12/18 -- Desperate Times Make Desperate Year-End Fundraiser Updates; Russia: Ukrainian drones hit tanker in Rostov port; Trump Said His Tariffs Would Reduce the Trade Deficit and Bring Back Manufacturing. Here’s What the Data Show.

[Thomas L. Knapp]

Freedom News Daily, 12/17/25
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Presented by the Liberty International
https://liberty-intl.org/

Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
https://news.rationalreview.com/
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Today's Freedom News:

0)  Desperate Times Make Desperate Year-End Fundraiser Updates
1)  Russia: Ukrainian drones hit tanker in Rostov port
2)  US House defeats resolutions against Trump’s illegal murder spree / war threats
3)  UK: Police threaten to abduct “globalize the intifada” protesters
4)  Old Man Tells Fairy Tales, Tries to Buy Military’s Love
5)  Myanmar: Junta charges hundreds with breaking election law as voting date nears
6)  Warner Bros board rejects takeover bid from Paramount, favours deal with Netflix
7)  Republicans push mail-in voting for the midterms in defiance of Trump
8)  Senate passes $901 billion NDAA that pushes Hegseth for boat strike video
9)  Stanford study reveals why COVID vaccine can trigger heart issues
10) Amazon in talks to invest $10 billion in OpenAI and supply its Trainium chips
11) MA: Harvard morgue manager who “sold body parts like baubles” gets eight-year prison term
12) France: Louvre workers vote to extend a strike as the museum partially reopens
13) GA: Homeowner charged in shooting of suspected teen porch pirates
14) Poll: Trump’s economic approval hits new low at 36%
15) NC: Lumbee Tribe’s federal recognition assured with final push by Trump
16) EU drops 2035 combustion engine ban as global EV shift faces reset
17) NY: Hochul Will Sign Right-to-Die Bill for the Terminally Ill
18) Judge lets Trump’s ballroom construction proceed
19) CA: Owners of most commonly stolen cars may get payoff
20) Occupied Jerusalem: Israeli regime to advance plans for 9,000 squats

Today's Freedom Commentary:

21) Trump Said His Tariffs Would Reduce the Trade Deficit and Bring Back Manufacturing. Here’s What the Data Show.
22) The MAGA Crack-Up Is Overrated. MAGA Is Here to Stay.
23) So, You Want to Open a Microschool
24) Authoritarian government dooms society
25) The Sycophants Draw a Line
26) A $600 Billion Gift to Wall Street, Paid for by the Public
27) Sovereign Wealth Funds and the West
28) Repression deepens in Hong Kong with Jimmy Lai’s guilty verdict and censorship over deadly Wang Fuk Court fire
29) An America yearning for the sacred in civic life
30) A Story of Liberal Deicide
31) Teachers’ union pushes “neopronouns” but claims name “America” is a problem
32) Cash-strapped Americans shouldn’t fund Big Tech’s data centers
33) Israel Propagandists Uniformly Spouting Exact Same Line About The Bondi Shooting
34) Keeping the Towers Open When Government Closes
35) Emerson and the Moral Imperative to Oppose Antisemitism
36) Let’s bake the liberal sourdough
37) Trump’s National Security Strategy Heralds a New Age of American Carnage
38) A Texas News Vlogger Asks SCOTUS To Decide Whether Criminalizing Journalism Is “Obviously Unconstitutional”
39) European Alarmism Could Fuel a US Backlash to NATO
40) Pranked Biden official exposes lie that Ukraine war was inevitable
41) Venezuela, Executive Defiance & Last Chance to Restore Congressional War Powers
42) Birthright Citizenship Just Makes Sense
43) Humanity Clings to the Wreckage
44) Who’s the Dictator – Venezuela’s Maduro or Ukraine’s Zelensky?
45) Taxpayer cash, zero accountability: Minnesota fraud proves welfare is broken
46) Crickets from Southern California Republicans on Trump’s Reiner tirade
47) November’s Weak Jobs Report Pushes the Fed Toward More Monetary Stimulus
48) Removing the Sword of the Federal Judiciary
49) Amazon Has Been Conning School Districts out of Millions
50) Do I have to? Urrgh!

Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:

51) The Political Orphanage, 12/17/25
52) Reason Interview: Katherine Dee
53) Rising, 12/17/25
54) Reason Vs. Breaking Points: Does Big Tech Do More Good Than Harm?
55) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 12/16/25
56) Cato Daily Podcast, 12/16/25
57) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 12/17/25
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 12/17/25
59) The Vital Center, episode 90
60) Serious Trouble, 12/16/25
61) Bob Murphy on The Scott Horton Show
62) Nonzero, 12/16/25
63) Free Speech Unmuted, 12/16/25
64) Politics Politics Politics, 12/16/25
65) Declare Your Independence with Ernest Hancock, 12/16/25

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_____ Today's Freedom News _____

0)  Desperate Times Make Desperate Year-End Fundraiser Updates

Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily runs one fundraiser per year, always with a modest goal.

This year, the goal is $5,501. With about 5,000 daily readers across the web, email, and social media editions, that should be an easy mark to hit -- especially with one of those 5,000 readers pledging to "match funds" for half of it once we raise the first half.

And yet, with less than two weeks left in the fundraising period, we're still $776.66 short.

Please support the freedom movement's daily newspaper at ...

https://news.rationalreview.com/support-rrnd

... and have a great day.

Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily

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1)  Russia: Ukrainian drones hit tanker in Rostov port
Source: Deccan Herald [India]

“Ukrainian drones hit a tanker in the southern Russian port of Rostov-on-Don, killing and injuring a number of people and sparking a fire, the city’s mayor was quoted as saying early on Thursday. … Regional governor Yuri Slyusar had initially reported the Ukrainian strike on the vessel in the port and the casualties among the ship’s crew. Slyusar also said parts of a high-rise apartment block under construction were damaged in the city and two private homes burned down in a nearby town.” (12/18/25)

https://www.deccanherald.com/amp/story/world/ukrainian-drones-hit-tanker-in-russias-rostov-port-causing-deaths-mayor-says-3834986

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2)  US House defeats resolutions against Trump’s illegal murder spree / war threats
Source: The Hill

“The House shot down a pair of Democratic-led resolutions Wednesday designed to curtail President Trump’s strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and the administration’s ‘hostilities within or against Venezuela.’ The first resolution, brought by House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), aimed to end the boat strikes by directing the president to stop ‘hostilities with any presidentially designated terrorist organization in the Western Hemisphere’ unless authorized by Congress. … The second resolution, led by House Rules Committee ranking member Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), would direct the president ‘to remove the use of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela’ unless authorized by Congress.” (12/17/25)

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5653973-house-resolutions-venezuela-caribbean-boat-strikes

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3)  UK: Police threaten to abduct “globalize the intifada” protesters
Source: United Press International

“Demonstrators on the streets of Britain’s two largest cities, chanting or displaying ‘globalize the intifada’ signs or protesting in other ways that intimidate the local Jewish community, face arrest, the country’s two most senior police chiefs warned Wednesday. In a joint statement, London Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said Sunday’s terror attack targeting Jews celebrating Hanukkah on Bondi Beach in Australia had compelled them to take a tougher line. … Named for a rebellion by Palestinians during Israel’s first occupation of Gaza and the West Bank in the late 1980s, the literal translation of intifada is ‘uprising’ — but it can be interpreted as a call for violence against Jews, police said.” (12/17/25)

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2025/12/17/antisemitism-crackdown/8961765977553/

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4)  Old Man Tells Fairy Tales, Tries to Buy Military’s Love
Source: CBS News

“President Trump addressed the nation Wednesday night from the White House Diplomatic Reception Room to tout his accomplishments in 2025 and his goals for the next three years in office. The address was about 20 minutes long. Mr. Trump touted his economic record — defending his handling of inflation and tariffs — and accused Democrats of bringing the country to the ‘brink of ruin,’ as his administration deals with widespread voter frustration over the economy. He announced the government is sending $1,776 to military service members before Christmas, which he referred to as ‘warrior dividends.'” (12/17/25)

https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/trump-address-to-nation-2025-12-17/

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5)  Myanmar: Junta charges hundreds with breaking election law as voting date nears
Source: ABC News

“Myanmar’s military government has charged more than 200 people with violating the Southeast Asian country’s voting law ahead of a general election at the end of this month, keeping up pressure on opponents of the polls. Critics of the election set to start on Dec. 28 claim it will be neither free nor fair and is designed to add the facade of legitimacy to military rule that began after the army in February 2021 ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. … The new law, enacted in July, says anyone who orates, speaks, organizes, incites, protests or distributes letters to disrupt any part of the electoral process shall be punished with three to 10 years imprisonment, as well as a fine. Other offenses carry sentences up to the death penalty.” (12/17/25)

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/myanmars-military-charges-hundreds-breaking-election-law-voting-128483197

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6)  Warner Bros board rejects takeover bid from Paramount, favours deal with Netflix
Source: France 24 [French state media]

“Warner Bros Discovery on Wednesday rejected a hostile takeover bid by Paramount launched last week to trump plans by streaming giant Netflix to acquire the Hollywood giant and owner of CNN. In a statement, Warner Bros said the terms of the Netflix merger were better, while the Paramount offer ‘once again fails to address key concerns that we have consistently communicated … throughout our extensive engagement and review of their six previous proposals.'” (12/17/25)

https://www.france24.com/en/business/20251217-warner-bros-board-rejects-takeover-bid-from-paramount-favours-deal-with-netflix

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7)  Republicans push mail-in voting for the midterms in defiance of Trump
Source: Politico

“Republicans are making mail-in voting a core part of their midterm battle plans — a sharp contrast with President Donald Trump’s efforts to abolish the practice as they scramble to turn out his base. … Rattled by electoral losses across the country this year and fearing a turnout slump in 2026 when control of Congress is on the line, Republican party chairs and operatives in battleground states Trump flipped by razor-thin margins in 2024 are turning to mail-in voting to keep lower-propensity voters engaged when he’s not on the ballot. They’re redoubling the 2024 efforts they ran successfully despite Trump alternating between promoting and railing against the practice — a turnabout after his vilification of mail ballots contributed to GOP losses in 2020. Now, back in office, Trump is escalating his war against mail ballots.” (12/17/25)

https://archive.is/urIQx

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8) Senate passes $901 billion NDAA that pushes Hegseth for boat strike video
Source: SFGate

“The Senate gave final passage Wednesday to an annual military policy bill that will authorize $901 billion in defense programs while pressuring Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide lawmakers with video of strikes on alleged drug boats in international water near Venezuela. The annual National Defense [sic[ Authorization Act, which raises troop pay by 3.8%, gained bipartisan backing as it moved through Congress. It passed the Senate on a 77-20 vote before lawmakers planned to leave Washington for a holiday break. Two Republicans — Sens. Rand Paul and Mike Lee — and 18 Democrats voted against the bill. The White House has indicated that it is in line with President Donald Trump’s national security priorities. However, the legislation, which ran over 3,000 pages, revealed some points of friction between Congress and the Pentagon as the Trump administration reorients its focus away from security in Europe and toward Central and South America.” (12/17/25)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/senate-voting-on-901-billion-defense-bill-that-21247917.php

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9) Stanford study reveals why COVID vaccine can trigger heart issues
Source: Fox News

“One of the most widely known risks linked to the COVID-19 vaccine is myocarditis, especially in young males — and now a new Stanford study has shed some light on why this rare effect can occur. Myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart, occurs in about one in 140,000 people who receive the first dose of the vaccine and one in 32,000 after the second dose, according to a Stanford press release. Among males 30 and younger, that rises to one in 16,750. Symptoms of the condition include chest pain, shortness of breath, fever and palpitations, which can occur just one to three days after vaccination. Another marker is heightened levels of cardiac troponin, which indicates that the heart muscle has been damaged..” (12/17/25)

https://www.foxnews.com/health/major-study-reveals-why-covid-vaccine-can-trigger-heart-issues-especially-one-group

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10) Amazon in talks to invest $10 billion in OpenAI and supply its Trainium chips
Source: Engadget

“Amazon is in discussions with OpenAI to invest $10 billion in the company while supplying more of its AI chips and cloud computing services, according to The Financial Times. The deal would push OpenAI’s valuation over $500 billion but is likely to raise more questions about the company’s circular investment agreements involving chips and data centers. The two companies are also in talks about the possibility of OpenAI helping Amazon with its online marketplace, similar to deals it has made with Etsy, Shopify and Instacart. However, any agreement still wouldn’t allow Amazon to market OpenAI’s most advanced models on its developer cloud platform, as Microsoft holds the exclusive rights to those until the 2030s.” (12/17/25)

https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazon-in-talks-to-invest-10-billion-in-openai-and-supply-its-trainium-chips-103653151.html?src=rss

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11) MA: Harvard morgue manager who “sold body parts like baubles” gets eight-year prison term
Source: SFGate

“A former manager of the Harvard Medical School morgue in Boston was sentenced to eight years in prison for stealing and selling body parts ‘as if they were baubles’. Authorities said Cedric Lodge was at the center of a ghoulish scheme in which he shipped brains, skin, hands and faces to buyers in Pennsylvania and elsewhere after cadavers donated to Harvard were no longer needed for research. His wife, Denise Lodge, was sentenced to just over a year in prison for assisting him. … In one example, Cedric Lodge provided skin to a buyer so it could be tanned into leather and bound into a book, ‘a deeply horrifying reality’, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan Martin said in a court filing. ‘In another, Cedric and Denise Lodge sold a man’s face — perhaps to be kept on a shelf, perhaps to be used for something even more disturbing,’ Martin said.” (12/17/25)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/harvard-morgue-manager-who-sold-body-parts-like-21248532.php

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12) France: Louvre workers vote to extend a strike as the museum partially reopens
Source: Seattle Times

“Employees at the Louvre Museum voted to extend a strike that has disrupted operations at the world’s most visited museum, though the attraction partially opened Wednesday to allow visitors to enjoy the ‘Mona Lisa’ and other highlights. The museum said that visitors have started entering the building, where they had access to a limited ‘masterpiece route’ which includes Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’ and the famous Venus de Milo. … Union workers are protesting chronic understaffing, building deterioration and recent management decisions — pressures intensified by a brazen crown jewels heist in October.” (12/17/25)

https://archive.is/w52rP

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13) GA: Homeowner charged in shooting of suspected teen porch pirates
Source: Fox News

“A Georgia homeowner has been charged in the shooting of two teens suspected of stealing packages from his porch last week. Rakim Bradford is facing two counts of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in the shooting of the teen boys, ages 15 and 16. The shooting happened just before 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 11 outside an Atlanta townhome. ‘Our investigation has determined that we believe a property crime was occurring — that some packages were being taken off of a front porch, which is not uncommon this time of year — and the homeowner did discharge his weapon to stop that,’ Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said at the time. Responding officers found a 15-year-old with a gunshot wound to his right foot. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment.” (12/17/25)

https://www.foxnews.com/us/georgia-homeowner-charged-shooting-teen-porch-pirates

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14) Poll: Trump’s economic approval hits new low at 36%
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]

“During President Trump’s first term, the economy was a relative strength of his. During the 2024 presidential campaign, his promises to lower prices in a country grappling with post-COVID inflation propelled him back into office. But toward the end of his first year in office this term, just 36% of Americans approve of his handling of the economy, according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. It’s his worst mark in the six years that Marist has been asking the question. The only time in that span that Americans had a similarly negative view of a president’s handling of the economy in the poll was in February 2022, when Joe Biden was president.” (12/17/25)

https://www.npr.org/2025/12/17/nx-s1-5645003/trump-poll-economy-approval

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15) NC: Lumbee Tribe’s federal recognition assured with final push by Trump
Source: SFGate

“With the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act by the Senate on Wednesday, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is all but assured to become a federally recognized tribal nation. The state-recognized tribe, whose historic and genealogical claims have been a subject of controversy, has been seeking federal recognition for generations. Congress has considered the issue for more than 30 years, but the effort gained momentum after President Donald Trump endorsed the tribe on the campaign trail last year. ‘It means a lot because we have been figuring out how to get here for so long,’ said Lumbee Tribal Chairman John Lowery moments after celebrating the victory in the Capitol office of North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis. ‘We have been second-class Natives and we will never be that again, and no one can take it away from us.'” (12/17/25)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/the-lumbee-tribe-s-federal-recognition-is-21248191.php

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16) EU drops 2035 combustion engine ban as global EV shift faces reset
Source: Reuters

“The European Commission unveiled a plan on Tuesday to drop the EU’s effective ban on new combustion-engine cars from 2035 after pressure from the region’s auto sector, marking the bloc’s biggest retreat from its green policies in recent years. The move, which still needs approval from EU governments and the European Parliament, would allow continued sales of some non-electric vehicles. Carmakers in regional industrial powerhouse Germany and in Italy had sought easing of the rules. The EU executive appears to have bowed to calls from carmakers to keep selling plug-in hybrids and range extenders that burn fuel as they struggle to compete against Tesla and Chinese electric vehicle makers.” (12/16/25)

https://archive.is/zN9jH

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17) NY: Hochul Will Sign Right-to-Die Bill for the Terminally Ill
Source: New York Times

“Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday that she will sign a bill that will allow terminally ill New Yorkers to end their lives, using unusually personal language as she settled an emotional, decade-long battle between religious leaders and right-to-die advocates. The law will apply to adults who have incurable, irreversible illnesses and six months or less to live, and each patient will need the sign-off of three doctors. Eleven states, the District of Columbia and several countries in Europe have passed similar laws over the objections of some disability-rights advocates and religious organizations, most notably the Catholic Church, which have characterized the bill as legalizing assisted suicide.” [editor’s note: Why should anyone be required to seek permission from the state or from any number of doctors? – TLK] (12/17/25)

https://archive.is/Wbc36

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18) Judge lets Trump’s ballroom construction proceed
Source: Politico

“A federal judge on Tuesday turned down preservationists’ request to halt President Donald Trump’s $300 million White House ballroom project, concluding that allowing below-ground construction to continue in the coming weeks was unlikely to produce irreparable harm to those opposed to the plan. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon denied the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s request for a temporary restraining order, but said he would hear arguments early next year about whether to issue a longer-term preliminary injunction against the project. Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, also said the Trump administration must follow through on a pledge to submit the project to the National Capital Planning Commission by the end of this year.” (12/16/25)

https://archive.is/dJcLp

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19) CA: Owners of most commonly stolen cars may get payoff
Source: SFGate

“Owners of stolen Kia and Hyundai vehicles may be entitled to money after the vehicle manufacturers failed to install common anti-theft technology, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta. As part of a settlement with multiple state attorneys general, including Bonta, the makers of Kia and Hyundai vehicles will pay a settlement of about $9 million. In 2022 and 2023, a dramatic rise in stolen Hyundai and Kia vehicles were reported in the U.S., thanks in part to viral TikTok trends and easily bypassed security. In California, vehicle thefts came in just under 203,000 in 2023, with the Kia Optima, the Hyundai Sonata and Hyundai Elantra as the top three most stolen cars. The vehicles were manufactured with ‘easily bypassed ignition locks and without anti-theft devices called engine immobilizers’, according to a news release from Bonta. The engine immobilizers help keep cars from being hot-wired by preventing them from starting unless a car’s ‘smart’ key with the digital code is present.” (12/17/25)

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/stolen-cars-california-owed-money-21247922.php

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20) Occupied Jerusalem: Israeli regime to advance plans for 9,000 squats
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]

“Israeli authorities are expected to advance plans to build 9,000 new housing units in an illegal [squat] on the site of the abandoned Qalandiya airport in occupied East Jerusalem, in another attempt to cut off Palestinian lands from each other and block any possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state ever emerging. The so-called Atarot neighbourhood in northern East Jerusalem, reminiscent of the E1 plan to undermine Palestinian statehood, is to be discussed and have its outlines approved on Wednesday by the District Planning and Building Committee, according to Israeli group Peace Now. … It would build an Israeli enclave in an area where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians live in close proximity, with the aim of blocking development in a key area and further damaging the likelihood of a sovereign Palestinian state being established.” (12/17/25)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/17/israel-to-advance-plans-for-9000-houses-in-occupied-east-jerusalem

_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____

21) Trump Said His Tariffs Would Reduce the Trade Deficit and Bring Back Manufacturing. Here’s What the Data Show.
Source: Reason
by Jack Nicastro

“President Donald Trump has pledged that his tariffs will bring manufacturing jobs back to America and make America a net exporter again. So far, the exact opposite has happened: Manufacturing jobs have decreased, and the trade in goods deficit has increased. From January through September, the most recent month for which U.S. Census Bureau trade data are available, the U.S. imported $1 trillion more in goods than it exported. This is a $118 billion jump compared to the goods trade deficit that the U.S. ran from January to September 2024. (Likewise, the overall trade deficit, which includes services, increased by $113 billion.) Perhaps, one might argue, shooting ourselves in the foot (by Trump’s lights) is worth it if it causes our greatest geopolitical adversary — China — to amputate a limb. But that isn’t what happened either.” (12/17/25)

https://reason.com/2025/12/17/trump-said-his-tariffs-would-reduce-the-trade-deficit-and-bring-back-manufacturing-heres-what-the-data-show/

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22) The MAGA Crack-Up Is Overrated. MAGA Is Here to Stay.
Source: The New Republic
by Brynn Tannehill

“There is an emerging conventional wisdom that MAGA is eating itself alive with internecine warfare between various politicians, pundits, thought leaders. People also point to the diminution of Trump as a tired, spent force as a reason for celebration. They want hope in a time when there seems like none, and this jockeying for the crown even as the king falls asleep in his chair while his minions fawn over his vitality and vigor seems to offer it. … What defines MAGA is still there, and won’t go away for the foreseeable future. If you reduce the equation to the simplest terms, you have the Trump voters who pay attention to the chaos and those who don’t. No matter how you slice it, neither group is going to suddenly start voting for Democrats, regardless of which monkey wins the poo-flinging contest.” (12/17/25)

https://newrepublic.com/article/204494/maga-carlson-shapiro-owens-crackup-overrated

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23) So, You Want to Open a Microschool
Source: Cato Institute
by Kerry McDonald

“Many aspiring microschool founders discover that their biggest challenges don’t lie in teaching children and overseeing instruction. They usually enjoy that part of running a school. What they find difficult and often frustrating are tasks such as navigating zoning laws, finding a suitable location, complying with local and state education regulations, securing startup funding, and learning the basics of owning a business. These barriers can delay or derail promising school startups before they begin. That’s why an increasing number of founders are turning to established school networks and startup accelerators — programs that assist aspiring school leaders with mentorship, funding, and know-how — for guidance and support.” (12/17/25)

https://www.cato.org/commentary/so-you-want-open-microschool

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24) Authoritarian government dooms society
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal

“Many people have recently discovered that government is authoritarian. What a shock! Most only complain about it when it affects something they personally care about. When it crushes something they dislike, they either ignore it or call for even more authoritarianism. The dictionary says ‘authoritarian’ means demanding blind obedience to authority instead of respecting individual freedom, considering individual freedom subordinate to the power of the state, or exercising complete or almost complete control over the will of others. It’s a perfect description of ordinary, everyday government.” (12/17/25)

https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2025/12/17/voices/opinion-authoritarian-government-dooms-society/232358.html

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25) The Sycophants Draw a Line
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Willliamson

“Donald Trump is, from time to time, ungracious on social media. Republicans who accepted, justified, and celebrated outrage after outrage after outrage from Donald Trump for a decade — from ‘grab ’em’ to endless constant lies to gross corruption to illegal deportations to mass murder in the Caribbean to the attempted coup of 2021 and much more — have decided to draw the line at mocking the murder of the Reiners? That doesn’t mean that Republicans have rediscovered decency or their spines — it only means that Trump is starting to quack like a lame duck.” (12/17/25)

https://thedispatch.com/article/rob-reiner-death-trump-republicans-sycophants/

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26) A $600 Billion Gift to Wall Street, Paid for by the Public
Source: Town Hall
by US Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)

“The Federal Reserve is one of the most powerful, secretive, and unaccountable institutions in U.S. history. Its insulation from oversight, combined with its massive coffers and strong statutory authorities, makes it a uniquely troubling institution. To give you an idea of just how powerful the Fed is, in 2018, Forbes ranked Jerome Powell, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, as the 11th most powerful person in the world, ahead of the prime ministers of France and the United Kingdom. Earnest oversight is long overdue. Current law prohibits the Government Accountability Office from auditing the Fed’s vast monetary policy functions, and the Fed’s Inspector General serves at the pleasure of the Fed Board of Governors, the very institution it’s supposed to hold accountable. This summer, I began investigating the Fed.” (12/17/25)

https://townhall.com/columnists/senatorrandpaul/2025/12/17/the-corruption-of-the-federal-reserve-n2667994

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27) Sovereign Wealth Funds and the West
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Jake Scott

“When I was at school, learning about the privatization waves of the 1980s under Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, my teacher made a comparison between our own fortunes in Britain, and those of our North Sea neighbors in Norway, that stuck with me. In Britain, we used the proceeds from re-privatizing key industries like British Petroleum to fund the tax cuts that were considered necessary to revitalize the economy. The story is well-told: by liberalizing the economy, the initial shortfall in direct income would be offset in the short-term and exceeded in the long-term from the proceeds of an energetic private sector, and a free-market economy would provide the future prosperity, built on a broad and reliable tax base, necessary to keep Britain afloat. In Norway, on the other hand, such future prosperity was secured in a different way: through a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF).” (12/17/25)

https://fee.org/articles/sovereign-wealth-funds-and-the-west/

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28) Repression deepens in Hong Kong with Jimmy Lai’s guilty verdict and censorship over deadly Wang Fuk Court fire
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Sarah McLaughlin

“The result press freedom and human rights advocates feared has arrived: 78-year-old media tycoon, Chinese Communist Party critic, and Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai was found guilty in Hong Kong this week. After five years in detention, much of it in solitary confinement, a West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court found him guilty of sedition and collusion with foreign forces on Monday morning. He will be sentenced at a later date. Lai, who has suffered deteriorating health amidst his detainment, may very well die in prison. It’s a page straight out of the authoritarian playbook: Censorship after a crisis to protect the interests of the state from the fallout. Unfortunately, authorities in Hong Kong are not straying away from this strategy.” (12/17/25)

https://www.thefire.org/news/blogs/free-speech-dispatch/repression-deepens-hong-kong-jimmy-lais-guilty-verdict-and

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29) An America yearning for the sacred in civic life
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff

“Many Americans feel buffeted by a cycle of tit-for-tat political rhetoric, whipsaw policymaking, and norms breaking. A recent poll found that 82% of voters believe the way people talk about politics contributes to violence. Only one-third say it is possible to lower the temperature on political rhetoric. Yet, in recent weeks, more voices are calling for civic civility. They are based on a mix of political principles as well as moral and religious values. On Dec. 9, for example, two governors – a Democrat and a Republican – clasped hands after modeling respectful political dialogue at the National Cathedral in Washington. Democrat Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Republican Spencer Cox of Utah both often share how their faith traditions imbue their public service. Speaking to The Washington Post, Mr. Cox noted, ‘Bridge-building is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It takes … strong faith and strong courage’.” (12/16/25)

https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/1216/An-America-yearning-for-the-sacred-in-civic-life

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30) A Story of Liberal Deicide
Source: Law & Liberty
by Juliana Geran Pilon

“Western civilization is inconceivable without the biblical proposition that all humans were created in God’s image (Tzelem Elokim [צֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים] in Hebrew; imago Dei in Latin). But over time, paradoxically, the idea turned humanity against its own Maker. So argues Tomer Persico of the Shalom Hartman Institute in his ambitiously titled In God’s Image: How Western Civilization Was Shaped by a Revolutionary Idea, recently translated from the 2021 Hebrew version.” (12/17/25)

https://lawliberty.org/book-review/a-story-of-liberal-deicide/

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31) Teachers’ union pushes “neopronouns” but claims name “America” is a problem
Source: New York Post
by Karol Markowicz

“Do you know what a ‘neopronoun’ or a ‘xeopronoun’ is? The teachers’ unions want to make sure your little kids do. Earlier this month, the National Education Association held an ‘Advancing LGBTQ+ Justice’ event. Documents obtained by the education watchdog group Defending Education (full disclosure: I am on the group’s board) contained slides illustrating these neo- and xeopronouns. Neopronouns are ‘new’ ‘pronouns’ such as ‘xe/xem/xyr’, and other letters randomly shoved together. Xeopronouns are for ‘conceptual identities’ such as ‘cat/cats/catself’. Got it? No? But our kids are being force-fed this garbage in America’s public schools.” (12/16/25)

https://nypost.com/2025/12/16/opinion/teachers-union-pushes-neopronouns-but-claims-name-america-is-a-problem/

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32) Cash-strapped Americans shouldn’t fund Big Tech’s data centers
Source: The Hill
by Mandy DeRoche

“The rapid growth of AI data centers has become a major election issue, emerging as a flashpoint in statewide races in November and a central theme in candidates’ platforms. Once-overlooked state public service commissioners — utility regulators — drew unprecedented attention this cycle, with Democrats in Georgia unseating two Republican incumbents criticized for raising rates and expanding fossil fuels for data centers. Why the growing voter interest? Because our energy bills are skyrocketing. … utilities are relying on unreliable, often inflated data center demand forecasts, which may never materialize. They are offering data centers sweetheart deals and states are greenlighting them in opaque, fast-tracked proceedings. We deserve to know how big these discounts are.” (12/17/25)

https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/5651351-utility-bills-ai-growth/

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33) Israel Propagandists Uniformly Spouting Exact Same Line About The Bondi Shooting
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone

“Looks like some kind of memo went out or something, because pro-Israel outlets and individuals are all loudly amplifying one specific talking point about the Bondi Beach shooting. Here are some examples: ‘Bondi Beach Is What ‘Globalize the Intifada’ Looks Like’ ~ Bret Stephens, New York Times; ‘The Intifada Comes to Bondi Beach’ ~ David Frum, The Atlantic; ‘The Intifada Comes to Australia’ ~ Walter Russell Mead, Wall Street Journal; ‘Shooting at Bondi Beach is what a globalized intifada looks like’ ~ Herb Keinon, Jerusalem Post; ‘The Intifada Comes to Australia’ ~ Ayaan Hirsi Ali, The Free Press; ‘Welcome to the global intifada’ ~ David Harsanyi, Washington Examiner; ‘Palestinian propaganda has globalized the intifada’ ~ Zachary Faria, Washington Examiner; ‘Bondi Beach massacre is what globalizing the intifada looks like’ ~ Vivian Bercovici, National Post; ‘Chanting ‘globalise the intifada’ leads to Bondi Beach’ ~ Danny Cohen, The Telegraph…” (12/17/25)

https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/12/17/israel-propagandists-are-uniformly-spouting-the-exact-same-line-about-the-bondi-shooting/

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34) Keeping the Towers Open When Government Closes
Source: The Daily Economy
by Iain Murray

“On most days, America’s air traffic control system is invisible. The radar screens flicker, the controllers thread needles as planes approach and depart, and millions of passengers move through the sky supported by a grid they never see. We are reminded of its fragility only when something breaks. The most recent federal government shutdown provided just such a reminder. The system strained not because of storms or technological failure, but because Washington stopped paying its bills. Controllers continued working without pay, modernization projects halted, safety inspectors were furloughed, and as a result, flights were canceled. This was an institutional failure. If the skies darken whenever Congress deadlocks, the problem is not aviation, but governance.” (12/17/25)

https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/keeping-the-towers-open-when-government-closes/

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35) Emerson and the Moral Imperative to Oppose Antisemitism
Source: Mindset Shifts
by Barry Brownstein

“In America, antisemitism has gone mainstream. Both the woke right and woke left are poisoning their followers with their hatred. Whether people like Candace Owens personally believe the hatred they spew is justified doesn’t matter; their followers believe it is. Vanishing are the guardrails of social sanctions that restrain hatred of others. … Perhaps this is wishful thinking, but I believe the majority of Americans and Australians are not antisemitic. Yet the majority are staying silent. In his essay ‘Spiritual Laws’ Emerson wrote, ‘Human character evermore publishes itself. The most fugitive deed and word, the mere air of doing a thing, the intimated purpose, expresses character. If you act you show character; if you sit still, if you sleep, you show it.'” (12/17/25)

https://mindsetshifts.substack.com/p/emerson-and-the-moral-imperative

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36) Let’s bake the liberal sourdough
Source: hypertext
by David Dagan

“Yes, Jonathan V. Last, liberalism needs to revisit its recipe. No, Ross Douthat, we should not give up on the starter.” (12/17/25)

https://hypertext.niskanencenter.org/p/lets-bake-the-liberal-sourdough

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37) Trump’s National Security Strategy Heralds a New Age of American Carnage
Source: Foreign Policy In Focus
by Edward Hunt

“The Trump administration’s National Security Strategy, or NSS, creates a basis for a more chaotic and violent American empire. Already coming under heavy criticism, with Foreign Policy in Focus publishing warnings about its implications for global development and grand strategy, the strategy remains perhaps most dangerous for its imperious dictates to the world. Behind platitudes of peace and prosperity, it provides a crude imperial logic for violence and aggression, even gesturing at a need for military interventions. ‘For a country whose interests are as numerous and diverse as ours, rigid adherence to non-interventionism is not possible’, the strategy notes. The Trump administration tries to distinguish itself from previous administrations by criticizing foreign policy elites for seeking ‘permanent American domination of the entire world’, but it displays similar ambitions, even if framing them differently.” (12/17/25)

https://fpif.org/a-cruder-imperial-logic-a-more-volatile-american-empire/

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38) A Texas News Vlogger Asks SCOTUS To Decide Whether Criminalizing Journalism Is “Obviously Unconstitutional”
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum

“Priscilla Villarreal was not arrested for ‘merely asking questions,’ Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton insists in a brief urging the Supreme Court to reject the Laredo news vlogger’s petition for review of her First Amendment case. Yet that is literally what happened to Villarreal in 2017, and the precedent set by that incident poses a threat to journalists across the country. Villarreal, who operates a locally popular news outlet on Facebook, alleges that local officials, annoyed by her ‘unfiltered style’ and periodic criticism of them, conspired to punish her by treating her journalism as a crime. After months of looking for ‘any excuse’ to arrest her, she says, they settled on an obscure, rarely used Texas law, located in a chapter targeting ‘Abuse of Office,’ that makes it a felony to ‘solicit’ nonpublic information from a government official ‘with intent to obtain a benefit.'” (12/17/25)

https://reason.com/2025/12/17/a-texas-news-vlogger-asks-scotus-to-decide-whether-criminalizing-journalism-is-obviously-unconstitutional/

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39) European Alarmism Could Fuel a US Backlash to NATO
Source: The American Conservative
by Eldar Mamedov

“When NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warns, as he did last week, that the alliance must prepare ‘for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured,’ he is not merely outlining a defense posture. He intends to commit more American blood and treasure, backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. taxpayer, for an endless war in Europe against Russia. But Rutte could, ultimately, help bring about the opposite: an American backlash to NATO that sees a reduction of U.S. commitment to the Western alliance.” (12/17/25)

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/european-alarmism-could-fuel-a-u-s-backlash-to-nato/

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40) Pranked Biden official exposes lie that Ukraine war was inevitable
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Branko Marcetic

“When it comes to the Ukraine war, there have long been two realities. One is propagated by former Biden administration officials in speeches and media interviews, in which Russian President Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion had nothing to do with NATO’s U.S.-led expansion into the now shattered country, there was nothing that could have been done to prevent what was an inevitable imperialist land-grab, and that negotiations once the war started to try to end the killing were not only impossible, but morally wrong. Then there is the other, polar opposite reality that occasionally slips through when officials think few people are listening, and which was recently summed up by former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Europe at the National Security Council Amanda Sloat, in an interview with Russian pranksters whom she believed were aides to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.” (12/17/25)

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/ukraine-nato-sloat/

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41) Venezuela, Executive Defiance & Last Chance to Restore Congressional War Powers
Source: Common Dreams
by Angel Gomez

“This is not a call for spectacle. It is not a public declaration. It is a sober appeal, written for those among you who still recognize the fragile architecture of our Republic and the danger that comes when its foundation is ignored. It is written for those who remember why Congress—not the Executive—is entrusted with the solemn power to send this nation to war. Today, the United States Navy maintains a forward-deployed combat fleet off the coast of Venezuela. At least 12 warships now patrol waters once governed by diplomacy, now steered by executive will alone. And still, Congress has issued no declaration of war. No authorization of force. No public debate. No roll-call vote. The War Powers Resolution lies dormant—its reporting mandates ignored, its withdrawal timeline untriggered, its constraints publicly mocked. This is no abstract concern. The precedent is Syria.” (12/17/25)

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/venezuela-congress-last-chance

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42) Birthright Citizenship Just Makes Sense
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Thomas Eddlem

“There are lots of historical precedents for large numbers of multigenerational non-citizens in a country. None of them are attractive examples to follow. There were the Jews in ancient Egypt, the Huns and the Vandals in the Roman Empire, Irish Catholics under penal laws of English occupation from the seventeenth to twentieth centuries, and more recently black tribes in apartheid South Africa. Sure, most of those empires continued on the maps for centuries afterwards, but they all endured massive civil discord and violent revolts as a result of the arrangement. And yet, among the Republican right, there’s a crusade against birthright citizenship enshrined in the Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment …. Jettisoning birthright citizenship would create the same kind of large permanent underclass that caused the violent chaos in the aforementioned empires above.” (12/17/25)

https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/birthright-citizenship-just-makes-sense

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43) Humanity Clings to the Wreckage
Source: CounterPunch
by Robert Koehler

“A hundred deaths, a thousand deaths, quickly turn into ‘collateral damage.’ But the killing of two desperate men, clinging to the wreckage of their boat in the Caribbean – their boat that has just been bombed – rips open the abstraction of military public relations. They’re just ordinary human beings – like you, like me, like our parents and our children – rather than … uh, narco-terrorists. And suddenly this new war the Trump administration has launched is more than just a videogame. Hey, Pete, this is not keeping us safe! Indeed, as I write these words, I picture the so-called Secretary of War clinging to the wreckage himself. Perhaps he’ll eventually realize that war always comes home, that what we do has consequences, that creating peace is a bit more complex than killing the bad guy (and thus preventing him from contradicting the official narrative).” (12/17/25)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/12/17/humanity-clings-to-the-wreckage/

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44) Who’s the Dictator – Venezuela’s Maduro or Ukraine’s Zelensky?
Source: Antiwar.com
by Roger D Harris

“Washington brands Nicolás Maduro a dictator, celebrates Volodymyr Zelenskyy as democratic, and sponsors María Corina Machado to achieve regime change in Venezuela rather than promote genuine democracy.” (12/17/25)

https://original.antiwar.com/roger_harris/2025/12/16/whos-the-dictator-venezuelas-maduro-or-ukraines-zelensky/

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45) Taxpayer cash, zero accountability: Minnesota fraud proves welfare is broken
Source: Fox News
by Rachel Sheffield

“The U.S. welfare system is broken, and the Minnesota scandal is a blaring warning to that reality. The failure of political leaders on many fronts bears some of the blame. But the main culprit is the massive federal welfare system that annually passes hundreds of billions of dollars down to states to dole out, with the philosophy that the more people on the rolls, the better. The structure of the U.S. welfare system creates incentives for states to expand the rolls – and little incentive for them to ensure that money is going to those who truly need it. As welfare rolls expand, programs receive more money. It’s a system based on the Democratic perspective that government should provide more support to more people. And the U.S. welfare system is massive. It consists of roughly 90 different programs that cost more than $1 trillion annually.” (12/17/25)

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/taxpayer-cash-zero-accountability-minnesota-fraud-proves-welfare-broken

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46) Crickets from Southern California Republicans on Trump’s Reiner tirade
Source: Orange County Register
by Sal Rodriguez

“Any reasonable person knows that President Donald Trump’s comments on the murder of Rob and Michele Reiner have been, to use a word, deplorable. In a message amplified through official accounts, Trump said Reiner died ‘reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding and incurable affliction … known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.’ Fortunately, some Republicans found this to be a tasteless and irresponsible thing to say. … So, I figured I’d ask local Republican members of Congress what they think. Their response: crickets.” (12/16/25)

https://archive.is/ZGnM0

-----

47) November’s Weak Jobs Report Pushes the Fed Toward More Monetary Stimulus
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Ryan McMaken

“Although the Fed lacked employment data for October and November during its most recent FOMC policy meeting, the Fed was likely pushing its new policies while assuming more soft employment data. The latest data from the BLS further helps the Fed, politically speaking, in its efforts to justify further cuts to the target policy interest rate even though price inflation measures remain near three percent, and are not — as the Fed has repeatedly insisted — hurrying back to the stated two-percent inflation target.” (12/16/25)

https://mises.org/mises-wire/novembers-weak-jobs-report-pushes-fed-toward-more-monetary-stimulus

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48) Removing the Sword of the Federal Judiciary
Source: Independent Institute
by William J Watkins, Jr.

“The Bill of Rights exists to protect the people and the states from an overreaching federal government. Since the 1920s, the federal courts have turned the Bill of Rights into a weapon to use against the people and the states. December 15 — Bill of Rights Day — should remind Americans that the first 10 amendments were intended to restrict rather than augment federal power. In our upside-down world today, we associate the Bill of Rights with landmark Supreme Court cases restricting state action. Modern Americans express shock when learning that the Bill of Rights was intended to apply only to the federal government.” (12/16/25)

https://www.independent.org/article/2025/12/16/removing-the-sword-of-the-federal-judiciary/

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49) Amazon Has Been Conning School Districts out of Millions
Source: The American Prospect
by Naomi Bethune

“For over two decades now, Amazon has been seen as a one-stop shop to buy virtually anything, and get it delivered in no time flat. It’s been estimated that the platform has over 310 million active users, and just in the U.S. during 2023, sold over 4.5 billion items. Amazon claims to be guided by four principles: ‘customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking’. Certainly there is a very large quantity of retail items for sale on the platform, even if their quality or identity may be questionable. But in another much more obscure part of the business, Amazon’s supposed obsession with its customers and ‘commitment to operational excellence’ falls flat. Amazon Business, an operation under the umbrella of Amazon’s services, has grown as a popular procurement tool for businesses and organizations over the past few years.” (12/17/25)

https://prospect.org/2025/12/17/amazon-conning-school-districts-out-of-millions/

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50) Do I have to? Urrgh!
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton

“We here at TPOL generally like Whoopi Goldberg … as an actress when she played Guinan on Star Trek: The Next Generation. That was a long time ago. But the good will from her appearances has long since evaporated, except for what she gets that we provide to any human being. Regardless of their faults. Including what we are tempted to say one of Goldberg’s greater ones: an inability to understand simple English declarative statements, combined with a firm belief that her political enemies are all monsters. So we are placed in a quandry: for once we agree with her. Whoopi Goldberg is recently reported as saying, ‘I’m not gonna let Secretary Kennedy tell me what vaccines to take.’ Amen … we here at TPOL are totally agreement with Whoopi Goldberg. The government should not be telling us what we can put into our bodies.” (12/16/25)

https://thepriceofliberty.org/2025/12/16/do-i-have-to-urrgh/

_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____

51) The Political Orphanage, 12/17/25
Source: The Political Orphanage

“Jason Pargin on Internet Addiction and Algorithmic Horror.” (12/17/25)

https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/jason-pargin-on-internet-addiction-and-algorithmic-horror

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52) Reason Interview: Katherine Dee
Source: Reason

“Did the Internet Break Our Sense of Reality?” (12/17/25)

https://reason.com/podcast/2025/12/17/did-the-internet-break-our-sense-of-reality/

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53) Rising, 12/17/25
Source: The Hill

“Free Heng Guan! Don’t deport exposer of China’s Uyghur concentration camps.” (12/17/25)

https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5652743-rising-december-17-2025/

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54) Reason Vs. Breaking Points: Does Big Tech Do More Good Than Harm?
Source: Reason

“Reason‘s Robby Soave and Elizabeth Nolan Brown go head to head with Emily Jashinsky and Ryan Grim from Breaking Points in a thought-provoking debate about Big Tech.” (12/17/25)

https://reason.com/podcast/2025/12/17/reason-vs-breaking-points-does-big-tech-do-more-good-than-harm/

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55) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 12/16/25
Source: The New Republic

“Trump Press Sec Goes Off Rails as Susie Wiles Fiasco Takes Worse Turn.” (12/16/25)

https://newrepublic.com/article/204531/trump-press-sec-goes-off-rails-susie-wiles-fiasco-takes-worse-turn

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56) Cato Daily Podcast, 12/16/25
Source: Cato Institute

“Cato’s Ian Vásquez and the Fraser Institute’s Matt Mitchell walk through the 2025 edition of the Human Freedom Index, documenting a worldwide decline in economic, civil, and personal freedoms that began before the pandemic and sharply accelerated after it. They explain how populism, authoritarian emergency powers, trade restrictions, and speech controls have left nine in ten people living in less free societies, and why the recovery remains uneven and fragile.” (12/16/25)

https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-podcast/global-freedom-slump

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57) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 12/17/25
Source: The Dispatch

“Shadows On the Wall of Twitter’s Cave | Interview: Jesse Arm.” (12/17/25)

https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/shadows-on-the-wall-of-twitters-cave-interview-jesse-arm/

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58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 12/17/25
Source: Antiwar.com

“Trump Declares ‘Total Blockade’ on Venezuelan Tankers, Potential US Base in Israel, and More.” (12/17/25)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRCuQ5WAlbk

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59) The Vital Center, episode 90
Source: Niskanen Center

“Why everyone hates white liberals, with Kevin Schultz.” (12/16/25)

https://www.niskanencenter.org/why-everyone-hates-white-liberals-with-kevin-schultz

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60) Serious Trouble, 12/16/25
Source: Serious Trouble

“What Part of ‘No Bill’ Don’t You Understand?” (12/16/25)

https://www.serioustrouble.show/p/what-part-of-no-bill-dont-you-understand

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61) Bob Murphy on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show

“Bob Murphy on How Central Banking Fuels the War State.” (12/16/25)

https://scotthorton.org/interviews/12-11-25-bob-murphy-on-how-central-banking-fuels-the-war-state/

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62) Nonzero, 12/16/25
Source: bloggingheads.tv

“Elon, Trump, Fuentes: Bad Men or Trolls or Both? | Robert Wright & Paul Bloom.” (12/16/25)

https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/69185

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63) Free Speech Unmuted, 12/16/25
Source: Hoover Institution

“Does the First Amendment Protect Supposedly ‘Addictive’ Algorithms? | Eugene Volokh and Jane Bambauer.” (12/16/25)

https://free-speech-unmuted.podbean.com/e/does-the-first-amendment-protect-supposedly-addictive-algorithms-eugene-volokh-and-jane-bambauer-hoover-institution/

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64) Politics Politics Politics, 12/16/25
Source: Politics Politics Politics

:Jobs Report Brings Mixed News. Suzie Wiles'[s] Wild Vanity Fair Interview (with Kirk Bado).” (12/16/25)

https://www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/p/jobs-report-brings-mixed-news-suzie

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65) Declare Your Independence with Ernest Hancock, 12/16/25
Source: Freedom’s Phoenix

“Alessandro Fusillo (Libertarian Attorney from Rome; DIFENDERSI ORA) on freedom, E.U., The Philosophy of Liberty worldwide, activism, predictions for 2026, etc,” (12/16/25)

https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Media/388535-2025-12-15-2025-12-16-ernest-hancock-interview-alessandro-fusillo-difendersi-ora.htm

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