04/22 -- Trump announces Iran ceasefire extension but says blockade remains; Trump's regime change fantasies never stood a chance
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Thomas L. Knapp
Apr 22, 2026, 6:13:14 AM (9 days ago) Apr 22
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 04/22/26
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Trump announces Iran ceasefire extension but says blockade remains
2) VA: Voters approve Democrats’ gerrymander plan
3) Ukraine: Russian drones strike Odesa port
4) Democrat Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida resigns from Congress, just ahead of sanction in ethics case
5) Coinbase advisory board says quantum computing threat is on the horizon, crypto needs a plan
6) FL: AG uses OpenAI’s ChatGPT as prop in reelection campaign
7) Citing Child Cancer Risk, Lawsuit Targets Trump EPA Over Glyphosate
8) NY: Regime sues Coinbase, Gemini Titan over prediction markets
9) NASA shuts off Voyager 1 instrument to save power 15 billion miles from Earth
10) MN: Walz rolls out “Small Town PAC” to rebuild Democrats’ rural bench
11) Nigeria: Regime charges six with treason over alleged coup plot
12) Japan: Earthquake sets off brief tsunami alert and megaquake advisory
13) South Korea: Police seek to arrest K-pop mogul behind BTS
14) Warsh calls for “regime change” at Fed, new inflation approach
15) Myanmar: Junta Seeks Peace Talks, Resistance Rejects Offer
16) Federal judge blocks Nexstar-Tegna TV station merger until antitrust lawsuit is settled
17) Madonna offers reward for return of missing Coachella costume
18) Cuba: Regime confirms talks with US officials, urges end to Trump energy blockade
19) Ukraine completes Druzhba pipeline repairs, hoping to unlock blocked EU loan
20) The Onion launches new bid to take over Alex Jones’s Infowars
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Trump’s regime change fantasies never stood a chance
22) Instead of Ending the DHS “Shutdown,” Make It Real … and Permanent
23) The Mindless Hawkishness of the Trump Administration
24) The Strongman Era Has Peaked
25) The Proposed FISA “Warrant Requirement” Isn’t a Warrant Requirement
26) Pointers for restoring trust in higher education
27) Greece’s 19th Century Currant Crisis: A Warning Against “Temporary” Government Support
28) A Justice in Full
29) “You Dirty ORANGE Maniac! You Blew It All Up! Damn You to Hell!”
30) The AOC-Schiff Thesis
31) Dear Mr. President, Please Stop Giving Special Access to the Left-Wing [sic] Press
32) When Legal Methods Become Rhetoric
33) Biden Official: Biden Was Preparing To Bomb Iran If Re-Elected
34) Focus on the Sixth Amendment
35) Trump’s Memory Loss
36) Freedom Upsets Patterns: The Deregulation Argument Westminster Will Not Have
37) Warring Democrats will need more than Trump hatred to win in 2028
38) The holy war America needed
39) Quantum Vibe, 04/21/26
40) Supremacist Alliance: The Zionist-Hindutva Hijacking of America
41) Named for Mamdani, GOP Bill Would Strip Citizenship From People Who Advocate for Socialism
42) Why Our Economic Intuitions Are Often Wrong
43) Hope in the Data: Can Palestine Explain America’s Moral Shift?
44) Kevin Warsh and the Erosion of the Dollar
45) How education’s decline is corroding a pillar of the left’s power
46) The Myth of Libertarianism
47) From Res Publica to the United States of Trump
48) Palantir Has a Human Rights Policy. Its ICE Work Tells a Different Story
49) Aftermath: The Hormuz Farm Crisis
50) Don’t Count on the 25th Amendment To Dethrone Donald Trump
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) The COVID Reckoning Doesn’t Go Far Enough
52) Michele McPhee on The Scott Horton Show
53) Law & Liberty Podcast, 04/21/26
54) Trump Watch, 04/21/26
55) The Good Fight, 04/21/26
56) The Corbett Report, episode 499
57) The Bryan Hyde Show, 04/21/26
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 04/20/26
59) Fountainhead Forum, episode 438
60) Finding Freedom, 04/20/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Trump announces Iran ceasefire extension but says blockade remains
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“United States President Donald Trump has announced an extension to the ceasefire with Iran, saying that the US military will hold off its planned attack to allow more time for Tehran to put forward a proposal to end the war. The move on Tuesday comes at the request of Pakistani mediators, according to Trump. The truce was set to expire on Wednesday. … The extension marks the latest abrupt reversal from the Trump White House. Hours before his social media post, Trump had said that he opposed lengthening the truce, warning Iran that time is running out before the US launches a huge attack on its infrastructure.” (04/21/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/21/trump-announces-extending-iran-ceasefire-but-says-blockade-remains
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2) VA: Voters approve Democrats’ gerrymander plan
Source: NBC News
“Virginia voters on Tuesday approved a Democratic redistricting plan that could allow the party to pick up as many as four new seats in the midterm elections, NBC News projects. With 97% of the vote in, the “yes” vote on the ballot referendum held a narrow lead of 3 percentage points. The special election is a major victory for Democrats as they seek to gain control of the narrowly divided House this fall. Democrats have now won statewide votes in California and Virginia to redraw congressional maps as part of a mid-decade redistricting arms race that began last year when President Donald Trump urged GOP-led states to alter their district lines.” (04/21/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/virginia-voters-approve-democrats-redistricting-plan-giving-party-midt-rcna340895
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3) Ukraine: Russian drones strike Odesa port
Source: Raidió Teilifís Éireann [Irish state media]
“Russian drones attacked infrastructure in Ukraine’s Black Sea Odesa port overnight, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba has said. Berths, warehouses, railway infrastructure and port operators’ facilities were damaged in the assault, Mr Kuleba wrote on the Telegram messaging app. The hold of a cargo ship was also hit, causing a fire Ukraine’s seaports authority said. According to preliminary information no one was hurt in the attack, and the port was still operating, the authority said on Telegram.” (04/22/26)
https://www.rte.ie/news/ukraine/2026/0422/1569492-ukraine-russia/
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4) Democrat Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida resigns from Congress, just ahead of sanction in ethics case
Source: SFGate
“Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida resigned on Tuesday moments before a hearing was to begin to consider what punishment to recommend after a House ethics panel found she had committed numerous campaign finance and reporting violations. The congresswoman was facing the possible threat of expulsion, something that has only occurred six times in the history of the House. Support from her own party was increasingly in doubt. In a statement, Chefilus-McCormick said her resignation was ‘effective immediately.’ ‘But let me say this plainly: we should be very careful about the precedent we are setting in this country, we do not punish people before due process is complete,’ she said. ‘We do not allow allegations alone to override the will of the people. …’ The committee had previously determined she committed 25 violations of House rules and ethical standards, including breaking campaign finance laws.” (04/21/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/lawmakers-weigh-sanctions-for-democratic-rep-22217522.php
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5) Coinbase advisory board says quantum computing threat is on the horizon, crypto needs a plan
Source: CoinDesk
“A new report commissioned by Coinbase sounds a cautious, but urgent, alarm: Quantum computing won’t break crypto tomorrow, but the industry can’t afford to wait. The 50-page paper, authored by an independent advisory board that includes prominent cryptographers and academics like Dan Boneh of Stanford University, Justin Drake of the Ethereum Foundation and Sreeram Kannan of Eigen Labs, concludes that while today’s blockchains remain secure, a future ‘fault-tolerant quantum computer’ capable of breaking widely used encryption is increasingly plausible, and preparation must begin now. … Rather than a single solution, the report outlines multiple transition strategies, including hybrid systems that combine existing cryptography with post-quantum updates or allow a gradual switch when needed.” (04/21/26)
https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2026/04/21/coinbase-advisory-board-says-quantum-computing-threat-is-on-the-horizon-crypto-needs-a-plan
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6) FL: AG uses OpenAI’s ChatGPT as prop in reelection campaign
Source: NBC News
“Florida’s attorney general said his office was issuing subpoenas to OpenAI on Tuesday morning, seeking information about how the leading AI company approaches user threats of harm to themselves and to others. The subpoenas are part of a new criminal investigation into the company, James Uthmeier said in a press conference. The actions are an escalation from his previously announced probe of the artificial intelligence company, which he said will continue as a civil investigation alongside the newly announced criminal investigation. On April 9, Uthmeier said he would launch an investigation into OpenAI and its ChatGPT tool over national security and safety concerns. Among other concerns, he is investigating whether ChatGPT provided any planning assistance to the alleged gunman in the Florida State University mass shooting that left two people dead in April last year.” (04/21/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/florida-attorney-general-criminal-investigation-openai-fsu-chatgpt-rcna341205
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7) Citing Child Cancer Risk, Lawsuit Targets Trump EPA Over Glyphosate
Source: Common Dreams
“Just days before the US Supreme Court is set to hear arguments related to glyphosate’s health risks, the Environmental Working Group on Tuesday sued the Trump administration for unlawfully delaying its response to an EWG petition seeking stronger restrictions on ‘the most widely used herbicide in the United States and globally.’ The filing at the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit calls out the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to act on evidence that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup, ‘is exposing infants and young children to harmful levels through everyday foods.’ EWG and its co-petitioners filed a formal administrative petition under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act in 2018 …. They want the EPA to revoke or modify the glyphosate policy for oats, so it’s stricter, and restrict its use as a pre-harvest drying agent.” (04/21/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/glyphosate
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8) NY: Regime sues Coinbase, Gemini Titan over prediction markets
Source: Yahoo! Finance
“New York’s attorney general sued Coinbase Financial Markets and Gemini Titan on Tuesday, claiming their prediction markets violate state laws against illegal gambling. In complaints filed in a state court in Manhattan, Attorney General Letitia James said Coinbase and Gemini failed to obtain New York State Gaming Commission licenses to operate their markets, where people trade based on the predicted outcomes of events such as sports and elections. James said Coinbase’s and Gemini’s so-called event contracts are ‘quintessentially gambling’ because event outcomes are outside bettors’ control or amount to games of chance. She also objected to Coinbase and Gemini letting 18- to 20-year-olds use their platforms, despite a state law setting a minimum age of 21 for mobile sports betting.” (04/21/26)
https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/crypto/articles/york-sues-coinbase-financial-markets-160504421.html
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9) NASA shuts off Voyager 1 instrument to save power 15 billion miles from Earth
Source: Fox News
“NASA shut down one of Voyager 1’s science instruments to conserve dwindling power and keep the nearly 49-year-old spacecraft operating as it continues its journey through interstellar space more than 15 billion miles from Earth. Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California sent commands Friday to turn off Voyager 1’s Low-Energy Charged Particles (LECP) experiment, a long-running instrument that has operated almost continuously since the spacecraft launched in 1977. The move comes as the nuclear-powered probe loses about 4 watts of power each year, and mission managers work to stretch its remaining lifespan. ‘While shutting down a science instrument is not anybody’s preference, it is the best option available,’ Kareem Badaruddin, Voyager mission manager at JPL, said in a statement.” (04/21/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/science/nasa-shuts-voyager-1-instrument-save-power-15b-miles-earth
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10) MN: Walz rolls out “Small Town PAC” to rebuild Democrats’ rural bench
Source: Minnesota Star Tribune
“Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is launching his next political endeavor: a federal political action committee that will seek to recruit and support Democrats in rural communities nationwide. Walz announced the creation of the Small Town PAC on Monday, April 20, saying he wants to help build a new pipeline of candidates rooted in the places Democrats have struggled to win in recent years. … Walz, who has served two terms as governor and was the party’s vice presidential nominee in 2024, told the Minnesota Star Tribune last month that he planned to play an active role in this year’s midterm elections, particularly in governors’ races. He serves as finance chair of the Democratic Governors Association. But Walz faces a harsh political reality as he begins his new venture: His approval rating has plummeted in greater Minnesota in recent years.” (04/20/26)
https://archive.is/K2xeP
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11) Nigeria: Regime charges six with treason over alleged coup plot
Source: Seattle Times
“Nigerian authorities have charged six people, including a retired major general and a serving police inspector, with terrorism and treason, over an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu, according to a charge sheet seen by The Associated Press on Tuesday. The six were all in custody. A seventh suspect, former Bayelsa state Gov. Timpre Sylva, is accused of helping to conceal the plot and is still at large. … The Nigerian government first said it had foiled a coup attempt in January, when it announced that several military officers would stand trial.” (04/21/26)
https://archive.is/pqylD
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12) Japan: Earthquake sets off brief tsunami alert and megaquake advisory
Source: SFGate
“A 7.7 magnitude earthquake Monday off northern Japan sparked a short-lived tsunami alert and an advisory of a slightly higher risk of a possible megaquake for its coastal areas. The Cabinet Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency said there was a 1% chance for a megaquake, compared to a 0.1% chance during normal times, in the next week or so following the quake near the Chishima and Japan trenches. Officials said the advisory was not a prediction but urged residents in 182 towns along the northeastern coasts to raise their preparedness while continuing their daily lives. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi urged residents to confirm their designated shelters and evacuation routes and to check emergency food and grab bags so they can run immediately when a megaquake hits.” (04/21/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/powerful-7-4-magnitude-earthquake-strikes-off-22215405.php
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13) South Korea: Police seek to arrest K-pop mogul behind BTS
Source: ABC News
“South Korean police said Tuesday they are seeking to arrest music mogul Bang Si-Hyuk, chairman of the agency behind K-pop supergroup BTS, as they expand an investigation into allegations that he illegally gained more than $100 million in an investor fraud scheme. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency confirmed that it has asked prosecutors to request a court warrant for arresting Bang, the billionaire founder and chairman of Hybe. Bang’s legal team in a statement to The Associated Press did not directly address the accusations but expressed regret that police were seeking his arrest ‘despite our full and consistent cooperation with the investigation over an extended period.'” (04/21/26)
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/south-korean-police-seek-arrest-pop-mogul-bts-132225840
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14) Warsh calls for “regime change” at Fed, new inflation approach
Source: Reuters
“Federal Reserve chief nominee Kevin Warsh called for ‘regime change’ at the U.S. central bank, including a new approach for controlling inflation and a communications overhaul that may discourage his colleagues from saying too much about the direction of monetary policy. Warsh’s comments during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee left key questions about his nomination unresolved, with Republican Senator Thom Tillis using his full time to explain why he would not vote for the 56-year-old lawyer and financier until the Trump administration dropped a criminal probe of current Fed Chair Jerome Powell — a stance that could leave Powell as head of the central bank indefinitely.” (04/21/26)
https://www.reuters.com/business/warshs-path-top-fed-job-entangled-ahead-senate-confirmation-hearing-2026-04-21/
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15) Myanmar: Junta Seeks Peace Talks, Resistance Rejects Offer
Source: US News & World Report
“Myanmar’s new military-backed government wants to hold peace talks with opposition armed groups by the end of July, the country’s junta leader-turned-president said, but two key rebel groups rejected the offer on Tuesday. State media reported that President Min Aung Hlaing, who led a coup five years ago that plunged the Southeast Asian country into a civil war that continues to rage, told a government meeting that he wanted rebel groups that were not part of a ceasefire deal to join talks to be held within 100 days. … Myanmar has been in turmoil following the coup that overthrew the democratically elected government of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who was subsequently imprisoned for 27 years on charges her allies say were politically motivated. Last week, the government cut the 80-year-old’s sentence by one-sixth.” (04/21/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-04-21/myanmar-president-seeks-peace-talks-within-100-days-rebels-reject-offer
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16) Federal judge blocks Nexstar-Tegna TV station merger until antitrust lawsuit is settled
Source: NBC News
“A federal judge has blocked a $6.2 billion merger of local television giants Nexstar Media Group and rival Tegna until an antitrust lawsuit is resolved. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Troy L. Nunley in Sacramento, California, made the ruling late Friday afternoon, finding that eight attorneys general and DirecTV were likely to prevail in their legal bid to stop the merger. The attorneys general, all Democrats, and DirecTV contend the merger will lead to higher prices for consumers, stifle local journalism and that the deal runs afoul of federal laws designed to protect against monopolies.” (04/20/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/federal-judge-blocks-nexstar-tegna-tv-station-merger-rcna340788
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17) Madonna offers reward for return of missing Coachella costume
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Madonna has offered a reward for the return of the outfit she wore on stage at Coachella last weekend, after several of her vintage costume pieces went missing following the festival. ‘These aren’t just clothes, they are part of my history,’ the Queen of Pop wrote on Instagram. Among them were the purple jacket, corset and dress she wore during her surprise guest appearance with Sabrina Carpenter at the California event on Friday night. ‘I’m hoping and praying that some kind soul will find these items and reach out to my team,’ Madonna wrote, adding that she was ‘offering a reward for their safe return’. The outfits are particularly special to the singer because she wore the same boots, corset and jacket during her Coachella performance 20 years ago. ‘It’s like a full-circle moment, very meaningful for me,’ she told the crowd as an adoring Carpenter looked on.” (04/21/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crm19j48wnno
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18) Cuba: Regime confirms talks with US officials, urges end to Trump energy blockade
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“A senior Cuban diplomat on Monday confirmed recent talks in Havana with US officials, as the communist-led island faces a deep crisis over President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign. ‘I can confirm that a meeting between delegations from Cuba and the United States was recently held here in Cuba,’ Alejandro Garcia, the foreign ministry’s under-director of Cuba-US affairs, told the Communist Party newspaper Granma. Garcia said that the negotiators included assistant secretaries from the US State Department and Cuba’s deputy foreign minister.” (04/21/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20260421-cuba-us-talks-trump-energy-blockade
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19) Ukraine completes Druzhba pipeline repairs, hoping to unlock blocked EU loan
Source: SFGate
“Ukraine has completed repairs on a damaged oil pipeline and is preparing to resume flows, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday, while warning that there is no guarantee Russia will not target the infrastructure again. Repairs to the Druzhba pipeline became a contentious issue, delaying approval of a major 90 billion euro ($106 billion) EU loan intended to support Ukraine’s military and economic needs over the next two years. Zelenskyy said repairing the pipeline was linked to freeing the funds, which had been blocked by Hungary and Slovakia. But top EU officials are now cautiously optimistic that the massive loan scheme might be approved as soon as Wednesday, ending months of political deadlock.” (04/21/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/ukraine-completes-druzhba-pipeline-repairs-22218240.php
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20) The Onion launches new bid to take over Alex Jones’s Infowars
Source: Politico
“Satirical news website The Onion announced Monday what might seem to many like one of the media outlet’s signature jokes: it’s in the final stages of an agreement to take over Infowars, the far-right website founded by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. But The Onion — for once — was dead serious. The new deal would see The Onion’s parent company pay an $81,000 monthly licensing fee to Gregory Milligan, the court-appointed bankruptcy manager for the website. It’s a Hail Mary bid by the farcical publication after a judge blocked its initial plan to acquire Infowars in 2024 during a bankruptcy auction. The Onion had offered $1.75 million for Infowars’ assets — hoping to relaunch the site as a parody of itself — during a bankruptcy auction and was declared the winning bidder, but Jones was able to block the acquisition by arguing before the court that the bidding process was tainted by illegal collusion.” (04/20/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/20/the-onion-alex-jones-infowars-bid-00881444
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Trump’s regime change fantasies never stood a chance
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Nancy Gallagher, Clay Ramsay, & Samuel Hickey
“Nobody should be surprised that the war launched on February 28 did not accelerate anti-government protests in Iran. The survey we fielded soon after the Twelve-Day War showed signs it had a rally-around-the-flag effect. Trump also had pre-war warnings from the intelligence community that his assumptions about the Iranian public’s response were flawed. After weeks of bombing, Reuters reported that U.S. intelligence saw no imminent regime collapse. CISSM’s polling consistently finds real discontent in Iran. But Iranian discontent is not America’s to command. The favorable minority in our polling is more outward-looking, more skeptical of the domestic order, more favorable toward American people, and more interested in diplomacy than the rest of the public. But it is not a regime-change base waiting for Washington’s signal.” (04/21/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-regime-change-iran/
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22) Instead of Ending the DHS “Shutdown,” Make It Real … and Permanent
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“No hijackings. No bombings. No ‘national security’ related hostage situations. Just life, as usual, minus paying out big bucks for a useless bureaucracy that we got along just fine without from 1789 through 2002 … and can clearly get along just fine without now. Even starting a war with Iran wasn’t enough to give DHS anything visibly productive to do. Political and media hysteria over supposed ‘Iranian sleeper cells’ quickly dissipated after it turned out that those cells either don’t exist or didn’t set their alarm clocks. Any sane policy discussion, at this point, should center around how quickly DHS can be defunded permanently and abolished entirely.” (04/21/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20548
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23) The Mindless Hawkishness of the Trump Administration
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“Escalation is unfortunately quite likely because the president and his allies don’t understand how to do anything else. Whenever they encounter resistance, they assume that the answer is always more pressure, more threats, more attacks. It never occurs to them that they are destroying any incentive that the Iranians might have to compromise. Like every mindless hawk before them, they believe that they will win if they just inflict more pain. They can’t fathom that other nations might value their dignity and independence highly enough that surrender is not an option. It is the same morally and stategically bankrupt approach that has failed the U.S. many times before, and it will fail again here.” (04/21/26)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/the-mindless-hawkishness-of-the-trump
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24) The Strongman Era Has Peaked
Source: Foreign Policy
by Stephen M Walt
“[T]he stunning electoral defeat of Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Hungary raises the question: Has the market for autocratic strongmen peaked? One might see this event as an isolated incident, because Hungary is a small country (with a total population only slightly larger than New York City) and because every nation has its own peculiar political dynamics. Orban’s defeat stemmed from deep dissatisfaction with the consequences of his rule, however, and there are reasons to think that today’s strongmen — and yes, they are all men — are facing a rockier future for much the same reason. Most of them have done a poor job of governing, and for reasons that highlight the limitations of letting a single strong leader determine national policy.” (04/21/26)
https://archive.is/g14RK
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25) The Proposed FISA “Warrant Requirement” Isn’t a Warrant Requirement
Source: Exiled Policy
by Jason Pye
“[US House leadership] spent nearly all of Wednesday and Thursday pressuring reform-minded Republicans to get in line on an amended [FISA renewal] bill that would include a ‘warrant requirement.’ The thing is, the amended bill didn’t really include a warrant requirement. The amendment says two main things. First, it says the government can’t use Section 702 to intentionally target the communications of a U.S. person. If the government wants to surveil an American directly, it has to use the legal authorities that already exist for that purpose, such as traditional FISA surveillance or a criminal warrant supported by probable cause. That’s not reform; that’s literally current law, which already says that the government cannot target U.S. persons under 702 and must use existing authorities under Title I of FISA or traditional criminal warrants if it wants to surveil an American directly.” (04/21/26)
https://exiledpolicy.substack.com/p/the-proposed-fisa-warrant-requirement
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26) Pointers for restoring trust in higher education
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“For at least a decade, Americans have wrestled with growing questions and doubts about their institutions of higher education and the value of a traditional four-year degree. The declining confidence has been driven by concerns over escalating costs and growing student indebtedness, uneven job prospects, and on-campus political polarization. These concerns have fed into calls by the current administration for changes to accreditation procedures and transparency in admissions processes, especially among elite institutions. There are indications, however, that the downward trend in Americans’ trust in higher education and its outcomes is not irreversible.” (04/20/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0420/Pointers-for-restoring-trust-in-higher-education
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27) Greece’s 19th Century Currant Crisis: A Warning Against “Temporary” Government Support
Source: The Daily Economy
by Daniel J Smith
“In 1895, Greek journalist Vlasis Gavriilidis traveled to Cambridge University seeking advice from three leading economists — Alfred Marshall, Henry Sidgwick, and John Neville Keynes — on the most urgent economic problem facing his country: a collapsing market for currants (Corinthian raisins), which then accounted for roughly half of all Greek exports. \Overproduction, fueled by earlier government policies and a temporary export boom, threatened widespread rural unemployment and poverty. The economists offered divided counsel. That ambiguity gave organized currant growers the opening they needed to lobby successfully for a price-support system — a ‘temporary’ intervention that promised stable incomes for growers while shifting costs onto taxpayers and distorting the broader economy. … The measure was anything but temporary.” (04/21/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/greeces-19th-century-currant-crisis-a-warning-against-temporary-government-support/
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28) A Justice in Full
Source: Law & Liberty
by Mark Pulliam
“Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. has served on the US Supreme Court for 20 years, but has never gotten the attention — or credit — he deserves. … Alito’s lack of public recognition is about to change. Mollie Hemingway, well-known center-right journalist and best-selling co-author of an excellent account of the tortuous confirmation process inflicted on Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, Justice on Trial, has written the first biography of Alito, entitled Alito: The Justice Who Reshaped the Supreme Court and Restored the Constitution.” (04/21/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/a-justice-in-full/
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29) “You Dirty ORANGE Maniac! You Blew It All Up! Damn You to Hell!”
Source: TomDispatch
by Tom Engelhardt
“When he’s on full blast, Donald Trump (not so long ago the ‘drill, baby, drill’ candidate for president) is distinctly a furnace. And he seems intent on turning this planet, our only world, into a version of the same. But here’s the strange thing, when it comes to almost anything — from Iran to suddenly firing two key women, Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem, in his government (but certainly not the no-less-chaotic men) — there’s no minute, it seems, when he’s not flipping himself on his head and then spinning or stumbling or catapulting off in a new direction. There’s only one exception I’ve noticed and, all too sadly, that’s climate change, where everything he does — every single thing — is guaranteed to be a disaster for our children and grandchildren.” (04/21/26)
https://tomdispatch.com/you-dirty-orange-maniac-you-blew-it-all-up-damn-you-to-hell/
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30) The AOC-Schiff Thesis
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“I wonder how many others were amused, as I was last week, to hear Senator Adam Schiff praise members of his party for the ouster of his fellow Californian and Democrat, Rep. Eric Swallwell, from Congress. The tale, as told on this website on Sunday, is that Swallwell — one of Schiff’s closest colleagues pushing the Russiagate gambit against the first Trump administration — was pressured to resign over the massive amount of complaints against him for sexual harassment and other unwanted sexual advances. There is even an accusation of rape. Also resigning was a Republican from Texas, Tony Gonzalez, for similar reasons. Schiff — who claimed to be ‘sickened’ and ‘aghast’ at the accusations and what Swallwell ‘has done’ — followed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in scorning the Republicans for postponing dealing with the Gonzalez problem.” (04/21/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/04/21/the-aoc-schiff-thesis/
-----
31) Dear Mr. President, Please Stop Giving Special Access to the Left-Wing [sic] Press
Source: Town Hall
by Derek Hunter
“Remember when the leftist [sic] media was upset about Benjamin Netanyahu being in the Situation Room with President Trump? ‘How dare he?’ they cried as they clutched their pearls. Well, at least Israel is an ally [sic] of the United States, whereas the media is not, and the media, as horrifying as it is, is only made worse by the President talking to them. Please, Mr. President, stop giving access to these people.” (04/21/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2026/04/21/dear-mr-president-please-stop-giving-special-access-to-the-left-wing-press-n2674787
-----
32) When Legal Methods Become Rhetoric
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Marcos Giansante
“In well-ordered legal traditions, disagreement about outcomes is expected. Disagreement about methods is tolerable. But the abandonment of method altogether marks a deeper rupture, one that transforms law from a system of constraint into an instrument of will. Contemporary Brazilian jurisprudence increasingly reveals such a rupture. The problem is often framed as a conflict between legal theories, or as the natural evolution of constitutional interpretation. Yet this framing misidentifies the phenomenon. What is at stake is not the triumph of one doctrine over another, but the quiet dissolution of the very structures that once constrained judicial power.” (04/21/26)
https://mises.org/power-market/when-legal-methods-become-rhetoric
-----
33) Biden Official: Biden Was Preparing To Bomb Iran If Re-Elected
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Former senior Biden advisor Amos Hochstein said during an interview on Sunday that the Biden administration had been preparing to bomb Iran if they had won re-election in 2024. Hochstein was asked by Face the Nation’s Margaret Brennan, ‘In July 2024 Secretary Blinken claimed Iran was one or two weeks away from having enough fissile material breakout capacity to eventually make a weapon if Iran had decided to do so. There were indirect negotiations that the Biden administration did, but it went nowhere. So when President Trump argues that he did what no other president would, is it just simply that the bill was coming due and it fell on his watch?'” (04/21/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/04/21/biden-official-biden-was-preparing-to-bomb-iran-if-re-elected/
-----
34) Focus on the Sixth Amendment
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Rachel Chiu
“The Confrontation Clause bars certain out-of-court statements when the witness does not testify at trial and there is no opportunity for cross-examination. Although there are many situations in which different forms of out-of-court statements may be admissible, the circumstances triggering the Confrontation Clause often involve evidence that is high-stakes and accusatory. In these specific cases, a defendant’s freedom is on the line, and the statements in question can have a disproportionate and decisive impact in the absence of cross-examination. Compared to other criminal justice topics such as qualified immunity and civil asset forfeiture, this issue receives far less attention, even though the risk to a defendant’s life, personal liberty, and property is great. The erosion of the Confrontation Clause deserves scrutiny, and the Supreme Court has recently signaled possible intervention to address the problem.” (04/21/26)
https://fee.org/articles/focus-on-the-sixth-amendment/
-----
35) Trump’s Memory Loss
Source: The American Spectator
by Lloyd Billingsley
“With support from President Trump, Congress passed a bill to extend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) through April 30. The president seems to have forgotten FISA’s power to harm innocents, override the judiciary, and even threaten the executive branch. That invites a look back at how it all started.” (04/21/26)
https://spectator.org/trumps-memory-loss/
-----
36) Freedom Upsets Patterns: The Deregulation Argument Westminster Will Not Have
Source: Cobden Centre
by Elias Sanchez
“The United Kingdom’s economic deceleration is conventionally attributed to fiscal consolidation, anaemic productivity growth, and the supply-side dislocations that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These are real constraints. But treating them as primary causes rather than downstream symptoms is a misdiagnosis — and an increasingly costly one. The deeper pathology is regulatory density: an accumulated architecture of formal constraints that suppresses entrepreneurial discovery, crowds out new entrants, and reduces the adaptive capacity of institutions.” (04/21/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/04/freedom-upsets-patterns-the-deregulation-argument-westminster-will-not-have/
-----
37) Warring Democrats will need more than Trump hatred to win in 2028
Source: Fox News
by Liz Peek
“To paraphrase the late President Richard Nixon, what will Democrats do when they don’t have Donald Trump to kick around anymore? It’s a valid question. Currently, shared hatred of Donald Trump is the baling wire holding the fractured Democratic Party together. The party is deeply divided over nearly every facet of government and policy, with progressives and moderates warring over taxes, gender issues, AI, climate change, law enforcement and Israel. It isn’t at all clear who the party’s leaders are. Is it Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, whose approval rating nationally among Democrats barely clears 40%, or is it leftist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who may challenge Schumer for his Senate seat in 2028 but who is currently, astonishingly, under fire from progressives for trying to reach moderate voters?” (04/21/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/liz-peek-warring-democrats-need-trump-hatred-win-2028
-----
38) The holy war America needed
Source: The Hill
by Jos Joseph
“What we are seeing is a battle for the future of Christianity in America. Will it be the angry fire and brimstone that Trump and company preach? Or the grace, charity and forgiveness that the pope wants? Expect the two to butt heads even more. Pope Leo was bound to speak up as a shepherd would to protect his flock from the wolf in sheep’s clothing that is MAGA Christianity.” (04/21/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5840272-pope-trump-christianity-conflict/
-----
39) Quantum Vibe, 04/21/26
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (04/21/26)
https://www.quantumvibe.com/strip?page=2585
-----
40) Supremacist Alliance: The Zionist-Hindutva Hijacking of America
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Matt Wolfson
“Much of the spread of Zionist and Hindutva ideologies through powerful Jewish and Hindu spheres occurred from the efforts of connected professionals and financiers and technologists, as I have related in reports for the Libertarian Institute in August and November and December and April. But the spread of these ideologies among powerful Jews and Hindus likely also occurred because these ideologies played into the influence Jewish and Hindu players were already enjoying in American empire. Indeed, from their inceptions both Zionist and Hindutva ideology have been explicitly tuned to and so attractive to imperialists.” (04/21/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/supremacist-alliance-the-zionist-hindutva-hijacking-of-america
-----
41) Named for Mamdani, GOP Bill Would Strip Citizenship From People Who Advocate for Socialism
Source: Common Dreams
by Thom Hartmann
“Republicans are at it again, and it’s hard to overstate how chilling this is and what it tells you about the direction people in this Party want to take America. Texas Congressman Chip Roy is preparing to introduce legislation he’s calling the ‘MAMDANI Act,’ named after Zohran Mamdani, the recently elected democratic socialist mayor of New York City, that would let the federal government bar entry to, deport, and strip naturalized citizenship from any person who advocates for or is ‘affiliated with’ what Roy calls ‘totalitarian’ movements. The list includes, from Rep. Roy’s webpage: ‘[A] socialist party, a communist party, the Chinese Communist Party, or Islamic fundamentalist party, or advocates for socialism, communism, Marxism, or Islamic fundamentalism.’ The bill targets people who ‘write, distribute, circulate, print, display, possess, or publish’ material supporting socialism or any of those other ideas.” (04/21/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/chip-roy-mamdani-bill
-----
42) Why Our Economic Intuitions Are Often Wrong
Source: The Dispatch
by Adam Omary
“Economic models, rooted in assumptions of rational agents maximizing utility under constraints, have long provided elegant frameworks for understanding human behavior in markets and societies. Yet, a persistent friction exists between these idealized portrayals of human beings and the ways humans actually navigate economic choices. People frequently champion policies that contravene basic economic principles, including minimum wages presumed to boost income without increasing unemployment, rent controls expected to enhance housing affordability without reducing supply, or tariffs that run counter to comparative advantage and affordability.” (04/21/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/economic-intuitions-evolutionary-psychology/
-----
43) Hope in the Data: Can Palestine Explain America’s Moral Shift?
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ramzy Baroud
“For decades, Americans overwhelmingly aligned with Israel. This was not merely ideological; it was instructional. The public was told – repeatedly – that Israel reflected ‘American values’: democracy, civility, modernity. Palestinians and Arabs, by contrast, were framed as perpetual antagonists, initiators of violence, and ‘obstacles to peace.’ Some Americans embraced this framing on religious or ideological grounds. But for the majority, the pro-Israel position became a default – an inherited conclusion rooted in limited access to alternative information. Israel was ‘good,’ Arabs were ‘bad.’ The narrative was simple, binary, and rarely challenged. With mainstream media as the primary source of information, this perception hardened over time. Support for Palestine, and for broader Arab causes, remained confined to academic spaces and activist circles – often informed by anti-colonial and anti-imperialist frameworks, but numerically marginal and politically contained. The mainstream remained locked in place. But that lock has been broken.” (04/21/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/ramzy-baroud/2026/04/20/hope-in-the-data-can-palestine-explain-americas-moral-shift/
-----
44) Kevin Warsh and the Erosion of the Dollar
Source: Independent Institute
by Judy L Shelton
“Kevin Warsh is scheduled to testify before the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday. The vote on his confirmation as Federal Reserve chairman may hinge on the Justice Department’s dropping its inquiry into whether the current chairman, Jerome Powell, testified inaccurately about cost overruns in renovating Fed headquarters. It would be a pity if we have to wait. The U.S. dollar would benefit from new thinking at the Fed. Lawmakers should be much more focused on the damage that Fed policies are inflicting on the soundness of America’s money. It’s also time that Congress, which is charged with ensuring a trustworthy currency, recognized that outsourcing this responsibility to the Fed is a big part of the problem.” (04/20/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/04/20/kevin-warsh-and-the-erosion-of-the-dollar/
-----
45) How education’s decline is corroding a pillar of the left’s power
Source: New York Post
by Glenn Harlan Reynolds
“Beneath the weather of the daily headlines, slow tectonic shifts are changing America’s political landscape. Demographic developments are moving voters (and congressional seats, and electoral votes) from blue states to red ones. Trust in the traditional media (routinely in the tank for Democrats) has plummeted. And the entire education industry, a key pillar of the leftist establishment, is crumbling, too. The long decline of higher education (the subject of my 2012 book The Higher Education Bubble) has been slowly accelerating for over a decade, driven by sky-high tuition and shrinking employment prospects for recent college grads. When Hampshire College in Massachusetts announced its plans to close last week, it became the latest private college to fall victim to the ruin.” (04/21/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/04/21/opinion/how-educations-decline-corrodes-a-pillar-of-the-lefts-power/
-----
46) The Myth of Libertarianism
Source: The Bleeding Heart Libertarian
by Matt Zwolinski
“If you had asked me in 2015 to describe the core commitments of American libertarianism, I could have done it in about a minute. Free markets, limited government, individual rights, skepticism of state power, free trade, open or liberal immigration, some version of non-interventionism abroad, a strong preference for constitutional constraints on executive authority. There would have been edge cases and internal disputes, sure, but the center of gravity was clear enough that you could gesture at it. Try to do the same today, ten years later, and you run into trouble almost immediately. In the public-facing, movement-adjacent side of libertarianism — the one that reaches audiences through podcasts, YouTube, X, and the tech-intellectual networks of the last few years — the center of gravity has shifted in ways that would have seemed inconceivable a decade ago.” (04/20/26)
https://bleedingheartlibertarian.substack.com/p/the-myth-of-libertarianism
-----
47) From Res Publica to the United States of Trump
Source: The UnPopulist
by Andy Craig
“This president’s vulgar self-glorification is revolting to a self-governing people and must not stand.” (04/20/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/from-res-publica-to-the-united-states
-----
48) Palantir Has a Human Rights Policy. Its ICE Work Tells a Different Story
Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation
by Cindy Cohn & Betty Gedlu
“For years, EFF has pushed technology companies to make real human rights commitments—and to live up to them. In response to growing evidence that Palantir’s tools help power abusive immigration enforcement by ICE, we sent the company a detailed letter asking how the promises in its own human rights framework extends to that work. This post explains what we asked, how Palantir responded, and why we believe those responses fall short.” (04/20/26)
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/palantir-has-human-rights-policy-its-ice-work-tells-different-story
-----
49) Aftermath: The Hormuz Farm Crisis
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“When we had shipping expert Sal Mercogliano on our Organized Money podcast, he said that for every day the Strait of Hormuz is shut down to traffic, it’ll take a week to untangle the problem afterward. Yesterday was day 52 of the crisis, so that’s a year on the back end, even if it ended imminently. So get used to more from us at Aftermath, as we detail the consequences before the fighting even stops. Tell your friends and scroll through previous editions at prospect.org/aftermath. We are [still at war]. My colleague Bob Kuttner ran down the latest as of yesterday afternoon. The fundamental problem is that this war turned the Strait of Hormuz into a bargaining chip, and both sides want to use that chip by closing the strait, which continues to punish the global economy with price spikes and shortages.” (04/21/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/04/21/aftermath-hormuz-farm-crisis-gulf-states-fertilizer-aluminum/
-----
50) Don’t Count on the 25th Amendment To Dethrone Donald Trump
Source: Reason
by Joe Lancaster
“In recent weeks, a growing number of Democrats and progressives have called on federal officials to invoke the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to remove President Donald Trump from office. Even some of Trump’s most stalwart onetime allies are joining in. While it may feel good to wishcast about booting Trump from the presidency, the 25th Amendment is perhaps the most unlikely strategy possible.” (04/20/26)
https://reason.com/2026/04/20/dont-count-on-the-25th-amendment-to-dethrone-donald-trump/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) The COVID Reckoning Doesn’t Go Far Enough
Source: Reason
“Real medical freedom will require something greater than replacing the public health establishment: ending the FDA’s monopoly.” (04/21/26)
https://reason.com/video/2026/04/21/the-covid-reckoning-doesnt-go-far-enough/
-----
52) Michele McPhee on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Michele McPhee on the Unanswered Questions about the Boston Marathon Bombing and Why They Still Matter.” (04/21/26)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/4-17-26-michele-mcphee-on-the-unanswered-questions-about-the-boston-marathon-bombing-and-why-they-still-matter/
-----
53) Law & Liberty Podcast, 04/21/26
Source: Law & Liberty
“Conservatism’s Lamentable Drift.” (04/21/26)
https://lawliberty.org/podcast/conservatisms-lamentable-drift/
-----
54) Trump Watch, 04/21/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“The Weirdness and Destructiveness of the U.S. Blockade on Iran.” (04/21/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y80iTHf9o54
-----
55) The Good Fight, 04/21/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Yascha Mounk and Jacob Mchangama discuss how democracies and dictatorships alike have turned against online speech freedom.” (04/21/26)
https://writing.yaschamounk.com/p/jacob-mchangama-2
-----
56) The Corbett Report, episode 499
Source: The Corbett Report
“The Purpose Of a System Is What It Does.” (04/21/26)
https://corbettreport.com/the-purpose-of-a-system-is-what-it-does/
-----
57) The Bryan Hyde Show, 04/21/26
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
“Eric Peters from Eric Peters Autos joins me for our weekly conversation. There’s a lot to keep track of and Eric’s freedom-based, down-to-earth approach is a great way to get a handle on things.” (04/21/26)
https://www.podbean.com/ep/pb-d9ctv-1aa4524
-----
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 04/20/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Pakistan Tells US Blockade Is Obstacle to Iran Talks, US, Philippines Launch Major Drills, and More.” (04/20/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rjntIgwwDw
-----
59) Fountainhead Forum, episode 438
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Colin Grabow on the Jones Act and other regulations on ships.” (04/20/26)
https://rumble.com/v78rsga-ff-438-colin-grabow-on-the-jones-act-and-other-regulations-on-ships.html
-----
60) Finding Freedom, 04/20/26
Source: Lions of Liberty
“The Empire That Never Died: How a Tiny Island Still Runs Your Money.” (04/20/26)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/ff-the-empire-that-never-died-how-a-tiny-island-still-runs-your-money
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Trump announces Iran ceasefire extension but says blockade remains
2) VA: Voters approve Democrats’ gerrymander plan
3) Ukraine: Russian drones strike Odesa port
4) Democrat Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida resigns from Congress, just ahead of sanction in ethics case
5) Coinbase advisory board says quantum computing threat is on the horizon, crypto needs a plan
6) FL: AG uses OpenAI’s ChatGPT as prop in reelection campaign
7) Citing Child Cancer Risk, Lawsuit Targets Trump EPA Over Glyphosate
8) NY: Regime sues Coinbase, Gemini Titan over prediction markets
9) NASA shuts off Voyager 1 instrument to save power 15 billion miles from Earth
10) MN: Walz rolls out “Small Town PAC” to rebuild Democrats’ rural bench
11) Nigeria: Regime charges six with treason over alleged coup plot
12) Japan: Earthquake sets off brief tsunami alert and megaquake advisory
13) South Korea: Police seek to arrest K-pop mogul behind BTS
14) Warsh calls for “regime change” at Fed, new inflation approach
15) Myanmar: Junta Seeks Peace Talks, Resistance Rejects Offer
16) Federal judge blocks Nexstar-Tegna TV station merger until antitrust lawsuit is settled
17) Madonna offers reward for return of missing Coachella costume
18) Cuba: Regime confirms talks with US officials, urges end to Trump energy blockade
19) Ukraine completes Druzhba pipeline repairs, hoping to unlock blocked EU loan
20) The Onion launches new bid to take over Alex Jones’s Infowars
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Trump’s regime change fantasies never stood a chance
22) Instead of Ending the DHS “Shutdown,” Make It Real … and Permanent
23) The Mindless Hawkishness of the Trump Administration
24) The Strongman Era Has Peaked
25) The Proposed FISA “Warrant Requirement” Isn’t a Warrant Requirement
26) Pointers for restoring trust in higher education
27) Greece’s 19th Century Currant Crisis: A Warning Against “Temporary” Government Support
28) A Justice in Full
29) “You Dirty ORANGE Maniac! You Blew It All Up! Damn You to Hell!”
30) The AOC-Schiff Thesis
31) Dear Mr. President, Please Stop Giving Special Access to the Left-Wing [sic] Press
32) When Legal Methods Become Rhetoric
33) Biden Official: Biden Was Preparing To Bomb Iran If Re-Elected
34) Focus on the Sixth Amendment
35) Trump’s Memory Loss
36) Freedom Upsets Patterns: The Deregulation Argument Westminster Will Not Have
37) Warring Democrats will need more than Trump hatred to win in 2028
38) The holy war America needed
39) Quantum Vibe, 04/21/26
40) Supremacist Alliance: The Zionist-Hindutva Hijacking of America
41) Named for Mamdani, GOP Bill Would Strip Citizenship From People Who Advocate for Socialism
42) Why Our Economic Intuitions Are Often Wrong
43) Hope in the Data: Can Palestine Explain America’s Moral Shift?
44) Kevin Warsh and the Erosion of the Dollar
45) How education’s decline is corroding a pillar of the left’s power
46) The Myth of Libertarianism
47) From Res Publica to the United States of Trump
48) Palantir Has a Human Rights Policy. Its ICE Work Tells a Different Story
49) Aftermath: The Hormuz Farm Crisis
50) Don’t Count on the 25th Amendment To Dethrone Donald Trump
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) The COVID Reckoning Doesn’t Go Far Enough
52) Michele McPhee on The Scott Horton Show
53) Law & Liberty Podcast, 04/21/26
54) Trump Watch, 04/21/26
55) The Good Fight, 04/21/26
56) The Corbett Report, episode 499
57) The Bryan Hyde Show, 04/21/26
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 04/20/26
59) Fountainhead Forum, episode 438
60) Finding Freedom, 04/20/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Trump announces Iran ceasefire extension but says blockade remains
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“United States President Donald Trump has announced an extension to the ceasefire with Iran, saying that the US military will hold off its planned attack to allow more time for Tehran to put forward a proposal to end the war. The move on Tuesday comes at the request of Pakistani mediators, according to Trump. The truce was set to expire on Wednesday. … The extension marks the latest abrupt reversal from the Trump White House. Hours before his social media post, Trump had said that he opposed lengthening the truce, warning Iran that time is running out before the US launches a huge attack on its infrastructure.” (04/21/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/21/trump-announces-extending-iran-ceasefire-but-says-blockade-remains
-----
2) VA: Voters approve Democrats’ gerrymander plan
Source: NBC News
“Virginia voters on Tuesday approved a Democratic redistricting plan that could allow the party to pick up as many as four new seats in the midterm elections, NBC News projects. With 97% of the vote in, the “yes” vote on the ballot referendum held a narrow lead of 3 percentage points. The special election is a major victory for Democrats as they seek to gain control of the narrowly divided House this fall. Democrats have now won statewide votes in California and Virginia to redraw congressional maps as part of a mid-decade redistricting arms race that began last year when President Donald Trump urged GOP-led states to alter their district lines.” (04/21/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/virginia-voters-approve-democrats-redistricting-plan-giving-party-midt-rcna340895
-----
3) Ukraine: Russian drones strike Odesa port
Source: Raidió Teilifís Éireann [Irish state media]
“Russian drones attacked infrastructure in Ukraine’s Black Sea Odesa port overnight, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba has said. Berths, warehouses, railway infrastructure and port operators’ facilities were damaged in the assault, Mr Kuleba wrote on the Telegram messaging app. The hold of a cargo ship was also hit, causing a fire Ukraine’s seaports authority said. According to preliminary information no one was hurt in the attack, and the port was still operating, the authority said on Telegram.” (04/22/26)
https://www.rte.ie/news/ukraine/2026/0422/1569492-ukraine-russia/
-----
4) Democrat Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida resigns from Congress, just ahead of sanction in ethics case
Source: SFGate
“Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida resigned on Tuesday moments before a hearing was to begin to consider what punishment to recommend after a House ethics panel found she had committed numerous campaign finance and reporting violations. The congresswoman was facing the possible threat of expulsion, something that has only occurred six times in the history of the House. Support from her own party was increasingly in doubt. In a statement, Chefilus-McCormick said her resignation was ‘effective immediately.’ ‘But let me say this plainly: we should be very careful about the precedent we are setting in this country, we do not punish people before due process is complete,’ she said. ‘We do not allow allegations alone to override the will of the people. …’ The committee had previously determined she committed 25 violations of House rules and ethical standards, including breaking campaign finance laws.” (04/21/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/lawmakers-weigh-sanctions-for-democratic-rep-22217522.php
-----
5) Coinbase advisory board says quantum computing threat is on the horizon, crypto needs a plan
Source: CoinDesk
“A new report commissioned by Coinbase sounds a cautious, but urgent, alarm: Quantum computing won’t break crypto tomorrow, but the industry can’t afford to wait. The 50-page paper, authored by an independent advisory board that includes prominent cryptographers and academics like Dan Boneh of Stanford University, Justin Drake of the Ethereum Foundation and Sreeram Kannan of Eigen Labs, concludes that while today’s blockchains remain secure, a future ‘fault-tolerant quantum computer’ capable of breaking widely used encryption is increasingly plausible, and preparation must begin now. … Rather than a single solution, the report outlines multiple transition strategies, including hybrid systems that combine existing cryptography with post-quantum updates or allow a gradual switch when needed.” (04/21/26)
https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2026/04/21/coinbase-advisory-board-says-quantum-computing-threat-is-on-the-horizon-crypto-needs-a-plan
-----
6) FL: AG uses OpenAI’s ChatGPT as prop in reelection campaign
Source: NBC News
“Florida’s attorney general said his office was issuing subpoenas to OpenAI on Tuesday morning, seeking information about how the leading AI company approaches user threats of harm to themselves and to others. The subpoenas are part of a new criminal investigation into the company, James Uthmeier said in a press conference. The actions are an escalation from his previously announced probe of the artificial intelligence company, which he said will continue as a civil investigation alongside the newly announced criminal investigation. On April 9, Uthmeier said he would launch an investigation into OpenAI and its ChatGPT tool over national security and safety concerns. Among other concerns, he is investigating whether ChatGPT provided any planning assistance to the alleged gunman in the Florida State University mass shooting that left two people dead in April last year.” (04/21/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/florida-attorney-general-criminal-investigation-openai-fsu-chatgpt-rcna341205
-----
7) Citing Child Cancer Risk, Lawsuit Targets Trump EPA Over Glyphosate
Source: Common Dreams
“Just days before the US Supreme Court is set to hear arguments related to glyphosate’s health risks, the Environmental Working Group on Tuesday sued the Trump administration for unlawfully delaying its response to an EWG petition seeking stronger restrictions on ‘the most widely used herbicide in the United States and globally.’ The filing at the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit calls out the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to act on evidence that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup, ‘is exposing infants and young children to harmful levels through everyday foods.’ EWG and its co-petitioners filed a formal administrative petition under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act in 2018 …. They want the EPA to revoke or modify the glyphosate policy for oats, so it’s stricter, and restrict its use as a pre-harvest drying agent.” (04/21/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/glyphosate
-----
8) NY: Regime sues Coinbase, Gemini Titan over prediction markets
Source: Yahoo! Finance
“New York’s attorney general sued Coinbase Financial Markets and Gemini Titan on Tuesday, claiming their prediction markets violate state laws against illegal gambling. In complaints filed in a state court in Manhattan, Attorney General Letitia James said Coinbase and Gemini failed to obtain New York State Gaming Commission licenses to operate their markets, where people trade based on the predicted outcomes of events such as sports and elections. James said Coinbase’s and Gemini’s so-called event contracts are ‘quintessentially gambling’ because event outcomes are outside bettors’ control or amount to games of chance. She also objected to Coinbase and Gemini letting 18- to 20-year-olds use their platforms, despite a state law setting a minimum age of 21 for mobile sports betting.” (04/21/26)
https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/crypto/articles/york-sues-coinbase-financial-markets-160504421.html
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9) NASA shuts off Voyager 1 instrument to save power 15 billion miles from Earth
Source: Fox News
“NASA shut down one of Voyager 1’s science instruments to conserve dwindling power and keep the nearly 49-year-old spacecraft operating as it continues its journey through interstellar space more than 15 billion miles from Earth. Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California sent commands Friday to turn off Voyager 1’s Low-Energy Charged Particles (LECP) experiment, a long-running instrument that has operated almost continuously since the spacecraft launched in 1977. The move comes as the nuclear-powered probe loses about 4 watts of power each year, and mission managers work to stretch its remaining lifespan. ‘While shutting down a science instrument is not anybody’s preference, it is the best option available,’ Kareem Badaruddin, Voyager mission manager at JPL, said in a statement.” (04/21/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/science/nasa-shuts-voyager-1-instrument-save-power-15b-miles-earth
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10) MN: Walz rolls out “Small Town PAC” to rebuild Democrats’ rural bench
Source: Minnesota Star Tribune
“Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is launching his next political endeavor: a federal political action committee that will seek to recruit and support Democrats in rural communities nationwide. Walz announced the creation of the Small Town PAC on Monday, April 20, saying he wants to help build a new pipeline of candidates rooted in the places Democrats have struggled to win in recent years. … Walz, who has served two terms as governor and was the party’s vice presidential nominee in 2024, told the Minnesota Star Tribune last month that he planned to play an active role in this year’s midterm elections, particularly in governors’ races. He serves as finance chair of the Democratic Governors Association. But Walz faces a harsh political reality as he begins his new venture: His approval rating has plummeted in greater Minnesota in recent years.” (04/20/26)
https://archive.is/K2xeP
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11) Nigeria: Regime charges six with treason over alleged coup plot
Source: Seattle Times
“Nigerian authorities have charged six people, including a retired major general and a serving police inspector, with terrorism and treason, over an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu, according to a charge sheet seen by The Associated Press on Tuesday. The six were all in custody. A seventh suspect, former Bayelsa state Gov. Timpre Sylva, is accused of helping to conceal the plot and is still at large. … The Nigerian government first said it had foiled a coup attempt in January, when it announced that several military officers would stand trial.” (04/21/26)
https://archive.is/pqylD
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12) Japan: Earthquake sets off brief tsunami alert and megaquake advisory
Source: SFGate
“A 7.7 magnitude earthquake Monday off northern Japan sparked a short-lived tsunami alert and an advisory of a slightly higher risk of a possible megaquake for its coastal areas. The Cabinet Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency said there was a 1% chance for a megaquake, compared to a 0.1% chance during normal times, in the next week or so following the quake near the Chishima and Japan trenches. Officials said the advisory was not a prediction but urged residents in 182 towns along the northeastern coasts to raise their preparedness while continuing their daily lives. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi urged residents to confirm their designated shelters and evacuation routes and to check emergency food and grab bags so they can run immediately when a megaquake hits.” (04/21/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/powerful-7-4-magnitude-earthquake-strikes-off-22215405.php
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13) South Korea: Police seek to arrest K-pop mogul behind BTS
Source: ABC News
“South Korean police said Tuesday they are seeking to arrest music mogul Bang Si-Hyuk, chairman of the agency behind K-pop supergroup BTS, as they expand an investigation into allegations that he illegally gained more than $100 million in an investor fraud scheme. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency confirmed that it has asked prosecutors to request a court warrant for arresting Bang, the billionaire founder and chairman of Hybe. Bang’s legal team in a statement to The Associated Press did not directly address the accusations but expressed regret that police were seeking his arrest ‘despite our full and consistent cooperation with the investigation over an extended period.'” (04/21/26)
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/south-korean-police-seek-arrest-pop-mogul-bts-132225840
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14) Warsh calls for “regime change” at Fed, new inflation approach
Source: Reuters
“Federal Reserve chief nominee Kevin Warsh called for ‘regime change’ at the U.S. central bank, including a new approach for controlling inflation and a communications overhaul that may discourage his colleagues from saying too much about the direction of monetary policy. Warsh’s comments during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee left key questions about his nomination unresolved, with Republican Senator Thom Tillis using his full time to explain why he would not vote for the 56-year-old lawyer and financier until the Trump administration dropped a criminal probe of current Fed Chair Jerome Powell — a stance that could leave Powell as head of the central bank indefinitely.” (04/21/26)
https://www.reuters.com/business/warshs-path-top-fed-job-entangled-ahead-senate-confirmation-hearing-2026-04-21/
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15) Myanmar: Junta Seeks Peace Talks, Resistance Rejects Offer
Source: US News & World Report
“Myanmar’s new military-backed government wants to hold peace talks with opposition armed groups by the end of July, the country’s junta leader-turned-president said, but two key rebel groups rejected the offer on Tuesday. State media reported that President Min Aung Hlaing, who led a coup five years ago that plunged the Southeast Asian country into a civil war that continues to rage, told a government meeting that he wanted rebel groups that were not part of a ceasefire deal to join talks to be held within 100 days. … Myanmar has been in turmoil following the coup that overthrew the democratically elected government of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who was subsequently imprisoned for 27 years on charges her allies say were politically motivated. Last week, the government cut the 80-year-old’s sentence by one-sixth.” (04/21/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-04-21/myanmar-president-seeks-peace-talks-within-100-days-rebels-reject-offer
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16) Federal judge blocks Nexstar-Tegna TV station merger until antitrust lawsuit is settled
Source: NBC News
“A federal judge has blocked a $6.2 billion merger of local television giants Nexstar Media Group and rival Tegna until an antitrust lawsuit is resolved. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Troy L. Nunley in Sacramento, California, made the ruling late Friday afternoon, finding that eight attorneys general and DirecTV were likely to prevail in their legal bid to stop the merger. The attorneys general, all Democrats, and DirecTV contend the merger will lead to higher prices for consumers, stifle local journalism and that the deal runs afoul of federal laws designed to protect against monopolies.” (04/20/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/federal-judge-blocks-nexstar-tegna-tv-station-merger-rcna340788
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17) Madonna offers reward for return of missing Coachella costume
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Madonna has offered a reward for the return of the outfit she wore on stage at Coachella last weekend, after several of her vintage costume pieces went missing following the festival. ‘These aren’t just clothes, they are part of my history,’ the Queen of Pop wrote on Instagram. Among them were the purple jacket, corset and dress she wore during her surprise guest appearance with Sabrina Carpenter at the California event on Friday night. ‘I’m hoping and praying that some kind soul will find these items and reach out to my team,’ Madonna wrote, adding that she was ‘offering a reward for their safe return’. The outfits are particularly special to the singer because she wore the same boots, corset and jacket during her Coachella performance 20 years ago. ‘It’s like a full-circle moment, very meaningful for me,’ she told the crowd as an adoring Carpenter looked on.” (04/21/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crm19j48wnno
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18) Cuba: Regime confirms talks with US officials, urges end to Trump energy blockade
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“A senior Cuban diplomat on Monday confirmed recent talks in Havana with US officials, as the communist-led island faces a deep crisis over President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign. ‘I can confirm that a meeting between delegations from Cuba and the United States was recently held here in Cuba,’ Alejandro Garcia, the foreign ministry’s under-director of Cuba-US affairs, told the Communist Party newspaper Granma. Garcia said that the negotiators included assistant secretaries from the US State Department and Cuba’s deputy foreign minister.” (04/21/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20260421-cuba-us-talks-trump-energy-blockade
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19) Ukraine completes Druzhba pipeline repairs, hoping to unlock blocked EU loan
Source: SFGate
“Ukraine has completed repairs on a damaged oil pipeline and is preparing to resume flows, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday, while warning that there is no guarantee Russia will not target the infrastructure again. Repairs to the Druzhba pipeline became a contentious issue, delaying approval of a major 90 billion euro ($106 billion) EU loan intended to support Ukraine’s military and economic needs over the next two years. Zelenskyy said repairing the pipeline was linked to freeing the funds, which had been blocked by Hungary and Slovakia. But top EU officials are now cautiously optimistic that the massive loan scheme might be approved as soon as Wednesday, ending months of political deadlock.” (04/21/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/ukraine-completes-druzhba-pipeline-repairs-22218240.php
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20) The Onion launches new bid to take over Alex Jones’s Infowars
Source: Politico
“Satirical news website The Onion announced Monday what might seem to many like one of the media outlet’s signature jokes: it’s in the final stages of an agreement to take over Infowars, the far-right website founded by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. But The Onion — for once — was dead serious. The new deal would see The Onion’s parent company pay an $81,000 monthly licensing fee to Gregory Milligan, the court-appointed bankruptcy manager for the website. It’s a Hail Mary bid by the farcical publication after a judge blocked its initial plan to acquire Infowars in 2024 during a bankruptcy auction. The Onion had offered $1.75 million for Infowars’ assets — hoping to relaunch the site as a parody of itself — during a bankruptcy auction and was declared the winning bidder, but Jones was able to block the acquisition by arguing before the court that the bidding process was tainted by illegal collusion.” (04/20/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/20/the-onion-alex-jones-infowars-bid-00881444
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Trump’s regime change fantasies never stood a chance
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Nancy Gallagher, Clay Ramsay, & Samuel Hickey
“Nobody should be surprised that the war launched on February 28 did not accelerate anti-government protests in Iran. The survey we fielded soon after the Twelve-Day War showed signs it had a rally-around-the-flag effect. Trump also had pre-war warnings from the intelligence community that his assumptions about the Iranian public’s response were flawed. After weeks of bombing, Reuters reported that U.S. intelligence saw no imminent regime collapse. CISSM’s polling consistently finds real discontent in Iran. But Iranian discontent is not America’s to command. The favorable minority in our polling is more outward-looking, more skeptical of the domestic order, more favorable toward American people, and more interested in diplomacy than the rest of the public. But it is not a regime-change base waiting for Washington’s signal.” (04/21/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-regime-change-iran/
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22) Instead of Ending the DHS “Shutdown,” Make It Real … and Permanent
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“No hijackings. No bombings. No ‘national security’ related hostage situations. Just life, as usual, minus paying out big bucks for a useless bureaucracy that we got along just fine without from 1789 through 2002 … and can clearly get along just fine without now. Even starting a war with Iran wasn’t enough to give DHS anything visibly productive to do. Political and media hysteria over supposed ‘Iranian sleeper cells’ quickly dissipated after it turned out that those cells either don’t exist or didn’t set their alarm clocks. Any sane policy discussion, at this point, should center around how quickly DHS can be defunded permanently and abolished entirely.” (04/21/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20548
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23) The Mindless Hawkishness of the Trump Administration
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“Escalation is unfortunately quite likely because the president and his allies don’t understand how to do anything else. Whenever they encounter resistance, they assume that the answer is always more pressure, more threats, more attacks. It never occurs to them that they are destroying any incentive that the Iranians might have to compromise. Like every mindless hawk before them, they believe that they will win if they just inflict more pain. They can’t fathom that other nations might value their dignity and independence highly enough that surrender is not an option. It is the same morally and stategically bankrupt approach that has failed the U.S. many times before, and it will fail again here.” (04/21/26)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/the-mindless-hawkishness-of-the-trump
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24) The Strongman Era Has Peaked
Source: Foreign Policy
by Stephen M Walt
“[T]he stunning electoral defeat of Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Hungary raises the question: Has the market for autocratic strongmen peaked? One might see this event as an isolated incident, because Hungary is a small country (with a total population only slightly larger than New York City) and because every nation has its own peculiar political dynamics. Orban’s defeat stemmed from deep dissatisfaction with the consequences of his rule, however, and there are reasons to think that today’s strongmen — and yes, they are all men — are facing a rockier future for much the same reason. Most of them have done a poor job of governing, and for reasons that highlight the limitations of letting a single strong leader determine national policy.” (04/21/26)
https://archive.is/g14RK
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25) The Proposed FISA “Warrant Requirement” Isn’t a Warrant Requirement
Source: Exiled Policy
by Jason Pye
“[US House leadership] spent nearly all of Wednesday and Thursday pressuring reform-minded Republicans to get in line on an amended [FISA renewal] bill that would include a ‘warrant requirement.’ The thing is, the amended bill didn’t really include a warrant requirement. The amendment says two main things. First, it says the government can’t use Section 702 to intentionally target the communications of a U.S. person. If the government wants to surveil an American directly, it has to use the legal authorities that already exist for that purpose, such as traditional FISA surveillance or a criminal warrant supported by probable cause. That’s not reform; that’s literally current law, which already says that the government cannot target U.S. persons under 702 and must use existing authorities under Title I of FISA or traditional criminal warrants if it wants to surveil an American directly.” (04/21/26)
https://exiledpolicy.substack.com/p/the-proposed-fisa-warrant-requirement
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26) Pointers for restoring trust in higher education
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“For at least a decade, Americans have wrestled with growing questions and doubts about their institutions of higher education and the value of a traditional four-year degree. The declining confidence has been driven by concerns over escalating costs and growing student indebtedness, uneven job prospects, and on-campus political polarization. These concerns have fed into calls by the current administration for changes to accreditation procedures and transparency in admissions processes, especially among elite institutions. There are indications, however, that the downward trend in Americans’ trust in higher education and its outcomes is not irreversible.” (04/20/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0420/Pointers-for-restoring-trust-in-higher-education
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27) Greece’s 19th Century Currant Crisis: A Warning Against “Temporary” Government Support
Source: The Daily Economy
by Daniel J Smith
“In 1895, Greek journalist Vlasis Gavriilidis traveled to Cambridge University seeking advice from three leading economists — Alfred Marshall, Henry Sidgwick, and John Neville Keynes — on the most urgent economic problem facing his country: a collapsing market for currants (Corinthian raisins), which then accounted for roughly half of all Greek exports. \Overproduction, fueled by earlier government policies and a temporary export boom, threatened widespread rural unemployment and poverty. The economists offered divided counsel. That ambiguity gave organized currant growers the opening they needed to lobby successfully for a price-support system — a ‘temporary’ intervention that promised stable incomes for growers while shifting costs onto taxpayers and distorting the broader economy. … The measure was anything but temporary.” (04/21/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/greeces-19th-century-currant-crisis-a-warning-against-temporary-government-support/
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28) A Justice in Full
Source: Law & Liberty
by Mark Pulliam
“Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. has served on the US Supreme Court for 20 years, but has never gotten the attention — or credit — he deserves. … Alito’s lack of public recognition is about to change. Mollie Hemingway, well-known center-right journalist and best-selling co-author of an excellent account of the tortuous confirmation process inflicted on Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, Justice on Trial, has written the first biography of Alito, entitled Alito: The Justice Who Reshaped the Supreme Court and Restored the Constitution.” (04/21/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/a-justice-in-full/
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29) “You Dirty ORANGE Maniac! You Blew It All Up! Damn You to Hell!”
Source: TomDispatch
by Tom Engelhardt
“When he’s on full blast, Donald Trump (not so long ago the ‘drill, baby, drill’ candidate for president) is distinctly a furnace. And he seems intent on turning this planet, our only world, into a version of the same. But here’s the strange thing, when it comes to almost anything — from Iran to suddenly firing two key women, Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem, in his government (but certainly not the no-less-chaotic men) — there’s no minute, it seems, when he’s not flipping himself on his head and then spinning or stumbling or catapulting off in a new direction. There’s only one exception I’ve noticed and, all too sadly, that’s climate change, where everything he does — every single thing — is guaranteed to be a disaster for our children and grandchildren.” (04/21/26)
https://tomdispatch.com/you-dirty-orange-maniac-you-blew-it-all-up-damn-you-to-hell/
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30) The AOC-Schiff Thesis
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“I wonder how many others were amused, as I was last week, to hear Senator Adam Schiff praise members of his party for the ouster of his fellow Californian and Democrat, Rep. Eric Swallwell, from Congress. The tale, as told on this website on Sunday, is that Swallwell — one of Schiff’s closest colleagues pushing the Russiagate gambit against the first Trump administration — was pressured to resign over the massive amount of complaints against him for sexual harassment and other unwanted sexual advances. There is even an accusation of rape. Also resigning was a Republican from Texas, Tony Gonzalez, for similar reasons. Schiff — who claimed to be ‘sickened’ and ‘aghast’ at the accusations and what Swallwell ‘has done’ — followed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in scorning the Republicans for postponing dealing with the Gonzalez problem.” (04/21/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/04/21/the-aoc-schiff-thesis/
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31) Dear Mr. President, Please Stop Giving Special Access to the Left-Wing [sic] Press
Source: Town Hall
by Derek Hunter
“Remember when the leftist [sic] media was upset about Benjamin Netanyahu being in the Situation Room with President Trump? ‘How dare he?’ they cried as they clutched their pearls. Well, at least Israel is an ally [sic] of the United States, whereas the media is not, and the media, as horrifying as it is, is only made worse by the President talking to them. Please, Mr. President, stop giving access to these people.” (04/21/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2026/04/21/dear-mr-president-please-stop-giving-special-access-to-the-left-wing-press-n2674787
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32) When Legal Methods Become Rhetoric
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Marcos Giansante
“In well-ordered legal traditions, disagreement about outcomes is expected. Disagreement about methods is tolerable. But the abandonment of method altogether marks a deeper rupture, one that transforms law from a system of constraint into an instrument of will. Contemporary Brazilian jurisprudence increasingly reveals such a rupture. The problem is often framed as a conflict between legal theories, or as the natural evolution of constitutional interpretation. Yet this framing misidentifies the phenomenon. What is at stake is not the triumph of one doctrine over another, but the quiet dissolution of the very structures that once constrained judicial power.” (04/21/26)
https://mises.org/power-market/when-legal-methods-become-rhetoric
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33) Biden Official: Biden Was Preparing To Bomb Iran If Re-Elected
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Former senior Biden advisor Amos Hochstein said during an interview on Sunday that the Biden administration had been preparing to bomb Iran if they had won re-election in 2024. Hochstein was asked by Face the Nation’s Margaret Brennan, ‘In July 2024 Secretary Blinken claimed Iran was one or two weeks away from having enough fissile material breakout capacity to eventually make a weapon if Iran had decided to do so. There were indirect negotiations that the Biden administration did, but it went nowhere. So when President Trump argues that he did what no other president would, is it just simply that the bill was coming due and it fell on his watch?'” (04/21/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/04/21/biden-official-biden-was-preparing-to-bomb-iran-if-re-elected/
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34) Focus on the Sixth Amendment
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Rachel Chiu
“The Confrontation Clause bars certain out-of-court statements when the witness does not testify at trial and there is no opportunity for cross-examination. Although there are many situations in which different forms of out-of-court statements may be admissible, the circumstances triggering the Confrontation Clause often involve evidence that is high-stakes and accusatory. In these specific cases, a defendant’s freedom is on the line, and the statements in question can have a disproportionate and decisive impact in the absence of cross-examination. Compared to other criminal justice topics such as qualified immunity and civil asset forfeiture, this issue receives far less attention, even though the risk to a defendant’s life, personal liberty, and property is great. The erosion of the Confrontation Clause deserves scrutiny, and the Supreme Court has recently signaled possible intervention to address the problem.” (04/21/26)
https://fee.org/articles/focus-on-the-sixth-amendment/
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35) Trump’s Memory Loss
Source: The American Spectator
by Lloyd Billingsley
“With support from President Trump, Congress passed a bill to extend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) through April 30. The president seems to have forgotten FISA’s power to harm innocents, override the judiciary, and even threaten the executive branch. That invites a look back at how it all started.” (04/21/26)
https://spectator.org/trumps-memory-loss/
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36) Freedom Upsets Patterns: The Deregulation Argument Westminster Will Not Have
Source: Cobden Centre
by Elias Sanchez
“The United Kingdom’s economic deceleration is conventionally attributed to fiscal consolidation, anaemic productivity growth, and the supply-side dislocations that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These are real constraints. But treating them as primary causes rather than downstream symptoms is a misdiagnosis — and an increasingly costly one. The deeper pathology is regulatory density: an accumulated architecture of formal constraints that suppresses entrepreneurial discovery, crowds out new entrants, and reduces the adaptive capacity of institutions.” (04/21/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/04/freedom-upsets-patterns-the-deregulation-argument-westminster-will-not-have/
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37) Warring Democrats will need more than Trump hatred to win in 2028
Source: Fox News
by Liz Peek
“To paraphrase the late President Richard Nixon, what will Democrats do when they don’t have Donald Trump to kick around anymore? It’s a valid question. Currently, shared hatred of Donald Trump is the baling wire holding the fractured Democratic Party together. The party is deeply divided over nearly every facet of government and policy, with progressives and moderates warring over taxes, gender issues, AI, climate change, law enforcement and Israel. It isn’t at all clear who the party’s leaders are. Is it Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, whose approval rating nationally among Democrats barely clears 40%, or is it leftist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who may challenge Schumer for his Senate seat in 2028 but who is currently, astonishingly, under fire from progressives for trying to reach moderate voters?” (04/21/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/liz-peek-warring-democrats-need-trump-hatred-win-2028
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38) The holy war America needed
Source: The Hill
by Jos Joseph
“What we are seeing is a battle for the future of Christianity in America. Will it be the angry fire and brimstone that Trump and company preach? Or the grace, charity and forgiveness that the pope wants? Expect the two to butt heads even more. Pope Leo was bound to speak up as a shepherd would to protect his flock from the wolf in sheep’s clothing that is MAGA Christianity.” (04/21/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5840272-pope-trump-christianity-conflict/
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39) Quantum Vibe, 04/21/26
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (04/21/26)
https://www.quantumvibe.com/strip?page=2585
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40) Supremacist Alliance: The Zionist-Hindutva Hijacking of America
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Matt Wolfson
“Much of the spread of Zionist and Hindutva ideologies through powerful Jewish and Hindu spheres occurred from the efforts of connected professionals and financiers and technologists, as I have related in reports for the Libertarian Institute in August and November and December and April. But the spread of these ideologies among powerful Jews and Hindus likely also occurred because these ideologies played into the influence Jewish and Hindu players were already enjoying in American empire. Indeed, from their inceptions both Zionist and Hindutva ideology have been explicitly tuned to and so attractive to imperialists.” (04/21/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/supremacist-alliance-the-zionist-hindutva-hijacking-of-america
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41) Named for Mamdani, GOP Bill Would Strip Citizenship From People Who Advocate for Socialism
Source: Common Dreams
by Thom Hartmann
“Republicans are at it again, and it’s hard to overstate how chilling this is and what it tells you about the direction people in this Party want to take America. Texas Congressman Chip Roy is preparing to introduce legislation he’s calling the ‘MAMDANI Act,’ named after Zohran Mamdani, the recently elected democratic socialist mayor of New York City, that would let the federal government bar entry to, deport, and strip naturalized citizenship from any person who advocates for or is ‘affiliated with’ what Roy calls ‘totalitarian’ movements. The list includes, from Rep. Roy’s webpage: ‘[A] socialist party, a communist party, the Chinese Communist Party, or Islamic fundamentalist party, or advocates for socialism, communism, Marxism, or Islamic fundamentalism.’ The bill targets people who ‘write, distribute, circulate, print, display, possess, or publish’ material supporting socialism or any of those other ideas.” (04/21/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/chip-roy-mamdani-bill
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42) Why Our Economic Intuitions Are Often Wrong
Source: The Dispatch
by Adam Omary
“Economic models, rooted in assumptions of rational agents maximizing utility under constraints, have long provided elegant frameworks for understanding human behavior in markets and societies. Yet, a persistent friction exists between these idealized portrayals of human beings and the ways humans actually navigate economic choices. People frequently champion policies that contravene basic economic principles, including minimum wages presumed to boost income without increasing unemployment, rent controls expected to enhance housing affordability without reducing supply, or tariffs that run counter to comparative advantage and affordability.” (04/21/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/economic-intuitions-evolutionary-psychology/
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43) Hope in the Data: Can Palestine Explain America’s Moral Shift?
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ramzy Baroud
“For decades, Americans overwhelmingly aligned with Israel. This was not merely ideological; it was instructional. The public was told – repeatedly – that Israel reflected ‘American values’: democracy, civility, modernity. Palestinians and Arabs, by contrast, were framed as perpetual antagonists, initiators of violence, and ‘obstacles to peace.’ Some Americans embraced this framing on religious or ideological grounds. But for the majority, the pro-Israel position became a default – an inherited conclusion rooted in limited access to alternative information. Israel was ‘good,’ Arabs were ‘bad.’ The narrative was simple, binary, and rarely challenged. With mainstream media as the primary source of information, this perception hardened over time. Support for Palestine, and for broader Arab causes, remained confined to academic spaces and activist circles – often informed by anti-colonial and anti-imperialist frameworks, but numerically marginal and politically contained. The mainstream remained locked in place. But that lock has been broken.” (04/21/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/ramzy-baroud/2026/04/20/hope-in-the-data-can-palestine-explain-americas-moral-shift/
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44) Kevin Warsh and the Erosion of the Dollar
Source: Independent Institute
by Judy L Shelton
“Kevin Warsh is scheduled to testify before the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday. The vote on his confirmation as Federal Reserve chairman may hinge on the Justice Department’s dropping its inquiry into whether the current chairman, Jerome Powell, testified inaccurately about cost overruns in renovating Fed headquarters. It would be a pity if we have to wait. The U.S. dollar would benefit from new thinking at the Fed. Lawmakers should be much more focused on the damage that Fed policies are inflicting on the soundness of America’s money. It’s also time that Congress, which is charged with ensuring a trustworthy currency, recognized that outsourcing this responsibility to the Fed is a big part of the problem.” (04/20/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/04/20/kevin-warsh-and-the-erosion-of-the-dollar/
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45) How education’s decline is corroding a pillar of the left’s power
Source: New York Post
by Glenn Harlan Reynolds
“Beneath the weather of the daily headlines, slow tectonic shifts are changing America’s political landscape. Demographic developments are moving voters (and congressional seats, and electoral votes) from blue states to red ones. Trust in the traditional media (routinely in the tank for Democrats) has plummeted. And the entire education industry, a key pillar of the leftist establishment, is crumbling, too. The long decline of higher education (the subject of my 2012 book The Higher Education Bubble) has been slowly accelerating for over a decade, driven by sky-high tuition and shrinking employment prospects for recent college grads. When Hampshire College in Massachusetts announced its plans to close last week, it became the latest private college to fall victim to the ruin.” (04/21/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/04/21/opinion/how-educations-decline-corrodes-a-pillar-of-the-lefts-power/
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46) The Myth of Libertarianism
Source: The Bleeding Heart Libertarian
by Matt Zwolinski
“If you had asked me in 2015 to describe the core commitments of American libertarianism, I could have done it in about a minute. Free markets, limited government, individual rights, skepticism of state power, free trade, open or liberal immigration, some version of non-interventionism abroad, a strong preference for constitutional constraints on executive authority. There would have been edge cases and internal disputes, sure, but the center of gravity was clear enough that you could gesture at it. Try to do the same today, ten years later, and you run into trouble almost immediately. In the public-facing, movement-adjacent side of libertarianism — the one that reaches audiences through podcasts, YouTube, X, and the tech-intellectual networks of the last few years — the center of gravity has shifted in ways that would have seemed inconceivable a decade ago.” (04/20/26)
https://bleedingheartlibertarian.substack.com/p/the-myth-of-libertarianism
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47) From Res Publica to the United States of Trump
Source: The UnPopulist
by Andy Craig
“This president’s vulgar self-glorification is revolting to a self-governing people and must not stand.” (04/20/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/from-res-publica-to-the-united-states
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48) Palantir Has a Human Rights Policy. Its ICE Work Tells a Different Story
Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation
by Cindy Cohn & Betty Gedlu
“For years, EFF has pushed technology companies to make real human rights commitments—and to live up to them. In response to growing evidence that Palantir’s tools help power abusive immigration enforcement by ICE, we sent the company a detailed letter asking how the promises in its own human rights framework extends to that work. This post explains what we asked, how Palantir responded, and why we believe those responses fall short.” (04/20/26)
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/palantir-has-human-rights-policy-its-ice-work-tells-different-story
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49) Aftermath: The Hormuz Farm Crisis
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“When we had shipping expert Sal Mercogliano on our Organized Money podcast, he said that for every day the Strait of Hormuz is shut down to traffic, it’ll take a week to untangle the problem afterward. Yesterday was day 52 of the crisis, so that’s a year on the back end, even if it ended imminently. So get used to more from us at Aftermath, as we detail the consequences before the fighting even stops. Tell your friends and scroll through previous editions at prospect.org/aftermath. We are [still at war]. My colleague Bob Kuttner ran down the latest as of yesterday afternoon. The fundamental problem is that this war turned the Strait of Hormuz into a bargaining chip, and both sides want to use that chip by closing the strait, which continues to punish the global economy with price spikes and shortages.” (04/21/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/04/21/aftermath-hormuz-farm-crisis-gulf-states-fertilizer-aluminum/
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50) Don’t Count on the 25th Amendment To Dethrone Donald Trump
Source: Reason
by Joe Lancaster
“In recent weeks, a growing number of Democrats and progressives have called on federal officials to invoke the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to remove President Donald Trump from office. Even some of Trump’s most stalwart onetime allies are joining in. While it may feel good to wishcast about booting Trump from the presidency, the 25th Amendment is perhaps the most unlikely strategy possible.” (04/20/26)
https://reason.com/2026/04/20/dont-count-on-the-25th-amendment-to-dethrone-donald-trump/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) The COVID Reckoning Doesn’t Go Far Enough
Source: Reason
“Real medical freedom will require something greater than replacing the public health establishment: ending the FDA’s monopoly.” (04/21/26)
https://reason.com/video/2026/04/21/the-covid-reckoning-doesnt-go-far-enough/
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52) Michele McPhee on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Michele McPhee on the Unanswered Questions about the Boston Marathon Bombing and Why They Still Matter.” (04/21/26)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/4-17-26-michele-mcphee-on-the-unanswered-questions-about-the-boston-marathon-bombing-and-why-they-still-matter/
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53) Law & Liberty Podcast, 04/21/26
Source: Law & Liberty
“Conservatism’s Lamentable Drift.” (04/21/26)
https://lawliberty.org/podcast/conservatisms-lamentable-drift/
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54) Trump Watch, 04/21/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“The Weirdness and Destructiveness of the U.S. Blockade on Iran.” (04/21/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y80iTHf9o54
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55) The Good Fight, 04/21/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Yascha Mounk and Jacob Mchangama discuss how democracies and dictatorships alike have turned against online speech freedom.” (04/21/26)
https://writing.yaschamounk.com/p/jacob-mchangama-2
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56) The Corbett Report, episode 499
Source: The Corbett Report
“The Purpose Of a System Is What It Does.” (04/21/26)
https://corbettreport.com/the-purpose-of-a-system-is-what-it-does/
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57) The Bryan Hyde Show, 04/21/26
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
“Eric Peters from Eric Peters Autos joins me for our weekly conversation. There’s a lot to keep track of and Eric’s freedom-based, down-to-earth approach is a great way to get a handle on things.” (04/21/26)
https://www.podbean.com/ep/pb-d9ctv-1aa4524
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58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 04/20/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Pakistan Tells US Blockade Is Obstacle to Iran Talks, US, Philippines Launch Major Drills, and More.” (04/20/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rjntIgwwDw
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59) Fountainhead Forum, episode 438
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Colin Grabow on the Jones Act and other regulations on ships.” (04/20/26)
https://rumble.com/v78rsga-ff-438-colin-grabow-on-the-jones-act-and-other-regulations-on-ships.html
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60) Finding Freedom, 04/20/26
Source: Lions of Liberty
“The Empire That Never Died: How a Tiny Island Still Runs Your Money.” (04/20/26)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/ff-the-empire-that-never-died-how-a-tiny-island-still-runs-your-money
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