01/09 -- Iran Rocked By Night Of Protests Despite Internet Blackout; Murder in Minneapolis: Time to Stop Coddling the ICE Gang and Its Enablers
6 views
Skip to first unread message
Thomas L. Knapp
Jan 9, 2026, 6:13:29 AM (12 days ago) Jan 9
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 01/09/26
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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) Iran Rocked By Night Of Protests Despite Internet Blackout
2) Ukraine: Four dead in Kyiv after Russian missile attack
3) Palestine: Israeli strikes kill at least 13 across Gaza
4) OR: Border Patrol thugs shoot two alleged rival gang members
5) NY: Judge blocks Trump-picked prosecutor from investigating Letitia James
6) US Senate advances resolution to block Trump from using military in Venezuela
7) Greece: Farmers block highways in protest over rising costs and EU trade deal
8) MN: Infamous “Quality Learing Center” is now closed, records show
9) NASA cancels spacewalk, may end current space station crew’s mission early due to medical issue
10) “Yankees Go Home!” Colombians Demand at Mass Protests Against Trump Threats
11) UK: Pro-Palestinian activists pressure nursing union over investment policy
12) Federal prosecutor calls Newsom “king of fraud” as Trump launches California corruption probe
13) Avelo Airlines to stop providing gang abductee transportation
14) Russia: Regime frees French political prisoner
15) Brazil: Lula vetoes bill that could reduce Bolsonaro’s prison time
16) Corporate welfare queen stocks surge after Trump calls for $1.5 trillion military budget
17) UK: Oligarch linked to bribery paid Andrew £15m for mansion
18) France: Farmers force their way through Paris with tractors to protest free trade deal
19) Venezuela: Regime to release “significant number” of prisoners as gesture to “seek peace”
20) Trump withdraws from global groups on climate and more in sweeping move
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Murder in Minneapolis: Time to Stop Coddling the ICE Gang and Its Enablers
22) “The Last Generation of Freedom?” The Quiet Growth of Global Surveillance Culture
23) Trump Is Ensuring That His Venezuela Attack Has No Upside for Anyone
24) A Social Security Off-Ramp?
25) Venezuelans Are Right to Hate the US Government
26) The Real Tyrannical Regime
27) On the Government’s Diet
28) With Venezuela, the US Is Back in the Business of Empire
29) Sick of Illegal Wars and Staggering Healthcare Costs? Blame Congress
30) Trump Once Again Failed the Decency Test
31) Meritocracy vs. Credentialocracy
32) Plunging Into the Abyss: Will the US and Russia Abandon All Nuclear Restraints?
33) Bernie Sanders’s Clumsy and Dangerous Melody
34) A Lawless Presidency
35) Trump’s Attack on Venezuela: Wrong Even If It Were Legal
36) The Spirit of the Laws
37) Nostalgia for American Hypocrisy
38) AI and the End of Common Culture
39) Greenland’s Persistent Predator
40) Minnesota Stealing: Reason to Rethink Government Welfare
41) Trump’s sphere of influence gambit is sloppy, self-sabotage
42) An Illegal and Unwise Incursion
43) Is The “Forever Winter” Our Future?
44) The Trump Administration Says It’s Illegal To Record Videos of ICE. Here’s What the Law Says.
45) Donald Trump’s Degenerate Plans for Greenland
46) Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela: The Perpetual Fraud of the War on Drugs
47) “The courts are dead.” An interview with a fired immigration judge
48) First State of the Union: George Washington’s Blueprint Betrayed
49) Donald Mamdani Trump
50) If it plans to fix Venezuela, US must sever any links to Maduro regime
51) Trump’s Greenland fixation curdles into a crisis
52) Here’s Why the Iranian Regime Seems Invincible
53) Murder in Minneapolis
54) The Serious Risks of Trump’s Executive Order Curbing State Regulation of AI
55) Social Media Is The New Smoking, And We’re The New “Health Nuts”
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
56) The Fifth Column, episode 539
57) Capital Record, episode 278
58) The Libertarian Angle, 01/08/26
59) Advisory Opinions, 01/08/26
60) The Good Fight, 01/08/26
61) Quillette Podcast, episode 319
62) Bulwark Takes, 01/08/26
63) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 01/08/26
64) Reasonably Optimistic, 01/07/26
65) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 01/07/26
66) Political Theater, 01/07/26
67) Fountainhead Forum, episode 404
68) Show-Me Institute Podcast, 01/07/26
69) The David Frum Show, 01/07/26
70) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 01/07/26
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
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
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
TRY STARLINK: YOU GET A FREE MONTH AND SO DO WE!
https://starlink.com/residential?referral=RC-DF-8980236-19330-50
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Iran Rocked By Night Of Protests Despite Internet Blackout
Source: Barron’s
“Iranians staged their biggest protests yet of an almost two week movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, chanting slogans including ‘death to the dictator’ and setting fire to official buildings, videos showed Friday. Internet monitor Netblocks said authorities had imposed a total connectivity blackout late Thursday …. AFP verified videos of crowds of people, as well as vehicles honking in support, filling a part of the vast Ayatollah Kashani Boulevard late on Thursday. The crowd could be heard chanting ‘death to the dictator’ in reference to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei …. Several videos said protesters had set fire to the entrance to the regional branch of state television in the central city of Isfahan. It was not immediately possible to verify the images. Flames were also seen in the governor’s building in Shazand, the capital of the Markazi province in central Iran, after protesters gathered outside, other videos showed.” (01/09/26)
https://www.barrons.com/news/iran-rocked-by-night-of-protests-despite-internet-blackout-videos-6d262365
-----
2) Ukraine: Four dead in Kyiv after Russian missile attack
Source: Independent [UK]
“At least four people have been killed in Kyiv after Russia launched a major offensive across Ukraine with drones and missiles. Alongside the attack on the capital, Russia struck critical infrastructure in the western city of Lviv using an Oreshnik hypersonic missile. A total of 278 missiles and drones were fired by Russia overnight, according to Ukraine’s military, which said it downed 244 of them in flight. … Russian drone strikes knocked out power to the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions of Ukraine, leaving more than 600,000 households without electricity in a cold snap, with temperatures in some parts of the country below freezing.” (01/09/26)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-trump-putin-zelensky-hypersonic-missile-live-b2897290.html
-----
3) Palestine: Israeli strikes kill at least 13 across Gaza
Source: The Hill
“Israeli strikes across Gaza have killed at least 13 people, according to health officials, as U.S. President Donald Trump was expected to announce his Board of Peace to oversee the fragile ceasefire. Health officials and family members said at least one child was among the dead in northern Gaza following several strikes there as well as east of Gaza City. Israel’s army said Friday that it struck Hamas infrastructure and fighters in southern and northern Gaza in response to a failed projectile launched by militants from the Gaza City area.” (01/09/26)
https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-international/ap-israeli-strikes-kill-at-least-13-across-gaza-as-trump-is-expected-to-announce-board-of-peace/
-----
4) OR: Border Patrol thugs shoot two alleged rival gang members
Source: New York Times
“Federal agents shot two people in Portland on Thursday during a traffic stop, a day after the fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis stoked outrage over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. A Homeland Security Department spokeswoman said in a statement that U.S. Border Patrol agents were conducting a ‘targeted vehicle stop,’ and that an agent fired a shot after the driver tried to run them over. The spokeswoman, Tricia McLaughlin, described the agents’ target as an undocumented immigrant and member of Tren de Aragua, a gang with roots in a Venezuelan prison that has been a frequent target of President Trump. She provided no immediate evidence that the person who was targeted was affiliated with the gang.” (01/09/26)
https://archive.is/CHfIz
-----
5) NY: Judge blocks Trump-picked prosecutor from investigating Letitia James
Source: Gothamist
“A federal judge said Thursday that John Sarcone, the top federal prosecutor in Albany, is serving unlawfully as acting U.S. attorney and cannot participate in an investigation into state Attorney General Letitia James. U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield quashed two subpoenas seeking records of James’[s] previous investigations into President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association. She said Sarcone wasn’t properly appointed to his position last year. ‘Mr. Sarcone’s service was and is unlawful because it bypassed the statutory requirements that govern who may exercise the powers of a U.S. attorney,’ Schofield wrote. ‘The subpoenas are quashed, and Mr. Sarcone is disqualified from further participation in the underlying investigations.'” (01/08/26)
https://gothamist.com/news/judge-blocks-trump-picked-prosecutor-in-albany-from-investigating-letitia-james
-----
6) US Senate advances resolution to block Trump from using military in Venezuela
Source: The Hill
“Five Senate Republicans voted Thursday to advance a bipartisan resolution on the War Powers Act to block President Trump from using military force against Venezuela, a proposal that if enacted would unravel the administration’s plan to take control of Venezuela’s oil exports. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the sponsor of the bipartisan measure, voted with Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) to discharge the resolution out of committee and bring it to the floor. A vote to pass the resolution itself is expected next week — or possibly later Thursday, if there is bipartisan agreement to speed up its timing on the floor. The resolution still needs to pass the House — where a similar measure failed in a close vote last month — and it faces a certain veto from Trump.” [editor’s note: This is bass-ackward. Unless Trump gets affirmative permission in the form of a declaration of war, he has no authority to attack Venezuela – TLK] (01/08/26)
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5679123-venezuela-trump-war-powers-act-senate
-----
7) Greece: Farmers block highways in protest over rising costs and EU trade deal
Source: Seattle Times
“Farmers in Greece escalated nationwide protests Thursday, launching a 48-hour blockade of major highways, junctions and toll stations over soaring production costs and a contentious European Union trade deal with South American nations. Tractors lined key routes across the country, halting all traffic except emergency vehicles. Police directed traffic to secondary routes when possible and did not intervene to counter the blockades. But the country’s conservative government has warned that it would not tolerate more extended blockades. The country’s main highway connecting Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki was shut in both directions at several points, as farmers demanded stronger state support and the rejection of the EU-Mercosur agreement.” (01/08/26)
https://archive.is/9h9cT
-----
8) MN: Infamous “Quality Learing Center” is now closed, records show
Source: New York Post
“They’re officially ‘klosed’ for business. Quality ‘Learing’ Center — the shady Minnesota day care at the center of the state’s mushrooming fraud scandal — shuttered for good this week, according to records. The much-ridiculed day care, which operated under a misspelled sign until it was fixed last month amid national outrage, closed Tuesday after it requested a closure of its license, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services and the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). The center found itself under the national spotlight after conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley featured the facility in a video highlighting day care centers in the state that were allegedly receiving public funds but were not providing any services.” (01/08/25)
https://nypost.com/2026/01/08/us-news/minnesotas-infamous-quality-learing-center-is-now-closed-records-show/
-----
9) NASA cancels spacewalk, may end current space station crew’s mission early due to medical issue
Source: CBS News
“A spacewalk planned for Thursday outside the International Space Station was called off late Wednesday because of a ‘medical concern’ with an unidentified crew member, NASA said in a statement. An update shortly before midnight said the agency was exploring ‘all options, including the possibility of an earlier end to Crew 11’s mission.’ … Going into the new year, the crew expected to remain in space until their replacements arrive in mid-February. Crew 11’s return to Earth is expected around Feb. 20. That’s still the official plan.” (01/08/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/an-astronaut-medical-concern-prompts-nasa-to-delay-planned-spacewalk/
-----
10) “Yankees Go Home!” Colombians Demand at Mass Protests Against Trump Threats
Source: Common Dreams
“Colombian President Gustavo Petro struck a relatively diplomatic tone Wednesday at a rally in Bogotá, where he spoke about the Trump administration’s threats to launch military strikes against his country—but thousands of people who gathered in the Colombian capital and across the country were happy to say exactly what they thought of US President Donald Trump’s recent attack on neighboring Venezuela and his saber-rattling across Latin America. ‘He’s a maniac,’ 67-year-old José Silva told the Guardian at a march in the border city of Cúcuta. ‘The US Congress needs to do something to get him out of the presidency … He’s a thug’ … Colombians were rallying after Petro called for a mass mobilization days after Trump ordered a military attack in Venezuela, including a bombing and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.” (01/08/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/colombia-protests
-----
11) UK: Pro-Palestinian activists pressure nursing union over investment policy
Source: Politico
“The union representing British nurses is under fire from some of its own members over what they say is an opaque investment strategy linked to companies investing in Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territories. A report sent to Royal College of Nursing (RCN) management by activist group Nurses for Palestine and NGO Corporate Watch, and obtained by POLITICO, argues that the union’s choice of investment managers Legal & General and Sarasins is at odds with its own ethical investment policy. … The report points to a list of companies held by the RCN’s fund managers, including U.S. tech firm Palantir and Israeli arms-maker Elbit Systems, which activists say should be enough for the union to put its money elsewhere.” (01/08/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/pro-palestinian-activists-pressure-uk-nursing-union-over-investment-policy/
-----
12) Federal prosecutor calls Newsom “king of fraud” as Trump launches California corruption probe
Source: Fox News
“The Trump administration is ramping up a nationwide crackdown on the misuse of taxpayer money. A top federal prosecutor criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom over a lack of oversight, branding him ‘the king of fraud’. ‘California has spent $24 billion in the last five years on homelessness, and no one can account for where that money has really gone,’ First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said Thursday on ‘Fox & Friends’. In April, Essayli launched a task force to investigate corruption in California, with a focus on homeless services. The task force has already resulted in federal charges against two men accused of using real estate projects to exploit the state’s homelessness system for personal profit. Essayli said those cases, which involve millions of dollars in alleged fraud, are only ‘the tip of the iceberg.'” (01/08/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/media/federal-prosecutor-calls-newsom-king-fraud-trump-launches-california-corruption-probe
-----
13) Avelo Airlines to stop providing gang abductee transportation
Source: United Press International
“Avelo Airlines, an ultra-low-cost airline, announced it will end its contract with the U.S. government to conduct deportation flights. The airline had been flying deportees for the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security since May. … ‘We moved a portion of our fleet into a government program which promised more financial stability but placed us in the center of a political controversy,’ CEO Andrew Levy said in an email to employees Tuesday, CNBC reported. ‘The program provided short-term benefits but ultimately did not deliver enough consistent and predictable revenue to overcome its operational complexity and costs.’ … The company’s decision to contract with the government for deportation flights sparked backlash, boycotts and protests.” (01/08/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/01/08/avelo-airlines-stop-ice-deportation-flights/1041767881929/
-----
14) Russia: Regime frees French political prisoner
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Laurent Vinatier, a French researcher serving a three-year prison sentence in Russia for violating Moscow’s foreign agent laws, has been freed as part of a prisoner exchange, French and Russian officials said on Thursday. President Emmanuel Macron posted on X: ‘Our compatriot Laurent Vinatier is free and back in France. I share the relief felt by his family and loved ones.’ He added he was grateful for work done by French diplomatic officials. Russia’s FSB security service said Vinatier, 49, had been swapped for Daniil Kasatkin, a Russian basketball player who was arrested at a Paris airport last June and who was wanted in the United States for alleged involvement in ransomware attacks.” (01/08/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260108-russia-frees-french-researcher-laurent-vinatier
-----
15) Brazil: Lula vetoes bill that could reduce Bolsonaro’s prison time
Source: SFGate
“Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Thursday vetoed a bill that could reduce the 27-year prison sentence of his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro for the far-right leader’s failed 2023 coup attempt. Lula, who had already pledged to block the proposal, announced the decision during a ceremony at the presidential palace in capital Brasilia. It came on the third anniversary of the riots led by Bolsonaro’s supporters that destroyed government buildings and helped build the case against the former president. The Senate passed the bill in December. Brazil’s Congress could override Lula’s veto, but analysts say that could be a risky move for lawmakers ahead of next October’s general elections. The 80-year-old leftist president is currently a frontrunner in a likely battle with Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, one of the former president’s sons.” (01/08/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/brazil-s-lula-vetoes-bill-that-could-reduce-21283898.php
-----
16) Corporate welfare queen stocks surge after Trump calls for $1.5 trillion military budget
Source: CNBC
“Global defense stocks rallied on Thursday, extending gains after U.S. President Donald Trump called for a $1.5 trillion defense [sic] budget in 2027. ‘After the long and difficult negotiations with Senators, Congressmen, Secretaries, and other Political Representatives, I have determined that, for the Good of our Country, especially in these very troubled and dangerous times, our Military Budget for the year 2027 should not be $1 Trillion Dollars, rather $1.5 Trillion Dollars,’ he wrote in a TruthSocial post late Wednesday. ‘This will allow us to build the ‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to, and, more importantly, that will keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe.’ Northrop Grumman gained 6.8% in premarket trade on Thursday, Lockheed Martin was last seen 6.7% higher, RTX advanced 5.4%, and Kratos Defense was up 6.6%.” (01/08/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/08/defense-stocks-trump-military-spending-europe-us.html
-----
17) UK: Oligarch linked to bribery paid Andrew £15m for mansion
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received millions of pounds from an oligarch using funds from a firm implicated in criminal corruption, a BBC investigation has found. Kazakh billionaire Timur Kulibayev has told the BBC through his lawyers that he used a loan from a company called Enviro Pacific Investments to help him buy Andrew’s former mansion. Prosecutors in Italy concluded that the firm had received cash from a bribery scheme in 2007. Weeks after the last of these payments was made, the oligarch bought Sunninghill Park in Berkshire from the then prince for £15m — with the help of funds from Enviro Pacific.” (01/08/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8d09qd6zn2o
-----
18) France: Farmers force their way through Paris with tractors to protest free trade deal
Source: ABC News
“Farmers drove about a hundred tractors into Paris on Thursday morning to protest the European Union intention to move forward with a free trade deal with five South American nations, the French Interior Ministry said. French farmers for years has denounced the trade deal with the Mercosur nations of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay, arguing that the deal would hurt French farmers’ livelihoods. Thursday’s protest was staged by the Rural Coordination union to put further pressure on France’s government, which has opposed the deal.” (01/08/26)
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/french-farmers-force-paris-tractors-protest-free-trade-129010284
-----
19) Venezuela: Regime to release “significant number” of prisoners as gesture to “seek peace”
Source: SFGate
“Venezuela will release ‘a significant number’ of Venezuelan and foreigners imprisoned in the country, the head of Venezuela’s national assembly said Thursday. Jorge Rodríguez, brother of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, did not specify who they would be releasing or how many people would be released. Despite mass detentions following the tumultuous 2024 election, Venezuela’s government maintains it doesn’t keep political prisoners. The U.S. government and the country’s opposition have demanded the release of opposition figures and critics. ‘Consider this gesture by the Bolivarian government, which is broadly intended to seek peace,’ Rodríguez said in an announcement publicized over TV.” (01/08/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/venezuela-to-release-a-significant-number-of-21283889.php
-----
20) Trump withdraws from global groups on climate and more in sweeping move
Source: Axios
“President Trump on Wednesday announced plans to withdraw the U.S. from dozens of global organizations, including the United Nations climate change agencies. It’s among the biggest and most extreme steps this administration has taken to retreat from the global stage and pull back foreign spending. Legal experts immediately questioned whether Trump’s move is legal, though the existence of laws haven’t stopped other moves of his. … Trump’s memoranda to executive departments and agencies said that after consulting with his Cabinet, he ‘determined that it is contrary to the interests of the United States to remain a member of, participate in, or otherwise provide support to’ the organizations.” (01/07/26)
https://archive.is/p73Eq
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Murder in Minneapolis: Time to Stop Coddling the ICE Gang and Its Enablers
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“The evildoers are a centrally commanded paramilitary force. Yes, they’re violent wannabes who are too lazy, incompetent, or evil to find real jobs, but their sociopath bosses give them effectively unlimited funding and access to advanced weaponry. The forces of good, on the other hand, are everyday Americans (and immigrants) who’d really rather be left alone to make their livings doing productive work. No central command. No guaranteed paychecks courtesy of the nation’s tax slaves. Few automatic weapons. Believe it or not, that asymmetry can actually work to the benefit of the good guys. As satisfying — and as justified — as it would be to send these hoodlums home in body bags when they get violent, another recent incident in the Minneapolis area shows a more peaceful, and more effective, way forward.” (01/08/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20257
-----
22) “The Last Generation of Freedom?” The Quiet Growth of Global Surveillance Culture
Source: The Daily Economy
by Mohamed Moutii
“When the internet went mainstream at the turn of the twenty-first century, it was widely celebrated as a revolutionary force for freedom and democracy. Its decentralized architecture promised to empower individuals, expand free expression, and weaken the grip of authoritarian states. Many believed that open information flows would make censorship obsolete and repression impossible to maintain. That optimism has not merely faded — it has been decisively overturned. The same technologies once hailed as instruments of liberation are now being repurposed as tools of surveillance, censorship, and control. What is unfolding is not a sudden collapse of digital freedom, but a slow, structural transformation of the internet itself — one that is quietly reshaping how power operates in the digital age.” (01/08/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-last-generation-of-freedom/
-----
23) Trump Is Ensuring That His Venezuela Attack Has No Upside for Anyone
Source: The UnPopulist
by Nicholas Grossman
“The United States military captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, and while many reactions focus on Maduro himself, that’s mostly beside the point. His government is repressive and illegitimate, having stolen Venezuela’s most recent election in 2024, but there are numerous bad governments in the world. The most important question before forcibly removing a foreign head of state is if it will make things better. On every stated and possible U.S. goal, this will more likely make things worse.” (01/08/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/trump-is-ensuring-that-his-venezuela
-----
24) A Social Security Off-Ramp?
Source: Law & Liberty
by Thomas Savidge
“‘Trump accounts’ will not stave off Social Security failure, but they could point the way to reform.” (01/08/26)
https://lawliberty.org/a-social-security-off-ramp/
-----
25) Venezuelans Are Right to Hate the US Government
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“One can fully understand any hatred that Venezuelan citizens might now have for the U.S. government. Just think: the U.S. government is now openly supporting the brutal tyranny under which the Venezuelan people have long suffered under the illegitimate Chavista regime. Why shouldn’t they hate the U.S. government? Last summer, there was no international crisis in Venezuela. Then, as the Epstein rebellion within the MAGA movement began, President Trump began initiating a new international crisis, one that involved amassing a gigantic military armada off the Venezuelan coast. Immediately, the MAGA rebellion dissipated, as MAGA members, predictably, patriotically and loyally rallied to the flag of Trump, the Pentagon, and the CIA.” (01/08/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/01/08/venezuelans-are-right-to-hate-the-u-s-government/
-----
26) The Real Tyrannical Regime
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Right wingers are like ‘Listen to Venezuelans! No, not the Venezuelans in the streets demanding Maduro’s return. No, not the polls saying most people in Venezuela oppose US regime change. Those are the wrong Venezuelans. I meant listen to the Venezuelan talking to Fox News from his mansion in Miami.’ They’re like, ‘Trump needed to invade Venezuela and abduct its president because otherwise that poor country would be victimized by the whims of a despotic tyrant!’ Actually fellas I’m pretty sure the real tyrannical regime is the one who’s claiming the entire western hemisphere is their personal property and they get to control what happens in every country on half the planet.” (01/08/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/01/08/the-real-tyrannical-regime/
-----
27) On the Government’s Diet
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“One could argue that our dietary habits are something government shouldn’t be involved in.
I do. But the federal government taxes, regulates, subsidizes, and researches for food production in these United States ‘bigly.’ And then the government taxes, regulates, subsidizes and researches for medical interventions that mitigate the consequences of how we eat. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Brooke L. Rollins, the current secretaries of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), respectively, have signed their names to a new set of Dietary Guidelines for Americans — an interesting document. ‘The message is simple,’ it says: ‘Eat real food.’ The fact that much of our food industry has been constructed in collaboration with the USDA makes this advice … piquant.” (01/08/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/01/08/on-the-governments-diet/
-----
28) With Venezuela, the US Is Back in the Business of Empire
Source: The Intercept
by Gabriel Hetland
“Venezuela posed no threat to the United States, and under international law, there is no plausible justification for Trump’s attack. But it goes beyond that: By forcefully deposing a sitting president, the U.S. has eroded any pretense that the already-battered rules-based international order exists. While many of Trump’s critics in government and policy circles bemoan his flouting of procedure, Trump operates as a blatant imperialist — and is immensely proud of it.” (01/08/26)
https://theintercept.com/2026/01/08/venezuela-maduro-trump-oil-american-empire/
-----
29) Sick of Illegal Wars and Staggering Healthcare Costs? Blame Congress
Source: OtherWords
by Lindsay Koshgarian
“At a time when nearly half of Americans say they’re struggling to afford basic necessities, President Donald Trump has turned his attention to invading and ruling Venezuela. One in two Americans are having trouble affording groceries, utilities, healthcare, housing, and transportation, according to a recent poll. Healthcare costs are rising (in many cases doubling) for millions of Americans because Republicans in Congress refuse to help. And while grocery prices remain high, those same GOP lawmakers chose to cut food stamps for millions of struggling people. Our government should be helping working people and families. Instead, the president chose to use our tax dollars to invade a foreign country.” (01/07/25)
https://otherwords.org/congress-must-stop-this-war-and-help-working-americans-instead/
-----
30) Trump Once Again Failed the Decency Test
Source: Persuasion
by Luke Hallam
“In late November, Andrew Sullivan published a Substack post that has really stuck with me. Titled ‘The Question of Decency,’ Sullivan was writing in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s dehumanizing ‘Quiet, piggy’ comment to a female reporter on Air Force One. Sullivan was lamenting the extent to which American discourse has degraded, the way that cruelty and spite have become regular features of politics. He was also commenting on the extent to which the president of the United States himself is leading this new era of indecency. I was reminded of Sullivan’s article yesterday watching the news unfold of a U.S. citizen being shot dead by a federal agent in Minneapolis. The Trump administration’s reaction to the killing ranks as one of the most indecent displays of political cynicism and outright cruelty in recent memory.” (01/08/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/wheres-the-decency
-----
31) Meritocracy vs. Credentialocracy
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Steven Kritz
“Given that the 1980s and 1990s were in the wheelhouse of every Baby Boomer’s working career, I could see where the attitude would be that getting an education and working hard would lead to success. Extrapolating this thinking to the younger generations, it would make sense for Boomers to believe that the younger generations, having an even higher percentage with a college degree, just need to keep working hard and they will also achieve the same level of success. However, there are several major flaws in this thought process.” (01/08/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/meritocracy-vs-credentialocracy/
-----
32) Plunging Into the Abyss: Will the US and Russia Abandon All Nuclear Restraints?
Source: TomDispatch
by Michael Klare
“For most of us, Friday, February 6, 2026, is likely to feel no different than Thursday, February 5th. It will be a work or school day for many of us. It might involve shopping for the weekend or an evening get-together with friends, or any of the other mundane tasks of life. But from a world-historical perspective, that day will represent a dramatic turning point, with far-reaching and potentially catastrophic consequences. For the first time in 54 years, the world’s two major nuclear-weapons powers, Russia and the United States, will not be bound by any arms-control treaties and so will be legally free to cram their nuclear arsenals with as many new warheads as they wish — a step both sides appear poised to take.” (01/08/25)
https://tomdispatch.com/plunging-into-the-abyss/
-----
33) Bernie Sanders’s Clumsy and Dangerous Melody
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Isaias Lobão
“Imagine yourself sailing on a boat through a serene and breathtaking sea. The waters shine around you, inviting and attractive, but they hide grave dangers ahead. This is ‘listening to the mermaid’s song’ — being deceived by something that, while it sounds charming, leads to ruin. … While strolling through the launch section of a bookstore in Brasilia, I came across a work that can be seen as a true modern siren song: the Portuguese translation of the book It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism by US Senator Bernie Sanders (Cia das Letras, 2024). Such work exemplifies how appealing ideologies can seduce audiences with seemingly irresistible but misleading and destructive promises. Like the sailors of antiquity, many may be tempted by these ideas without realizing the underlying dangers they carry.” (01/08/26)
https://mises.org/power-market/bernie-sanderss-clumsy-and-dangerous-melody
-----
34) A Lawless Presidency
Source: Judging Freedom
by Andrew P Napolitano
“President Donald Trump violated his sworn and paramount obligations to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution when he ordered his invasion of Venezuela without congressional authorization and when he attacked a member state of the U.N. without U.N. authorization. James Madison himself argued at the Constitutional Convention that if a president could both declare war and wage war, he’d be a prince; not unlike the British monarch from whose authority the 13 colonies had just seceded. And the American drafters of the U.N. Charter, indeed American senators who voted to ratify it, understood that its very purpose was to prevent unlawful and morally unjustified attacks by one member nation upon another.” (01/08/26)
https://archive.is/1krPF
-----
35) Trump’s Attack on Venezuela: Wrong Even If It Were Legal
Source: Common Dreams
by Robert C Koehler
“Oh good. Now we have a war to focus on. Everyone’s tired of Epstein by now, and tired of the possibility that the bad guy may be, ho hum, our own national leader, aka, the commander in chief. So the commander in chief has stepped in for the sake of the public good, bestowing on America a far more traditional enemy to hate and fear and let dominate the headlines: narco-terrorists. I’m still trying to grasp the fact that President Donald Trump has actually invaded Venezuela. He’s no longer simply bombing boats in the ocean.” (01/08/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-attack-venezuela
-----
36) The Spirit of the Laws
Source: Liberal Currents
by Guillaume AW Attia
“In the words of legal scholar Timothy Sandefur, the concept of law includes certain rational elements such as clear formal rules and procedures, without which a legislative enactment cannot be ‘law’ in any real sense. He explains it this way: ‘Law is the use of government’s coercive powers in the service of some general principle; that is, under some intelligible theoretical regularity, and not based on the mere ipse dixit of the legislative body. Law is the use of coercion for public purposes, not for the personal interest of the lawmaking authority.’ So understood the Trump administration’s disfigurement of both the letter and spirit of the law to fit the personal vanity and passing vendettas of the person who, let us remember, was originally appointed by the American founders to preside over the faithful execution of the law is itself a shameful repudiation of the elementary principles of American jurisprudence.” (01/08/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-spirit-of-the-laws/
-----
37) Nostalgia for American Hypocrisy
Source: The Atlantic
by George Packer
“At least we used to pretend that we believed in something besides military power.” (01/08/26)
https://archive.is/oFKn6
-----
38) AI and the End of Common Culture
Source: Quillette
by Samuel Fitoussi
“The year is 1983. At 8pm sharp on 28 February, 106 million viewers tune in to watch the M*A*S*H finale. The next day, everyone from truck drivers to corporate attorneys had the same reference points. For years, M*A*S*H functioned as a national ritual, allowing families across the country to laugh at the same jokes and debate the same plot twists. Of course, it wasn’t just M*A*S*H. Everyone could assume that nearly everyone else had seen shows like Seinfeld or Dallas. … This anchored social life in common references and fostered a sense of collective identity. This logic could also be applied to cinema … music … video games … or even software … Today, that sense of shared cultural experience has eroded and been replaced by a landscape of personalised content that appeals to ever-diminishing niches.” (01/08/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/01/08/ai-and-the-end-of-common-culture-cinema-music-software/
-----
39) Greenland’s Persistent Predator
Source: The Bulwark
by Will Saletan
“In the year since Donald Trump returned to power, the United States has become — as one of Trump’s supporters, Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee, admiringly put it on Wednesday — ‘the dominant predator’ in the Western Hemisphere. Trump has extorted Canada and Ukraine, threatened Panama and Colombia, invaded Venezuela, and deployed the American military to loot Venezuela’s oil. Now Trump is now circling back to a familiar target: Greenland. He doesn’t care that the island territory and its parent country, Denmark, have done nothing to deserve aggression. Nor does he care that they’re part of NATO. And he’s utterly indifferent — just as he’s always been with his abuse of women — to their requests to be left alone. He keeps threatening and harassing Greenland and Denmark, no matter how many times they ask him to stop.” (01/08/26)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-greenland-denmark-predator
-----
40) Minnesota Stealing: Reason to Rethink Government Welfare
Source: Town Hall
by Larry Elder
“As for the estimated $8 billion in government (taxpayer) money stolen by crooks in Minnesota, people demand answers to many questions. But the 800-pound elephant/question goes unasked: Why is government in the business of welfare in the first place? Where in the Constitution does it permit the federal government to extract money from taxpayers for charity? Years ago, I worked full time one summer as a ‘loaned executive’ for the United Way of Cleveland. My job was to meet with CEOs of companies, tell them the story of the United Way and hopefully arrange for me to make a presentation to the company’s employees, take questions and then ask for donations. Through this process, the United Way raised and donated money to other nonprofits involved in community activities such as preschooling, counseling ‘at-risk’ youths, after-school academic programs, care for the sick and elderly and youth sports programs, among other local initiatives.” (01/08/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/larryelder/2026/01/08/minnesota-stealing-reason-to-rethink-government-welfare-n2669056
-----
41) Trump’s sphere of influence gambit is sloppy, self-sabotage
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Anatol Lieven
“Spheres of influence stem from the very nature of states and international relations. States will always seek to secure their interests by exerting influence over their neighbors, and the more powerful the state, the greater the influence that it will seek. That said, sphere of influence strategies vary greatly, on spectrums between relative moderation and excess, humanity and cruelty, discreet pressure and open intimidation, and intelligence and stupidity; and the present policies of the Trump administration in the Western Hemisphere show disturbing signs of inclining towards the latter.” (01/08/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-spheres-of-influence/
-----
42) An Illegal and Unwise Incursion
Source: The Dispatch
by Erwin Chemerinsky
“President Donald Trump’s military invasion of Venezuela to capture its president, Nicolás Maduro, was illegal and unconstitutional. There is no legal authority, in American or international law, for the United States, in Trump’s words, to be ‘running’ another country. And it is chilling that rather than acknowledging these legal issues, the president is instead talking about possible blatantly illegal military actions against Colombia, Cuba, Greenland, and Mexico. The fact that the United States has the ability to overpower other nations does not make its actions legal or just.” (01/08/26)
https://thedispatch.com/debates/illegal-invasion-venezuela-trump-constitution/
-----
43) Is The “Forever Winter” Our Future?
Source: The Realist Review
by Chris Mott
“Thoughts on AI, nuclear weapons, and forever wars …” (01/08/26)
https://therealistreview.substack.com/p/is-the-forever-winter-our-future
-----
44) The Trump Administration Says It’s Illegal To Record Videos of ICE. Here’s What the Law Says.
Source: Reason
by CJ Ciaramella
“The Trump administration believes you don’t have the right to record Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in public. This stance is both factually wrong and an attempt to chill free speech by conflating it with violence. … Recording government agents is one of the few tools citizens have to hold state power accountable. Any attempt to redefine observation as ‘violence’ is not only unconstitutional — it’s authoritarian gaslighting. When a government fears cameras more than crimes, it isn’t protecting the rule of law. It’s protecting itself.” (for publication 02/26)
https://reason.com/2026/01/08/you-have-the-right-to-record-ice/
-----
45) Donald Trump’s Degenerate Plans for Greenland
Source: The American Prospect
by Ryan Cooper
“The president ordered a successful kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and he seems to be feeling his oats. After months of apparently forgetting about his deranged idea to conquer Greenland by force, it is now back under discussion, and Trump seems to be actually serious this time. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that ‘a range of options’ are under consideration, including ‘utilizing the U.S. military.’ Last summer, I spent over a month reporting on Greenland, including visiting its capital, Nuuk, for over a week, where I talked to all kinds of folks. When I asked about Trump’s annexation threats, the overwhelming reaction was bafflement. What on earth could the point possibly be? What could America possibly get from invasion and annexation that it does not already have? The answer on any grounds (morality, self-interest, national security, or plain common sense) is: nothing.” (01/08/25)
https://prospect.org/2026/01/08/donald-trump-greenland-venezuela-denmark/
-----
46) Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela: The Perpetual Fraud of the War on Drugs
Source: Antiwar.com
by Blair Graham
“After months of speculation, threats, and periodic bombings of Trinidadian fishermen, the Trump administration finally took direct military action against Venezuela, culminating in the kidnapping of the country’s sitting president Nicolas Maduro. The justifications for this action were eerily familiar. This extraordinary operation had nothing to do with seizing the assets of a country that, coincidentally, sits on the largest proven reserves of oil in the world. Instead, the White House Claims, this was an effort carried out with strict deference to American national security imperatives, for Maduro and his ‘illegitimate’ regime presided over one of the biggest drug-trafficking networks of any country on Earth, shipping industrial quantities of illegal narcotics to U.S. soil each year.” (01/08/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/blair_graham/2026/01/07/panama-colombia-and-venezuela-the-perpetual-fraud-of-the-war-on-drugs/
-----
47) “The courts are dead.” An interview with a fired immigration judge
Source: The Watch
by Radley Balko
“George Pappas talks about how Trump ended due process for immigrants, and how to fight back. ‘The law has failed us,’ he says. ‘So now we have to turn to politics.'” (01/08/26)
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-courts-are-dead-an-interview
-----
48) First State of the Union: George Washington’s Blueprint Betrayed
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Michael Boldin
“January 8, 1790. George Washington walked into the Senate Chamber of Federal Hall in New York City and delivered his first annual message to a joint session of Congress. Today, we call it the State of the Union. In his speech, Washington set the standard for how a president should act. From the clothes he wore to how he approached the separation of powers in the Constitution, to his support for an educated and armed people, ready to defend their own constitution and liberty. Once you read just what he said and did, it’s pretty obvious this blueprint has been betrayed for a long, long time.” (01/07/26)
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2026/01/07/first-state-of-the-union-george-washingtons-blueprint-betrayed/
-----
49) Donald Mamdani Trump
Source: Coyote Blog
by Warren Meyer
“The WSJ reports: ‘President Trump said he will ban large investors from buying single-family homes, the administration’s first significant move to address the country’s severe housing shortage.’ … I tell folks all the time that Trump is not a freaking free-marketeer. This is yet more evidence. His proposal is right out of the failed Progressive-Socialist playbook on housing.” (01/07/26)
https://coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2026/01/donald-mamdani-trump.html
-----
50) If it plans to fix Venezuela, US must sever any links to Maduro regime
Source: New York Post
by Daniel Batlle
“If the regime of Nicolás Maduro is illegitimate, as President Trump repeatedly declared before ousting Maduro, why is the administration now in bed with Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez? Four days after the extraordinary capture of Maduro by US special forces, reports of life under Rodríguez are grim for Venezuelans who hoped for change. On Tuesday, pro-regime armed colectivos were roaming Carácas searching for anyone who might have been celebrating Maduro’s downfall. Journalists were getting hauled in and later let go. Political prisoners remain locked up — despite some holiday releases before Maduro got nabbed. The unfortunate decision to work through the existing power structure reflects the unique situation Trump now faces in Venezuela. Most leaders would have concluded the post-Maduro challenges were insurmountable — and never attempted the operation. Trump’s bold move succeeded tactically, but now comes the far more difficult strategic test.” (01/08/25)
https://nypost.com/2026/01/07/opinion/the-us-must-sever-any-links-to-the-maduro-regime-if-it-plans-to-fix-venezuela/
-----
51) Trump’s Greenland fixation curdles into a crisis
Source: Washington Post
by David Ignatius
“President Donald Trump isn’t crazy to want a greater U.S. role in Greenland for national security reasons — and he probably could have negotiated a quick deal to expand U.S. military access and investment there with Denmark, which owns the island. But Trump’s swaggering campaign to buy Greenland or seize it outright has instead produced a crisis that could damage American security for decades — far outweighing any gains from control of the barren island. ‘Shooting yourself in the foot’ is too generous a description for Trump’s effort. It’s more like shooting yourself in the head.” (01/07/26)
https://archive.is/ASrth
-----
52) Here’s Why the Iranian Regime Seems Invincible
Source: Persuasion
by anonymous
“Over the past few decades, Iranians’ protests against the Islamic Republic have become a regular sight—bursts of defiance that light up the streets, fill the air with hope, and then fade away only to become a fire beneath ashes. Each protest seems bigger, braver, and more hopeful. Yet each time, the system endures. Still, hope doesn’t die. You can hear it in every conversation and encrypted message coming out of Iran: people still believe change is possible.” (01/07/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/heres-why-the-iranian-regime-seems
-----
53) Murder in Minneapolis
Source: Liberal Currents
by Adam Gurri
“This morning, DHS posted ‘GOOD MORNING MINNEAPOLIS!’ on X, relishing their own power to bring fear down on an American city. Mere hours later, a masked agent of the state murdered a US citizen while she was attempting to drive away. DHS quickly spun the killing as self defense, but a plethora of videos and even more witnesses made that lie obvious immediately. … She was turning her car to leave and the agent, in no danger at all, shoots straight into her open window. This tragedy, this crime, is only to be expected from an administration that has always believed itself entitled to not just govern, but to rule over a free people. An administration that rejects professionalism and has sought to scale up what was already the least professionalized federal agency to act as a personal enforcer for the President.” (01/07/26)
https://archive.is/CdPyk
-----
54) The Serious Risks of Trump’s Executive Order Curbing State Regulation of AI
Source: In These Times
by Anjana Susarla
“President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Dec. 11, 2025, that aims to supersede state-level artificial intelligence laws that the administration views as a hindrance to innovation in AI. State laws regulating AI are increasing in number, particularly in response to the rise of generative AI systems such as ChatGPT that produce text and images. Thirty-eight states enacted laws in 2025 regulating AI in one way or another. They range from prohibiting stalking via AI-powered robots to barring AI systems that can manipulate people’s behavior. The executive order declares that it is the policy of the United States to produce a ‘minimally burdensome’ national framework for AI.” (01/07/25)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/open-ai-serious-risks-trump-executive-order-state-regulation-of-artification-intelligence
-----
55) Social Media Is The New Smoking, And We’re The New “Health Nuts”
Source: The Findings Substack
by Paul Rosenberg
“If social media is to become the new smoking – and it is already to a significant degree – those of us who speak against it are playing the same role as the health nuts of the 1960s. I think we should accept this role. More still, I think we should embrace it and be proud of it. The health nuts were right, after all, and the places where smoking has vanished are very much the better for it.” (01/07/26)
https://thefindings.substack.com/p/social-media-is-the-new-smoking-and
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
56) The Fifth Column, episode 539
Source: The Fifth Column
“The Memory Hole & the Rent Freeze Trap (w/ Josh Barro).” (01/08/26)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/the-memory-hole-and-the-rent-freeze
-----
57) Capital Record, episode 278
Source: National Review
“Will Mayor Mamdani Give President Trump His Phone Back Please?” (01/08/26)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/will-mayor-mamdani-give-president-trump-his-phone-back-please/
-----
58) The Libertarian Angle, 01/08/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Trump’s Abduction and Rendition of Maduro.” (01/08/26)
https://www.fff.org/freedom-in-motion/video/libertarian-angle-trumps-abduction-and-rendition-of-maduro/
-----
59) Advisory Opinions, 01/08/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Prosecuting Foreign Leaders.” (01/08/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/prosecuting-foreign-leaders/
-----
60) The Good Fight, 01/08/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“The Good Fight Club: Maduro’s Capture, Trump’s Foreign Policy Vision, and the Future of American Power.” (01/08/26)
https://writing.yaschamounk.com/p/the-good-fight-club-maduros-capture
-----
61) Quillette Podcast, episode 319
Source: Quillette
“How to Think Like a Human.” (01/08/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/01/08/podcast-319-how-to-think-like-a-human/
-----
62) Bulwark Takes, 01/08/26
Source: The Bulwark
“Invading Greenland Would Be a Disaster (w/ Mark Hertling).” (01/08/28)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/invading-greenland-would-be-a-disaster-w-mark/id1794450472?i=1000744278163
-----
63) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 01/08/26
Source: Antiwar News
“US Claims It’s ‘Dictating’ Venezuela’s Decisions, US Bombs Somalia During Helicopter Raid, and More.” (01/08/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lco5mrVbOj8
-----
64) Reasonably Optimistic, 01/07/26
Source: Washington Post
“How the internet changed politics — and our lives — forever.” (01/07/26)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/impromptu/how-the-internet-changed-politics–and-our-lives–forever/?utm_source=podcasts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=impromptu
-----
65) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 01/07/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Patrick Henningsen: Venezuela: America’s Next Disaster?” (01/07/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/the-kyle-anzalone-show-guest-patrick-henningsen-venezuela-americas-next-disaster/
-----
66) Political Theater, 01/07/26
Source: Roll Call
“The good, the bad and the meh: What we’re watching in 2026.” (01/07/26)
https://dcs-spotify.megaphone.fm/FISCAL7674832253.mp3
-----
67) Fountainhead Forum, episode 404
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Wes Benedict on running for chair of the Libertarian (USA) National Committee.” (01/07/26)
https://rumble.com/v7400j8-ff-404-wes-benedict-on-running-for-chair-of-the-libertarian-usa-national-co.html
-----
68) Show-Me Institute Podcast, 01/07/26
Source: Show-Me Institute
“Is the Chiefs Move to Kansas Really a Done Deal?” (01/07/26)
https://showmeinstitute.org/blog/budget-and-spending/is-the-chiefs-move-to-kansas-really-a-done-deal/
-----
69) The David Frum Show, 01/07/26
Source: The Atlantic
“Trump Has No Plan for Venezuela.” (01/07/26)
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/01/david-frum-show-david-rothkopf-venezuela/685534/
-----
70) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 01/07/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Raising The Stakes: US Seizes RUSSIA-Flagged Tanker!” (01/07/26)
https://rumble.com/v74042u-raising-the-stakes-us-seizes-russia-flagged-tanker.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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) Iran Rocked By Night Of Protests Despite Internet Blackout
2) Ukraine: Four dead in Kyiv after Russian missile attack
3) Palestine: Israeli strikes kill at least 13 across Gaza
4) OR: Border Patrol thugs shoot two alleged rival gang members
5) NY: Judge blocks Trump-picked prosecutor from investigating Letitia James
6) US Senate advances resolution to block Trump from using military in Venezuela
7) Greece: Farmers block highways in protest over rising costs and EU trade deal
8) MN: Infamous “Quality Learing Center” is now closed, records show
9) NASA cancels spacewalk, may end current space station crew’s mission early due to medical issue
10) “Yankees Go Home!” Colombians Demand at Mass Protests Against Trump Threats
11) UK: Pro-Palestinian activists pressure nursing union over investment policy
12) Federal prosecutor calls Newsom “king of fraud” as Trump launches California corruption probe
13) Avelo Airlines to stop providing gang abductee transportation
14) Russia: Regime frees French political prisoner
15) Brazil: Lula vetoes bill that could reduce Bolsonaro’s prison time
16) Corporate welfare queen stocks surge after Trump calls for $1.5 trillion military budget
17) UK: Oligarch linked to bribery paid Andrew £15m for mansion
18) France: Farmers force their way through Paris with tractors to protest free trade deal
19) Venezuela: Regime to release “significant number” of prisoners as gesture to “seek peace”
20) Trump withdraws from global groups on climate and more in sweeping move
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Murder in Minneapolis: Time to Stop Coddling the ICE Gang and Its Enablers
22) “The Last Generation of Freedom?” The Quiet Growth of Global Surveillance Culture
23) Trump Is Ensuring That His Venezuela Attack Has No Upside for Anyone
24) A Social Security Off-Ramp?
25) Venezuelans Are Right to Hate the US Government
26) The Real Tyrannical Regime
27) On the Government’s Diet
28) With Venezuela, the US Is Back in the Business of Empire
29) Sick of Illegal Wars and Staggering Healthcare Costs? Blame Congress
30) Trump Once Again Failed the Decency Test
31) Meritocracy vs. Credentialocracy
32) Plunging Into the Abyss: Will the US and Russia Abandon All Nuclear Restraints?
33) Bernie Sanders’s Clumsy and Dangerous Melody
34) A Lawless Presidency
35) Trump’s Attack on Venezuela: Wrong Even If It Were Legal
36) The Spirit of the Laws
37) Nostalgia for American Hypocrisy
38) AI and the End of Common Culture
39) Greenland’s Persistent Predator
40) Minnesota Stealing: Reason to Rethink Government Welfare
41) Trump’s sphere of influence gambit is sloppy, self-sabotage
42) An Illegal and Unwise Incursion
43) Is The “Forever Winter” Our Future?
44) The Trump Administration Says It’s Illegal To Record Videos of ICE. Here’s What the Law Says.
45) Donald Trump’s Degenerate Plans for Greenland
46) Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela: The Perpetual Fraud of the War on Drugs
47) “The courts are dead.” An interview with a fired immigration judge
48) First State of the Union: George Washington’s Blueprint Betrayed
49) Donald Mamdani Trump
50) If it plans to fix Venezuela, US must sever any links to Maduro regime
51) Trump’s Greenland fixation curdles into a crisis
52) Here’s Why the Iranian Regime Seems Invincible
53) Murder in Minneapolis
54) The Serious Risks of Trump’s Executive Order Curbing State Regulation of AI
55) Social Media Is The New Smoking, And We’re The New “Health Nuts”
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
56) The Fifth Column, episode 539
57) Capital Record, episode 278
58) The Libertarian Angle, 01/08/26
59) Advisory Opinions, 01/08/26
60) The Good Fight, 01/08/26
61) Quillette Podcast, episode 319
62) Bulwark Takes, 01/08/26
63) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 01/08/26
64) Reasonably Optimistic, 01/07/26
65) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 01/07/26
66) Political Theater, 01/07/26
67) Fountainhead Forum, episode 404
68) Show-Me Institute Podcast, 01/07/26
69) The David Frum Show, 01/07/26
70) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 01/07/26
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
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
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
TRY STARLINK: YOU GET A FREE MONTH AND SO DO WE!
https://starlink.com/residential?referral=RC-DF-8980236-19330-50
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Iran Rocked By Night Of Protests Despite Internet Blackout
Source: Barron’s
“Iranians staged their biggest protests yet of an almost two week movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, chanting slogans including ‘death to the dictator’ and setting fire to official buildings, videos showed Friday. Internet monitor Netblocks said authorities had imposed a total connectivity blackout late Thursday …. AFP verified videos of crowds of people, as well as vehicles honking in support, filling a part of the vast Ayatollah Kashani Boulevard late on Thursday. The crowd could be heard chanting ‘death to the dictator’ in reference to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei …. Several videos said protesters had set fire to the entrance to the regional branch of state television in the central city of Isfahan. It was not immediately possible to verify the images. Flames were also seen in the governor’s building in Shazand, the capital of the Markazi province in central Iran, after protesters gathered outside, other videos showed.” (01/09/26)
https://www.barrons.com/news/iran-rocked-by-night-of-protests-despite-internet-blackout-videos-6d262365
-----
2) Ukraine: Four dead in Kyiv after Russian missile attack
Source: Independent [UK]
“At least four people have been killed in Kyiv after Russia launched a major offensive across Ukraine with drones and missiles. Alongside the attack on the capital, Russia struck critical infrastructure in the western city of Lviv using an Oreshnik hypersonic missile. A total of 278 missiles and drones were fired by Russia overnight, according to Ukraine’s military, which said it downed 244 of them in flight. … Russian drone strikes knocked out power to the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions of Ukraine, leaving more than 600,000 households without electricity in a cold snap, with temperatures in some parts of the country below freezing.” (01/09/26)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-trump-putin-zelensky-hypersonic-missile-live-b2897290.html
-----
3) Palestine: Israeli strikes kill at least 13 across Gaza
Source: The Hill
“Israeli strikes across Gaza have killed at least 13 people, according to health officials, as U.S. President Donald Trump was expected to announce his Board of Peace to oversee the fragile ceasefire. Health officials and family members said at least one child was among the dead in northern Gaza following several strikes there as well as east of Gaza City. Israel’s army said Friday that it struck Hamas infrastructure and fighters in southern and northern Gaza in response to a failed projectile launched by militants from the Gaza City area.” (01/09/26)
https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-international/ap-israeli-strikes-kill-at-least-13-across-gaza-as-trump-is-expected-to-announce-board-of-peace/
-----
4) OR: Border Patrol thugs shoot two alleged rival gang members
Source: New York Times
“Federal agents shot two people in Portland on Thursday during a traffic stop, a day after the fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis stoked outrage over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. A Homeland Security Department spokeswoman said in a statement that U.S. Border Patrol agents were conducting a ‘targeted vehicle stop,’ and that an agent fired a shot after the driver tried to run them over. The spokeswoman, Tricia McLaughlin, described the agents’ target as an undocumented immigrant and member of Tren de Aragua, a gang with roots in a Venezuelan prison that has been a frequent target of President Trump. She provided no immediate evidence that the person who was targeted was affiliated with the gang.” (01/09/26)
https://archive.is/CHfIz
-----
5) NY: Judge blocks Trump-picked prosecutor from investigating Letitia James
Source: Gothamist
“A federal judge said Thursday that John Sarcone, the top federal prosecutor in Albany, is serving unlawfully as acting U.S. attorney and cannot participate in an investigation into state Attorney General Letitia James. U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield quashed two subpoenas seeking records of James’[s] previous investigations into President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association. She said Sarcone wasn’t properly appointed to his position last year. ‘Mr. Sarcone’s service was and is unlawful because it bypassed the statutory requirements that govern who may exercise the powers of a U.S. attorney,’ Schofield wrote. ‘The subpoenas are quashed, and Mr. Sarcone is disqualified from further participation in the underlying investigations.'” (01/08/26)
https://gothamist.com/news/judge-blocks-trump-picked-prosecutor-in-albany-from-investigating-letitia-james
-----
6) US Senate advances resolution to block Trump from using military in Venezuela
Source: The Hill
“Five Senate Republicans voted Thursday to advance a bipartisan resolution on the War Powers Act to block President Trump from using military force against Venezuela, a proposal that if enacted would unravel the administration’s plan to take control of Venezuela’s oil exports. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the sponsor of the bipartisan measure, voted with Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) to discharge the resolution out of committee and bring it to the floor. A vote to pass the resolution itself is expected next week — or possibly later Thursday, if there is bipartisan agreement to speed up its timing on the floor. The resolution still needs to pass the House — where a similar measure failed in a close vote last month — and it faces a certain veto from Trump.” [editor’s note: This is bass-ackward. Unless Trump gets affirmative permission in the form of a declaration of war, he has no authority to attack Venezuela – TLK] (01/08/26)
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5679123-venezuela-trump-war-powers-act-senate
-----
7) Greece: Farmers block highways in protest over rising costs and EU trade deal
Source: Seattle Times
“Farmers in Greece escalated nationwide protests Thursday, launching a 48-hour blockade of major highways, junctions and toll stations over soaring production costs and a contentious European Union trade deal with South American nations. Tractors lined key routes across the country, halting all traffic except emergency vehicles. Police directed traffic to secondary routes when possible and did not intervene to counter the blockades. But the country’s conservative government has warned that it would not tolerate more extended blockades. The country’s main highway connecting Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki was shut in both directions at several points, as farmers demanded stronger state support and the rejection of the EU-Mercosur agreement.” (01/08/26)
https://archive.is/9h9cT
-----
8) MN: Infamous “Quality Learing Center” is now closed, records show
Source: New York Post
“They’re officially ‘klosed’ for business. Quality ‘Learing’ Center — the shady Minnesota day care at the center of the state’s mushrooming fraud scandal — shuttered for good this week, according to records. The much-ridiculed day care, which operated under a misspelled sign until it was fixed last month amid national outrage, closed Tuesday after it requested a closure of its license, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services and the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). The center found itself under the national spotlight after conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley featured the facility in a video highlighting day care centers in the state that were allegedly receiving public funds but were not providing any services.” (01/08/25)
https://nypost.com/2026/01/08/us-news/minnesotas-infamous-quality-learing-center-is-now-closed-records-show/
-----
9) NASA cancels spacewalk, may end current space station crew’s mission early due to medical issue
Source: CBS News
“A spacewalk planned for Thursday outside the International Space Station was called off late Wednesday because of a ‘medical concern’ with an unidentified crew member, NASA said in a statement. An update shortly before midnight said the agency was exploring ‘all options, including the possibility of an earlier end to Crew 11’s mission.’ … Going into the new year, the crew expected to remain in space until their replacements arrive in mid-February. Crew 11’s return to Earth is expected around Feb. 20. That’s still the official plan.” (01/08/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/an-astronaut-medical-concern-prompts-nasa-to-delay-planned-spacewalk/
-----
10) “Yankees Go Home!” Colombians Demand at Mass Protests Against Trump Threats
Source: Common Dreams
“Colombian President Gustavo Petro struck a relatively diplomatic tone Wednesday at a rally in Bogotá, where he spoke about the Trump administration’s threats to launch military strikes against his country—but thousands of people who gathered in the Colombian capital and across the country were happy to say exactly what they thought of US President Donald Trump’s recent attack on neighboring Venezuela and his saber-rattling across Latin America. ‘He’s a maniac,’ 67-year-old José Silva told the Guardian at a march in the border city of Cúcuta. ‘The US Congress needs to do something to get him out of the presidency … He’s a thug’ … Colombians were rallying after Petro called for a mass mobilization days after Trump ordered a military attack in Venezuela, including a bombing and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.” (01/08/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/colombia-protests
-----
11) UK: Pro-Palestinian activists pressure nursing union over investment policy
Source: Politico
“The union representing British nurses is under fire from some of its own members over what they say is an opaque investment strategy linked to companies investing in Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territories. A report sent to Royal College of Nursing (RCN) management by activist group Nurses for Palestine and NGO Corporate Watch, and obtained by POLITICO, argues that the union’s choice of investment managers Legal & General and Sarasins is at odds with its own ethical investment policy. … The report points to a list of companies held by the RCN’s fund managers, including U.S. tech firm Palantir and Israeli arms-maker Elbit Systems, which activists say should be enough for the union to put its money elsewhere.” (01/08/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/pro-palestinian-activists-pressure-uk-nursing-union-over-investment-policy/
-----
12) Federal prosecutor calls Newsom “king of fraud” as Trump launches California corruption probe
Source: Fox News
“The Trump administration is ramping up a nationwide crackdown on the misuse of taxpayer money. A top federal prosecutor criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom over a lack of oversight, branding him ‘the king of fraud’. ‘California has spent $24 billion in the last five years on homelessness, and no one can account for where that money has really gone,’ First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said Thursday on ‘Fox & Friends’. In April, Essayli launched a task force to investigate corruption in California, with a focus on homeless services. The task force has already resulted in federal charges against two men accused of using real estate projects to exploit the state’s homelessness system for personal profit. Essayli said those cases, which involve millions of dollars in alleged fraud, are only ‘the tip of the iceberg.'” (01/08/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/media/federal-prosecutor-calls-newsom-king-fraud-trump-launches-california-corruption-probe
-----
13) Avelo Airlines to stop providing gang abductee transportation
Source: United Press International
“Avelo Airlines, an ultra-low-cost airline, announced it will end its contract with the U.S. government to conduct deportation flights. The airline had been flying deportees for the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security since May. … ‘We moved a portion of our fleet into a government program which promised more financial stability but placed us in the center of a political controversy,’ CEO Andrew Levy said in an email to employees Tuesday, CNBC reported. ‘The program provided short-term benefits but ultimately did not deliver enough consistent and predictable revenue to overcome its operational complexity and costs.’ … The company’s decision to contract with the government for deportation flights sparked backlash, boycotts and protests.” (01/08/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/01/08/avelo-airlines-stop-ice-deportation-flights/1041767881929/
-----
14) Russia: Regime frees French political prisoner
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Laurent Vinatier, a French researcher serving a three-year prison sentence in Russia for violating Moscow’s foreign agent laws, has been freed as part of a prisoner exchange, French and Russian officials said on Thursday. President Emmanuel Macron posted on X: ‘Our compatriot Laurent Vinatier is free and back in France. I share the relief felt by his family and loved ones.’ He added he was grateful for work done by French diplomatic officials. Russia’s FSB security service said Vinatier, 49, had been swapped for Daniil Kasatkin, a Russian basketball player who was arrested at a Paris airport last June and who was wanted in the United States for alleged involvement in ransomware attacks.” (01/08/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260108-russia-frees-french-researcher-laurent-vinatier
-----
15) Brazil: Lula vetoes bill that could reduce Bolsonaro’s prison time
Source: SFGate
“Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Thursday vetoed a bill that could reduce the 27-year prison sentence of his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro for the far-right leader’s failed 2023 coup attempt. Lula, who had already pledged to block the proposal, announced the decision during a ceremony at the presidential palace in capital Brasilia. It came on the third anniversary of the riots led by Bolsonaro’s supporters that destroyed government buildings and helped build the case against the former president. The Senate passed the bill in December. Brazil’s Congress could override Lula’s veto, but analysts say that could be a risky move for lawmakers ahead of next October’s general elections. The 80-year-old leftist president is currently a frontrunner in a likely battle with Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, one of the former president’s sons.” (01/08/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/brazil-s-lula-vetoes-bill-that-could-reduce-21283898.php
-----
16) Corporate welfare queen stocks surge after Trump calls for $1.5 trillion military budget
Source: CNBC
“Global defense stocks rallied on Thursday, extending gains after U.S. President Donald Trump called for a $1.5 trillion defense [sic] budget in 2027. ‘After the long and difficult negotiations with Senators, Congressmen, Secretaries, and other Political Representatives, I have determined that, for the Good of our Country, especially in these very troubled and dangerous times, our Military Budget for the year 2027 should not be $1 Trillion Dollars, rather $1.5 Trillion Dollars,’ he wrote in a TruthSocial post late Wednesday. ‘This will allow us to build the ‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to, and, more importantly, that will keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe.’ Northrop Grumman gained 6.8% in premarket trade on Thursday, Lockheed Martin was last seen 6.7% higher, RTX advanced 5.4%, and Kratos Defense was up 6.6%.” (01/08/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/08/defense-stocks-trump-military-spending-europe-us.html
-----
17) UK: Oligarch linked to bribery paid Andrew £15m for mansion
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received millions of pounds from an oligarch using funds from a firm implicated in criminal corruption, a BBC investigation has found. Kazakh billionaire Timur Kulibayev has told the BBC through his lawyers that he used a loan from a company called Enviro Pacific Investments to help him buy Andrew’s former mansion. Prosecutors in Italy concluded that the firm had received cash from a bribery scheme in 2007. Weeks after the last of these payments was made, the oligarch bought Sunninghill Park in Berkshire from the then prince for £15m — with the help of funds from Enviro Pacific.” (01/08/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8d09qd6zn2o
-----
18) France: Farmers force their way through Paris with tractors to protest free trade deal
Source: ABC News
“Farmers drove about a hundred tractors into Paris on Thursday morning to protest the European Union intention to move forward with a free trade deal with five South American nations, the French Interior Ministry said. French farmers for years has denounced the trade deal with the Mercosur nations of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay, arguing that the deal would hurt French farmers’ livelihoods. Thursday’s protest was staged by the Rural Coordination union to put further pressure on France’s government, which has opposed the deal.” (01/08/26)
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/french-farmers-force-paris-tractors-protest-free-trade-129010284
-----
19) Venezuela: Regime to release “significant number” of prisoners as gesture to “seek peace”
Source: SFGate
“Venezuela will release ‘a significant number’ of Venezuelan and foreigners imprisoned in the country, the head of Venezuela’s national assembly said Thursday. Jorge Rodríguez, brother of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, did not specify who they would be releasing or how many people would be released. Despite mass detentions following the tumultuous 2024 election, Venezuela’s government maintains it doesn’t keep political prisoners. The U.S. government and the country’s opposition have demanded the release of opposition figures and critics. ‘Consider this gesture by the Bolivarian government, which is broadly intended to seek peace,’ Rodríguez said in an announcement publicized over TV.” (01/08/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/venezuela-to-release-a-significant-number-of-21283889.php
-----
20) Trump withdraws from global groups on climate and more in sweeping move
Source: Axios
“President Trump on Wednesday announced plans to withdraw the U.S. from dozens of global organizations, including the United Nations climate change agencies. It’s among the biggest and most extreme steps this administration has taken to retreat from the global stage and pull back foreign spending. Legal experts immediately questioned whether Trump’s move is legal, though the existence of laws haven’t stopped other moves of his. … Trump’s memoranda to executive departments and agencies said that after consulting with his Cabinet, he ‘determined that it is contrary to the interests of the United States to remain a member of, participate in, or otherwise provide support to’ the organizations.” (01/07/26)
https://archive.is/p73Eq
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Murder in Minneapolis: Time to Stop Coddling the ICE Gang and Its Enablers
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“The evildoers are a centrally commanded paramilitary force. Yes, they’re violent wannabes who are too lazy, incompetent, or evil to find real jobs, but their sociopath bosses give them effectively unlimited funding and access to advanced weaponry. The forces of good, on the other hand, are everyday Americans (and immigrants) who’d really rather be left alone to make their livings doing productive work. No central command. No guaranteed paychecks courtesy of the nation’s tax slaves. Few automatic weapons. Believe it or not, that asymmetry can actually work to the benefit of the good guys. As satisfying — and as justified — as it would be to send these hoodlums home in body bags when they get violent, another recent incident in the Minneapolis area shows a more peaceful, and more effective, way forward.” (01/08/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20257
-----
22) “The Last Generation of Freedom?” The Quiet Growth of Global Surveillance Culture
Source: The Daily Economy
by Mohamed Moutii
“When the internet went mainstream at the turn of the twenty-first century, it was widely celebrated as a revolutionary force for freedom and democracy. Its decentralized architecture promised to empower individuals, expand free expression, and weaken the grip of authoritarian states. Many believed that open information flows would make censorship obsolete and repression impossible to maintain. That optimism has not merely faded — it has been decisively overturned. The same technologies once hailed as instruments of liberation are now being repurposed as tools of surveillance, censorship, and control. What is unfolding is not a sudden collapse of digital freedom, but a slow, structural transformation of the internet itself — one that is quietly reshaping how power operates in the digital age.” (01/08/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-last-generation-of-freedom/
-----
23) Trump Is Ensuring That His Venezuela Attack Has No Upside for Anyone
Source: The UnPopulist
by Nicholas Grossman
“The United States military captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, and while many reactions focus on Maduro himself, that’s mostly beside the point. His government is repressive and illegitimate, having stolen Venezuela’s most recent election in 2024, but there are numerous bad governments in the world. The most important question before forcibly removing a foreign head of state is if it will make things better. On every stated and possible U.S. goal, this will more likely make things worse.” (01/08/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/trump-is-ensuring-that-his-venezuela
-----
24) A Social Security Off-Ramp?
Source: Law & Liberty
by Thomas Savidge
“‘Trump accounts’ will not stave off Social Security failure, but they could point the way to reform.” (01/08/26)
https://lawliberty.org/a-social-security-off-ramp/
-----
25) Venezuelans Are Right to Hate the US Government
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“One can fully understand any hatred that Venezuelan citizens might now have for the U.S. government. Just think: the U.S. government is now openly supporting the brutal tyranny under which the Venezuelan people have long suffered under the illegitimate Chavista regime. Why shouldn’t they hate the U.S. government? Last summer, there was no international crisis in Venezuela. Then, as the Epstein rebellion within the MAGA movement began, President Trump began initiating a new international crisis, one that involved amassing a gigantic military armada off the Venezuelan coast. Immediately, the MAGA rebellion dissipated, as MAGA members, predictably, patriotically and loyally rallied to the flag of Trump, the Pentagon, and the CIA.” (01/08/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/01/08/venezuelans-are-right-to-hate-the-u-s-government/
-----
26) The Real Tyrannical Regime
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Right wingers are like ‘Listen to Venezuelans! No, not the Venezuelans in the streets demanding Maduro’s return. No, not the polls saying most people in Venezuela oppose US regime change. Those are the wrong Venezuelans. I meant listen to the Venezuelan talking to Fox News from his mansion in Miami.’ They’re like, ‘Trump needed to invade Venezuela and abduct its president because otherwise that poor country would be victimized by the whims of a despotic tyrant!’ Actually fellas I’m pretty sure the real tyrannical regime is the one who’s claiming the entire western hemisphere is their personal property and they get to control what happens in every country on half the planet.” (01/08/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/01/08/the-real-tyrannical-regime/
-----
27) On the Government’s Diet
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“One could argue that our dietary habits are something government shouldn’t be involved in.
I do. But the federal government taxes, regulates, subsidizes, and researches for food production in these United States ‘bigly.’ And then the government taxes, regulates, subsidizes and researches for medical interventions that mitigate the consequences of how we eat. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Brooke L. Rollins, the current secretaries of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), respectively, have signed their names to a new set of Dietary Guidelines for Americans — an interesting document. ‘The message is simple,’ it says: ‘Eat real food.’ The fact that much of our food industry has been constructed in collaboration with the USDA makes this advice … piquant.” (01/08/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/01/08/on-the-governments-diet/
-----
28) With Venezuela, the US Is Back in the Business of Empire
Source: The Intercept
by Gabriel Hetland
“Venezuela posed no threat to the United States, and under international law, there is no plausible justification for Trump’s attack. But it goes beyond that: By forcefully deposing a sitting president, the U.S. has eroded any pretense that the already-battered rules-based international order exists. While many of Trump’s critics in government and policy circles bemoan his flouting of procedure, Trump operates as a blatant imperialist — and is immensely proud of it.” (01/08/26)
https://theintercept.com/2026/01/08/venezuela-maduro-trump-oil-american-empire/
-----
29) Sick of Illegal Wars and Staggering Healthcare Costs? Blame Congress
Source: OtherWords
by Lindsay Koshgarian
“At a time when nearly half of Americans say they’re struggling to afford basic necessities, President Donald Trump has turned his attention to invading and ruling Venezuela. One in two Americans are having trouble affording groceries, utilities, healthcare, housing, and transportation, according to a recent poll. Healthcare costs are rising (in many cases doubling) for millions of Americans because Republicans in Congress refuse to help. And while grocery prices remain high, those same GOP lawmakers chose to cut food stamps for millions of struggling people. Our government should be helping working people and families. Instead, the president chose to use our tax dollars to invade a foreign country.” (01/07/25)
https://otherwords.org/congress-must-stop-this-war-and-help-working-americans-instead/
-----
30) Trump Once Again Failed the Decency Test
Source: Persuasion
by Luke Hallam
“In late November, Andrew Sullivan published a Substack post that has really stuck with me. Titled ‘The Question of Decency,’ Sullivan was writing in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s dehumanizing ‘Quiet, piggy’ comment to a female reporter on Air Force One. Sullivan was lamenting the extent to which American discourse has degraded, the way that cruelty and spite have become regular features of politics. He was also commenting on the extent to which the president of the United States himself is leading this new era of indecency. I was reminded of Sullivan’s article yesterday watching the news unfold of a U.S. citizen being shot dead by a federal agent in Minneapolis. The Trump administration’s reaction to the killing ranks as one of the most indecent displays of political cynicism and outright cruelty in recent memory.” (01/08/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/wheres-the-decency
-----
31) Meritocracy vs. Credentialocracy
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Steven Kritz
“Given that the 1980s and 1990s were in the wheelhouse of every Baby Boomer’s working career, I could see where the attitude would be that getting an education and working hard would lead to success. Extrapolating this thinking to the younger generations, it would make sense for Boomers to believe that the younger generations, having an even higher percentage with a college degree, just need to keep working hard and they will also achieve the same level of success. However, there are several major flaws in this thought process.” (01/08/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/meritocracy-vs-credentialocracy/
-----
32) Plunging Into the Abyss: Will the US and Russia Abandon All Nuclear Restraints?
Source: TomDispatch
by Michael Klare
“For most of us, Friday, February 6, 2026, is likely to feel no different than Thursday, February 5th. It will be a work or school day for many of us. It might involve shopping for the weekend or an evening get-together with friends, or any of the other mundane tasks of life. But from a world-historical perspective, that day will represent a dramatic turning point, with far-reaching and potentially catastrophic consequences. For the first time in 54 years, the world’s two major nuclear-weapons powers, Russia and the United States, will not be bound by any arms-control treaties and so will be legally free to cram their nuclear arsenals with as many new warheads as they wish — a step both sides appear poised to take.” (01/08/25)
https://tomdispatch.com/plunging-into-the-abyss/
-----
33) Bernie Sanders’s Clumsy and Dangerous Melody
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Isaias Lobão
“Imagine yourself sailing on a boat through a serene and breathtaking sea. The waters shine around you, inviting and attractive, but they hide grave dangers ahead. This is ‘listening to the mermaid’s song’ — being deceived by something that, while it sounds charming, leads to ruin. … While strolling through the launch section of a bookstore in Brasilia, I came across a work that can be seen as a true modern siren song: the Portuguese translation of the book It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism by US Senator Bernie Sanders (Cia das Letras, 2024). Such work exemplifies how appealing ideologies can seduce audiences with seemingly irresistible but misleading and destructive promises. Like the sailors of antiquity, many may be tempted by these ideas without realizing the underlying dangers they carry.” (01/08/26)
https://mises.org/power-market/bernie-sanderss-clumsy-and-dangerous-melody
-----
34) A Lawless Presidency
Source: Judging Freedom
by Andrew P Napolitano
“President Donald Trump violated his sworn and paramount obligations to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution when he ordered his invasion of Venezuela without congressional authorization and when he attacked a member state of the U.N. without U.N. authorization. James Madison himself argued at the Constitutional Convention that if a president could both declare war and wage war, he’d be a prince; not unlike the British monarch from whose authority the 13 colonies had just seceded. And the American drafters of the U.N. Charter, indeed American senators who voted to ratify it, understood that its very purpose was to prevent unlawful and morally unjustified attacks by one member nation upon another.” (01/08/26)
https://archive.is/1krPF
-----
35) Trump’s Attack on Venezuela: Wrong Even If It Were Legal
Source: Common Dreams
by Robert C Koehler
“Oh good. Now we have a war to focus on. Everyone’s tired of Epstein by now, and tired of the possibility that the bad guy may be, ho hum, our own national leader, aka, the commander in chief. So the commander in chief has stepped in for the sake of the public good, bestowing on America a far more traditional enemy to hate and fear and let dominate the headlines: narco-terrorists. I’m still trying to grasp the fact that President Donald Trump has actually invaded Venezuela. He’s no longer simply bombing boats in the ocean.” (01/08/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-attack-venezuela
-----
36) The Spirit of the Laws
Source: Liberal Currents
by Guillaume AW Attia
“In the words of legal scholar Timothy Sandefur, the concept of law includes certain rational elements such as clear formal rules and procedures, without which a legislative enactment cannot be ‘law’ in any real sense. He explains it this way: ‘Law is the use of government’s coercive powers in the service of some general principle; that is, under some intelligible theoretical regularity, and not based on the mere ipse dixit of the legislative body. Law is the use of coercion for public purposes, not for the personal interest of the lawmaking authority.’ So understood the Trump administration’s disfigurement of both the letter and spirit of the law to fit the personal vanity and passing vendettas of the person who, let us remember, was originally appointed by the American founders to preside over the faithful execution of the law is itself a shameful repudiation of the elementary principles of American jurisprudence.” (01/08/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-spirit-of-the-laws/
-----
37) Nostalgia for American Hypocrisy
Source: The Atlantic
by George Packer
“At least we used to pretend that we believed in something besides military power.” (01/08/26)
https://archive.is/oFKn6
-----
38) AI and the End of Common Culture
Source: Quillette
by Samuel Fitoussi
“The year is 1983. At 8pm sharp on 28 February, 106 million viewers tune in to watch the M*A*S*H finale. The next day, everyone from truck drivers to corporate attorneys had the same reference points. For years, M*A*S*H functioned as a national ritual, allowing families across the country to laugh at the same jokes and debate the same plot twists. Of course, it wasn’t just M*A*S*H. Everyone could assume that nearly everyone else had seen shows like Seinfeld or Dallas. … This anchored social life in common references and fostered a sense of collective identity. This logic could also be applied to cinema … music … video games … or even software … Today, that sense of shared cultural experience has eroded and been replaced by a landscape of personalised content that appeals to ever-diminishing niches.” (01/08/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/01/08/ai-and-the-end-of-common-culture-cinema-music-software/
-----
39) Greenland’s Persistent Predator
Source: The Bulwark
by Will Saletan
“In the year since Donald Trump returned to power, the United States has become — as one of Trump’s supporters, Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee, admiringly put it on Wednesday — ‘the dominant predator’ in the Western Hemisphere. Trump has extorted Canada and Ukraine, threatened Panama and Colombia, invaded Venezuela, and deployed the American military to loot Venezuela’s oil. Now Trump is now circling back to a familiar target: Greenland. He doesn’t care that the island territory and its parent country, Denmark, have done nothing to deserve aggression. Nor does he care that they’re part of NATO. And he’s utterly indifferent — just as he’s always been with his abuse of women — to their requests to be left alone. He keeps threatening and harassing Greenland and Denmark, no matter how many times they ask him to stop.” (01/08/26)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-greenland-denmark-predator
-----
40) Minnesota Stealing: Reason to Rethink Government Welfare
Source: Town Hall
by Larry Elder
“As for the estimated $8 billion in government (taxpayer) money stolen by crooks in Minnesota, people demand answers to many questions. But the 800-pound elephant/question goes unasked: Why is government in the business of welfare in the first place? Where in the Constitution does it permit the federal government to extract money from taxpayers for charity? Years ago, I worked full time one summer as a ‘loaned executive’ for the United Way of Cleveland. My job was to meet with CEOs of companies, tell them the story of the United Way and hopefully arrange for me to make a presentation to the company’s employees, take questions and then ask for donations. Through this process, the United Way raised and donated money to other nonprofits involved in community activities such as preschooling, counseling ‘at-risk’ youths, after-school academic programs, care for the sick and elderly and youth sports programs, among other local initiatives.” (01/08/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/larryelder/2026/01/08/minnesota-stealing-reason-to-rethink-government-welfare-n2669056
-----
41) Trump’s sphere of influence gambit is sloppy, self-sabotage
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Anatol Lieven
“Spheres of influence stem from the very nature of states and international relations. States will always seek to secure their interests by exerting influence over their neighbors, and the more powerful the state, the greater the influence that it will seek. That said, sphere of influence strategies vary greatly, on spectrums between relative moderation and excess, humanity and cruelty, discreet pressure and open intimidation, and intelligence and stupidity; and the present policies of the Trump administration in the Western Hemisphere show disturbing signs of inclining towards the latter.” (01/08/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-spheres-of-influence/
-----
42) An Illegal and Unwise Incursion
Source: The Dispatch
by Erwin Chemerinsky
“President Donald Trump’s military invasion of Venezuela to capture its president, Nicolás Maduro, was illegal and unconstitutional. There is no legal authority, in American or international law, for the United States, in Trump’s words, to be ‘running’ another country. And it is chilling that rather than acknowledging these legal issues, the president is instead talking about possible blatantly illegal military actions against Colombia, Cuba, Greenland, and Mexico. The fact that the United States has the ability to overpower other nations does not make its actions legal or just.” (01/08/26)
https://thedispatch.com/debates/illegal-invasion-venezuela-trump-constitution/
-----
43) Is The “Forever Winter” Our Future?
Source: The Realist Review
by Chris Mott
“Thoughts on AI, nuclear weapons, and forever wars …” (01/08/26)
https://therealistreview.substack.com/p/is-the-forever-winter-our-future
-----
44) The Trump Administration Says It’s Illegal To Record Videos of ICE. Here’s What the Law Says.
Source: Reason
by CJ Ciaramella
“The Trump administration believes you don’t have the right to record Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in public. This stance is both factually wrong and an attempt to chill free speech by conflating it with violence. … Recording government agents is one of the few tools citizens have to hold state power accountable. Any attempt to redefine observation as ‘violence’ is not only unconstitutional — it’s authoritarian gaslighting. When a government fears cameras more than crimes, it isn’t protecting the rule of law. It’s protecting itself.” (for publication 02/26)
https://reason.com/2026/01/08/you-have-the-right-to-record-ice/
-----
45) Donald Trump’s Degenerate Plans for Greenland
Source: The American Prospect
by Ryan Cooper
“The president ordered a successful kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and he seems to be feeling his oats. After months of apparently forgetting about his deranged idea to conquer Greenland by force, it is now back under discussion, and Trump seems to be actually serious this time. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that ‘a range of options’ are under consideration, including ‘utilizing the U.S. military.’ Last summer, I spent over a month reporting on Greenland, including visiting its capital, Nuuk, for over a week, where I talked to all kinds of folks. When I asked about Trump’s annexation threats, the overwhelming reaction was bafflement. What on earth could the point possibly be? What could America possibly get from invasion and annexation that it does not already have? The answer on any grounds (morality, self-interest, national security, or plain common sense) is: nothing.” (01/08/25)
https://prospect.org/2026/01/08/donald-trump-greenland-venezuela-denmark/
-----
46) Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela: The Perpetual Fraud of the War on Drugs
Source: Antiwar.com
by Blair Graham
“After months of speculation, threats, and periodic bombings of Trinidadian fishermen, the Trump administration finally took direct military action against Venezuela, culminating in the kidnapping of the country’s sitting president Nicolas Maduro. The justifications for this action were eerily familiar. This extraordinary operation had nothing to do with seizing the assets of a country that, coincidentally, sits on the largest proven reserves of oil in the world. Instead, the White House Claims, this was an effort carried out with strict deference to American national security imperatives, for Maduro and his ‘illegitimate’ regime presided over one of the biggest drug-trafficking networks of any country on Earth, shipping industrial quantities of illegal narcotics to U.S. soil each year.” (01/08/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/blair_graham/2026/01/07/panama-colombia-and-venezuela-the-perpetual-fraud-of-the-war-on-drugs/
-----
47) “The courts are dead.” An interview with a fired immigration judge
Source: The Watch
by Radley Balko
“George Pappas talks about how Trump ended due process for immigrants, and how to fight back. ‘The law has failed us,’ he says. ‘So now we have to turn to politics.'” (01/08/26)
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-courts-are-dead-an-interview
-----
48) First State of the Union: George Washington’s Blueprint Betrayed
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Michael Boldin
“January 8, 1790. George Washington walked into the Senate Chamber of Federal Hall in New York City and delivered his first annual message to a joint session of Congress. Today, we call it the State of the Union. In his speech, Washington set the standard for how a president should act. From the clothes he wore to how he approached the separation of powers in the Constitution, to his support for an educated and armed people, ready to defend their own constitution and liberty. Once you read just what he said and did, it’s pretty obvious this blueprint has been betrayed for a long, long time.” (01/07/26)
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2026/01/07/first-state-of-the-union-george-washingtons-blueprint-betrayed/
-----
49) Donald Mamdani Trump
Source: Coyote Blog
by Warren Meyer
“The WSJ reports: ‘President Trump said he will ban large investors from buying single-family homes, the administration’s first significant move to address the country’s severe housing shortage.’ … I tell folks all the time that Trump is not a freaking free-marketeer. This is yet more evidence. His proposal is right out of the failed Progressive-Socialist playbook on housing.” (01/07/26)
https://coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2026/01/donald-mamdani-trump.html
-----
50) If it plans to fix Venezuela, US must sever any links to Maduro regime
Source: New York Post
by Daniel Batlle
“If the regime of Nicolás Maduro is illegitimate, as President Trump repeatedly declared before ousting Maduro, why is the administration now in bed with Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez? Four days after the extraordinary capture of Maduro by US special forces, reports of life under Rodríguez are grim for Venezuelans who hoped for change. On Tuesday, pro-regime armed colectivos were roaming Carácas searching for anyone who might have been celebrating Maduro’s downfall. Journalists were getting hauled in and later let go. Political prisoners remain locked up — despite some holiday releases before Maduro got nabbed. The unfortunate decision to work through the existing power structure reflects the unique situation Trump now faces in Venezuela. Most leaders would have concluded the post-Maduro challenges were insurmountable — and never attempted the operation. Trump’s bold move succeeded tactically, but now comes the far more difficult strategic test.” (01/08/25)
https://nypost.com/2026/01/07/opinion/the-us-must-sever-any-links-to-the-maduro-regime-if-it-plans-to-fix-venezuela/
-----
51) Trump’s Greenland fixation curdles into a crisis
Source: Washington Post
by David Ignatius
“President Donald Trump isn’t crazy to want a greater U.S. role in Greenland for national security reasons — and he probably could have negotiated a quick deal to expand U.S. military access and investment there with Denmark, which owns the island. But Trump’s swaggering campaign to buy Greenland or seize it outright has instead produced a crisis that could damage American security for decades — far outweighing any gains from control of the barren island. ‘Shooting yourself in the foot’ is too generous a description for Trump’s effort. It’s more like shooting yourself in the head.” (01/07/26)
https://archive.is/ASrth
-----
52) Here’s Why the Iranian Regime Seems Invincible
Source: Persuasion
by anonymous
“Over the past few decades, Iranians’ protests against the Islamic Republic have become a regular sight—bursts of defiance that light up the streets, fill the air with hope, and then fade away only to become a fire beneath ashes. Each protest seems bigger, braver, and more hopeful. Yet each time, the system endures. Still, hope doesn’t die. You can hear it in every conversation and encrypted message coming out of Iran: people still believe change is possible.” (01/07/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/heres-why-the-iranian-regime-seems
-----
53) Murder in Minneapolis
Source: Liberal Currents
by Adam Gurri
“This morning, DHS posted ‘GOOD MORNING MINNEAPOLIS!’ on X, relishing their own power to bring fear down on an American city. Mere hours later, a masked agent of the state murdered a US citizen while she was attempting to drive away. DHS quickly spun the killing as self defense, but a plethora of videos and even more witnesses made that lie obvious immediately. … She was turning her car to leave and the agent, in no danger at all, shoots straight into her open window. This tragedy, this crime, is only to be expected from an administration that has always believed itself entitled to not just govern, but to rule over a free people. An administration that rejects professionalism and has sought to scale up what was already the least professionalized federal agency to act as a personal enforcer for the President.” (01/07/26)
https://archive.is/CdPyk
-----
54) The Serious Risks of Trump’s Executive Order Curbing State Regulation of AI
Source: In These Times
by Anjana Susarla
“President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Dec. 11, 2025, that aims to supersede state-level artificial intelligence laws that the administration views as a hindrance to innovation in AI. State laws regulating AI are increasing in number, particularly in response to the rise of generative AI systems such as ChatGPT that produce text and images. Thirty-eight states enacted laws in 2025 regulating AI in one way or another. They range from prohibiting stalking via AI-powered robots to barring AI systems that can manipulate people’s behavior. The executive order declares that it is the policy of the United States to produce a ‘minimally burdensome’ national framework for AI.” (01/07/25)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/open-ai-serious-risks-trump-executive-order-state-regulation-of-artification-intelligence
-----
55) Social Media Is The New Smoking, And We’re The New “Health Nuts”
Source: The Findings Substack
by Paul Rosenberg
“If social media is to become the new smoking – and it is already to a significant degree – those of us who speak against it are playing the same role as the health nuts of the 1960s. I think we should accept this role. More still, I think we should embrace it and be proud of it. The health nuts were right, after all, and the places where smoking has vanished are very much the better for it.” (01/07/26)
https://thefindings.substack.com/p/social-media-is-the-new-smoking-and
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
56) The Fifth Column, episode 539
Source: The Fifth Column
“The Memory Hole & the Rent Freeze Trap (w/ Josh Barro).” (01/08/26)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/the-memory-hole-and-the-rent-freeze
-----
57) Capital Record, episode 278
Source: National Review
“Will Mayor Mamdani Give President Trump His Phone Back Please?” (01/08/26)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/will-mayor-mamdani-give-president-trump-his-phone-back-please/
-----
58) The Libertarian Angle, 01/08/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Trump’s Abduction and Rendition of Maduro.” (01/08/26)
https://www.fff.org/freedom-in-motion/video/libertarian-angle-trumps-abduction-and-rendition-of-maduro/
-----
59) Advisory Opinions, 01/08/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Prosecuting Foreign Leaders.” (01/08/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/prosecuting-foreign-leaders/
-----
60) The Good Fight, 01/08/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“The Good Fight Club: Maduro’s Capture, Trump’s Foreign Policy Vision, and the Future of American Power.” (01/08/26)
https://writing.yaschamounk.com/p/the-good-fight-club-maduros-capture
-----
61) Quillette Podcast, episode 319
Source: Quillette
“How to Think Like a Human.” (01/08/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/01/08/podcast-319-how-to-think-like-a-human/
-----
62) Bulwark Takes, 01/08/26
Source: The Bulwark
“Invading Greenland Would Be a Disaster (w/ Mark Hertling).” (01/08/28)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/invading-greenland-would-be-a-disaster-w-mark/id1794450472?i=1000744278163
-----
63) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 01/08/26
Source: Antiwar News
“US Claims It’s ‘Dictating’ Venezuela’s Decisions, US Bombs Somalia During Helicopter Raid, and More.” (01/08/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lco5mrVbOj8
-----
64) Reasonably Optimistic, 01/07/26
Source: Washington Post
“How the internet changed politics — and our lives — forever.” (01/07/26)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/impromptu/how-the-internet-changed-politics–and-our-lives–forever/?utm_source=podcasts&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=impromptu
-----
65) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 01/07/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Patrick Henningsen: Venezuela: America’s Next Disaster?” (01/07/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/the-kyle-anzalone-show-guest-patrick-henningsen-venezuela-americas-next-disaster/
-----
66) Political Theater, 01/07/26
Source: Roll Call
“The good, the bad and the meh: What we’re watching in 2026.” (01/07/26)
https://dcs-spotify.megaphone.fm/FISCAL7674832253.mp3
-----
67) Fountainhead Forum, episode 404
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Wes Benedict on running for chair of the Libertarian (USA) National Committee.” (01/07/26)
https://rumble.com/v7400j8-ff-404-wes-benedict-on-running-for-chair-of-the-libertarian-usa-national-co.html
-----
68) Show-Me Institute Podcast, 01/07/26
Source: Show-Me Institute
“Is the Chiefs Move to Kansas Really a Done Deal?” (01/07/26)
https://showmeinstitute.org/blog/budget-and-spending/is-the-chiefs-move-to-kansas-really-a-done-deal/
-----
69) The David Frum Show, 01/07/26
Source: The Atlantic
“Trump Has No Plan for Venezuela.” (01/07/26)
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/01/david-frum-show-david-rothkopf-venezuela/685534/
-----
70) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 01/07/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Raising The Stakes: US Seizes RUSSIA-Flagged Tanker!” (01/07/26)
https://rumble.com/v74042u-raising-the-stakes-us-seizes-russia-flagged-tanker.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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