Fasting from Social Media
What to know: More and more Americans say they’re taking a social media “fast” to regain perspective on the world.
The TPPF take: In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, a social media fast is a healthy response.
“In the aftermath of the shooting, I was glued to my phone,” says TPPF’s David Dunmoyer. “The algorithms did what they always do. They highlighted the worst sides of humanity, with the most incendiary theories strategically planted in our feeds to boil our blood, and unsolicited, grotesque footage of the incident annotated by the most-liked comments in the feed.”
For more on social media, click here.
Gay Softball Subsidies
What to know: Harris County, which previously complained about a $200 million budget deficit, just approved a nearly $500,000 subsidy to sponsor the Gay Softball World Series in Houston.
The TPPF take: Why are taxpayers subsidizing gay softball events?
“County governments exist for limited and defined reasons. Handing out taxpayer money to select special interest groups is not one of them,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “Hopefully, at some point in the future, the Texas Legislature will revisit the hotel occupancy tax and its many questionable uses, so that some better safeguards can be instituted.”
For more on softball and subsidies, click here.
Terror Ties
What to know: Qatar has deep ties to the terrorist group Hamas, reports show.
The TPPF take: Qatar is also funding quite of bit of research at U.S. universities—including Texas A&M.
“According to a June 2025 Foundation for Defense of Democracies report based on internal Hamas documents, Hamas leadership described Qatar as its main artery,” says TPPF’s Kate Bierly. “Qatar has funneled $1.8 billion to Hamas since 2007, pledged $360 million annually to Gaza, and openly hosts Hamas’s political operations in Doha. Until full transparency is required, Americans will remain in the dark about how hostile nations like Qatar use their money not just to buy influence at our universities, but to advance agendas that undermine U.S. allies and fuel terrorism.”
For more on Hamas and Qatar, click here.