05/26 -- US regime ends partial pause in illegal war of aggression vs. Iran; Remember, They Say.
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Thomas L. Knapp
May 26, 2026, 6:10:43 AMMay 26
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 05/26/26
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Today's Freedom News:
1) US regime ends partial pause in illegal war of aggression vs. Iran
2) Lebanon: Twelve killed in Israeli strike
3) Blanche cites nearby shooting incident in renewed White House ballroom whine
4) Ukraine war: Russian regime threatens more Kyiv strikes, tells foreign nationals to leave
5) CA: Risk of large explosion at chemical tank is "off the table"
6) Former prosecutor calls for EU statute blocking US sanctions on ICC members
7) Ferrari releases first electric car
8) Shenzhou-23 crew arrives at Tiangong as Chinese regime maps path to 2030 lunar landing
9) NY: Con artists sue for legal ownership of dormant Bitcoin wallets
10) Turkey: Police attack opposition party HQ with chemical weapons
11) Police fire shots in air to disperse angry crowds at DR Congo Ebola treatment center
12) Scotland: Husband of former First Minister pleads guilty to embezzlement from Scottish National Party
13) China: Anger grows after deadliest coal mining disaster in years
14) Pope calls for “disarming” of AI, technology should be “human friendly”
15) Israeli opposition leader: Trump’s emerging deal with Iran “bad for the region”
16) DC: Secret Service kills man who opened fire at White House security checkpoint
17) EasyJet flight diverts to Rome over power bank in luggage
18) Senegal: Parliament Speaker Quits Two Days After Prime Minister Sacked
19) Cambodia: Opposition leader Kem Sokha receives royal pardon for treason
20) Scaled-up SpaceX Starship megarocket finds mixed success in debut test flight
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Remember, They Say.
22) Support Our Troops: What It Really Means
23) Iran in Vain: Rooting for the “Bad Guy” is No Vice When Your Guy is Worse
24) Efficient Insider Trading and Public Corruption
25) Trump’s Iran exit ramp is a long shot. He doesn’t have a better option.
26) Let’s Take Kamala Up on Her Proposal of “No Bad Ideas”
27) Quantum Vibe, 05/25/26
28) How Market Innovation Is Reframing the Climate Debate
29) A Hell of a Secretary of War: Pete Hegseth’s Desperate Crusade for Masculine Validation
30) Educational Polarization and the Politics of Young Men
31) Cooking up financial stability at home
32) Hollywood’s Golden State
33) Israel Rapes Everyone, And Other Notes
34) Education Shrinkflation
35) Warmongers in meltdown as Trump heralds Iran deal
36) PSA: Criticizing Israel is NOT Antisemitic
37) Three steps that could stop fraud & make healthcare more affordable for all Americans
38) Ditch the Pledge of Allegiance
39) The Republican Party Is Nothing More Than a Cult of Trump
40) You can’t hide your lying ICE: The shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis
41) The Dems Must Adapt an Aggressive, Progressive Midterm Strategy
42) The Young Oikophobes
43) Contra Niskanen
44) Welcome the Revolutionaries?
45) Dem disasters like Graham Platner will only make things much, much worse
46) NATO’s Censorship Infrastructure and the War on the European Mind
47) Memorial Day and Remote War: Has Our Nation Lost Its Capacity to Mourn?
48) How Social Contract Theory Became State Apologetics
49) How Governor Spanberger Betrayed Virginia’s Workers
50) Development by Consent
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) EconTalk, 05/25/26
52) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/24/26
53) Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila, 05/23/26
54) Unattended Baggage, episode 341
55) In the Tank Podcast, episode 537
56) Everyday Samurai, episode 70
57) Politicks Podcast, 05/22/26
58) Soho Forum Debate: Should Billionaires Pay More Taxes?
59) The Evil Within, Part 10
60) Serious Trouble, 05/22/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) US regime ends partial pause in illegal war of aggression vs. Iran
Source: Associated Press
“The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out ‘self-defense’ strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations with Tehran were ‘proceeding nicely.’ The strikes were done ‘to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,’ but the military was ‘using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,’ Capt. Tim Hawkins, the spokesman for the U.S. military’s Central Command, said in a statement. Further details were not immediately available, including more specifics on the threats from Iran and what this means for negotiations.” (05/25/26)
https://apnews.com/article/iran-deal-trump-israel-abrams-01a13e9a63ece786a0a7fa4933dbf09b
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2) Lebanon: Twelve killed in Israeli strike
Source: US News & World Report
“An Israeli airstrike on a village in eastern Lebanon killed 12 people, the country’s state-run National News Agency said Tuesday. The strike late Monday in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley area came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had authorized more intensive strikes targeting the Hezbollah militant group across Lebanon. The Israeli military did not comment on this particular strike, but said Monday that it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in eastern Lebanon. Rescue workers say that a dozen bodies were pulled out of the rubble following an intense wave of overnight strikes targeting swaths of southern and eastern Lebanon.” (05/26/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-05-26/israeli-strike-on-village-in-eastern-lebanon-kills-12
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3) Blanche cites nearby shooting incident in renewed White House ballroom whine
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The administration of US President Donald Trump has renewed its push to lift a court ruling barring progress on a new White House ballroom, once again citing gun violence as a reason for pursuing the construction. In a court filing submitted on Sunday, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche argued it was ‘urgent’ that the ballroom be completed. ‘This is a terrible, tremendously harmful case to the United States of America, and all it stands for!’ Blanche [whined], denouncing the lawsuit that has paused construction. As justification, Blanche pointed to the events of last Saturday, when a 21-year-old suspect named Nasire Best approached a White House security checkpoint in Washington, DC, pulled out a gun, and started shooting. One bystander was injured. The suspect was killed after an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service agents.” (05/25/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/25/trump-renews-petition-for-white-house-ballroom-pointing-to-nearby-shooting
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4) Ukraine war: Russian regime threatens more Kyiv strikes, tells foreign nationals to leave
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Russia has threatened to launch a fresh wave of ‘systematic strikes’ against Kyiv, days after carrying out one of its largest attacks on the Ukrainian capital since the start of the war. The new strikes will target ‘decision-making centres and command posts,’ alongside drone manufacturing facilities in the city, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement. Moscow has called for foreign nationals and diplomats to leave Kyiv ‘as soon as possible’ and warned citizens to stay away from administrative and military buildings. Large-scale Russian strikes on Saturday night killed four and injured about 100 people in Kyiv and other areas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Moscow said that barrage and threatened further strikes were in response to what it claims was a deliberate Ukrainian attack on a student dormitory in the town of Starobilsk on Friday, in which Russian officials said 21 people were killed.” (05/25/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1e22n55zn4o
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5) CA: Risk of large explosion at chemical tank is “off the table”
Source: USA Today
“The risk of a ‘massive explosion’ at a damaged chemical tank in Southern California has been ‘eliminated,’ local fire officials said on May 25, resolving what authorities described as a possible ‘worst-case catastrophic event.’ … Roughly 40,000 people were ordered to evacuate from Garden Grove, a city south of Los Angeles, after a tank storing a toxic industrial chemical overheated on May 21. Initial efforts to secure the tank failed, leading authorities to expand the evacuation zone as they warned the container could potentially ‘blow up.’ On May 24, authorities discovered a crack in the tank holding 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate. … Methyl methacrylate is a volatile, flammable liquid often used in the manufacture of resins and plastics, according to the EPA. California health officials said no exposure to the product is expected as long as evacuation orders are followed.” (05/25/26)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/california/2026/05/25/garden-grove-chemical-crisis-evacuation-california/90249333007/
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6) Former prosecutor calls for EU statute blocking US sanctions on ICC members
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“A former prosecutor at the international criminal court has called for an EU-wide statute blocking what she describes as ‘thuggish’ and ‘bullying’ US sanctions imposed on members of the court that are designed to send the court into oblivion. In February 2025, the US imposed sanctions on 11 ICC officials, including nine judges and the chief prosecutor as well three Palestinian organisations, in response to the ICC decision in 2024 to issue arrest warrants for members of the Israeli cabinet, including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The US sanctions – which include travel bans and asset freezes – have locked judges out of the European financial system, making it impossible for them or their families to live normal lives.” (05/24/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/may/24/former-international-criminal-court-prosecutor-calls-for-eu-statute-blocking-us-sanctions-on-icc-members
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7) Ferrari releases first electric car
Source: Reuters
“As its sports car rivals tap the brakes on a shift to EVs, Ferrari will take a leap into an uncertain era on Monday with the launch of its first fully-electric car, betting it can connect with drivers even without a throaty engine roar. With a top speed of 310 kph (193 mph), Ferrari’s four-door Luce — meaning ‘light’ in Italian — will carry a price tag of more than €500,000 ($586,000). … Monday’s unveiling in Rome of the hotly awaited Luce caps years of preparation, from early hybrid Formula One systems more than a decade ago and road models since 2019. First deliveries to clients will start in October, the company said last year.” (05/25/26)
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/ferraris-luce-leads-bold-leap-into-uncertain-electric-era-2026-05-25/
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8) Shenzhou-23 crew arrives at Tiangong as Chinese regime maps path to 2030 lunar landing
Source: Space News
“Three Chinese astronauts arrived at Tiangong space station Sunday, with one crewmember expected to become China’s first to stay in orbit for an entire year. The Long March 2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft lifted off at 11:08 a.m. Eastern (1508 UTC; 11:08 p.m. Beijing time) May 24 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. The trio aboard were commander Zhu Yangzhu and astronauts Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying. Lai, a payload specialist formerly of the Hong Kong police force, is the first astronaut from Hong Kong to reach orbit. … One of Zhu or Zhang is expected to complete a continuous year in orbit, marking a first for Chinese human spaceflight.” (05/24/26)
https://spacenews.com/shenzhou-23-crew-arrives-at-tiangong-as-china-maps-path-to-2030-lunar-landing/
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9) NY: Con artists sue for legal ownership of dormant Bitcoin wallets
Source: CoinTelegraph
“A New York lawsuit filed by Noah Doe and two Wyoming-based LLCs, ABC Company and XYZ Company, seeks a court order declaring ownership of 39,069 dormant Bitcoin addresses, raising important questions about the legal treatment of inactive Bitcoin under property laws. Filed on May 1, the suit claims that the coins tied to the listed addresses represent legally abandoned property they found and reported to the New York Police Department and claimed under New York lost-property law. The plaintiffs claim that the dormant Bitcoin wallets were legally ‘abandoned’ property that they found, including wallets belonging to early Bitcoin miners and addresses attributed to Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto, among other lost coins and unidentified entities. They claim that these constitute seizable property, akin to traditional bank accounts.” (05/25/26)
https://cointelegraph.com/news/new-york-lawsuit-lost-property-dormant-bitcoin
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10) Turkey: Police attack opposition party HQ with chemical weapons
Source: Associated Press
“Police stormed the offices of Turkey’s main opposition CHP party on Sunday, firing tear gas and rubber bullets at party supporters and officials who had been holed up inside for three days. It was a violent end to a standoff between members of the Republican Peoples’ Party, or CHP, and a leadership team appointed by an appeals court, escalating tensions between the opposition and the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.” (05/25/26)
https://apnews.com/article/turkey-opposition-chp-standoff-2eee5ef016ff6ac1eeda368aff7588e0
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11) Police fire shots in air to disperse angry crowds at DR Congo Ebola treatment center
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Police in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo fired shots in the air after angry crowds attempted to reclaim the bodies of loved ones who had died at an Ebola treatment centre in Mongwalu, two local journalists told the BBC. Sunday’s unrest continued throughout the day, the reporters said. The treatment centre, in a hospital compound, was the same place that was targeted overnight on Friday into Saturday, when an isolation tent was set ablaze. The body of a dead Ebola victim is highly infectious and can lead to the virus spreading further when prepared for burial. There have been more than 900 suspected Ebola cases in the current outbreak and 220 suspected deaths, officials say. According to Mongwalu General Hospital’s medical director Dr Richard Lokudu, Sunday’s attackers demanded the bodies of two people be given to their families.” (05/25/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0l22pz6nw6o
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12) Scotland: Husband of former First Minister pleads guilty to embezzlement from Scottish National Party
Source: ABC News
“The estranged husband of former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon pleaded guilty Monday to embezzling more than 400,000 pounds ($540,000) from the Scottish National Party when he was its chief executive. Peter Murrell, 62, was remanded into custody after pleading guilty in the High Court in Edinburgh. Authorities say he used the money to buy a motorhome and two cars. … Sturgeon, who dominated Scottish politics for almost a decade, unexpectedly resigned in 2023 after eight years as first minister of Scotland’s semi-autonomous government. She was later cleared of wrongdoing over the finances.” (05/25/26)
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/husband-former-scottish-leader-pleads-guilty-embezzlement-party-133280046
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13) China: Anger grows after deadliest coal mining disaster in years
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Anger is growing over alleged safety violations in the wake of China’s worst mining disaster in more than 15 years. At least 82 people were killed and more than 120 injured after an explosion on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi province, the heart of China’s huge mining industry. For many in China, the tragedy harks back to the 2000s, a period of regular, deadly coal mining disasters, which is widely thought to have been left in the past. Those concerns are now reignited and playing out on China’s tightly-controlled internet, with people calling for justice and questioning how this happened: ‘It’s so heartbreaking, so many precious lives lost. When will we truly put safety first?’ Authorities say the cause of the disaster is still under investigation, but initial findings show Tongzhou Group, the company operating the privately-owned coal mine had committed ‘serious illegal violations’.” (05/25/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c893543gn20o
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14) Pope calls for “disarming” of AI, technology should be “human friendly”
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“Pope Leo called for the ‘disarming’ of artificial intelligence in his long-awaited manifesto on the rapidly developing technology on Monday, and warned of “new forms of slavery” behind its rise. The ‘just war’ theory – espoused recently by the Trump administration – was ‘outdated,’ Pope Leo XIV wrote in his first encyclical, which he presented in person at the Vatican, alongside AI experts including the co-founder of US giant Anthropic. The first US pope, who has clashed with the White House over the Iran war and its use of religion to justify conflict, sounded the alarm over AI-directed weaponry, saying it was ‘not permissible to entrust lethal’ decisions to tech.” (05/25/26)
https://archive.is/Y4iGk
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15) Israeli opposition leader: Trump’s emerging deal with Iran “bad for the region”
Source: SFGate
“The deal being discussed between the U.S. and Iran fails to achieve any of Israel’s goals for the war, Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid said on Monday, as he accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to influence a better agreement. Lapid, who is part of an alliance attempting to unseat Netanyahu in elections this year, said details of the emerging deal are ‘disturbing’. ‘The deal is bad for Israel, bad for the region, bad for the citizens of Iran,’ Lapid told reporters in Jerusalem. Israel and the U.S. launched the war on Feb. 28 vowing to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile program, end its support for proxy militant groups across the region and end Iran’s ability to pursue a nuclear bomb. Both Netanyahu and President Donald Trump also said they hoped to create conditions to topple Iran’s government..” (05/25/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/israeli-opposition-leader-lapid-says-trump-s-22275369.php
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16) DC: Secret Service kills man who opened fire at White House security checkpoint
Source: NBC News
“The Secret Service fatally shot a person who opened fire on officers at a security checkpoint Saturday in an exchange of gunfire that briefly locked down the White House, officials said. The shooting happened shortly after 6 p.m. when a male approached the Secret Service checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, pulled a gun from a bag and opened fire on officers, the Secret Service said in a statement. The officers returned fire and shot the suspect, who was taken to a hospital, where he later died, the Secret Service said. The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best of Dundalk, Maryland, the Metropolitan Police Department said Sunday. A bystander was also shot, the Secret Service said Saturday. The victim, a man, sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and remains hospitalized, police said.” (05/23/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/gunshots-reported-near-white-house-rcna346671
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17) EasyJet flight diverts to Rome over power bank in luggage
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“A UK-bound EasyJet flight was diverted to Rome after a power bank was found to be charging in a passenger’s luggage, it has been revealed. Flight EZY2618 from Hurghada in Egypt to London Luton landed in the Italian capital on Tuesday night as ‘a ‘precaution.’ The airline said the captain had decided to divert ‘in line with safety regulations’ after a passenger informed crew during the flight that the portable charger was in the hold of the aircraft. Many airlines have toughened rules on power banks, often requiring that they be stored in hand luggage because of the risk of lithium-ion batteries catching fire.” (05/25/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7p3pdl8m7o
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18) Senegal: Parliament Speaker Quits Two Days After Prime Minister Sacked
Source: US News & World Report
“Senegal’s parliament speaker, El Malick Ndiaye, has announced his resignation, deepening political turmoil in the West African nation two days after the president dismissed the government. Ndiaye, a senior figure in the ruling PASTEF party, said on Sunday his resignation was a personal decision, giving the “higher interest of the nation” as a reason for his departure. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dismissed Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on Friday and dissolved the government after months of mounting tension between the two leaders.” (05/25/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-05-25/senegals-parliament-speaker-quits-two-days-after-prime-minister-sacked
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19) Cambodia: Opposition leader Kem Sokha receives royal pardon for treason
Source: SFGate
“Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha on Monday was granted a royal pardon from his 27-year sentence for treason, a month after an appeals court affirmed his conviction and punishment. Hun Sen, the Senate president acting as head of state in the absence of King Norodom Sihamoni, issued the pardon freeing Kem Sokha from house arrest. Sihamoni is in China on an extended stay for medical treatment. Prime Minister Hun Manet, in a statement posted on the Telegram social media platform, described the pardon as a step in strengthening national unity. Kem Sokha made no immediate public comment. The decision is unlikely to greatly affect Cambodia’s politics, as other top opposition figures are in exile and political and social activists still face restrictions on freedom of speech and actions.” (05/25/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/cambodian-opposition-leader-kem-sokha-receives-22275361.php
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20) Scaled-up SpaceX Starship megarocket finds mixed success in debut test flight
Source: CNN
“The 12th test flight of SpaceX’s Starship megarocket came to a dramatic close, with the spacecraft managing to complete a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean despite operating without one of its engines. The spacecraft — a new prototype called Starship V3 — released mock satellites during a brief suborbital journey. The test flight was the Starship program’s first since October. The company experienced several mishaps with its V2 prototype and scrubbed its first V3 launch attempt Thursday evening after issues arose with seconds left on the countdown clock. SpaceX is racing to get Starship ready to launch satellites and carry humans into deep space. The company hopes to fulfill NASA’s plan to use the vehicle to land its astronauts on the moon by 2028.” (05/22/26)
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/22/science/live-news/spacex-starship-flight-12-version-3-launch
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Remember, They Say.
Source: Desultory Scribblings
by Tyler Harris
“Remember, they say,
Through the long mists of time,
Our heroes and legends and leaders sublime.
Think not of their flaws, for of flaws they had none.
Remember that freedom springs forth from a gun.
Recall them as Caesar, but ne’er Cincinnatus.
Recount conquered glories; reject e’ry malice.” (05/25/26)
https://tylerjohnharris.substack.com/p/remember-they-say
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22) Support Our Troops: What It Really Means
Source: Antiwar.com
by William J Astore
“‘Support our troops’ is a catchphrase, almost a mantra, often used by cynical politicians to suppress dissent about their disastrous wars of choice. Basically, dissenters are accused of being unpatriotic because their criticism allegedly betrays the troops and weakens national resolve. It’s a BS argument but it’s often compelling and even convincing to some. Americans have a civic religion defined by the Pledge of Allegiance, the flag, the National Anthem, military parades and pageantry, and U.S. history taught as heritage and as a celebration of American goodness and greatness. When you step outside of that, when you criticize it, dissent from it, you must be prepared to be attacked as a heretic.” (05/25/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/william_astore/2026/05/24/support-our-troops-what-it-really-means
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23) Iran in Vain: Rooting for the “Bad Guy” is No Vice When Your Guy is Worse
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“Every Monday, Donald Trump announces an impending genocide of biblical proportions and every Tuesday he backs down at the last minute while reminding us that doomsday could still come at any given second but a big-beautiful peace deal is also really, really fucking close. The mainstream news mostly just seems to take all this diplomatic madness at face value while reminding us how impossibly complicated diplomacy is and that only their Washington trained experts can lead us through it. The only problem with that explanation is that all their think tank wonks seem to be chasing Donald from one flip-flop to the next like small-town weathermen covering big-town storms.” (05/24/26)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2026/05/iran-in-vain-rooting-for-bad-guy-is-no.html
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24) Efficient Insider Trading and Public Corruption
Source: Pierre Lemieux
by Pierre Lemieux
“Economically and morally, there is nothing wrong, on the contrary, with insider trading as such. But there is everything wrong when it is done by corrupt rulers or their cronies.” (05/24/26)
https://pierrelemieux.substack.com/p/efficient-insider-trading-and-public
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25) Trump’s Iran exit ramp is a long shot. He doesn’t have a better option.
Source: Washington Post
by David Ignatius
“President Donald Trump appears to be nearing an escape ramp from the Iran war, but it’s one that represents a risky bet that Tehran’s divided leadership will opt for postwar modernization rather than continuing conflict with the United States and Israel. Like most peace deals, the framework described by U.S. officials Sunday would be a series of compromises, well short of the capitulation that Trump sought when he joined Israel in launching the war on Feb. 28. The Iranian regime can claim victory simply by having survived the assault. If these hardline leaders continue to destabilize the region, however, the deal will probably collapse in another round of strife.” (05/25/26)
https://archive.is/ovAB2
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26) Let’s Take Kamala Up on Her Proposal of “No Bad Ideas”
Source: Town Hall
by Derek Hunter
“It’s getting tougher and tougher not to wish ill on Democrats, as they promise to trample the Constitution and commit to treating all Americans like we’re a young starlet and they’re Harvey Weinstein at the height of his powers. They are telling us what they’re going to do to us; how they’re going to force their will on us in any way they like, and each of them is taking things further and further down the rhetorical toilet. Maybe we should take failed 2024 Democratic presidential nominee and former Willie Brown side-piece Kamala Harris up on her proposal to implement a series of ‘bad ideas’ before they have the chance to do it to everyone else?” (05/24/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2026/05/24/lets-take-kamala-up-on-her-proposal-of-no-bad-ideas-n2676579
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27) Quantum Vibe, 05/25/26
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (05/25/26)
https://www.quantumvibe.com/strip?page=2590
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28) How Market Innovation Is Reframing the Climate Debate
Source: Independent Institute
by Jane Shaw Stroup
“By all accounts, climate change alarmists are on the defensive—politically, scientifically, I would even say morally (see Bill Gates’s comment below). We could leave it at that. But there may be hope for a truce in this conflict — and if so, capitalism can take the credit.” (05/22/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/05/22/climate-change-market-innovation/
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29) A Hell of a Secretary of War: Pete Hegseth’s Desperate Crusade for Masculine Validation
Source: TomDispatch
by Jasper Craven
“Earlier this year, President Donald Trump surveyed his top military brass on the prospect of making war in Iran. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine urged caution, presciently predicting that a ramped-up campaign against Iran could lead its leaders to close the Strait of Hormuz. However, Pete Hegseth, Trump’s self-styled ‘Secretary of War’, jumped at the prospect of such a conflict. ‘Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up,’ Trump recently recalled at a press event. ‘And you said, ‘Let’s do it, because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.” Americans join the military for any number of reasons: to serve their country, gain economic stability, or simply join a community. For Hegseth, a thirst for martial victory and a desire for a masculine metamorphosis seemed to surpass all else.” (05/24/26)
https://tomdispatch.com/pete-hegseths-desperate-crusade-for-masculine-validation/
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30) Educational Polarization and the Politics of Young Men
Source: Liberalism.org
by Josh Zingher
“Our political battle lines fall increasingly along our growing educational divide, in which young women are advancing, and young men are falling behind.” (05/22/26)
https://www.liberalism.org/p/educational-polarization-and-the-politics-of-young-men
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31) Cooking up financial stability at home
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“The financial world is atwitter over public stock offerings expected to be issued soon by SpaceX, OpenAI, and other mega tech companies. ‘A welcome tribute to the U.S. capitalist system’ is how The Wall Street Journal describes this moment. And The Economist calls SpaceX’s journey toward a listing ‘a marvel of free markets.’ At the other end of the scale from trillion-dollar valuations, an estimated 19 million home-based businesses across America are also economic and social marvels. They embody the hustle, creativity, and vision of lauded tech startups, but without deep-pocketed investors. Home-based food enterprises, in particular, provide families with a financial boost and communities with essential services. And, by serving as low-risk incubators, they offer economic mobility in a system that rewards innovation and effort.” (05/22/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0522/Cooking-up-financial-stability-at-home
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32) Hollywood’s Golden State
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Katrina Gulliver
“Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) have reached a merger agreement, where Paramount will acquire WBD for $110 billion at $31 per share in cash. (The final terms of the deal have yet to be approved by the DOJ and the FCC.) But assuming it goes ahead, report author Jeff Ferry suggests: ‘At a time when the industry is struggling, the proposed merger of Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery stands out as the most significant opportunity for renewed growth in years.’ The merger will create Hollywood’s largest studio, churning out 30 movies a year, and their analysis finds that if this commitment is fulfilled, it could add almost $1 billion to Hollywood’s annual investment in movie production within Los Angeles.” (05/24/26)
https://fee.org/articles/hollywoods-golden-state/
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33) Israel Rapes Everyone, And Other Notes
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“International flotilla activists say they were subjected to torture and sexual assault by Israeli forces after being abducted in international waters while attempting to bring aid to Gaza. A statement from the Global Sumud Flotilla reports that the IDF held the activists on a makeshift ‘torture boat’, asserting that ‘At least 12 sexual assaults have been documented on that vessel alone, including anal rape and forcible penetration by a handgun.’ This comes after a New York Times report on Israel’s systemic use of sexual torture in its prison camps sent hasbarists howling in outrage for days, and after a Haaretz report on the Israeli military’s internal findings that sexual assault is soaring among its own ranks. If you knew someone who was constantly being accused of rape by different people on a daily basis, at some point you’d have to conclude that that person is a rapist.” (05/24/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/05/24/israel-rapes-everyone-and-other-notes/
-----
34) Education Shrinkflation
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Steve Templeton
“If kids should place their education as a high priority, the messages and actions of administrators, teachers, and parents they observe should clearly reinforce that importance. Using the Appearance of Safety as a convenient foil to avoid responsibilities and making hard decisions undermines that message completely. Just because public education isn’t paid for directly like gymnastics competition fees doesn’t mean it should get a pass. Otherwise, we will continue to accept less and get less value, and our kids will pay even more for our carelessness in the future than they already have.” (05/24/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/education-shrinkflation/
-----
35) Warmongers in meltdown as Trump heralds Iran deal
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Trita Parsi
“The regional buy-in — and the fact that Trump announced the agreement only after speaking with a wide array of key regional leaders, including those of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain, in addition to a separate call with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu — is highly significant. This regional anchoring affords Trump a degree of political insulation in Washington. Faced with inevitable accusations from hawks that the agreement amounts to defeat or that it betrays Israel, he can point to broad regional support as evidence that America’s principal partners in the Middle East prefer diplomacy to escalation. … Judging by the public panic now emanating from Washington’s war hawks and pro-Israel circles, however, the next 30 days are likely to be politically brutal for Trump.” (05/23/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/iran-trump-deal-hormuz/
-----
36) PSA: Criticizing Israel is NOT Antisemitic
Source: Lisa Liberty
by Lisa Liberty
“As a religious Jew, I refuse to stay silent while political actors fuse my beautiful religion and an ancient people to the actions of a modern nation-state and its lobbying apparatus. Judaism is not synonymous with militarism, censorship, collective punishment, or blind loyalty to any government. Many Jews are horrified by the devastation in Gaza, alarmed by the suppression of dissent, and concerned about the growing perception that American politics is being shaped by interests that appear increasingly disconnected from the American public itself. … If Jewish Americans truly care about our long-term future in this country, then now is the time to speak honestly, reject tribalism and authoritarianism, and stop allowing criticism of a government to be conflated with hatred of a people.” (05/22/26)
https://lisaliberty.substack.com/p/psa-criticizing-israel-is-not-antisemitic
-----
37) Three steps that could stop fraud & make healthcare more affordable for all Americans
Source: Fox News Forum
by Andrew Bremberg
“Americans know something is broken in healthcare. Premiums keep rising, deductibles keep climbing and medical bills often arrive with charges no one can explain. Behind those frustrations is the fact that we operate within a healthcare system built around secrecy. On May 18, President Donald Trump took on drug pricing with the expansion of TrumpRX, a first-of-its kind platform designed to allow Americans to find their drugs for less in a system styled to work like Airbnb or Priceline.com. Next, he should set his sights on hospitals and insurance companies. Healthcare remains one of the most expensive and least transparent sectors of the American economy. Hidden prices, opaque billing systems and layers of middlemen cost taxpayers and working families hundreds of billions of dollars each year through fraud, waste and abuse.” (05/25/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/3-steps-could-stop-fraud-make-healthcare-affordable-americans
-----
38) Ditch the Pledge of Allegiance
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“If there is one thing that American citizens remember from their 12 long years in public (i.e., government) schools, it’s the Pledge of Allegiance. That’s because they recited or heard it recited every single morning before the start of classes. The Pledge is such an ingrained part of American society that oftentimes adults at public events proudly stand, place their right hand on their heart, and recite the Pledge. … Why should anyone be forced or expected to pledge allegiance to anything? Why shouldn’t everyone simply be free to live his life the way he wants?” (05/22/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/05/22/ditch-the-pledge-of-allegiance/
-----
39) The Republican Party Is Nothing More Than a Cult of Trump
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“On Tuesday, President Donald Trump took down libertarian-leaning Rep. Thomas Massie (R–Ky.), to whom he’d taken such a profound dislike that he backed a primary challenger in the form of MAGA stalwart Ed Gallrein. Massie was highly ranked for his voting record by conservative organizations, but so were other candidates Trump pushed out of office — and out of the party. In truth, it’s been years since the Republican Party was a conservative organization; these days it’s a cult of personality around the president.” (05/22/26)
https://reason.com/2026/05/22/the-republican-party-is-nothing-more-than-a-cult-of-trump/
-----
40) You can’t hide your lying ICE: The shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis
Source: The Watch
by Radley Balko
“A Minneapolis prosecutor charges an ICE agent, exposing how DHS shamelessly lied after its officers shot an immigrant, tear gassed two kids, and put a bullet in the wall of a child’s bedroom.” (05/22/26)
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/your-lying-ice-the-shooting-of-julio
-----
41) The Dems Must Adapt an Aggressive, Progressive Midterm Strategy
Source: Common Dreams
by John Ripton
“The Democrat’s 2026 midterm electoral strategy remains essentially the same as it was during the melted-down 2024 presidential election: Focus on President Donald Trump’s obvious character flaws and failings rather than highlight the critical issues and offer progressive alternatives. Waiting for Trump to shoot himself in the foot is not a winning campaign strategy. Neither are abstract ideas about defending democracy and saving the nation from autocracy or fascism. Voters want practical approaches to everyday challenges of rising food costs, prohibitively expensive and inadequate health insurance, skyrocketing medical costs, exorbitant childcare and pre-K expenses, and spiraling energy pricing. Since the last quarter of the 20th century, establishment Democrats and their leaders have slid so far to the political right that progressive, populist initiatives are undermined by fear of taxes and debt.” [editor’s note: If this is true, may this be the death knell of that war party wing – SAT] (05/25/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/dems-midterm-strategy
-----
42) The Young Oikophobes
Source: Law & Liberty
by Rachel Lu
“The Cambridge Five offer a harrowing case study in what can happen when a youthful elite hates its own nation.” (05/22/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/the-young-oikophobes/
-----
43) Contra Niskanen
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“William Niskanen, in a book published many years ago, proposed a simple model of government bureaucracy. The more money a bureaucrat controls the more important he is, so bureaucrats want to maximize their budgets. The legislature knows how much any level of output from a bureau is worth to it. The bureaucracy knows — and the legislature does not — what a government bureau can do at what cost. So the rational bureau finds the largest level of output that it can produce at a cost below the value of that level of output to the legislature and exaggerates the cost of any lower level of output by enough to make it higher than its value, thus tricking the legislature into giving it the largest possible budget. When I first read the argument it struck me as implausible.” (05/22/26)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/contra-niskanen
-----
44) Welcome the Revolutionaries?
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Nowadays, any Revolution extolled on campus might best be symbolized not by fife and drum or quill on parchment, but by a raised red fist.” (05/22/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/05/22/welcome-the-revolutionaries/
-----
45) Dem disasters like Graham Platner will only make things much, much worse
Source: New York Post
by Miranda Devine
“Everyone’s angry with Donald Trump. It’s true that things are getting ragged with just over five months left until the midterms. The president’s agenda is being stymied in the courts and in Congress by bloody-minded Democratic obstructionism, and by a handful of lily-livered naysayers in his own bare-majority party. His poll numbers are as bad as they’ve ever been, apart from a rough patch in the aftermath of Jan. 6, 2021. The war with Iran has hit gas prices and exacerbated the cost of living. It may be heading to some sort of deal, but cheerleaders are thin on the ground. His enemies at home are desperate for Trump to fail, even if it means America is dealt a savage blow.” (05/24/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/05/24/opinion/dont-lose-heart-republicans-dem-disasters-like-graham-platner-will-only-make-things-much-much-worse/
-----
46) NATO’s Censorship Infrastructure and the War on the European Mind
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Thomas Karat
“On an evening at the end of December 2025, a woman in Switzerland opened a grocery-delivery app on her phone. She filled a basket and typed in a delivery address in Brussels — a flat she had visited many times, whose owner could no longer leave Belgium and could no longer pay for anything from within it. She entered her Swiss card at checkout. The payment declined. She tried again. It declined again. The man waiting for the groceries is Jacques Baud, seventy years old, a retired colonel of the Swiss Army and a former officer of the Federal Intelligence Service who had worked in Brussels for NATO. On December 15, 2025, fifteen days before the blocked delivery, the Council of the European Union had placed him on a list.” (05/22/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/natos-censorship-infrastructure-and-the-war-on-the-european-mind
-----
47) Memorial Day and Remote War: Has Our Nation Lost Its Capacity to Mourn?
Source: The Daily Economy
by Jeffrey L Degner
“Americans now experience war more as an economic abstraction than a human catastrophe. Amid endless debt-financed conflict, have we forgotten war’s tragic cost?” (05/22/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/memorial-day-and-remote-war-has-our-nation-lost-its-capacity-to-mourn/
-----
48) How Social Contract Theory Became State Apologetics
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Joshua Mawhorter
“While not entirely consistent in every respect, the Declaration of Independence — as an act of secession — can be understood as one of the earliest major challenges to centralized, modern, sovereign authority within the emerging nation-state system. Although it created new states rather than abolishing state power itself, it decentralized and imposed limits upon British imperial sovereignty through an appeal to self-government and national self-determination. To their great credit, Locke and Jefferson both affirmed pre-political natural rights, that the only legitimate role of government is to protect those rights, and that rights remain rights and crimes remain crimes whether one is a private individual or a state elite.” (05/22/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/how-social-contract-theory-became-state-apologetics
-----
49) How Governor Spanberger Betrayed Virginia’s Workers
Source: The American Prospect
by Harold Meyerson
“Exactly one year and six days ago, the Prospect posted a piece I’d just written about Colorado’s Jared Polis, under the headline ‘The Democrats’ One and Only Union-Busting Governor’. As of a couple weeks ago, that headline is no longer accurate. Polis is still a union-buster and even more out of sync with Colorado Democrats, who’ve just formally censured him for complying with President Trump’s demand to commute the sentence of Tina Peters …. But Polis no longer holds that ‘one and only’ status when it comes to Democratic governors who bust unions. Two weeks ago, Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger did just that by vetoing a bill that would have given Virginia’s public-sector workers the right to bargain collectively.” [editor’s note: So now she has lied to ALL sectors in that state; can an impeachment be far behind? – SAT] (05/25/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/05/25/how-gov-spanberger-betrayed-virginias-workers/
-----
50) Development by Consent
Source: EconLog
by Peter Boettke
“European powers frequently justified conquest by claiming that they were bringing civilization, Christianity, and economic improvement to the peoples they conquered. Smith rejected this narrative. In The Wealth of Nations, Smith described the ‘savage injustice’ of European colonial expansion, conquest and exploitation rather than benevolent improvement. Instead of imposing progress through force, Smith envisioned an alternative based on voluntary exchange and mutual gains from trade. The meeting of different societies, he argued, could have produced enormous benefits if it had occurred through peaceful commerce rather than coercion. The crucial issue for Smith and Easterly was not simply whether development increased material output but whether it respected the autonomy of individuals and communities.” (05/22/26)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/development-by-consent
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) EconTalk, 05/25/26
Source: EconTalk
“Facing Death (with Sebastian Junger).” (05/25/26)
https://www.econtalk.org/facing-death-with-sebastian-junger/
-----
52) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/24/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Trump: No Rush To Make Deal With Iran, Israeli Strikes Kill Family in Gaza, and More.” (05/24/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmwvvRvtZJ0
-----
53) Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila, 05/23/26
Source: Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila
“The Mother Who Fought the Feds and Won | Lyn Ulbricht.” (05/23/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVeefAf3dn8
-----
54) Unattended Baggage, episode 341
Source: Unattended Baggage
“That MF’er is not real!” (05/23/26)
https://unattendedbaggage.substack.com/p/episode-341-that-mfer-is-not-real
-----
55) In the Tank Podcast, episode 537
Source: Heartland Institute
“The Cost of Living Crisis.” (05/23/26)
https://heartland.org/podcasts/the-cost-of-living-crisis-in-the-tank-podcast-537/
-----
56) Everyday Samurai, episode 70
Source: Everyday Samurai
“Martial Law Precluded By Declaration.” (05/23/26)
https://pod.co/everyday-samurai-life/70-martial-law-precluded-by-declaration
-----
57) Politicks Podcast, 05/22/26
Source: Lions of Liberty
“Trump Dead to Libertarians?” (05/22/26)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/politicks-podcast-trump-dead-to-libertarians
-----
58) Soho Forum Debate: Should Billionaires Pay More Taxes?
Source: Reason
“Law professor Natasha Sarin debates the Cato Institute’s Adam Michel.” (05/22/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/05/22/should-billionaires-pay-more-taxes/
-----
59) The Evil Within, Part 10
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“he Regulated Economy and the FBI.” (05/22/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL58gaEQ_RA
-----
60) Serious Trouble, 05/22/26
Source: Serious Trouble
“Trump says he’s creating a $1.8 billion fund to hand out to whoever he wants. Can he? Plus, trouble for Eric Swalwell’s weirdo friends, Elon Musk loses, and Clavicular gets mogged by a hot judge.” (05/22/26)
https://www.serioustrouble.show/p/the-no-judgment-fund
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Today's Freedom News:
1) US regime ends partial pause in illegal war of aggression vs. Iran
2) Lebanon: Twelve killed in Israeli strike
3) Blanche cites nearby shooting incident in renewed White House ballroom whine
4) Ukraine war: Russian regime threatens more Kyiv strikes, tells foreign nationals to leave
5) CA: Risk of large explosion at chemical tank is "off the table"
6) Former prosecutor calls for EU statute blocking US sanctions on ICC members
7) Ferrari releases first electric car
8) Shenzhou-23 crew arrives at Tiangong as Chinese regime maps path to 2030 lunar landing
9) NY: Con artists sue for legal ownership of dormant Bitcoin wallets
10) Turkey: Police attack opposition party HQ with chemical weapons
11) Police fire shots in air to disperse angry crowds at DR Congo Ebola treatment center
12) Scotland: Husband of former First Minister pleads guilty to embezzlement from Scottish National Party
13) China: Anger grows after deadliest coal mining disaster in years
14) Pope calls for “disarming” of AI, technology should be “human friendly”
15) Israeli opposition leader: Trump’s emerging deal with Iran “bad for the region”
16) DC: Secret Service kills man who opened fire at White House security checkpoint
17) EasyJet flight diverts to Rome over power bank in luggage
18) Senegal: Parliament Speaker Quits Two Days After Prime Minister Sacked
19) Cambodia: Opposition leader Kem Sokha receives royal pardon for treason
20) Scaled-up SpaceX Starship megarocket finds mixed success in debut test flight
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Remember, They Say.
22) Support Our Troops: What It Really Means
23) Iran in Vain: Rooting for the “Bad Guy” is No Vice When Your Guy is Worse
24) Efficient Insider Trading and Public Corruption
25) Trump’s Iran exit ramp is a long shot. He doesn’t have a better option.
26) Let’s Take Kamala Up on Her Proposal of “No Bad Ideas”
27) Quantum Vibe, 05/25/26
28) How Market Innovation Is Reframing the Climate Debate
29) A Hell of a Secretary of War: Pete Hegseth’s Desperate Crusade for Masculine Validation
30) Educational Polarization and the Politics of Young Men
31) Cooking up financial stability at home
32) Hollywood’s Golden State
33) Israel Rapes Everyone, And Other Notes
34) Education Shrinkflation
35) Warmongers in meltdown as Trump heralds Iran deal
36) PSA: Criticizing Israel is NOT Antisemitic
37) Three steps that could stop fraud & make healthcare more affordable for all Americans
38) Ditch the Pledge of Allegiance
39) The Republican Party Is Nothing More Than a Cult of Trump
40) You can’t hide your lying ICE: The shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis
41) The Dems Must Adapt an Aggressive, Progressive Midterm Strategy
42) The Young Oikophobes
43) Contra Niskanen
44) Welcome the Revolutionaries?
45) Dem disasters like Graham Platner will only make things much, much worse
46) NATO’s Censorship Infrastructure and the War on the European Mind
47) Memorial Day and Remote War: Has Our Nation Lost Its Capacity to Mourn?
48) How Social Contract Theory Became State Apologetics
49) How Governor Spanberger Betrayed Virginia’s Workers
50) Development by Consent
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) EconTalk, 05/25/26
52) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/24/26
53) Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila, 05/23/26
54) Unattended Baggage, episode 341
55) In the Tank Podcast, episode 537
56) Everyday Samurai, episode 70
57) Politicks Podcast, 05/22/26
58) Soho Forum Debate: Should Billionaires Pay More Taxes?
59) The Evil Within, Part 10
60) Serious Trouble, 05/22/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) US regime ends partial pause in illegal war of aggression vs. Iran
Source: Associated Press
“The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out ‘self-defense’ strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations with Tehran were ‘proceeding nicely.’ The strikes were done ‘to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,’ but the military was ‘using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,’ Capt. Tim Hawkins, the spokesman for the U.S. military’s Central Command, said in a statement. Further details were not immediately available, including more specifics on the threats from Iran and what this means for negotiations.” (05/25/26)
https://apnews.com/article/iran-deal-trump-israel-abrams-01a13e9a63ece786a0a7fa4933dbf09b
-----
2) Lebanon: Twelve killed in Israeli strike
Source: US News & World Report
“An Israeli airstrike on a village in eastern Lebanon killed 12 people, the country’s state-run National News Agency said Tuesday. The strike late Monday in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley area came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had authorized more intensive strikes targeting the Hezbollah militant group across Lebanon. The Israeli military did not comment on this particular strike, but said Monday that it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in eastern Lebanon. Rescue workers say that a dozen bodies were pulled out of the rubble following an intense wave of overnight strikes targeting swaths of southern and eastern Lebanon.” (05/26/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-05-26/israeli-strike-on-village-in-eastern-lebanon-kills-12
-----
3) Blanche cites nearby shooting incident in renewed White House ballroom whine
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The administration of US President Donald Trump has renewed its push to lift a court ruling barring progress on a new White House ballroom, once again citing gun violence as a reason for pursuing the construction. In a court filing submitted on Sunday, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche argued it was ‘urgent’ that the ballroom be completed. ‘This is a terrible, tremendously harmful case to the United States of America, and all it stands for!’ Blanche [whined], denouncing the lawsuit that has paused construction. As justification, Blanche pointed to the events of last Saturday, when a 21-year-old suspect named Nasire Best approached a White House security checkpoint in Washington, DC, pulled out a gun, and started shooting. One bystander was injured. The suspect was killed after an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service agents.” (05/25/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/25/trump-renews-petition-for-white-house-ballroom-pointing-to-nearby-shooting
-----
4) Ukraine war: Russian regime threatens more Kyiv strikes, tells foreign nationals to leave
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Russia has threatened to launch a fresh wave of ‘systematic strikes’ against Kyiv, days after carrying out one of its largest attacks on the Ukrainian capital since the start of the war. The new strikes will target ‘decision-making centres and command posts,’ alongside drone manufacturing facilities in the city, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement. Moscow has called for foreign nationals and diplomats to leave Kyiv ‘as soon as possible’ and warned citizens to stay away from administrative and military buildings. Large-scale Russian strikes on Saturday night killed four and injured about 100 people in Kyiv and other areas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Moscow said that barrage and threatened further strikes were in response to what it claims was a deliberate Ukrainian attack on a student dormitory in the town of Starobilsk on Friday, in which Russian officials said 21 people were killed.” (05/25/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1e22n55zn4o
-----
5) CA: Risk of large explosion at chemical tank is “off the table”
Source: USA Today
“The risk of a ‘massive explosion’ at a damaged chemical tank in Southern California has been ‘eliminated,’ local fire officials said on May 25, resolving what authorities described as a possible ‘worst-case catastrophic event.’ … Roughly 40,000 people were ordered to evacuate from Garden Grove, a city south of Los Angeles, after a tank storing a toxic industrial chemical overheated on May 21. Initial efforts to secure the tank failed, leading authorities to expand the evacuation zone as they warned the container could potentially ‘blow up.’ On May 24, authorities discovered a crack in the tank holding 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate. … Methyl methacrylate is a volatile, flammable liquid often used in the manufacture of resins and plastics, according to the EPA. California health officials said no exposure to the product is expected as long as evacuation orders are followed.” (05/25/26)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/california/2026/05/25/garden-grove-chemical-crisis-evacuation-california/90249333007/
-----
6) Former prosecutor calls for EU statute blocking US sanctions on ICC members
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“A former prosecutor at the international criminal court has called for an EU-wide statute blocking what she describes as ‘thuggish’ and ‘bullying’ US sanctions imposed on members of the court that are designed to send the court into oblivion. In February 2025, the US imposed sanctions on 11 ICC officials, including nine judges and the chief prosecutor as well three Palestinian organisations, in response to the ICC decision in 2024 to issue arrest warrants for members of the Israeli cabinet, including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The US sanctions – which include travel bans and asset freezes – have locked judges out of the European financial system, making it impossible for them or their families to live normal lives.” (05/24/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/may/24/former-international-criminal-court-prosecutor-calls-for-eu-statute-blocking-us-sanctions-on-icc-members
-----
7) Ferrari releases first electric car
Source: Reuters
“As its sports car rivals tap the brakes on a shift to EVs, Ferrari will take a leap into an uncertain era on Monday with the launch of its first fully-electric car, betting it can connect with drivers even without a throaty engine roar. With a top speed of 310 kph (193 mph), Ferrari’s four-door Luce — meaning ‘light’ in Italian — will carry a price tag of more than €500,000 ($586,000). … Monday’s unveiling in Rome of the hotly awaited Luce caps years of preparation, from early hybrid Formula One systems more than a decade ago and road models since 2019. First deliveries to clients will start in October, the company said last year.” (05/25/26)
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/ferraris-luce-leads-bold-leap-into-uncertain-electric-era-2026-05-25/
-----
8) Shenzhou-23 crew arrives at Tiangong as Chinese regime maps path to 2030 lunar landing
Source: Space News
“Three Chinese astronauts arrived at Tiangong space station Sunday, with one crewmember expected to become China’s first to stay in orbit for an entire year. The Long March 2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft lifted off at 11:08 a.m. Eastern (1508 UTC; 11:08 p.m. Beijing time) May 24 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. The trio aboard were commander Zhu Yangzhu and astronauts Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying. Lai, a payload specialist formerly of the Hong Kong police force, is the first astronaut from Hong Kong to reach orbit. … One of Zhu or Zhang is expected to complete a continuous year in orbit, marking a first for Chinese human spaceflight.” (05/24/26)
https://spacenews.com/shenzhou-23-crew-arrives-at-tiangong-as-china-maps-path-to-2030-lunar-landing/
-----
9) NY: Con artists sue for legal ownership of dormant Bitcoin wallets
Source: CoinTelegraph
“A New York lawsuit filed by Noah Doe and two Wyoming-based LLCs, ABC Company and XYZ Company, seeks a court order declaring ownership of 39,069 dormant Bitcoin addresses, raising important questions about the legal treatment of inactive Bitcoin under property laws. Filed on May 1, the suit claims that the coins tied to the listed addresses represent legally abandoned property they found and reported to the New York Police Department and claimed under New York lost-property law. The plaintiffs claim that the dormant Bitcoin wallets were legally ‘abandoned’ property that they found, including wallets belonging to early Bitcoin miners and addresses attributed to Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto, among other lost coins and unidentified entities. They claim that these constitute seizable property, akin to traditional bank accounts.” (05/25/26)
https://cointelegraph.com/news/new-york-lawsuit-lost-property-dormant-bitcoin
-----
10) Turkey: Police attack opposition party HQ with chemical weapons
Source: Associated Press
“Police stormed the offices of Turkey’s main opposition CHP party on Sunday, firing tear gas and rubber bullets at party supporters and officials who had been holed up inside for three days. It was a violent end to a standoff between members of the Republican Peoples’ Party, or CHP, and a leadership team appointed by an appeals court, escalating tensions between the opposition and the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.” (05/25/26)
https://apnews.com/article/turkey-opposition-chp-standoff-2eee5ef016ff6ac1eeda368aff7588e0
-----
11) Police fire shots in air to disperse angry crowds at DR Congo Ebola treatment center
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Police in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo fired shots in the air after angry crowds attempted to reclaim the bodies of loved ones who had died at an Ebola treatment centre in Mongwalu, two local journalists told the BBC. Sunday’s unrest continued throughout the day, the reporters said. The treatment centre, in a hospital compound, was the same place that was targeted overnight on Friday into Saturday, when an isolation tent was set ablaze. The body of a dead Ebola victim is highly infectious and can lead to the virus spreading further when prepared for burial. There have been more than 900 suspected Ebola cases in the current outbreak and 220 suspected deaths, officials say. According to Mongwalu General Hospital’s medical director Dr Richard Lokudu, Sunday’s attackers demanded the bodies of two people be given to their families.” (05/25/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0l22pz6nw6o
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12) Scotland: Husband of former First Minister pleads guilty to embezzlement from Scottish National Party
Source: ABC News
“The estranged husband of former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon pleaded guilty Monday to embezzling more than 400,000 pounds ($540,000) from the Scottish National Party when he was its chief executive. Peter Murrell, 62, was remanded into custody after pleading guilty in the High Court in Edinburgh. Authorities say he used the money to buy a motorhome and two cars. … Sturgeon, who dominated Scottish politics for almost a decade, unexpectedly resigned in 2023 after eight years as first minister of Scotland’s semi-autonomous government. She was later cleared of wrongdoing over the finances.” (05/25/26)
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/husband-former-scottish-leader-pleads-guilty-embezzlement-party-133280046
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13) China: Anger grows after deadliest coal mining disaster in years
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Anger is growing over alleged safety violations in the wake of China’s worst mining disaster in more than 15 years. At least 82 people were killed and more than 120 injured after an explosion on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi province, the heart of China’s huge mining industry. For many in China, the tragedy harks back to the 2000s, a period of regular, deadly coal mining disasters, which is widely thought to have been left in the past. Those concerns are now reignited and playing out on China’s tightly-controlled internet, with people calling for justice and questioning how this happened: ‘It’s so heartbreaking, so many precious lives lost. When will we truly put safety first?’ Authorities say the cause of the disaster is still under investigation, but initial findings show Tongzhou Group, the company operating the privately-owned coal mine had committed ‘serious illegal violations’.” (05/25/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c893543gn20o
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14) Pope calls for “disarming” of AI, technology should be “human friendly”
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“Pope Leo called for the ‘disarming’ of artificial intelligence in his long-awaited manifesto on the rapidly developing technology on Monday, and warned of “new forms of slavery” behind its rise. The ‘just war’ theory – espoused recently by the Trump administration – was ‘outdated,’ Pope Leo XIV wrote in his first encyclical, which he presented in person at the Vatican, alongside AI experts including the co-founder of US giant Anthropic. The first US pope, who has clashed with the White House over the Iran war and its use of religion to justify conflict, sounded the alarm over AI-directed weaponry, saying it was ‘not permissible to entrust lethal’ decisions to tech.” (05/25/26)
https://archive.is/Y4iGk
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15) Israeli opposition leader: Trump’s emerging deal with Iran “bad for the region”
Source: SFGate
“The deal being discussed between the U.S. and Iran fails to achieve any of Israel’s goals for the war, Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid said on Monday, as he accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to influence a better agreement. Lapid, who is part of an alliance attempting to unseat Netanyahu in elections this year, said details of the emerging deal are ‘disturbing’. ‘The deal is bad for Israel, bad for the region, bad for the citizens of Iran,’ Lapid told reporters in Jerusalem. Israel and the U.S. launched the war on Feb. 28 vowing to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile program, end its support for proxy militant groups across the region and end Iran’s ability to pursue a nuclear bomb. Both Netanyahu and President Donald Trump also said they hoped to create conditions to topple Iran’s government..” (05/25/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/israeli-opposition-leader-lapid-says-trump-s-22275369.php
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16) DC: Secret Service kills man who opened fire at White House security checkpoint
Source: NBC News
“The Secret Service fatally shot a person who opened fire on officers at a security checkpoint Saturday in an exchange of gunfire that briefly locked down the White House, officials said. The shooting happened shortly after 6 p.m. when a male approached the Secret Service checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, pulled a gun from a bag and opened fire on officers, the Secret Service said in a statement. The officers returned fire and shot the suspect, who was taken to a hospital, where he later died, the Secret Service said. The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best of Dundalk, Maryland, the Metropolitan Police Department said Sunday. A bystander was also shot, the Secret Service said Saturday. The victim, a man, sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and remains hospitalized, police said.” (05/23/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/gunshots-reported-near-white-house-rcna346671
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17) EasyJet flight diverts to Rome over power bank in luggage
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“A UK-bound EasyJet flight was diverted to Rome after a power bank was found to be charging in a passenger’s luggage, it has been revealed. Flight EZY2618 from Hurghada in Egypt to London Luton landed in the Italian capital on Tuesday night as ‘a ‘precaution.’ The airline said the captain had decided to divert ‘in line with safety regulations’ after a passenger informed crew during the flight that the portable charger was in the hold of the aircraft. Many airlines have toughened rules on power banks, often requiring that they be stored in hand luggage because of the risk of lithium-ion batteries catching fire.” (05/25/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7p3pdl8m7o
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18) Senegal: Parliament Speaker Quits Two Days After Prime Minister Sacked
Source: US News & World Report
“Senegal’s parliament speaker, El Malick Ndiaye, has announced his resignation, deepening political turmoil in the West African nation two days after the president dismissed the government. Ndiaye, a senior figure in the ruling PASTEF party, said on Sunday his resignation was a personal decision, giving the “higher interest of the nation” as a reason for his departure. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dismissed Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on Friday and dissolved the government after months of mounting tension between the two leaders.” (05/25/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-05-25/senegals-parliament-speaker-quits-two-days-after-prime-minister-sacked
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19) Cambodia: Opposition leader Kem Sokha receives royal pardon for treason
Source: SFGate
“Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha on Monday was granted a royal pardon from his 27-year sentence for treason, a month after an appeals court affirmed his conviction and punishment. Hun Sen, the Senate president acting as head of state in the absence of King Norodom Sihamoni, issued the pardon freeing Kem Sokha from house arrest. Sihamoni is in China on an extended stay for medical treatment. Prime Minister Hun Manet, in a statement posted on the Telegram social media platform, described the pardon as a step in strengthening national unity. Kem Sokha made no immediate public comment. The decision is unlikely to greatly affect Cambodia’s politics, as other top opposition figures are in exile and political and social activists still face restrictions on freedom of speech and actions.” (05/25/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/cambodian-opposition-leader-kem-sokha-receives-22275361.php
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20) Scaled-up SpaceX Starship megarocket finds mixed success in debut test flight
Source: CNN
“The 12th test flight of SpaceX’s Starship megarocket came to a dramatic close, with the spacecraft managing to complete a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean despite operating without one of its engines. The spacecraft — a new prototype called Starship V3 — released mock satellites during a brief suborbital journey. The test flight was the Starship program’s first since October. The company experienced several mishaps with its V2 prototype and scrubbed its first V3 launch attempt Thursday evening after issues arose with seconds left on the countdown clock. SpaceX is racing to get Starship ready to launch satellites and carry humans into deep space. The company hopes to fulfill NASA’s plan to use the vehicle to land its astronauts on the moon by 2028.” (05/22/26)
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/22/science/live-news/spacex-starship-flight-12-version-3-launch
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Remember, They Say.
Source: Desultory Scribblings
by Tyler Harris
“Remember, they say,
Through the long mists of time,
Our heroes and legends and leaders sublime.
Think not of their flaws, for of flaws they had none.
Remember that freedom springs forth from a gun.
Recall them as Caesar, but ne’er Cincinnatus.
Recount conquered glories; reject e’ry malice.” (05/25/26)
https://tylerjohnharris.substack.com/p/remember-they-say
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22) Support Our Troops: What It Really Means
Source: Antiwar.com
by William J Astore
“‘Support our troops’ is a catchphrase, almost a mantra, often used by cynical politicians to suppress dissent about their disastrous wars of choice. Basically, dissenters are accused of being unpatriotic because their criticism allegedly betrays the troops and weakens national resolve. It’s a BS argument but it’s often compelling and even convincing to some. Americans have a civic religion defined by the Pledge of Allegiance, the flag, the National Anthem, military parades and pageantry, and U.S. history taught as heritage and as a celebration of American goodness and greatness. When you step outside of that, when you criticize it, dissent from it, you must be prepared to be attacked as a heretic.” (05/25/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/william_astore/2026/05/24/support-our-troops-what-it-really-means
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23) Iran in Vain: Rooting for the “Bad Guy” is No Vice When Your Guy is Worse
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“Every Monday, Donald Trump announces an impending genocide of biblical proportions and every Tuesday he backs down at the last minute while reminding us that doomsday could still come at any given second but a big-beautiful peace deal is also really, really fucking close. The mainstream news mostly just seems to take all this diplomatic madness at face value while reminding us how impossibly complicated diplomacy is and that only their Washington trained experts can lead us through it. The only problem with that explanation is that all their think tank wonks seem to be chasing Donald from one flip-flop to the next like small-town weathermen covering big-town storms.” (05/24/26)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2026/05/iran-in-vain-rooting-for-bad-guy-is-no.html
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24) Efficient Insider Trading and Public Corruption
Source: Pierre Lemieux
by Pierre Lemieux
“Economically and morally, there is nothing wrong, on the contrary, with insider trading as such. But there is everything wrong when it is done by corrupt rulers or their cronies.” (05/24/26)
https://pierrelemieux.substack.com/p/efficient-insider-trading-and-public
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25) Trump’s Iran exit ramp is a long shot. He doesn’t have a better option.
Source: Washington Post
by David Ignatius
“President Donald Trump appears to be nearing an escape ramp from the Iran war, but it’s one that represents a risky bet that Tehran’s divided leadership will opt for postwar modernization rather than continuing conflict with the United States and Israel. Like most peace deals, the framework described by U.S. officials Sunday would be a series of compromises, well short of the capitulation that Trump sought when he joined Israel in launching the war on Feb. 28. The Iranian regime can claim victory simply by having survived the assault. If these hardline leaders continue to destabilize the region, however, the deal will probably collapse in another round of strife.” (05/25/26)
https://archive.is/ovAB2
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26) Let’s Take Kamala Up on Her Proposal of “No Bad Ideas”
Source: Town Hall
by Derek Hunter
“It’s getting tougher and tougher not to wish ill on Democrats, as they promise to trample the Constitution and commit to treating all Americans like we’re a young starlet and they’re Harvey Weinstein at the height of his powers. They are telling us what they’re going to do to us; how they’re going to force their will on us in any way they like, and each of them is taking things further and further down the rhetorical toilet. Maybe we should take failed 2024 Democratic presidential nominee and former Willie Brown side-piece Kamala Harris up on her proposal to implement a series of ‘bad ideas’ before they have the chance to do it to everyone else?” (05/24/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2026/05/24/lets-take-kamala-up-on-her-proposal-of-no-bad-ideas-n2676579
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27) Quantum Vibe, 05/25/26
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (05/25/26)
https://www.quantumvibe.com/strip?page=2590
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28) How Market Innovation Is Reframing the Climate Debate
Source: Independent Institute
by Jane Shaw Stroup
“By all accounts, climate change alarmists are on the defensive—politically, scientifically, I would even say morally (see Bill Gates’s comment below). We could leave it at that. But there may be hope for a truce in this conflict — and if so, capitalism can take the credit.” (05/22/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/05/22/climate-change-market-innovation/
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29) A Hell of a Secretary of War: Pete Hegseth’s Desperate Crusade for Masculine Validation
Source: TomDispatch
by Jasper Craven
“Earlier this year, President Donald Trump surveyed his top military brass on the prospect of making war in Iran. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine urged caution, presciently predicting that a ramped-up campaign against Iran could lead its leaders to close the Strait of Hormuz. However, Pete Hegseth, Trump’s self-styled ‘Secretary of War’, jumped at the prospect of such a conflict. ‘Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up,’ Trump recently recalled at a press event. ‘And you said, ‘Let’s do it, because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.” Americans join the military for any number of reasons: to serve their country, gain economic stability, or simply join a community. For Hegseth, a thirst for martial victory and a desire for a masculine metamorphosis seemed to surpass all else.” (05/24/26)
https://tomdispatch.com/pete-hegseths-desperate-crusade-for-masculine-validation/
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30) Educational Polarization and the Politics of Young Men
Source: Liberalism.org
by Josh Zingher
“Our political battle lines fall increasingly along our growing educational divide, in which young women are advancing, and young men are falling behind.” (05/22/26)
https://www.liberalism.org/p/educational-polarization-and-the-politics-of-young-men
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31) Cooking up financial stability at home
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“The financial world is atwitter over public stock offerings expected to be issued soon by SpaceX, OpenAI, and other mega tech companies. ‘A welcome tribute to the U.S. capitalist system’ is how The Wall Street Journal describes this moment. And The Economist calls SpaceX’s journey toward a listing ‘a marvel of free markets.’ At the other end of the scale from trillion-dollar valuations, an estimated 19 million home-based businesses across America are also economic and social marvels. They embody the hustle, creativity, and vision of lauded tech startups, but without deep-pocketed investors. Home-based food enterprises, in particular, provide families with a financial boost and communities with essential services. And, by serving as low-risk incubators, they offer economic mobility in a system that rewards innovation and effort.” (05/22/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0522/Cooking-up-financial-stability-at-home
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32) Hollywood’s Golden State
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Katrina Gulliver
“Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) have reached a merger agreement, where Paramount will acquire WBD for $110 billion at $31 per share in cash. (The final terms of the deal have yet to be approved by the DOJ and the FCC.) But assuming it goes ahead, report author Jeff Ferry suggests: ‘At a time when the industry is struggling, the proposed merger of Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery stands out as the most significant opportunity for renewed growth in years.’ The merger will create Hollywood’s largest studio, churning out 30 movies a year, and their analysis finds that if this commitment is fulfilled, it could add almost $1 billion to Hollywood’s annual investment in movie production within Los Angeles.” (05/24/26)
https://fee.org/articles/hollywoods-golden-state/
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33) Israel Rapes Everyone, And Other Notes
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“International flotilla activists say they were subjected to torture and sexual assault by Israeli forces after being abducted in international waters while attempting to bring aid to Gaza. A statement from the Global Sumud Flotilla reports that the IDF held the activists on a makeshift ‘torture boat’, asserting that ‘At least 12 sexual assaults have been documented on that vessel alone, including anal rape and forcible penetration by a handgun.’ This comes after a New York Times report on Israel’s systemic use of sexual torture in its prison camps sent hasbarists howling in outrage for days, and after a Haaretz report on the Israeli military’s internal findings that sexual assault is soaring among its own ranks. If you knew someone who was constantly being accused of rape by different people on a daily basis, at some point you’d have to conclude that that person is a rapist.” (05/24/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/05/24/israel-rapes-everyone-and-other-notes/
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34) Education Shrinkflation
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Steve Templeton
“If kids should place their education as a high priority, the messages and actions of administrators, teachers, and parents they observe should clearly reinforce that importance. Using the Appearance of Safety as a convenient foil to avoid responsibilities and making hard decisions undermines that message completely. Just because public education isn’t paid for directly like gymnastics competition fees doesn’t mean it should get a pass. Otherwise, we will continue to accept less and get less value, and our kids will pay even more for our carelessness in the future than they already have.” (05/24/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/education-shrinkflation/
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35) Warmongers in meltdown as Trump heralds Iran deal
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Trita Parsi
“The regional buy-in — and the fact that Trump announced the agreement only after speaking with a wide array of key regional leaders, including those of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain, in addition to a separate call with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu — is highly significant. This regional anchoring affords Trump a degree of political insulation in Washington. Faced with inevitable accusations from hawks that the agreement amounts to defeat or that it betrays Israel, he can point to broad regional support as evidence that America’s principal partners in the Middle East prefer diplomacy to escalation. … Judging by the public panic now emanating from Washington’s war hawks and pro-Israel circles, however, the next 30 days are likely to be politically brutal for Trump.” (05/23/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/iran-trump-deal-hormuz/
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36) PSA: Criticizing Israel is NOT Antisemitic
Source: Lisa Liberty
by Lisa Liberty
“As a religious Jew, I refuse to stay silent while political actors fuse my beautiful religion and an ancient people to the actions of a modern nation-state and its lobbying apparatus. Judaism is not synonymous with militarism, censorship, collective punishment, or blind loyalty to any government. Many Jews are horrified by the devastation in Gaza, alarmed by the suppression of dissent, and concerned about the growing perception that American politics is being shaped by interests that appear increasingly disconnected from the American public itself. … If Jewish Americans truly care about our long-term future in this country, then now is the time to speak honestly, reject tribalism and authoritarianism, and stop allowing criticism of a government to be conflated with hatred of a people.” (05/22/26)
https://lisaliberty.substack.com/p/psa-criticizing-israel-is-not-antisemitic
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37) Three steps that could stop fraud & make healthcare more affordable for all Americans
Source: Fox News Forum
by Andrew Bremberg
“Americans know something is broken in healthcare. Premiums keep rising, deductibles keep climbing and medical bills often arrive with charges no one can explain. Behind those frustrations is the fact that we operate within a healthcare system built around secrecy. On May 18, President Donald Trump took on drug pricing with the expansion of TrumpRX, a first-of-its kind platform designed to allow Americans to find their drugs for less in a system styled to work like Airbnb or Priceline.com. Next, he should set his sights on hospitals and insurance companies. Healthcare remains one of the most expensive and least transparent sectors of the American economy. Hidden prices, opaque billing systems and layers of middlemen cost taxpayers and working families hundreds of billions of dollars each year through fraud, waste and abuse.” (05/25/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/3-steps-could-stop-fraud-make-healthcare-affordable-americans
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38) Ditch the Pledge of Allegiance
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“If there is one thing that American citizens remember from their 12 long years in public (i.e., government) schools, it’s the Pledge of Allegiance. That’s because they recited or heard it recited every single morning before the start of classes. The Pledge is such an ingrained part of American society that oftentimes adults at public events proudly stand, place their right hand on their heart, and recite the Pledge. … Why should anyone be forced or expected to pledge allegiance to anything? Why shouldn’t everyone simply be free to live his life the way he wants?” (05/22/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/05/22/ditch-the-pledge-of-allegiance/
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39) The Republican Party Is Nothing More Than a Cult of Trump
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“On Tuesday, President Donald Trump took down libertarian-leaning Rep. Thomas Massie (R–Ky.), to whom he’d taken such a profound dislike that he backed a primary challenger in the form of MAGA stalwart Ed Gallrein. Massie was highly ranked for his voting record by conservative organizations, but so were other candidates Trump pushed out of office — and out of the party. In truth, it’s been years since the Republican Party was a conservative organization; these days it’s a cult of personality around the president.” (05/22/26)
https://reason.com/2026/05/22/the-republican-party-is-nothing-more-than-a-cult-of-trump/
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40) You can’t hide your lying ICE: The shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis
Source: The Watch
by Radley Balko
“A Minneapolis prosecutor charges an ICE agent, exposing how DHS shamelessly lied after its officers shot an immigrant, tear gassed two kids, and put a bullet in the wall of a child’s bedroom.” (05/22/26)
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/your-lying-ice-the-shooting-of-julio
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41) The Dems Must Adapt an Aggressive, Progressive Midterm Strategy
Source: Common Dreams
by John Ripton
“The Democrat’s 2026 midterm electoral strategy remains essentially the same as it was during the melted-down 2024 presidential election: Focus on President Donald Trump’s obvious character flaws and failings rather than highlight the critical issues and offer progressive alternatives. Waiting for Trump to shoot himself in the foot is not a winning campaign strategy. Neither are abstract ideas about defending democracy and saving the nation from autocracy or fascism. Voters want practical approaches to everyday challenges of rising food costs, prohibitively expensive and inadequate health insurance, skyrocketing medical costs, exorbitant childcare and pre-K expenses, and spiraling energy pricing. Since the last quarter of the 20th century, establishment Democrats and their leaders have slid so far to the political right that progressive, populist initiatives are undermined by fear of taxes and debt.” [editor’s note: If this is true, may this be the death knell of that war party wing – SAT] (05/25/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/dems-midterm-strategy
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42) The Young Oikophobes
Source: Law & Liberty
by Rachel Lu
“The Cambridge Five offer a harrowing case study in what can happen when a youthful elite hates its own nation.” (05/22/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/the-young-oikophobes/
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43) Contra Niskanen
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“William Niskanen, in a book published many years ago, proposed a simple model of government bureaucracy. The more money a bureaucrat controls the more important he is, so bureaucrats want to maximize their budgets. The legislature knows how much any level of output from a bureau is worth to it. The bureaucracy knows — and the legislature does not — what a government bureau can do at what cost. So the rational bureau finds the largest level of output that it can produce at a cost below the value of that level of output to the legislature and exaggerates the cost of any lower level of output by enough to make it higher than its value, thus tricking the legislature into giving it the largest possible budget. When I first read the argument it struck me as implausible.” (05/22/26)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/contra-niskanen
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44) Welcome the Revolutionaries?
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Nowadays, any Revolution extolled on campus might best be symbolized not by fife and drum or quill on parchment, but by a raised red fist.” (05/22/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/05/22/welcome-the-revolutionaries/
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45) Dem disasters like Graham Platner will only make things much, much worse
Source: New York Post
by Miranda Devine
“Everyone’s angry with Donald Trump. It’s true that things are getting ragged with just over five months left until the midterms. The president’s agenda is being stymied in the courts and in Congress by bloody-minded Democratic obstructionism, and by a handful of lily-livered naysayers in his own bare-majority party. His poll numbers are as bad as they’ve ever been, apart from a rough patch in the aftermath of Jan. 6, 2021. The war with Iran has hit gas prices and exacerbated the cost of living. It may be heading to some sort of deal, but cheerleaders are thin on the ground. His enemies at home are desperate for Trump to fail, even if it means America is dealt a savage blow.” (05/24/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/05/24/opinion/dont-lose-heart-republicans-dem-disasters-like-graham-platner-will-only-make-things-much-much-worse/
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46) NATO’s Censorship Infrastructure and the War on the European Mind
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Thomas Karat
“On an evening at the end of December 2025, a woman in Switzerland opened a grocery-delivery app on her phone. She filled a basket and typed in a delivery address in Brussels — a flat she had visited many times, whose owner could no longer leave Belgium and could no longer pay for anything from within it. She entered her Swiss card at checkout. The payment declined. She tried again. It declined again. The man waiting for the groceries is Jacques Baud, seventy years old, a retired colonel of the Swiss Army and a former officer of the Federal Intelligence Service who had worked in Brussels for NATO. On December 15, 2025, fifteen days before the blocked delivery, the Council of the European Union had placed him on a list.” (05/22/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/natos-censorship-infrastructure-and-the-war-on-the-european-mind
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47) Memorial Day and Remote War: Has Our Nation Lost Its Capacity to Mourn?
Source: The Daily Economy
by Jeffrey L Degner
“Americans now experience war more as an economic abstraction than a human catastrophe. Amid endless debt-financed conflict, have we forgotten war’s tragic cost?” (05/22/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/memorial-day-and-remote-war-has-our-nation-lost-its-capacity-to-mourn/
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48) How Social Contract Theory Became State Apologetics
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Joshua Mawhorter
“While not entirely consistent in every respect, the Declaration of Independence — as an act of secession — can be understood as one of the earliest major challenges to centralized, modern, sovereign authority within the emerging nation-state system. Although it created new states rather than abolishing state power itself, it decentralized and imposed limits upon British imperial sovereignty through an appeal to self-government and national self-determination. To their great credit, Locke and Jefferson both affirmed pre-political natural rights, that the only legitimate role of government is to protect those rights, and that rights remain rights and crimes remain crimes whether one is a private individual or a state elite.” (05/22/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/how-social-contract-theory-became-state-apologetics
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49) How Governor Spanberger Betrayed Virginia’s Workers
Source: The American Prospect
by Harold Meyerson
“Exactly one year and six days ago, the Prospect posted a piece I’d just written about Colorado’s Jared Polis, under the headline ‘The Democrats’ One and Only Union-Busting Governor’. As of a couple weeks ago, that headline is no longer accurate. Polis is still a union-buster and even more out of sync with Colorado Democrats, who’ve just formally censured him for complying with President Trump’s demand to commute the sentence of Tina Peters …. But Polis no longer holds that ‘one and only’ status when it comes to Democratic governors who bust unions. Two weeks ago, Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger did just that by vetoing a bill that would have given Virginia’s public-sector workers the right to bargain collectively.” [editor’s note: So now she has lied to ALL sectors in that state; can an impeachment be far behind? – SAT] (05/25/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/05/25/how-gov-spanberger-betrayed-virginias-workers/
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50) Development by Consent
Source: EconLog
by Peter Boettke
“European powers frequently justified conquest by claiming that they were bringing civilization, Christianity, and economic improvement to the peoples they conquered. Smith rejected this narrative. In The Wealth of Nations, Smith described the ‘savage injustice’ of European colonial expansion, conquest and exploitation rather than benevolent improvement. Instead of imposing progress through force, Smith envisioned an alternative based on voluntary exchange and mutual gains from trade. The meeting of different societies, he argued, could have produced enormous benefits if it had occurred through peaceful commerce rather than coercion. The crucial issue for Smith and Easterly was not simply whether development increased material output but whether it respected the autonomy of individuals and communities.” (05/22/26)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/development-by-consent
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) EconTalk, 05/25/26
Source: EconTalk
“Facing Death (with Sebastian Junger).” (05/25/26)
https://www.econtalk.org/facing-death-with-sebastian-junger/
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52) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/24/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Trump: No Rush To Make Deal With Iran, Israeli Strikes Kill Family in Gaza, and More.” (05/24/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmwvvRvtZJ0
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53) Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila, 05/23/26
Source: Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila
“The Mother Who Fought the Feds and Won | Lyn Ulbricht.” (05/23/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVeefAf3dn8
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54) Unattended Baggage, episode 341
Source: Unattended Baggage
“That MF’er is not real!” (05/23/26)
https://unattendedbaggage.substack.com/p/episode-341-that-mfer-is-not-real
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55) In the Tank Podcast, episode 537
Source: Heartland Institute
“The Cost of Living Crisis.” (05/23/26)
https://heartland.org/podcasts/the-cost-of-living-crisis-in-the-tank-podcast-537/
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56) Everyday Samurai, episode 70
Source: Everyday Samurai
“Martial Law Precluded By Declaration.” (05/23/26)
https://pod.co/everyday-samurai-life/70-martial-law-precluded-by-declaration
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57) Politicks Podcast, 05/22/26
Source: Lions of Liberty
“Trump Dead to Libertarians?” (05/22/26)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/politicks-podcast-trump-dead-to-libertarians
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58) Soho Forum Debate: Should Billionaires Pay More Taxes?
Source: Reason
“Law professor Natasha Sarin debates the Cato Institute’s Adam Michel.” (05/22/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/05/22/should-billionaires-pay-more-taxes/
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59) The Evil Within, Part 10
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“he Regulated Economy and the FBI.” (05/22/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL58gaEQ_RA
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60) Serious Trouble, 05/22/26
Source: Serious Trouble
“Trump says he’s creating a $1.8 billion fund to hand out to whoever he wants. Can he? Plus, trouble for Eric Swalwell’s weirdo friends, Elon Musk loses, and Clavicular gets mogged by a hot judge.” (05/22/26)
https://www.serioustrouble.show/p/the-no-judgment-fund
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