Groups keyboard shortcuts have been updated
Dismiss
See shortcuts
05/06 -- Ukraine war: Putin's forces strike Kharkiv; Ukrainian attack closes Moscow airports; Should Sharing Information About Israeli Businesses Get You 20 Years in Prison?
5 views
Skip to first unread message
Thomas L. Knapp
May 6, 2025, 6:24:15 AMMay 6
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 05/06/25
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Presented by the Liberty International
https://liberty-intl.org/
Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
https://news.rationalreview.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's Freedom News:
1) Ukraine war: Putin’s forces strike Kharkiv; Ukrainian attack closes Moscow airports
2) Desperate over deportation scheme failure, US regime offers $1,000 to migrants who deport themselves
3) Palestine: Netanyahu promises to ethnically cleanse Gaza’s population
4) NC: Federal judge orders board to certify state Supreme Court election
5) CA: Newsom’s 26% cannabis tax hike is now official
6) UN Court Drops Sudan’s Genocide Case Against UAE regime
7) Investment firm 3G Capital acquires Skechers
8) Pope Francis’s popemobile being turned into health clinic for Gaza children
9) Real ID about to go into effect; here’s how it may impact voting
10) Rwanda: Regime confirms talks with US regime about taking in abducted migrants
11) Cambodia: Court convicts prominent politician of incitement in latest legal move to stifle opponents
12) ME: LePage to run for Congress in Trump-friendly district held by Democrat Golden
13) Iraq: Justice minister says prisons are at double their capacity as amnesty law takes effect
14) Diddy trial: Rapper faces jury in opinionated NY hometown on sex trafficking charges
15) Germany: AfD Files Lawsuit Against Spy Agency’s Extremist Classification
16) US crude oil prices fall more than 4% after OPEC+ agrees to surge production in June
17) Mexico: Mayor arrested over alleged links to cartel training camp
18) Brazil: Police arrest two in foiled plot to bomb Lady Gaga’s packed beach concert
19) EPA announces broad reorganization that includes shuffle of scientific research
20) Trump orders reopening of “enlarged” Alcatraz prison
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Should Sharing Information About Israeli Businesses Get You 20 Years in Prison?
22) On Tariffs: Smith vs. Trump
23) Free trade created your precious “traditional family”
24) Political Slavery in Our Times
25) Tariff and Spend
26) DOGE helps gut the leftist lunacy at this most pious agency
27) Tech bros go to Washington: Coders want in on the kill chain
28) Law, Legislation, and Libertarianism
29) Evil Empire: Is Imperial Liquidation Possible for America?
30) Nuclear Deterrence Requires Dozens Of Warheads — Not Thousands
31) Waking Up From The Nightmare Of Western Civilization
32) Miller Would Be a Disastrous Choice
33) Creativity and Courage to Save Democracy [sic]
34) Chesterton’s Vampire Stakes
35) Koch vs. Trump: A Puzzle of Leftist Demonology
36) A Sordid Immigration Racket in Texas
37) Can Trump Win?
38) Enshittification
39) The Banality of Complicity: Arendt’s Guide to Moral Resistance in the Age of Trump
40) How Tariffs Kill Knowledge and Leave Us in the Dark
41) Trump’s Plan for Workers: Make America a Sweatshop Again
42) Can Diplomacy Stop the War in Ukraine? Dueling Peace Plans.
43) Liberty Against Liberalism?
44) The Drivers of Prosperity
45) Bang-up jobs report shows DOGE is . . . working
46) These Thinkers Set the Stage for Trump the All-Powerful
47) Pope Francis was a Fraud, and the Vatican is Still a Cesspool
48) No, State Media and Democracy Don’t Go “Hand in Hand.” Just the Opposite
49) DOGE Is Obliterating American Industry
50) The US Threat Looming Over Canada
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 05/05/25
52) Rising, 05/05/25
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 794
54) SolutionsWatch, 05/05/25
55) EconTalk, 05/05/25
56) The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent, 05/05/25
57) Tech Tank, season 5, episode 19
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/05/25
59) Zooming In, 05/04/25
60) Bill Pepin on The Scott Horton Show
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
ONE IDENTITY FOR ALL YOUR CRYPTO
https://fioprotocol.io/
SAMUEL EDWARD KONKIN III REVOLUTIONARY FRIEND BY WENDY MCELROY
https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Edward-Konkin-Revolutionary-Friend-ebook/dp/B0DP7B6127
SHOP ONLINE, COLLECT A REBATE IN BITCOIN!
https://www.lolli.com/share/MZB4cCpheL
THE CONSTITUTION OF NON-STATE GOVERNMENT: FIELD GUIDE TO TEXAS SECESSION, by TL Hulsey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1947660853
Tyranny Demands AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE: A NOVEL BY ERNE LEWIS
https://tinyurl.com/actofselfdefense
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Ukraine war: Putin’s forces strike Kharkiv; Ukrainian attack closes Moscow airports
Source: Independent [UK]
“A busy Kharkiv market was engulfed in flames after Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack on the region. At least four people were injured after the Barabashovo was struck overnight, according to Kharkiv’s governor Oleg Synegubov. The barrage included deadly Russian glide bombs and several drones, destroying houses, warehouses and a fire department. It comes after Ukraine launched a massive drone attack against Moscow for the second night in a row as the Russian capital’s four airports were forced to close over safety concerns.” (05/06/25)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-putin-drones-kursk-victory-day-latest-news-b2745399.html
-----
2) Desperate over deportation scheme failure, US regime offers $1,000 to migrants who deport themselves
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The administration of US President Donald Trump says it is going to pay $1,000 to undocumented immigrants in the United States who return to their home countries voluntarily as it pushes forward with its plans for mass deportations. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a news release on Monday that it’s also paying for travel assistance and people who use an app called CBP Home to tell the government they plan to return home will be ‘deprioritized’ for detention and removal by immigration enforcement. … Trump took office in January pledging to deport millions of people but so far has trailed deportations under his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.” (05/05/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/5/us-offers-1000-stipend-to-migrants-who-self-deport
-----
3) Palestine: Netanyahu promises to ethnically cleanse Gaza’s population
Source: CNN
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the population of Gaza will be moved after his security cabinet approved an expanded military operation in the enclave that a minister described as a plan to ‘conquer’ the territory. The vote on Sunday came hours after the military said it would mobilize tens of thousands of reservists, strengthening its capacity to operate in the besieged Palestinian territory. … ‘There will be a movement of the population to protect [sic] them,’ Netanyahu said. A senior Israeli security official earlier said the operation in Gaza, called ‘Gideon’s Chariots,’ was unanimously approved by the security cabinet with the aim of subduing Hamas and securing the release of all hostages.” (05/05/25)
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/05/middleeast/israel-gaza-expansion-hnk-intl
-----
4) NC: Federal judge orders board to certify state Supreme Court election
Source: The Hill
“A federal judge ordered the North Carolina Board of Elections on Monday to certify the results of the state’s Supreme Court election, giving Democratic incumbent Justice Allison Riggs the upper hand in the still-contested race. Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers ruled Monday that the state board must certify the results of the November election, which have been the target of legal challenges by Republican Judge Jefferson Griffin. … Myers’s Monday ruling said the ballots challenged by Griffin should be counted, stating the ‘retroactive invalidation of absentee ballots cast by overseas military and civilian voters violates those voters’ substantive due process rights.'” ()5/05/25)
https://thehill.com/homenews/5284433-federal-judge-rules-north-carolina-must-certify-state-supreme-court-victory/
-----
5) CA: Newsom’s 26% cannabis tax hike is now official
Source: SFGate
“California’s beleaguered pot industry was given another piece of bad news Thursday afternoon: The state cannabis tax rate will increase from 15% to 19% on July 1, the highest allowed by state law. The 26% change, devised by Gov. Gavin Newsom, is ironically being made precisely because the state’s legal industry is floundering while the illicit market thrives. Representatives with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration announced the gross receipts tax hike during a cannabis advisory meeting Thursday. State law requires the department to increase the pot tax rate this year if cannabis excise revenue falls. Jerred Kiloh, the president of the United Cannabis Business Association, said the tax increase will only make it harder for legal stores to offer cannabis at a price point that competes with illegal stores.” [editor’s note: How to guarantee that the black market rules over “legal weed” – SAT] (05/02/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/cannabis/article/california-cannabis-tax-increase-20305768.php
-----
6) UN Court Drops Sudan’s Genocide Case Against UAE regime
Source: New York Times
“The United Nations’[s] top court on Monday dismissed a case accusing the United Arab Emirates of fueling genocide in Sudan by supporting paramilitary forces in the country’s ongoing civil war. The court said it ‘manifestly lacks jurisdiction.’ The International Court of Justice did not rule on the allegations made by the Sudanese government, but by a 14-2 vote, it declined to issue the provisional emergency measures against the U.A.E. that Sudan had requested. By a 9-7 vote, it officially removed the case from its docket, according to a summary of its decision. … Both Sudan and the Emirates are signatories to the 1948 Genocide Convention, but the U.A.E., when it signed the treaty in 2005, opted out of a key clause that allows countries to sue each other at the International Court of Justice, based in The Hague.” (05/05/225)
https://archive.is/Ous6E
-----
7) Investment firm 3G Capital acquires Skechers
Source: United Press International
“Footwear giant Skechers, the world’s third-largest footwear company, announced Monday it had reached a deal to be bought out by the private equity firm 3G Capital. 3G will acquire the southern California-based Skechers for $63 per share in cash which represents a 30% premium to the shoe company’s current public valuation. It was unanimously approved by Sketchers'[s] board of directors.” (05/05/25)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/05/05/skechers-3g-capital/1571746458169/
-----
8) Pope Francis’s popemobile being turned into health clinic for Gaza children
Source: CBS News
“Pope Francis'[s] popemobile is being converted into a clinic to help children in the Gaza Strip, the Vatican announced Sunday, calling it the late pontiff’s ‘final gift’ to the war-torn territory. It is being outfitted with lifesaving supplies — including equipment for treatments, diagnoses and vaccines — and will be staffed by nurses and doctors who intend to help treat kids in ‘the most isolated corners’ of Gaza, the Vatican said. It is unclear, however, when the unit will be able to enter the Gaza Strip, which the U.N. says is the deadliest place on the planet to be a child. Israel has halted the entry of all humanitarian aid into the territory, including food, medicine and water.” (05/05/25)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-popemobile-health-clinic-gaza-children/
-----
9) Real ID about to go into effect; here’s how it may impact voting
Source: Fox News
“The federal government’s push to finally execute REAL ID travel requirements will take effect Wednesday, amid a push from some Republicans to crack down on voter registration to ensure that those registered to vote are U.S. citizens. While voters may use REAL ID as an additional acceptable form of identification when heading to the polls, REAL ID goes into effect as legislation makes its way through Congress to verify that only U.S. citizens are casting their ballot in U.S. elections. The implementation of REAL ID coincides with the House’s passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act in April, which demands that states require in-person proof of citizenship from those seeking to vote in federal elections.” (05/05/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/real-id-about-go-effect-heres-how-may-impact-voting
-----
10) Rwanda: Regime confirms talks with US regime about taking in abducted migrants
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Rwanda is in the ‘early stage’ of talks with the Trump administration to accept migrants deported by the US, the East African country’s Foreign Affairs Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe has said. His comments come after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that Washington was ‘actively searching’ for countries that would take in ‘some of the most despicable human beings.’ Nduhungirehe said the talks were ‘not new to us’ as Rwanda had previously agreed to accept migrants deported by the UK. However, the UK abandoned the scheme, which faced numerous legal challenges, after Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government took office last July. Speaking to Rwandan TV on Sunday, Nduhungirehe said the government was ‘in the spirit’ of giving ‘another chance to migrants who have problems across the world.'” (05/05/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c367g52x7l6o
-----
11) Cambodia: Court convicts prominent politician of incitement in latest legal move to stifle opponents
Source: Seattle Times
“A Cambodian court on Monday convicted a prominent opposition politician of incitement and sentenced him to four years in prison, in the latest legal move to stifle criticism of the government of Prime Minister Hun Manet. Rong Chhun, a top advisor to the newly formed Nation Power Party, was found guilty of inciting social unrest related to his political activity for meeting with villagers displaced by government construction projects, including the new Phnom Penh International Airport. In addition to the prison term, he was barred from running for office and from voting. The 56-year-old had denied the incitement charge, saying all he did was post photos of himself with the villagers and comments on Facebook.” (05/05/25)
https://archive.is/uSaXG
-----
12) ME: LePage to run for Congress in Trump-friendly district held by Democrat Golden
Source: SFGate
“Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage, an early supporter of President Donald Trump’s first successful White House bid and a polarizing figure in state politics, said Monday he is running for Congress in a competitive district. LePage, a Republican who was governor from 2011 to 2019 and lost a bid for another term in 2022, filed papers late Sunday to run for the 2nd Congressional District seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Jared Golden. The district is politically mixed, as voters have sent Golden to Washington four times in a row while also supporting President Donald Trump in three consecutive presidential elections. LePage, 76, brought Maine into the national spotlight as governor with incendiary statements about out-of-state drug dealers impregnating ‘young white girls’ and a political rival he said would ‘give it to the people without providing Vaseline.'” (05/05/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/former-maine-gov-paul-lepage-to-run-for-congress-20310629.php
-----
13) Iraq: Justice minister says prisons are at double their capacity as amnesty law takes effect
Source: ABC News
“As a general amnesty law takes effect in Iraq, the country’s prisons are facing a crisis of overcrowding, housing more than double their intended capacity, the country’s justice minister said in an interview. Justice Minister Khaled Shwani told The Associated Press on Saturday that Iraq’s 31 prisons currently hold approximately 65,000 inmates, despite the system being built to accommodate only half that number. He acknowledged that the overcrowding has put a severe strain on prison healthcare and human rights standards. … The general amnesty law passed in January had strong support from Sunni lawmakers who argue that their community has been disproportionately targeted by terrorism charges, with confessions sometimes extracted under torture.” (05/05/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iraqs-justice-minister-prisons-double-capacity-amnesty-law-121460051
-----
14) Diddy trial: Rapper faces jury in opinionated NY hometown on sex trafficking charges
Source: Fox News
“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs'[s] legal team and the prosecution in his sex-trafficking case set out to pick a jury of 12 on Monday. Combs appeared in court alongside his lead lawyers – Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos – to begin voir dire. The questioning process is conducted by Judge Arun Subramanian, Diddy’s lawyers and the prosecutors who have been working on the case. Authorities charged Diddy with multiple counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transporting for prostitution in an indictment unsealed in September. Since then, the government has filed two superseding indictments against the rapper that added charges and an additional victim. Diddy has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. Diddy’s team and the prosecution were allotted five days to seat the jury, which will likely be a ‘difficult’ process, legal experts told Fox News Digital.” (05/05/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/diddy-trial-rapper-faces-jury-opinionated-ny-hometown-bid-freedom-sex-trafficking-charges
-----
15) Germany: AfD Files Lawsuit Against Spy Agency’s Extremist Classification
Source: US News & World Report
“A German court said on Monday that far-right party Alternative for Germany had filed a lawsuit challenging the domestic intelligence agency’s decision to classify it as an extremist organisation. A spokesperson for the administrative court in Cologne said the lawsuit and a corresponding emergency petition had been submitted, both of which would be reviewed once the BfV domestic intelligence agency had confirmed that it had been notified. The extremist classification announced on Friday allows the spy agency to step up monitoring of the AfD, the biggest opposition party in parliament, for example by recruiting informants and intercepting party communications. The agency’s 1,100-page experts’ report, which is not to be released to the public, found the AfD to be a racist and anti-Muslim organisation. The German parliament could now attempt to limit or halt public funding for the AfD.” (05/05/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-05-05/afd-files-lawsuit-against-german-spy-agencys-extremist-classification
-----
16) US crude oil prices fall more than 4% after OPEC+ agrees to surge production in June
Source: CNBC
“U.S. crude oil futures fell more than 4% on Sunday, after OPEC+ agreed to surge production for a second month. U.S. crude was down $2.49, or 4.27%, to $55.80 a barrel shortly after trading opened. Global benchmark Brent fell $2.39, or 3.9%, to $58.90 per barrel. Oil prices have fallen more than 20% this year. The eight producers in the group, led by Saudi Arabia, agreed on Saturday to increase output by another 411,000 barrels per day in June. The decision comes a month after OPEC+ surprised the market by agreeing to surge production in May by the same amount. The June production hike is nearly triple the 140,000 bpd that Goldman Sachs had originally forecast.” (05/04/25)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/04/us-oil-prices-tumble-after-opec-agrees-to-surge-production-in-june.html
-----
17) Mexico: Mayor arrested over alleged links to cartel training camp
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Prosecutors in Mexico have arrested the mayor of Teuchitlán in western Jalisco state as part of their investigation into a nearby cartel training site. The mayor, José Murguía Santiago, is suspected of colluding with the New Generation Jalisco Cartel (CJNG), which he has denied. The investigation was launched after activists discovered bone fragments and hundreds of discarded shoes, backpacks and items of clothing at the Izaguirre ranch outside the town in March. Rights groups said that they feared the ranch had been used as an ‘extermination camp,’ where people were forcedly recruited and trained, and those who refused were tortured and killed. The discovery by people searching for their missing relatives of what appeared to be evidence of mass killings at the site shocked the country, where cartel violence is rife.” (05/05/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crkxg6geyzzo
-----
18) Brazil: Police arrest two in foiled plot to bomb Lady Gaga’s packed beach concert
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Brazilian police said Sunday they arrested two people in connection with a foiled plot to bomb Lady Gaga’s packed mega-concert in Rio de Janeiro. Rio’s civil police force said that together with the ministry of justice it ‘prevented a bomb attack that would have occurred at Lady Gaga’s concert in Copacabana’ on Saturday night. Officials said the superstar’s huge free gig on the beach, her first concert in Brazil since 2012, drew up to two million people. Writing on X, Rio police said it had arrested an adult who was ‘responsible for the plot’ as well as a teenager in the operation codenamed ‘Fake Monster’ – a reference to the US pop diva’s pet name for her fans, ‘Little Monsters.’ It said they had recruited people online to ‘carry out attacks using improvised explosives’ and Molotov cocktails as ‘a collective challenge’ with the aim of ‘gaining notoriety on social media.'” (05/04/25)
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250504-brazil-police-foil-lady-gaga-gig-bomb-plot
-----
19) EPA announces broad reorganization that includes shuffle of scientific research
Source: SFGate
“The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday announced a broad reorganization as part of the Trump administration’s drive to cut costs that some activists worry will harm the agency’s independent scientific research. Administrator Lee Zeldin announced changes that included creating a new unit within his office ‘to align research and put science at the forefront of the agency’s rulemakings.’ He said the overall reorganization would boost efficiency and save at least $300 million annually, though he didn’t detail how the money would be saved. Though Zeldin didn’t mention it by name, some scientists and activists saw it as an attack on EPA’s Office of Research and Development, which has long provided the scientific underpinnings for EPA’s mission to protect the environment and human health.” (05/05/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/epa-announces-broad-reorganization-that-includes-20307548.php
-----
20) Trump orders reopening of “enlarged” Alcatraz prison
Source: Axios
“President Trump said Sunday he’s directed government departments to rebuild and reopen Alcatraz, the notorious California prison-turned-tourist -attraction. Alcatraz housed prisoners including the gangster Al Capone before it closed as a prison in 1963 because it was expensive to run and the U.S. government ‘found that it was more cost-effective to build a new institution’ than keep it open, per a Federal Bureau of Prisons post. … Representatives for the White House, DOJ, FBI and Homeland Security did not immediately respond to Axios'[s] request for comment Sunday evening on how the administration plans to fund the rebuilding and reopening of Alcatraz, how much it expects it to cost and when it plans to reopen it.” (05/04/25)
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/05/trump-alcatraz-prison-rebuild-reopen
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Should Sharing Information About Israeli Businesses Get You 20 Years in Prison?
Source: Reason
by Matthew Petti
“Boycotting foreign countries is an American tradition older than the United States. The Boston Tea Party that preceded the American Revolution came at the tail end of a boycott campaign against British goods. But since the 1970s, the U.S. government has tried to stop Americans from participating in unauthorized foreign boycotts. This week, the House of Representatives was set to vote on the International Governmental Organization (IGO) Anti-Boycott Act, which would arguably be the most draconian measure of this kind to date: It would impose a maximum 20-year prison sentence or $1 million fine for complying with international human rights sanctions against a U.S. ally, including by ‘furnishing information.’ … Although the bill is on ice for now, the antiboycott laws that it is built on are still on the books.” (05/05/25)
https://reason.com/2025/05/05/should-sharing-information-about-israeli-businesses-get-you-20-years-in-prison/
-----
22) On Tariffs: Smith vs. Trump
Source: Notablog
by Chris Matthew Sciabarra
“Trump declares: ‘I know what I’m doing.’ Whatever he’s doing, whatever game he is playing, Trump is talking out of both sides of his mouth. With one breath, he believes that the tariff is ‘the most beautiful word in the dictionary.’ This leads us to Position A: that tariffs will increase domestic manufacturing by insulating domestic producers from foreign competition, while punishing other countries for their ‘unfair’ trade practices. … Position A is tied to a nationalist conservative industrial policy, in which tariffs are just one aspect of a larger toolkit that allows Trump to protect domestic producers, while subsidizing those economic sectors hurt by his trade policies. That this weaponization of trade relations violates the most elementary principles of economics is beside the point. But there’s always Position B to fall back on: For Trump, tariffs are not an end in themselves. They are negotiating tools. Toward what end?” (05/05/25)
https://notablog.net/2025/05/05/on-tariffs-smith-vs-trump/
-----
23) Free trade created your precious “traditional family”
Source: Sex and the State
by Cathy Reisenwitz
“The right is trying to kill global trade to protect the ‘traditional family.’ The first funny thing about this is that they’re actually talking about the male breadwinner model of marriage and not, as discussed, the actual traditional family of subsistence farmers. They’re confused because everyone on the right is either allergic to an accurate depiction of history or is a lying (sorry, ‘Straussian’) Nazi fuck. The second funny thing about this is that the male breadwinner model of marriage was only ever available to anyone because: 1. The US military had reduced everyone else’s factories to rubble … 2. FDR and his allies legalized and streamlined international trade to take advantage of global demand … Free(r) trade with the rest of the world created the post-war prosperity of the 1950s and 1960s that made the US the richest country on Earth.” (05/05/25)
https://cathyreisenwitz.substack.com/p/free-trade-created-your-precious
-----
24) Political Slavery in Our Times
Source: JimBovard.com
by James Bovard
“In 1977, East Germany ransomed hundreds of its leading intellectuals and artists to West Germany, partly because it did not wish to endure public criticism by its own citizens during an International Rights Conference. In spite of the human sale, there was no general revulsion against the East German government in the international community. The East German regime was considered by many social scientists to have more legitimacy than the West German government because of its more expansive social welfare system and its grandiose paternalist pretensions. Romania engaged in similar sales during the 1980s with its Jewish and ethnic-German subjects. How many of its citizens does a government have to sell before it loses legitimacy?” (05/05/25)
https://jimbovard.com/blog/2025/05/05/political-slavery-in-our-times/
-----
25) Tariff and Spend
Source: Campaign For Liberty
by Ron Paul
“President Trump has proposed using the revenue from his increased tariffs to lower or even eliminate income taxes — with a priority on removing Americans making less than 200,000 dollars a year from the tax rolls. Exempting more Americans from income taxes — and lowering taxes on other Americans— is certainly a worthwhile endeavor. However, replacing income taxes with tariffs may have negative consequences for the very Americans President Trump wants to help.” (05/05/25)
https://www.campaignforliberty.org/tariff-spend
-----
26) DOGE helps gut the leftist lunacy at this most pious agency
Source: Fox News Forum
by Jim Bovard
“‘My suggestion: AmeriCorps is proof that if ‘we hold hands and believe … we can change anything we want to change,’ President Bill Clinton declared in 1999. But after more than 30 years of fraud, false claims and political racketeering, AmeriCorps — the federal paid volunteer oxymoron — just got hit by a DOGE torpedo. ‘AmeriCorps has failed eight consecutive audits and is entrusted with over $1 billion in taxpayer dollars every year,’ White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly declared. The agency’s Office of Inspector General condemned it in 2014 for ‘shocking waste of taxpayer funds, lax oversight, unauthorized contractual commitments and widespread noncompliance with rules, regulations and sound contracting practices.’ Things have only gotten worse since then. DOGE froze $400 million in grants to more than a thousand organizations, terminating more than 30,000 AmeriCorps members. Most AmeriCorps staffers have either quit or were placed on paid leave.” (05/05/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/doge-helps-gut-leftist-lunacy-most-pious-agency
-----
27) Tech bros go to Washington: Coders want in on the kill chain
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Nick Cleveland-Stout
“At a confab on Capitol Hill last week, Silicon Valley titans concluded they need to lobby like Lockheed.” (05/05/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/artificial-intelligence-2671882925/
-----
28) Law, Legislation, and Libertarianism
Source: EconLog
by Alberto Mingardi
“‘Look around.’ John Hasnas’s main political advice may sound extravagant. But his remarkable book, Common Law Liberalism, is a caveat against ‘inattentional blindness’ of the sort social scientists often fall victim to — and those who like flirting with theory more than the others. Inattentional blindness consists in the ‘failure to notice a fully visible, but unexpected object because attention was engaged on another task, event, or object.’ That fully visible object, the gorilla that nobody notices, is the law.” (05/05/25)
https://www.econlib.org/library/columns/y2025/mingardihasnas.html
-----
29) Evil Empire: Is Imperial Liquidation Possible for America?
Source: TomDispatch
by Chalmers Johnson
“In politics, as in medicine, a cure based on a false diagnosis is almost always worthless, often worsening the condition that is supposed to be healed. The United States, today, suffers from a plethora of public ills. Most of them can be traced to the militarism and imperialism that have led to the near-collapse of our Constitutional system of checks and balances. Unfortunately, none of the remedies proposed so far by American politicians or analysts addresses the root causes of the problem.” (05/05/25)
https://tomdispatch.com/evil-empire-2/
-----
30) Nuclear Deterrence Requires Dozens Of Warheads — Not Thousands
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Brian McGlinchey
“Over the next decade, the US government plans to spend nearly $1 trillion on its nuclear arsenal — with the actual cost certain to run even higher than that. The huge outlay is driven in part by the sheer size of America’s doomsday-weapon collection, which comprises an estimated 3,700 deployed or stockpiled nuclear warheads, not counting another 1,500 that are purportedly ‘retired’ and awaiting dismantlement. Though Americans have been conditioned to think it’s reasonable to maintain such a large arsenal, the idea that thousands of warheads are required to deter nuclear aggression rests on flawed thinking about the nature of deterrence. While defense contractors and military bureaucracies enriched by the status quo will tell you otherwise, the truth is that an adequate arsenal of nuclear warheads can be measured not in thousands, but mere dozens.” (05/05/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/nuclear-deterrence-requires-dozens-of-warheads-not-thousands
-----
31) Waking Up From The Nightmare Of Western Civilization
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“We don’t need horror movies. We’re creating our own horrors in places like Gaza. We don’t need dystopian fiction. We’re living in dystopia right here in our own society. We don’t need fantasy stories about scary monsters. The scary monsters run our government. Westerners will create a waking nightmare, psychologically compartmentalize away from its existence, and then go watch a movie about a fictional waking nightmare to give themselves a thrill. We’ll sit on the edge of our seats watching made-up tales about psychopathic killers while psychopathic killers rule the world. We’ll turn our backs on horrific acts of human butchery and then go watch fictional acts of human butchery, getting ourselves through any discomfort we might experience by reminding ourselves that what we are watching isn’t happening in real life.” (05/05/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/05/05/waking-up-from-the-nightmare-of-western-civilization/
-----
32) Miller Would Be a Disastrous Choice
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“The president reminded us yesterday that things can always get worse: ‘U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he is considering naming his deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller as national security adviser and expects to appoint a successor to Mike Waltz within six months.’ Miller would be a terrible choice. He has no relevant background or expertise that would begin to qualify him to advise the president on foreign policy and national security. To make matters worse, Miller is a dangerous ideological zealot. He is a particularly nasty authoritarian nationalist. Miller’s appointment would be a win for hardliners and authoritarians, and the administration’s cruel and destructive foreign policy would become even worse than it is.” (05/05/25)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/miller-would-be-a-disastrous-choice
-----
33) Creativity and Courage to Save Democracy [sic]
Source: Our Future
by Sulma Arias
“We live in a time of chaos, and this is not by accident. Over the last 100 days, the Trump administration has sought to divide and confuse us in every way, so no one knows what’s coming next. They are snatching people off the streets, arresting judges and silencing the media, to test the guardrails of democracy. They want to see how far we will let them go. This is an old playbook. It has been used by every dictator of the last century. Authoritarians thrive on the chaos they create, because it allows them to project their own image as the only source of stability. For a time, they feel invincible, and we feel increasingly alone. Yet we are not alone, and dictators are not invincible. When people turn toward each other and come together, dictators and their authoritarian regimes fall.” (05/04/25)
https://ourfuture.org/20250504/creativity-and-courage-to-save-democracy
-----
34) Chesterton’s Vampire Stakes
Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders
“Conservatives are fond of G. K. Chesterton and his fence. If you encounter a fence and are uncertain about its function, it’s probably best not to tear it down. The same can be said for traditions and institutions, says Chesterton: Don’t radically reform what has been built up over time, because it might hold beneficial aspects or hidden wisdom. This is undoubtedly a good heuristic. The trouble is, any program or policy can be compared to Chesterton’s Fence.” (05/05/25)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/chestertons-vampire-stakes
-----
35) Koch vs. Trump: A Puzzle of Leftist Demonology
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“Ten years ago, the Koch brothers were clearly the left’s most-hated ‘right-wing billionaires.’ It’s not totally clear that Trump even ranked #3. Only in 2016 did Trump attain the top spot in leftist demonology. Even today, Charles Koch (brother David died in 2019) probably retains the #2 spot on the left’s list of Most Evil Billionaires. Which plausibly gives him the #3 spot on the left’s list of Most Evil Americans after Trump and Vance. And conceivably even the #3 spot on the left’s list of Most Evil Living Humans, though I guess Putin and Netanyahu now outrank him. What the hell is wrong with leftist demonology? How can Charles Koch and Donald Trump possibly be on the same list?!” (05/05/25)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/koch-vs-trump-a-puzzle-of-leftist
-----
36) A Sordid Immigration Racket in Texas
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“I have long written about the U.S. immigration police state that has existed along the U.S.-Mexico border for all of our lives, one that includes a vast bureaucracy of well-salaried federal officials. We now learn from an article in the New York Times that the feds are not the only ones milking the decades-old, ongoing, perpetual immigration crisis along the border. Officials in Kinney County, Texas, which is located along the border, have devised their very own darkly ingenious immigration racket, one that enables them to feather their own nest with money that has been looted from people who are among the poorest in the world.” (05/05/25)
https://www.fff.org/2025/05/05/a-sordid-immigration-racket-in-texas/
-----
37) Can Trump Win?
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis
“When I ask, ‘Can Trump Win?,’ I’m not asking about the next election. My meaning is, can he ‘Make America Great Again?’ He ran on that theme, trying to transform America and undo the 12 years of horror that Obama and Biden inflicted on the country. Can he do it? Can he turn the nation around? There’s no question that he’s done a lot of good in his first 100-plus days in office, but you don’t clean up 12 years of spilled milk in 100 days. Can he make America great again? That very statement implies America’s not great right now. Can he (with our help, naturally) succeed? The forces arrayed against him are strong and determined to see that he fails. I see two major obstacles Mr. Trump must overcome to accomplish his goal of ‘Making America Great Again.'” (05/05/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2025/05/05/can-trump-win-n2656537
-----
38) Enshittification
Source: Persuasion
by William A Finnegan
“We usually talk about ‘enshittification’ in terms of user experience. The slow death of platforms as they prioritize quarterly returns over anything resembling public service. Instagram throttles organic reach. Amazon feels like walking through a strip mall designed by a casino. Google Search is so bloated with ads it barely functions as search anymore. Facebook is a rage machine. TikTok is a dopamine slot machine, curated by opaque algorithms. It’s not a bug. It’s the business model. Every platform eventually follows the same arc: nobility gives way to monetization, and monetization gives way to enshittification. But the true cost of enshittification isn’t just a worse internet experience. It’s a worse society.” (05/05/25)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/enshittification
-----
39) The Banality of Complicity: Arendt’s Guide to Moral Resistance in the Age of Trump
Source: Liberal Currents
by Peter Michael Gratton
“Even in seemingly powerless positions, the choice to withdraw one’s support from corrupt systems remains a meaningful assertion of humanity.” (05/05/25)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-banality-of-complicity-arendts-guide-to-moral-resistance-in-the-age-of-trump/
-----
40) How Tariffs Kill Knowledge and Leave Us in the Dark
Source: The Daily Economy
by Amir Iraji
“As the tariff debate heats up again, a new ideological group has emerged: defenders of retaliatory tariffs who still claim to support free markets. Their stance differs from the old protectionist arguments about ‘saving jobs’ or shielding domestic industry from foreign competition. Instead, they say: ‘We don’t like tariffs. But since real free trade doesn’t exist — and countries like China already distort trade with subsidies and tariffs — we have to retaliate to level the playing field.’ The argument sounds pragmatic. But beneath the surface, it rests on the same fundamental misunderstanding as any other form of protectionism.” (05/05/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/how-tariffs-kill-knowledge-and-leave-us-in-the-dark/
-----
41) Trump’s Plan for Workers: Make America a Sweatshop Again
Source: Common Dreams
by Thom Hartmann
“Trump and his billionaire toadies like Howard Lutnik and Scott Bessent are peddling a dangerous lie to working-class Americans. They’re strutting around claiming their tariffs will bring back ‘good paying jobs’ with ‘great benefits,’ while actively undermining the very thing that made manufacturing jobs valuable to working people in the first place: unions. Let’s be crystal clear about what’s really happening: Without strong unions, bringing manufacturing back to America will simply create more sweatshop opportunities where desperate workers earn between $7.25 and $15 an hour with zero benefits and zero security. The only reason manufacturing jobs like my father had at a tool-and-die shop in the 1960s paid well enough to catapult a single-wage-earner family into the middle class was because they had a union — the Machinists’ Union, in my dad’s case — fighting relentlessly for their rights and dignity.” (05/05/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-sweatshop-nation
-----
42) Can Diplomacy Stop the War in Ukraine? Dueling Peace Plans.
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ted Snider
“On April 17, the U.S. presented Ukrainian and European officials with a framework for peace that declared itself ‘the final offer.’ On April 23, Ukrainian and European officials, denying the ‘final offer’ statement, presented the U.S. with an alternative peace plan of their own. Western officials and media have complained that the U.S. plan is Russian influenced. That is not a fair accusation. The plan is reality based: it concedes what is inevitable to Russia while refusing Russian demands that are unrealistic. The Ukrainian and European peace plan is not reality based: it suffers from the delusion that the side that is losing can impose a total capitulation on the victor.” [editor’s note: That is indeed a delusion … but it applies to both sides (and to Snider). So far neither side is winning and both are losing – TLK] (05/05/25)
https://original.antiwar.com/ted_snider/2025/05/04/can-diplomacy-stop-the-war-in-ukraine-deuling-peace-plans/
-----
43) Liberty Against Liberalism?
Source: Law & Liberty
by Max Skjonsberg
“Quentin Skinner is surely the most prominent living historian of political thought. In a career spanning over sixty years, Skinner has written about the history of political thought from the Renaissance to the eighteenth century. His oeuvre includes landmark studies on Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, and ideas of the state and liberty, as well as pathbreaking works on historical methodology and hermeneutics. Skinner’s new book, Liberty as Independence, represents his fullest historical investigation into the concept of freedom to date. In the book, Skinner challenges what he takes to be the dominant conception of freedom in the modern world: Isaiah Berlin’s negative liberty, understood as freedom from external constraints. As an alternative to this ‘liberal’ view of freedom, Skinner proposes his preferred version of liberty understood as independence, and more precisely, self-government.” (05/05/25)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/liberty-against-liberalism/
-----
44) The Drivers of Prosperity
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Lonis Hamaili
“Why did the Industrial Revolution take off in Britain almost 100 years before it did in France and the rest of Europe and America?” (05/04/25)
https://fee.org/articles/the-drivers-of-prosperity/
-----
45) Bang-up jobs report shows DOGE is ... working
Source: New York Post
by staff
“The latest jobs report suggests DOGE is working as intended, contrary to all the lefty screaming around Elon Musk’s government-slim-down initiative. US employers added 177,000 jobs in April in a surprisingly strong report; labor-force participation rose even as federal jobs plummeted by 9,000. That fed-jobs figure is down 26,000 in total since January. In other words … this is exactly what should be happening. I.e., US job gains should be fueled by private-sector growth, not by adding ever more padding to Uncle Sam’s payroll. And the idea bruited by the media — that slashing fed jobs would somehow plunge both society and the economy into a death spiral — has been proven utterly wrong. Yet again, media doomsaying has proven premature at least. Note, too, that these job gains came even as President Trump launched his tariff offensive, roiling the markets and feeding business angst.” (05/04/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/05/04/opinion/bang-up-jobs-report-shows-doge-is-working/
-----
46) These Thinkers Set the Stage for Trump the All-Powerful
Source: New York Times
by Damon Linker
“With a blitz of moves in his 100 days in office, President Trump has sought to greatly enlarge executive power. The typical explanation is that he’s following and expanding a legal idea devised by conservatives during the Reagan administration, the unitary executive theory. It’s not even close. Mr. Trump has gone beyond that or any other mainstream notion. Instead, members of his administration justify Mr. Trump’s instinctual attraction to power by reaching for a longer tradition of right-wing thought that favors explicitly monarchical and even dictatorial rule. Those arguments — imported from Europe and translated to the American context — have risen to greater prominence now than at any time since the 1930s.” (05/04/25)
https://archive.is/f8pgw
-----
47) Pope Francis was a Fraud, and the Vatican is Still a Cesspool
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“Another Pope has dropped dead, only this time it’s the left who seems to be all busted up over it. Don’t get me wrong, I guess I get it. On the surface, Francis did seem like a pretty woke dude. He certainly said all the right things about capitalism, climate change, Israeli apartheid, and the like. If you simply read his headlines over the last decade, he actually comes across as a more consistent leftist than anyone still shilling for the Democratic Party. But there is a very big difference between talk and action, especially when you’re running a church whose sins extend to the Dark Ages and include complicity in multiple genocides, and it doesn’t take a particularly deep dive beneath the headlines to recognize that Pope Francis was very much a part of that tradition.” (05/04/25)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2025/05/pope-francis-was-fraud-and-vatican-is.html
-----
48) No, State Media and Democracy Don’t Go “Hand in Hand.” Just the Opposite
Source: Racket News
by Matt Taibbi
“In the age of digital censorship, state media is just as likely to be a threat to democracy as a boon to it.” (05/04/25)
https://www.racket.news/p/no-state-media-and-democracy-dont
-----
49) DOGE Is Obliterating American Industry
Source: The American Prospect
by Ryan Cooper
“One of the hidden gems of American government is a small division of the Department of Energy called the Loan Programs Office. This is a government bank that hands out loans to companies with business plans that go beyond the technological frontier, with ideas nobody has tried before. Commercial banks will generally not loan to such companies (as a rule, private bankers want something that is already proven to work), so the LPO helps such entrepreneurs get from the drawing board to producing and selling an actual product. The LPO has funded thousands of successful projects, from renewable-energy installations, to solar and battery factories, to new low-emission industrial processes, to power grid upgrades, to the first new nuclear power plant in decades, to domestic EV companies, and much more in that vein. … But not for much longer. ” (05/05/25)
https://prospect.org/environment/2025-05-05-doge-obliterating-american-industry/
-----
50) The US Threat Looming Over Canada
Source: The Atlantic
by Stephen Marche
“The idea of a war between Canada and the United States was inconceivable even a few months ago. Most Americans still don’t believe it’s a possibility, or simply haven’t noticed their president’s occupationist rhetoric, or can’t imagine a world in which a neighbor they have been at peace with for 150 years is suddenly an enemy. The very idea seems completely absurd. But Canada does not have the luxury of dismissing White House rhetoric as trolling. Canadians are imagining the unimaginable because they have to. Donald Trump’s pointless and malicious trade war has been, by his own account, a prelude to softening up Canada economically so that it can be appropriated as the 51st state.” (05/04/25)
https://archive.is/1cdN2
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 05/05/05
Source: Reason
"Trump's War on Childhood." (05/05/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/05/05/trumps-war-on-childhood/
-----
52) Rising, 05/05/25
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave delivers radar on President Trump receiving backlash for posting an AI-generated image of himself as Pope.” (05/05/25)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5282903-rising-may-5-2025/
-----
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 794
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Israel Attacks Civilian Aid Ships.” (05/05/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-794-israel-attacks-civilian-aid-ships
-----
54) SolutionsWatch, 05/05/25
Source: The Corbett Report
“Why Aren’t You Using XMPP?” (05/05/25)
https://corbettreport.com/why-arent-you-using-xmpp/
-----
55) EconTalk, 05/05/25
Source: EconTalk
“The Economics of Tariffs and Trade (with Doug Irwin).” (05/05/25)
https://www.econtalk.org/the-economics-of-tariffs-and-trade-with-doug-irwin/
-----
56) The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent, 05/05/25
Source: The New Republic
“Trump’s Rage at Fox News over Bad Poll Hints at Coming Fiasco for MAGA.” (05/05/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/194818/trump-rage-fox-news-bad-poll-hints-coming-fiasco-maga
-----
57) Tech Tank, season 5, episode 19
Source: Brookings Institution
“How much influence do private firms have over space policy?” (05/05/25)
https://shows.acast.com/tech-tank/episodes/how-much-influence-do-private-firms-have-over-space-policy
-----
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/05/25
Source: Antiwar.com
“Yemeni Missile Strikes Israeli Airport, Trump Proposes $1.01 Trillion Military Budget, and More.” (05/05/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ticGDg5wB8
-----
59) Zooming In, 05/04/25
Source: The UnPopulist
“Only Moral Leadership Can Stop America From Giving in to Authoritarianism: A Conversation with David French.” (05/04/25)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/only-moral-leadership-can-stop-america
-----
60) Bill Pepin on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Bill Pepin on How Tariffs Are Threatening Your Morning Coffee.” (05/04/25)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/5-2-25-bill-pepin-on-how-tariffs-are-threatening-your-morning-coffee/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FND is published every weekday except on holidays. Forward freely.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit:
http://groups.google.com/group/freedom-news-daily
Support the Liberty International (tax deductible)
https://liberty-intl.org/join-the-movement/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Presented by the Liberty International
https://liberty-intl.org/
Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
https://news.rationalreview.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's Freedom News:
1) Ukraine war: Putin’s forces strike Kharkiv; Ukrainian attack closes Moscow airports
2) Desperate over deportation scheme failure, US regime offers $1,000 to migrants who deport themselves
3) Palestine: Netanyahu promises to ethnically cleanse Gaza’s population
4) NC: Federal judge orders board to certify state Supreme Court election
5) CA: Newsom’s 26% cannabis tax hike is now official
6) UN Court Drops Sudan’s Genocide Case Against UAE regime
7) Investment firm 3G Capital acquires Skechers
8) Pope Francis’s popemobile being turned into health clinic for Gaza children
9) Real ID about to go into effect; here’s how it may impact voting
10) Rwanda: Regime confirms talks with US regime about taking in abducted migrants
11) Cambodia: Court convicts prominent politician of incitement in latest legal move to stifle opponents
12) ME: LePage to run for Congress in Trump-friendly district held by Democrat Golden
13) Iraq: Justice minister says prisons are at double their capacity as amnesty law takes effect
14) Diddy trial: Rapper faces jury in opinionated NY hometown on sex trafficking charges
15) Germany: AfD Files Lawsuit Against Spy Agency’s Extremist Classification
16) US crude oil prices fall more than 4% after OPEC+ agrees to surge production in June
17) Mexico: Mayor arrested over alleged links to cartel training camp
18) Brazil: Police arrest two in foiled plot to bomb Lady Gaga’s packed beach concert
19) EPA announces broad reorganization that includes shuffle of scientific research
20) Trump orders reopening of “enlarged” Alcatraz prison
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Should Sharing Information About Israeli Businesses Get You 20 Years in Prison?
22) On Tariffs: Smith vs. Trump
23) Free trade created your precious “traditional family”
24) Political Slavery in Our Times
25) Tariff and Spend
26) DOGE helps gut the leftist lunacy at this most pious agency
27) Tech bros go to Washington: Coders want in on the kill chain
28) Law, Legislation, and Libertarianism
29) Evil Empire: Is Imperial Liquidation Possible for America?
30) Nuclear Deterrence Requires Dozens Of Warheads — Not Thousands
31) Waking Up From The Nightmare Of Western Civilization
32) Miller Would Be a Disastrous Choice
33) Creativity and Courage to Save Democracy [sic]
34) Chesterton’s Vampire Stakes
35) Koch vs. Trump: A Puzzle of Leftist Demonology
36) A Sordid Immigration Racket in Texas
37) Can Trump Win?
38) Enshittification
39) The Banality of Complicity: Arendt’s Guide to Moral Resistance in the Age of Trump
40) How Tariffs Kill Knowledge and Leave Us in the Dark
41) Trump’s Plan for Workers: Make America a Sweatshop Again
42) Can Diplomacy Stop the War in Ukraine? Dueling Peace Plans.
43) Liberty Against Liberalism?
44) The Drivers of Prosperity
45) Bang-up jobs report shows DOGE is . . . working
46) These Thinkers Set the Stage for Trump the All-Powerful
47) Pope Francis was a Fraud, and the Vatican is Still a Cesspool
48) No, State Media and Democracy Don’t Go “Hand in Hand.” Just the Opposite
49) DOGE Is Obliterating American Industry
50) The US Threat Looming Over Canada
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 05/05/25
52) Rising, 05/05/25
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 794
54) SolutionsWatch, 05/05/25
55) EconTalk, 05/05/25
56) The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent, 05/05/25
57) Tech Tank, season 5, episode 19
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/05/25
59) Zooming In, 05/04/25
60) Bill Pepin on The Scott Horton Show
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
ONE IDENTITY FOR ALL YOUR CRYPTO
https://fioprotocol.io/
SAMUEL EDWARD KONKIN III REVOLUTIONARY FRIEND BY WENDY MCELROY
https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Edward-Konkin-Revolutionary-Friend-ebook/dp/B0DP7B6127
SHOP ONLINE, COLLECT A REBATE IN BITCOIN!
https://www.lolli.com/share/MZB4cCpheL
THE CONSTITUTION OF NON-STATE GOVERNMENT: FIELD GUIDE TO TEXAS SECESSION, by TL Hulsey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1947660853
Tyranny Demands AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE: A NOVEL BY ERNE LEWIS
https://tinyurl.com/actofselfdefense
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Ukraine war: Putin’s forces strike Kharkiv; Ukrainian attack closes Moscow airports
Source: Independent [UK]
“A busy Kharkiv market was engulfed in flames after Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack on the region. At least four people were injured after the Barabashovo was struck overnight, according to Kharkiv’s governor Oleg Synegubov. The barrage included deadly Russian glide bombs and several drones, destroying houses, warehouses and a fire department. It comes after Ukraine launched a massive drone attack against Moscow for the second night in a row as the Russian capital’s four airports were forced to close over safety concerns.” (05/06/25)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-putin-drones-kursk-victory-day-latest-news-b2745399.html
-----
2) Desperate over deportation scheme failure, US regime offers $1,000 to migrants who deport themselves
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The administration of US President Donald Trump says it is going to pay $1,000 to undocumented immigrants in the United States who return to their home countries voluntarily as it pushes forward with its plans for mass deportations. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a news release on Monday that it’s also paying for travel assistance and people who use an app called CBP Home to tell the government they plan to return home will be ‘deprioritized’ for detention and removal by immigration enforcement. … Trump took office in January pledging to deport millions of people but so far has trailed deportations under his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.” (05/05/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/5/us-offers-1000-stipend-to-migrants-who-self-deport
-----
3) Palestine: Netanyahu promises to ethnically cleanse Gaza’s population
Source: CNN
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the population of Gaza will be moved after his security cabinet approved an expanded military operation in the enclave that a minister described as a plan to ‘conquer’ the territory. The vote on Sunday came hours after the military said it would mobilize tens of thousands of reservists, strengthening its capacity to operate in the besieged Palestinian territory. … ‘There will be a movement of the population to protect [sic] them,’ Netanyahu said. A senior Israeli security official earlier said the operation in Gaza, called ‘Gideon’s Chariots,’ was unanimously approved by the security cabinet with the aim of subduing Hamas and securing the release of all hostages.” (05/05/25)
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/05/middleeast/israel-gaza-expansion-hnk-intl
-----
4) NC: Federal judge orders board to certify state Supreme Court election
Source: The Hill
“A federal judge ordered the North Carolina Board of Elections on Monday to certify the results of the state’s Supreme Court election, giving Democratic incumbent Justice Allison Riggs the upper hand in the still-contested race. Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers ruled Monday that the state board must certify the results of the November election, which have been the target of legal challenges by Republican Judge Jefferson Griffin. … Myers’s Monday ruling said the ballots challenged by Griffin should be counted, stating the ‘retroactive invalidation of absentee ballots cast by overseas military and civilian voters violates those voters’ substantive due process rights.'” ()5/05/25)
https://thehill.com/homenews/5284433-federal-judge-rules-north-carolina-must-certify-state-supreme-court-victory/
-----
5) CA: Newsom’s 26% cannabis tax hike is now official
Source: SFGate
“California’s beleaguered pot industry was given another piece of bad news Thursday afternoon: The state cannabis tax rate will increase from 15% to 19% on July 1, the highest allowed by state law. The 26% change, devised by Gov. Gavin Newsom, is ironically being made precisely because the state’s legal industry is floundering while the illicit market thrives. Representatives with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration announced the gross receipts tax hike during a cannabis advisory meeting Thursday. State law requires the department to increase the pot tax rate this year if cannabis excise revenue falls. Jerred Kiloh, the president of the United Cannabis Business Association, said the tax increase will only make it harder for legal stores to offer cannabis at a price point that competes with illegal stores.” [editor’s note: How to guarantee that the black market rules over “legal weed” – SAT] (05/02/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/cannabis/article/california-cannabis-tax-increase-20305768.php
-----
6) UN Court Drops Sudan’s Genocide Case Against UAE regime
Source: New York Times
“The United Nations’[s] top court on Monday dismissed a case accusing the United Arab Emirates of fueling genocide in Sudan by supporting paramilitary forces in the country’s ongoing civil war. The court said it ‘manifestly lacks jurisdiction.’ The International Court of Justice did not rule on the allegations made by the Sudanese government, but by a 14-2 vote, it declined to issue the provisional emergency measures against the U.A.E. that Sudan had requested. By a 9-7 vote, it officially removed the case from its docket, according to a summary of its decision. … Both Sudan and the Emirates are signatories to the 1948 Genocide Convention, but the U.A.E., when it signed the treaty in 2005, opted out of a key clause that allows countries to sue each other at the International Court of Justice, based in The Hague.” (05/05/225)
https://archive.is/Ous6E
-----
7) Investment firm 3G Capital acquires Skechers
Source: United Press International
“Footwear giant Skechers, the world’s third-largest footwear company, announced Monday it had reached a deal to be bought out by the private equity firm 3G Capital. 3G will acquire the southern California-based Skechers for $63 per share in cash which represents a 30% premium to the shoe company’s current public valuation. It was unanimously approved by Sketchers'[s] board of directors.” (05/05/25)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/05/05/skechers-3g-capital/1571746458169/
-----
8) Pope Francis’s popemobile being turned into health clinic for Gaza children
Source: CBS News
“Pope Francis'[s] popemobile is being converted into a clinic to help children in the Gaza Strip, the Vatican announced Sunday, calling it the late pontiff’s ‘final gift’ to the war-torn territory. It is being outfitted with lifesaving supplies — including equipment for treatments, diagnoses and vaccines — and will be staffed by nurses and doctors who intend to help treat kids in ‘the most isolated corners’ of Gaza, the Vatican said. It is unclear, however, when the unit will be able to enter the Gaza Strip, which the U.N. says is the deadliest place on the planet to be a child. Israel has halted the entry of all humanitarian aid into the territory, including food, medicine and water.” (05/05/25)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-popemobile-health-clinic-gaza-children/
-----
9) Real ID about to go into effect; here’s how it may impact voting
Source: Fox News
“The federal government’s push to finally execute REAL ID travel requirements will take effect Wednesday, amid a push from some Republicans to crack down on voter registration to ensure that those registered to vote are U.S. citizens. While voters may use REAL ID as an additional acceptable form of identification when heading to the polls, REAL ID goes into effect as legislation makes its way through Congress to verify that only U.S. citizens are casting their ballot in U.S. elections. The implementation of REAL ID coincides with the House’s passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act in April, which demands that states require in-person proof of citizenship from those seeking to vote in federal elections.” (05/05/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/real-id-about-go-effect-heres-how-may-impact-voting
-----
10) Rwanda: Regime confirms talks with US regime about taking in abducted migrants
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Rwanda is in the ‘early stage’ of talks with the Trump administration to accept migrants deported by the US, the East African country’s Foreign Affairs Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe has said. His comments come after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that Washington was ‘actively searching’ for countries that would take in ‘some of the most despicable human beings.’ Nduhungirehe said the talks were ‘not new to us’ as Rwanda had previously agreed to accept migrants deported by the UK. However, the UK abandoned the scheme, which faced numerous legal challenges, after Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government took office last July. Speaking to Rwandan TV on Sunday, Nduhungirehe said the government was ‘in the spirit’ of giving ‘another chance to migrants who have problems across the world.'” (05/05/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c367g52x7l6o
-----
11) Cambodia: Court convicts prominent politician of incitement in latest legal move to stifle opponents
Source: Seattle Times
“A Cambodian court on Monday convicted a prominent opposition politician of incitement and sentenced him to four years in prison, in the latest legal move to stifle criticism of the government of Prime Minister Hun Manet. Rong Chhun, a top advisor to the newly formed Nation Power Party, was found guilty of inciting social unrest related to his political activity for meeting with villagers displaced by government construction projects, including the new Phnom Penh International Airport. In addition to the prison term, he was barred from running for office and from voting. The 56-year-old had denied the incitement charge, saying all he did was post photos of himself with the villagers and comments on Facebook.” (05/05/25)
https://archive.is/uSaXG
-----
12) ME: LePage to run for Congress in Trump-friendly district held by Democrat Golden
Source: SFGate
“Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage, an early supporter of President Donald Trump’s first successful White House bid and a polarizing figure in state politics, said Monday he is running for Congress in a competitive district. LePage, a Republican who was governor from 2011 to 2019 and lost a bid for another term in 2022, filed papers late Sunday to run for the 2nd Congressional District seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Jared Golden. The district is politically mixed, as voters have sent Golden to Washington four times in a row while also supporting President Donald Trump in three consecutive presidential elections. LePage, 76, brought Maine into the national spotlight as governor with incendiary statements about out-of-state drug dealers impregnating ‘young white girls’ and a political rival he said would ‘give it to the people without providing Vaseline.'” (05/05/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/former-maine-gov-paul-lepage-to-run-for-congress-20310629.php
-----
13) Iraq: Justice minister says prisons are at double their capacity as amnesty law takes effect
Source: ABC News
“As a general amnesty law takes effect in Iraq, the country’s prisons are facing a crisis of overcrowding, housing more than double their intended capacity, the country’s justice minister said in an interview. Justice Minister Khaled Shwani told The Associated Press on Saturday that Iraq’s 31 prisons currently hold approximately 65,000 inmates, despite the system being built to accommodate only half that number. He acknowledged that the overcrowding has put a severe strain on prison healthcare and human rights standards. … The general amnesty law passed in January had strong support from Sunni lawmakers who argue that their community has been disproportionately targeted by terrorism charges, with confessions sometimes extracted under torture.” (05/05/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iraqs-justice-minister-prisons-double-capacity-amnesty-law-121460051
-----
14) Diddy trial: Rapper faces jury in opinionated NY hometown on sex trafficking charges
Source: Fox News
“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs'[s] legal team and the prosecution in his sex-trafficking case set out to pick a jury of 12 on Monday. Combs appeared in court alongside his lead lawyers – Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos – to begin voir dire. The questioning process is conducted by Judge Arun Subramanian, Diddy’s lawyers and the prosecutors who have been working on the case. Authorities charged Diddy with multiple counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transporting for prostitution in an indictment unsealed in September. Since then, the government has filed two superseding indictments against the rapper that added charges and an additional victim. Diddy has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. Diddy’s team and the prosecution were allotted five days to seat the jury, which will likely be a ‘difficult’ process, legal experts told Fox News Digital.” (05/05/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/diddy-trial-rapper-faces-jury-opinionated-ny-hometown-bid-freedom-sex-trafficking-charges
-----
15) Germany: AfD Files Lawsuit Against Spy Agency’s Extremist Classification
Source: US News & World Report
“A German court said on Monday that far-right party Alternative for Germany had filed a lawsuit challenging the domestic intelligence agency’s decision to classify it as an extremist organisation. A spokesperson for the administrative court in Cologne said the lawsuit and a corresponding emergency petition had been submitted, both of which would be reviewed once the BfV domestic intelligence agency had confirmed that it had been notified. The extremist classification announced on Friday allows the spy agency to step up monitoring of the AfD, the biggest opposition party in parliament, for example by recruiting informants and intercepting party communications. The agency’s 1,100-page experts’ report, which is not to be released to the public, found the AfD to be a racist and anti-Muslim organisation. The German parliament could now attempt to limit or halt public funding for the AfD.” (05/05/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-05-05/afd-files-lawsuit-against-german-spy-agencys-extremist-classification
-----
16) US crude oil prices fall more than 4% after OPEC+ agrees to surge production in June
Source: CNBC
“U.S. crude oil futures fell more than 4% on Sunday, after OPEC+ agreed to surge production for a second month. U.S. crude was down $2.49, or 4.27%, to $55.80 a barrel shortly after trading opened. Global benchmark Brent fell $2.39, or 3.9%, to $58.90 per barrel. Oil prices have fallen more than 20% this year. The eight producers in the group, led by Saudi Arabia, agreed on Saturday to increase output by another 411,000 barrels per day in June. The decision comes a month after OPEC+ surprised the market by agreeing to surge production in May by the same amount. The June production hike is nearly triple the 140,000 bpd that Goldman Sachs had originally forecast.” (05/04/25)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/04/us-oil-prices-tumble-after-opec-agrees-to-surge-production-in-june.html
-----
17) Mexico: Mayor arrested over alleged links to cartel training camp
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Prosecutors in Mexico have arrested the mayor of Teuchitlán in western Jalisco state as part of their investigation into a nearby cartel training site. The mayor, José Murguía Santiago, is suspected of colluding with the New Generation Jalisco Cartel (CJNG), which he has denied. The investigation was launched after activists discovered bone fragments and hundreds of discarded shoes, backpacks and items of clothing at the Izaguirre ranch outside the town in March. Rights groups said that they feared the ranch had been used as an ‘extermination camp,’ where people were forcedly recruited and trained, and those who refused were tortured and killed. The discovery by people searching for their missing relatives of what appeared to be evidence of mass killings at the site shocked the country, where cartel violence is rife.” (05/05/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crkxg6geyzzo
-----
18) Brazil: Police arrest two in foiled plot to bomb Lady Gaga’s packed beach concert
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Brazilian police said Sunday they arrested two people in connection with a foiled plot to bomb Lady Gaga’s packed mega-concert in Rio de Janeiro. Rio’s civil police force said that together with the ministry of justice it ‘prevented a bomb attack that would have occurred at Lady Gaga’s concert in Copacabana’ on Saturday night. Officials said the superstar’s huge free gig on the beach, her first concert in Brazil since 2012, drew up to two million people. Writing on X, Rio police said it had arrested an adult who was ‘responsible for the plot’ as well as a teenager in the operation codenamed ‘Fake Monster’ – a reference to the US pop diva’s pet name for her fans, ‘Little Monsters.’ It said they had recruited people online to ‘carry out attacks using improvised explosives’ and Molotov cocktails as ‘a collective challenge’ with the aim of ‘gaining notoriety on social media.'” (05/04/25)
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250504-brazil-police-foil-lady-gaga-gig-bomb-plot
-----
19) EPA announces broad reorganization that includes shuffle of scientific research
Source: SFGate
“The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday announced a broad reorganization as part of the Trump administration’s drive to cut costs that some activists worry will harm the agency’s independent scientific research. Administrator Lee Zeldin announced changes that included creating a new unit within his office ‘to align research and put science at the forefront of the agency’s rulemakings.’ He said the overall reorganization would boost efficiency and save at least $300 million annually, though he didn’t detail how the money would be saved. Though Zeldin didn’t mention it by name, some scientists and activists saw it as an attack on EPA’s Office of Research and Development, which has long provided the scientific underpinnings for EPA’s mission to protect the environment and human health.” (05/05/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/epa-announces-broad-reorganization-that-includes-20307548.php
-----
20) Trump orders reopening of “enlarged” Alcatraz prison
Source: Axios
“President Trump said Sunday he’s directed government departments to rebuild and reopen Alcatraz, the notorious California prison-turned-tourist -attraction. Alcatraz housed prisoners including the gangster Al Capone before it closed as a prison in 1963 because it was expensive to run and the U.S. government ‘found that it was more cost-effective to build a new institution’ than keep it open, per a Federal Bureau of Prisons post. … Representatives for the White House, DOJ, FBI and Homeland Security did not immediately respond to Axios'[s] request for comment Sunday evening on how the administration plans to fund the rebuilding and reopening of Alcatraz, how much it expects it to cost and when it plans to reopen it.” (05/04/25)
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/05/trump-alcatraz-prison-rebuild-reopen
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Should Sharing Information About Israeli Businesses Get You 20 Years in Prison?
Source: Reason
by Matthew Petti
“Boycotting foreign countries is an American tradition older than the United States. The Boston Tea Party that preceded the American Revolution came at the tail end of a boycott campaign against British goods. But since the 1970s, the U.S. government has tried to stop Americans from participating in unauthorized foreign boycotts. This week, the House of Representatives was set to vote on the International Governmental Organization (IGO) Anti-Boycott Act, which would arguably be the most draconian measure of this kind to date: It would impose a maximum 20-year prison sentence or $1 million fine for complying with international human rights sanctions against a U.S. ally, including by ‘furnishing information.’ … Although the bill is on ice for now, the antiboycott laws that it is built on are still on the books.” (05/05/25)
https://reason.com/2025/05/05/should-sharing-information-about-israeli-businesses-get-you-20-years-in-prison/
-----
22) On Tariffs: Smith vs. Trump
Source: Notablog
by Chris Matthew Sciabarra
“Trump declares: ‘I know what I’m doing.’ Whatever he’s doing, whatever game he is playing, Trump is talking out of both sides of his mouth. With one breath, he believes that the tariff is ‘the most beautiful word in the dictionary.’ This leads us to Position A: that tariffs will increase domestic manufacturing by insulating domestic producers from foreign competition, while punishing other countries for their ‘unfair’ trade practices. … Position A is tied to a nationalist conservative industrial policy, in which tariffs are just one aspect of a larger toolkit that allows Trump to protect domestic producers, while subsidizing those economic sectors hurt by his trade policies. That this weaponization of trade relations violates the most elementary principles of economics is beside the point. But there’s always Position B to fall back on: For Trump, tariffs are not an end in themselves. They are negotiating tools. Toward what end?” (05/05/25)
https://notablog.net/2025/05/05/on-tariffs-smith-vs-trump/
-----
23) Free trade created your precious “traditional family”
Source: Sex and the State
by Cathy Reisenwitz
“The right is trying to kill global trade to protect the ‘traditional family.’ The first funny thing about this is that they’re actually talking about the male breadwinner model of marriage and not, as discussed, the actual traditional family of subsistence farmers. They’re confused because everyone on the right is either allergic to an accurate depiction of history or is a lying (sorry, ‘Straussian’) Nazi fuck. The second funny thing about this is that the male breadwinner model of marriage was only ever available to anyone because: 1. The US military had reduced everyone else’s factories to rubble … 2. FDR and his allies legalized and streamlined international trade to take advantage of global demand … Free(r) trade with the rest of the world created the post-war prosperity of the 1950s and 1960s that made the US the richest country on Earth.” (05/05/25)
https://cathyreisenwitz.substack.com/p/free-trade-created-your-precious
-----
24) Political Slavery in Our Times
Source: JimBovard.com
by James Bovard
“In 1977, East Germany ransomed hundreds of its leading intellectuals and artists to West Germany, partly because it did not wish to endure public criticism by its own citizens during an International Rights Conference. In spite of the human sale, there was no general revulsion against the East German government in the international community. The East German regime was considered by many social scientists to have more legitimacy than the West German government because of its more expansive social welfare system and its grandiose paternalist pretensions. Romania engaged in similar sales during the 1980s with its Jewish and ethnic-German subjects. How many of its citizens does a government have to sell before it loses legitimacy?” (05/05/25)
https://jimbovard.com/blog/2025/05/05/political-slavery-in-our-times/
-----
25) Tariff and Spend
Source: Campaign For Liberty
by Ron Paul
“President Trump has proposed using the revenue from his increased tariffs to lower or even eliminate income taxes — with a priority on removing Americans making less than 200,000 dollars a year from the tax rolls. Exempting more Americans from income taxes — and lowering taxes on other Americans— is certainly a worthwhile endeavor. However, replacing income taxes with tariffs may have negative consequences for the very Americans President Trump wants to help.” (05/05/25)
https://www.campaignforliberty.org/tariff-spend
-----
26) DOGE helps gut the leftist lunacy at this most pious agency
Source: Fox News Forum
by Jim Bovard
“‘My suggestion: AmeriCorps is proof that if ‘we hold hands and believe … we can change anything we want to change,’ President Bill Clinton declared in 1999. But after more than 30 years of fraud, false claims and political racketeering, AmeriCorps — the federal paid volunteer oxymoron — just got hit by a DOGE torpedo. ‘AmeriCorps has failed eight consecutive audits and is entrusted with over $1 billion in taxpayer dollars every year,’ White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly declared. The agency’s Office of Inspector General condemned it in 2014 for ‘shocking waste of taxpayer funds, lax oversight, unauthorized contractual commitments and widespread noncompliance with rules, regulations and sound contracting practices.’ Things have only gotten worse since then. DOGE froze $400 million in grants to more than a thousand organizations, terminating more than 30,000 AmeriCorps members. Most AmeriCorps staffers have either quit or were placed on paid leave.” (05/05/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/doge-helps-gut-leftist-lunacy-most-pious-agency
-----
27) Tech bros go to Washington: Coders want in on the kill chain
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Nick Cleveland-Stout
“At a confab on Capitol Hill last week, Silicon Valley titans concluded they need to lobby like Lockheed.” (05/05/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/artificial-intelligence-2671882925/
-----
28) Law, Legislation, and Libertarianism
Source: EconLog
by Alberto Mingardi
“‘Look around.’ John Hasnas’s main political advice may sound extravagant. But his remarkable book, Common Law Liberalism, is a caveat against ‘inattentional blindness’ of the sort social scientists often fall victim to — and those who like flirting with theory more than the others. Inattentional blindness consists in the ‘failure to notice a fully visible, but unexpected object because attention was engaged on another task, event, or object.’ That fully visible object, the gorilla that nobody notices, is the law.” (05/05/25)
https://www.econlib.org/library/columns/y2025/mingardihasnas.html
-----
29) Evil Empire: Is Imperial Liquidation Possible for America?
Source: TomDispatch
by Chalmers Johnson
“In politics, as in medicine, a cure based on a false diagnosis is almost always worthless, often worsening the condition that is supposed to be healed. The United States, today, suffers from a plethora of public ills. Most of them can be traced to the militarism and imperialism that have led to the near-collapse of our Constitutional system of checks and balances. Unfortunately, none of the remedies proposed so far by American politicians or analysts addresses the root causes of the problem.” (05/05/25)
https://tomdispatch.com/evil-empire-2/
-----
30) Nuclear Deterrence Requires Dozens Of Warheads — Not Thousands
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Brian McGlinchey
“Over the next decade, the US government plans to spend nearly $1 trillion on its nuclear arsenal — with the actual cost certain to run even higher than that. The huge outlay is driven in part by the sheer size of America’s doomsday-weapon collection, which comprises an estimated 3,700 deployed or stockpiled nuclear warheads, not counting another 1,500 that are purportedly ‘retired’ and awaiting dismantlement. Though Americans have been conditioned to think it’s reasonable to maintain such a large arsenal, the idea that thousands of warheads are required to deter nuclear aggression rests on flawed thinking about the nature of deterrence. While defense contractors and military bureaucracies enriched by the status quo will tell you otherwise, the truth is that an adequate arsenal of nuclear warheads can be measured not in thousands, but mere dozens.” (05/05/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/nuclear-deterrence-requires-dozens-of-warheads-not-thousands
-----
31) Waking Up From The Nightmare Of Western Civilization
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“We don’t need horror movies. We’re creating our own horrors in places like Gaza. We don’t need dystopian fiction. We’re living in dystopia right here in our own society. We don’t need fantasy stories about scary monsters. The scary monsters run our government. Westerners will create a waking nightmare, psychologically compartmentalize away from its existence, and then go watch a movie about a fictional waking nightmare to give themselves a thrill. We’ll sit on the edge of our seats watching made-up tales about psychopathic killers while psychopathic killers rule the world. We’ll turn our backs on horrific acts of human butchery and then go watch fictional acts of human butchery, getting ourselves through any discomfort we might experience by reminding ourselves that what we are watching isn’t happening in real life.” (05/05/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/05/05/waking-up-from-the-nightmare-of-western-civilization/
-----
32) Miller Would Be a Disastrous Choice
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“The president reminded us yesterday that things can always get worse: ‘U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he is considering naming his deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller as national security adviser and expects to appoint a successor to Mike Waltz within six months.’ Miller would be a terrible choice. He has no relevant background or expertise that would begin to qualify him to advise the president on foreign policy and national security. To make matters worse, Miller is a dangerous ideological zealot. He is a particularly nasty authoritarian nationalist. Miller’s appointment would be a win for hardliners and authoritarians, and the administration’s cruel and destructive foreign policy would become even worse than it is.” (05/05/25)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/miller-would-be-a-disastrous-choice
-----
33) Creativity and Courage to Save Democracy [sic]
Source: Our Future
by Sulma Arias
“We live in a time of chaos, and this is not by accident. Over the last 100 days, the Trump administration has sought to divide and confuse us in every way, so no one knows what’s coming next. They are snatching people off the streets, arresting judges and silencing the media, to test the guardrails of democracy. They want to see how far we will let them go. This is an old playbook. It has been used by every dictator of the last century. Authoritarians thrive on the chaos they create, because it allows them to project their own image as the only source of stability. For a time, they feel invincible, and we feel increasingly alone. Yet we are not alone, and dictators are not invincible. When people turn toward each other and come together, dictators and their authoritarian regimes fall.” (05/04/25)
https://ourfuture.org/20250504/creativity-and-courage-to-save-democracy
-----
34) Chesterton’s Vampire Stakes
Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders
“Conservatives are fond of G. K. Chesterton and his fence. If you encounter a fence and are uncertain about its function, it’s probably best not to tear it down. The same can be said for traditions and institutions, says Chesterton: Don’t radically reform what has been built up over time, because it might hold beneficial aspects or hidden wisdom. This is undoubtedly a good heuristic. The trouble is, any program or policy can be compared to Chesterton’s Fence.” (05/05/25)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/chestertons-vampire-stakes
-----
35) Koch vs. Trump: A Puzzle of Leftist Demonology
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“Ten years ago, the Koch brothers were clearly the left’s most-hated ‘right-wing billionaires.’ It’s not totally clear that Trump even ranked #3. Only in 2016 did Trump attain the top spot in leftist demonology. Even today, Charles Koch (brother David died in 2019) probably retains the #2 spot on the left’s list of Most Evil Billionaires. Which plausibly gives him the #3 spot on the left’s list of Most Evil Americans after Trump and Vance. And conceivably even the #3 spot on the left’s list of Most Evil Living Humans, though I guess Putin and Netanyahu now outrank him. What the hell is wrong with leftist demonology? How can Charles Koch and Donald Trump possibly be on the same list?!” (05/05/25)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/koch-vs-trump-a-puzzle-of-leftist
-----
36) A Sordid Immigration Racket in Texas
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“I have long written about the U.S. immigration police state that has existed along the U.S.-Mexico border for all of our lives, one that includes a vast bureaucracy of well-salaried federal officials. We now learn from an article in the New York Times that the feds are not the only ones milking the decades-old, ongoing, perpetual immigration crisis along the border. Officials in Kinney County, Texas, which is located along the border, have devised their very own darkly ingenious immigration racket, one that enables them to feather their own nest with money that has been looted from people who are among the poorest in the world.” (05/05/25)
https://www.fff.org/2025/05/05/a-sordid-immigration-racket-in-texas/
-----
37) Can Trump Win?
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis
“When I ask, ‘Can Trump Win?,’ I’m not asking about the next election. My meaning is, can he ‘Make America Great Again?’ He ran on that theme, trying to transform America and undo the 12 years of horror that Obama and Biden inflicted on the country. Can he do it? Can he turn the nation around? There’s no question that he’s done a lot of good in his first 100-plus days in office, but you don’t clean up 12 years of spilled milk in 100 days. Can he make America great again? That very statement implies America’s not great right now. Can he (with our help, naturally) succeed? The forces arrayed against him are strong and determined to see that he fails. I see two major obstacles Mr. Trump must overcome to accomplish his goal of ‘Making America Great Again.'” (05/05/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2025/05/05/can-trump-win-n2656537
-----
38) Enshittification
Source: Persuasion
by William A Finnegan
“We usually talk about ‘enshittification’ in terms of user experience. The slow death of platforms as they prioritize quarterly returns over anything resembling public service. Instagram throttles organic reach. Amazon feels like walking through a strip mall designed by a casino. Google Search is so bloated with ads it barely functions as search anymore. Facebook is a rage machine. TikTok is a dopamine slot machine, curated by opaque algorithms. It’s not a bug. It’s the business model. Every platform eventually follows the same arc: nobility gives way to monetization, and monetization gives way to enshittification. But the true cost of enshittification isn’t just a worse internet experience. It’s a worse society.” (05/05/25)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/enshittification
-----
39) The Banality of Complicity: Arendt’s Guide to Moral Resistance in the Age of Trump
Source: Liberal Currents
by Peter Michael Gratton
“Even in seemingly powerless positions, the choice to withdraw one’s support from corrupt systems remains a meaningful assertion of humanity.” (05/05/25)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-banality-of-complicity-arendts-guide-to-moral-resistance-in-the-age-of-trump/
-----
40) How Tariffs Kill Knowledge and Leave Us in the Dark
Source: The Daily Economy
by Amir Iraji
“As the tariff debate heats up again, a new ideological group has emerged: defenders of retaliatory tariffs who still claim to support free markets. Their stance differs from the old protectionist arguments about ‘saving jobs’ or shielding domestic industry from foreign competition. Instead, they say: ‘We don’t like tariffs. But since real free trade doesn’t exist — and countries like China already distort trade with subsidies and tariffs — we have to retaliate to level the playing field.’ The argument sounds pragmatic. But beneath the surface, it rests on the same fundamental misunderstanding as any other form of protectionism.” (05/05/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/how-tariffs-kill-knowledge-and-leave-us-in-the-dark/
-----
41) Trump’s Plan for Workers: Make America a Sweatshop Again
Source: Common Dreams
by Thom Hartmann
“Trump and his billionaire toadies like Howard Lutnik and Scott Bessent are peddling a dangerous lie to working-class Americans. They’re strutting around claiming their tariffs will bring back ‘good paying jobs’ with ‘great benefits,’ while actively undermining the very thing that made manufacturing jobs valuable to working people in the first place: unions. Let’s be crystal clear about what’s really happening: Without strong unions, bringing manufacturing back to America will simply create more sweatshop opportunities where desperate workers earn between $7.25 and $15 an hour with zero benefits and zero security. The only reason manufacturing jobs like my father had at a tool-and-die shop in the 1960s paid well enough to catapult a single-wage-earner family into the middle class was because they had a union — the Machinists’ Union, in my dad’s case — fighting relentlessly for their rights and dignity.” (05/05/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-sweatshop-nation
-----
42) Can Diplomacy Stop the War in Ukraine? Dueling Peace Plans.
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ted Snider
“On April 17, the U.S. presented Ukrainian and European officials with a framework for peace that declared itself ‘the final offer.’ On April 23, Ukrainian and European officials, denying the ‘final offer’ statement, presented the U.S. with an alternative peace plan of their own. Western officials and media have complained that the U.S. plan is Russian influenced. That is not a fair accusation. The plan is reality based: it concedes what is inevitable to Russia while refusing Russian demands that are unrealistic. The Ukrainian and European peace plan is not reality based: it suffers from the delusion that the side that is losing can impose a total capitulation on the victor.” [editor’s note: That is indeed a delusion … but it applies to both sides (and to Snider). So far neither side is winning and both are losing – TLK] (05/05/25)
https://original.antiwar.com/ted_snider/2025/05/04/can-diplomacy-stop-the-war-in-ukraine-deuling-peace-plans/
-----
43) Liberty Against Liberalism?
Source: Law & Liberty
by Max Skjonsberg
“Quentin Skinner is surely the most prominent living historian of political thought. In a career spanning over sixty years, Skinner has written about the history of political thought from the Renaissance to the eighteenth century. His oeuvre includes landmark studies on Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, and ideas of the state and liberty, as well as pathbreaking works on historical methodology and hermeneutics. Skinner’s new book, Liberty as Independence, represents his fullest historical investigation into the concept of freedom to date. In the book, Skinner challenges what he takes to be the dominant conception of freedom in the modern world: Isaiah Berlin’s negative liberty, understood as freedom from external constraints. As an alternative to this ‘liberal’ view of freedom, Skinner proposes his preferred version of liberty understood as independence, and more precisely, self-government.” (05/05/25)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/liberty-against-liberalism/
-----
44) The Drivers of Prosperity
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Lonis Hamaili
“Why did the Industrial Revolution take off in Britain almost 100 years before it did in France and the rest of Europe and America?” (05/04/25)
https://fee.org/articles/the-drivers-of-prosperity/
-----
45) Bang-up jobs report shows DOGE is ... working
Source: New York Post
by staff
“The latest jobs report suggests DOGE is working as intended, contrary to all the lefty screaming around Elon Musk’s government-slim-down initiative. US employers added 177,000 jobs in April in a surprisingly strong report; labor-force participation rose even as federal jobs plummeted by 9,000. That fed-jobs figure is down 26,000 in total since January. In other words … this is exactly what should be happening. I.e., US job gains should be fueled by private-sector growth, not by adding ever more padding to Uncle Sam’s payroll. And the idea bruited by the media — that slashing fed jobs would somehow plunge both society and the economy into a death spiral — has been proven utterly wrong. Yet again, media doomsaying has proven premature at least. Note, too, that these job gains came even as President Trump launched his tariff offensive, roiling the markets and feeding business angst.” (05/04/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/05/04/opinion/bang-up-jobs-report-shows-doge-is-working/
-----
46) These Thinkers Set the Stage for Trump the All-Powerful
Source: New York Times
by Damon Linker
“With a blitz of moves in his 100 days in office, President Trump has sought to greatly enlarge executive power. The typical explanation is that he’s following and expanding a legal idea devised by conservatives during the Reagan administration, the unitary executive theory. It’s not even close. Mr. Trump has gone beyond that or any other mainstream notion. Instead, members of his administration justify Mr. Trump’s instinctual attraction to power by reaching for a longer tradition of right-wing thought that favors explicitly monarchical and even dictatorial rule. Those arguments — imported from Europe and translated to the American context — have risen to greater prominence now than at any time since the 1930s.” (05/04/25)
https://archive.is/f8pgw
-----
47) Pope Francis was a Fraud, and the Vatican is Still a Cesspool
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“Another Pope has dropped dead, only this time it’s the left who seems to be all busted up over it. Don’t get me wrong, I guess I get it. On the surface, Francis did seem like a pretty woke dude. He certainly said all the right things about capitalism, climate change, Israeli apartheid, and the like. If you simply read his headlines over the last decade, he actually comes across as a more consistent leftist than anyone still shilling for the Democratic Party. But there is a very big difference between talk and action, especially when you’re running a church whose sins extend to the Dark Ages and include complicity in multiple genocides, and it doesn’t take a particularly deep dive beneath the headlines to recognize that Pope Francis was very much a part of that tradition.” (05/04/25)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2025/05/pope-francis-was-fraud-and-vatican-is.html
-----
48) No, State Media and Democracy Don’t Go “Hand in Hand.” Just the Opposite
Source: Racket News
by Matt Taibbi
“In the age of digital censorship, state media is just as likely to be a threat to democracy as a boon to it.” (05/04/25)
https://www.racket.news/p/no-state-media-and-democracy-dont
-----
49) DOGE Is Obliterating American Industry
Source: The American Prospect
by Ryan Cooper
“One of the hidden gems of American government is a small division of the Department of Energy called the Loan Programs Office. This is a government bank that hands out loans to companies with business plans that go beyond the technological frontier, with ideas nobody has tried before. Commercial banks will generally not loan to such companies (as a rule, private bankers want something that is already proven to work), so the LPO helps such entrepreneurs get from the drawing board to producing and selling an actual product. The LPO has funded thousands of successful projects, from renewable-energy installations, to solar and battery factories, to new low-emission industrial processes, to power grid upgrades, to the first new nuclear power plant in decades, to domestic EV companies, and much more in that vein. … But not for much longer. ” (05/05/25)
https://prospect.org/environment/2025-05-05-doge-obliterating-american-industry/
-----
50) The US Threat Looming Over Canada
Source: The Atlantic
by Stephen Marche
“The idea of a war between Canada and the United States was inconceivable even a few months ago. Most Americans still don’t believe it’s a possibility, or simply haven’t noticed their president’s occupationist rhetoric, or can’t imagine a world in which a neighbor they have been at peace with for 150 years is suddenly an enemy. The very idea seems completely absurd. But Canada does not have the luxury of dismissing White House rhetoric as trolling. Canadians are imagining the unimaginable because they have to. Donald Trump’s pointless and malicious trade war has been, by his own account, a prelude to softening up Canada economically so that it can be appropriated as the 51st state.” (05/04/25)
https://archive.is/1cdN2
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 05/05/05
Source: Reason
"Trump's War on Childhood." (05/05/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/05/05/trumps-war-on-childhood/
-----
52) Rising, 05/05/25
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave delivers radar on President Trump receiving backlash for posting an AI-generated image of himself as Pope.” (05/05/25)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5282903-rising-may-5-2025/
-----
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 794
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Israel Attacks Civilian Aid Ships.” (05/05/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-794-israel-attacks-civilian-aid-ships
-----
54) SolutionsWatch, 05/05/25
Source: The Corbett Report
“Why Aren’t You Using XMPP?” (05/05/25)
https://corbettreport.com/why-arent-you-using-xmpp/
-----
55) EconTalk, 05/05/25
Source: EconTalk
“The Economics of Tariffs and Trade (with Doug Irwin).” (05/05/25)
https://www.econtalk.org/the-economics-of-tariffs-and-trade-with-doug-irwin/
-----
56) The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent, 05/05/25
Source: The New Republic
“Trump’s Rage at Fox News over Bad Poll Hints at Coming Fiasco for MAGA.” (05/05/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/194818/trump-rage-fox-news-bad-poll-hints-coming-fiasco-maga
-----
57) Tech Tank, season 5, episode 19
Source: Brookings Institution
“How much influence do private firms have over space policy?” (05/05/25)
https://shows.acast.com/tech-tank/episodes/how-much-influence-do-private-firms-have-over-space-policy
-----
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/05/25
Source: Antiwar.com
“Yemeni Missile Strikes Israeli Airport, Trump Proposes $1.01 Trillion Military Budget, and More.” (05/05/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ticGDg5wB8
-----
59) Zooming In, 05/04/25
Source: The UnPopulist
“Only Moral Leadership Can Stop America From Giving in to Authoritarianism: A Conversation with David French.” (05/04/25)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/only-moral-leadership-can-stop-america
-----
60) Bill Pepin on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Bill Pepin on How Tariffs Are Threatening Your Morning Coffee.” (05/04/25)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/5-2-25-bill-pepin-on-how-tariffs-are-threatening-your-morning-coffee/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FND is published every weekday except on holidays. Forward freely.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit:
http://groups.google.com/group/freedom-news-daily
Support the Liberty International (tax deductible)
https://liberty-intl.org/join-the-movement/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages