02/05 -- Fears of new arms race as US-Russia nuclear weapons treaty expires; The Federal Punishment of an Innocent Man, part 1
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Thomas L. Knapp
Feb 5, 2026, 6:13:02 AM (6 days ago) Feb 5
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 02/05/26
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Fears of new arms race as US-Russia nuclear weapons treaty expires
2) Bitcoin dip brings key $70,000 level into view
3) SCOTUS allows new California congressional gerrymander favoring Democrats
4) Russian Oil Revenues Plunge to Five-Year Low on Sanctions, Ruble
5) Homan: Minnesota gang presence will be reduced by 25%
6) Regime lawyer yanked from immigrant abduction detail after admitting job sucks
7) Tunisia: Regime thugs abduct politician
8) Vance pushes for socialist price controls in mineral trading
9) EU lawmakers request TikTok probe into alleged user suppression over Epstein files
10) DC: Suspect in shooting of occupation troops pleads not guilty
11) January US jobs report to be released on February 11 after shutdown delay
12) Myanmar: Junta plans “super-body” to tighten grip on military, new government
13) MN: Teachers sue to keep ICE gang off school property
14) Nigeria: Gunmen kill more than 30 people in Kwara State
15) UK: Regime will release files about Mandelson’s ambassador appointment as anger mounts over Epstein
16) Russia and Ukraine envoys meet in Abu Dhabi for US-brokered talks
17) Citing “waste and mismanagement,” White House instructs DOT, CDC to cut $1.5 billion in grants for Dem states
18) Libertarian National Committee Condemns ICE for Fourth Amendment Violations
19) GA: Legal fight escalates over voting records as Trump says he wants to “take over” elections
20) Libya: Son of late dictator Gadhafi killed
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) The Federal Punishment of an Innocent Man, part 1
22) Flirting with MAGA Money: The Shady RFK-Trump Scheme That Nearly Destroyed the Libertarian Party, part 1
23) Open Borders and Remote Work
24) Rights are identical for everyone
25) Certificate-of-Need Laws Still Fail Patients — Even After a Decade of Reform
26) Please Understand That Nothing Will Be Done About The Epstein Files
27) Iran’s Protesters Are Trapped Between Tehran’s Brutality and Trump’s Empty Promises
28) For Zelensky, Is Losing the War Better Than Losing the Peace?
29) Meet the Top Seven Oligarchs Controlling Your Online News
30) ICE Was Terrorizing Worshipers Long Before Don Lemon Entered a Church
31) Facing political pressure with spiritual strength
32) Choose your crisis, Congress: Six paths to fiscal disaster
33) Sensible Immigration Policy Begins With Understanding, Not Gaslighting
34) TR in the Arena
35) The Third Period: My Covid Speech in the Czech Parliament
36) Why Russia survived — and may thrive — after Syria regime change
37) Billie Eilish cries “stolen land,” then goes home to her $2.3 million California mansion
38) The Economic Origins of Cryptocurrencies
39) Deploying Troops to US Cities Cost Half a Billion Dollars in 2025
40) Understanding Money and Inflation in Today’s World
41) Big Money Is Back
42) Federal Election Takeover?
43) Inside Strum: How a Subscription Platform Funds Ukraine’s Neo-Nazi Azov Brigade
44) The Techno-Authoritarian Blueprint for America, part 1
45) Teachers’ unions have hijacked classrooms across the US to indoctrinate students with far-left [sic] propaganda
46) The Roundup: Too much ICE
47) Trump’s embrace of economic leftism will destroy his legacy
48) The United States Is Once Again Canada’s Biggest Threat
49) The Fake [sic] Clinics Taking Over Reproductive Healthcare
50) Adam Smith Misunderstood the Origins of the Division of Labor
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) The Political Orphanage, 02/04/26
52) Reason Interview: Jeff Asher
53) Rising, 02/04/26
54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 02/04/26
55) The Science of Politics, 02/04/26
56) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 02/04/26
57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 02/04/26
58) Fountainhead Forum, episode 417
59) Nonzero, 02/03/26
60) Ill Literacy, episode 183
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Fears of new arms race as US-Russia nuclear weapons treaty expires
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“The last nuclear weapons control treaty between the US and Russia has expired, raising fears of a new arms race. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as ‘New START’ and signed in 2010, was one of a handful of agreements designed to help prevent a catastrophic nuclear war. … The treaty had capped the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads for each party to 1,550 and established some transparency including data transfer, notifications and on site inspections. … Although Russia suspended the treaty three years ago as tensions grew over the Ukraine war, both countries were still thought to be abiding by the treaty.” (02/05/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g31n4ey9go
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2) Bitcoin dip brings key $70,000 level into view
Source: Reuters
“Bitcoin was on the cusp of breaking below the key $70,000 level on Thursday as a slide in the world’s largest cryptocurrency showed no signs of stopping. Bitcoin fell 2% in early European trade, having dropped as much as 3.5% earlier during the Asian session to $70,052.38, its lowest level since November 2024. Ether , meanwhile, was down 0.7% at $2,111.34. A drop below $2,000 would mark the first time the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency has breached that level since May last year.” (02/05/26)
https://www.reuters.com/business/bitcoin-slumps-with-key-70000-level-sight-2026-02-05/
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3) SCOTUS allows new California congressional gerrymander favoring Democrats
Source: SFGate
“The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed California to use a new voter-approved congressional map that is favorable to Democrats in this year’s elections, rejecting a last-ditch plea from state Republicans and the Trump administration. No justices dissented from the brief order. The justices had previously allowed Texas’ Republican-friendly map to be used in 2026, despite a lower court ruling that it likely discriminates on the basis of race. Conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote in December that it appeared both states had adopted new maps for political advantage, which the high court has previously ruled cannot be a basis for a federal lawsuit. Republicans, joined by the Trump administration, claimed the California map improperly relied on race, as well. But a lower court disagreed by a 2-1 vote.” (02/04/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/supreme-court-refuses-to-block-new-california-21333663.php
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4) Russian Oil Revenues Plunge to Five-Year Low on Sanctions, Ruble
Source: Bloomberg
“The Russian government’s oil revenues collapsed to the lowest in more than five years in January as weaker global prices, steeper discounts for the nation’s barrels, and a stronger currency took a toll on the budget. Oil-related taxes halved to 281.7 billion rubles ($3.7 billion) last month from a year earlier, according to Bloomberg calculations based on finance ministry data published Wednesday. Combined oil and gas revenue also declined by 50%, to 393.3 billion rubles. Lower proceeds from the two industries, which between them contribute about a quarter of the budget, will put more strain on the nation’s coffers as the war in Ukraine drags toward a fifth year with little sign of ending.” (02/04/26)
https://archive.is/jrFzO
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5) Homan: Minnesota gang presence will be reduced by 25%
Source: United Press International
“About 25% of federal agents in Minnesota will leave ‘effective immediately,’ leaving about 2,000 still in the state, mostly in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Border Czar Tom Homan said Wednesday. Homan cited an ‘unprecedented’ amount of cooperation between local officials and Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the state since he was sent there as the reason for the drawdown. … ICE and Border Patrol agents have been in Minnesota since December, and people have been actively protesting their presence. Two American citizens have been [murdered] by federal agents since Operation Metro Surge began.” [editor’s note: Did Tim Walz cough up $50k in cash in a shopping bag for Homan? – TLK] (02/04/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/02/04/tom-homan-700-federal-agents-leave-minnesota/4441770221097/
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6) Regime lawyer yanked from immigrant abduction detail after admitting job sucks
Source: Orange County Register
“A government lawyer who told a judge that her job ‘sucks’ during a court hearing stemming from the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota has been removed from her Justice Department post, according to a person familiar with the matter. … At a hearing Tuesday in St. Paul, Minnesota, for several immigration cases, [Julie] Le told U.S. District Judge Jerry Blackwell that she wishes he could hold her in contempt of court ‘so that I can have a full 24 hours of sleep.’ ‘What do you want me to do? The system sucks. This job sucks. And I am trying every breath that I have so that I can get you what you need,’ Le said, according to a transcript.” (02/04/26)
https://www.ocregister.com/2026/02/04/immigration-lawyer-removed/
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7) Tunisia: Regime thugs abduct politician
Source: Devdiscourse [India]
“Tunisian lawmaker Ahmed Saidani has been arrested by police, a move seen as part of a larger crackdown on critics of President Kais Saied. Saidani had recently criticized Saied on social media, mocking him for the lack of significant achievements, leading to his arrest. … The arrest highlights the growing tension in Tunisia, as the government appears to tighten control over political expression and opposition voices.” (02/04/26)
https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/law-order/3794042-tunisian-police-arrest-critical-lawmaker-ahmed-saidani
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8) Vance pushes for socialist price controls in mineral trading
Source: The Hill
“The Trump administration on Wednesday pushed for a trade system involving price floors for minerals during a summit it held with representatives from multiple nations. Vice President J.D. Vance announced the price floor initiative at the Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting at the State Department. ‘This morning, the Trump administration is proposing a concrete mechanism to return the global critical minerals market to a healthier, more competitive state: a preferential trade zone for critical minerals protected from external disruptions through enforceable price floors,’ Vance said.” (02/04/26)
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5722520-vance-rare-minerals-state/
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9) EU lawmakers request TikTok probe into alleged user suppression over Epstein files
Source: Politico
“European lawmakers from three left-leaning parties said Wednesday the EU should investigate TikTok over allegations of censorship [sic] in favor of the right. One of TikTok’s new owners as of late January is a Donald Trump ally, Oracle’s Larry Ellison. Users say that since the change in ownership, the platform has censored [sic] hot-button issues in favor of the president and his political camp, according to reports — including limiting posts about the Epstein files and protests against U.S. border agents in Minnesota. TikTok said some users have experienced disruption due to technical issues.” [editor’s note: TikTok is not a government and has no power to censor, just to control how its own property is used. It will be interesting if a government “nudged” them, though – TLK] (02/04/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-lawmakers-tiktok-probe-alleged-censorship-over-epstein-files
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10) DC: Suspect in shooting of occupation troops pleads not guilty
Source: USA Today
“The man accused of ambushing two West Virginia National Guard members in a shooting in the nation’s capital, killing one and wounding another, has pleaded not guilty to nine charges. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, pleaded not guilty at an arraignment in federal court on Feb. 4, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia confirmed. Prosecutors have steadily added new charges since the shooting unfolded on Nov. 26 near the White House, and told Judge Amit Mehta they plan to pursue more charges that would make Lakanwal eligible for the death penalty.” (02/04/26)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/02/04/national-guard-shooting-suspect-pleads-not-guilty/88506425007/
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11) January US jobs report to be released on February 11 after shutdown delay
Source: CNBC
“The January jobs report delayed by the brief government shutdown will be released next week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday. The closely watched report now will come out Feb. 11, five days later than its original release date, according to a revised schedule. In addition, the BLS will release the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey on Thursday, after it originally had been scheduled for Tuesday. There are other delays as well. The consumer price index for January now will be released on Feb. 13, two days later than its original release date. A companion release, which computes real earnings, will be subject to the same delay.” (02/04/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/04/january-jobs-report-government-shutdown.html
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12) Myanmar: Junta plans “super-body” to tighten grip on military, new government
Source: Reuters
“Myanmar’s junta will form a new entity to oversee both the military and civilian administration, a move experts say will allow paramount ruler Min Aung Hlaing to become president without loosening his grip on the powerful armed forces. Just days after the completion of a final phase of an election that will see a parliament convene next month and power transferred to a nominally civilian government, the junta announced its plans in state media late Tuesday to create the five-member Union Consultative Council. Its mandate is exceptionally broad, granting it control over every critical component of national security and the legislative process, said Naing Min Khant, program associate at the Institute for Strategy and Policy — Myanmar think-tank.” (02/04/26)
https://archive.is/YMUAU
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13) MN: Teachers sue to keep ICE gang off school property
Source: Washington Post
“A group of Minnesota school districts and educators has asked a judge to order federal officers to stay away from schools, alleging that the nation’s largest immigration operation has spilled onto campuses, affecting attendance statewide, according to a lawsuit filed against the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday morning. The lawsuit rebukes the agency’s aggressive immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and St. Paul — its largest operation so far in a campaign to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants. The public school districts in Fridley and Duluth, along with Education Minnesota, an 89,000-member teachers union, accuse federal officers of breaking a promise to stay away from schools.” (02/04/26)
https://archive.is/AV4bi
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14) Nigeria: Gunmen kill more than 30 people in Kwara State
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Armed men have killed at least 35 people and burned homes and shops in Woro, a remote village in Nigeria’s north-central Kwara State, authorities said. … It was the deadliest assault this year in the district bordering Niger State, which armed gangs have attacked increasingly. Villagers fled into the surrounding bushland as the armed men attacked Woro, [lawmaker Sa’idu Baba] Ahmed told the Reuters news agency by phone. Several people were still missing, he said.” (02/04/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/4/gunmen-kill-more-than-30-people-in-nigerias-kwara-state-authorities
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15) UK: Regime will release files about Mandelson’s ambassador appointment as anger mounts over Epstein
Source: SFGate
“The U.K. government agreed Wednesday to release documents casting light on the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States, despite his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, as it tries to stem mounting anger over the revelations. Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced the wrath of opposition lawmakers, and his own Labour Party backbenchers, after acknowledging that he had known at the time of the 2024 appointment about Mandelson’s friendship with the convicted sex offender. Starmer said that he was unaware of the depth of the relationship, and that Mandelson ‘had lied repeatedly’ about his ties to Epstein. A trove of documents about Epstein released last week by the U.S. Justice Department has finished off Mandelson’s long political career — and left Starmer facing angry questions about his judgment in making him Britain’s envoy to the Trump administration, the country’s most important ambassadorial post.” (02/04/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/uk-will-release-files-related-to-mandelson-s-21332865.php
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16) Russia and Ukraine envoys meet in Abu Dhabi for US-brokered talks
Source: Seattle Times
“Envoys from Russia and Ukraine met in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for another round of U.S.-brokered talks on ending the almost four-year war, a Ukrainian negotiator said. The delegations from Moscow and Kyiv were joined in the United Arab Emirates by U.S. officials, Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council chief, who was present at the meeting, said on social media. Umerov said the planned two-day negotiations started with all three delegations present, after which negotiators were to break into groups according to topics and then meet as a full group again at the end.” (02/04/26)
https://archive.is/W4oYF
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17) Citing “waste and mismanagement,” White House instructs DOT, CDC to cut $1.5 billion in grants for Dem states
Source: New York Post
“President Trump’s budget office is instructing the Department of Transportation and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to claw back more than $1.5 billion from blue states on grounds the money was being mishandled, officials told The Post. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) told the DOT Wednesday to cancel more than $943 million, while the CDC was ordered to nix at least $602 million meant for New York, California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota. An OMB spokesperson said that the states were being targeted for ‘waste and mismanagement’ of taxpayer funds. Illinois was slated to receive the largest of the transportation-related grants, with $100 million provided to the state’s Environmental Protection Agency to build electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.” (02/04/25)
https://nypost.com/2026/02/04/us-news/white-house-instructs-dot-cdc-to-cut-1-5b-in-woke-green-grants-for-dem-states/
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18) Libertarian National Committee Condemns ICE for Fourth Amendment Violations
Source: Independent Political Report
“The Libertarian National Committee has formally condemned Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other law enforcement agencies over reports of repeated Fourth Amendment violations, accusing authorities of excessive force and constitutional overreach that undermine limits on government power. In a February 1 statement, the LNC pointed reports detailing a growing pattern of overreach by ICE and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The national committee’s response follows an earlier resolution addressing the same concerns, which informed the statement. The measure, which required a three-fourths vote for adoption, passed 13–0 with one abstention. Prior to that, LNC Chair Steven Nekhaila also separately called for the abolition of ICE following the shooting of Alex Pretti, criticizing the agency for shifting away from administrative civil processes toward what he regards as confrontational, ‘occupation-style policing.'” (02/03/26)
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2026/02/libertarian-national-committee-condemns-ice-for-fourth-amendment-violations/
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19) GA: Legal fight escalates over voting records as Trump says he wants to “take over” elections
Source: SFGate
“Officials in Georgia’s Fulton County said Wednesday they have asked a federal court to order the FBI to return ballots and other documents from the 2020 election that it seized last week, escalating a voting battle as President Donald Trump says he wants to ‘take over’ elections from Democratic-run areas with the November midterms on the horizon. The FBI had searched a warehouse near Atlanta where those records were stored, a move taken after Trump’s persistent demands for retribution over claims, without evidence, that fraud cost him victory in Georgia. Trump’s election comment came in an interview Monday with a conservative podcaster and the Republican president reaffirmed his position in Oval Office remarks the next day, citing fraud allegations that numerous audits, investigations and courts have debunked.” (02/04/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/georgia-s-fulton-county-seeks-return-of-2020-21333130.php
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20) Libya: Son of late dictator Gadhafi killed
Source: ABC News
“Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son and one-time heir apparent of Libya’s late dictator Moammar Gadhafi, was killed in the northern African country, Libyan officials said Tuesday. The 53-year-old was killed in the town Zintan, 136 kilometers (85 miles) southwest of the capital, Tripoli, according to Libyan’s chief prosecutor’s office. The office said in a statement that an initial investigation found that Seif al-Islam was shot to death, but did not provide further details about the circumstances of his killing.” (02/03/26)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/son-late-dictator-gadhafi-killed-libya-129826259
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) The Federal Punishment of an Innocent Man, part 1
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“The first thing to note about the federal conviction of libertarian Ian Freeman, who was in the business of selling Bitcoin, and the eight-year prison sentence that a federal judge meted out to him is that he would never have been convicted of his ‘crimes’ had he been living in 1890 America. The second thing to note about his conviction and long prison sentence is that he is innocent as a matter of fact and law.” (02/04/26)
https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/the-federal-punishment-of-an-innocent-man-part-1/
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22) Flirting with MAGA Money: The Shady RFK-Trump Scheme That Nearly Destroyed the Libertarian Party, part 1
Source: Jake Porter’s Analysis & Investigations
by Jake Porter
“In July of 2023, at Freedom Fest in Memphis, Tenn., then Libertarian Party Chair Angela McArdle secretly met with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. setting off a bizarre saga leading to the Libertarian Party essentially becoming a financial arm to support and market Donald Trump’s Presidential campaign. What followed were sponsored speaking engagements, sabotage, endorsements, money funneled to hidden LLCs and Presidential pardons. This series exposes who sold out the Libertarian Party, how they sold it out, and what party leadership, Kennedy and Donald Trump each benefited from it.” (02/04/26)
https://jakeporter.substack.com/p/flirting-with-maga-money-the-shady
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23) Open Borders and Remote Work
Source: Bet On It
by Vipul Naik
“I’m incredibly grateful for all the developments in computing, telecommunications, and collaboration software that have enabled the rise of partly-or-wholly remote work. I’m also appreciative of the many efforts humans have put in to adjust to this new way of remote working and uncover forms of collaboration that would have been much harder otherwise. At the margin, I think this does somewhat reduce the need for people to migrate to do jobs, and I think that’s a good thing! However, I also think that it’s easy to overstate the extent to which remote work obviates the need for people to move.” (02/04/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/open-borders-and-remote-work
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24) Rights are identical for everyone
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“If you won’t stand up for the rights of those you dislike, you don’t really believe in rights at all. At best, you believe in privileges — things you can do as long as some government official agrees and gives you temporary permission to do it.” (02/04/26)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2026/02/04/voices/opinion-rights-are-identical-for-everyone/232692.html
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25) Certificate-of-Need Laws Still Fail Patients — Even After a Decade of Reform
Source: The Daily Economy
by Thomas Savidge
“Certificate-of-Need (CON) laws require the approval of states’ health planning agencies for health care providers to engage in regulated actions such as opening or expanding facilities or purchasing equipment. Additionally, in many states with CON regulations, the decision to grant a CON is made by a board whose members may work for incumbent providers. This is sometimes referred to as a ‘competitor’s veto.’ … As of December 2025, 15 states have fully repealed CON regulations. Additionally, numerous states have reformed their CON regulations to shrink the healthcare services that require a CON. … Preventing incumbent providers from participating in the CON review process (including requesting hearings and appeals) can help reduce cronyism in the CON application process.” (02/04/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/certificate-of-need-laws-still-fail-patients-even-after-a-decade-of-reform/
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26) Please Understand That Nothing Will Be Done About The Epstein Files
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“I need you to understand that nothing is going to be done about anything in the Epstein files. Nothing. The people in the documents will suffer no consequences. The institutions responsible for the abuses you’ve learned about will not change anything about how they operate. Your government will change absolutely nothing about its policies and behavior. Nothing will be done if you vote in the other political party. Nothing will be done if you vote in new politicians. Nothing will be done if you write letters to your senators and representatives. Nothing will be done if you hold protests outside government buildings. No meaningful laws will be passed. No prosecutions of any meaningful consequence will occur. Don’t believe me? Just watch and pay attention.” (02/04/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/02/04/please-understand-that-nothing-will-be-done-about-the-epstein-files/
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27) Iran’s Protesters Are Trapped Between Tehran’s Brutality and Trump’s Empty Promises
Source: The UnPopulist
by Eric Lob
“Outside players with their own agenda are undermining the cause of regime change in the country.” (02/04/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/irans-protesters-are-trapped-between
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28) For Zelensky, Is Losing the War Better Than Losing the Peace?
Source: The American Conservative
by Ted Snider
“Ukraine is losing the land in the war that they refuse to lose in the peace. But, for Zelensky, losing the war may be preferable to losing the peace. The result will be the same for Ukraine, but perhaps not for its president. If Ukraine loses the peace, Ukrainians will blame Zelensky. But if Ukraine loses the war, Zelensky can blame the U.S. and Europe.” [editor’s note: Ah a little bit of progress — After nearly four years of the Russian forces failing to secure the Donbas, Snider has progressed from “Ukraine CAN’T WIN” the war to “Ukraine IS LOSING” the war. Maybe he’ll eventually figure out that this war, like all wars, only has losers (excepting political class profiteers) – TLK] (02/04/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/for-zelensky-is-losing-the-war-better-than-losing-the-peace/
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29) Meet the Top Seven Oligarchs Controlling Your Online News
Source: Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
by Caitlin Scialla
“When Ben Bagdikian, an esteemed journalist and early FAIR contributor, published his groundbreaking book The Media Monopoly in 1983, he painted a troubling picture of US media consolidation, reporting that 50 corporations controlled the media business. With each reprint, that number dwindled (FAIR.org, 6/1/87). When FAIR replicated his analysis in 2011 (Extra!, 10/11), it stood at 20. Now, over 40 years after the initial release of The Monopoly Media, the media landscape has transformed drastically. Even Bagdikian’s later editions, written at the dawn of the internet, could not fully anticipate how profoundly digital technology would reconfigure the media oligarchy. ‘News’ is increasingly synonymous with online news. Over half the US public (56%) say that they ‘often’ get news through their digital devices — compared to less than 1 in 3 (32%) who often get news from TV, 1 in 9 from radio, and only 1 in 14 from print publications like newspapers or magazines (Pew, 9/25/25).” (02/04/25)
https://fair.org/home/the-digital-media-oligarchy-who-owns-online-news/
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30) ICE Was Terrorizing Worshipers Long Before Don Lemon Entered a Church
Source: The Bulwark
by Adrian Carrasquillo
“When Don Lemon was arrested after reporting on the aggressive protest of a church … the Trump administration claimed that Lemon and another journalist present at the event had violated federal laws meant, in part, to shield churches from having their services disrupted. The administration’s message was clear: Disrupting church services and taking away the right of others to worship freely and in peace is unconscionable. How dare protesters infringe on those congregants’ First Amendment rights! Who would do such a thing? Well, one of the first things this White House did after Donald Trump’s second inauguration was to rescind the 2021 guideline that required CBP and ICE agents to do everything in their power to avoid conducting operations in or near ‘protected areas’ like churches, hospitals, and schools. It wasn’t long before agents were showing up at just those sorts of places in the apparent hope of surprising their targets.” (02/04/26)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/ice-was-terrorizing-worshipers-long-before-lemon-church-deportations-immigration-minneapolis-chicago-los-angeles-charlotte
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31) Facing political pressure with spiritual strength
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by Abraham McLaughlin
“Keeping up with today’s national and global developments can feel like living in a cauldron of political pressure. If we’re not in the storm ourselves, the sheer volume of political twists and turns can make us feel numb to the news. Yet, looking to those who have withstood the storm and triumphed shows us that responding with grace and confidence in good starts with the truths we hold in our heart. The Bible offers compelling examples. Consider the spiritual clarity and bravery of four individuals: Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel. They’d been taken from their home in Israel and were being indoctrinated by their Babylonian captors. Yet they held in their hearts strong spiritual truths – and got to witness dramatic turnarounds. In Babylon, the pressure – political, religious, and cultural – was ferocious. One of the world’s most powerful kings was insisting that all his subjects worship a lifeless statue (see Daniel 3).” (02/03/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/A-Christian-Science-Perspective/2026/0203/Facing-political-pressure-with-spiritual-strength
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32) Choose your crisis, Congress: Six paths to fiscal disaster
Source: Washington Post
by George F Will
“As the national debt is a few months from reaching $39 trillion, and perhaps $40 trillion by the end of this year, it is puzzling how unperturbed the political class is. Or perhaps not. Writer and political agitator Upton Sinclair (1878-1968) said: ‘It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.’ Or pretending not to. A bipartisan congressional consensus, more alarming than partisan rancor, is: There are no long-term fiscal gains without intense short-term political pains. So, because today’s congressional careers do not yet seem likely to coincide with coming dire consequences, let them come. In 2016, a budget expert was allotted 20 minutes to brief Donald Trump on those possible consequences. After five minutes, Trump said, ‘Yeah, but I’ll be gone.’ He was perfectly in sync with the political mainstream he professes to supplant.” (02/04/26)
https://archive.is/MDrjS
-----
33) Sensible Immigration Policy Begins With Understanding, Not Gaslighting
Source: Common Dreams
by Anthony Pahnke
“By now, we have heard the mantra that President Donald Trump was right to close the border, but wrong in his heavy-handed approach to immigration enforcement. We are also told that if he would have simply done what most Americans wanted, that is, arrest and deport violent criminals, then his poll numbers would be higher, and his administration wouldn’t find itself embroiled by crisis in the aftermath of two killings at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis. But this claim (that the problem with Trump’s immigration agenda is mainly about enforcement tactics) is flawed. Seriously addressing this country’s ongoing immigration crisis will require policy change, and to get to that point, there needs to be a narrative shift in this country away from indiscriminately criminalizing all undocumented people to humanizing them.” (02/04/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/sensible-immigration-policy
-----
34) TR in the Arena
Source: Law & Liberty
by Ralph L DeFalco III
“Theodore Roosevelt came of age and rose to prominence in the late 1800s and, arguably, launched what Time magazine publisher H. R. Luce would later call the ‘American Century.’ As the Gilded Age faded, Roosevelt shaped America’s entry into world affairs and created the impetus for a robust America First foreign policy and hegemony in the Western Hemisphere. By sheer force of personality, he enlarged the stature of the presidency and the executive’s role in shaping public policy. No stranger to controversy and conflict, Roosevelt spoiled for a fight and delighted in lacerating his enemies with calculated comments and ridicule. In short, Roosevelt would be equally at home in both the early twentieth and twenty-first century American politics.” (02/04/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/tr-in-the-arena/
-----
35) The Third Period: My Covid Speech in the Czech Parliament
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Tomas Fürst
“Today — or rather already with Wednesday’s comment by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš that we should have taken the Swedish path — the third period of our Covid match begins. The first period consisted of a global loss of sanity itself. I called the second period the Great Covid Silence, when many players fervently hoped that how they played in the first period would be forgotten. The last period will — so I firmly hope — consist of catharsis and lessons learned. Let us hope no overtime will be needed.” (02/04/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/the-third-period-my-covid-speech-in-the-czech-parliament/
-----
36) Why Russia survived — and may thrive — after Syria regime change
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Anna Matveeva
“Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s downfall was a blow for the Kremlin, but it did take it on the chin. Now, the relationship needs to be rebuilt on a new basis — not between patron and client, but on an equal footing. Russia is a part of the new Syrian government’s diversification agenda: Syria needs all the friends it can get, but without becoming a pawn in somebody else’s geopolitical game. Moscow, for now, seems happy to offer that.” (02/04/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/putin-syria/
-----
37) Billie Eilish cries “stolen land,” then goes home to her $2.3 million California mansion
Source: Fox News Forum
by Jimmy Failla
“Billie Eilish won the Grammy Award for ‘Best Anti-ICE Tantrum’ on Sunday night by declaring that ‘No human being is illegal on stolen land.’ Unfortunately, the blowback against her is serving as the latest in a long line of reminders that Hollywood celebrities should lay off the politics and stick to doing what they do best, which is cocaine. Now, obviously, I have no idea if Billie is taking any drugs whatsoever, but you’d have to be on SOMETHING to think all of this Trump bashing is helping awards shows. Ratings were down 9% year over year for the Grammys, and of course, we all know that viewership has fallen by 50% in the last two decades for that Well-Dressed-Group-Therapy- Session we call the Oscars.” (02/04/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/jimmy-failla-billie-eilish-cries-stolen-land-goes-home-2-3-million-mansion
-----
38) The Economic Origins of Cryptocurrencies
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Deborah Palma
“The launch of Bitcoin in 2009 represents one of the most disruptive phenomena in financial history, establishing a unique link between computer science and an economic tradition opposed to the mainstream. To understand Bitcoin’s importance, it is not sufficient to analyze its cryptographic architecture alone; it is essential to delve into the intellectual roots that shaped its existence, primarily found in the Austrian School of Economics.” (02/04/26)
https://fee.org/articles/the-economic-origins-of-cryptocurrencies/
-----
39) Deploying Troops to US Cities Cost Half a Billion Dollars in 2025
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“Maintaining a uniformed domestic security force is pricey in terms of life, liberty, and dollars.” (02/04/26)
https://reason.com/2026/02/04/deploying-troops-to-u-s-cities-cost-half-a-billion-dollars-in-2025/
-----
40) Understanding Money and Inflation in Today’s World
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Oscar Grau
“Leaving aside the events that made the current monetary system possible, banknotes that are printed monopolistically (currency) by central banks have purchasing power and serve as a general medium of exchange (money) for billions of people around the world. Such currencies (paper money), with no backing and with no non-monetary use, make up the monetary base upon which the fractional reserve banking system relies; first, through their privileged backing by central banks as lenders of last resort and second, through the reserve multiplier, allowing commercial banks to provide loans (bank money) beyond their reserves. The new funds created and lent by commercial banks via mere accounting entries perform the same function as money and therefore increase the money supply.” (02/04/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/understanding-money-and-inflation-in-todays-world
-----
41) Big Money Is Back
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“A preview to this year’s congressional primary season kicks off, unusually, on Thursday. Former Rep. Mikie Sherrill won a landslide to become New Jersey’s governor last year, and a crowded primary to replace her in the state’s 11th Congressional District is being held tomorrow. It’s a light-blue district, but the winner of the 11-candidate Democratic primary is expected to easily prevail in the general election in early April. That’s brought a familiar face out of the shadows to help determine the outcome: AIPAC. Though some reports indicated that the pro-Israel PAC was pulling back on electoral spending, it has thrown down nearly $2.3 million in television ads through its subsidiary United Democracy Project (UDP), and $1.83 million more in direct mail and phone banks, to block former Rep. Tom Malinowski from winning the seat. As is typical for single-issue groups, the ads are 100 percent pretextual.” (02/04/25)
https://prospect.org/2026/02/04/2026-primaries-spending-aipac-analilia-mejia-tom-malinowski/
-----
42) Federal Election Takeover?
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Have you ever noticed that in the tug of war beteeen federal and state power, politicians of all stripes support the Constitution’s balance when it suits them and ignore it when it doesn’t?” (02/04/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/02/04/federal-election-takeover/
-----
43) Inside Strum: How a Subscription Platform Funds Ukraine’s Neo-Nazi Azov Brigade
Source: Antiwar.com
by JD Hester
“With resources dwindling and rampant foreign military aid corruption, Azov has increasingly relied on donations from individuals and companies. According to reporting from Svidomi, which included interviews with founders and project managers, a new project, Strum, has become the ‘driving force’ behind the Brigade. The platform operates as a subscription service like Netflix or Spotify, but with some substantial differences and additional features.” [editor’s note: I’m not a fan of Azov, but this is the way ALL military organizations should be funded – TLK] (02/04/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/jd_hester/2026/02/03/inside-strum-how-a-subscription-platform-funds-ukraines-neo-nazi-azov-brigade/
-----
44) The Techno-Authoritarian Blueprint for America, part 1
Source: The Jolly Libertarian
by Marco den Ouden
“There is a new strain of authoritarian thought emerging in America today, one that threatens to rip asunder America as we know it. It has its roots in the neo-feudalism of anarcho-capitalist theorist Hans-Hermann Hoppe. It evolved into the neo-reactionism of Curtis Yarvin writing as Mencius Moldbug. His Patchwork philosophy called for a fractured network of corporate city states, each ruled by a corporate CEO with absolute power. More recently Yarvin has come out explicitly for regime change and the establishment of a de facto centralized authoritarian one party state through what he he calls Hard Party politics. An approach one might call Shock-and-Awe Centralism.” (02/03/26)
https://jollylibertarian.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-techno-authoritarian-blueprint-for.html
-----
45) Teachers’ unions have hijacked classrooms across the US to indoctrinate students with far-left [sic] propaganda
Source: New York Post
by Corey DeAngelis
“A wave of school protests sweeping the US in response to the fatal shooting of two anti-ICE protesters in Minnesota has revealed how teachers unions have weaponized classrooms for their own left-wing agenda. The unions have revealed themselves as political operatives more concerned with indoctrinating kids than teaching them reading, writing and arithmetic. These disruptions didn’t materialize out of thin air. The teachers’ unions fired the starting gun by blasting out anti-ICE propaganda to teachers, urging them to rally against immigration enforcement and turn schools into battlegrounds for their partisan fights. The National Education Association is also pushing teachers to print out immigration-related political propaganda posters and put them in their classrooms.” [editor’s note: Anti-ICE isn’t “left-wing,” it’s “anti-gang” – TLK] (02/04/25)
https://nypost.com/2026/02/03/opinion/teachers-unions-have-hijacked-classrooms-across-the-us-to-indoctrinate-students-with-far-left-propaganda/
-----
46) The Roundup: Too much ICE
Source: The Watch
by Radley Balko
“The government is cracking down. The people are standing up.” (02/03/26)
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-roundup-too-much-ice
-----
47) Trump’s embrace of economic leftism will destroy his legacy
Source: Orange County Register
by Connor O’Keeffe
“[T]he causes and cures of the so-called affordability crisis are not a mystery. To truly fix this problem, the inflationist monetary regime that is deliberately destroying the value of our money needs to be abolished and replaced by some form of market-determined sound money. And the myriad laws and regulations that artificially constrain supply in important sectors like housing and healthcare need to be repealed—along with the many price-amplifying, demand-side subsidies that have been building up in the wake of the artificial shortages. The Trump administration has shown no real interest in pursuing either of these solutions, which is bad enough. But Trump is also actively pursuing policies that, from an affordability standpoint, are worse than doing nothing.” (02/03/26)
https://archive.is/0wvgw
-----
48) The United States Is Once Again Canada’s Biggest Threat
Source: Foreign Policy
by Casey Michael
“The days of laughing off Trump’s threats of turning Canada into the 51st U.S. state are long past. A new reality has suddenly rippled across Canada: that the United States under Trump is, as strange as it may be to stomach, suddenly Canada’s largest national security threat. It is a reality that Canadians are finally beginning to adapt to. But it is also a reality that taps into a far longer, far deeper vein of U.S. peril facing Canada. Indeed, the past 80 or so years of U.S.-Canada comity — in which the world’s longest border was largely peaceable and in which Washington and Ottawa became perhaps the closest allies in the entire world — may increasingly seem like an anachronism, an anomaly in which the United States simply paused on its far broader history of expansion in North America.” (02/03/26)
https://archive.is/GL27X
-----
49) The Fake [sic] Clinics Taking Over Reproductive Healthcare
Source: In These Times
by Sonia Chajet Wides
“A small crowd of abortion rights advocates gathered at a public comment session of the Gwinnett County Department of Planning and Development in July 2025. The most diverse and second-most populous county in Georgia, Gwinnett County distributed millions of dollars in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grants to local nonprofits in 2025, with most recipients receiving something in the tens of thousands. One organization, Georgia Wellness Group, was set to receive a much bigger prize: $450,000. According to its website, Georgia Wellness is a clinic that provides ’compassionate holistic care’ for women and families. But this is a rebrand from its longstanding religious, explicitly anti-abortion identity. The group arguably fits into a category known as ‘crisis pregnancy centers,’ or CPCs, part of a project from the Christian Right dedicated to replacing public reproductive healthcare with anti-abortion ‘clinics.'” (02/03/25)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/fake-clinics-crisis-pregnancy-abortion-reproductive-healthcare
-----
50) Adam Smith Misunderstood the Origins of the Division of Labor
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Mark Thornton
“Labor divided into the production of different goods or even into various tasks involved in the production of a single good is one of the earliest observations on the nature of human civilization. From a scientific point of view, civilization or society is the division of labor. Unfortunately, opinion down through time mistakenly considers it a mixed blessing, indicating that it is a great force for both good and evil. This common opinion falters largely on the basis of observation, measurement, and personal bias, absent economic law. The prevailing fallacies can only be eradicated with the theoretical perspective provided by the Austrian School of economics and its predecessors. Unfortunately, Adam Smith’s central importance on this topic and his basic mistakes continue to have an unhealthy impact on the economics profession and social ideology more generally.” (02/03/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/adam-smith-misunderstood-origins-division-labor
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) The Political Orphanage, 02/04/26
Source: The Political Orphanage
“The Map That Explains Everything About America: Colin Woodard.” (02/04/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/the-map-that-explains-everything-about-america-colin-woodard
-----
52) Reason Interview: Jeff Asher
Source: Reason
“What the Media Gets Wrong About Crime.” (02/04/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/02/04/what-the-media-gets-wrong-about-crime/
-----
53) Rising, 02/04/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave delivers his radar on the recent raid of offices of the social media platform X in France, and the concerns about X’s AI chatbot Grok” (02/04/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5718815-rising-february-4-2026/
-----
54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 02/04/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Why Do They Hate Thomas Massie?” (02/04/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1jMJgRBYDkPGL
-----
55) The Science of Politics, 02/04/26
Source: Niskanen Center
“Can AI ‘vibe research’ replace social science?” (02/04/26)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/can-ai-vibe-research-replace-social-science/
-----
56) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 02/04/26
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Spirals into Crazed Fury after Harvard Humiliates Him Very Badly.” (02/04/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/206113/trump-spirals-crazed-fury-harvard-humiliates-badly
-----
57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 02/04/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“US Shoots Down Iranian Drone in Arabian Sea, Russia Says US Silent on New START, and More.” (02/04/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rC4lZw28uM
-----
58) Fountainhead Forum, episode 417
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Mark Sims on running for US Senate and life at West Point.” (02/03/26)
https://rumble.com/v759qz0-ff-417-mark-sims-on-running-for-us-senate-and-life-at-west-point.html
-----
59) Nonzero, 02/03/26
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“The Meaning of Moltbook | Robert Wright & Paul Bloom.” (02/03/26)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/69280
-----
60) Ill Literacy, episode 183
Source: Heartland Institute
“The Persistence of the Ideological Lie (Guest: Daniel J. Mahoney).” (02/03/26)
https://heartland.org/podcasts/the-persistence-of-the-ideological-lie-guest-daniel-j-mahoney/
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Fears of new arms race as US-Russia nuclear weapons treaty expires
2) Bitcoin dip brings key $70,000 level into view
3) SCOTUS allows new California congressional gerrymander favoring Democrats
4) Russian Oil Revenues Plunge to Five-Year Low on Sanctions, Ruble
5) Homan: Minnesota gang presence will be reduced by 25%
6) Regime lawyer yanked from immigrant abduction detail after admitting job sucks
7) Tunisia: Regime thugs abduct politician
8) Vance pushes for socialist price controls in mineral trading
9) EU lawmakers request TikTok probe into alleged user suppression over Epstein files
10) DC: Suspect in shooting of occupation troops pleads not guilty
11) January US jobs report to be released on February 11 after shutdown delay
12) Myanmar: Junta plans “super-body” to tighten grip on military, new government
13) MN: Teachers sue to keep ICE gang off school property
14) Nigeria: Gunmen kill more than 30 people in Kwara State
15) UK: Regime will release files about Mandelson’s ambassador appointment as anger mounts over Epstein
16) Russia and Ukraine envoys meet in Abu Dhabi for US-brokered talks
17) Citing “waste and mismanagement,” White House instructs DOT, CDC to cut $1.5 billion in grants for Dem states
18) Libertarian National Committee Condemns ICE for Fourth Amendment Violations
19) GA: Legal fight escalates over voting records as Trump says he wants to “take over” elections
20) Libya: Son of late dictator Gadhafi killed
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) The Federal Punishment of an Innocent Man, part 1
22) Flirting with MAGA Money: The Shady RFK-Trump Scheme That Nearly Destroyed the Libertarian Party, part 1
23) Open Borders and Remote Work
24) Rights are identical for everyone
25) Certificate-of-Need Laws Still Fail Patients — Even After a Decade of Reform
26) Please Understand That Nothing Will Be Done About The Epstein Files
27) Iran’s Protesters Are Trapped Between Tehran’s Brutality and Trump’s Empty Promises
28) For Zelensky, Is Losing the War Better Than Losing the Peace?
29) Meet the Top Seven Oligarchs Controlling Your Online News
30) ICE Was Terrorizing Worshipers Long Before Don Lemon Entered a Church
31) Facing political pressure with spiritual strength
32) Choose your crisis, Congress: Six paths to fiscal disaster
33) Sensible Immigration Policy Begins With Understanding, Not Gaslighting
34) TR in the Arena
35) The Third Period: My Covid Speech in the Czech Parliament
36) Why Russia survived — and may thrive — after Syria regime change
37) Billie Eilish cries “stolen land,” then goes home to her $2.3 million California mansion
38) The Economic Origins of Cryptocurrencies
39) Deploying Troops to US Cities Cost Half a Billion Dollars in 2025
40) Understanding Money and Inflation in Today’s World
41) Big Money Is Back
42) Federal Election Takeover?
43) Inside Strum: How a Subscription Platform Funds Ukraine’s Neo-Nazi Azov Brigade
44) The Techno-Authoritarian Blueprint for America, part 1
45) Teachers’ unions have hijacked classrooms across the US to indoctrinate students with far-left [sic] propaganda
46) The Roundup: Too much ICE
47) Trump’s embrace of economic leftism will destroy his legacy
48) The United States Is Once Again Canada’s Biggest Threat
49) The Fake [sic] Clinics Taking Over Reproductive Healthcare
50) Adam Smith Misunderstood the Origins of the Division of Labor
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) The Political Orphanage, 02/04/26
52) Reason Interview: Jeff Asher
53) Rising, 02/04/26
54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 02/04/26
55) The Science of Politics, 02/04/26
56) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 02/04/26
57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 02/04/26
58) Fountainhead Forum, episode 417
59) Nonzero, 02/03/26
60) Ill Literacy, episode 183
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Fears of new arms race as US-Russia nuclear weapons treaty expires
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“The last nuclear weapons control treaty between the US and Russia has expired, raising fears of a new arms race. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as ‘New START’ and signed in 2010, was one of a handful of agreements designed to help prevent a catastrophic nuclear war. … The treaty had capped the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads for each party to 1,550 and established some transparency including data transfer, notifications and on site inspections. … Although Russia suspended the treaty three years ago as tensions grew over the Ukraine war, both countries were still thought to be abiding by the treaty.” (02/05/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g31n4ey9go
-----
2) Bitcoin dip brings key $70,000 level into view
Source: Reuters
“Bitcoin was on the cusp of breaking below the key $70,000 level on Thursday as a slide in the world’s largest cryptocurrency showed no signs of stopping. Bitcoin fell 2% in early European trade, having dropped as much as 3.5% earlier during the Asian session to $70,052.38, its lowest level since November 2024. Ether , meanwhile, was down 0.7% at $2,111.34. A drop below $2,000 would mark the first time the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency has breached that level since May last year.” (02/05/26)
https://www.reuters.com/business/bitcoin-slumps-with-key-70000-level-sight-2026-02-05/
-----
3) SCOTUS allows new California congressional gerrymander favoring Democrats
Source: SFGate
“The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed California to use a new voter-approved congressional map that is favorable to Democrats in this year’s elections, rejecting a last-ditch plea from state Republicans and the Trump administration. No justices dissented from the brief order. The justices had previously allowed Texas’ Republican-friendly map to be used in 2026, despite a lower court ruling that it likely discriminates on the basis of race. Conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote in December that it appeared both states had adopted new maps for political advantage, which the high court has previously ruled cannot be a basis for a federal lawsuit. Republicans, joined by the Trump administration, claimed the California map improperly relied on race, as well. But a lower court disagreed by a 2-1 vote.” (02/04/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/supreme-court-refuses-to-block-new-california-21333663.php
-----
4) Russian Oil Revenues Plunge to Five-Year Low on Sanctions, Ruble
Source: Bloomberg
“The Russian government’s oil revenues collapsed to the lowest in more than five years in January as weaker global prices, steeper discounts for the nation’s barrels, and a stronger currency took a toll on the budget. Oil-related taxes halved to 281.7 billion rubles ($3.7 billion) last month from a year earlier, according to Bloomberg calculations based on finance ministry data published Wednesday. Combined oil and gas revenue also declined by 50%, to 393.3 billion rubles. Lower proceeds from the two industries, which between them contribute about a quarter of the budget, will put more strain on the nation’s coffers as the war in Ukraine drags toward a fifth year with little sign of ending.” (02/04/26)
https://archive.is/jrFzO
-----
5) Homan: Minnesota gang presence will be reduced by 25%
Source: United Press International
“About 25% of federal agents in Minnesota will leave ‘effective immediately,’ leaving about 2,000 still in the state, mostly in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Border Czar Tom Homan said Wednesday. Homan cited an ‘unprecedented’ amount of cooperation between local officials and Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the state since he was sent there as the reason for the drawdown. … ICE and Border Patrol agents have been in Minnesota since December, and people have been actively protesting their presence. Two American citizens have been [murdered] by federal agents since Operation Metro Surge began.” [editor’s note: Did Tim Walz cough up $50k in cash in a shopping bag for Homan? – TLK] (02/04/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/02/04/tom-homan-700-federal-agents-leave-minnesota/4441770221097/
-----
6) Regime lawyer yanked from immigrant abduction detail after admitting job sucks
Source: Orange County Register
“A government lawyer who told a judge that her job ‘sucks’ during a court hearing stemming from the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota has been removed from her Justice Department post, according to a person familiar with the matter. … At a hearing Tuesday in St. Paul, Minnesota, for several immigration cases, [Julie] Le told U.S. District Judge Jerry Blackwell that she wishes he could hold her in contempt of court ‘so that I can have a full 24 hours of sleep.’ ‘What do you want me to do? The system sucks. This job sucks. And I am trying every breath that I have so that I can get you what you need,’ Le said, according to a transcript.” (02/04/26)
https://www.ocregister.com/2026/02/04/immigration-lawyer-removed/
-----
7) Tunisia: Regime thugs abduct politician
Source: Devdiscourse [India]
“Tunisian lawmaker Ahmed Saidani has been arrested by police, a move seen as part of a larger crackdown on critics of President Kais Saied. Saidani had recently criticized Saied on social media, mocking him for the lack of significant achievements, leading to his arrest. … The arrest highlights the growing tension in Tunisia, as the government appears to tighten control over political expression and opposition voices.” (02/04/26)
https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/law-order/3794042-tunisian-police-arrest-critical-lawmaker-ahmed-saidani
-----
8) Vance pushes for socialist price controls in mineral trading
Source: The Hill
“The Trump administration on Wednesday pushed for a trade system involving price floors for minerals during a summit it held with representatives from multiple nations. Vice President J.D. Vance announced the price floor initiative at the Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting at the State Department. ‘This morning, the Trump administration is proposing a concrete mechanism to return the global critical minerals market to a healthier, more competitive state: a preferential trade zone for critical minerals protected from external disruptions through enforceable price floors,’ Vance said.” (02/04/26)
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5722520-vance-rare-minerals-state/
-----
9) EU lawmakers request TikTok probe into alleged user suppression over Epstein files
Source: Politico
“European lawmakers from three left-leaning parties said Wednesday the EU should investigate TikTok over allegations of censorship [sic] in favor of the right. One of TikTok’s new owners as of late January is a Donald Trump ally, Oracle’s Larry Ellison. Users say that since the change in ownership, the platform has censored [sic] hot-button issues in favor of the president and his political camp, according to reports — including limiting posts about the Epstein files and protests against U.S. border agents in Minnesota. TikTok said some users have experienced disruption due to technical issues.” [editor’s note: TikTok is not a government and has no power to censor, just to control how its own property is used. It will be interesting if a government “nudged” them, though – TLK] (02/04/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-lawmakers-tiktok-probe-alleged-censorship-over-epstein-files
-----
10) DC: Suspect in shooting of occupation troops pleads not guilty
Source: USA Today
“The man accused of ambushing two West Virginia National Guard members in a shooting in the nation’s capital, killing one and wounding another, has pleaded not guilty to nine charges. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, pleaded not guilty at an arraignment in federal court on Feb. 4, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia confirmed. Prosecutors have steadily added new charges since the shooting unfolded on Nov. 26 near the White House, and told Judge Amit Mehta they plan to pursue more charges that would make Lakanwal eligible for the death penalty.” (02/04/26)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/02/04/national-guard-shooting-suspect-pleads-not-guilty/88506425007/
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11) January US jobs report to be released on February 11 after shutdown delay
Source: CNBC
“The January jobs report delayed by the brief government shutdown will be released next week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday. The closely watched report now will come out Feb. 11, five days later than its original release date, according to a revised schedule. In addition, the BLS will release the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey on Thursday, after it originally had been scheduled for Tuesday. There are other delays as well. The consumer price index for January now will be released on Feb. 13, two days later than its original release date. A companion release, which computes real earnings, will be subject to the same delay.” (02/04/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/04/january-jobs-report-government-shutdown.html
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12) Myanmar: Junta plans “super-body” to tighten grip on military, new government
Source: Reuters
“Myanmar’s junta will form a new entity to oversee both the military and civilian administration, a move experts say will allow paramount ruler Min Aung Hlaing to become president without loosening his grip on the powerful armed forces. Just days after the completion of a final phase of an election that will see a parliament convene next month and power transferred to a nominally civilian government, the junta announced its plans in state media late Tuesday to create the five-member Union Consultative Council. Its mandate is exceptionally broad, granting it control over every critical component of national security and the legislative process, said Naing Min Khant, program associate at the Institute for Strategy and Policy — Myanmar think-tank.” (02/04/26)
https://archive.is/YMUAU
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13) MN: Teachers sue to keep ICE gang off school property
Source: Washington Post
“A group of Minnesota school districts and educators has asked a judge to order federal officers to stay away from schools, alleging that the nation’s largest immigration operation has spilled onto campuses, affecting attendance statewide, according to a lawsuit filed against the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday morning. The lawsuit rebukes the agency’s aggressive immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and St. Paul — its largest operation so far in a campaign to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants. The public school districts in Fridley and Duluth, along with Education Minnesota, an 89,000-member teachers union, accuse federal officers of breaking a promise to stay away from schools.” (02/04/26)
https://archive.is/AV4bi
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14) Nigeria: Gunmen kill more than 30 people in Kwara State
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Armed men have killed at least 35 people and burned homes and shops in Woro, a remote village in Nigeria’s north-central Kwara State, authorities said. … It was the deadliest assault this year in the district bordering Niger State, which armed gangs have attacked increasingly. Villagers fled into the surrounding bushland as the armed men attacked Woro, [lawmaker Sa’idu Baba] Ahmed told the Reuters news agency by phone. Several people were still missing, he said.” (02/04/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/4/gunmen-kill-more-than-30-people-in-nigerias-kwara-state-authorities
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15) UK: Regime will release files about Mandelson’s ambassador appointment as anger mounts over Epstein
Source: SFGate
“The U.K. government agreed Wednesday to release documents casting light on the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States, despite his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, as it tries to stem mounting anger over the revelations. Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced the wrath of opposition lawmakers, and his own Labour Party backbenchers, after acknowledging that he had known at the time of the 2024 appointment about Mandelson’s friendship with the convicted sex offender. Starmer said that he was unaware of the depth of the relationship, and that Mandelson ‘had lied repeatedly’ about his ties to Epstein. A trove of documents about Epstein released last week by the U.S. Justice Department has finished off Mandelson’s long political career — and left Starmer facing angry questions about his judgment in making him Britain’s envoy to the Trump administration, the country’s most important ambassadorial post.” (02/04/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/uk-will-release-files-related-to-mandelson-s-21332865.php
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16) Russia and Ukraine envoys meet in Abu Dhabi for US-brokered talks
Source: Seattle Times
“Envoys from Russia and Ukraine met in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for another round of U.S.-brokered talks on ending the almost four-year war, a Ukrainian negotiator said. The delegations from Moscow and Kyiv were joined in the United Arab Emirates by U.S. officials, Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council chief, who was present at the meeting, said on social media. Umerov said the planned two-day negotiations started with all three delegations present, after which negotiators were to break into groups according to topics and then meet as a full group again at the end.” (02/04/26)
https://archive.is/W4oYF
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17) Citing “waste and mismanagement,” White House instructs DOT, CDC to cut $1.5 billion in grants for Dem states
Source: New York Post
“President Trump’s budget office is instructing the Department of Transportation and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to claw back more than $1.5 billion from blue states on grounds the money was being mishandled, officials told The Post. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) told the DOT Wednesday to cancel more than $943 million, while the CDC was ordered to nix at least $602 million meant for New York, California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota. An OMB spokesperson said that the states were being targeted for ‘waste and mismanagement’ of taxpayer funds. Illinois was slated to receive the largest of the transportation-related grants, with $100 million provided to the state’s Environmental Protection Agency to build electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.” (02/04/25)
https://nypost.com/2026/02/04/us-news/white-house-instructs-dot-cdc-to-cut-1-5b-in-woke-green-grants-for-dem-states/
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18) Libertarian National Committee Condemns ICE for Fourth Amendment Violations
Source: Independent Political Report
“The Libertarian National Committee has formally condemned Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other law enforcement agencies over reports of repeated Fourth Amendment violations, accusing authorities of excessive force and constitutional overreach that undermine limits on government power. In a February 1 statement, the LNC pointed reports detailing a growing pattern of overreach by ICE and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The national committee’s response follows an earlier resolution addressing the same concerns, which informed the statement. The measure, which required a three-fourths vote for adoption, passed 13–0 with one abstention. Prior to that, LNC Chair Steven Nekhaila also separately called for the abolition of ICE following the shooting of Alex Pretti, criticizing the agency for shifting away from administrative civil processes toward what he regards as confrontational, ‘occupation-style policing.'” (02/03/26)
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2026/02/libertarian-national-committee-condemns-ice-for-fourth-amendment-violations/
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19) GA: Legal fight escalates over voting records as Trump says he wants to “take over” elections
Source: SFGate
“Officials in Georgia’s Fulton County said Wednesday they have asked a federal court to order the FBI to return ballots and other documents from the 2020 election that it seized last week, escalating a voting battle as President Donald Trump says he wants to ‘take over’ elections from Democratic-run areas with the November midterms on the horizon. The FBI had searched a warehouse near Atlanta where those records were stored, a move taken after Trump’s persistent demands for retribution over claims, without evidence, that fraud cost him victory in Georgia. Trump’s election comment came in an interview Monday with a conservative podcaster and the Republican president reaffirmed his position in Oval Office remarks the next day, citing fraud allegations that numerous audits, investigations and courts have debunked.” (02/04/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/georgia-s-fulton-county-seeks-return-of-2020-21333130.php
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20) Libya: Son of late dictator Gadhafi killed
Source: ABC News
“Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son and one-time heir apparent of Libya’s late dictator Moammar Gadhafi, was killed in the northern African country, Libyan officials said Tuesday. The 53-year-old was killed in the town Zintan, 136 kilometers (85 miles) southwest of the capital, Tripoli, according to Libyan’s chief prosecutor’s office. The office said in a statement that an initial investigation found that Seif al-Islam was shot to death, but did not provide further details about the circumstances of his killing.” (02/03/26)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/son-late-dictator-gadhafi-killed-libya-129826259
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) The Federal Punishment of an Innocent Man, part 1
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“The first thing to note about the federal conviction of libertarian Ian Freeman, who was in the business of selling Bitcoin, and the eight-year prison sentence that a federal judge meted out to him is that he would never have been convicted of his ‘crimes’ had he been living in 1890 America. The second thing to note about his conviction and long prison sentence is that he is innocent as a matter of fact and law.” (02/04/26)
https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/the-federal-punishment-of-an-innocent-man-part-1/
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22) Flirting with MAGA Money: The Shady RFK-Trump Scheme That Nearly Destroyed the Libertarian Party, part 1
Source: Jake Porter’s Analysis & Investigations
by Jake Porter
“In July of 2023, at Freedom Fest in Memphis, Tenn., then Libertarian Party Chair Angela McArdle secretly met with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. setting off a bizarre saga leading to the Libertarian Party essentially becoming a financial arm to support and market Donald Trump’s Presidential campaign. What followed were sponsored speaking engagements, sabotage, endorsements, money funneled to hidden LLCs and Presidential pardons. This series exposes who sold out the Libertarian Party, how they sold it out, and what party leadership, Kennedy and Donald Trump each benefited from it.” (02/04/26)
https://jakeporter.substack.com/p/flirting-with-maga-money-the-shady
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23) Open Borders and Remote Work
Source: Bet On It
by Vipul Naik
“I’m incredibly grateful for all the developments in computing, telecommunications, and collaboration software that have enabled the rise of partly-or-wholly remote work. I’m also appreciative of the many efforts humans have put in to adjust to this new way of remote working and uncover forms of collaboration that would have been much harder otherwise. At the margin, I think this does somewhat reduce the need for people to migrate to do jobs, and I think that’s a good thing! However, I also think that it’s easy to overstate the extent to which remote work obviates the need for people to move.” (02/04/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/open-borders-and-remote-work
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24) Rights are identical for everyone
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“If you won’t stand up for the rights of those you dislike, you don’t really believe in rights at all. At best, you believe in privileges — things you can do as long as some government official agrees and gives you temporary permission to do it.” (02/04/26)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2026/02/04/voices/opinion-rights-are-identical-for-everyone/232692.html
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25) Certificate-of-Need Laws Still Fail Patients — Even After a Decade of Reform
Source: The Daily Economy
by Thomas Savidge
“Certificate-of-Need (CON) laws require the approval of states’ health planning agencies for health care providers to engage in regulated actions such as opening or expanding facilities or purchasing equipment. Additionally, in many states with CON regulations, the decision to grant a CON is made by a board whose members may work for incumbent providers. This is sometimes referred to as a ‘competitor’s veto.’ … As of December 2025, 15 states have fully repealed CON regulations. Additionally, numerous states have reformed their CON regulations to shrink the healthcare services that require a CON. … Preventing incumbent providers from participating in the CON review process (including requesting hearings and appeals) can help reduce cronyism in the CON application process.” (02/04/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/certificate-of-need-laws-still-fail-patients-even-after-a-decade-of-reform/
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26) Please Understand That Nothing Will Be Done About The Epstein Files
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“I need you to understand that nothing is going to be done about anything in the Epstein files. Nothing. The people in the documents will suffer no consequences. The institutions responsible for the abuses you’ve learned about will not change anything about how they operate. Your government will change absolutely nothing about its policies and behavior. Nothing will be done if you vote in the other political party. Nothing will be done if you vote in new politicians. Nothing will be done if you write letters to your senators and representatives. Nothing will be done if you hold protests outside government buildings. No meaningful laws will be passed. No prosecutions of any meaningful consequence will occur. Don’t believe me? Just watch and pay attention.” (02/04/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/02/04/please-understand-that-nothing-will-be-done-about-the-epstein-files/
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27) Iran’s Protesters Are Trapped Between Tehran’s Brutality and Trump’s Empty Promises
Source: The UnPopulist
by Eric Lob
“Outside players with their own agenda are undermining the cause of regime change in the country.” (02/04/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/irans-protesters-are-trapped-between
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28) For Zelensky, Is Losing the War Better Than Losing the Peace?
Source: The American Conservative
by Ted Snider
“Ukraine is losing the land in the war that they refuse to lose in the peace. But, for Zelensky, losing the war may be preferable to losing the peace. The result will be the same for Ukraine, but perhaps not for its president. If Ukraine loses the peace, Ukrainians will blame Zelensky. But if Ukraine loses the war, Zelensky can blame the U.S. and Europe.” [editor’s note: Ah a little bit of progress — After nearly four years of the Russian forces failing to secure the Donbas, Snider has progressed from “Ukraine CAN’T WIN” the war to “Ukraine IS LOSING” the war. Maybe he’ll eventually figure out that this war, like all wars, only has losers (excepting political class profiteers) – TLK] (02/04/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/for-zelensky-is-losing-the-war-better-than-losing-the-peace/
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29) Meet the Top Seven Oligarchs Controlling Your Online News
Source: Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
by Caitlin Scialla
“When Ben Bagdikian, an esteemed journalist and early FAIR contributor, published his groundbreaking book The Media Monopoly in 1983, he painted a troubling picture of US media consolidation, reporting that 50 corporations controlled the media business. With each reprint, that number dwindled (FAIR.org, 6/1/87). When FAIR replicated his analysis in 2011 (Extra!, 10/11), it stood at 20. Now, over 40 years after the initial release of The Monopoly Media, the media landscape has transformed drastically. Even Bagdikian’s later editions, written at the dawn of the internet, could not fully anticipate how profoundly digital technology would reconfigure the media oligarchy. ‘News’ is increasingly synonymous with online news. Over half the US public (56%) say that they ‘often’ get news through their digital devices — compared to less than 1 in 3 (32%) who often get news from TV, 1 in 9 from radio, and only 1 in 14 from print publications like newspapers or magazines (Pew, 9/25/25).” (02/04/25)
https://fair.org/home/the-digital-media-oligarchy-who-owns-online-news/
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30) ICE Was Terrorizing Worshipers Long Before Don Lemon Entered a Church
Source: The Bulwark
by Adrian Carrasquillo
“When Don Lemon was arrested after reporting on the aggressive protest of a church … the Trump administration claimed that Lemon and another journalist present at the event had violated federal laws meant, in part, to shield churches from having their services disrupted. The administration’s message was clear: Disrupting church services and taking away the right of others to worship freely and in peace is unconscionable. How dare protesters infringe on those congregants’ First Amendment rights! Who would do such a thing? Well, one of the first things this White House did after Donald Trump’s second inauguration was to rescind the 2021 guideline that required CBP and ICE agents to do everything in their power to avoid conducting operations in or near ‘protected areas’ like churches, hospitals, and schools. It wasn’t long before agents were showing up at just those sorts of places in the apparent hope of surprising their targets.” (02/04/26)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/ice-was-terrorizing-worshipers-long-before-lemon-church-deportations-immigration-minneapolis-chicago-los-angeles-charlotte
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31) Facing political pressure with spiritual strength
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by Abraham McLaughlin
“Keeping up with today’s national and global developments can feel like living in a cauldron of political pressure. If we’re not in the storm ourselves, the sheer volume of political twists and turns can make us feel numb to the news. Yet, looking to those who have withstood the storm and triumphed shows us that responding with grace and confidence in good starts with the truths we hold in our heart. The Bible offers compelling examples. Consider the spiritual clarity and bravery of four individuals: Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel. They’d been taken from their home in Israel and were being indoctrinated by their Babylonian captors. Yet they held in their hearts strong spiritual truths – and got to witness dramatic turnarounds. In Babylon, the pressure – political, religious, and cultural – was ferocious. One of the world’s most powerful kings was insisting that all his subjects worship a lifeless statue (see Daniel 3).” (02/03/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/A-Christian-Science-Perspective/2026/0203/Facing-political-pressure-with-spiritual-strength
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32) Choose your crisis, Congress: Six paths to fiscal disaster
Source: Washington Post
by George F Will
“As the national debt is a few months from reaching $39 trillion, and perhaps $40 trillion by the end of this year, it is puzzling how unperturbed the political class is. Or perhaps not. Writer and political agitator Upton Sinclair (1878-1968) said: ‘It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.’ Or pretending not to. A bipartisan congressional consensus, more alarming than partisan rancor, is: There are no long-term fiscal gains without intense short-term political pains. So, because today’s congressional careers do not yet seem likely to coincide with coming dire consequences, let them come. In 2016, a budget expert was allotted 20 minutes to brief Donald Trump on those possible consequences. After five minutes, Trump said, ‘Yeah, but I’ll be gone.’ He was perfectly in sync with the political mainstream he professes to supplant.” (02/04/26)
https://archive.is/MDrjS
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33) Sensible Immigration Policy Begins With Understanding, Not Gaslighting
Source: Common Dreams
by Anthony Pahnke
“By now, we have heard the mantra that President Donald Trump was right to close the border, but wrong in his heavy-handed approach to immigration enforcement. We are also told that if he would have simply done what most Americans wanted, that is, arrest and deport violent criminals, then his poll numbers would be higher, and his administration wouldn’t find itself embroiled by crisis in the aftermath of two killings at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis. But this claim (that the problem with Trump’s immigration agenda is mainly about enforcement tactics) is flawed. Seriously addressing this country’s ongoing immigration crisis will require policy change, and to get to that point, there needs to be a narrative shift in this country away from indiscriminately criminalizing all undocumented people to humanizing them.” (02/04/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/sensible-immigration-policy
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34) TR in the Arena
Source: Law & Liberty
by Ralph L DeFalco III
“Theodore Roosevelt came of age and rose to prominence in the late 1800s and, arguably, launched what Time magazine publisher H. R. Luce would later call the ‘American Century.’ As the Gilded Age faded, Roosevelt shaped America’s entry into world affairs and created the impetus for a robust America First foreign policy and hegemony in the Western Hemisphere. By sheer force of personality, he enlarged the stature of the presidency and the executive’s role in shaping public policy. No stranger to controversy and conflict, Roosevelt spoiled for a fight and delighted in lacerating his enemies with calculated comments and ridicule. In short, Roosevelt would be equally at home in both the early twentieth and twenty-first century American politics.” (02/04/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/tr-in-the-arena/
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35) The Third Period: My Covid Speech in the Czech Parliament
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Tomas Fürst
“Today — or rather already with Wednesday’s comment by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš that we should have taken the Swedish path — the third period of our Covid match begins. The first period consisted of a global loss of sanity itself. I called the second period the Great Covid Silence, when many players fervently hoped that how they played in the first period would be forgotten. The last period will — so I firmly hope — consist of catharsis and lessons learned. Let us hope no overtime will be needed.” (02/04/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/the-third-period-my-covid-speech-in-the-czech-parliament/
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36) Why Russia survived — and may thrive — after Syria regime change
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Anna Matveeva
“Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s downfall was a blow for the Kremlin, but it did take it on the chin. Now, the relationship needs to be rebuilt on a new basis — not between patron and client, but on an equal footing. Russia is a part of the new Syrian government’s diversification agenda: Syria needs all the friends it can get, but without becoming a pawn in somebody else’s geopolitical game. Moscow, for now, seems happy to offer that.” (02/04/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/putin-syria/
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37) Billie Eilish cries “stolen land,” then goes home to her $2.3 million California mansion
Source: Fox News Forum
by Jimmy Failla
“Billie Eilish won the Grammy Award for ‘Best Anti-ICE Tantrum’ on Sunday night by declaring that ‘No human being is illegal on stolen land.’ Unfortunately, the blowback against her is serving as the latest in a long line of reminders that Hollywood celebrities should lay off the politics and stick to doing what they do best, which is cocaine. Now, obviously, I have no idea if Billie is taking any drugs whatsoever, but you’d have to be on SOMETHING to think all of this Trump bashing is helping awards shows. Ratings were down 9% year over year for the Grammys, and of course, we all know that viewership has fallen by 50% in the last two decades for that Well-Dressed-Group-Therapy- Session we call the Oscars.” (02/04/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/jimmy-failla-billie-eilish-cries-stolen-land-goes-home-2-3-million-mansion
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38) The Economic Origins of Cryptocurrencies
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Deborah Palma
“The launch of Bitcoin in 2009 represents one of the most disruptive phenomena in financial history, establishing a unique link between computer science and an economic tradition opposed to the mainstream. To understand Bitcoin’s importance, it is not sufficient to analyze its cryptographic architecture alone; it is essential to delve into the intellectual roots that shaped its existence, primarily found in the Austrian School of Economics.” (02/04/26)
https://fee.org/articles/the-economic-origins-of-cryptocurrencies/
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39) Deploying Troops to US Cities Cost Half a Billion Dollars in 2025
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“Maintaining a uniformed domestic security force is pricey in terms of life, liberty, and dollars.” (02/04/26)
https://reason.com/2026/02/04/deploying-troops-to-u-s-cities-cost-half-a-billion-dollars-in-2025/
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40) Understanding Money and Inflation in Today’s World
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Oscar Grau
“Leaving aside the events that made the current monetary system possible, banknotes that are printed monopolistically (currency) by central banks have purchasing power and serve as a general medium of exchange (money) for billions of people around the world. Such currencies (paper money), with no backing and with no non-monetary use, make up the monetary base upon which the fractional reserve banking system relies; first, through their privileged backing by central banks as lenders of last resort and second, through the reserve multiplier, allowing commercial banks to provide loans (bank money) beyond their reserves. The new funds created and lent by commercial banks via mere accounting entries perform the same function as money and therefore increase the money supply.” (02/04/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/understanding-money-and-inflation-in-todays-world
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41) Big Money Is Back
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“A preview to this year’s congressional primary season kicks off, unusually, on Thursday. Former Rep. Mikie Sherrill won a landslide to become New Jersey’s governor last year, and a crowded primary to replace her in the state’s 11th Congressional District is being held tomorrow. It’s a light-blue district, but the winner of the 11-candidate Democratic primary is expected to easily prevail in the general election in early April. That’s brought a familiar face out of the shadows to help determine the outcome: AIPAC. Though some reports indicated that the pro-Israel PAC was pulling back on electoral spending, it has thrown down nearly $2.3 million in television ads through its subsidiary United Democracy Project (UDP), and $1.83 million more in direct mail and phone banks, to block former Rep. Tom Malinowski from winning the seat. As is typical for single-issue groups, the ads are 100 percent pretextual.” (02/04/25)
https://prospect.org/2026/02/04/2026-primaries-spending-aipac-analilia-mejia-tom-malinowski/
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42) Federal Election Takeover?
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Have you ever noticed that in the tug of war beteeen federal and state power, politicians of all stripes support the Constitution’s balance when it suits them and ignore it when it doesn’t?” (02/04/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/02/04/federal-election-takeover/
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43) Inside Strum: How a Subscription Platform Funds Ukraine’s Neo-Nazi Azov Brigade
Source: Antiwar.com
by JD Hester
“With resources dwindling and rampant foreign military aid corruption, Azov has increasingly relied on donations from individuals and companies. According to reporting from Svidomi, which included interviews with founders and project managers, a new project, Strum, has become the ‘driving force’ behind the Brigade. The platform operates as a subscription service like Netflix or Spotify, but with some substantial differences and additional features.” [editor’s note: I’m not a fan of Azov, but this is the way ALL military organizations should be funded – TLK] (02/04/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/jd_hester/2026/02/03/inside-strum-how-a-subscription-platform-funds-ukraines-neo-nazi-azov-brigade/
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44) The Techno-Authoritarian Blueprint for America, part 1
Source: The Jolly Libertarian
by Marco den Ouden
“There is a new strain of authoritarian thought emerging in America today, one that threatens to rip asunder America as we know it. It has its roots in the neo-feudalism of anarcho-capitalist theorist Hans-Hermann Hoppe. It evolved into the neo-reactionism of Curtis Yarvin writing as Mencius Moldbug. His Patchwork philosophy called for a fractured network of corporate city states, each ruled by a corporate CEO with absolute power. More recently Yarvin has come out explicitly for regime change and the establishment of a de facto centralized authoritarian one party state through what he he calls Hard Party politics. An approach one might call Shock-and-Awe Centralism.” (02/03/26)
https://jollylibertarian.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-techno-authoritarian-blueprint-for.html
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45) Teachers’ unions have hijacked classrooms across the US to indoctrinate students with far-left [sic] propaganda
Source: New York Post
by Corey DeAngelis
“A wave of school protests sweeping the US in response to the fatal shooting of two anti-ICE protesters in Minnesota has revealed how teachers unions have weaponized classrooms for their own left-wing agenda. The unions have revealed themselves as political operatives more concerned with indoctrinating kids than teaching them reading, writing and arithmetic. These disruptions didn’t materialize out of thin air. The teachers’ unions fired the starting gun by blasting out anti-ICE propaganda to teachers, urging them to rally against immigration enforcement and turn schools into battlegrounds for their partisan fights. The National Education Association is also pushing teachers to print out immigration-related political propaganda posters and put them in their classrooms.” [editor’s note: Anti-ICE isn’t “left-wing,” it’s “anti-gang” – TLK] (02/04/25)
https://nypost.com/2026/02/03/opinion/teachers-unions-have-hijacked-classrooms-across-the-us-to-indoctrinate-students-with-far-left-propaganda/
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46) The Roundup: Too much ICE
Source: The Watch
by Radley Balko
“The government is cracking down. The people are standing up.” (02/03/26)
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-roundup-too-much-ice
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47) Trump’s embrace of economic leftism will destroy his legacy
Source: Orange County Register
by Connor O’Keeffe
“[T]he causes and cures of the so-called affordability crisis are not a mystery. To truly fix this problem, the inflationist monetary regime that is deliberately destroying the value of our money needs to be abolished and replaced by some form of market-determined sound money. And the myriad laws and regulations that artificially constrain supply in important sectors like housing and healthcare need to be repealed—along with the many price-amplifying, demand-side subsidies that have been building up in the wake of the artificial shortages. The Trump administration has shown no real interest in pursuing either of these solutions, which is bad enough. But Trump is also actively pursuing policies that, from an affordability standpoint, are worse than doing nothing.” (02/03/26)
https://archive.is/0wvgw
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48) The United States Is Once Again Canada’s Biggest Threat
Source: Foreign Policy
by Casey Michael
“The days of laughing off Trump’s threats of turning Canada into the 51st U.S. state are long past. A new reality has suddenly rippled across Canada: that the United States under Trump is, as strange as it may be to stomach, suddenly Canada’s largest national security threat. It is a reality that Canadians are finally beginning to adapt to. But it is also a reality that taps into a far longer, far deeper vein of U.S. peril facing Canada. Indeed, the past 80 or so years of U.S.-Canada comity — in which the world’s longest border was largely peaceable and in which Washington and Ottawa became perhaps the closest allies in the entire world — may increasingly seem like an anachronism, an anomaly in which the United States simply paused on its far broader history of expansion in North America.” (02/03/26)
https://archive.is/GL27X
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49) The Fake [sic] Clinics Taking Over Reproductive Healthcare
Source: In These Times
by Sonia Chajet Wides
“A small crowd of abortion rights advocates gathered at a public comment session of the Gwinnett County Department of Planning and Development in July 2025. The most diverse and second-most populous county in Georgia, Gwinnett County distributed millions of dollars in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grants to local nonprofits in 2025, with most recipients receiving something in the tens of thousands. One organization, Georgia Wellness Group, was set to receive a much bigger prize: $450,000. According to its website, Georgia Wellness is a clinic that provides ’compassionate holistic care’ for women and families. But this is a rebrand from its longstanding religious, explicitly anti-abortion identity. The group arguably fits into a category known as ‘crisis pregnancy centers,’ or CPCs, part of a project from the Christian Right dedicated to replacing public reproductive healthcare with anti-abortion ‘clinics.'” (02/03/25)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/fake-clinics-crisis-pregnancy-abortion-reproductive-healthcare
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50) Adam Smith Misunderstood the Origins of the Division of Labor
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Mark Thornton
“Labor divided into the production of different goods or even into various tasks involved in the production of a single good is one of the earliest observations on the nature of human civilization. From a scientific point of view, civilization or society is the division of labor. Unfortunately, opinion down through time mistakenly considers it a mixed blessing, indicating that it is a great force for both good and evil. This common opinion falters largely on the basis of observation, measurement, and personal bias, absent economic law. The prevailing fallacies can only be eradicated with the theoretical perspective provided by the Austrian School of economics and its predecessors. Unfortunately, Adam Smith’s central importance on this topic and his basic mistakes continue to have an unhealthy impact on the economics profession and social ideology more generally.” (02/03/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/adam-smith-misunderstood-origins-division-labor
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) The Political Orphanage, 02/04/26
Source: The Political Orphanage
“The Map That Explains Everything About America: Colin Woodard.” (02/04/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/the-map-that-explains-everything-about-america-colin-woodard
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52) Reason Interview: Jeff Asher
Source: Reason
“What the Media Gets Wrong About Crime.” (02/04/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/02/04/what-the-media-gets-wrong-about-crime/
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53) Rising, 02/04/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave delivers his radar on the recent raid of offices of the social media platform X in France, and the concerns about X’s AI chatbot Grok” (02/04/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5718815-rising-february-4-2026/
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54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 02/04/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Why Do They Hate Thomas Massie?” (02/04/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1jMJgRBYDkPGL
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55) The Science of Politics, 02/04/26
Source: Niskanen Center
“Can AI ‘vibe research’ replace social science?” (02/04/26)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/can-ai-vibe-research-replace-social-science/
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56) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 02/04/26
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Spirals into Crazed Fury after Harvard Humiliates Him Very Badly.” (02/04/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/206113/trump-spirals-crazed-fury-harvard-humiliates-badly
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57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 02/04/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“US Shoots Down Iranian Drone in Arabian Sea, Russia Says US Silent on New START, and More.” (02/04/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rC4lZw28uM
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58) Fountainhead Forum, episode 417
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Mark Sims on running for US Senate and life at West Point.” (02/03/26)
https://rumble.com/v759qz0-ff-417-mark-sims-on-running-for-us-senate-and-life-at-west-point.html
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59) Nonzero, 02/03/26
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“The Meaning of Moltbook | Robert Wright & Paul Bloom.” (02/03/26)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/69280
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60) Ill Literacy, episode 183
Source: Heartland Institute
“The Persistence of the Ideological Lie (Guest: Daniel J. Mahoney).” (02/03/26)
https://heartland.org/podcasts/the-persistence-of-the-ideological-lie-guest-daniel-j-mahoney/
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