First Breakfast:
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Getting Creative About the Munitions Crisis
First Breakfast asked several experts, "If you had free reign to fix America's munitions bottleneck, what would you propose?" Below are responses from Mike Gallagher and Nadia Schadlow.
Mike Gallagher: Stop Lighting Money on Fire
The Pentagon is rightly rushing tospend every single one of its Congressionally appropriated dollars before the end of the fiscal year. If it succeeds, it will avoid a self-inflicted problem that has had a disastrous impact on our deterrent posture.
In the last decade, the Pentagon has lost more than $125 billion because of an outdated budgeting process that requires any unspent, Congressionally appropriated dollars to be returned to the Treasury. In other words, billions of budgeted dollars have been allowed to simply vanish instead of being used to replenish munitions stockpiles, procure new technology, or invest into our defense industrial base.
The FIRES Act I introduced as a member of Congress fixes that.
Rather than let this appropriated but unspent money disappear, the FIRES Act puts these dollars into a special fund that the Secretary of War could use to fund Congressionally mandated priorities. This could go a long way toward supporting priorities that may prove decisive in a Pacific conflict. The first of these: Deputy Secretary Feinberg's efforts to ramp munitions production via multi-year purchases. The second: scaling the manufacturing and deployment of autonomous capabilities that can turn China's coastal waters into a hellscape. The third: funding advanced energetics such as CL-20 in existing systems to extend both their range and destructive power.
The Pentagon has rightly identified munitions production and autonomy as key to preventing or winning war in the Pacific. But funding it sufficiently and in time remains a challenge. The FIRES Act gives the Secretary of War the flexibility and authority needed to fund enduring priorities at the speed of relevance, making us safer without budgeting another dime of taxpayer dollars.
Nadia Schadlow: It's Not Easy, But It's Not Rocket Science
In the category of "kind of simple" (recognizing that simple and the Pentagon are something of an oxymoron), there are some basic steps that could help avoid repeating past mistakes. Start by taking stock of recent efforts to support new entrants and expand capacity in the energetics space: What was funded? What actually got built? What new capacity came online? What worked, what didn't, and why? This is not a "gotcha" exercise. It is a way to learn from recent investments and inform the next round.
For example, in 2024 the Department of Defense awarded $192.5 million to seven companies under the Defense Production Act to expand domestic production of 22 chemicals used in defense systems, including critical energetic precursors and other materials such as oxidizers and magnesium. What resulted? Which projects delivered the capacity they promised? Which did not? And why?
Read in First Breakfast (https://www.firstbreakfast.com/p/getting-creative-about-the-munitions?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1936818&post_id=212885210&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=870mf&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email).
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Mike Gallagher is a distinguished fellow at Hudson Institute. He is also head of defense at Palantir Technologies.
Nadia Schadlow is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. She conducts research and analysis on a range of issues at the intersection of strategy, national security, and technology.
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Original text here: https://www.hudson.org/national-security-defense/getting-creative-about-munitions-crisis-mike-gallagher-nadia-schadlow
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center of the American Experiment Wins National Award for Fraud Coverage
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Aug. 29 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following news:
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Written by Bill Walsh
American Experiment wins national award for fraud coverage
Center of the American Experiment won the 2026 Bob Williams Award for Securing Durable Freedom from the State Policy Network (SPN). The award was announced this week at SPN's annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. SPN recognized American Experiment's work exposing and documenting Minnesota's fraud problem:
Through two years of relentless
... Show Full Article
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Aug. 29 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following news:
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Written by Bill Walsh
American Experiment wins national award for fraud coverage
Center of the American Experiment won the 2026 Bob Williams Award for Securing Durable Freedom from the State Policy Network (SPN). The award was announced this week at SPN's annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. SPN recognized American Experiment's work exposing and documenting Minnesota's fraud problem:
Through two years of relentlessinvestigative reporting, American Experiment exposed more than $9 billion in fraud across Minnesota's social-service programs, bringing national attention to a story that demanded accountability. Their reporting reached millions, helped prompt congressional hearings, and contributed to a major policy victory: the creation of Minnesota's first government-wide Office of Inspector General to investigate fraud and pursue criminal prosecutions.
In his speech accepting the award, American Experiment President John Hinderaker singled out the work of Policy Fellow Bill Glahn for his relentless investigative journalism:
"It can be tough being a policy organization in a blue state because it isn't easy to get good policy implemented. On the other hand, bad policy and incompetent government create a lot of opportunities for important public campaigns. Bill Glahn has been on the fraud case since January of 2022, but the story in Minnesota isn't over. The fraud continues to take place, our investigations are ongoing, and fraud is the number one issue in the political campaigns that are raging right now. So, the ultimate impact of our work is yet to be known."
State Policy Network's mission is to catalyze thriving, durable freedom movements in every state, anchored with high-performing independent think tanks.
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Bill Walsh is the Vice President of Communications at Center of the American Experiment. bill.walsh@americanexperiment.org
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Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/american-experiment-wins-national-award-for-fraud-coverage/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center of the American Experiment Issues Commentary: Will a Fake $30,000 Nosebleed Land Us All on Peggycare?
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Aug. 29 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on Aug. 28, 2026, by policy fellow Matt Dean:
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Will a fake $30,000 nosebleed land us all on Peggycare?
A recent Peggy Flanagan stump speech turned to health care costs.
"My friend Tom is an ER doctor who worries he is going to kick someone into bankruptcy every time he treats someone in the ER..He's like... 'someone just paid $30,000 when I treated their nosebleed.' right? That's too much."
In addition
... Show Full Article
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Aug. 29 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on Aug. 28, 2026, by policy fellow Matt Dean:
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Will a fake $30,000 nosebleed land us all on Peggycare?
A recent Peggy Flanagan stump speech turned to health care costs.
"My friend Tom is an ER doctor who worries he is going to kick someone into bankruptcy every time he treats someone in the ER..He's like... 'someone just paid $30,000 when I treated their nosebleed.' right? That's too much."
In additionto the tissue in the poor patient's nostrils, there is a lot to unpack in this one clip by Minnesota's DFL candidate for U.S. Senate.
Right off the bat, you should know that in her recent successful primary victory against Congresswoman Angie Craig, Flanagan chose the Democratic Socialists of America's "Medicare for All" plank, while Craig adopted a more moderate "fix what's broke" approach. The Minnesota Star Tribune highlighted that as the defining difference between the two, noting "Flanagan's stated goal is replacing the current system." The Minnesota Democrats who overwhelmingly supported Flanagan likely knew this. But what would Peggycare really mean?
Peggycare would outlaw all private insurance. Period. If you like your plan, tough. If you like your doctor, too bad. If the Indian Health Service works well for you? Sorry. No Medicaid either. No cash pay. No Cadillac plan your union traded pay increases to keep. No Mayo Clinic.
There is no "public option" in Peggycare to opt out of the top-down, Soviet-style program. That seems drastic, and those pushing it (like Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan) are not trying to hide that fact. They are running on it.
But let's look at why the Minnesota lieutenant governor thinks we need Peggycare in the first place. Remember our friend Dr. Tom told her he's having insomnia because he may have bankrupted some poor fellow (let's call him Carl) because Tom sent Carl a $30,000 bill to stop a nosebleed.
Her first question should have been, "Holy crap, Dr. Tom, why did it cost $30,000 for an ER visit for a nosebleed?" Carl probably should have done what his grandma would have told him to do and shoved tissue up his nose and sat in a recliner for twenty minutes until it stopped. But he went to the ER, and if Dr. Tom followed the advice of the National Academy of Otolaryngology, he would have shoved tissue up Carl's nose, had him sit in a recliner, and sent him home with a bill for $1,473.29--or $1,048.22 with no tissue stuck up his nose. That works more than 95% of the time, and the other five percent need to be admitted to the hospital.
I do not believe the lieutenant governor made up this story. She heard it from Dr. Tom or someone else. But Peggy did not think of questioning the $30,000 bill. She either lacks common sense or the curiosity to do so, but that's what a good senator does. "How do you know that?" is the absolute best question a legislator should learn how to ask, because every bit of information that reaches them is tilted and meant for them to act on behalf of someone or something, and much of that information is just plain false.
You cannot scrap a $4 trillion portion of the economy upon which we all rely on for health care, based on a story you overheard at Starbies.
We have the greatest health care in the world, but the way we pay for it is crazy and unfair. The truth is that Dr. Tom has no flipping idea what he is billing anyone for anything in the ER. He writes notes and codes procedures and those codes are translated into different prices for different patients. Dr. Tom may not know that the cost paid by his Medicare patients only covers about 82% of the cost of care, while a patient paying cash may pay 140% of cost and someone on job-provided health insurance may pay somewhere in between.
Rather than instituting socialized medicine with no way out, let's try to make billing more transparent and get rid of the fraud that is bankrupting hospitals and families.
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Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/will-a-fake-30000-nosebleed-land-us-all-on-peggycare/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center of the American Experiment Issues Commentary: Big Tech Settlement Includes Practical Changes But Also Caveats
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Aug. 29 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on Aug. 28, 2026, by policy fellow Catrin Wigfall:
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Big Tech settlement includes practical changes but also caveats
The massive tech company Meta has agreed to pay nearly $18 billion to settle the sprawling lawsuits brought by 48 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories accusing the company of designing Facebook and Instagram to hook kids and profit off their attention.
The terms of the agreement
... Show Full Article
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Aug. 29 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on Aug. 28, 2026, by policy fellow Catrin Wigfall:
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Big Tech settlement includes practical changes but also caveats
The massive tech company Meta has agreed to pay nearly $18 billion to settle the sprawling lawsuits brought by 48 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories accusing the company of designing Facebook and Instagram to hook kids and profit off their attention.
The terms of the agreementwill automatically apply to users under 18, and most of the terms are locked in for a decade. The new changes include:
* Daily time limits that teens can't turn off. A cumulative two-hour daily time limit will be the default across Facebook and Instagram, including time spent scrolling. Teens can only turn off the limit with a parent's permission.
* Default blocks from Meta apps at night. Between midnight and 6 a.m., teens will not be able to post or view their Feed, Stories, Explore, or Reels.
* Muted notifications during school hours. Notifications will be muted by default between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Teens will only receive push notifications for direct messages and alerts about their account security or safety.
* Screen time prompts. Teens will receive prompts after every 15 minutes of continuous screen time on Facebook or Instagram. They will also receive prompts when their total daily usage hits 60 minutes or 90 minutes.
* Algorithmic feed control. Teens can choose a non-algorithmic feed (one that isn't "personalized" by Meta's recommendation systems) as their default. Parents can adjust the default experience to require this setting.
* Autoplay control. Teens will be able to turn off autoplay so that content no longer plays automatically. Parents can adjust the default experience to require this setting.
* Hidden likes. The number of likes and reactions on teens' posts -- both their own and those from others -- will be hidden by default.
* Filter blocks. In addition to the existing policy that blocks teens from using cosmetic surgery filters, teens will also be blocked from using extreme makeup filters.
"Ensuring teens have a safe and productive experience on our platforms is an absolute imperative for Meta," the tech conglomerate said in a statement.
The fine print, though, reveals that Meta platforms' direct messaging features are excluded from Night Mode, Time Limit, and School Mode restrictions.
As U.S. News & World Report's Olivier Knox puts it: "So your child might not be able to fall down a rabbit hole of pirated 'Game of Thrones' clips while you sleep, but they could stay in constant contact with their social media buddies in the wee hours of the morning or during third-period math class."
According to Meta, the above protections "will only be truly effective if we work with our peers -- TikTok and YouTube -- to put the same measures in place."
And that's a telling caveat, continues Knox.
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Under the terms Meta disclosed, the money [from the settlement] will come in two tranches:
* States will get about $12.7 billion -- 70% of the promised payout -- over 10 years.
* The remaining 30%, roughly $5.3 billion, will only be disbursed after YouTube and TikTok implement a one-hour daily limit, "night mode" and other measures. And only after each of those companies pays out matching the 30% amount.
... Meta is initially committing to a two-hour daily limit but wants YouTube and TikTok to accept a one-hour daily limit.
Meta says it will also reduce its daily time limit to one hour per app and expand night mode to 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. if its rivals sign on.
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The backlash against Big Tech isn't happening only in the U.S. As I wrote here, UK recently joined a handful of countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Indonesia, that have put restrictions on social media use for children. France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand, and South Korea are looking into or developing similar measures.
Whether any of this changes how teens use these apps is an open question, especially given the direct messaging loopholes. Those gaps should remind us that parents still remain the first line of defense.
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Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/big-tech-settlement-includes-practical-changes-but-also-caveats/
[Category: ThinkTank]
AFPI Responds to Federal Court's Ruling in Anthropic PBC Vs. U.S. Department of War
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 -- The America First Policy Institute issued the following news release on Aug. 28, 2026:
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AFPI Responds to Federal Court's Ruling in Anthropic PBC v. U.S. Department of War
The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) respectfully disagrees with the August 27 federal court decision setting aside the Department of War's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk. The ruling gives too little weight to the operational uncertainty created when a mission-critical AI vendor reserves control over lawful military uses of its technology.
"Judge Lin was right that national
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 -- The America First Policy Institute issued the following news release on Aug. 28, 2026:
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AFPI Responds to Federal Court's Ruling in Anthropic PBC v. U.S. Department of War
The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) respectfully disagrees with the August 27 federal court decision setting aside the Department of War's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk. The ruling gives too little weight to the operational uncertainty created when a mission-critical AI vendor reserves control over lawful military uses of its technology.
"Judge Lin was right that nationalsecurity cannot become a phrase that ends judicial review. But the decision discounts what the Department of War must be able to demand from a mission-critical AI provider. A company may criticize the government and decline its business. It cannot reasonably expect the benefits of becoming embedded in military systems while reserving a private veto over lawful operations. The terms of war should always be defined by those most accountable to the American people and not by profit-seeking corporations," said Joel Thayer, an attorney and Senior Fellow for AI and Emerging Technology Policy at AFPI.
AFPI filed the sole amicus brief supporting the government in the related D.C. Circuit proceeding. AFPI's amicus brief argues that decisions about the conduct of war must remain with officials accountable to the President and the American people. A vendor's ability to withhold, alter, or condition access to critical technology can create an operational risk even without an intent to sabotage.
That question will now be decided by the D.C. Circuit.
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Original text here: https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/issues/afpi-responds-to-federal-courts-ruling-in-anthropic-pbc-v-u.s-department-of-war
[Category: ThinkTank]
