06/04 -- India: Modi's alliance set for narrower-than-expected election victory; The real problem with immigration and welfare
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Thomas L. Knapp
Jun 4, 2024, 6:27:59 AMJun 4
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 06/04/24
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Today's Freedom News:
1) India: Modi’s alliance set for narrower-than-expected election victory
2) Bitcoin Sees Profit-Taking Around $70k Amid “Stubbornly Bullish” Sentiment
3) Ukraine war: Kyiv regime claims it hit missile system inside Russian territory using Western weapons
4) Jury sworn in for Hunter Biden’s trial on unconstitutional gun charges
5) Iran: Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf announces presidential bid
6) OH: Signs Measure Ensuring Biden Appears on the Fall Ballot
7) Macau: Beijing puppet regime launches new crackdown on financial freedom
8) New York Stock Exchange halts trading in Berkshire Hathaway and other stocks after apparent plunge
9) MN: Fraud trial juror reports getting bag of $120,000 and promise of more if she’ll acquit
10) Scientists identify gene linked to developmental disorders
11) Feds accuse investor of $4 billion “pump and dump” scheme
12) FL: Cops repeatedly shoot 22-year-old whose family says he was having mental health crisis
13) Romania: Suspect Detained After Throwing Petrol Bomb Outside Israeli Embassy
14) Report: Paramount, Skydance agree to terms on $8 billion merger deal
15) IL: Dozens more former youth inmates sue over alleged sexual abuse at detention centers
16) France: Russia link suspected in Eiffel Tower coffin mystery
17) Fauci denies seeking to suppress COVID-19 lab leak origin hypothesis
18) Disgraced former president’s campaign, businesses bribed witnesses
19) Four more Israeli hostages declared dead, and Palestinians seek to join genocide case
20) Pakistan: Khan acquitted in state secrets case, will remain in jail
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) The real problem with immigration and welfare
22) Liberalism Once Saved The World — It Can Do So Again
23) When A Man’s Life Becomes a Bargaining Chip
24) Does Donald Trump’s Conviction in New York Make Us Banana Republicans?
25) Finding a foreign policy beyond Biden and Trump
26) Anatomy of the Shallow State
27) What Sort of Man Is Donald Trump?
28) US Retrenchment from the Middle East Is Long Overdue
29) The Story of the Ritz Cracker Is the Story of Capitalism
30) The Cost of Exaggerating the Gaza Protests
31) Joe Biden’s looming presence over Hunter’s trial serves as a warning to their political enemies
32) Self-Governance As Co-Production of Rules
33) Are You in a Bubble?
34) Trump’s Most Audacious Lie Yet
35) A Poisonous Tradition
36) The Media Used a Single Comma To Distract From a Ruling To Stop Genocide
37) Yellen Wants Price Inflation to Rise So the Feds Can Keep Spending
38) Where Will the Dust Finally Settle?
39) Quantum Vibe, 06/03/24
40) Who Will Lead Us?
41) Exemptions, Not Repeal
42) The Corporate Power Brokers Behind AIPAC’s War on the Squad
43) Football & Liberty: Political and Economic Issues in Argentina
44) Dollar Dominance, Dollar Dependence
45) A youth influencer exchange program for great power competition
46) 35 years after China’s Tiananmen Square massacre: Why we must never forget
47) The Moral Authorities
48) There is Nothing Queer About Liberalism
49) The Wars Grow Longer
50) Chase Oliver: The New Socially Liberal Face of the Libertarian Party
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/03/24
52) The Political Orphanage, 06/03/24
53) EconTalk, 06/03/24
54) Conflicts of Interest, episode 606
55) The Dispatch Podcast, 06/03/24
56) Finding Freedom, episode 440
57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/03/24
58) Freakonomics Radio, 06/02/24
59) Free Talk Live, 06/02/24
60) Matt Taibbi on The Scott Horton Show
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) India: Modi’s alliance set for narrower-than-expected election victory
Source: CNBC
“The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance is set to come to power in India again — albeit with a much reduced majority, according to the latest data from the Election Commission of India. The BJP-led NDA was ahead on nearly 290 parliamentary seats, while the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), led by the Indian National Congress was leading on 230 seats, according to local media. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance won 353 seats in 2019. If the numbers hold, the BJP would lose about 60 seat compared with its 2019 general election tally of 303. The lower house of India’s parliament has 543 seats, and the party or coalition that wins at least 272 forms the government.” (06/04/24)
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/04/india-elections-modis-bjp-led-alliance-set-for-narrower-than-expected-win.html
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2) Bitcoin Sees Profit-Taking Around $70k Amid “Stubbornly Bullish” Sentiment
Source: CoinDesk
“Bitcoin (BTC) slid to $69,200 early Tuesday amid profit-taking after briefly crossing the $70,000 level late Monday. Price action across major tokens was mixed. BTC prices moved alongside broader U.S. stock markets, reflecting risky bets in the market. Some meme stocks and tokens jumped more than 100% on the apparent return of influential equity trader Keith Gill. Crypto exchange Bitfinex said in a report on Monday that bitcoin’s slump since March was likely driven by long-term holders selling. However, blockchain data shows the trend has stalled, and investors are accumulating BTC. … Elsewhere, ether (ETH) and dogecoin (DOGE) showed slight losses, while Cardano’s ADA and Solana’s SOL rose as much as 3%.” (06/04/24)
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2024/06/04/bitcoin-sees-profit-taking-around-70k-amid-stubbornly-bullish-sentiment/
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3) Ukraine war: Kyiv regime claims it hit missile system inside Russian territory using Western weapons
Source: CNN
“Ukrainian forces claimed Monday that they had successfully hit a Russian S-300 missile system using Western-supplied weapons inside Russian territory. ‘It burns beautifully. It’s a Russian S-300. On Russian territory. The first days after permission to use Western weapons on enemy territory,’ Ukrainian government minister Iryna Vereshchuk posted on Facebook alongside a picture purporting to show the strike. This comes just days after US President Joe Biden gave Ukraine permission to carry out limited strikes using US weapons in Russian territory around Kharkiv, after several European nations had removed restrictions on how the weapons can be used. It is unclear if the weapons used in the strike described by Vereshchuk were US-supplied.” (06/04/24)
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/03/europe/ukraine-western-weapons-hit-russian-territory-intl-latam/index.html
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4) Jury sworn in for Hunter Biden’s trial on unconstitutional gun charges
Source: Reuters
“A jury was sworn in on Monday for the trial of Hunter Biden on gun charges, a historic criminal prosecution of a sitting president’s son with the potential to influence the 2024 presidential election. Hunter Biden, 54, went on trial at the federal courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware, four days after Republican Donald Trump, the Democratic president’s rival for the Nov. 5 U.S. election, became the first former president found guilty of a crime. President Joe Biden’s son is accused of failing to disclose his use of illegal drugs when he bought a Colt Cobra .38-caliber revolver and of illegally possessing the weapon for 11 days in October 2018. He has pleaded not guilty to the three felony charges. The case, brought by U.S. Special Counsel David Weiss, a Trump appointee, is one of Hunter Biden’s two criminal cases. He also faces federal tax charges in California.” (06/03/24)
https://www.reuters.com/legal/hunter-biden-criminal-trial-begins-aftermath-trump-conviction-2024-06-03/
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5) Iran: Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf announces presidential bid
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The conservative speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has registered his candidacy for the snap presidential election on June 28. At the end of the five-day registration period on Monday evening, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi told reporters that a total of 80 applications have been submitted. The presidential hopefuls now have to wait until June 11 to see if their candidacy is approved by the Guardian Council – a conservative-dominated, 12-member body of jurists who are either appointed or approved by Iran’s supreme leader and vet all candidates for public office. Candidates cleared by the vetting body will have two weeks to campaign, present their manifestos, and participate in televised debates before the election. The upcoming vote, initially slated for 2025, was brought forward following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi on May 19.” (06/03/24)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/3/iran-parliament-speaker-mohammad-bagher-ghalibaf-announces-presidential-bid
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6) OH: Signs Measure Ensuring Biden Appears on the Fall Ballot
Source: US News & World Report
“Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a measure to ensure President Joe Biden will appear on the state ballot in November. DeWine, a Republican, signed the measure — which relaxes a state candidate filing deadline — Sunday along with a related bill that imposes a ban on foreign nationals contributing to state ballot campaigns. Both will take effect Aug. 31. The Republican-dominated Legislature had approved the two measures last week during a rare special session. … the Democratic National Committee moved to neutralize the need for any vote in Ohio. In tandem with the Biden campaign, it announced this week that it would solve Biden’s problem with Ohio’s ballot deadline itself by holding a virtual roll call vote to nominate him. A committee vote on that work-around is set for Tuesday.” (06/03/24)
https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2024-06-03/ohios-republican-governor-signs-measure-ensuring-biden-appears-on-the-fall-ballot
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7) Macau: Beijing puppet regime launches new crackdown on financial freedom
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“Mainland Chinese officials have called for a crackdown on the illegal money exchange business in its casino hub of Macau in a step to further tackling illegal gambling and underground money laundering. A national-level special planning meeting aimed at drawing together resources was held by the Ministry of Public Security in Beijing last week, according to a People’s Daily report on Monday. Illegal money exchanges – unauthorised currency exchange or loan sharks – have been expanding rapidly, and often involve other illegal activities, including increasing violence, scams and smuggling that have ‘seriously affected social stability’ in the city, authorities said.” (06/03/240
https://archive.is/j7Q9P
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8) New York Stock Exchange halts trading in Berkshire Hathaway and other stocks after apparent plunge
Source: Financial Times [UK]
“The New York Stock Exchange said it was investigating a technical glitch that led to dozens of trading halts for US-listed companies, in the second issue to hit the world’s biggest exchange in less than a week. … A spokesperson for the exchange told the Financial Times the glitch did not appear to be the result of a cyber attack. Caught up in the volatility were Berkshire Hathaway’s class A shares, which appeared to plunge 99 per cent before a LULD trading pause — which prohibits trading activity in exchange-listed securities at prices outside specified price bands — was initiated.” (06/03/24)
https://archive.is/EWfxd
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9) MN: Fraud trial juror reports getting bag of $120,000 and promise of more if she’ll acquit
Source: Associated Press
“A juror was dismissed Monday after reporting that a woman dropped a bag of $120,000 in cash at her home and offered her more money if she would vote to acquit seven people charged with stealing more than $40 million from a program meant to feed children during the pandemic. ‘This is completely beyond the pale,’ Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said in court on Monday. ‘This is outrageous behavior. This is stuff that happens in mob movies.’ These seven are the first of 70 defendants expected to go to trial in a conspiracy that cost taxpayers $250 million. Eighteen others have pleaded guilty, and authorities said they recovered about $50 million in one of the nation’s largest pandemic-related fraud cases. Prosecutors say just a fraction of the money went to feed low-income kids, while the rest was spent on luxury cars, jewelry, travel and property.” (06/03/24)
https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-feeding-our-future-pandemic-fraud-73610b59bb60bf33f2aa06063bb592d2
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10) Scientists identify gene linked to developmental disorders
Source: United Press International
“Mutations in a single newly identified gene are responsible for developmental disorders affecting tens of thousands of people worldwide, a new study claims. The gene — RNU4-2 — can cause a collection of developmental symptoms that had not previously been tied to a distinct genetic disorder, researchers report. The discovery is significant because it represents one of the most common single-gene genetic causes of such disorders, ranking second only to a movement disorder called Rett syndrome, researchers said.” (06/03/24)
https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2024/06/03/gene-linked-to-intellectual-disability/5481717421589/
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11) Feds accuse investor of $4 billion “pump and dump” scheme
Source: Axios
“When Trillium offered to buy Getty Images for $4 billion in April 2023, the Boston-based investment firm wouldn’t disclose how it planned to finance the deal or how much money it managed. That’s because Trillium didn’t plan to actually buy Getty, and its brokerage account had a balance of just $17.32. The SEC and DOJ on Friday both charged Trillium and its CEO Scott Murray with securities fraud, essentially claiming that the Getty episode was a pump-and-dump scheme. Murray, who has been both CEO and director of public companies, agreed to plead guilty to one count of securities fraud.” (06/03/24)
https://www.axios.com/2024/06/03/feds-accuse-investor-of-4-billion-pump-and-dump-scheme
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12) FL: Cops repeatedly shoot 22-year-old whose family says he was having mental health crisis
Source: WUFT News [US state media]
“A 22-year-old suffered multiple gunshot wounds after police say he lunged at them with hedge trimmers on Saturday at 6 p.m. He is in stable condition, police reported. The incident occurred when Gainesville police responded to a call for an armed disturbance at 3400 N.W. 21st Street. Upon arrival, they encounter Kyle Kinsman holding hedge trimmers. His mother, Liana Kinsman, said she informed responding officers her son was having a mental health crisis. In a Saturday statement, police said the officers made several attempts to de-escalate, but Kinsman refused to comply with officers’ requests. According to police, Kinsman then lunged toward the officers, prompting an officer to discharge their service weapon multiple times.” (06/03/24)
https://www.wuft.org/public-safety/2024-06-03/gainesville-police-officers-repeatedly-shoot-22-year-old-who-family-says-was-having-a-mental-health-crisis
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13) Romania: Suspect Detained After Throwing Petrol Bomb Outside Israeli Embassy
Source: US News & World Report
“A foreign citizen was detained in Romania’s capital Bucharest on Monday after throwing a Molotov cocktail outside the Israeli embassy, causing no damage or casualties, police said. The Romanian Intelligence Service said its anti-terrorism officers caught the 34-year-old suspect, who allegedly also threatened he will set himself on fire, and handed him over to police. … Police spokesman Georgian Dragan told local television station Digi24 that the suspect’s motives were personal and not motivated by Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip.” (06/03/24)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-06-03/suspect-detained-in-romania-after-throwing-petrol-bomb-outside-israeli-embassy
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14) Report: Paramount, Skydance agree to terms on $8 billion merger deal
Source: New York Post
“Paramount Global and Skydance have agreed on terms of a merger between the two entertainment companies that’s valued at $8 billion, according to a report. Skydance, the media company founded by David Ellison, has agreed under the proposed deal with a Paramount special committee to pay $2 billion for Paramount’s parent company, National Amusements, which is controlled by majority stakeholder Shari Redstone, according to CNBC. As part of the deal, Skydance will buy out nearly half of Paramount’s class B shares for $4.5 billion, $15 apiece — giving shareholders a stake in the newly formed company, according to Faber.” (06/03/24)
https://nypost.com/2024/06/03/business/paramount-skydance-agree-to-terms-on-8b-merger-deal-report/
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15) IL: Dozens more former youth inmates sue over alleged sexual abuse at detention centers
Source: Seattle Times
“Dozens more former youth inmates filed lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in damages for sexual abuse they allegedly endured at Illinois detention centers dating back to the late 1990s. Thirteen women and 95 men filed two separate lawsuits Friday in the Illinois Court of Claims against the state Department of Corrections and the state Department of Juvenile Justice. Each plaintiff is seeking $2 million in damages, the most allowed under law. The filings are packed with disturbing allegations that guards, teachers and counselors at multiple juvenile detention centers around the state sexually assaulted inmates between 1997 and 2013.” (06/03/24)
https://archive.is/XOR4e
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16) France: Russia link suspected in Eiffel Tower coffin mystery
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“French intelligence officials believe Russia is behind a stunt in which five coffins draped in a French flag and bearing the inscription ‘French soldiers of Ukraine’ were deposited near the Eiffel Tower. Three men were seen arriving in a van at about 09:00 (07:00 GMT) on Saturday. The coffins that they left were later found to contain sacks of plaster. Police rapidly apprehended the driver, who claimed he had been paid €40 (£34) by the two others to transport the coffins. He himself had arrived in Paris only the day before from Bulgaria. Later, police caught the two others at Bercy coach station in central Paris, where they were allegedly planning to board a bus to Berlin. They told police they had been paid €400 to deposit the coffins, according to French media.” (06/03/24)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cldd7n97dvro
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17) Fauci denies seeking to suppress COVID-19 lab leak origin hypothesis
Source: Fox News
“Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on Monday denied attempting to suppress the [hypothesis] that the COVID-19 pandemic began as a result of a lab leak in Wuhan, China, during his opening statement before the House Oversight Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. … He testified that on Jan. 31, 2020, he ‘was informed through phone calls with Jeremy Farrar, then director of the Wellcome Trust in the UK, and then with Kristian Anderson, a highly regarded scientist at Scripps Research Institute, that they and Eddie Holmes, a world-class evolutionary biologist from Australia, were concerned that the genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 suggested that the virus could have been manipulated in a lab.’ The next day, Fauci said, he participated in a conference call ‘with about a dozen international virologists to discuss this possibility versus a spillover from an animal reservoir.'” (06/03/24)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fauci-denies-seeking-suppress-covid-19-lab-leak-origin-theory
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18) Disgraced former president’s campaign, businesses bribed witnesses
Source: ProPublica
“Nine witnesses in the criminal cases against former President Donald Trump have received significant financial benefits, including large raises from his campaign, severance packages, new jobs, and a grant of shares and cash from Trump’s media company. The benefits have flowed from Trump’s businesses and campaign committees, according to a ProPublica analysis of public disclosures, court records and securities filings. One campaign aide had his average monthly pay double, from $26,000 to $53,500. Another employee got a $2 million severance package barring him from voluntarily cooperating with law enforcement. And one of the campaign’s top officials had her daughter hired onto the campaign staff, where she is now the fourth-highest-paid employee. These pay increases and other benefits often came at delicate moments in the legal proceedings against Trump. One aide who was given a plum position on the board of Trump’s social media company, for example, got the seat after he was subpoenaed but before he testified.” (06/03/24)
https://www.propublica.org/article/donald-trump-criminal-cases-witnesses-financial-benefits
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19) Four more Israeli hostages declared dead, and Palestinians seek to join genocide case
Source: SFGate
“Israel’s military confirmed the deaths of four more hostages held by Hamas — including three older men who were seen in a Hamas video begging for their release. Around 80 hostages captured on Oct. 7 are believed to be still alive in Gaza, alongside the remains of 43 others. Monday’s announcement came days after U.S. President Joe Biden said Israel has offered Hamas a deal to release all the hostages in Gaza and potentially end the Israel-Hamas war. At the top U.N. court, Palestinian officials asked Monday to join South Africa’s case accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.” (06/03/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/the-latest-israel-finds-the-remains-of-a-19491932.php
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20) Pakistan: Khan acquitted in state secrets case, will remain in jail
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“A Pakistan high court on Monday overturned a treason conviction against former prime minister Imran Khan, who remains in jail on other charges. The conviction was one of three slapped on Khan in the runup to February elections, which he claims were orchestrated to prevent his return to power. The decision by a two-member bench at Islamabad High Court was announced by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, an AFP court reporter witnessed. … Khan was convicted along with Qureshi, his former foreign secretary, of making public a classified cable sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington in 2022. He had touted the cypher as evidence that the United States had conspired to force him from power in 2022, when a no-confidence vote saw him replaced by the opposition.” (06/03/24)
https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20240603-pakistan-s-ex-pm-imran-khan-acquitted-in-state-secrets-case-will-remain-in-jail
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) The real problem with immigration and welfare
Source: Orange County Register
by Agustina Vergara Cid
“As an advocate for freedom in immigration, one of the objections to my position I hear most often is: ‘immigrants abuse the welfare state by taking from a system they haven’t contributed to.’ This objection relies largely on a myth. Demagogues make it sound as if immigrants have virtually unrestricted eligibility to welfare, comparable to native-born Americans. But immigrants’ eligibility for welfare programs is much more limited than most people think. … My question to those who make that objection is: are you concerned with people taking the unearned, or are you scapegoating immigrants? If, like me, you’re concerned about the former, then the objection should be directed at the welfare state itself and entitlement-minded recipients demanding the handouts– not at the many immigrants seeking to earn their own way.” (06/02/24)
https://archive.is/vpODl
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22) Liberalism Once Saved The World — It Can Do So Again
Source: The UnPopulist
by David Boaz
“In both the United States and Europe the century after the American Revolution was marked by the spread of liberalism. The ancient practices of slavery and serfdom were finally ended though some of their unjust structures stubbornly persist. Written constitutions and bills of rights protected liberty and guaranteed the rule of law. Guilds and monopolies were largely eliminated, with all trades thrown open to competition based on merit. Freedom of the press and of religion was greatly expanded, property rights were made more secure, and international trade was freed. After the defeat of Napoleon, Europe enjoyed a century of relative peace. … From the disastrous World War I on, governments grew in size, scope, and power. Exorbitant taxation, militarism, conscription, censorship, nationalization, and central planning signaled that the era of liberalism, which had so recently supplanted the old order, was now itself supplanted by the era of the megastate.” (06/02/24)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/liberalism-once-saved-the-worldit
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23) When A Man’s Life Becomes a Bargaining Chip
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Kym Robinson
“How much longer must Julian Assannge suffer? Locked inside a process of BS legal limbo, Assange has committed no crime (even under the U.S. government’s own determination) and yet he is a prisoner in the United Kingdom’s harsh Belmarsh prison where he is treated worse than any rapist, murderer, or terrorist. Even the most heinous of criminals have rights; not Assange, however. Julian Assange is a political prisoner of the empire. … The U.S. government will have an election this year. Julian Assange may become a political bargaining chip to be pardoned or no longer be pursued so long as it serves the interest of which ever candidate is looking for a particular vote.” (06/03/24)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/when-a-mans-life-becomes-a-bargaining-chip/
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24) Does Donald Trump’s Conviction in New York Make Us Banana Republicans?
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“The United States doesn’t fully meet the definition of a banana republic — we don’t have an economy dependent on resources, like bananas. But in terms of unstable politics in which government officials misuse powers and the courts to punish foes, the U.S. resembles that term more every day. The concluded hush-money trial of former (future?) President Donald Trump is a case in point.” (06/03/24)
https://reason.com/2024/06/03/does-donald-trumps-conviction-in-new-york-make-us-banana-republicans/
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25) Finding a foreign policy beyond Biden and Trump
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Ivan Eland
“There is plenty of chatter right now about prospective foreign policy advisors in a future Trump administration, if indeed, that is the way the election goes in November. Essentially they fall into two categories: internationalists or America firsters. Republican Internationalists are hawks who say they want to go back to Ronald Reagan’s ‘peace through strength’ opposition to Russia, China, and Iran, while maintaining U.S. alliances in Europe and Asia. … America First nationalists normally want to intervene unilaterally without being encumbered by traditional U.S. alliances and care little for active global promotion of values and democracy, or policing other countries and their conflicts.” (06/03/24)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/finding-a-foreign-policy-beyond-biden-and-trump/
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26) Anatomy of the Shallow State
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Jeffrey A Tucker
“The state is a transformer that takes on different appearances in different ages, depending on resources, traditions, technologies, and geography. History chronicles theocratic despotisms, feudal lords, exploitative slavocracies, imperial autocracies, peaceful republics, small-scale democracies, divine-right monarchies, murderous party dictatorships, and many more besides. What is the 21st-century form of the state? There are plenty of opinions on this and the reality and change are still unfolding before us with dramatic upheavals and great resets. But it seems to be some form of omnipotent managerial technocracy, as if to fulfill the most pessimistic predictions of 20th-century thinkers who saw this form developing after the second world war.” (06/03/24)
https://brownstone.org/articles/anatomy-of-the-shallow-state/
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27) What Sort of Man Is Donald Trump?
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson
“What sort of man is Donald Trump? He is a felon, among other things. He says he was wrongly convicted. But people who have been convicted of felonies sometimes find their way into office. There’s Yusef Salaam, for example, one of the ‘Central Park Five’ whose execution Donald Trump once called for in a New York Daily News ad. … He was 15 when the crime was committed and 40 when New York paid a settlement to him and the others convicted in the crime …. He currently sits on the New York City Council. Trump says he stands by his statements about Salaam and the others. He believes himself to have been railroaded, but apparently does not believe it is possible that others have been unjustly convicted — except for those convicted of crimes related to the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, whom he hails as ‘heroes’ and describes as ‘political prisoners.'” (06/03/24)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/sort-man-donald-trump-131500383.html
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28) US Retrenchment from the Middle East Is Long Overdue
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“One of the main myths that defenders of the status quo use to justify keeping things the same is the idea that the U.S. has this great stabilizing role and that retrenchment would leave chaos in its wake. Just consider the record of the last twenty-one years and ask yourself if you can honestly say that the U.S. has done more to stabilize than destabilize the region. Opinions will differ on this or that policy, but when we look at the overall picture we can see that the U.S. has acted as the arsonist in many places and then at other times it has acted as the Fahrenheit 451 fireman. When the U.S. isn’t bombing someone to ‘restore deterrence,’ it is backing insurgencies against a government it doesn’t like, and when it isn’t backing insurgencies it is arming despots to ‘deter’ some other government.” (06/03/24)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/us-retrenchment-from-the-middle-east
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29) The Story of the Ritz Cracker Is the Story of Capitalism
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Jake Klein
“When you last visited the supermarket, you likely walked past a box you’ve seen many times before. The Ritz Cracker has been a staple on American store shelves for 90 years, yet today the snack is often looked down upon; its mass-produced, corporate, and carb-heavy nature has fallen out of favor in an era preferring craft-made, local, and gluten-free foods. But the Ritz Cracker is worth taking a second look at. There’s more to this simple snack than you might think.” (06/03/24)
https://fee.org/articles/the-story-of-the-ritz-cracker-is-the-story-of-capitalism/
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30) The Cost of Exaggerating the Gaza Protests
Source: Washington Monthly
by David Masciotra
“Some campuses were riven by demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war, but most, as the Monthly has noted, were not—including mine in Indiana. The cost we all pay when the mainstream media fails.” (06/03/24)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2024/06/03/the-cost-of-exaggerating-the-gaza-protests/
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31) Joe Biden’s looming presence over Hunter’s trial serves as a warning to their political enemies
Source: New York Post
“The president flew into Wilmington, Del., on Sunday night, where his 54-year-old son’s felony gun trial begins Monday, and will spend the whole day there with no official duties. Joe Biden’s looming presence in the strange small city leaves nobody in any doubt of the message he is sending to Delaware special counsel David Weiss, the prosecutors, the judge, and the jury pool being chosen Monday: You mess with my son, you mess with me. It’s all very subtle, in a flagrant way, much like Joe’s impromptu visit to Hallie Biden, the widow of Beau and former lover of Hunter, just nine days before his son’s trial, at which she is the star witness for the prosecution.” (06/03/24)
https://nypost.com/2024/06/02/opinion/joe-bidens-looming-presence-over-hunters-trial-serves-as-a-warning-to-their-political-enemies/
----
32) Self-Governance As Co-Production of Rules
Source: EconLog
by Vlad Tarko
“The commons are the typical example in which self-interested individual actions do not aggregate into beneficial collective outcomes, as judged by members of the community themselves. They are the main counter-example to Adam Smith’s logic of the invisible hand, according to which self-interested consumer and producer behavior in markets lead to efficient aggregate outcomes (again, as judged by the people themselves). … Tragedies of the commons are so ubiquitous in daily life that it’s tempting to ultimately frame any kind of social problem as a type of tragedy of the commons. Two salient features are that they are situations in which it is relatively easy to create the problem (and there are individual-level incentives to create the problem), and it is relatively difficult to organize a solution and profit from delivering a solution.” (06/03/24)
https://www.econlib.org/library/columns/y2024/tarkoselfgovernance.html
----
33) Are You in a Bubble?
Source: National Review
by Neal B Freeman
“The investment gurus seem to have fine tools. They can pinpoint exactly where you are in the various stages of a market cycle. Consult the tony financial-information sources and you can find there, on any given day, a heavily credentialed analyst who thinks you are at the front end of a powerful secular upsurge. The problem is that you can find nearby another, equally credentialed analyst who thinks you are at the precipice of a steep, wealth-crushing plunge. Those fine tools seem to produce different products in different hands. And they leave unanswered the only question that really matters to you and me, ‘Are we in a bubble?'” (06/03/24)
https://www.nationalreview.com/2024/06/are-you-in-a-bubble/
----
34) Trump’s Most Audacious Lie Yet
Source: The Atlantic
by David A Graham
“‘Hillary Clinton, I didn’t say, ‘Lock her up,’ but the people would all say, ‘Lock her up.’’ That’s nonsense, though the assertion was so bold that it gave me pause. I spend a lot of time watching and listening to Trump, but memories are fickle. I remembered attending Trump rallies where the crowd chanted ‘Lock her up,’ and I remembered Trump doing little to quell them. Was it possible he had never explicitly said the words himself? But of course he did. ‘‘Lock her up’ is right,’ he said in October 2016. ‘For what she did, they should lock her up,’ he said at a rally I attended in Greensboro, North Carolina …. he said, ‘Hillary Clinton has to go to jail. She has to go to jail,’ helpfully adding for the historical record: ‘I said that.'” (06/03/24)
https://archive.is/SCDn9
----
35) A Poisonous Tradition
Source: Liberal Currents
by Alan Elrod
“Robert Kagan’s Rebellion: How Antiliberalism is Tearing America Apart — Again is a concise but thorough tour through the influence of American liberalism’s malign twin. It’s a Romulus and Remus story without the fratricide, a nation born of both the edifying instruction of liberal principles and the defiling influence of antiliberal attitudes, whose expression in American history has most often been found in racial injustice. At one point or another in America’s existence, each logic has held the upper hand. On a more intimate scale, they have battled within the minds of the country’s most significant actors — antiliberalism prevailing as far back as Jefferson, who could not forsake the institution of slavery he criticized, and as recently as Trump.” (06/03/24)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/a-poisonous-tradition/
----
36) The Media Used a Single Comma To Distract From a Ruling To Stop Genocide
Source: Antiwar.com
by Jonathan Cook
“Israel’s claim that a single comma exempts it from having to respect the International Court of Justice’s order last week to immediately halt its murderous attack on Rafah should be ridiculed. Instead it is being given space to breathe by complicit media like the Guardian. … They argue the following: ‘The world is wrong to think that the ICJ has required Israel to halt its Rafah assault and any actions elsewhere in Gaza that are genocidal. Instead, a comma in the text qualifies the ruling to mean the court wants Israel to halt its actions in Rafah and elsewhere only if they are genocidal. Because Israel’s actions are not genocidal, the court is not, in fact, asking Israel to halt anything.’ That argument is preposterous on its face.” (06/03/24)
----
37) Yellen Wants Price Inflation to Rise So the Feds Can Keep Spending
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Daniel Lacalle
“The long-term forecast for higher interest rates, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, makes it more difficult to control US borrowing needs, which emphasizes the significance of raising revenue in the forthcoming budget talks with Republican lawmakers. There is only one problem. She is wrong. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) baseline, which does not assume a single year of recession and already counts with record tax revenues, the 2025 primary deficit will reach $851 billion, while net interest outlays will rise to $951 billion. Furthermore, the minimum expected primary deficit from 2025 to 2034 will be a staggering $676 billion with $1.2 trillion of net interest outlays, while the average annual deficit will likely be above $700 billion. The accumulated figures are even more concerning.” (06/03/24)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/yellen-wants-price-inflation-rise-so-feds-can-keep-spending
----
38) Where Will the Dust Finally Settle?
Source: Townhall.com
by Mark Lewis
“The question that is going through my mind is, once all the initial hysteria over the Trump trial verdicts has calmed down — and it will — where will the dust finally settle? Trump is currently getting massive outpourings of support from those who back him. These people are in flames right now. They’ll inevitably cool off from their current heat, but they’ll still be diehard Trump. The Left is expressing great glee that now the Republicans have a ‘convicted felon’ as a candidate, and they will milk that for all it’s worth until November 5. But that will become old hat soon enough, and there will be a return to ‘normalcy.’ When all the dust has cleared, how will the trial have affected the campaign? That’s the question.” (06/03/24)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2024/06/03/where-will-the-dust-finally-settle-n2639883
----
39) Quantum Vibe, 06/03/24
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (06/03/24)
https://www.quantumvibe.com/strip?page=2483
----
40) Who Will Lead Us?
Source: Law & Liberty
by Andy Smarick
“Much has been written in recent years about how political polarization and tribalism have inflamed our politics, turning debates radioactive and making elections seem existential. But we’ve failed to appreciate how this era’s animosity has all but erased serious conversations about a common good, duty, and what we need in public servants.” (06/03/24)
https://lawliberty.org/who-will-lead-us/
----
41) Exemptions, Not Repeal
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“If you light the fuse of a bomb, after warnings that this will cause it to explode, you should not be surprised at the explosion. California’s lawmakers and governor recently imposed super-high minimum wages for workers in fast-food restaurants ($20 an hour) and workers in healthcare facilities ($25 an hour). When the legislation was in process, the impact on companies, customers, and job applicants was deemed irrelevant. What mattered was appeasing the labor lobby. Governor Newsom is suddenly ‘realizing’ (he’d been warned) that these new costs will also burden the state government, currently facing a $45 billion budget deficit. But this isn’t causing him to seek repeal.” (06/03/24)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2024/06/03/exemptions-not-repeal/
----
42) The Corporate Power Brokers Behind AIPAC’s War on the Squad
Source: In These Times
by Branko Marcetic
“An In These Times investigation reveals the individuals behind AIPAC’s election war chest: nearly 60% are CEOs and other top executives at the country’s largest corporations.” (06/03/24)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/squad-aipac-israel-corporate-dark-money
----
43) Football & Liberty: Political and Economic Issues in Argentina
Source: Students For Liberty
by Alejandro Rameth Arestegui Callo
“Football (Soccer) is the world’s most popular and watched sport, with over 3 billion people watching the final of the World Cup in Qatar alone, where Argentina was crowned champion. Argentines have remained immersed in soccer fandom from childhood, from local clubs to professional teams. Much like all aspects of Argentine culture and society, soccer became infiltrated by ideas of populism and collectivism.” (06/03/24)
https://studentsforliberty.org/blog/football-liberty-political-and-economic-issues-in-argentina/
----
44) Dollar Dominance, Dollar Dependence
Source: American Institute for Economic Research
by Joakim Book
“If you make your currency less usable — say, by running aggravatingly high inflation, by closing services outside of banking hours, by burdening users with insultingly silly paperwork and know-your-customer requirements, by freezing accounts over minor infractions, or by confiscating your geopolitical enemy’s assets — fewer people will end up using it. No matter its other virtues, by aggressively weaponizing the global currency you issue, you make it worse. Since money wants to be one and since once established a given money is kept in place by strong network effects, when fewer people hold and use your money, those network effects unravel exponentially.” (06/03/24)
https://www.aier.org/article/dollar-dominance-or-dollar-dependence/
----
45) A youth influencer exchange program for great power competition
Source: Niskanen Center
by Gil Guerra
“Since the end of the Second World War, two distinct periods have defined U.S. foreign policy: the Cold War, which saw the U.S. locked in existential competition with the Soviet Union, and the Global War on Terror, in which the U.S. sought to degrade the capabilities of terrorist groups around the world. Virtually every aspect of U.S. diplomatic and military service was tailored to meet the demands of these new distinctive eras. This included the rapid creation of youth exchange programs explicitly targeted in areas where our soft power could have the most significant impact. … To date, the U.S has not established an exchange program to address its current central foreign policy objective: maintaining the upper hand against China in their competition for global preeminence. Such an exchange program specifically targeted toward youth populations will be critical.” (06/03/24)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/a-youth-influencer-exchange-program-for-great-power-competition/
----
46) 35 years after China’s Tiananmen Square massacre: Why we must never forget
Source: Fox News
by Ben Cardin
“The voices of the brave individuals who perished 35 years ago in the Tiananmen Square massacre continue to echo across our collective conscience. On that day, the People’s Liberation Army, acting on the orders of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) leadership, murdered and injured thousands of peaceful pro-democracy protesters calling for political reform and an end to corruption. The image of a lone protester using only his body to confront a row of tanks instantly became an enduring global symbol of resistance against oppression. … compounding this tragedy is the fact that today, most people under the age of 40 in 21st-century China have little to no understanding of the events that unfolded on June 4, 1989.” (06/03/24)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/35-years-after-tiananmen-square-massacre-why-never-forget
----
47) The Moral Authorities
Source: The Reframe
by AR Moxon
“Our country’s self-professed moral authorities haven’t only failed to be as good as they claim to be. They’ve proved themselves worse than many of us are able to imagine.” (06/02/24)
https://www.the-reframe.com/not-better-but-worse
----
48) There is Nothing Queer About Liberalism
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“Your average American liberal progressive is antiwar until a Democrat is dropping the bombs but also has zero problem pushing pacifism on darkies and faggots to keep us in line. Your average American liberal progressive will dawn a dashiki every time another cop shoots another Black boy on a moped but is the first motherfucker to scream ‘law and order’ when they find tire tracks on their freshly sodded lawn. These people may dress up like allies for trick-or-treat, but they voted for Hillary and threw Chelsea Manning beneath a men’s prison. They are cowards, scoundrels, and above all else, frauds.” (06/02/24)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2024/06/there-is-nothing-queer-about-liberalism.html
----
49) The Wars Grow Longer
Source: The American Prospect
bty Harold Meyerson
“The geopolitical static you may be hearing comes from the simultaneous broadcasts of two diametrically opposed messages, one coming from distant war zones, the other from the president of the United States. Nothing in those war zones comports with what Joe Biden wishes were happening.” (06/03/24)
https://prospect.org/world/2024-06-03-wars-grow-longer-russia-ukraine-israel-gaza/
----
50) Chase Oliver: The New Socially Liberal Face of the Libertarian Party
Source: RealClearPolitics
by Jonathan Draeger
“Throughout former President Donald Trump’s speech at the Libertarian National Convention last week, he was booed more than cheered. Multiple shouting matches erupted between Libertarians protesting Trump (their signs included ‘MAGA = Socialist’ and ‘No More Dictators’) and Trump supporters there to cheer on their hero. As the protests and boos continued, Trump shot back at the Libertarians, telling them if they didn’t nominate him as their candidate, they would ‘keep getting your 3% every four years.’ On Sunday, the Libertarians didn’t choose the former president as their nominee, opting instead for one of their own, 38-year-old party activist Chase Oliver, who represents the socially progressive [sic] wing of the Libertarian Party.” (06/02/24)
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2024/06/02/chase_oliver_the_new_socially_liberal_face_of_the_libertarian_party_151037.html
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/03/24
Source: Reason
"Should Donald Trump Have Been Convicted?" (06/03/24)
https://reason.com/podcast/2024/06/03/should-donald-trump-have-been-convicted/
-----
52) The Political Orphanage, 06/03/24
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Trump Conviction: Kangaroo Court or Al Capone?” (06/03/24)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/trump-conviction-kangaroo-court-or-al-capone
----
53) EconTalk, 06/03/24
Source: Econtalk
“Injustice and the ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ (with Dwayne Betts).” (06/03/24)
https://www.econtalk.org/injustice-and-the-letter-from-birmingham-jail-with-dwayne-betts/
----
54) Conflicts of Interest, episode 606
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Biden’s Foreign Policy Is Bad for Americans.” (06/03/24)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-606-bidens-foreign-policy-is-bad-for-americans
----
55) The Dispatch Podcast, 06/03/24
Source: The Dispatch
“Why Bother to Vote.” (06/03/24)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/dispatch-podcast/why-bother-to-vote/
----
56) Finding Freedom, episode 440
Source: Lions of Liberty
“Cliff Maloney: How Republicans Can Win Pennsylvania in November.” (06/03/24)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/cliff-maloney-how-republicans-can-win-pennsylvania-in-november
-----
57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/03/24
Source: Antiwar.com
“Netanyahu Aide: Biden Proposal ‘Not a Good Deal,’ Israel Operating in Most of Rafah, and More.” (06/03/24)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q75iuMpJSGk
----
58) Freakonomics Radio, 06/02/24
Source: Freakonomics
“The Opioid Tragedy — How We Got Here.” (06/02/24)
https://freakonomics.com/podcast/the-opioid-tragedy-how-we-got-here/
----
59) Free Talk Live, 06/02/24
Source: Free Talk Live
“Skeeter is trying to convert to Ancap :: Covid measures hurt people :: Updates on Ian’s wellbeing :: Should Palestinians be shipped to the USA? :: Should you pay taxes :: Jerome calls in happy about Trump charges :: 2024-06-02 Hosts: Bonnie, Lori, Rich E Rich.” (06/02/24)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/free-talk-live-2024-06-02
----
60) Matt Taibbi on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Matt Taibbi on the Newest Revelations about Twitter’s Relationship with the Intelligence Agencies.” (06/02/24)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/5-30-24-matt-taibbi-on-the-newest-revelations-about-twitters-relationship-with-the-intelligence-agencies/
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Today's Freedom News:
1) India: Modi’s alliance set for narrower-than-expected election victory
2) Bitcoin Sees Profit-Taking Around $70k Amid “Stubbornly Bullish” Sentiment
3) Ukraine war: Kyiv regime claims it hit missile system inside Russian territory using Western weapons
4) Jury sworn in for Hunter Biden’s trial on unconstitutional gun charges
5) Iran: Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf announces presidential bid
6) OH: Signs Measure Ensuring Biden Appears on the Fall Ballot
7) Macau: Beijing puppet regime launches new crackdown on financial freedom
8) New York Stock Exchange halts trading in Berkshire Hathaway and other stocks after apparent plunge
9) MN: Fraud trial juror reports getting bag of $120,000 and promise of more if she’ll acquit
10) Scientists identify gene linked to developmental disorders
11) Feds accuse investor of $4 billion “pump and dump” scheme
12) FL: Cops repeatedly shoot 22-year-old whose family says he was having mental health crisis
13) Romania: Suspect Detained After Throwing Petrol Bomb Outside Israeli Embassy
14) Report: Paramount, Skydance agree to terms on $8 billion merger deal
15) IL: Dozens more former youth inmates sue over alleged sexual abuse at detention centers
16) France: Russia link suspected in Eiffel Tower coffin mystery
17) Fauci denies seeking to suppress COVID-19 lab leak origin hypothesis
18) Disgraced former president’s campaign, businesses bribed witnesses
19) Four more Israeli hostages declared dead, and Palestinians seek to join genocide case
20) Pakistan: Khan acquitted in state secrets case, will remain in jail
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) The real problem with immigration and welfare
22) Liberalism Once Saved The World — It Can Do So Again
23) When A Man’s Life Becomes a Bargaining Chip
24) Does Donald Trump’s Conviction in New York Make Us Banana Republicans?
25) Finding a foreign policy beyond Biden and Trump
26) Anatomy of the Shallow State
27) What Sort of Man Is Donald Trump?
28) US Retrenchment from the Middle East Is Long Overdue
29) The Story of the Ritz Cracker Is the Story of Capitalism
30) The Cost of Exaggerating the Gaza Protests
31) Joe Biden’s looming presence over Hunter’s trial serves as a warning to their political enemies
32) Self-Governance As Co-Production of Rules
33) Are You in a Bubble?
34) Trump’s Most Audacious Lie Yet
35) A Poisonous Tradition
36) The Media Used a Single Comma To Distract From a Ruling To Stop Genocide
37) Yellen Wants Price Inflation to Rise So the Feds Can Keep Spending
38) Where Will the Dust Finally Settle?
39) Quantum Vibe, 06/03/24
40) Who Will Lead Us?
41) Exemptions, Not Repeal
42) The Corporate Power Brokers Behind AIPAC’s War on the Squad
43) Football & Liberty: Political and Economic Issues in Argentina
44) Dollar Dominance, Dollar Dependence
45) A youth influencer exchange program for great power competition
46) 35 years after China’s Tiananmen Square massacre: Why we must never forget
47) The Moral Authorities
48) There is Nothing Queer About Liberalism
49) The Wars Grow Longer
50) Chase Oliver: The New Socially Liberal Face of the Libertarian Party
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/03/24
52) The Political Orphanage, 06/03/24
53) EconTalk, 06/03/24
54) Conflicts of Interest, episode 606
55) The Dispatch Podcast, 06/03/24
56) Finding Freedom, episode 440
57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/03/24
58) Freakonomics Radio, 06/02/24
59) Free Talk Live, 06/02/24
60) Matt Taibbi on The Scott Horton Show
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) India: Modi’s alliance set for narrower-than-expected election victory
Source: CNBC
“The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance is set to come to power in India again — albeit with a much reduced majority, according to the latest data from the Election Commission of India. The BJP-led NDA was ahead on nearly 290 parliamentary seats, while the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), led by the Indian National Congress was leading on 230 seats, according to local media. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance won 353 seats in 2019. If the numbers hold, the BJP would lose about 60 seat compared with its 2019 general election tally of 303. The lower house of India’s parliament has 543 seats, and the party or coalition that wins at least 272 forms the government.” (06/04/24)
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/04/india-elections-modis-bjp-led-alliance-set-for-narrower-than-expected-win.html
-----
2) Bitcoin Sees Profit-Taking Around $70k Amid “Stubbornly Bullish” Sentiment
Source: CoinDesk
“Bitcoin (BTC) slid to $69,200 early Tuesday amid profit-taking after briefly crossing the $70,000 level late Monday. Price action across major tokens was mixed. BTC prices moved alongside broader U.S. stock markets, reflecting risky bets in the market. Some meme stocks and tokens jumped more than 100% on the apparent return of influential equity trader Keith Gill. Crypto exchange Bitfinex said in a report on Monday that bitcoin’s slump since March was likely driven by long-term holders selling. However, blockchain data shows the trend has stalled, and investors are accumulating BTC. … Elsewhere, ether (ETH) and dogecoin (DOGE) showed slight losses, while Cardano’s ADA and Solana’s SOL rose as much as 3%.” (06/04/24)
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2024/06/04/bitcoin-sees-profit-taking-around-70k-amid-stubbornly-bullish-sentiment/
-----
3) Ukraine war: Kyiv regime claims it hit missile system inside Russian territory using Western weapons
Source: CNN
“Ukrainian forces claimed Monday that they had successfully hit a Russian S-300 missile system using Western-supplied weapons inside Russian territory. ‘It burns beautifully. It’s a Russian S-300. On Russian territory. The first days after permission to use Western weapons on enemy territory,’ Ukrainian government minister Iryna Vereshchuk posted on Facebook alongside a picture purporting to show the strike. This comes just days after US President Joe Biden gave Ukraine permission to carry out limited strikes using US weapons in Russian territory around Kharkiv, after several European nations had removed restrictions on how the weapons can be used. It is unclear if the weapons used in the strike described by Vereshchuk were US-supplied.” (06/04/24)
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/03/europe/ukraine-western-weapons-hit-russian-territory-intl-latam/index.html
-----
4) Jury sworn in for Hunter Biden’s trial on unconstitutional gun charges
Source: Reuters
“A jury was sworn in on Monday for the trial of Hunter Biden on gun charges, a historic criminal prosecution of a sitting president’s son with the potential to influence the 2024 presidential election. Hunter Biden, 54, went on trial at the federal courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware, four days after Republican Donald Trump, the Democratic president’s rival for the Nov. 5 U.S. election, became the first former president found guilty of a crime. President Joe Biden’s son is accused of failing to disclose his use of illegal drugs when he bought a Colt Cobra .38-caliber revolver and of illegally possessing the weapon for 11 days in October 2018. He has pleaded not guilty to the three felony charges. The case, brought by U.S. Special Counsel David Weiss, a Trump appointee, is one of Hunter Biden’s two criminal cases. He also faces federal tax charges in California.” (06/03/24)
https://www.reuters.com/legal/hunter-biden-criminal-trial-begins-aftermath-trump-conviction-2024-06-03/
-----
5) Iran: Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf announces presidential bid
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The conservative speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has registered his candidacy for the snap presidential election on June 28. At the end of the five-day registration period on Monday evening, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi told reporters that a total of 80 applications have been submitted. The presidential hopefuls now have to wait until June 11 to see if their candidacy is approved by the Guardian Council – a conservative-dominated, 12-member body of jurists who are either appointed or approved by Iran’s supreme leader and vet all candidates for public office. Candidates cleared by the vetting body will have two weeks to campaign, present their manifestos, and participate in televised debates before the election. The upcoming vote, initially slated for 2025, was brought forward following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi on May 19.” (06/03/24)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/3/iran-parliament-speaker-mohammad-bagher-ghalibaf-announces-presidential-bid
-----
6) OH: Signs Measure Ensuring Biden Appears on the Fall Ballot
Source: US News & World Report
“Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a measure to ensure President Joe Biden will appear on the state ballot in November. DeWine, a Republican, signed the measure — which relaxes a state candidate filing deadline — Sunday along with a related bill that imposes a ban on foreign nationals contributing to state ballot campaigns. Both will take effect Aug. 31. The Republican-dominated Legislature had approved the two measures last week during a rare special session. … the Democratic National Committee moved to neutralize the need for any vote in Ohio. In tandem with the Biden campaign, it announced this week that it would solve Biden’s problem with Ohio’s ballot deadline itself by holding a virtual roll call vote to nominate him. A committee vote on that work-around is set for Tuesday.” (06/03/24)
https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2024-06-03/ohios-republican-governor-signs-measure-ensuring-biden-appears-on-the-fall-ballot
----
7) Macau: Beijing puppet regime launches new crackdown on financial freedom
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“Mainland Chinese officials have called for a crackdown on the illegal money exchange business in its casino hub of Macau in a step to further tackling illegal gambling and underground money laundering. A national-level special planning meeting aimed at drawing together resources was held by the Ministry of Public Security in Beijing last week, according to a People’s Daily report on Monday. Illegal money exchanges – unauthorised currency exchange or loan sharks – have been expanding rapidly, and often involve other illegal activities, including increasing violence, scams and smuggling that have ‘seriously affected social stability’ in the city, authorities said.” (06/03/240
https://archive.is/j7Q9P
----
8) New York Stock Exchange halts trading in Berkshire Hathaway and other stocks after apparent plunge
Source: Financial Times [UK]
“The New York Stock Exchange said it was investigating a technical glitch that led to dozens of trading halts for US-listed companies, in the second issue to hit the world’s biggest exchange in less than a week. … A spokesperson for the exchange told the Financial Times the glitch did not appear to be the result of a cyber attack. Caught up in the volatility were Berkshire Hathaway’s class A shares, which appeared to plunge 99 per cent before a LULD trading pause — which prohibits trading activity in exchange-listed securities at prices outside specified price bands — was initiated.” (06/03/24)
https://archive.is/EWfxd
----
9) MN: Fraud trial juror reports getting bag of $120,000 and promise of more if she’ll acquit
Source: Associated Press
“A juror was dismissed Monday after reporting that a woman dropped a bag of $120,000 in cash at her home and offered her more money if she would vote to acquit seven people charged with stealing more than $40 million from a program meant to feed children during the pandemic. ‘This is completely beyond the pale,’ Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said in court on Monday. ‘This is outrageous behavior. This is stuff that happens in mob movies.’ These seven are the first of 70 defendants expected to go to trial in a conspiracy that cost taxpayers $250 million. Eighteen others have pleaded guilty, and authorities said they recovered about $50 million in one of the nation’s largest pandemic-related fraud cases. Prosecutors say just a fraction of the money went to feed low-income kids, while the rest was spent on luxury cars, jewelry, travel and property.” (06/03/24)
https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-feeding-our-future-pandemic-fraud-73610b59bb60bf33f2aa06063bb592d2
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10) Scientists identify gene linked to developmental disorders
Source: United Press International
“Mutations in a single newly identified gene are responsible for developmental disorders affecting tens of thousands of people worldwide, a new study claims. The gene — RNU4-2 — can cause a collection of developmental symptoms that had not previously been tied to a distinct genetic disorder, researchers report. The discovery is significant because it represents one of the most common single-gene genetic causes of such disorders, ranking second only to a movement disorder called Rett syndrome, researchers said.” (06/03/24)
https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2024/06/03/gene-linked-to-intellectual-disability/5481717421589/
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11) Feds accuse investor of $4 billion “pump and dump” scheme
Source: Axios
“When Trillium offered to buy Getty Images for $4 billion in April 2023, the Boston-based investment firm wouldn’t disclose how it planned to finance the deal or how much money it managed. That’s because Trillium didn’t plan to actually buy Getty, and its brokerage account had a balance of just $17.32. The SEC and DOJ on Friday both charged Trillium and its CEO Scott Murray with securities fraud, essentially claiming that the Getty episode was a pump-and-dump scheme. Murray, who has been both CEO and director of public companies, agreed to plead guilty to one count of securities fraud.” (06/03/24)
https://www.axios.com/2024/06/03/feds-accuse-investor-of-4-billion-pump-and-dump-scheme
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12) FL: Cops repeatedly shoot 22-year-old whose family says he was having mental health crisis
Source: WUFT News [US state media]
“A 22-year-old suffered multiple gunshot wounds after police say he lunged at them with hedge trimmers on Saturday at 6 p.m. He is in stable condition, police reported. The incident occurred when Gainesville police responded to a call for an armed disturbance at 3400 N.W. 21st Street. Upon arrival, they encounter Kyle Kinsman holding hedge trimmers. His mother, Liana Kinsman, said she informed responding officers her son was having a mental health crisis. In a Saturday statement, police said the officers made several attempts to de-escalate, but Kinsman refused to comply with officers’ requests. According to police, Kinsman then lunged toward the officers, prompting an officer to discharge their service weapon multiple times.” (06/03/24)
https://www.wuft.org/public-safety/2024-06-03/gainesville-police-officers-repeatedly-shoot-22-year-old-who-family-says-was-having-a-mental-health-crisis
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13) Romania: Suspect Detained After Throwing Petrol Bomb Outside Israeli Embassy
Source: US News & World Report
“A foreign citizen was detained in Romania’s capital Bucharest on Monday after throwing a Molotov cocktail outside the Israeli embassy, causing no damage or casualties, police said. The Romanian Intelligence Service said its anti-terrorism officers caught the 34-year-old suspect, who allegedly also threatened he will set himself on fire, and handed him over to police. … Police spokesman Georgian Dragan told local television station Digi24 that the suspect’s motives were personal and not motivated by Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip.” (06/03/24)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-06-03/suspect-detained-in-romania-after-throwing-petrol-bomb-outside-israeli-embassy
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14) Report: Paramount, Skydance agree to terms on $8 billion merger deal
Source: New York Post
“Paramount Global and Skydance have agreed on terms of a merger between the two entertainment companies that’s valued at $8 billion, according to a report. Skydance, the media company founded by David Ellison, has agreed under the proposed deal with a Paramount special committee to pay $2 billion for Paramount’s parent company, National Amusements, which is controlled by majority stakeholder Shari Redstone, according to CNBC. As part of the deal, Skydance will buy out nearly half of Paramount’s class B shares for $4.5 billion, $15 apiece — giving shareholders a stake in the newly formed company, according to Faber.” (06/03/24)
https://nypost.com/2024/06/03/business/paramount-skydance-agree-to-terms-on-8b-merger-deal-report/
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15) IL: Dozens more former youth inmates sue over alleged sexual abuse at detention centers
Source: Seattle Times
“Dozens more former youth inmates filed lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in damages for sexual abuse they allegedly endured at Illinois detention centers dating back to the late 1990s. Thirteen women and 95 men filed two separate lawsuits Friday in the Illinois Court of Claims against the state Department of Corrections and the state Department of Juvenile Justice. Each plaintiff is seeking $2 million in damages, the most allowed under law. The filings are packed with disturbing allegations that guards, teachers and counselors at multiple juvenile detention centers around the state sexually assaulted inmates between 1997 and 2013.” (06/03/24)
https://archive.is/XOR4e
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16) France: Russia link suspected in Eiffel Tower coffin mystery
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“French intelligence officials believe Russia is behind a stunt in which five coffins draped in a French flag and bearing the inscription ‘French soldiers of Ukraine’ were deposited near the Eiffel Tower. Three men were seen arriving in a van at about 09:00 (07:00 GMT) on Saturday. The coffins that they left were later found to contain sacks of plaster. Police rapidly apprehended the driver, who claimed he had been paid €40 (£34) by the two others to transport the coffins. He himself had arrived in Paris only the day before from Bulgaria. Later, police caught the two others at Bercy coach station in central Paris, where they were allegedly planning to board a bus to Berlin. They told police they had been paid €400 to deposit the coffins, according to French media.” (06/03/24)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cldd7n97dvro
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17) Fauci denies seeking to suppress COVID-19 lab leak origin hypothesis
Source: Fox News
“Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on Monday denied attempting to suppress the [hypothesis] that the COVID-19 pandemic began as a result of a lab leak in Wuhan, China, during his opening statement before the House Oversight Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. … He testified that on Jan. 31, 2020, he ‘was informed through phone calls with Jeremy Farrar, then director of the Wellcome Trust in the UK, and then with Kristian Anderson, a highly regarded scientist at Scripps Research Institute, that they and Eddie Holmes, a world-class evolutionary biologist from Australia, were concerned that the genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 suggested that the virus could have been manipulated in a lab.’ The next day, Fauci said, he participated in a conference call ‘with about a dozen international virologists to discuss this possibility versus a spillover from an animal reservoir.'” (06/03/24)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fauci-denies-seeking-suppress-covid-19-lab-leak-origin-theory
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18) Disgraced former president’s campaign, businesses bribed witnesses
Source: ProPublica
“Nine witnesses in the criminal cases against former President Donald Trump have received significant financial benefits, including large raises from his campaign, severance packages, new jobs, and a grant of shares and cash from Trump’s media company. The benefits have flowed from Trump’s businesses and campaign committees, according to a ProPublica analysis of public disclosures, court records and securities filings. One campaign aide had his average monthly pay double, from $26,000 to $53,500. Another employee got a $2 million severance package barring him from voluntarily cooperating with law enforcement. And one of the campaign’s top officials had her daughter hired onto the campaign staff, where she is now the fourth-highest-paid employee. These pay increases and other benefits often came at delicate moments in the legal proceedings against Trump. One aide who was given a plum position on the board of Trump’s social media company, for example, got the seat after he was subpoenaed but before he testified.” (06/03/24)
https://www.propublica.org/article/donald-trump-criminal-cases-witnesses-financial-benefits
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19) Four more Israeli hostages declared dead, and Palestinians seek to join genocide case
Source: SFGate
“Israel’s military confirmed the deaths of four more hostages held by Hamas — including three older men who were seen in a Hamas video begging for their release. Around 80 hostages captured on Oct. 7 are believed to be still alive in Gaza, alongside the remains of 43 others. Monday’s announcement came days after U.S. President Joe Biden said Israel has offered Hamas a deal to release all the hostages in Gaza and potentially end the Israel-Hamas war. At the top U.N. court, Palestinian officials asked Monday to join South Africa’s case accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.” (06/03/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/the-latest-israel-finds-the-remains-of-a-19491932.php
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20) Pakistan: Khan acquitted in state secrets case, will remain in jail
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“A Pakistan high court on Monday overturned a treason conviction against former prime minister Imran Khan, who remains in jail on other charges. The conviction was one of three slapped on Khan in the runup to February elections, which he claims were orchestrated to prevent his return to power. The decision by a two-member bench at Islamabad High Court was announced by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, an AFP court reporter witnessed. … Khan was convicted along with Qureshi, his former foreign secretary, of making public a classified cable sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington in 2022. He had touted the cypher as evidence that the United States had conspired to force him from power in 2022, when a no-confidence vote saw him replaced by the opposition.” (06/03/24)
https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20240603-pakistan-s-ex-pm-imran-khan-acquitted-in-state-secrets-case-will-remain-in-jail
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) The real problem with immigration and welfare
Source: Orange County Register
by Agustina Vergara Cid
“As an advocate for freedom in immigration, one of the objections to my position I hear most often is: ‘immigrants abuse the welfare state by taking from a system they haven’t contributed to.’ This objection relies largely on a myth. Demagogues make it sound as if immigrants have virtually unrestricted eligibility to welfare, comparable to native-born Americans. But immigrants’ eligibility for welfare programs is much more limited than most people think. … My question to those who make that objection is: are you concerned with people taking the unearned, or are you scapegoating immigrants? If, like me, you’re concerned about the former, then the objection should be directed at the welfare state itself and entitlement-minded recipients demanding the handouts– not at the many immigrants seeking to earn their own way.” (06/02/24)
https://archive.is/vpODl
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22) Liberalism Once Saved The World — It Can Do So Again
Source: The UnPopulist
by David Boaz
“In both the United States and Europe the century after the American Revolution was marked by the spread of liberalism. The ancient practices of slavery and serfdom were finally ended though some of their unjust structures stubbornly persist. Written constitutions and bills of rights protected liberty and guaranteed the rule of law. Guilds and monopolies were largely eliminated, with all trades thrown open to competition based on merit. Freedom of the press and of religion was greatly expanded, property rights were made more secure, and international trade was freed. After the defeat of Napoleon, Europe enjoyed a century of relative peace. … From the disastrous World War I on, governments grew in size, scope, and power. Exorbitant taxation, militarism, conscription, censorship, nationalization, and central planning signaled that the era of liberalism, which had so recently supplanted the old order, was now itself supplanted by the era of the megastate.” (06/02/24)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/liberalism-once-saved-the-worldit
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23) When A Man’s Life Becomes a Bargaining Chip
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Kym Robinson
“How much longer must Julian Assannge suffer? Locked inside a process of BS legal limbo, Assange has committed no crime (even under the U.S. government’s own determination) and yet he is a prisoner in the United Kingdom’s harsh Belmarsh prison where he is treated worse than any rapist, murderer, or terrorist. Even the most heinous of criminals have rights; not Assange, however. Julian Assange is a political prisoner of the empire. … The U.S. government will have an election this year. Julian Assange may become a political bargaining chip to be pardoned or no longer be pursued so long as it serves the interest of which ever candidate is looking for a particular vote.” (06/03/24)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/when-a-mans-life-becomes-a-bargaining-chip/
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24) Does Donald Trump’s Conviction in New York Make Us Banana Republicans?
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“The United States doesn’t fully meet the definition of a banana republic — we don’t have an economy dependent on resources, like bananas. But in terms of unstable politics in which government officials misuse powers and the courts to punish foes, the U.S. resembles that term more every day. The concluded hush-money trial of former (future?) President Donald Trump is a case in point.” (06/03/24)
https://reason.com/2024/06/03/does-donald-trumps-conviction-in-new-york-make-us-banana-republicans/
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25) Finding a foreign policy beyond Biden and Trump
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Ivan Eland
“There is plenty of chatter right now about prospective foreign policy advisors in a future Trump administration, if indeed, that is the way the election goes in November. Essentially they fall into two categories: internationalists or America firsters. Republican Internationalists are hawks who say they want to go back to Ronald Reagan’s ‘peace through strength’ opposition to Russia, China, and Iran, while maintaining U.S. alliances in Europe and Asia. … America First nationalists normally want to intervene unilaterally without being encumbered by traditional U.S. alliances and care little for active global promotion of values and democracy, or policing other countries and their conflicts.” (06/03/24)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/finding-a-foreign-policy-beyond-biden-and-trump/
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26) Anatomy of the Shallow State
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Jeffrey A Tucker
“The state is a transformer that takes on different appearances in different ages, depending on resources, traditions, technologies, and geography. History chronicles theocratic despotisms, feudal lords, exploitative slavocracies, imperial autocracies, peaceful republics, small-scale democracies, divine-right monarchies, murderous party dictatorships, and many more besides. What is the 21st-century form of the state? There are plenty of opinions on this and the reality and change are still unfolding before us with dramatic upheavals and great resets. But it seems to be some form of omnipotent managerial technocracy, as if to fulfill the most pessimistic predictions of 20th-century thinkers who saw this form developing after the second world war.” (06/03/24)
https://brownstone.org/articles/anatomy-of-the-shallow-state/
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27) What Sort of Man Is Donald Trump?
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson
“What sort of man is Donald Trump? He is a felon, among other things. He says he was wrongly convicted. But people who have been convicted of felonies sometimes find their way into office. There’s Yusef Salaam, for example, one of the ‘Central Park Five’ whose execution Donald Trump once called for in a New York Daily News ad. … He was 15 when the crime was committed and 40 when New York paid a settlement to him and the others convicted in the crime …. He currently sits on the New York City Council. Trump says he stands by his statements about Salaam and the others. He believes himself to have been railroaded, but apparently does not believe it is possible that others have been unjustly convicted — except for those convicted of crimes related to the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, whom he hails as ‘heroes’ and describes as ‘political prisoners.'” (06/03/24)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/sort-man-donald-trump-131500383.html
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28) US Retrenchment from the Middle East Is Long Overdue
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“One of the main myths that defenders of the status quo use to justify keeping things the same is the idea that the U.S. has this great stabilizing role and that retrenchment would leave chaos in its wake. Just consider the record of the last twenty-one years and ask yourself if you can honestly say that the U.S. has done more to stabilize than destabilize the region. Opinions will differ on this or that policy, but when we look at the overall picture we can see that the U.S. has acted as the arsonist in many places and then at other times it has acted as the Fahrenheit 451 fireman. When the U.S. isn’t bombing someone to ‘restore deterrence,’ it is backing insurgencies against a government it doesn’t like, and when it isn’t backing insurgencies it is arming despots to ‘deter’ some other government.” (06/03/24)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/us-retrenchment-from-the-middle-east
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29) The Story of the Ritz Cracker Is the Story of Capitalism
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Jake Klein
“When you last visited the supermarket, you likely walked past a box you’ve seen many times before. The Ritz Cracker has been a staple on American store shelves for 90 years, yet today the snack is often looked down upon; its mass-produced, corporate, and carb-heavy nature has fallen out of favor in an era preferring craft-made, local, and gluten-free foods. But the Ritz Cracker is worth taking a second look at. There’s more to this simple snack than you might think.” (06/03/24)
https://fee.org/articles/the-story-of-the-ritz-cracker-is-the-story-of-capitalism/
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30) The Cost of Exaggerating the Gaza Protests
Source: Washington Monthly
by David Masciotra
“Some campuses were riven by demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war, but most, as the Monthly has noted, were not—including mine in Indiana. The cost we all pay when the mainstream media fails.” (06/03/24)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2024/06/03/the-cost-of-exaggerating-the-gaza-protests/
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31) Joe Biden’s looming presence over Hunter’s trial serves as a warning to their political enemies
Source: New York Post
“The president flew into Wilmington, Del., on Sunday night, where his 54-year-old son’s felony gun trial begins Monday, and will spend the whole day there with no official duties. Joe Biden’s looming presence in the strange small city leaves nobody in any doubt of the message he is sending to Delaware special counsel David Weiss, the prosecutors, the judge, and the jury pool being chosen Monday: You mess with my son, you mess with me. It’s all very subtle, in a flagrant way, much like Joe’s impromptu visit to Hallie Biden, the widow of Beau and former lover of Hunter, just nine days before his son’s trial, at which she is the star witness for the prosecution.” (06/03/24)
https://nypost.com/2024/06/02/opinion/joe-bidens-looming-presence-over-hunters-trial-serves-as-a-warning-to-their-political-enemies/
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32) Self-Governance As Co-Production of Rules
Source: EconLog
by Vlad Tarko
“The commons are the typical example in which self-interested individual actions do not aggregate into beneficial collective outcomes, as judged by members of the community themselves. They are the main counter-example to Adam Smith’s logic of the invisible hand, according to which self-interested consumer and producer behavior in markets lead to efficient aggregate outcomes (again, as judged by the people themselves). … Tragedies of the commons are so ubiquitous in daily life that it’s tempting to ultimately frame any kind of social problem as a type of tragedy of the commons. Two salient features are that they are situations in which it is relatively easy to create the problem (and there are individual-level incentives to create the problem), and it is relatively difficult to organize a solution and profit from delivering a solution.” (06/03/24)
https://www.econlib.org/library/columns/y2024/tarkoselfgovernance.html
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33) Are You in a Bubble?
Source: National Review
by Neal B Freeman
“The investment gurus seem to have fine tools. They can pinpoint exactly where you are in the various stages of a market cycle. Consult the tony financial-information sources and you can find there, on any given day, a heavily credentialed analyst who thinks you are at the front end of a powerful secular upsurge. The problem is that you can find nearby another, equally credentialed analyst who thinks you are at the precipice of a steep, wealth-crushing plunge. Those fine tools seem to produce different products in different hands. And they leave unanswered the only question that really matters to you and me, ‘Are we in a bubble?'” (06/03/24)
https://www.nationalreview.com/2024/06/are-you-in-a-bubble/
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34) Trump’s Most Audacious Lie Yet
Source: The Atlantic
by David A Graham
“‘Hillary Clinton, I didn’t say, ‘Lock her up,’ but the people would all say, ‘Lock her up.’’ That’s nonsense, though the assertion was so bold that it gave me pause. I spend a lot of time watching and listening to Trump, but memories are fickle. I remembered attending Trump rallies where the crowd chanted ‘Lock her up,’ and I remembered Trump doing little to quell them. Was it possible he had never explicitly said the words himself? But of course he did. ‘‘Lock her up’ is right,’ he said in October 2016. ‘For what she did, they should lock her up,’ he said at a rally I attended in Greensboro, North Carolina …. he said, ‘Hillary Clinton has to go to jail. She has to go to jail,’ helpfully adding for the historical record: ‘I said that.'” (06/03/24)
https://archive.is/SCDn9
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35) A Poisonous Tradition
Source: Liberal Currents
by Alan Elrod
“Robert Kagan’s Rebellion: How Antiliberalism is Tearing America Apart — Again is a concise but thorough tour through the influence of American liberalism’s malign twin. It’s a Romulus and Remus story without the fratricide, a nation born of both the edifying instruction of liberal principles and the defiling influence of antiliberal attitudes, whose expression in American history has most often been found in racial injustice. At one point or another in America’s existence, each logic has held the upper hand. On a more intimate scale, they have battled within the minds of the country’s most significant actors — antiliberalism prevailing as far back as Jefferson, who could not forsake the institution of slavery he criticized, and as recently as Trump.” (06/03/24)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/a-poisonous-tradition/
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36) The Media Used a Single Comma To Distract From a Ruling To Stop Genocide
Source: Antiwar.com
by Jonathan Cook
“Israel’s claim that a single comma exempts it from having to respect the International Court of Justice’s order last week to immediately halt its murderous attack on Rafah should be ridiculed. Instead it is being given space to breathe by complicit media like the Guardian. … They argue the following: ‘The world is wrong to think that the ICJ has required Israel to halt its Rafah assault and any actions elsewhere in Gaza that are genocidal. Instead, a comma in the text qualifies the ruling to mean the court wants Israel to halt its actions in Rafah and elsewhere only if they are genocidal. Because Israel’s actions are not genocidal, the court is not, in fact, asking Israel to halt anything.’ That argument is preposterous on its face.” (06/03/24)
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37) Yellen Wants Price Inflation to Rise So the Feds Can Keep Spending
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Daniel Lacalle
“The long-term forecast for higher interest rates, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, makes it more difficult to control US borrowing needs, which emphasizes the significance of raising revenue in the forthcoming budget talks with Republican lawmakers. There is only one problem. She is wrong. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) baseline, which does not assume a single year of recession and already counts with record tax revenues, the 2025 primary deficit will reach $851 billion, while net interest outlays will rise to $951 billion. Furthermore, the minimum expected primary deficit from 2025 to 2034 will be a staggering $676 billion with $1.2 trillion of net interest outlays, while the average annual deficit will likely be above $700 billion. The accumulated figures are even more concerning.” (06/03/24)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/yellen-wants-price-inflation-rise-so-feds-can-keep-spending
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38) Where Will the Dust Finally Settle?
Source: Townhall.com
by Mark Lewis
“The question that is going through my mind is, once all the initial hysteria over the Trump trial verdicts has calmed down — and it will — where will the dust finally settle? Trump is currently getting massive outpourings of support from those who back him. These people are in flames right now. They’ll inevitably cool off from their current heat, but they’ll still be diehard Trump. The Left is expressing great glee that now the Republicans have a ‘convicted felon’ as a candidate, and they will milk that for all it’s worth until November 5. But that will become old hat soon enough, and there will be a return to ‘normalcy.’ When all the dust has cleared, how will the trial have affected the campaign? That’s the question.” (06/03/24)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2024/06/03/where-will-the-dust-finally-settle-n2639883
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39) Quantum Vibe, 06/03/24
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (06/03/24)
https://www.quantumvibe.com/strip?page=2483
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40) Who Will Lead Us?
Source: Law & Liberty
by Andy Smarick
“Much has been written in recent years about how political polarization and tribalism have inflamed our politics, turning debates radioactive and making elections seem existential. But we’ve failed to appreciate how this era’s animosity has all but erased serious conversations about a common good, duty, and what we need in public servants.” (06/03/24)
https://lawliberty.org/who-will-lead-us/
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41) Exemptions, Not Repeal
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“If you light the fuse of a bomb, after warnings that this will cause it to explode, you should not be surprised at the explosion. California’s lawmakers and governor recently imposed super-high minimum wages for workers in fast-food restaurants ($20 an hour) and workers in healthcare facilities ($25 an hour). When the legislation was in process, the impact on companies, customers, and job applicants was deemed irrelevant. What mattered was appeasing the labor lobby. Governor Newsom is suddenly ‘realizing’ (he’d been warned) that these new costs will also burden the state government, currently facing a $45 billion budget deficit. But this isn’t causing him to seek repeal.” (06/03/24)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2024/06/03/exemptions-not-repeal/
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42) The Corporate Power Brokers Behind AIPAC’s War on the Squad
Source: In These Times
by Branko Marcetic
“An In These Times investigation reveals the individuals behind AIPAC’s election war chest: nearly 60% are CEOs and other top executives at the country’s largest corporations.” (06/03/24)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/squad-aipac-israel-corporate-dark-money
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43) Football & Liberty: Political and Economic Issues in Argentina
Source: Students For Liberty
by Alejandro Rameth Arestegui Callo
“Football (Soccer) is the world’s most popular and watched sport, with over 3 billion people watching the final of the World Cup in Qatar alone, where Argentina was crowned champion. Argentines have remained immersed in soccer fandom from childhood, from local clubs to professional teams. Much like all aspects of Argentine culture and society, soccer became infiltrated by ideas of populism and collectivism.” (06/03/24)
https://studentsforliberty.org/blog/football-liberty-political-and-economic-issues-in-argentina/
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44) Dollar Dominance, Dollar Dependence
Source: American Institute for Economic Research
by Joakim Book
“If you make your currency less usable — say, by running aggravatingly high inflation, by closing services outside of banking hours, by burdening users with insultingly silly paperwork and know-your-customer requirements, by freezing accounts over minor infractions, or by confiscating your geopolitical enemy’s assets — fewer people will end up using it. No matter its other virtues, by aggressively weaponizing the global currency you issue, you make it worse. Since money wants to be one and since once established a given money is kept in place by strong network effects, when fewer people hold and use your money, those network effects unravel exponentially.” (06/03/24)
https://www.aier.org/article/dollar-dominance-or-dollar-dependence/
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45) A youth influencer exchange program for great power competition
Source: Niskanen Center
by Gil Guerra
“Since the end of the Second World War, two distinct periods have defined U.S. foreign policy: the Cold War, which saw the U.S. locked in existential competition with the Soviet Union, and the Global War on Terror, in which the U.S. sought to degrade the capabilities of terrorist groups around the world. Virtually every aspect of U.S. diplomatic and military service was tailored to meet the demands of these new distinctive eras. This included the rapid creation of youth exchange programs explicitly targeted in areas where our soft power could have the most significant impact. … To date, the U.S has not established an exchange program to address its current central foreign policy objective: maintaining the upper hand against China in their competition for global preeminence. Such an exchange program specifically targeted toward youth populations will be critical.” (06/03/24)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/a-youth-influencer-exchange-program-for-great-power-competition/
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46) 35 years after China’s Tiananmen Square massacre: Why we must never forget
Source: Fox News
by Ben Cardin
“The voices of the brave individuals who perished 35 years ago in the Tiananmen Square massacre continue to echo across our collective conscience. On that day, the People’s Liberation Army, acting on the orders of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) leadership, murdered and injured thousands of peaceful pro-democracy protesters calling for political reform and an end to corruption. The image of a lone protester using only his body to confront a row of tanks instantly became an enduring global symbol of resistance against oppression. … compounding this tragedy is the fact that today, most people under the age of 40 in 21st-century China have little to no understanding of the events that unfolded on June 4, 1989.” (06/03/24)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/35-years-after-tiananmen-square-massacre-why-never-forget
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47) The Moral Authorities
Source: The Reframe
by AR Moxon
“Our country’s self-professed moral authorities haven’t only failed to be as good as they claim to be. They’ve proved themselves worse than many of us are able to imagine.” (06/02/24)
https://www.the-reframe.com/not-better-but-worse
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48) There is Nothing Queer About Liberalism
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“Your average American liberal progressive is antiwar until a Democrat is dropping the bombs but also has zero problem pushing pacifism on darkies and faggots to keep us in line. Your average American liberal progressive will dawn a dashiki every time another cop shoots another Black boy on a moped but is the first motherfucker to scream ‘law and order’ when they find tire tracks on their freshly sodded lawn. These people may dress up like allies for trick-or-treat, but they voted for Hillary and threw Chelsea Manning beneath a men’s prison. They are cowards, scoundrels, and above all else, frauds.” (06/02/24)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2024/06/there-is-nothing-queer-about-liberalism.html
----
49) The Wars Grow Longer
Source: The American Prospect
bty Harold Meyerson
“The geopolitical static you may be hearing comes from the simultaneous broadcasts of two diametrically opposed messages, one coming from distant war zones, the other from the president of the United States. Nothing in those war zones comports with what Joe Biden wishes were happening.” (06/03/24)
https://prospect.org/world/2024-06-03-wars-grow-longer-russia-ukraine-israel-gaza/
----
50) Chase Oliver: The New Socially Liberal Face of the Libertarian Party
Source: RealClearPolitics
by Jonathan Draeger
“Throughout former President Donald Trump’s speech at the Libertarian National Convention last week, he was booed more than cheered. Multiple shouting matches erupted between Libertarians protesting Trump (their signs included ‘MAGA = Socialist’ and ‘No More Dictators’) and Trump supporters there to cheer on their hero. As the protests and boos continued, Trump shot back at the Libertarians, telling them if they didn’t nominate him as their candidate, they would ‘keep getting your 3% every four years.’ On Sunday, the Libertarians didn’t choose the former president as their nominee, opting instead for one of their own, 38-year-old party activist Chase Oliver, who represents the socially progressive [sic] wing of the Libertarian Party.” (06/02/24)
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2024/06/02/chase_oliver_the_new_socially_liberal_face_of_the_libertarian_party_151037.html
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/03/24
Source: Reason
"Should Donald Trump Have Been Convicted?" (06/03/24)
https://reason.com/podcast/2024/06/03/should-donald-trump-have-been-convicted/
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52) The Political Orphanage, 06/03/24
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Trump Conviction: Kangaroo Court or Al Capone?” (06/03/24)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/trump-conviction-kangaroo-court-or-al-capone
----
53) EconTalk, 06/03/24
Source: Econtalk
“Injustice and the ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ (with Dwayne Betts).” (06/03/24)
https://www.econtalk.org/injustice-and-the-letter-from-birmingham-jail-with-dwayne-betts/
----
54) Conflicts of Interest, episode 606
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Biden’s Foreign Policy Is Bad for Americans.” (06/03/24)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-606-bidens-foreign-policy-is-bad-for-americans
----
55) The Dispatch Podcast, 06/03/24
Source: The Dispatch
“Why Bother to Vote.” (06/03/24)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/dispatch-podcast/why-bother-to-vote/
----
56) Finding Freedom, episode 440
Source: Lions of Liberty
“Cliff Maloney: How Republicans Can Win Pennsylvania in November.” (06/03/24)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/cliff-maloney-how-republicans-can-win-pennsylvania-in-november
-----
57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/03/24
Source: Antiwar.com
“Netanyahu Aide: Biden Proposal ‘Not a Good Deal,’ Israel Operating in Most of Rafah, and More.” (06/03/24)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q75iuMpJSGk
----
58) Freakonomics Radio, 06/02/24
Source: Freakonomics
“The Opioid Tragedy — How We Got Here.” (06/02/24)
https://freakonomics.com/podcast/the-opioid-tragedy-how-we-got-here/
----
59) Free Talk Live, 06/02/24
Source: Free Talk Live
“Skeeter is trying to convert to Ancap :: Covid measures hurt people :: Updates on Ian’s wellbeing :: Should Palestinians be shipped to the USA? :: Should you pay taxes :: Jerome calls in happy about Trump charges :: 2024-06-02 Hosts: Bonnie, Lori, Rich E Rich.” (06/02/24)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/free-talk-live-2024-06-02
----
60) Matt Taibbi on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Matt Taibbi on the Newest Revelations about Twitter’s Relationship with the Intelligence Agencies.” (06/02/24)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/5-30-24-matt-taibbi-on-the-newest-revelations-about-twitters-relationship-with-the-intelligence-agencies/
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