02/11 -- Grand jury refuses to indict US pols for telling military personnel to obey the law; Two Universities. Two Posters. One First Amendment Problem.
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Thomas L. Knapp
6:15 AM (4 hours ago) 6:15 AM
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 02/11/26
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Grand jury refuses to indict US pols for telling military personnel to obey the law
2) Russia: Regime restricts access to Telegram
3) Arabian Sea: Indian pirates steal three tankers
4) US immigration court blocks deportation of Tufts graduate student targeted for political speech
5) Report: US December retail sales were flat, falling well short of estimate
6) NY: Wannabe rapper busted for throwing acid in Long Island college student’s face, boasted about attack in song
7) Top Iran security official in Oman, site of talks with US, likely over nuclear messages
8) Madagascar: Junta whines at Eswatini regime for hosting deposed politician
9) Senegal: Student Dies as University Protests Over Finances Escalate
10) NASA delays rocket launch to ISS over weather conditions
11) “Royal Society” of Bay Area tech CEOs, Epstein planned to gather in Napa
12) South Korea: Regime will boost medical school admissions to tackle physician shortage
13) Trump says he will block US-Canada Bridge unless Canadian Regime Rewards His Trade War Stunts
14) Buddhist monks head to DC to finish a “Walk for Peace” that captivated millions
15) Australia: Judge rules that erotic novel is “child sex abuse material”
16) Philippines: Congress Dismisses Impeachment Complaints Against Marcos
17) Federal judge blocks California law forcing ICE members to remove masks during gang activities
18) France: Left calls for Epstein inquiry as Macron says scandal “mainly concerns” US
19) CA: In famous park, people are using feces to fight new parking rules
20) MS: Woman kills masked intruder
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Two Universities. Two Posters. One First Amendment Problem.
22) Semaglutide: Artificial Shortage Is Novo Nordisk’s Business Model
23) Backlash: Seek Truth from Facts
24) In Australia, The Police Beat You Up For Opposing Genocide
25) Robust State Constitutionalism Can Protect Rights and Resist Authoritarianism
26) On Seeking Asylum and Refuge In a Hostile United States
27) How Rome’s Middle Class Lived — and What Happened When It Fell
28) Uncertain Money and Uncertain Times
29) A Voice of Reason
30) All That Glitters
31) Legacy media didn’t lose readers, it drove them away
32) Will Commodity Sports Last?
33) Congress Is Funding Trump Regime’s Anti-Immigrant Violence
34) Trump is making voters uneasy. Democrats are pushing them away.
35) The Delusions and Dangers of the New Mercantilism
36) Can This AI Predict How You Will Die?
37) Is There Any Good News Out There?
38) The Epstein Vortex and Legal Black Holes
39) The problem is the absence of capitalism
40) With Friends Like These
41) How the US Weaponizes Starvation and Aid in Gaza and Cuba
42) Is America still considered part of the “Americas?”
43) JAGs Shouldn’t Be Civilian Prosecutors
44) What Is Genocide?
45) Hate is destroying America’s promise, and half of us are blind to the danger
46) Donald Trump Is Really Racist
47) Epstein and the Structure of Impunity
48) Tulsi Gabbard’s Dangerous Game
49) America Sinks Into the Quicksand of Mid-Decade Redistricting
50) Abolish ICE? Dems Can’t Even Plow Snow
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Trump Watch, 02/10/26
52) Capital Record, episode 287
53) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 02/10/26
54) The Brian Hyde Show, 02/10/26
55) Advisory Opinions, 02/10/26
56) The Good Fight, 02/10/26
57) The Corbett Report, episode 491
58) Freedom Works with Paul Molloy, 02/10/26
59) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 02/10/26
60) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 02/09/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Grand jury refuses to indict US pols for telling military personnel to obey the law
Source: The Hill
“A grand jury on Tuesday refused to indict a coalition of Democratic lawmakers over their participation in a controversial ‘illegal orders’ video last fall. The failed federal indictment was pursued by the office of U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, as first reported by The New York Times. The lawmakers urged military servicemembers and intelligence community personnel to defy illegal orders in a joint video statement released in November. The video followed the Trump administration’s decision to carry out deadly boat strikes in the Caribbean. … The Times reported that federal prosecutors were seeking to indict lawmakers for breaching a law forbidding interfering with the U.S. military’s loyalty, morale or discipline.” (02/10/26)
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5732714-democrats-lawmakers-illegal-orders-video-indictment-fails/
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2) Russia: Regime restricts access to Telegram
Source: CNN
“Russian authorities have begun restricting access to Telegram, one of the country’s most popular social media apps, as the government continues to push everyday Russians toward its own tightly controlled alternatives to foreign tech platforms. On Tuesday, the government said it was restricting access to Telegram for the ‘protection of Russian citizens,’ accusing the app of refusing to block content authorities consider ‘criminal and terrorist.’ Russia’s telecommunications regulator Roskomnadzor said in a statement that it would continue to restrict the operation of the Telegram messenger ‘until violations of Russian law are eliminated.'” (02/10/26)
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/10/europe/telegram-ban-russia-web-block-latam-intl
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3) Arabian Sea: Indian pirates steal three tankers
Source: Bloomberg
“The Indian Coast Guard seized three tankers that it said were involved in oil smuggling, the first sign of the country getting tough on the so-called dark fleet. The three ships were taken in the waters off Mumbai on Friday by the coast guard, which said in a post on X that it had ‘busted an international oil-smuggling racket’ and that the vessels had been known to ‘frequently change identity.’ It’s the first time New Delhi has taken such action, according to people familiar with the Indian shipping industry, and comes as the US and Europe lead an effort to get tougher on vessels moving sanctioned oil.” (02/10/26)
https://archive.is/YY1HL
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4) US immigration court blocks deportation of Tufts graduate student targeted for political speech
Source: ABC News
“An immigration court blocked the deportation of a Turkish Tufts University graduate student who was detained by immigration officials near her Massachusetts home, her attorneys said in court documents filed Monday. Rümeysa Öztürk’s attorneys said the immigration court found on Jan. 29 that the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t proved that Öztürk should be removed from the U.S. The immigration court also terminated Öztürk’s removal proceedings, the attorneys said in a letter to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has been reviewing her case.” (02/10/26)
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-immigration-court-blocks-deportation-tufts-graduate-student-130014637
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5) Report: US December retail sales were flat, falling well short of estimate
Source: CNBC
“Consumer activity slowed sharply for the December holiday shopping season amid a spate of rough weather, tariff impact and persistently higher inflation, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. Retail sales were flat on the month following a 0.6% increase in November, according to numbers adjusted for seasonality but not inflation. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had expected an increase of 0.4%. Excluding autos, sales also were unchanged, against the estimate for a 0.3% increase. On an annual basis, sales rose 2.4%, a considerable step down from the 3.3% pace in November. … The shopping pace failed to keep up with inflation, as the consumer price index for December posted a 2.7% increase.” (02/10/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/10/december-retail-sales-were-flat-missing-expectations.html
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6) NY: Wannabe rapper busted for throwing acid in Long Island college student’s face, boasted about attack in song
Source: New York Post
“The brute who threw acid in an Elmont college student’s face has finally been arrested — nearly five years after the sickening attack that left the young woman permanently disfigured, authorities said. The wannabe rapper appeared in Nassau County Court Tuesday, marking the first arrest in a case that shocked Long Island and drew national attention over four years ago. Prosecutors claimed the suspect, a wannabe rapper, boasted about an acid attack in one of his songs posted to social media. The victim, Nafiah Ikram, previously condemned prosecutors for dropping the ball in the case, allowing the sicko to remain on the run while she suffered second- and third-degree burns and lost vision in one eye” (02/10/25)
https://nypost.com/2026/02/10/us-news/wannabe-rapper-busted-for-throwing-acid-in-long-island-college-students-face-boasted-about-attack-in-song-officials/
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7) Top Iran security official in Oman, site of talks with US, likely over nuclear messages
Source: SFGate
“A top Iranian security official traveled on Tuesday to Oman, the Mideast sultanate now mediating talks between Tehran and Washington over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program aimed at halting a possible American strike. The visit by Ali Larijani, a former Iranian parliament speaker who now serves as the secretary to the country’s Supreme National Security Council, likely focused on what comes next after the initial round of indirect talks held last week in Muscat with the Americans. Larijani’s entourage shared photos of him meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, the chief intermediary in the U.S.-Iran talks, with what appeared to be a letter sheathed in plastic and sitting alongside the Omani diplomat.” (02/10/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/top-iran-security-official-to-travel-to-oman-21344033.php
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8) Madagascar: Junta whines at Eswatini regime for hosting deposed politician
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Madagascar’s military government has criticised Eswatini for hosting ousted President Andry Rajoelina last week, describing the visit as a ‘grave infringement of its sovereignty.’ Last Friday, the Eswatini government shared photos of King Mswati III meeting Rajoelina, during which the king called on Madagascar’s military junta to restore constitutional order. In a statement, Madagascar’s military leader Col Michael Randrianirina voiced his ‘strongest condemnation’ of the visit, terming it ‘politically unacceptable.’ Rajoelina was overthrown last October by an elite military following weeks of youth-led protests in the Indian Ocean island.” (02/10/26)
https://archive.is/nu7wF
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9) Senegal: Student Dies as University Protests Over Finances Escalate
Source: US News & World Report
“A student died during protests over unpaid financial aid at Senegal’s top university in Dakar, the government said late on Monday, as weeks of unrest over delayed stipends escalated into clashes with security forces. Unverified videos showed students jumping from upper floors of a burning campus building. The government said the circumstances of the death of Abdoulaye Ba, a second-year dental surgery student at Cheikh Anta Diop University, remain under investigation. The protests reflect mounting pressure from Senegal’s worsening public finances. The administration that took office in April 2024 is grappling with a $13 billion budget hole, one of Africa’s most severe hidden debt crises, and growing public dissatisfaction as bills go unpaid. Demonstrations on campus since early December have descended into confrontations between rock-throwing students and security forces.” (02/10/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-02-10/student-dies-as-senegal-university-protests-over-finances-escalate
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10) NASA delays rocket launch to ISS over weather conditions
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“NASA is now aiming to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, in another delay over weather conditions, the US agency announced Tuesday. It is targeting February 13 for the lift-off of Crew-12’s mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with a window opening at 5:15am local time (10:15am GMT). … Weather at the site in Florida has been in fact favourable, NASA officials told a briefing Monday, but higher winds forecast across the rest of the East Coast are to blame for the delays.” (02/10/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/science/20260210-nasa-delays-rocket-launch-iss-over-weather-conditions
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11) “Royal Society” of Bay Area tech CEOs, Epstein planned to gather in Napa
Source: SFGate
“In the summer of 2010, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and some of the most powerful tech executives in the world were invited to gather in the rolling hills of Napa as part of an exclusive retreat that discussed proteomics, a niche scientific field adjacent to the study of genetics. The event, which was scheduled to take place in St. Helena, was called ‘EDGE Master Break’ and hosted by John Brockman, a prominent science writer who established an esoteric nonprofit called Edge.org. Danny Hillis, an entrepreneur, was scheduled to appear that year, along with author Stewart Brand. The invitees included Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Sergey Brin and several other high-profile guests, documents released by the Justice Department as part of the Epstein files show. Though it’s not clear whether Epstein attended the 2010 event, he did end up meeting with some of its invitees eventually …” (02/10/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/epstein-napa-tech-ceos-21343280.php
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12) South Korea: Regime will boost medical school admissions to tackle physician shortage
Source: ABC News
“South Korea plans to increase medical school admissions by more than 3,340 students from 2027 to 2031 to address concerns about physician shortages in one of the fastest-aging countries in the world, the government said Tuesday. The decision was announced months after officials defused a prolonged doctors’ strike by backing away from a more ambitious increase pursued by Seoul’s former conservative government. Even the scaled-down plan drew criticism from the country’s doctors’ lobby, which said the move was ‘devoid of rational judgment.’ Kwak Soon-hun, a senior Health Ministry official, said that the president of the Korean Medical Association attended the health care policy meeting but left early to boycott the vote confirming the size of the admission increases.” (02/10/26)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/south-korea-boost-medical-school-admissions-tackle-physician-130018489
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13) Trump says he will block US-Canada Bridge unless Canadian Regime Rewards His Trade War Stunts
Source: New York Post
“President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to prevent the opening of a bridge that will connect Michigan and Canada unless Ottawa negotiates with Washington on tariffs and the exclusion of American products. In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump accused Canada of taking advantage of the United States with unfair trade practices and cozying up to China. In an effort to bring Canada to the negotiating table, Trump said he would not allow the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which is named after the legendary Canadian ice hockey player who played for the Detroit Red Wings. The bridge, which is currently under construction, will connect Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.” (02/10/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/02/10/us-news/trump-says-he-will-block-us-canada-bridge-unless-canada-negotiates-on-trade/
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14) Buddhist monks head to DC to finish a “Walk for Peace” that captivated millions
Source: Seattle Times
“A group of Buddhist monks is set to reach Washington, D.C., on foot Tuesday, capping a trek from Texas that has captivated the country. The monks in their saffron robes have become fixtures on social media, along with their rescue dog Aloka. They walk to advocate for peace. That simple message has resonated across the U.S. as a welcome respite from conflict and political divisions. Thousands have gathered along Southern roadsides to watch the monks’ quiet, single-file procession that began in late October. … The monks plan to mark the last days of their Walk for Peace with outdoor appearances at Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday and the Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday.” (02/10/26)
https://archive.is/ETSa0
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15) Australia: Judge rules that erotic novel is “child sex abuse material”
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“An Australian author has been found guilty of creating child sex abuse material in the form of an erotic age-gap romance novel. A New South Wales (NSW) court heard the book explores a relationship between 18-year-old Lucy and her father’s 45-year-old best friend Arthur — detailing the much-older man’s desires which began when the protagonist was a child as well as passages where she roleplays as a toddler. Lauren Mastrosa, a marketing executive for a Christian charity, was charged after the book sparked outrage online but in court she argued Lucy is clearly identified as an adult in the novel.
However, Magistrate Bree Chisholm on Tuesday found Mastrosa’s story ‘sexually objectifies children.'” (02/10/26)
https://archive.is/dFXyr
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16) Philippines: Congress Dismisses Impeachment Complaints Against Marcos
Source: US News & World Report
“Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. avoided impeachment on Tuesday, a largely expected outcome after allies in the lower house of Congress voted overwhelmingly to dismiss the complaints against him. The vote came a week after the House of Representatives’ justice committee dismissed two impeachment complaints against Marcos, saying they lacked substance. Marcos was accused of betraying the public’s trust, committing graft and corruption, and violating the constitution. … Following the dismissal, impeachment efforts now shift toward Vice President Sara Duterte, who is facing another round of complaints after surviving a similar bid last year.” (02/10/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-02-10/philippine-congress-dismisses-impeachment-complaints-against-marcos
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17) Federal judge blocks California law forcing ICE members to remove masks during gang activities
Source: Fox News
“A Los Angeles‑based federal judge on Monday blocked California from enforcing its law that would require ICE agents to remove masks during immigration enforcement operations. Judge Christina Snyder, appointed during the Clinton administration, granted a preliminary injunction against the ‘No Secret Police Act,’ arguing that it discriminated against the federal government by violating the Supremacy Clause. Under the constitutional clause, federal law takes precedence over any conflicting state or local law, rendering the lower-level law unenforceable.” [editor’s note: Perhaps the reporter should actually read the supremacy clause before so confidently getting it completely wrong – TLK] (02/09/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/us/federal-judge-blocks-california-law-forcing-ice-agents-remove-masks-during-operations
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18) France: Left calls for Epstein inquiry as Macron says scandal “mainly concerns” US
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“French National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet said Tuesday she was opposed to the creation of a parliamentary inquiry into the scandal involving late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, warning that such a move would ‘compete with the justice system.’ Braun-Pivet, an ally of French President Emmanuel Macron, was responding to calls by the left-wing La France insoumise (LFI) party for the establishment of a cross-party inquiry to investigate Epstein’s French ties. … Braun-Pivet’s comments came a day after Macron sought to distance France from the Epstein affair, saying it was ‘a matter that mainly concerns the United States.'” (02/10/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20260210-france-epstein-inquiry-macron-says-scandal-mainly-concerns-usa
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19) CA: In famous park, people are using feces to fight new parking rules
Source: SFGate
“After a month of outrage from the San Diego community, Mayor Todd Gloria has announced the city will walk back new parking fees at Balboa Park. In a statement released Friday, Gloria announced adjustments to the paid-parking program, including making more lots free for residents. … What had previously been free suddenly cost as much as $16 per day for anyone hoping to go out to dinner, visit any of the museums or just go for a walk. … A few days before implementation, visitors spotted vandalized parking kiosks, with foam stuffed into the cardholders and feces covering the screens.” (02/09/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/san-diego-parking-21336558.php
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20) MS: Woman kills masked intruder
Source: WAFF 48 News
“Police say a Mississippi woman, fearing for her life, shot and killed one of two suspects wearing ski masks who broke into her apartment. The incident happened about 2:30 a.m. Sunday at the Park at Inverness Apartments in Jackson. Jackson Police say their investigation revealed two [b]lack males wearing ski masks broke into a woman’s apartment. Fearing for her life, the resident fired a weapon, hitting and killing one of the suspects. The second suspect fled the scene.” (02/09/26)
https://www.waff.com/2026/02/09/woman-fatally-shoots-teen-suspect-ski-mask-during-break-in-police-say/
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Two Universities. Two Posters. One First Amendment Problem.
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Education
by Amanda Nordstrom
“Public universities don’t get to pick which political viewpoints are safe to express. But administrators at two major universities are trying to do just that. At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, administrators treated the College Republicans’ pro-ICE political message like a civil rights violation. … At Penn State, an anti-ICE poster discovered outside the student center on Jan. 29 sparked heated reactions across the ideological spectrum. When some people raised the call to identify and punish whoever created the poster, Penn State responded by condemning it and announcing that University Police and Public Safety were investigating. These incidents are two sides of the same coin: administrators using official investigations to police protected political speech, in this case, on opposing sides of the immigration debate.” (02/10/26)
https://www.thefire.org/news/two-universities-two-posters-one-first-amendment-problem
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22) Semaglutide: Artificial Shortage Is Novo Nordisk’s Business Model
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“Novo Nordisk recently introduced Wegovy in pill form, at a price of about $150 a month. Hims & Hers had planned to offer the same chemical compound, without Wegovy branding, for about $50 a month. The whole POINT of Novo Nordisk’s attempt to enforce its patent is to CREATE a shortage of semaglutide in pill form. Why? Money. The patent, if enforceable, allows Novo Nordisk to charge customers AT LEAST three times as much for its pill as the market says it can be sold profitably for. Hims & Hers wouldn’t offer it for $50 if it expected to lose money doing so.” (02/10/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20370
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23) Backlash: Seek Truth from Facts
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“After Leave won the Brexit vote in 2016, lots of thinkers who accepted the economic case for high immigration started flirting with a political case against high immigration. While the details of this political case were often vague, one word was painted on its banner: BACKLASH. The central insinuation was that staunch support for high immigration is what philosophers call ‘self-defeating’: When immigration gets too high, voters reliably shift their support to right-wing populists, who in turn reliably slash immigration. I’ve long maintained that the rhetoric of ‘immigration backlash’ is classic motte-and-bailey. If ‘backlash’ merely means ‘More immigration leads to more complaining about immigration’ then the claim is almost surely true, but also trivial.” (02/10/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/backlash-seek-truth-from-facts
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24) In Australia, The Police Beat You Up For Opposing Genocide
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Australian authorities were fully aware that inviting Israel’s president for a visit was going to ignite unrest and furious opposition. They invited him anyway, and sent in the police to assault the protesters. I saw a video of two cops pinning a kid in a keffiyeh face down on the ground and proceeding to punch him over and over again long after he’d been subdued. I saw another video of police repeatedly punching a middle-aged man who was holding his hands in the air until he fell to the ground. I saw another video of police repeatedly pepper spraying a demonstrator directly in the face as he was visibly complying with their demands to move and providing no resistance whatsoever. I saw another video of police manhandling Muslim men who were literally on their knees praying, presenting no possible threat of any kind.” (02/10/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/02/10/in-australia-the-police-beat-you-up-for-opposing-genocide/
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25) Robust State Constitutionalism Can Protect Rights and Resist Authoritarianism
Source: The UnPopulist
by Kathrina Szymborski Wolfkot
“As the U.S. Supreme Court rolls back long-standing constitutional protections, advocates are increasingly looking to state courts and constitutions to protect civil rights and liberties. The shift toward state constitutions as sources of expanded rights crosses ideological lines and issues, from abortion to criminal sentencing to property rights. It reflects a basic, often overlooked, truth about our system of government: States can provide more expansive protections for individual rights and liberties than the federal Constitution.” [editor’s note: Constitutions aren’t sources” of rights. They may protect, not protect, or violate rights, but the rights exist regardless of what the documents say – TLK] (02/10/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/robust-state-constitutionalism-can
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26) On Seeking Asylum and Refuge In a Hostile United States
Source: TomDispatch
by Rebecca Gordon
“Today, during my slog through the Substack messages, newspaper headline notices, and podcast reminders that hit my inbox every morning, two stories drew my attention. Both had to do with the fact that human beings have always moved around this planet …. I was reminded of a decades-old song by the Venezuelan singer Soledad Bravo, ‘Punto y Raya’ (‘The Dot and the Dash’) … ‘Between your people and mine’, says the song, ‘there’s a dot and a dash. The dash says, ‘No entrance’ and the dot, ‘The road is closed’…’ Bravo goes on to say that, with all those dots and dashes outlining the borders of nations, a map looks like a telegram. If you walk through the actual world, though, what you see are mountains and rivers, forests and deserts, but no dots or dashes at all.” (02/10/25)
https://tomdispatch.com/on-seeking-asylum-and-refuge/
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27) How Rome’s Middle Class Lived — and What Happened When It Fell
Source: The Daily Economy
by Lawrence W Reed
“Archaeology is now revealing the grit and hustle of the Roman middle class, reminding us that civilizations depend not on elites, but on the conditions that allow ordinary people to thrive.” (02/10/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/how-ordinary-romans-lived-and-what-happened-when-it-fell/
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28) Uncertain Money and Uncertain Times
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Douglas E French
“In the real world, where people actually buy things, those who can, dictate what currency they wish to be paid in. … Singer Bette Midler (influenced by manager Aaron Russo) insisted on payment in gold bullion for a planned British concert tour in the fall of 1978. The ‘Divine Miss M’ is believed to be the first major performer to be paid in bullion. … Fast forward to 2026. Wasteland Capital posted on X, ‘The big news from Davos is that the luxury hookers have stopped accepting Bitcoin but are happy to take Gold bars and DRAM sticks.'” (02/10/26)
https://mises.org/power-market/uncertain-money-and-uncertain-times
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29) A Voice of Reason
Source: Law & Liberty
by Carson Holloway
“We live in large-scale political communities that have delivered unprecedented levels of peace, freedom, and prosperity to vast numbers of human beings. At the same time, modern science and technology have generated comforts, useful tools, and remedies for illnesses that would have been unthinkable to our ancestors. But the Enlightenment promised more than this. As the name itself implies, the thinkers of the Enlightenment believed that it was both possible and desirable to popularize reason and science and to establish self-governing societies that administer their affairs on the basis of reason. This promise seems not to have been fully realized.” (02/10/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/a-voice-of-reason/
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30) All That Glitters
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Jake Scott
“Since the end of January and into the beginning of February this year, the prices of gold and silver have fluctuated drastically. So much so that there is a good chance the price will have changed before I finish writing this article, never mind before it is published. Even so, this has not stopped various diagnoses of gold and silver as more stable, less stable, worth investing in, avoiding at all costs … The volatility that gold and silver have seen in the opening weeks of 2026 both mask and reveal a long-term trend in their increased valuation: it masks the fact that both are significantly more sought-after than they were a year ago, yet it reveals that the strategy of precious metals as a backstop against global instability is not immune to market hysteria.” (02/10/26)
https://fee.org/articles/all-that-glitters/
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31) Legacy media didn’t lose readers, it drove them away
Source: Fox News
by Hugh Hewitt
“In the aftermath of the big layoffs at The Washington Post, there has been an explosion of commentary — again — about the decline and often the death of newspapers. But if you are reading this, it came to your attention via some means other than a subscription to a legacy newspaper. And there, in a sentence, is the dilemma for legacy ‘news,’ and indeed any written product for which a reader has to pay: There is so much ‘free’ content that it is very, very difficult for a high-overhead text product that depends on subscriptions to succeed. By ‘succeed,’ I mean at least break even.” (02/10/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/morning-glory-legacy-media-didnt-lose-readers-drove-them-away
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32) Will Commodity Sports Last?
Source: EconLog
by James B Bailey
“If you wanted to bet on the Super Bowl this past weekend, you had options. You may have bet with a friend. If you live in a state where it’s legal, you could have gone to a casino or used a casino’s app. Or, starting last year, you could have entered into an event contract using a Designated Contract Market regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). This is the same legal structure you would use to buy derivatives on the prices of traditional commodities like wheat, coffee, or pork bellies, now applied to trades like whether the Patriots will beat the Seahawks and what song will be played first at halftime. … As a bettor, I’m happy to see alternatives to the high-fee monopoly casino. As an economist, though, I worry.” (02/10/26)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/will-commodifying-sports-last
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33) Congress Is Funding Trump Regime’s Anti-Immigrant Violence
Source: National Priorities Project
Lindsay Koshgarian
“This week, members of Congress are negotiating funding levels for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, and Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, after public opposition soared when federal agents killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. As of January 25, ICE held more than 70,000 people in detention, and claimed more than 352,000 deportations. In 2025, at least 32 people died in ICE custody, and so far in 2026, at least eight people have died in the custody or at the hands of ICE and CBP ….ICE is now holding an average of 170 children in detention each day. They can do all of this because ICE and CBP are flush with money from last year’s Big Ugly Bill that stripped health insurance and food assistance from Americans while padding the budgets of ICE, CBP, and the Pentagon.” (02/10/25)
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/blog/2026/02/07/congress-doubled-ice-cbp-budgets-and-cut-legal-immigration/
-----
34) Trump is making voters uneasy. Democrats are pushing them away.
Source: Washington Post
by Veronique de Rugy
“After President Donald Trump’s first year back in office — marked by battered institutions, executive overreach and contempt for basic constraints on presidential power — Democrats would be wise to unify around an alternative message rooted in competence, restraint, affordability and institutional repair. There is no shortage of voters uneasy with Trump’s behavior and eager for a credible counterweight. And yet, the party’s loudest message is an aggressive push for confiscation camouflaged by the rhetoric of moral clarity and fiscal responsibility. Democrats may have something to offer to voters caught in the middle, but how many will notice with large states like New York, Virginia and California pushing to punish the wealthy?” (02/10/26)
https://archive.is/vZCfn
-----
35) The Delusions and Dangers of the New Mercantilism
Source: Cobden Centre
by Dr. Richard M Ebeling
“Tariffs and other trade barriers hampered the free flow of goods and services and investments across political boundary lines around the world after 1945. However, they almost seem mild and ‘enlightened’ compared to the current crop of protectionist weeds and their policy effects, particularly over the past year during Donald Trump’s second presidency. With autocratic caprice, arrogance, crudeness, and rudeness, Trump has assumed the powers of a near absolute monarch to decide when, why, and against whom he will arbitrarily raise and lower and raise again tariffs on the importation of goods into the United States from all the other countries on the planet.” (02/10/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/02/the-delusions-and-dangers-of-the-new-mercantilism/
-----
36) Can This AI Predict How You Will Die?
Source: Reason
by Ronald Bailey
“How high is your risk of developing pancreatic cancer or suffering a heart attack in the next 20 years? A new generative artificial intelligence system called Delphi-2M aims to answer that question and offer personalized forecasts of your long-term health trajectory. Developed by a team of European biomedical researchers and detailed in a September 2025 Nature article, Delphi-2M represents one of the most ambitious efforts yet to apply AI to predictive medicine. Large language models (LLMs) that power chatbots such as ChatGPT trained on massive amounts of text data to predict the next word in a sentence. Delphi-2M trained on a vast amount of medical data to predict the next stage in a person’s health.” (02/26)
https://reason.com/2026/02/10/does-ai-know-how-you-will-die/
-----
37) Is There Any Good News Out There?
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis
“Yes, there is. You might have to look hard to find it, but it’s there. Actually, the best news is right before our eyes, but most people refuse to look at it. I confess, as I have before, to being a bit of a cynic (no, a lot of a cynic, not terribly optimistic). That may partly come from the clinical depression I fight every day of my life, but it also comes from history, Bible study, and current events. How can a person not be somewhat of a cynic when viewing the modern, evil, putrid Democratic Party? I look at the NFL now and want to barf; I used to be a devoted fan of the league, but then they left me with their woke, racist, anti-American, promiscuous-promoting pig slop, and I haven’t watched an NFL game in years (or MLB or NBA, either).” (02/10/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2026/02/10/is-there-any-good-news-out-there-n2670989
-----
38) The Epstein Vortex and Legal Black Holes
Source: CounterPunch
by L Ali Khan
“Because black holes emit no light, scientists cannot see them with telescopes. Instead, they confirm their existence by observing signs, such as the extreme distortions they cause in the visible matter around them or by watching stars orbit a void. And if you refuse to observe these signs, adopting willful blindness, you cannot detect black holes. It’s a valid question to ask whether law enforcement agencies monitored any U.S. laws, rules, or regulations that apply to Little St. James, a 71-acre island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.” (02/10/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/02/10/the-epstein-vortex-and-legal-black-holes/
-----
39) The problem is the absence of capitalism
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Tim Worstall
“The Guardian is very concerned about mining: ‘The Guardian view on the scramble for critical minerals: while powers vie for access, labourers die …. A mining disaster in the Democratic Republic of Congo underscores the human cost of extraction. Intensified competition for resources isn’t helping.’ It’s fair to be worried about this. Hundreds have died just recently in a series of flood driven cave-ins at one area of mining in DR Congo, just as the one example. The problem is, of course, the absence of capitalism. For these mines are what are known as ‘artisanal’ mines. This means mines being dug and operated by the literally dirt poor locals with pick and shovel. … The problem is the economy around the mines, not the mines themselves.” (02/10/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/the-problem-is-the-absence-of-capitalism
-----
40) With Friends Like These
Source: Liberal Currents
by John Banks
“To defend itself from Trump’s thuggery, Canada must seek new friends.” (02/10/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/with-friends-like-these/
-----
41) How the US Weaponizes Starvation and Aid in Gaza and Cuba
Source: Common Dreams
by Nuvpreet Kalra
“Last week, the US government announced it would be sending $6 million in aid to Cuba, on top of the $3 million it sent in January after Hurricane Melissa. This aid package might appear contrary to the significant escalation of the 66-year-long US criminal blockade, which has expanded to an all-out fuel blockade since December, with attacks on Venezuela, but it is in fact a core tenet of it. This maneuver seeks to exploit the US-manufactured energy and fuel crisis to bolster opposition groups, substantiate propaganda against the Cuban government and revolution, and force the island into total dependency and submission to the United States. This frankly genocidal strategy closely mirrors that of the US and Israeli ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,’ and the weaponization of starvation and aid for colonial and imperialist ends.” (02/10/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/us-aid-gaza-cuba
-----
42) Is America still considered part of the “Americas?”
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Adam Ratzlaff & Lucia Gonzalez Camelo
“On January 7, the White House announced its plans to withdraw from 66 international bodies whose work it had deemed inconsistent with U.S. national interests. While many of these organizations were international in nature, three of them were specific to the Americas — the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, the Pan American Institute of Geography and History, and the U.N.’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. The decision came on the heels of the Dominican Republic postponing the X Summit of the Americas last year following disagreements over who would be invited and ensuing boycotts. These parallel developments raise important questions about how the region and the United States view their relationship.” (02/10/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-western-hemisphere-americas/
-----
43) JAGs Shouldn’t Be Civilian Prosecutors
Source: The Bulwark
by Mark Hertling
“The mass deportation policy is a legal mess — and reassigning military lawyers to support it would only create more problems.” (02/10/26)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/jags-shouldnt-be-civilian-prosecutors
-----
44) What Is Genocide?
Source: Antiwar.com
by William J Astore
“Far too often, a chosen people, a ‘master race,’ decides to eliminate barbarians, inferiors, primitives, race enemies, whatever words are used to demonize other humans. Often, it’s said we must kill them before they kill us, so mass murder is defined and defended in terms of safety and security. The ‘bad’ people force us to kill them. We don’t want to do it – they make us! And we hate them all the more for making us kill. At the same time, mass murder is often quite profitable for the killers.” (02/10/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/william_astore/2026/02/09/what-is-genocide
-----
45) Hate is destroying America’s promise, and half of us are blind to the danger
Source: New York Post
by Ted Deutch
“More and more Americans feel our national unity is growing fragile. Conspiracy theories and misinformation are eroding trust, stoking hate and tearing at the very fabric of our society, often with tragic consequences. At American Jewish Committee, we’re seeing those consequences up close — and our new report on ‘The State of Antisemitism in America,’ out Tuesday, reveals how these divisions are affecting the Jewish community, and us all. Every day, Jews across this country must consider wrenching questions of personal safety: * Should I wear my kippah today, or will that make me a target? * Can I hang a mezuzah on my door, or am I affixing a bullseye? * Is today the day someone throws a brick through the kosher supermarket’s window? * Will taking my kids to synagogue put them in a shooter’s crosshairs?” (02/09/25)
https://nypost.com/2026/02/09/opinion/hate-is-destroying-americas-promise-and-half-of-us-are-blind/
-----
46) Donald Trump Is Really Racist
Source: Washington Monthly
by Bill Scher
“The biggest colorblind conclusion from the 2024 election is that most voters, regardless of race, care primarily about making ends meet. Such voters can conclude: If Democrats couldn’t keep inflation down, then maybe give a Republican a chance, even if that Republican says racist things. Voters could further rationalize that Trump couldn’t be that racist, and that his promised deportations wouldn’t affect neighbors, friends, and family. Now that Trump has failed to deliver the economy he promised, while letting immigration agents run wild, he is hemorrhaging support across racial lines. In turn, Democrats reasonably want to prioritize an ‘affordability’ agenda to win voters back. But that can be pursued while calling out Trump’s racism, which goes well beyond offensive comments to infect his policy choices.” (02/10/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/02/10/donald-trump-racist-policies-consequences/
-----
47) Epstein and the Structure of Impunity
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Alice Johnson
“Public discussion of the Epstein files has largely centered on individual misconduct and reputational fallout. That emphasis risks overlooking the more consequential question raised by the Justice Department’s response to the disclosure mandate. The episode is less instructive as a scandal than as an example of how executive institutions behave when transparency carries political cost. What is at stake is not the identity of those named in the records, but how legal obligations are treated once compliance becomes inconvenient.” (02/10/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/epstein-and-the-structure-of-impunity
-----
48) Tulsi Gabbard’s Dangerous Game
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin Carroll
“The DNI’s basic responsibility is to provide the president, department and agency heads, senior military commanders, and Congress with intelligence that is ‘objective’ and ‘independent of political considerations.’ Gabbard’s only authority related to voting is her supervision of the Foreign Malign Influence Center (FMIC), which houses the Election Threat Executive (ETE). The ETE, founded in 2019, is tasked with providing recommendations for potential responses to attempts to influence or interfere with U.S. elections by countries such as Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. It is unclear how the DNI helping the FBI seize a county’s voting records from 2020 fits into the mission of the FMIC or the Office of the DNI (ODNI) more broadly, especially as those records were already under seal, per a state court order.” (02/10/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/gabbard-raid-intelligence-community-threat/
-----
49) America Sinks Into the Quicksand of Mid-Decade Redistricting
Source: The American Prospect
by Gabrielle Gurley
“Last week, the Supreme Court declined to review the California Republican Party’s request to prevent new congressional maps for the midterms, which passed after a public referendum last November: 64 percent of voters approved the measure. California’s congressional redistricting, which could net Democrats five pickups in the House, was a response to Texas, which at President Trump’s demand added up to five new Republican districts last summer. Unlike Texas, California actually made this decision through the expressed will of the public in a ballot measure,’ says Kareem Crayton, vice president of the Brennan Center’s Washington, D.C., office. ‘You could argue this isn’t just the electeds running amok.’ The Supreme Court didn’t explain the early-December order.” (02/10/25)
https://prospect.org/2026/02/10/redistricting-election-texas-california-utah/
-----
50) Abolish ICE? Dems Can’t Even Plow Snow
Source: The American Conservative
by W James Antle III
“‘Abolish ICE’ is the rallying cry heard from the streets of Minneapolis to the main stage at the Grammy awards. It’s the stick deployed against the Trump administration and the carrot consumed by Bad Bunny as he hops around at the Super Bowl. Closer to the nation’s capital, however, people have been muttering ‘abolish ice.’ The denizens of the Acela Corridor aren’t without their own misgivings about assertive immigration enforcement. But even the most hardened member of the Resistance — frozen solid — has to wonder why it takes two weeks after a moderate snowstorm for a Democratic-controlled city to plow a street or clear a sidewalk.” (02/10/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/abolish-ice-dems-cant-even-plow-snow/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Trump Watch, 02/10/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Cuba and the Evil of Sanctions.” (02/10/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPyTmYs9krY
-----
52) Capital Record, episode 287
Source: National Review
“The Oren Cass Case for Central Planning Does Not Indict Wall Street for Anything.” (02/10/26)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/the-oren-cass-case-for-central-planning-does-not-indict-wall-street-for-anything/
-----
53) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 02/10/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Will Netanyahu Take Us To War?” (02/10/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1gqGvrjYoOOGB
-----
54) The Brian Hyde Show, 02/10/26
Source: The Brian Hyde Show
“It’s my weekly visit with fellow freedom aficionado Eric Peters from Eric Peters Autos. Our crazy world has many angles to cover and we do our best to makes sense of it all.” (02/10/26)
https://www.podbean.com/ep/pb-suj2m-1a4098a
-----
55) Advisory Opinions, 02/10/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Will SCOTUS Show Its True Colors?” (02/10/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/will-scotus-show-its-true-colors/
-----
56) The Good Fight, 02/10/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“C. Thi Nguyen on Why Measuring Everything Ruins Everything.” (02/10/26)
https://writing.yaschamounk.com/p/thi-nguyen
-----
57) The Corbett Report, episode 491
Source: The Corbett Report
“What I Learned From the Epstein Files.” (02/10/26)
https://corbettreport.com/what-i-learned-from-the-epstein-files/
-----
58) Freedom Works with Paul Molloy, 02/10/26
Source: Freedom Works
“Steven Swedberg, Competitive Enterprise Institute ‘Fed Chair Pick Spurs Doubt on Key Issues.'” (02/10/26)
https://internetradiopros.com/freedomworks/?name=2026-02-10_zfw002092026.mp3
-----
59) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 02/10/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Marco Rubio Blocking Trump From Cuba Talks, IDF Kills At Least Six Palestinians in Gaza, and More.” (02/10/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow-08Vd37hM
-----
60) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 02/09/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Sen. Schumer Touts Funding Genocide in Gaza, US Downs Iranian Drone Near Aircraft Carrier.” (02/09/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/the-kyle-anzalone-show-sen-schumer-touts-funding-genocide-in-gaza-us-downs-iranian-drone-near-aircraft-carrier/
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Grand jury refuses to indict US pols for telling military personnel to obey the law
2) Russia: Regime restricts access to Telegram
3) Arabian Sea: Indian pirates steal three tankers
4) US immigration court blocks deportation of Tufts graduate student targeted for political speech
5) Report: US December retail sales were flat, falling well short of estimate
6) NY: Wannabe rapper busted for throwing acid in Long Island college student’s face, boasted about attack in song
7) Top Iran security official in Oman, site of talks with US, likely over nuclear messages
8) Madagascar: Junta whines at Eswatini regime for hosting deposed politician
9) Senegal: Student Dies as University Protests Over Finances Escalate
10) NASA delays rocket launch to ISS over weather conditions
11) “Royal Society” of Bay Area tech CEOs, Epstein planned to gather in Napa
12) South Korea: Regime will boost medical school admissions to tackle physician shortage
13) Trump says he will block US-Canada Bridge unless Canadian Regime Rewards His Trade War Stunts
14) Buddhist monks head to DC to finish a “Walk for Peace” that captivated millions
15) Australia: Judge rules that erotic novel is “child sex abuse material”
16) Philippines: Congress Dismisses Impeachment Complaints Against Marcos
17) Federal judge blocks California law forcing ICE members to remove masks during gang activities
18) France: Left calls for Epstein inquiry as Macron says scandal “mainly concerns” US
19) CA: In famous park, people are using feces to fight new parking rules
20) MS: Woman kills masked intruder
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Two Universities. Two Posters. One First Amendment Problem.
22) Semaglutide: Artificial Shortage Is Novo Nordisk’s Business Model
23) Backlash: Seek Truth from Facts
24) In Australia, The Police Beat You Up For Opposing Genocide
25) Robust State Constitutionalism Can Protect Rights and Resist Authoritarianism
26) On Seeking Asylum and Refuge In a Hostile United States
27) How Rome’s Middle Class Lived — and What Happened When It Fell
28) Uncertain Money and Uncertain Times
29) A Voice of Reason
30) All That Glitters
31) Legacy media didn’t lose readers, it drove them away
32) Will Commodity Sports Last?
33) Congress Is Funding Trump Regime’s Anti-Immigrant Violence
34) Trump is making voters uneasy. Democrats are pushing them away.
35) The Delusions and Dangers of the New Mercantilism
36) Can This AI Predict How You Will Die?
37) Is There Any Good News Out There?
38) The Epstein Vortex and Legal Black Holes
39) The problem is the absence of capitalism
40) With Friends Like These
41) How the US Weaponizes Starvation and Aid in Gaza and Cuba
42) Is America still considered part of the “Americas?”
43) JAGs Shouldn’t Be Civilian Prosecutors
44) What Is Genocide?
45) Hate is destroying America’s promise, and half of us are blind to the danger
46) Donald Trump Is Really Racist
47) Epstein and the Structure of Impunity
48) Tulsi Gabbard’s Dangerous Game
49) America Sinks Into the Quicksand of Mid-Decade Redistricting
50) Abolish ICE? Dems Can’t Even Plow Snow
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Trump Watch, 02/10/26
52) Capital Record, episode 287
53) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 02/10/26
54) The Brian Hyde Show, 02/10/26
55) Advisory Opinions, 02/10/26
56) The Good Fight, 02/10/26
57) The Corbett Report, episode 491
58) Freedom Works with Paul Molloy, 02/10/26
59) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 02/10/26
60) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 02/09/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Grand jury refuses to indict US pols for telling military personnel to obey the law
Source: The Hill
“A grand jury on Tuesday refused to indict a coalition of Democratic lawmakers over their participation in a controversial ‘illegal orders’ video last fall. The failed federal indictment was pursued by the office of U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, as first reported by The New York Times. The lawmakers urged military servicemembers and intelligence community personnel to defy illegal orders in a joint video statement released in November. The video followed the Trump administration’s decision to carry out deadly boat strikes in the Caribbean. … The Times reported that federal prosecutors were seeking to indict lawmakers for breaching a law forbidding interfering with the U.S. military’s loyalty, morale or discipline.” (02/10/26)
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5732714-democrats-lawmakers-illegal-orders-video-indictment-fails/
-----
2) Russia: Regime restricts access to Telegram
Source: CNN
“Russian authorities have begun restricting access to Telegram, one of the country’s most popular social media apps, as the government continues to push everyday Russians toward its own tightly controlled alternatives to foreign tech platforms. On Tuesday, the government said it was restricting access to Telegram for the ‘protection of Russian citizens,’ accusing the app of refusing to block content authorities consider ‘criminal and terrorist.’ Russia’s telecommunications regulator Roskomnadzor said in a statement that it would continue to restrict the operation of the Telegram messenger ‘until violations of Russian law are eliminated.'” (02/10/26)
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/10/europe/telegram-ban-russia-web-block-latam-intl
-----
3) Arabian Sea: Indian pirates steal three tankers
Source: Bloomberg
“The Indian Coast Guard seized three tankers that it said were involved in oil smuggling, the first sign of the country getting tough on the so-called dark fleet. The three ships were taken in the waters off Mumbai on Friday by the coast guard, which said in a post on X that it had ‘busted an international oil-smuggling racket’ and that the vessels had been known to ‘frequently change identity.’ It’s the first time New Delhi has taken such action, according to people familiar with the Indian shipping industry, and comes as the US and Europe lead an effort to get tougher on vessels moving sanctioned oil.” (02/10/26)
https://archive.is/YY1HL
-----
4) US immigration court blocks deportation of Tufts graduate student targeted for political speech
Source: ABC News
“An immigration court blocked the deportation of a Turkish Tufts University graduate student who was detained by immigration officials near her Massachusetts home, her attorneys said in court documents filed Monday. Rümeysa Öztürk’s attorneys said the immigration court found on Jan. 29 that the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t proved that Öztürk should be removed from the U.S. The immigration court also terminated Öztürk’s removal proceedings, the attorneys said in a letter to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has been reviewing her case.” (02/10/26)
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-immigration-court-blocks-deportation-tufts-graduate-student-130014637
-----
5) Report: US December retail sales were flat, falling well short of estimate
Source: CNBC
“Consumer activity slowed sharply for the December holiday shopping season amid a spate of rough weather, tariff impact and persistently higher inflation, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. Retail sales were flat on the month following a 0.6% increase in November, according to numbers adjusted for seasonality but not inflation. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had expected an increase of 0.4%. Excluding autos, sales also were unchanged, against the estimate for a 0.3% increase. On an annual basis, sales rose 2.4%, a considerable step down from the 3.3% pace in November. … The shopping pace failed to keep up with inflation, as the consumer price index for December posted a 2.7% increase.” (02/10/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/10/december-retail-sales-were-flat-missing-expectations.html
-----
6) NY: Wannabe rapper busted for throwing acid in Long Island college student’s face, boasted about attack in song
Source: New York Post
“The brute who threw acid in an Elmont college student’s face has finally been arrested — nearly five years after the sickening attack that left the young woman permanently disfigured, authorities said. The wannabe rapper appeared in Nassau County Court Tuesday, marking the first arrest in a case that shocked Long Island and drew national attention over four years ago. Prosecutors claimed the suspect, a wannabe rapper, boasted about an acid attack in one of his songs posted to social media. The victim, Nafiah Ikram, previously condemned prosecutors for dropping the ball in the case, allowing the sicko to remain on the run while she suffered second- and third-degree burns and lost vision in one eye” (02/10/25)
https://nypost.com/2026/02/10/us-news/wannabe-rapper-busted-for-throwing-acid-in-long-island-college-students-face-boasted-about-attack-in-song-officials/
-----
7) Top Iran security official in Oman, site of talks with US, likely over nuclear messages
Source: SFGate
“A top Iranian security official traveled on Tuesday to Oman, the Mideast sultanate now mediating talks between Tehran and Washington over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program aimed at halting a possible American strike. The visit by Ali Larijani, a former Iranian parliament speaker who now serves as the secretary to the country’s Supreme National Security Council, likely focused on what comes next after the initial round of indirect talks held last week in Muscat with the Americans. Larijani’s entourage shared photos of him meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, the chief intermediary in the U.S.-Iran talks, with what appeared to be a letter sheathed in plastic and sitting alongside the Omani diplomat.” (02/10/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/top-iran-security-official-to-travel-to-oman-21344033.php
-----
8) Madagascar: Junta whines at Eswatini regime for hosting deposed politician
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Madagascar’s military government has criticised Eswatini for hosting ousted President Andry Rajoelina last week, describing the visit as a ‘grave infringement of its sovereignty.’ Last Friday, the Eswatini government shared photos of King Mswati III meeting Rajoelina, during which the king called on Madagascar’s military junta to restore constitutional order. In a statement, Madagascar’s military leader Col Michael Randrianirina voiced his ‘strongest condemnation’ of the visit, terming it ‘politically unacceptable.’ Rajoelina was overthrown last October by an elite military following weeks of youth-led protests in the Indian Ocean island.” (02/10/26)
https://archive.is/nu7wF
-----
9) Senegal: Student Dies as University Protests Over Finances Escalate
Source: US News & World Report
“A student died during protests over unpaid financial aid at Senegal’s top university in Dakar, the government said late on Monday, as weeks of unrest over delayed stipends escalated into clashes with security forces. Unverified videos showed students jumping from upper floors of a burning campus building. The government said the circumstances of the death of Abdoulaye Ba, a second-year dental surgery student at Cheikh Anta Diop University, remain under investigation. The protests reflect mounting pressure from Senegal’s worsening public finances. The administration that took office in April 2024 is grappling with a $13 billion budget hole, one of Africa’s most severe hidden debt crises, and growing public dissatisfaction as bills go unpaid. Demonstrations on campus since early December have descended into confrontations between rock-throwing students and security forces.” (02/10/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-02-10/student-dies-as-senegal-university-protests-over-finances-escalate
-----
10) NASA delays rocket launch to ISS over weather conditions
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“NASA is now aiming to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, in another delay over weather conditions, the US agency announced Tuesday. It is targeting February 13 for the lift-off of Crew-12’s mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with a window opening at 5:15am local time (10:15am GMT). … Weather at the site in Florida has been in fact favourable, NASA officials told a briefing Monday, but higher winds forecast across the rest of the East Coast are to blame for the delays.” (02/10/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/science/20260210-nasa-delays-rocket-launch-iss-over-weather-conditions
-----
11) “Royal Society” of Bay Area tech CEOs, Epstein planned to gather in Napa
Source: SFGate
“In the summer of 2010, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and some of the most powerful tech executives in the world were invited to gather in the rolling hills of Napa as part of an exclusive retreat that discussed proteomics, a niche scientific field adjacent to the study of genetics. The event, which was scheduled to take place in St. Helena, was called ‘EDGE Master Break’ and hosted by John Brockman, a prominent science writer who established an esoteric nonprofit called Edge.org. Danny Hillis, an entrepreneur, was scheduled to appear that year, along with author Stewart Brand. The invitees included Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Sergey Brin and several other high-profile guests, documents released by the Justice Department as part of the Epstein files show. Though it’s not clear whether Epstein attended the 2010 event, he did end up meeting with some of its invitees eventually …” (02/10/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/epstein-napa-tech-ceos-21343280.php
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12) South Korea: Regime will boost medical school admissions to tackle physician shortage
Source: ABC News
“South Korea plans to increase medical school admissions by more than 3,340 students from 2027 to 2031 to address concerns about physician shortages in one of the fastest-aging countries in the world, the government said Tuesday. The decision was announced months after officials defused a prolonged doctors’ strike by backing away from a more ambitious increase pursued by Seoul’s former conservative government. Even the scaled-down plan drew criticism from the country’s doctors’ lobby, which said the move was ‘devoid of rational judgment.’ Kwak Soon-hun, a senior Health Ministry official, said that the president of the Korean Medical Association attended the health care policy meeting but left early to boycott the vote confirming the size of the admission increases.” (02/10/26)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/south-korea-boost-medical-school-admissions-tackle-physician-130018489
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13) Trump says he will block US-Canada Bridge unless Canadian Regime Rewards His Trade War Stunts
Source: New York Post
“President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to prevent the opening of a bridge that will connect Michigan and Canada unless Ottawa negotiates with Washington on tariffs and the exclusion of American products. In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump accused Canada of taking advantage of the United States with unfair trade practices and cozying up to China. In an effort to bring Canada to the negotiating table, Trump said he would not allow the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which is named after the legendary Canadian ice hockey player who played for the Detroit Red Wings. The bridge, which is currently under construction, will connect Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.” (02/10/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/02/10/us-news/trump-says-he-will-block-us-canada-bridge-unless-canada-negotiates-on-trade/
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14) Buddhist monks head to DC to finish a “Walk for Peace” that captivated millions
Source: Seattle Times
“A group of Buddhist monks is set to reach Washington, D.C., on foot Tuesday, capping a trek from Texas that has captivated the country. The monks in their saffron robes have become fixtures on social media, along with their rescue dog Aloka. They walk to advocate for peace. That simple message has resonated across the U.S. as a welcome respite from conflict and political divisions. Thousands have gathered along Southern roadsides to watch the monks’ quiet, single-file procession that began in late October. … The monks plan to mark the last days of their Walk for Peace with outdoor appearances at Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday and the Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday.” (02/10/26)
https://archive.is/ETSa0
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15) Australia: Judge rules that erotic novel is “child sex abuse material”
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“An Australian author has been found guilty of creating child sex abuse material in the form of an erotic age-gap romance novel. A New South Wales (NSW) court heard the book explores a relationship between 18-year-old Lucy and her father’s 45-year-old best friend Arthur — detailing the much-older man’s desires which began when the protagonist was a child as well as passages where she roleplays as a toddler. Lauren Mastrosa, a marketing executive for a Christian charity, was charged after the book sparked outrage online but in court she argued Lucy is clearly identified as an adult in the novel.
However, Magistrate Bree Chisholm on Tuesday found Mastrosa’s story ‘sexually objectifies children.'” (02/10/26)
https://archive.is/dFXyr
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16) Philippines: Congress Dismisses Impeachment Complaints Against Marcos
Source: US News & World Report
“Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. avoided impeachment on Tuesday, a largely expected outcome after allies in the lower house of Congress voted overwhelmingly to dismiss the complaints against him. The vote came a week after the House of Representatives’ justice committee dismissed two impeachment complaints against Marcos, saying they lacked substance. Marcos was accused of betraying the public’s trust, committing graft and corruption, and violating the constitution. … Following the dismissal, impeachment efforts now shift toward Vice President Sara Duterte, who is facing another round of complaints after surviving a similar bid last year.” (02/10/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-02-10/philippine-congress-dismisses-impeachment-complaints-against-marcos
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17) Federal judge blocks California law forcing ICE members to remove masks during gang activities
Source: Fox News
“A Los Angeles‑based federal judge on Monday blocked California from enforcing its law that would require ICE agents to remove masks during immigration enforcement operations. Judge Christina Snyder, appointed during the Clinton administration, granted a preliminary injunction against the ‘No Secret Police Act,’ arguing that it discriminated against the federal government by violating the Supremacy Clause. Under the constitutional clause, federal law takes precedence over any conflicting state or local law, rendering the lower-level law unenforceable.” [editor’s note: Perhaps the reporter should actually read the supremacy clause before so confidently getting it completely wrong – TLK] (02/09/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/us/federal-judge-blocks-california-law-forcing-ice-agents-remove-masks-during-operations
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18) France: Left calls for Epstein inquiry as Macron says scandal “mainly concerns” US
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“French National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet said Tuesday she was opposed to the creation of a parliamentary inquiry into the scandal involving late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, warning that such a move would ‘compete with the justice system.’ Braun-Pivet, an ally of French President Emmanuel Macron, was responding to calls by the left-wing La France insoumise (LFI) party for the establishment of a cross-party inquiry to investigate Epstein’s French ties. … Braun-Pivet’s comments came a day after Macron sought to distance France from the Epstein affair, saying it was ‘a matter that mainly concerns the United States.'” (02/10/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20260210-france-epstein-inquiry-macron-says-scandal-mainly-concerns-usa
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19) CA: In famous park, people are using feces to fight new parking rules
Source: SFGate
“After a month of outrage from the San Diego community, Mayor Todd Gloria has announced the city will walk back new parking fees at Balboa Park. In a statement released Friday, Gloria announced adjustments to the paid-parking program, including making more lots free for residents. … What had previously been free suddenly cost as much as $16 per day for anyone hoping to go out to dinner, visit any of the museums or just go for a walk. … A few days before implementation, visitors spotted vandalized parking kiosks, with foam stuffed into the cardholders and feces covering the screens.” (02/09/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/san-diego-parking-21336558.php
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20) MS: Woman kills masked intruder
Source: WAFF 48 News
“Police say a Mississippi woman, fearing for her life, shot and killed one of two suspects wearing ski masks who broke into her apartment. The incident happened about 2:30 a.m. Sunday at the Park at Inverness Apartments in Jackson. Jackson Police say their investigation revealed two [b]lack males wearing ski masks broke into a woman’s apartment. Fearing for her life, the resident fired a weapon, hitting and killing one of the suspects. The second suspect fled the scene.” (02/09/26)
https://www.waff.com/2026/02/09/woman-fatally-shoots-teen-suspect-ski-mask-during-break-in-police-say/
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Two Universities. Two Posters. One First Amendment Problem.
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Education
by Amanda Nordstrom
“Public universities don’t get to pick which political viewpoints are safe to express. But administrators at two major universities are trying to do just that. At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, administrators treated the College Republicans’ pro-ICE political message like a civil rights violation. … At Penn State, an anti-ICE poster discovered outside the student center on Jan. 29 sparked heated reactions across the ideological spectrum. When some people raised the call to identify and punish whoever created the poster, Penn State responded by condemning it and announcing that University Police and Public Safety were investigating. These incidents are two sides of the same coin: administrators using official investigations to police protected political speech, in this case, on opposing sides of the immigration debate.” (02/10/26)
https://www.thefire.org/news/two-universities-two-posters-one-first-amendment-problem
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22) Semaglutide: Artificial Shortage Is Novo Nordisk’s Business Model
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“Novo Nordisk recently introduced Wegovy in pill form, at a price of about $150 a month. Hims & Hers had planned to offer the same chemical compound, without Wegovy branding, for about $50 a month. The whole POINT of Novo Nordisk’s attempt to enforce its patent is to CREATE a shortage of semaglutide in pill form. Why? Money. The patent, if enforceable, allows Novo Nordisk to charge customers AT LEAST three times as much for its pill as the market says it can be sold profitably for. Hims & Hers wouldn’t offer it for $50 if it expected to lose money doing so.” (02/10/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20370
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23) Backlash: Seek Truth from Facts
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“After Leave won the Brexit vote in 2016, lots of thinkers who accepted the economic case for high immigration started flirting with a political case against high immigration. While the details of this political case were often vague, one word was painted on its banner: BACKLASH. The central insinuation was that staunch support for high immigration is what philosophers call ‘self-defeating’: When immigration gets too high, voters reliably shift their support to right-wing populists, who in turn reliably slash immigration. I’ve long maintained that the rhetoric of ‘immigration backlash’ is classic motte-and-bailey. If ‘backlash’ merely means ‘More immigration leads to more complaining about immigration’ then the claim is almost surely true, but also trivial.” (02/10/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/backlash-seek-truth-from-facts
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24) In Australia, The Police Beat You Up For Opposing Genocide
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Australian authorities were fully aware that inviting Israel’s president for a visit was going to ignite unrest and furious opposition. They invited him anyway, and sent in the police to assault the protesters. I saw a video of two cops pinning a kid in a keffiyeh face down on the ground and proceeding to punch him over and over again long after he’d been subdued. I saw another video of police repeatedly punching a middle-aged man who was holding his hands in the air until he fell to the ground. I saw another video of police repeatedly pepper spraying a demonstrator directly in the face as he was visibly complying with their demands to move and providing no resistance whatsoever. I saw another video of police manhandling Muslim men who were literally on their knees praying, presenting no possible threat of any kind.” (02/10/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/02/10/in-australia-the-police-beat-you-up-for-opposing-genocide/
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25) Robust State Constitutionalism Can Protect Rights and Resist Authoritarianism
Source: The UnPopulist
by Kathrina Szymborski Wolfkot
“As the U.S. Supreme Court rolls back long-standing constitutional protections, advocates are increasingly looking to state courts and constitutions to protect civil rights and liberties. The shift toward state constitutions as sources of expanded rights crosses ideological lines and issues, from abortion to criminal sentencing to property rights. It reflects a basic, often overlooked, truth about our system of government: States can provide more expansive protections for individual rights and liberties than the federal Constitution.” [editor’s note: Constitutions aren’t sources” of rights. They may protect, not protect, or violate rights, but the rights exist regardless of what the documents say – TLK] (02/10/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/robust-state-constitutionalism-can
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26) On Seeking Asylum and Refuge In a Hostile United States
Source: TomDispatch
by Rebecca Gordon
“Today, during my slog through the Substack messages, newspaper headline notices, and podcast reminders that hit my inbox every morning, two stories drew my attention. Both had to do with the fact that human beings have always moved around this planet …. I was reminded of a decades-old song by the Venezuelan singer Soledad Bravo, ‘Punto y Raya’ (‘The Dot and the Dash’) … ‘Between your people and mine’, says the song, ‘there’s a dot and a dash. The dash says, ‘No entrance’ and the dot, ‘The road is closed’…’ Bravo goes on to say that, with all those dots and dashes outlining the borders of nations, a map looks like a telegram. If you walk through the actual world, though, what you see are mountains and rivers, forests and deserts, but no dots or dashes at all.” (02/10/25)
https://tomdispatch.com/on-seeking-asylum-and-refuge/
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27) How Rome’s Middle Class Lived — and What Happened When It Fell
Source: The Daily Economy
by Lawrence W Reed
“Archaeology is now revealing the grit and hustle of the Roman middle class, reminding us that civilizations depend not on elites, but on the conditions that allow ordinary people to thrive.” (02/10/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/how-ordinary-romans-lived-and-what-happened-when-it-fell/
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28) Uncertain Money and Uncertain Times
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Douglas E French
“In the real world, where people actually buy things, those who can, dictate what currency they wish to be paid in. … Singer Bette Midler (influenced by manager Aaron Russo) insisted on payment in gold bullion for a planned British concert tour in the fall of 1978. The ‘Divine Miss M’ is believed to be the first major performer to be paid in bullion. … Fast forward to 2026. Wasteland Capital posted on X, ‘The big news from Davos is that the luxury hookers have stopped accepting Bitcoin but are happy to take Gold bars and DRAM sticks.'” (02/10/26)
https://mises.org/power-market/uncertain-money-and-uncertain-times
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29) A Voice of Reason
Source: Law & Liberty
by Carson Holloway
“We live in large-scale political communities that have delivered unprecedented levels of peace, freedom, and prosperity to vast numbers of human beings. At the same time, modern science and technology have generated comforts, useful tools, and remedies for illnesses that would have been unthinkable to our ancestors. But the Enlightenment promised more than this. As the name itself implies, the thinkers of the Enlightenment believed that it was both possible and desirable to popularize reason and science and to establish self-governing societies that administer their affairs on the basis of reason. This promise seems not to have been fully realized.” (02/10/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/a-voice-of-reason/
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30) All That Glitters
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Jake Scott
“Since the end of January and into the beginning of February this year, the prices of gold and silver have fluctuated drastically. So much so that there is a good chance the price will have changed before I finish writing this article, never mind before it is published. Even so, this has not stopped various diagnoses of gold and silver as more stable, less stable, worth investing in, avoiding at all costs … The volatility that gold and silver have seen in the opening weeks of 2026 both mask and reveal a long-term trend in their increased valuation: it masks the fact that both are significantly more sought-after than they were a year ago, yet it reveals that the strategy of precious metals as a backstop against global instability is not immune to market hysteria.” (02/10/26)
https://fee.org/articles/all-that-glitters/
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31) Legacy media didn’t lose readers, it drove them away
Source: Fox News
by Hugh Hewitt
“In the aftermath of the big layoffs at The Washington Post, there has been an explosion of commentary — again — about the decline and often the death of newspapers. But if you are reading this, it came to your attention via some means other than a subscription to a legacy newspaper. And there, in a sentence, is the dilemma for legacy ‘news,’ and indeed any written product for which a reader has to pay: There is so much ‘free’ content that it is very, very difficult for a high-overhead text product that depends on subscriptions to succeed. By ‘succeed,’ I mean at least break even.” (02/10/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/morning-glory-legacy-media-didnt-lose-readers-drove-them-away
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32) Will Commodity Sports Last?
Source: EconLog
by James B Bailey
“If you wanted to bet on the Super Bowl this past weekend, you had options. You may have bet with a friend. If you live in a state where it’s legal, you could have gone to a casino or used a casino’s app. Or, starting last year, you could have entered into an event contract using a Designated Contract Market regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). This is the same legal structure you would use to buy derivatives on the prices of traditional commodities like wheat, coffee, or pork bellies, now applied to trades like whether the Patriots will beat the Seahawks and what song will be played first at halftime. … As a bettor, I’m happy to see alternatives to the high-fee monopoly casino. As an economist, though, I worry.” (02/10/26)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/will-commodifying-sports-last
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33) Congress Is Funding Trump Regime’s Anti-Immigrant Violence
Source: National Priorities Project
Lindsay Koshgarian
“This week, members of Congress are negotiating funding levels for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, and Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, after public opposition soared when federal agents killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. As of January 25, ICE held more than 70,000 people in detention, and claimed more than 352,000 deportations. In 2025, at least 32 people died in ICE custody, and so far in 2026, at least eight people have died in the custody or at the hands of ICE and CBP ….ICE is now holding an average of 170 children in detention each day. They can do all of this because ICE and CBP are flush with money from last year’s Big Ugly Bill that stripped health insurance and food assistance from Americans while padding the budgets of ICE, CBP, and the Pentagon.” (02/10/25)
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/blog/2026/02/07/congress-doubled-ice-cbp-budgets-and-cut-legal-immigration/
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34) Trump is making voters uneasy. Democrats are pushing them away.
Source: Washington Post
by Veronique de Rugy
“After President Donald Trump’s first year back in office — marked by battered institutions, executive overreach and contempt for basic constraints on presidential power — Democrats would be wise to unify around an alternative message rooted in competence, restraint, affordability and institutional repair. There is no shortage of voters uneasy with Trump’s behavior and eager for a credible counterweight. And yet, the party’s loudest message is an aggressive push for confiscation camouflaged by the rhetoric of moral clarity and fiscal responsibility. Democrats may have something to offer to voters caught in the middle, but how many will notice with large states like New York, Virginia and California pushing to punish the wealthy?” (02/10/26)
https://archive.is/vZCfn
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35) The Delusions and Dangers of the New Mercantilism
Source: Cobden Centre
by Dr. Richard M Ebeling
“Tariffs and other trade barriers hampered the free flow of goods and services and investments across political boundary lines around the world after 1945. However, they almost seem mild and ‘enlightened’ compared to the current crop of protectionist weeds and their policy effects, particularly over the past year during Donald Trump’s second presidency. With autocratic caprice, arrogance, crudeness, and rudeness, Trump has assumed the powers of a near absolute monarch to decide when, why, and against whom he will arbitrarily raise and lower and raise again tariffs on the importation of goods into the United States from all the other countries on the planet.” (02/10/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/02/the-delusions-and-dangers-of-the-new-mercantilism/
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36) Can This AI Predict How You Will Die?
Source: Reason
by Ronald Bailey
“How high is your risk of developing pancreatic cancer or suffering a heart attack in the next 20 years? A new generative artificial intelligence system called Delphi-2M aims to answer that question and offer personalized forecasts of your long-term health trajectory. Developed by a team of European biomedical researchers and detailed in a September 2025 Nature article, Delphi-2M represents one of the most ambitious efforts yet to apply AI to predictive medicine. Large language models (LLMs) that power chatbots such as ChatGPT trained on massive amounts of text data to predict the next word in a sentence. Delphi-2M trained on a vast amount of medical data to predict the next stage in a person’s health.” (02/26)
https://reason.com/2026/02/10/does-ai-know-how-you-will-die/
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37) Is There Any Good News Out There?
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis
“Yes, there is. You might have to look hard to find it, but it’s there. Actually, the best news is right before our eyes, but most people refuse to look at it. I confess, as I have before, to being a bit of a cynic (no, a lot of a cynic, not terribly optimistic). That may partly come from the clinical depression I fight every day of my life, but it also comes from history, Bible study, and current events. How can a person not be somewhat of a cynic when viewing the modern, evil, putrid Democratic Party? I look at the NFL now and want to barf; I used to be a devoted fan of the league, but then they left me with their woke, racist, anti-American, promiscuous-promoting pig slop, and I haven’t watched an NFL game in years (or MLB or NBA, either).” (02/10/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2026/02/10/is-there-any-good-news-out-there-n2670989
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38) The Epstein Vortex and Legal Black Holes
Source: CounterPunch
by L Ali Khan
“Because black holes emit no light, scientists cannot see them with telescopes. Instead, they confirm their existence by observing signs, such as the extreme distortions they cause in the visible matter around them or by watching stars orbit a void. And if you refuse to observe these signs, adopting willful blindness, you cannot detect black holes. It’s a valid question to ask whether law enforcement agencies monitored any U.S. laws, rules, or regulations that apply to Little St. James, a 71-acre island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.” (02/10/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/02/10/the-epstein-vortex-and-legal-black-holes/
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39) The problem is the absence of capitalism
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Tim Worstall
“The Guardian is very concerned about mining: ‘The Guardian view on the scramble for critical minerals: while powers vie for access, labourers die …. A mining disaster in the Democratic Republic of Congo underscores the human cost of extraction. Intensified competition for resources isn’t helping.’ It’s fair to be worried about this. Hundreds have died just recently in a series of flood driven cave-ins at one area of mining in DR Congo, just as the one example. The problem is, of course, the absence of capitalism. For these mines are what are known as ‘artisanal’ mines. This means mines being dug and operated by the literally dirt poor locals with pick and shovel. … The problem is the economy around the mines, not the mines themselves.” (02/10/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/the-problem-is-the-absence-of-capitalism
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40) With Friends Like These
Source: Liberal Currents
by John Banks
“To defend itself from Trump’s thuggery, Canada must seek new friends.” (02/10/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/with-friends-like-these/
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41) How the US Weaponizes Starvation and Aid in Gaza and Cuba
Source: Common Dreams
by Nuvpreet Kalra
“Last week, the US government announced it would be sending $6 million in aid to Cuba, on top of the $3 million it sent in January after Hurricane Melissa. This aid package might appear contrary to the significant escalation of the 66-year-long US criminal blockade, which has expanded to an all-out fuel blockade since December, with attacks on Venezuela, but it is in fact a core tenet of it. This maneuver seeks to exploit the US-manufactured energy and fuel crisis to bolster opposition groups, substantiate propaganda against the Cuban government and revolution, and force the island into total dependency and submission to the United States. This frankly genocidal strategy closely mirrors that of the US and Israeli ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,’ and the weaponization of starvation and aid for colonial and imperialist ends.” (02/10/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/us-aid-gaza-cuba
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42) Is America still considered part of the “Americas?”
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Adam Ratzlaff & Lucia Gonzalez Camelo
“On January 7, the White House announced its plans to withdraw from 66 international bodies whose work it had deemed inconsistent with U.S. national interests. While many of these organizations were international in nature, three of them were specific to the Americas — the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, the Pan American Institute of Geography and History, and the U.N.’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. The decision came on the heels of the Dominican Republic postponing the X Summit of the Americas last year following disagreements over who would be invited and ensuing boycotts. These parallel developments raise important questions about how the region and the United States view their relationship.” (02/10/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-western-hemisphere-americas/
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43) JAGs Shouldn’t Be Civilian Prosecutors
Source: The Bulwark
by Mark Hertling
“The mass deportation policy is a legal mess — and reassigning military lawyers to support it would only create more problems.” (02/10/26)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/jags-shouldnt-be-civilian-prosecutors
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44) What Is Genocide?
Source: Antiwar.com
by William J Astore
“Far too often, a chosen people, a ‘master race,’ decides to eliminate barbarians, inferiors, primitives, race enemies, whatever words are used to demonize other humans. Often, it’s said we must kill them before they kill us, so mass murder is defined and defended in terms of safety and security. The ‘bad’ people force us to kill them. We don’t want to do it – they make us! And we hate them all the more for making us kill. At the same time, mass murder is often quite profitable for the killers.” (02/10/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/william_astore/2026/02/09/what-is-genocide
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45) Hate is destroying America’s promise, and half of us are blind to the danger
Source: New York Post
by Ted Deutch
“More and more Americans feel our national unity is growing fragile. Conspiracy theories and misinformation are eroding trust, stoking hate and tearing at the very fabric of our society, often with tragic consequences. At American Jewish Committee, we’re seeing those consequences up close — and our new report on ‘The State of Antisemitism in America,’ out Tuesday, reveals how these divisions are affecting the Jewish community, and us all. Every day, Jews across this country must consider wrenching questions of personal safety: * Should I wear my kippah today, or will that make me a target? * Can I hang a mezuzah on my door, or am I affixing a bullseye? * Is today the day someone throws a brick through the kosher supermarket’s window? * Will taking my kids to synagogue put them in a shooter’s crosshairs?” (02/09/25)
https://nypost.com/2026/02/09/opinion/hate-is-destroying-americas-promise-and-half-of-us-are-blind/
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46) Donald Trump Is Really Racist
Source: Washington Monthly
by Bill Scher
“The biggest colorblind conclusion from the 2024 election is that most voters, regardless of race, care primarily about making ends meet. Such voters can conclude: If Democrats couldn’t keep inflation down, then maybe give a Republican a chance, even if that Republican says racist things. Voters could further rationalize that Trump couldn’t be that racist, and that his promised deportations wouldn’t affect neighbors, friends, and family. Now that Trump has failed to deliver the economy he promised, while letting immigration agents run wild, he is hemorrhaging support across racial lines. In turn, Democrats reasonably want to prioritize an ‘affordability’ agenda to win voters back. But that can be pursued while calling out Trump’s racism, which goes well beyond offensive comments to infect his policy choices.” (02/10/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/02/10/donald-trump-racist-policies-consequences/
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47) Epstein and the Structure of Impunity
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Alice Johnson
“Public discussion of the Epstein files has largely centered on individual misconduct and reputational fallout. That emphasis risks overlooking the more consequential question raised by the Justice Department’s response to the disclosure mandate. The episode is less instructive as a scandal than as an example of how executive institutions behave when transparency carries political cost. What is at stake is not the identity of those named in the records, but how legal obligations are treated once compliance becomes inconvenient.” (02/10/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/epstein-and-the-structure-of-impunity
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48) Tulsi Gabbard’s Dangerous Game
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin Carroll
“The DNI’s basic responsibility is to provide the president, department and agency heads, senior military commanders, and Congress with intelligence that is ‘objective’ and ‘independent of political considerations.’ Gabbard’s only authority related to voting is her supervision of the Foreign Malign Influence Center (FMIC), which houses the Election Threat Executive (ETE). The ETE, founded in 2019, is tasked with providing recommendations for potential responses to attempts to influence or interfere with U.S. elections by countries such as Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. It is unclear how the DNI helping the FBI seize a county’s voting records from 2020 fits into the mission of the FMIC or the Office of the DNI (ODNI) more broadly, especially as those records were already under seal, per a state court order.” (02/10/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/gabbard-raid-intelligence-community-threat/
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49) America Sinks Into the Quicksand of Mid-Decade Redistricting
Source: The American Prospect
by Gabrielle Gurley
“Last week, the Supreme Court declined to review the California Republican Party’s request to prevent new congressional maps for the midterms, which passed after a public referendum last November: 64 percent of voters approved the measure. California’s congressional redistricting, which could net Democrats five pickups in the House, was a response to Texas, which at President Trump’s demand added up to five new Republican districts last summer. Unlike Texas, California actually made this decision through the expressed will of the public in a ballot measure,’ says Kareem Crayton, vice president of the Brennan Center’s Washington, D.C., office. ‘You could argue this isn’t just the electeds running amok.’ The Supreme Court didn’t explain the early-December order.” (02/10/25)
https://prospect.org/2026/02/10/redistricting-election-texas-california-utah/
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50) Abolish ICE? Dems Can’t Even Plow Snow
Source: The American Conservative
by W James Antle III
“‘Abolish ICE’ is the rallying cry heard from the streets of Minneapolis to the main stage at the Grammy awards. It’s the stick deployed against the Trump administration and the carrot consumed by Bad Bunny as he hops around at the Super Bowl. Closer to the nation’s capital, however, people have been muttering ‘abolish ice.’ The denizens of the Acela Corridor aren’t without their own misgivings about assertive immigration enforcement. But even the most hardened member of the Resistance — frozen solid — has to wonder why it takes two weeks after a moderate snowstorm for a Democratic-controlled city to plow a street or clear a sidewalk.” (02/10/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/abolish-ice-dems-cant-even-plow-snow/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Trump Watch, 02/10/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Cuba and the Evil of Sanctions.” (02/10/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPyTmYs9krY
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52) Capital Record, episode 287
Source: National Review
“The Oren Cass Case for Central Planning Does Not Indict Wall Street for Anything.” (02/10/26)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/the-oren-cass-case-for-central-planning-does-not-indict-wall-street-for-anything/
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53) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 02/10/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Will Netanyahu Take Us To War?” (02/10/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1gqGvrjYoOOGB
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54) The Brian Hyde Show, 02/10/26
Source: The Brian Hyde Show
“It’s my weekly visit with fellow freedom aficionado Eric Peters from Eric Peters Autos. Our crazy world has many angles to cover and we do our best to makes sense of it all.” (02/10/26)
https://www.podbean.com/ep/pb-suj2m-1a4098a
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55) Advisory Opinions, 02/10/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Will SCOTUS Show Its True Colors?” (02/10/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/will-scotus-show-its-true-colors/
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56) The Good Fight, 02/10/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“C. Thi Nguyen on Why Measuring Everything Ruins Everything.” (02/10/26)
https://writing.yaschamounk.com/p/thi-nguyen
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57) The Corbett Report, episode 491
Source: The Corbett Report
“What I Learned From the Epstein Files.” (02/10/26)
https://corbettreport.com/what-i-learned-from-the-epstein-files/
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58) Freedom Works with Paul Molloy, 02/10/26
Source: Freedom Works
“Steven Swedberg, Competitive Enterprise Institute ‘Fed Chair Pick Spurs Doubt on Key Issues.'” (02/10/26)
https://internetradiopros.com/freedomworks/?name=2026-02-10_zfw002092026.mp3
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59) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 02/10/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Marco Rubio Blocking Trump From Cuba Talks, IDF Kills At Least Six Palestinians in Gaza, and More.” (02/10/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow-08Vd37hM
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60) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 02/09/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Sen. Schumer Touts Funding Genocide in Gaza, US Downs Iranian Drone Near Aircraft Carrier.” (02/09/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/the-kyle-anzalone-show-sen-schumer-touts-funding-genocide-in-gaza-us-downs-iranian-drone-near-aircraft-carrier/
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