05/11 -- Iran war: Trump whines about proposal for terms of US surrender; Hobbes's State: "Why Are You Hitting Yourself?"
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Thomas L. Knapp
May 11, 2026, 6:17:49 AM (14 days ago) May 11
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 05/11/26
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Iran war: Trump whines about proposal for terms of US surrender
2) Russia: Putin suggests Ukraine war is “coming to an end”
3) Bitcoin briefly tops $82,000 on improving macro conditions
4) Canvas outage delays college finals across US
5) $7 Billion In Perfectly Timed Oil Bets Sparks Insider Trading Fears
6) Brazil: Supreme Court Justice Suspends Bill That Ordered Early Release of Ex-President Bolsonaro
7) Pakistan: Fourteen cops killed in car bombing, shootout
8) Virginia Democrats to appeal ruling against redistricting to SCOTUS
9) Italy: Venice Biennale opens without a jury amid strife over Russian and Israeli participation
10) Hantavirus-hit passengers begin to disembark cruise ship in Tenerife
11) Greece: Mystery drone boat “armed with explosives” seized by police
12) DR Congo: Rebel fighters kill at least 69
13) MN: Nonprofit accused of siphoning $6.5 million to fund Vegas trips, luxury cars, private liquor store
14) US consumer sentiment hits record low amid concerns about high prices
15) Australia: One Nation party scores historic parliamentary win
16) Sources: US regime nears US $400 million bribe deal with TikTok
17) North Korea: Regime updates constitution to require automatic nuclear strike if Kim Jong Un is assassinated
18) UK: Starmer faces calls to resign after disastrous local elections
19) Massive experimental aircraft crashes off US coastline
20) Pentagon releases first batch of “top secret” UFO files
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Hobbes’s State: “Why Are You Hitting Yourself?”
22) Ted Turner: 24 Hours That Changed The News World
23) Right-Wing Influencers Don’t Understand What Makes America Great
24) Iran war marks the end of American primacy as we know it
25) Why the Scarcity of News about Our Increasing Abundance?
26) New York Times announces the end of the climate change hoax
27) Creators and Destroyers of Worlds
28) No, Russia Isn’t Finished
29) Meat Industry Price Fixer Sentenced to Make Money
30) Nick Bostrom Has a Plan for Humanity’s “Big Retirement”
31) Non-profit group has twisted the meaning of “genocide” (and hijacked a Zionist hero’s name) to suit its own woke purposes
32) Britain Is Pricing Its Factories into Oblivion
33) Guatemala’s step toward good governance
34) A Tale of Two Waiting Periods
35) The Big Apple’s Rotten Budget Move: Raiding Pensions for Short-Term Spending
36) What UCLA doesn’t want you to know
37) “We Are Socialists”
38) Bringing back baby bonds
39) Trump is playing Iran by ear. It’s not working.
40) Celebrating Opposite Freedoms on the Fourth of July
41) They’re Attacking Online Anonymity, And Other Notes
42) Mississippi Learning
43) Baseball’s Mystic Chords of Memory
44) The Senate Has Gotten a Little More Competitive
45) Depopulation Won’t Save the Planet
46) Subjects of Empire: Breaking the Cycle of Arab Dependency on US Elections
47) Trump’s presidency has desiccated the conservative movement
48) Kill the Kill Switch!
49) Want to Help Mothers This Mother’s Day? Back a Guaranteed Income
50) The Ozempic Paradox
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Fountainhead Forum, episode 446
52) The Brian Nichols Show, 05/10/26
53) In the Tank, episode 535
54) Free Talk Live, 05/09/26
55) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 05/09/26
56) Pink Flame of Liberty, 05/09/26
57) Freedom Works with Paul Molloy, 05/09/26
58) The Tom Woods Show, episode 2759
59) Free Media, 05/08/26
60) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 05/08/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Iran war: Trump whines about proposal for terms of US surrender
Source: Reuters
“Days after the U.S. floated an offer in the hopes of re-opening negotiations, Iran on Sunday released a response focused on ending the war on all fronts, especially Lebanon, where U.S. ally Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. Tehran also included a demand for compensation for war damage and emphasised Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state TV said. It also called on the U.S. to end its naval blockade, guarantee no further attacks, lift sanctions and end a U.S. ban on Iranian oil sales, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said. Within hours, Trump dismissed Iran’s proposal with a post on social media. ‘I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social, without giving further detail.” (05/11/26)
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/trump-rejects-irans-response-us-peace-proposal-unacceptable-2026-05-11/
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2) Russia: Putin suggests Ukraine war is “coming to an end”
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Vladimir Putin has said he thinks the Ukraine war is winding down, hours after he had vowed to defeat Ukraine at Moscow’s most scaled-back Victory Day parade in years and even as two of his senior aides played down the notion of a quick end to the conflict. ‘I think that the matter is coming to an end,’ Putin said of Europe’s deadliest conflict since the second world war. He said he would be willing to negotiate new security arrangements for Europe and that his preferred negotiating partner would be Germany’s former chancellor Gerhard Schröder – a choice unlikely to be accepted in Ukraine and the EU. However, two top Kremlin representatives played down any idea of a quick end to the war. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, said this weekend that reaching a peace agreement on Ukraine would take a long time.” (05/10/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/10/vladimir-putin-suggests-ukraine-war-is-coming-to-an-end
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3) Bitcoin briefly tops $82,000 on improving macro conditions
Source: The Block
“Bitcoin briefly surged to reclaim $82,000 on Sunday following a weekend rally, while Sui saw a notable price increase driven by institutional developments. According to The Block’s crypto price page, bitcoin rose 1.4% to $81,700 as of 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, ET. Earlier in the day, the cryptocurrency rose above $82,200, the highest level since May 6. … Meanwhile, Sui emerged as the clear outperformer among altcoins today, surging 25% in the past 24 hours to $1.34, according to The Block’s price data.” (05/10/26)
https://www.theblock.co/post/400663/bitcoin-briefly-tops-82000-sui-jumps-25
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4) Canvas outage delays college finals across US
Source: Axios
“Universities across the country are rescheduling or canceling finals after a cyberattack shut down a learning platform used by thousands of schools for course information and assignments. The attack comes at a critical moment for college students who are cramming for finals — and underscores education’s growing reliance on singular technology platforms. With caps and gowns already purchased at campuses across the country, several universities announced that the shutdown forced them to reorganize or scratch finals. … on Thursday, an ‘unauthorized actor’ made changes to Canvas pages, forcing the education tech giant to take the site offline. Personal information like names, email addresses, student IDs and messages appeared to have been breached.” (05/08/26)
https://archive.is/MAXUB
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5) $7 Billion In Perfectly Timed Oil Bets Sparks Insider Trading Fears
Source: OilPrice.com
“Suspiciously well-timed oil and prediction market trades tied to the Iran-U.S. conflict totaled roughly $7 billion. Traders executed massive sell orders in Brent, WTI, gasoline, and diesel futures shortly before ceasefire announcements, strike delays, and Strait of Hormuz reopening news, with some accounts reportedly achieving win rates as high as 93%. Lawmakers and analysts suspect insider leaks, but investigations by the DOJ and CFTC face challenges as prediction markets and digital betting platforms make detecting illegal trading activity increasingly difficult.” (05/10/26)
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/7-Billion-In-Perfectly-Timed-Oil-Bets-Sparks-Insider-Trading-Fears.html
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6) Brazil: Supreme Court Justice Suspends Bill That Ordered Early Release of Ex-President Bolsonaro
Source: US News & World Report
“Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes prohibited the implementation of a sharp reduction in the 27-year prison sentence of former President Jair Bolsonaro for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election, a court document showed on Saturday. Two Brazilian political parties and the press association ABI this week separately challenged the bill, which would have potentially freed Bolsonaro in 2028. Congress last month overturned President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s veto of the bill, but the plaintiffs asked Brazil’s top court to overturn it, saying the bill was unconstitutional.” (05/09/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-05-09/brazil-supreme-court-justice-suspends-bill-that-ordered-early-release-of-ex-president-bolsonaro
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7) Pakistan: Fourteen cops killed in car bombing, shootout
Source: Reuters
“A car bombing at a police post in northwestern Pakistan followed by an ambush on police personnel rushing to the scene has killed at least 14 officers, police said on Sunday. Images from after the attack on Saturday showed the structure had been reduced to rubble, with bricks, charred wreckage and mangled vehicles scattered around the area. … A militant alliance known as the Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack.” (05/10/26)
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/three-pakistani-police-officers-killed-car-bombing-more-casualties-feared-2026-05-09/
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8) Virginia Democrats to appeal ruling against redistricting to SCOTUS
Source: NBC 4 Washington
“After the Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a voter-approved Democratic congressional redistricting plan, Democratic lawmakers in the commonwealth notified the court they intend to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. Friday’s ruling by the state supreme court delivered another major setback to the party’s nationwide battle against Republicans for an edge in this year’s midterm elections. Democrats, led by House Speaker Don Scott and Attorney General Jay Jones, filed a motion late Friday afternoon asking the state supreme court to pause its ruling from taking effect while they appeal for an emergency hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court. The Virginia Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that the state’s Democratic-led legislature violated procedural requirements when it placed the constitutional amendment on the ballot to authorize mid-decade redistricting.” (05/08/26)
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/virginia-democrats-appeal-ruling-redistricting-us-supreme-court/4102136/
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9) Italy: Venice Biennale opens without a jury amid strife over Russian and Israeli participation
Source: Associated Press
“Geopolitical tensions spilled over into the Venice Biennale contemporary art exhibition, which opens its most chaotic and contested edition in memory Saturday with no Golden Lions after the jury quit in protest of Israel’s and Russia’s participation and loud protests outside their pavilions. … Ahead of the opening, protesters objecting to Israel’s participation clashed with police on Friday. Earlier in the week, feminist groups from Ukraine and Russia converged on the Russian Pavilion and Palestinians remembered artists killed in Gaza.” (05/09/26)
https://apnews.com/article/italy-venice-biennale-protests-israel-russia-760228a0f311f8fe8f8dd3487e57cc70
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10) Hantavirus-hit passengers begin to disembark cruise ship in Tenerife
Source: CNN
“Passengers have begun to disembark the cruise ship at the center of the hantavirus outbreak, Spain’s ministry of health said, in a carefully managed repatriation operation in Tenerife involving multiple nations. Since the vessel departed Argentina last month, the deaths of three people have been linked to hantavirus — a rare disease typically caused by exposure to infected rats’ urine or feces. It remains a low risk to the general public, according to the World Health Organization. The boat’s arrival had caused tensions in the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain, with the territory’s leader Fernando Clavijo saying earlier in the week that he was opposed to the ship docking.” (05/10/26)
https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/10/health/live-news/hantavirus-cruise-outbreak
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11) Greece: Mystery drone boat “armed with explosives” seized by police
Source: Sky News
“A mystery drone boat understood to be armed with explosives is being investigated by police after being found by fishermen in Greece. The vessel, a Ukrainian-made unmanned surface vehicle (USV), appeared on the Ionian island of Lefkada. It is not clear how the boat, located on Thursday in a cave, reached Greek waters. Preliminary findings indicate the MAGURA V3-type sea drone was fitted with three detonators, officials told Reuters. One source told the news agency the vessel was loaded with explosives, although this has not been confirmed by Greece’s army.” (05/09/26)
https://news.sky.com/story/mystery-drone-boat-armed-with-explosives-seized-by-police-in-greece-13541852
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12) DR Congo: Rebel fighters kill at least 69
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“An attack by armed rebels has killed at least 69 people in Ituri province in the conflict-torn northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to security officials. For more than 30 years, the mineral-rich eastern DRC has been a battleground for various armed groups, vying for control of its many mines. … Armed men affiliated with the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) coalition of militia groups, which claims to protect the Lendu, carried out attacks in several villages on April 28, local and security sources told the AFP news agency.” (05/10/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/10/rebel-fighters-kill-at-least-69-people-in-northeastern-dr-congo
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13) MN: Nonprofit accused of siphoning $6.5 million to fund Vegas trips, luxury cars, private liquor store
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced on Friday a civil lawsuit against nonprofit We Push for Peace and its former directors, Trahern Pollard and Jaclyn McGuigan. The organization, which held lucrative contracts for community outreach and violence prevention, was driven into the ground by ‘rampant abuse’ and blatant self-dealing, prosecutors allege. According to the complaint, Pollard personally pocketed more than $6 million of the diverted charitable funds. Instead of helping the community, the charity’s money allegedly fueled a life of luxury for Pollard, paying for trips to Las Vegas, luxury vehicles and massive shopping sprees at a Harley Davidson showroom and spa stores. Pollard is also accused of using the nonprofit to pay off his child support, settle a personal tax bill with the IRS, and subsidize his private, for-profit businesses — including a used car dealership and liquor store.” (05/10/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/05/10/us-news/minnesota-nonprofit-accused-of-siphoning-6-5m-to-fund-vegas-trips-luxury-cars-private-liquor-store/
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14) US consumer sentiment hits record low amid concerns about high prices
Source: United Press International
“Consumer sentiment in the United States has hit another record low as Americans worry about the cost of life as gas prices continue to rise amid the war in Iran. A monthly University of Michigan survey found that consumer sentiment dropped 3.2% in the last month — from 49.8 to 48.2 — and was down 7.7% over the course of the year, the university’s Institute for Social Research said on Friday. Joanne Hsu, director of the university’s Surveys of Consumers, said that consumer sentiment is ‘essentially unchanged’ from April, while the current economic conditions survey dropped 9% because of high prices affecting personal finances and whether people will make major purchases.” (05/08/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/05/08/consumer-sentiment-april-record-low-prices/1261778265310/
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15) Australia: One Nation party scores historic parliamentary win
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Australia’s One Nation party has won its first-ever lower-house seat in what is being seen as an important test for the right-wing populist party. With most ballots counted, One Nation candidate David Farley has won a two-candidate preferred vote share of 57% in Farrer, a vast regional constituency in New South Wales. Independent candidate Michelle Milthorpe is far behind. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Sussan Ley, who quit when she was ousted as leader of the opposition conservative Liberal Party. While the result will not affect the Labor government’s large majority, it is a clear sign that voters are moving away from traditional political parties in Australia.” (05/09/26)
https://archive.is/tq1yu
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16) Sources: US regime nears US $400 million bribe deal with TikTok
Source: ABC News
“The Trump administration is nearing an agreement with TikTok to resolve an ongoing lawsuit over alleged child privacy violations in exchange for the social media company paying $400 million that the administration plans to use to fund President Donald Trump’s Washington, D.C., ‘beautification’ projects, sources familiar with the discussions told ABC News. … While the Department of Justice regularly reaches settlements with private companies accused of wrongdoing, the proposed TikTok settlement marks a departure from the practice of using the settlement funds to resolve the alleged wrongdoing or compensate victims.” (05/08/26)
https://abcnews.com/US/trump-administration-eyeing-400m-settlement-tiktok-dc-beautification/story?id=132707914
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17) North Korea: Regime updates constitution to require automatic nuclear strike if Kim Jong Un is assassinated
Source: Fox News
“North Korea has updated its constitution to require a retaliatory nuclear strike if leader Kim Jong Un is assassinated, according to a report. The Telegraph reported the change comes amid heightened global tensions following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials during a recent conflict. Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike in Tehran as part of a coordinated U.S.-Israeli military operation earlier this year, Fox News Digital previously reported. The constitutional revision was approved during a session of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly, which opened March 22 in Pyongyang, the outlet said.” (05/09/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-updates-constitution-require-automatic-nuclear-strike-kim-jong-un-assassinated-report
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18) UK: Starmer faces calls to resign after disastrous local elections
Source: CBS News
“British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to revive his struggling government but faced growing calls to resign after a disastrous set of local and regional elections for his Labour Party. As the final results came in Saturday, Labour had lost 1,000 local council seats across England and was booted from power in Wales after 27 years. Anti-immigration party Reform U.K. won almost 1,300 seats across England, came second in Wales and made significant gains in Scotland. It was a blunt verdict from voters in elections widely seen as an unofficial referendum on Starmer, whose popularity has plummeted since he led the center-left party to power less than two years ago.” (05/09/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uk-prime-minister-keir-starmer-election-results-resign/
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19) Massive experimental aircraft crashes off US coastline
Source: SFGate
“The Solar Impulse 2, a long-range experimental aircraft, crashed in the Gulf of Mexico when it lost power during an unmanned test flight on May 4, a report from the National Transportation Safety Board said. There were no fatalities or injuries. Developed by entrepreneur André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, a descendant of famous European explorers who pioneered scientific advancements both in the air and under the sea, the sun-powered plane has undertaken several successful test flights since it was developed in 2015. The solar-powered aircraft circumnavigated the world in 2015 and 2016.” (05/08/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/experimental-aircraft-crash-us-22249431.php
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20) Pentagon releases first batch of “top secret” UFO files
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“The Pentagon on Friday released a first batch of secret files documenting reported sightings of unidentified flying objects – some dating back to the 1940s – fanning speculation over whether extraterrestrial life exists. Reports of flying saucers and discs, and a sighting of an orb that resembled the ‘Eye of Sauron’ are among the incidents in the files, which are from the FBI, State Department and NASA in addition to the Pentagon. Interest in UFOs has been renewed in recent years as the US government investigated numerous reports of seemingly supernatural aircraft, amid worries that adversaries could be testing highly advanced technologies.” (05/08/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20260508-pentagon-releases-decades-of-top-secret-ufo-files
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Hobbes’s State: “Why Are You Hitting Yourself?”
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Joshua Mawhorter
“As kids we may remember the old trope — often seen on TV or in movies — where a stronger kid would overpower a weaker kid and use the weaker kid’s hands and arms to hit him, asking mockingly, ‘Why are you hitting yourself?’ Most adults would recognize this as illegitimate for obvious reasons: though the weaker kid’s hands are literally hitting him, he is obviously being coerced against his will, such that the stronger kid is the aggressor. While most adults would pride themselves on the ability to distinguish between external coercion and self-inflicted punishment, they often fail this when it comes to the state. In fact, this is the very core of Thomas Hobbes’s social contract theory — since the state represents the people by social contract, whatever the state does to an individual, that individual has consensually done it to himself.” (05/08/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/hobbess-state-why-are-you-hitting-yourself
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22) Ted Turner: 24 Hours That Changed The News World
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“Since CNN’s launch, ‘the news’ has gone from short daily feeds covering pre-deadline events to 24/7/365 real-time coverage of far more things, in far more detail, by numerous and varied outlets. In theory, that should make the public much better informed than we used to be. We can know more OF what’s happened, and know more ABOUT what’s happened. In reality, I’m not sure our attention to important facts about important events has really increased. The 24-hour news environment seems far richer in sensationalism, pearl-clutching, and outrage bait than in useful information about the important stuff.” (05/09/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20610
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23) Right-Wing Influencers Don’t Understand What Makes America Great
Source: Reason
by Stephanie Slade
“The Dissident Right is furious with Neil Gorsuch for saying America is a creedal nation. That just goes to show how out of touch its obsessions are.” (05/09/26)
https://reason.com/2026/05/09/right-wing-influencers-dont-understand-what-makes-america-great/
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24) Iran war marks the end of American primacy as we know it
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Trita Parsi
“The war in Ukraine shattered a core assumption about great-power dominance: that size and military strength are enough to impose one’s will. Ukraine showed otherwise. With the right strategy, geography, and resolve, a weaker state can survive and blunt — and in key respects even defeat — a much stronger adversary. The United States now faces an uncomfortable parallel. The war with Iran is exposing similar limits to American power. For decades, U.S. grand strategy has rested on primacy — the belief that America’s unmatched military capabilities enabled it to uphold global stability and shape outcomes across regions. After the failures in Iraq and Afghanistan, many Americans have reached a stark conclusion: the cost of primacy is no longer sustainable — and no longer serves U.S. interests.” (05/08/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/war-with-iran/
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25) Why the Scarcity of News about Our Increasing Abundance?
Source: Free Association
by Sheldon Richman
“If today, compared to the past, you need to work only half the time to earn the money for a television, in effect, you’ve acquired half of the television for free! (Actually, you’ve done better than that because it will be a better television.) And you have the time to acquire other things or enjoy leisure. This is more or less true for everyone whose society is amenable to freedom of enterprise, the division of labor, and world trade.” (05/08/26)
https://sheldonrichman.substack.com/p/tgif-abundance-keeps-increasing
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26) New York Times announces the end of the climate change hoax
Source: Fox News
by David Marcus
“For almost the entirety of the half century I have lived on Earth, I have had experts, teachers, politicians and activists hectoring me about how climate change is going to destroy the planet. But this week, in The New York Times, of all places, is evidence that climate alarmism is finally cooling down.’Democrats Do Not Have To Campaign On Climate Change Anymore,’ blared the headline, this week, as author Matt Huber argues that voters are rather turned off by the subject. I would like to suggest that this is because it is the single most expensive lie in human history.” [editor’s note: I’d say the single most expensive lie in history is “the state is necessary” – TLK] (05/10/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/david-marcus-new-york-times-announces-end-climate-change-hoax
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27) Creators and Destroyers of Worlds
Source: Quillette
by Ian Nieves
“Despite the dangers, we must seize the gifts bequeathed by existential dangers, since these amount to life in unprecedented abundance.” (05/09/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/05/09/creators-and-destroyers-of-worlds-ai-alignment-nuclear-war/
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28) No, Russia Isn’t Finished
Source: The American Conservative
by Leonid Ragozin
“If you were exclusively on a mainstream Western media diet in recent weeks, you’d be excused for thinking that the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime now lies on its deathbed. Signs of ‘public discontent’ are all over the place, you see. Silicon-lipped beauty blogger Viktoria Bonya attacked the government on YouTube. So did the notorious Kremlin propagandist Ilya Remeslo, fresh from a stint at a psychiatric ward. Meanwhile, the former defense minister Sergey Shoygu might be plotting a coup, according to CNN. But if you talk to people inside Russia, as this author does on a daily basis, you’ll find them perplexed and doubting the West’s sanity upon hearing about this fresh bout of ‘Russia is finished’ sentiments.” (05/09/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/no-russia-isnt-finished/
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29) Meat Industry Price Fixer Sentenced to Make Money
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“Three years ago, the Biden Justice Department’s antitrust division sued a company called Agri Stats that should have made us all wonder what capitalism even means anymore. After all, is it a capitalist system when one company can get every participant in a market to give them proprietary information about inventory, production costs, pricing, and profit margins, allowing those participants to know exactly what their competitors are doing, enabling them to restrict supply or raise prices without consequences? The initial lawsuit against Agri Stats, which dealt in data for broiler chicken, turkey, and pork processors, described a collusion machine, complete with clip art of little stick figures pulling profits upward.” (05/08/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/05/08/meat-industry-agri-stats-department-of-justice-price-fix-trump/
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30) Nick Bostrom Has a Plan for Humanity’s “Big Retirement”
Source: Wired
by Steven Levy
“Philosopher Nick Bostrom recently posted a paper, where he postulated that a small chance of AI annihilating all humans might be worth the risk, because advanced AI might relieve humanity of ‘its universal death sentence.’ That upbeat gamble is quite a leap from his previous dark musings on AI, which made him a doomer godfather. … His more recent book, Deep Utopia, reflects a shift in his focus. Bostrom, who leads Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute, dwells on the ‘solved world’ that comes if we get AI right.” (05/08/26)
https://archive.is/vPchv
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31) Non-profit group has twisted the meaning of “genocide” (and hijacked a Zionist hero’s name) to suit its own woke purposes
Source: New York Post
by Bethany Mandel
“Few figures loom larger in the moral and legal history of the 20th century than Raphael Lemkin, the Polish Jewish jurist who coined the word ‘genocide’ after losing nearly his entire family in the Holocaust. Lemkin witnessed the epitome of evil, and then gave the world the language to describe it. The word ‘genocide’ exists because he understood that what had been done to the Jewish people was so unprecedented that existing legal vocabulary could not define it properly. He spent the rest of his life ensuring that the world would never again lack the words — or the legal framework — to confront such crimes. That is precisely why what is happening now is so grotesque. The family of Raphael Lemkin is taking legal action against the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that has hijacked his name and repurposed it for its own warped woke agenda.” (05/10/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/05/10/opinion/group-hijacked-a-zionist-heros-name-to-suit-its-woke-purposes/
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32) Britain Is Pricing Its Factories into Oblivion
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Ted Newson
“At its peak, Britain was known as the workshop of the world. Sheffield produced high-quality steel, Manchester still had a strong textiles sector and the West Midlands was world-renowned for its cars. Glasgow, Sunderland and Newcastle were shipbuilding hubs, Stoke-on-Trent produced ceramics. … In the pursuit of lowering carbon emissions, Britain has abandoned its manufacturing sector. As we have artificially inflated energy prices through policy costs and made employing people harder, our industries have shifted to countries with more business-friendly environments. While rising comparative wage rates naturally encourage industry to shift overseas, the British government has further pushed industry away through deliberate choices. This has created job losses and regional decline as former manufacturing towns lose historic businesses.” (05/08/26)
https://fee.org/articles/britain-is-pricing-its-factories-into-oblivion/
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33) Guatemala’s step toward good governance
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“Just over halfway into the term of Guatemala’s reformist leader, the ‘democratic spring’ that he and his Movimiento Semilla (Seed Movement) sought to nurture is sending up fresh shoots of hope for lawful governance. President Bernardo Arévalo has appointed a new attorney general, marking what he calls ‘a new chapter’ for the small Central American nation. The outgoing attorney general, María Consuelo Porras, had tried to derail Mr. Arévalo’s 2024 inauguration, and has since obstructed multiple efforts to promote judicial impartiality and transparency. To many Guatemalans, Ms. Porras’ tenure symbolized entrenched political impunity and corruption that used the power of the state to settle scores with perceived enemies and make allowances for allies. In 2022, the United States cited her for repeatedly undermining anti-corruption efforts to ‘gain undue political favor.'” (05/08/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0508/Guatemala-s-step-toward-good-governance
-----
34) A Tale of Two Waiting Periods
Source: Independent Institute
by Stephen P Halbrook
“The First and Tenth Circuits conflict on whether ‘cooling-off’ periods violate the text of the Second Amendment.” (05/08/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/05/08/a-tale-of-two-waiting-periods/
-----
35) The Big Apple’s Rotten Budget Move: Raiding Pensions for Short-Term Spending
Source: The Daily Economy
by Thomas Savidge
“Delaying pension contributions may ease immediate pressure on New York City’s budget, but the shell game reveals deeper weaknesses in the city’s finances.” (05/08/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-big-apples-rotten-budget-move-raiding-pensions-for-short-term-spending/
-----
36) What UCLA doesn’t want you to know
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Jessie Appleby
“The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law is in the midst of a free-speech emergency. When a major American law school teaches its students that the right way to respond to political opponents is to silence them, something has gone wrong. And when it then attempts to protect those disruptive students from public criticism by threatening other students’ speech, it’s a crisis. That’s just what happened at UCLA this past month.” (05/08/26)
https://www.fire.org/news/what-ucla-doesnt-want-you-know
-----
37) “We Are Socialists”
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis
“‘We are socialists.’ So said Adolf Hitler. The Left desperately tries to portray Hitler as some sort of ‘rightis,t’ mainly because he was so opposed to Soviet Bolshevism. But just as there are different manifestations of ‘right-wing’ philosophies, there are different ‘left-wing’ ideologies as well. And socialism is a leftist philosophy, not a ‘rightist’ one. ‘National Socialist German Workers’ Party’ was the official name of Hitler’s political party (‘Nazi’ comes from the German word ‘Nationalsozialistische,’ or national socialist). Hitler was a totalitarian leftist, not a Christian, right-wing, pro-American, freedom-loving conservative.” (05/10/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2026/05/10/we-are-socialists-n2675792
-----
38) Bringing back baby bonds
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Madsen Pirie
“Bill Jamieson wrote a Sunday Telegraph story titled ‘Your starter for £1,000’ on 31 December 1995. It discussed the Adam Smith Institute proposal for ‘baby bonds’ or ‘Fortune Accounts.’ When the IPPR copied the idea in 1999, without reference to the ASI’s earlier publication, Jamieson directed them to his 1995 story and published the fact. A version of it was implemented by the Blair government. it was called the Child Trust Fund, launched in 2002 and scrapped in 2010. It would undoubtedly be a very popular policy, were it to be given another go in the way I outline. Each newborn child would have £1,000 put into an investment account in their name, but no withdrawals could be made until age 18. Money paid in by family or friends would be tax-free and contribute to its growth.” (05/08/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/bringing-back-baby-bonds
-----
39) Trump is playing Iran by ear. It’s not working.
Source: USA Today
by Rusty Hills
“No one disputes that the regime in Iran is awful. The government massacres its own people. Iran is a major state sponsor of terrorism and has been for decades. But the reality is that Trump is ad-libbing the war with Iran from day to day. After launching his attack against Iran on Feb. 28, Trump told an audience, ‘We’ve won.’ Yet here we are, 10 weeks later, with the Strait of Hormuz still closed, the regime still in power, the national average price of gas approaching $5 a gallon and jet fuel, airline ticket prices and baggage fees on the rise. Is this what Republicans are supposed to run on in the 2026 midterm elections?” (05/08/26)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2026/05/08/iran-war-trump-military-gas-pope-congress-vietnam/89968615007/
-----
40) Celebrating Opposite Freedoms on the Fourth of July
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“[W]ho has it right when it came to celebrating genuine freedom on the Fourth of July — Americans in 1875, who lived without income taxation, Social Security, Medicare, welfare, immigration controls and immigration police state, non-interventionism, a national-security state, drug war, public (i.e., government) schooling, and other statist programs — or Americans today, who live under all these statist systems?” (05/08/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/05/08/celebrating-opposite-freedoms-on-the-fourth-of-july/
-----
41) They’re Attacking Online Anonymity, And Other Notes
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“The EU is looking to ban VPNs, arguing that the ban is necessary to police recent online age verification laws. Critics have been warning for years that these age restriction laws are being rolled out around the world to erase online anonymity and enable greater surveillance of the entire population, and they are looking more vindicated than ever today. This isn’t about protecting children from social media addiction and porn, it’s about expanding the western empire’s surveillance network. This happens as the FCC moves to require ID verification for every phone activation in the United States, claiming the push is about stopping robocalls but effectively ending another form of anonymous communication. It’s always been about being able to more closely monitor the behavior of the public to make sure nobody’s plotting a revolution.” (05/09/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/05/09/theyre-attacking-online-anonymity-and-other-notes/
-----
42) Mississippi Learning
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“‘Thank God for Mississippi’ was something I heard a lot in my younger years, after moving to Arkansas. Friends from Alabama and Louisiana also know the saying well. Back then, Mississippi was ranked 50th in so many categories by which the states were measured against each other that the Magnolia State saved those inhabiting states near the bottom from occupying that un-coveted dead last place. This was still the case in 2005, when Mississippi ranked 50th in fourth-grade reading scores. In 2013, Mississippi students climbed one rung, to 49th. Then things started to change.” (05/08/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/05/08/mississippi-learning/
-----
43) Baseball’s Mystic Chords of Memory
Source: Law & Liberty
by Michael Auslin
“Baseball is more than a sport — it ties together generations of Americans.” (05/08/26)
https://lawliberty.org/baseballs-mystic-chords-of-memory/
-----
44) The Senate Has Gotten a Little More Competitive
Source: Exiled Policy
by Jason Pye
“In February, we reviewed the Senate landscape, noting at the time that it was too early to tell whether control of the chamber was up for grabs. Since then, thanks to Trump’s falling approval ratings, Republicans’ grasp of power in the Senate looks increasingly vulnerable. That’s not to say Republicans will lose the Senate. It’s more likely than not that they keep control of the chamber, but they may have a narrow majority.” (05/08/26)
https://exiledpolicy.substack.com/p/the-senate-has-gotten-a-little-more
-----
45) Depopulation Won’t Save the Planet
Source: American Greatness
by Lipton Matthews
“In recent years, a quietly radical idea has gained traction in certain environmental circles: stop having children. Some members of Extinction Rebellion in the UK have embraced an anti-natalist position, arguing that a shrinking human population is one of the most powerful levers available for reducing environmental damage. If fewer people exist, the thinking goes, then less energy gets consumed, fewer habitats get destroyed, and the planet gets a much-needed chance to breathe. It is an emotionally compelling argument. But is it actually true? The evidence suggests not. A growing body of research indicates that population decline, by itself, is a surprisingly weak instrument for environmental repair. The relationship between fewer people and a healthier planet is messier and far less automatic than anti-natalists tend to assume.” (05/10/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/05/10/depopulation-wont-save-the-planet/
-----
46) Subjects of Empire: Breaking the Cycle of Arab Dependency on US Elections
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ramzy Baroud
“Much of the current discourse on the Middle East remains fixated on the US midterm congressional elections this coming November. This vote, in particular, is being framed as a pivotal turning point for everything from the survival of Gaza and Lebanon to the future of Iran and beyond. To a large extent, one can understand why US corporate media is obsessed with this date. US political power is divided between two ruling parties, each deeply embedded in an intricate system of powerful political and economic elites. For these groups, election results are decisive in shaping the overall direction of the country, but more specifically, they determine the fortunes and misfortunes of a ruling class whose very fate is tied to the corridors of power. However, there is a distinct irony in this fixation.” (05/08/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/ramzy-baroud/2026/05/07/subjects-of-empire-breaking-the-cycle-of-arab-dependency-on-us-elections/
-----
47) Trump’s presidency has desiccated the conservative movement
Source: The Hill
by Matt Lewis
“It is worth taking a moment to recall that there was a time — not all that long ago — when conservative institutions had real weight to throw around. Names like Paul Weyrich, Ed Feulner, James Dobson and Phyllis Schlafly weren’t just footnotes. They were powerhouses. Directly or indirectly, organizations like the Heritage Foundation, Concerned Women for America, the National Rifle Association, the Family Research Council — and numerous other groups I don’t have room to list — helped elect conservatives, hold politicians accountable, and generally set the terms of debate. Many of these groups are still around (in some cases, enjoying lavish offices), but are any of these organizations — or the conservative causes for which they advocate — better off today than they were before Trump came down the escalator? I don’t think so.” (05/08/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5867912-trump-destroys-conservative-movement/
-----
48) Kill the Kill Switch!
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Alan Mosley
“Back in November 2021, Congress quietly added a clause to the sprawling ‘Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’ that would make Orwell blush. Section 24220 authorizes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to require that every new passenger car include ‘advanced drunk-and-impaired-driving prevention technology.’ The provision is sold as a way to save lives, but alleges to do so by commanding vehicles to monitor drivers and refuse to operate when the software suspects impairment. In other words, AI will determine whether or not you can drive should you buy a new year model vehicle starting in 2027. This is neither a technical innovation nor a societal demand for greater security. It is a political choice that converts a privately owned car into a behavioral policeman.” (05/08/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/kill-the-kill-switch/
-----
49) Want to Help Mothers This Mother’s Day? Back a Guaranteed Income
Source: Common Dreams
by Zaaear Pack
“Happy Mother’s Day—because that’s what you’re supposed to say, right? Motherhood is always dressed up in soft language like community, support, and…“it takes a village.” But I have learned in real time that not all of us actually have one. I am raising my sons without consistent help, without a built-in break, without the kind of support people assume is just there. Everything falls on me emotionally, financially, and physically, and I still have to show up every single day like I am not carrying all of it alone. And when I do pull back, when I protect my energy or go quiet, it is not because I am distant. It is because I am overwhelmed.” (05/10/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/guaranteed-income-mother-s-day
-----
50) The Ozempic Paradox
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Alan Cassels
“Here’s a good current example of medical irony: the same week that our drug regulator, Health Canada, approved the first generic version of semaglutide — the active ingredient in weight-loss drug Ozempic — a major medical journal published findings highlighting the medication’s troubling connection to eating disorders. The timing couldn’t be more paradoxical: just as this powerful appetite suppressant becomes more accessible and affordable to millions of Canadians, we’re learning more about its potential to trigger dangerous psychological relationships with food.” (05/08/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/the-ozempic-paradox/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Fountainhead Forum, episode 446
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Adar Weinreb on the Israel-Palestine conflict.” (05/10/26)
https://rumble.com/v79n98s-ff-446-adar-weinreb-on-the-israel-palestine-conflict.html
-----
52) The Brian Nichols Show, 05/10/26
Source: Lions of Liberty
“I Asked A 27-Year Doctor Why WebMD Is Making You SICKER.” (05/10/26)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/tbns-i-asked-a-27-year-doctor-why-webmd-is-making-you-sicker
-----
53) In the Tank, episode 535
Source: Heartland Institute
“Innovation vs. Dystopia.” (05/09/26)
https://heartland.org/podcasts/innovation-vs-dystopia-in-the-tank-podcast-535/
-----
54) Free Talk Live, 05/09/26
Source: Free Talk Live
“Is AOC’s room clean? :: Cop blocks woman from her driveway :: ‘We know you live here’ :: AI that self destructs so it can’t do damage :: Stores letting you steal until it hits a felony amount :: Project Mockingbird on the internet with streamers :: AOC to become God queen of the aliens after UFO file drop? :: Gov wants more ID to start in the US for getting a sim card :: Tracking private jets to avoid nukes :: Giant data center in Utah :: 2026-05-09 Hosts: Bonnie, Riley O’Bill, Angelo.” (05/09/26)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/ftl2026-05-09
-----
55) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 05/09/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Jim Webb: Hegseth Lashes Out at Congress, Admits Truth About Iran War.” (05/09/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/the-kyle-anzalone-show-with-jim-webb-hegseth-lashes-out-at-congress-admits-truth-about-iran-war/
-----
56) Pink Flame of Liberty, 05/09/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Deprioritizing Business at the 2026 Libertarian National Convention?” (05/09/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSoL3l6BJ08
-----
57) Freedom Works with Paul Molloy, 05/09/26
Source: Freedom Works
“Jessica Melugin, Competitive Enterprise Institute ‘Social Media Bans.'” (05/09/26)
https://internetradiopros.com/freedomworks/?name=2026-05-09_zfw005082026.mp3
-----
58) The Tom Woods Show, episode 2759
Source: The Tom Woods Show
“Marjorie Taylor Greene and Joe Kent Honor Ron Paul.” (05/08/26)
https://tomwoods.com/ep-2759-marjorie-taylor-greene-and-joe-kent-honor-ron-paul/
-----
59) Free Media, 05/08/26
Source: Reason
“Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi tear apart AOC’s belief that billionaires don’t earn their wealth.” (05/08/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/05/08/aoc-hates-billionaires-heritage-americans-and-ranking-christopher-nolan-movies/
-----
60) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 05/08/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Affordability Update: President Says Iran War Still ‘Worth It’ If Oil Hits $200.” (05/08/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1pKdRbvLeRYJW
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Iran war: Trump whines about proposal for terms of US surrender
2) Russia: Putin suggests Ukraine war is “coming to an end”
3) Bitcoin briefly tops $82,000 on improving macro conditions
4) Canvas outage delays college finals across US
5) $7 Billion In Perfectly Timed Oil Bets Sparks Insider Trading Fears
6) Brazil: Supreme Court Justice Suspends Bill That Ordered Early Release of Ex-President Bolsonaro
7) Pakistan: Fourteen cops killed in car bombing, shootout
8) Virginia Democrats to appeal ruling against redistricting to SCOTUS
9) Italy: Venice Biennale opens without a jury amid strife over Russian and Israeli participation
10) Hantavirus-hit passengers begin to disembark cruise ship in Tenerife
11) Greece: Mystery drone boat “armed with explosives” seized by police
12) DR Congo: Rebel fighters kill at least 69
13) MN: Nonprofit accused of siphoning $6.5 million to fund Vegas trips, luxury cars, private liquor store
14) US consumer sentiment hits record low amid concerns about high prices
15) Australia: One Nation party scores historic parliamentary win
16) Sources: US regime nears US $400 million bribe deal with TikTok
17) North Korea: Regime updates constitution to require automatic nuclear strike if Kim Jong Un is assassinated
18) UK: Starmer faces calls to resign after disastrous local elections
19) Massive experimental aircraft crashes off US coastline
20) Pentagon releases first batch of “top secret” UFO files
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Hobbes’s State: “Why Are You Hitting Yourself?”
22) Ted Turner: 24 Hours That Changed The News World
23) Right-Wing Influencers Don’t Understand What Makes America Great
24) Iran war marks the end of American primacy as we know it
25) Why the Scarcity of News about Our Increasing Abundance?
26) New York Times announces the end of the climate change hoax
27) Creators and Destroyers of Worlds
28) No, Russia Isn’t Finished
29) Meat Industry Price Fixer Sentenced to Make Money
30) Nick Bostrom Has a Plan for Humanity’s “Big Retirement”
31) Non-profit group has twisted the meaning of “genocide” (and hijacked a Zionist hero’s name) to suit its own woke purposes
32) Britain Is Pricing Its Factories into Oblivion
33) Guatemala’s step toward good governance
34) A Tale of Two Waiting Periods
35) The Big Apple’s Rotten Budget Move: Raiding Pensions for Short-Term Spending
36) What UCLA doesn’t want you to know
37) “We Are Socialists”
38) Bringing back baby bonds
39) Trump is playing Iran by ear. It’s not working.
40) Celebrating Opposite Freedoms on the Fourth of July
41) They’re Attacking Online Anonymity, And Other Notes
42) Mississippi Learning
43) Baseball’s Mystic Chords of Memory
44) The Senate Has Gotten a Little More Competitive
45) Depopulation Won’t Save the Planet
46) Subjects of Empire: Breaking the Cycle of Arab Dependency on US Elections
47) Trump’s presidency has desiccated the conservative movement
48) Kill the Kill Switch!
49) Want to Help Mothers This Mother’s Day? Back a Guaranteed Income
50) The Ozempic Paradox
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Fountainhead Forum, episode 446
52) The Brian Nichols Show, 05/10/26
53) In the Tank, episode 535
54) Free Talk Live, 05/09/26
55) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 05/09/26
56) Pink Flame of Liberty, 05/09/26
57) Freedom Works with Paul Molloy, 05/09/26
58) The Tom Woods Show, episode 2759
59) Free Media, 05/08/26
60) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 05/08/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Iran war: Trump whines about proposal for terms of US surrender
Source: Reuters
“Days after the U.S. floated an offer in the hopes of re-opening negotiations, Iran on Sunday released a response focused on ending the war on all fronts, especially Lebanon, where U.S. ally Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. Tehran also included a demand for compensation for war damage and emphasised Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state TV said. It also called on the U.S. to end its naval blockade, guarantee no further attacks, lift sanctions and end a U.S. ban on Iranian oil sales, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said. Within hours, Trump dismissed Iran’s proposal with a post on social media. ‘I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social, without giving further detail.” (05/11/26)
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/trump-rejects-irans-response-us-peace-proposal-unacceptable-2026-05-11/
-----
2) Russia: Putin suggests Ukraine war is “coming to an end”
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Vladimir Putin has said he thinks the Ukraine war is winding down, hours after he had vowed to defeat Ukraine at Moscow’s most scaled-back Victory Day parade in years and even as two of his senior aides played down the notion of a quick end to the conflict. ‘I think that the matter is coming to an end,’ Putin said of Europe’s deadliest conflict since the second world war. He said he would be willing to negotiate new security arrangements for Europe and that his preferred negotiating partner would be Germany’s former chancellor Gerhard Schröder – a choice unlikely to be accepted in Ukraine and the EU. However, two top Kremlin representatives played down any idea of a quick end to the war. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, said this weekend that reaching a peace agreement on Ukraine would take a long time.” (05/10/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/10/vladimir-putin-suggests-ukraine-war-is-coming-to-an-end
-----
3) Bitcoin briefly tops $82,000 on improving macro conditions
Source: The Block
“Bitcoin briefly surged to reclaim $82,000 on Sunday following a weekend rally, while Sui saw a notable price increase driven by institutional developments. According to The Block’s crypto price page, bitcoin rose 1.4% to $81,700 as of 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, ET. Earlier in the day, the cryptocurrency rose above $82,200, the highest level since May 6. … Meanwhile, Sui emerged as the clear outperformer among altcoins today, surging 25% in the past 24 hours to $1.34, according to The Block’s price data.” (05/10/26)
https://www.theblock.co/post/400663/bitcoin-briefly-tops-82000-sui-jumps-25
-----
4) Canvas outage delays college finals across US
Source: Axios
“Universities across the country are rescheduling or canceling finals after a cyberattack shut down a learning platform used by thousands of schools for course information and assignments. The attack comes at a critical moment for college students who are cramming for finals — and underscores education’s growing reliance on singular technology platforms. With caps and gowns already purchased at campuses across the country, several universities announced that the shutdown forced them to reorganize or scratch finals. … on Thursday, an ‘unauthorized actor’ made changes to Canvas pages, forcing the education tech giant to take the site offline. Personal information like names, email addresses, student IDs and messages appeared to have been breached.” (05/08/26)
https://archive.is/MAXUB
-----
5) $7 Billion In Perfectly Timed Oil Bets Sparks Insider Trading Fears
Source: OilPrice.com
“Suspiciously well-timed oil and prediction market trades tied to the Iran-U.S. conflict totaled roughly $7 billion. Traders executed massive sell orders in Brent, WTI, gasoline, and diesel futures shortly before ceasefire announcements, strike delays, and Strait of Hormuz reopening news, with some accounts reportedly achieving win rates as high as 93%. Lawmakers and analysts suspect insider leaks, but investigations by the DOJ and CFTC face challenges as prediction markets and digital betting platforms make detecting illegal trading activity increasingly difficult.” (05/10/26)
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/7-Billion-In-Perfectly-Timed-Oil-Bets-Sparks-Insider-Trading-Fears.html
-----
6) Brazil: Supreme Court Justice Suspends Bill That Ordered Early Release of Ex-President Bolsonaro
Source: US News & World Report
“Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes prohibited the implementation of a sharp reduction in the 27-year prison sentence of former President Jair Bolsonaro for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election, a court document showed on Saturday. Two Brazilian political parties and the press association ABI this week separately challenged the bill, which would have potentially freed Bolsonaro in 2028. Congress last month overturned President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s veto of the bill, but the plaintiffs asked Brazil’s top court to overturn it, saying the bill was unconstitutional.” (05/09/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-05-09/brazil-supreme-court-justice-suspends-bill-that-ordered-early-release-of-ex-president-bolsonaro
-----
7) Pakistan: Fourteen cops killed in car bombing, shootout
Source: Reuters
“A car bombing at a police post in northwestern Pakistan followed by an ambush on police personnel rushing to the scene has killed at least 14 officers, police said on Sunday. Images from after the attack on Saturday showed the structure had been reduced to rubble, with bricks, charred wreckage and mangled vehicles scattered around the area. … A militant alliance known as the Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack.” (05/10/26)
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/three-pakistani-police-officers-killed-car-bombing-more-casualties-feared-2026-05-09/
-----
8) Virginia Democrats to appeal ruling against redistricting to SCOTUS
Source: NBC 4 Washington
“After the Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a voter-approved Democratic congressional redistricting plan, Democratic lawmakers in the commonwealth notified the court they intend to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. Friday’s ruling by the state supreme court delivered another major setback to the party’s nationwide battle against Republicans for an edge in this year’s midterm elections. Democrats, led by House Speaker Don Scott and Attorney General Jay Jones, filed a motion late Friday afternoon asking the state supreme court to pause its ruling from taking effect while they appeal for an emergency hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court. The Virginia Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that the state’s Democratic-led legislature violated procedural requirements when it placed the constitutional amendment on the ballot to authorize mid-decade redistricting.” (05/08/26)
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/virginia-democrats-appeal-ruling-redistricting-us-supreme-court/4102136/
-----
9) Italy: Venice Biennale opens without a jury amid strife over Russian and Israeli participation
Source: Associated Press
“Geopolitical tensions spilled over into the Venice Biennale contemporary art exhibition, which opens its most chaotic and contested edition in memory Saturday with no Golden Lions after the jury quit in protest of Israel’s and Russia’s participation and loud protests outside their pavilions. … Ahead of the opening, protesters objecting to Israel’s participation clashed with police on Friday. Earlier in the week, feminist groups from Ukraine and Russia converged on the Russian Pavilion and Palestinians remembered artists killed in Gaza.” (05/09/26)
https://apnews.com/article/italy-venice-biennale-protests-israel-russia-760228a0f311f8fe8f8dd3487e57cc70
-----
10) Hantavirus-hit passengers begin to disembark cruise ship in Tenerife
Source: CNN
“Passengers have begun to disembark the cruise ship at the center of the hantavirus outbreak, Spain’s ministry of health said, in a carefully managed repatriation operation in Tenerife involving multiple nations. Since the vessel departed Argentina last month, the deaths of three people have been linked to hantavirus — a rare disease typically caused by exposure to infected rats’ urine or feces. It remains a low risk to the general public, according to the World Health Organization. The boat’s arrival had caused tensions in the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain, with the territory’s leader Fernando Clavijo saying earlier in the week that he was opposed to the ship docking.” (05/10/26)
https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/10/health/live-news/hantavirus-cruise-outbreak
-----
11) Greece: Mystery drone boat “armed with explosives” seized by police
Source: Sky News
“A mystery drone boat understood to be armed with explosives is being investigated by police after being found by fishermen in Greece. The vessel, a Ukrainian-made unmanned surface vehicle (USV), appeared on the Ionian island of Lefkada. It is not clear how the boat, located on Thursday in a cave, reached Greek waters. Preliminary findings indicate the MAGURA V3-type sea drone was fitted with three detonators, officials told Reuters. One source told the news agency the vessel was loaded with explosives, although this has not been confirmed by Greece’s army.” (05/09/26)
https://news.sky.com/story/mystery-drone-boat-armed-with-explosives-seized-by-police-in-greece-13541852
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12) DR Congo: Rebel fighters kill at least 69
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“An attack by armed rebels has killed at least 69 people in Ituri province in the conflict-torn northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to security officials. For more than 30 years, the mineral-rich eastern DRC has been a battleground for various armed groups, vying for control of its many mines. … Armed men affiliated with the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) coalition of militia groups, which claims to protect the Lendu, carried out attacks in several villages on April 28, local and security sources told the AFP news agency.” (05/10/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/10/rebel-fighters-kill-at-least-69-people-in-northeastern-dr-congo
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13) MN: Nonprofit accused of siphoning $6.5 million to fund Vegas trips, luxury cars, private liquor store
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced on Friday a civil lawsuit against nonprofit We Push for Peace and its former directors, Trahern Pollard and Jaclyn McGuigan. The organization, which held lucrative contracts for community outreach and violence prevention, was driven into the ground by ‘rampant abuse’ and blatant self-dealing, prosecutors allege. According to the complaint, Pollard personally pocketed more than $6 million of the diverted charitable funds. Instead of helping the community, the charity’s money allegedly fueled a life of luxury for Pollard, paying for trips to Las Vegas, luxury vehicles and massive shopping sprees at a Harley Davidson showroom and spa stores. Pollard is also accused of using the nonprofit to pay off his child support, settle a personal tax bill with the IRS, and subsidize his private, for-profit businesses — including a used car dealership and liquor store.” (05/10/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/05/10/us-news/minnesota-nonprofit-accused-of-siphoning-6-5m-to-fund-vegas-trips-luxury-cars-private-liquor-store/
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14) US consumer sentiment hits record low amid concerns about high prices
Source: United Press International
“Consumer sentiment in the United States has hit another record low as Americans worry about the cost of life as gas prices continue to rise amid the war in Iran. A monthly University of Michigan survey found that consumer sentiment dropped 3.2% in the last month — from 49.8 to 48.2 — and was down 7.7% over the course of the year, the university’s Institute for Social Research said on Friday. Joanne Hsu, director of the university’s Surveys of Consumers, said that consumer sentiment is ‘essentially unchanged’ from April, while the current economic conditions survey dropped 9% because of high prices affecting personal finances and whether people will make major purchases.” (05/08/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/05/08/consumer-sentiment-april-record-low-prices/1261778265310/
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15) Australia: One Nation party scores historic parliamentary win
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Australia’s One Nation party has won its first-ever lower-house seat in what is being seen as an important test for the right-wing populist party. With most ballots counted, One Nation candidate David Farley has won a two-candidate preferred vote share of 57% in Farrer, a vast regional constituency in New South Wales. Independent candidate Michelle Milthorpe is far behind. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Sussan Ley, who quit when she was ousted as leader of the opposition conservative Liberal Party. While the result will not affect the Labor government’s large majority, it is a clear sign that voters are moving away from traditional political parties in Australia.” (05/09/26)
https://archive.is/tq1yu
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16) Sources: US regime nears US $400 million bribe deal with TikTok
Source: ABC News
“The Trump administration is nearing an agreement with TikTok to resolve an ongoing lawsuit over alleged child privacy violations in exchange for the social media company paying $400 million that the administration plans to use to fund President Donald Trump’s Washington, D.C., ‘beautification’ projects, sources familiar with the discussions told ABC News. … While the Department of Justice regularly reaches settlements with private companies accused of wrongdoing, the proposed TikTok settlement marks a departure from the practice of using the settlement funds to resolve the alleged wrongdoing or compensate victims.” (05/08/26)
https://abcnews.com/US/trump-administration-eyeing-400m-settlement-tiktok-dc-beautification/story?id=132707914
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17) North Korea: Regime updates constitution to require automatic nuclear strike if Kim Jong Un is assassinated
Source: Fox News
“North Korea has updated its constitution to require a retaliatory nuclear strike if leader Kim Jong Un is assassinated, according to a report. The Telegraph reported the change comes amid heightened global tensions following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials during a recent conflict. Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike in Tehran as part of a coordinated U.S.-Israeli military operation earlier this year, Fox News Digital previously reported. The constitutional revision was approved during a session of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly, which opened March 22 in Pyongyang, the outlet said.” (05/09/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-updates-constitution-require-automatic-nuclear-strike-kim-jong-un-assassinated-report
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18) UK: Starmer faces calls to resign after disastrous local elections
Source: CBS News
“British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to revive his struggling government but faced growing calls to resign after a disastrous set of local and regional elections for his Labour Party. As the final results came in Saturday, Labour had lost 1,000 local council seats across England and was booted from power in Wales after 27 years. Anti-immigration party Reform U.K. won almost 1,300 seats across England, came second in Wales and made significant gains in Scotland. It was a blunt verdict from voters in elections widely seen as an unofficial referendum on Starmer, whose popularity has plummeted since he led the center-left party to power less than two years ago.” (05/09/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uk-prime-minister-keir-starmer-election-results-resign/
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19) Massive experimental aircraft crashes off US coastline
Source: SFGate
“The Solar Impulse 2, a long-range experimental aircraft, crashed in the Gulf of Mexico when it lost power during an unmanned test flight on May 4, a report from the National Transportation Safety Board said. There were no fatalities or injuries. Developed by entrepreneur André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, a descendant of famous European explorers who pioneered scientific advancements both in the air and under the sea, the sun-powered plane has undertaken several successful test flights since it was developed in 2015. The solar-powered aircraft circumnavigated the world in 2015 and 2016.” (05/08/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/experimental-aircraft-crash-us-22249431.php
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20) Pentagon releases first batch of “top secret” UFO files
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“The Pentagon on Friday released a first batch of secret files documenting reported sightings of unidentified flying objects – some dating back to the 1940s – fanning speculation over whether extraterrestrial life exists. Reports of flying saucers and discs, and a sighting of an orb that resembled the ‘Eye of Sauron’ are among the incidents in the files, which are from the FBI, State Department and NASA in addition to the Pentagon. Interest in UFOs has been renewed in recent years as the US government investigated numerous reports of seemingly supernatural aircraft, amid worries that adversaries could be testing highly advanced technologies.” (05/08/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20260508-pentagon-releases-decades-of-top-secret-ufo-files
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Hobbes’s State: “Why Are You Hitting Yourself?”
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Joshua Mawhorter
“As kids we may remember the old trope — often seen on TV or in movies — where a stronger kid would overpower a weaker kid and use the weaker kid’s hands and arms to hit him, asking mockingly, ‘Why are you hitting yourself?’ Most adults would recognize this as illegitimate for obvious reasons: though the weaker kid’s hands are literally hitting him, he is obviously being coerced against his will, such that the stronger kid is the aggressor. While most adults would pride themselves on the ability to distinguish between external coercion and self-inflicted punishment, they often fail this when it comes to the state. In fact, this is the very core of Thomas Hobbes’s social contract theory — since the state represents the people by social contract, whatever the state does to an individual, that individual has consensually done it to himself.” (05/08/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/hobbess-state-why-are-you-hitting-yourself
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22) Ted Turner: 24 Hours That Changed The News World
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“Since CNN’s launch, ‘the news’ has gone from short daily feeds covering pre-deadline events to 24/7/365 real-time coverage of far more things, in far more detail, by numerous and varied outlets. In theory, that should make the public much better informed than we used to be. We can know more OF what’s happened, and know more ABOUT what’s happened. In reality, I’m not sure our attention to important facts about important events has really increased. The 24-hour news environment seems far richer in sensationalism, pearl-clutching, and outrage bait than in useful information about the important stuff.” (05/09/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20610
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23) Right-Wing Influencers Don’t Understand What Makes America Great
Source: Reason
by Stephanie Slade
“The Dissident Right is furious with Neil Gorsuch for saying America is a creedal nation. That just goes to show how out of touch its obsessions are.” (05/09/26)
https://reason.com/2026/05/09/right-wing-influencers-dont-understand-what-makes-america-great/
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24) Iran war marks the end of American primacy as we know it
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Trita Parsi
“The war in Ukraine shattered a core assumption about great-power dominance: that size and military strength are enough to impose one’s will. Ukraine showed otherwise. With the right strategy, geography, and resolve, a weaker state can survive and blunt — and in key respects even defeat — a much stronger adversary. The United States now faces an uncomfortable parallel. The war with Iran is exposing similar limits to American power. For decades, U.S. grand strategy has rested on primacy — the belief that America’s unmatched military capabilities enabled it to uphold global stability and shape outcomes across regions. After the failures in Iraq and Afghanistan, many Americans have reached a stark conclusion: the cost of primacy is no longer sustainable — and no longer serves U.S. interests.” (05/08/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/war-with-iran/
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25) Why the Scarcity of News about Our Increasing Abundance?
Source: Free Association
by Sheldon Richman
“If today, compared to the past, you need to work only half the time to earn the money for a television, in effect, you’ve acquired half of the television for free! (Actually, you’ve done better than that because it will be a better television.) And you have the time to acquire other things or enjoy leisure. This is more or less true for everyone whose society is amenable to freedom of enterprise, the division of labor, and world trade.” (05/08/26)
https://sheldonrichman.substack.com/p/tgif-abundance-keeps-increasing
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26) New York Times announces the end of the climate change hoax
Source: Fox News
by David Marcus
“For almost the entirety of the half century I have lived on Earth, I have had experts, teachers, politicians and activists hectoring me about how climate change is going to destroy the planet. But this week, in The New York Times, of all places, is evidence that climate alarmism is finally cooling down.’Democrats Do Not Have To Campaign On Climate Change Anymore,’ blared the headline, this week, as author Matt Huber argues that voters are rather turned off by the subject. I would like to suggest that this is because it is the single most expensive lie in human history.” [editor’s note: I’d say the single most expensive lie in history is “the state is necessary” – TLK] (05/10/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/david-marcus-new-york-times-announces-end-climate-change-hoax
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27) Creators and Destroyers of Worlds
Source: Quillette
by Ian Nieves
“Despite the dangers, we must seize the gifts bequeathed by existential dangers, since these amount to life in unprecedented abundance.” (05/09/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/05/09/creators-and-destroyers-of-worlds-ai-alignment-nuclear-war/
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28) No, Russia Isn’t Finished
Source: The American Conservative
by Leonid Ragozin
“If you were exclusively on a mainstream Western media diet in recent weeks, you’d be excused for thinking that the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime now lies on its deathbed. Signs of ‘public discontent’ are all over the place, you see. Silicon-lipped beauty blogger Viktoria Bonya attacked the government on YouTube. So did the notorious Kremlin propagandist Ilya Remeslo, fresh from a stint at a psychiatric ward. Meanwhile, the former defense minister Sergey Shoygu might be plotting a coup, according to CNN. But if you talk to people inside Russia, as this author does on a daily basis, you’ll find them perplexed and doubting the West’s sanity upon hearing about this fresh bout of ‘Russia is finished’ sentiments.” (05/09/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/no-russia-isnt-finished/
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29) Meat Industry Price Fixer Sentenced to Make Money
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“Three years ago, the Biden Justice Department’s antitrust division sued a company called Agri Stats that should have made us all wonder what capitalism even means anymore. After all, is it a capitalist system when one company can get every participant in a market to give them proprietary information about inventory, production costs, pricing, and profit margins, allowing those participants to know exactly what their competitors are doing, enabling them to restrict supply or raise prices without consequences? The initial lawsuit against Agri Stats, which dealt in data for broiler chicken, turkey, and pork processors, described a collusion machine, complete with clip art of little stick figures pulling profits upward.” (05/08/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/05/08/meat-industry-agri-stats-department-of-justice-price-fix-trump/
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30) Nick Bostrom Has a Plan for Humanity’s “Big Retirement”
Source: Wired
by Steven Levy
“Philosopher Nick Bostrom recently posted a paper, where he postulated that a small chance of AI annihilating all humans might be worth the risk, because advanced AI might relieve humanity of ‘its universal death sentence.’ That upbeat gamble is quite a leap from his previous dark musings on AI, which made him a doomer godfather. … His more recent book, Deep Utopia, reflects a shift in his focus. Bostrom, who leads Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute, dwells on the ‘solved world’ that comes if we get AI right.” (05/08/26)
https://archive.is/vPchv
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31) Non-profit group has twisted the meaning of “genocide” (and hijacked a Zionist hero’s name) to suit its own woke purposes
Source: New York Post
by Bethany Mandel
“Few figures loom larger in the moral and legal history of the 20th century than Raphael Lemkin, the Polish Jewish jurist who coined the word ‘genocide’ after losing nearly his entire family in the Holocaust. Lemkin witnessed the epitome of evil, and then gave the world the language to describe it. The word ‘genocide’ exists because he understood that what had been done to the Jewish people was so unprecedented that existing legal vocabulary could not define it properly. He spent the rest of his life ensuring that the world would never again lack the words — or the legal framework — to confront such crimes. That is precisely why what is happening now is so grotesque. The family of Raphael Lemkin is taking legal action against the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that has hijacked his name and repurposed it for its own warped woke agenda.” (05/10/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/05/10/opinion/group-hijacked-a-zionist-heros-name-to-suit-its-woke-purposes/
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32) Britain Is Pricing Its Factories into Oblivion
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Ted Newson
“At its peak, Britain was known as the workshop of the world. Sheffield produced high-quality steel, Manchester still had a strong textiles sector and the West Midlands was world-renowned for its cars. Glasgow, Sunderland and Newcastle were shipbuilding hubs, Stoke-on-Trent produced ceramics. … In the pursuit of lowering carbon emissions, Britain has abandoned its manufacturing sector. As we have artificially inflated energy prices through policy costs and made employing people harder, our industries have shifted to countries with more business-friendly environments. While rising comparative wage rates naturally encourage industry to shift overseas, the British government has further pushed industry away through deliberate choices. This has created job losses and regional decline as former manufacturing towns lose historic businesses.” (05/08/26)
https://fee.org/articles/britain-is-pricing-its-factories-into-oblivion/
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33) Guatemala’s step toward good governance
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“Just over halfway into the term of Guatemala’s reformist leader, the ‘democratic spring’ that he and his Movimiento Semilla (Seed Movement) sought to nurture is sending up fresh shoots of hope for lawful governance. President Bernardo Arévalo has appointed a new attorney general, marking what he calls ‘a new chapter’ for the small Central American nation. The outgoing attorney general, María Consuelo Porras, had tried to derail Mr. Arévalo’s 2024 inauguration, and has since obstructed multiple efforts to promote judicial impartiality and transparency. To many Guatemalans, Ms. Porras’ tenure symbolized entrenched political impunity and corruption that used the power of the state to settle scores with perceived enemies and make allowances for allies. In 2022, the United States cited her for repeatedly undermining anti-corruption efforts to ‘gain undue political favor.'” (05/08/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0508/Guatemala-s-step-toward-good-governance
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34) A Tale of Two Waiting Periods
Source: Independent Institute
by Stephen P Halbrook
“The First and Tenth Circuits conflict on whether ‘cooling-off’ periods violate the text of the Second Amendment.” (05/08/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/05/08/a-tale-of-two-waiting-periods/
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35) The Big Apple’s Rotten Budget Move: Raiding Pensions for Short-Term Spending
Source: The Daily Economy
by Thomas Savidge
“Delaying pension contributions may ease immediate pressure on New York City’s budget, but the shell game reveals deeper weaknesses in the city’s finances.” (05/08/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-big-apples-rotten-budget-move-raiding-pensions-for-short-term-spending/
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36) What UCLA doesn’t want you to know
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Jessie Appleby
“The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law is in the midst of a free-speech emergency. When a major American law school teaches its students that the right way to respond to political opponents is to silence them, something has gone wrong. And when it then attempts to protect those disruptive students from public criticism by threatening other students’ speech, it’s a crisis. That’s just what happened at UCLA this past month.” (05/08/26)
https://www.fire.org/news/what-ucla-doesnt-want-you-know
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37) “We Are Socialists”
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis
“‘We are socialists.’ So said Adolf Hitler. The Left desperately tries to portray Hitler as some sort of ‘rightis,t’ mainly because he was so opposed to Soviet Bolshevism. But just as there are different manifestations of ‘right-wing’ philosophies, there are different ‘left-wing’ ideologies as well. And socialism is a leftist philosophy, not a ‘rightist’ one. ‘National Socialist German Workers’ Party’ was the official name of Hitler’s political party (‘Nazi’ comes from the German word ‘Nationalsozialistische,’ or national socialist). Hitler was a totalitarian leftist, not a Christian, right-wing, pro-American, freedom-loving conservative.” (05/10/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2026/05/10/we-are-socialists-n2675792
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38) Bringing back baby bonds
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Madsen Pirie
“Bill Jamieson wrote a Sunday Telegraph story titled ‘Your starter for £1,000’ on 31 December 1995. It discussed the Adam Smith Institute proposal for ‘baby bonds’ or ‘Fortune Accounts.’ When the IPPR copied the idea in 1999, without reference to the ASI’s earlier publication, Jamieson directed them to his 1995 story and published the fact. A version of it was implemented by the Blair government. it was called the Child Trust Fund, launched in 2002 and scrapped in 2010. It would undoubtedly be a very popular policy, were it to be given another go in the way I outline. Each newborn child would have £1,000 put into an investment account in their name, but no withdrawals could be made until age 18. Money paid in by family or friends would be tax-free and contribute to its growth.” (05/08/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/bringing-back-baby-bonds
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39) Trump is playing Iran by ear. It’s not working.
Source: USA Today
by Rusty Hills
“No one disputes that the regime in Iran is awful. The government massacres its own people. Iran is a major state sponsor of terrorism and has been for decades. But the reality is that Trump is ad-libbing the war with Iran from day to day. After launching his attack against Iran on Feb. 28, Trump told an audience, ‘We’ve won.’ Yet here we are, 10 weeks later, with the Strait of Hormuz still closed, the regime still in power, the national average price of gas approaching $5 a gallon and jet fuel, airline ticket prices and baggage fees on the rise. Is this what Republicans are supposed to run on in the 2026 midterm elections?” (05/08/26)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2026/05/08/iran-war-trump-military-gas-pope-congress-vietnam/89968615007/
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40) Celebrating Opposite Freedoms on the Fourth of July
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“[W]ho has it right when it came to celebrating genuine freedom on the Fourth of July — Americans in 1875, who lived without income taxation, Social Security, Medicare, welfare, immigration controls and immigration police state, non-interventionism, a national-security state, drug war, public (i.e., government) schooling, and other statist programs — or Americans today, who live under all these statist systems?” (05/08/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/05/08/celebrating-opposite-freedoms-on-the-fourth-of-july/
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41) They’re Attacking Online Anonymity, And Other Notes
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“The EU is looking to ban VPNs, arguing that the ban is necessary to police recent online age verification laws. Critics have been warning for years that these age restriction laws are being rolled out around the world to erase online anonymity and enable greater surveillance of the entire population, and they are looking more vindicated than ever today. This isn’t about protecting children from social media addiction and porn, it’s about expanding the western empire’s surveillance network. This happens as the FCC moves to require ID verification for every phone activation in the United States, claiming the push is about stopping robocalls but effectively ending another form of anonymous communication. It’s always been about being able to more closely monitor the behavior of the public to make sure nobody’s plotting a revolution.” (05/09/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/05/09/theyre-attacking-online-anonymity-and-other-notes/
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42) Mississippi Learning
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“‘Thank God for Mississippi’ was something I heard a lot in my younger years, after moving to Arkansas. Friends from Alabama and Louisiana also know the saying well. Back then, Mississippi was ranked 50th in so many categories by which the states were measured against each other that the Magnolia State saved those inhabiting states near the bottom from occupying that un-coveted dead last place. This was still the case in 2005, when Mississippi ranked 50th in fourth-grade reading scores. In 2013, Mississippi students climbed one rung, to 49th. Then things started to change.” (05/08/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/05/08/mississippi-learning/
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43) Baseball’s Mystic Chords of Memory
Source: Law & Liberty
by Michael Auslin
“Baseball is more than a sport — it ties together generations of Americans.” (05/08/26)
https://lawliberty.org/baseballs-mystic-chords-of-memory/
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44) The Senate Has Gotten a Little More Competitive
Source: Exiled Policy
by Jason Pye
“In February, we reviewed the Senate landscape, noting at the time that it was too early to tell whether control of the chamber was up for grabs. Since then, thanks to Trump’s falling approval ratings, Republicans’ grasp of power in the Senate looks increasingly vulnerable. That’s not to say Republicans will lose the Senate. It’s more likely than not that they keep control of the chamber, but they may have a narrow majority.” (05/08/26)
https://exiledpolicy.substack.com/p/the-senate-has-gotten-a-little-more
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45) Depopulation Won’t Save the Planet
Source: American Greatness
by Lipton Matthews
“In recent years, a quietly radical idea has gained traction in certain environmental circles: stop having children. Some members of Extinction Rebellion in the UK have embraced an anti-natalist position, arguing that a shrinking human population is one of the most powerful levers available for reducing environmental damage. If fewer people exist, the thinking goes, then less energy gets consumed, fewer habitats get destroyed, and the planet gets a much-needed chance to breathe. It is an emotionally compelling argument. But is it actually true? The evidence suggests not. A growing body of research indicates that population decline, by itself, is a surprisingly weak instrument for environmental repair. The relationship between fewer people and a healthier planet is messier and far less automatic than anti-natalists tend to assume.” (05/10/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/05/10/depopulation-wont-save-the-planet/
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46) Subjects of Empire: Breaking the Cycle of Arab Dependency on US Elections
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ramzy Baroud
“Much of the current discourse on the Middle East remains fixated on the US midterm congressional elections this coming November. This vote, in particular, is being framed as a pivotal turning point for everything from the survival of Gaza and Lebanon to the future of Iran and beyond. To a large extent, one can understand why US corporate media is obsessed with this date. US political power is divided between two ruling parties, each deeply embedded in an intricate system of powerful political and economic elites. For these groups, election results are decisive in shaping the overall direction of the country, but more specifically, they determine the fortunes and misfortunes of a ruling class whose very fate is tied to the corridors of power. However, there is a distinct irony in this fixation.” (05/08/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/ramzy-baroud/2026/05/07/subjects-of-empire-breaking-the-cycle-of-arab-dependency-on-us-elections/
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47) Trump’s presidency has desiccated the conservative movement
Source: The Hill
by Matt Lewis
“It is worth taking a moment to recall that there was a time — not all that long ago — when conservative institutions had real weight to throw around. Names like Paul Weyrich, Ed Feulner, James Dobson and Phyllis Schlafly weren’t just footnotes. They were powerhouses. Directly or indirectly, organizations like the Heritage Foundation, Concerned Women for America, the National Rifle Association, the Family Research Council — and numerous other groups I don’t have room to list — helped elect conservatives, hold politicians accountable, and generally set the terms of debate. Many of these groups are still around (in some cases, enjoying lavish offices), but are any of these organizations — or the conservative causes for which they advocate — better off today than they were before Trump came down the escalator? I don’t think so.” (05/08/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5867912-trump-destroys-conservative-movement/
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48) Kill the Kill Switch!
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Alan Mosley
“Back in November 2021, Congress quietly added a clause to the sprawling ‘Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’ that would make Orwell blush. Section 24220 authorizes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to require that every new passenger car include ‘advanced drunk-and-impaired-driving prevention technology.’ The provision is sold as a way to save lives, but alleges to do so by commanding vehicles to monitor drivers and refuse to operate when the software suspects impairment. In other words, AI will determine whether or not you can drive should you buy a new year model vehicle starting in 2027. This is neither a technical innovation nor a societal demand for greater security. It is a political choice that converts a privately owned car into a behavioral policeman.” (05/08/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/kill-the-kill-switch/
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49) Want to Help Mothers This Mother’s Day? Back a Guaranteed Income
Source: Common Dreams
by Zaaear Pack
“Happy Mother’s Day—because that’s what you’re supposed to say, right? Motherhood is always dressed up in soft language like community, support, and…“it takes a village.” But I have learned in real time that not all of us actually have one. I am raising my sons without consistent help, without a built-in break, without the kind of support people assume is just there. Everything falls on me emotionally, financially, and physically, and I still have to show up every single day like I am not carrying all of it alone. And when I do pull back, when I protect my energy or go quiet, it is not because I am distant. It is because I am overwhelmed.” (05/10/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/guaranteed-income-mother-s-day
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50) The Ozempic Paradox
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Alan Cassels
“Here’s a good current example of medical irony: the same week that our drug regulator, Health Canada, approved the first generic version of semaglutide — the active ingredient in weight-loss drug Ozempic — a major medical journal published findings highlighting the medication’s troubling connection to eating disorders. The timing couldn’t be more paradoxical: just as this powerful appetite suppressant becomes more accessible and affordable to millions of Canadians, we’re learning more about its potential to trigger dangerous psychological relationships with food.” (05/08/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/the-ozempic-paradox/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Fountainhead Forum, episode 446
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Adar Weinreb on the Israel-Palestine conflict.” (05/10/26)
https://rumble.com/v79n98s-ff-446-adar-weinreb-on-the-israel-palestine-conflict.html
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52) The Brian Nichols Show, 05/10/26
Source: Lions of Liberty
“I Asked A 27-Year Doctor Why WebMD Is Making You SICKER.” (05/10/26)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/tbns-i-asked-a-27-year-doctor-why-webmd-is-making-you-sicker
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53) In the Tank, episode 535
Source: Heartland Institute
“Innovation vs. Dystopia.” (05/09/26)
https://heartland.org/podcasts/innovation-vs-dystopia-in-the-tank-podcast-535/
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54) Free Talk Live, 05/09/26
Source: Free Talk Live
“Is AOC’s room clean? :: Cop blocks woman from her driveway :: ‘We know you live here’ :: AI that self destructs so it can’t do damage :: Stores letting you steal until it hits a felony amount :: Project Mockingbird on the internet with streamers :: AOC to become God queen of the aliens after UFO file drop? :: Gov wants more ID to start in the US for getting a sim card :: Tracking private jets to avoid nukes :: Giant data center in Utah :: 2026-05-09 Hosts: Bonnie, Riley O’Bill, Angelo.” (05/09/26)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/ftl2026-05-09
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55) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 05/09/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Jim Webb: Hegseth Lashes Out at Congress, Admits Truth About Iran War.” (05/09/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/the-kyle-anzalone-show-with-jim-webb-hegseth-lashes-out-at-congress-admits-truth-about-iran-war/
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56) Pink Flame of Liberty, 05/09/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Deprioritizing Business at the 2026 Libertarian National Convention?” (05/09/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSoL3l6BJ08
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57) Freedom Works with Paul Molloy, 05/09/26
Source: Freedom Works
“Jessica Melugin, Competitive Enterprise Institute ‘Social Media Bans.'” (05/09/26)
https://internetradiopros.com/freedomworks/?name=2026-05-09_zfw005082026.mp3
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58) The Tom Woods Show, episode 2759
Source: The Tom Woods Show
“Marjorie Taylor Greene and Joe Kent Honor Ron Paul.” (05/08/26)
https://tomwoods.com/ep-2759-marjorie-taylor-greene-and-joe-kent-honor-ron-paul/
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59) Free Media, 05/08/26
Source: Reason
“Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi tear apart AOC’s belief that billionaires don’t earn their wealth.” (05/08/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/05/08/aoc-hates-billionaires-heritage-americans-and-ranking-christopher-nolan-movies/
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60) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 05/08/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Affordability Update: President Says Iran War Still ‘Worth It’ If Oil Hits $200.” (05/08/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1pKdRbvLeRYJW
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