06/09 -- NYC: Knicks fans boo Trump to sleep; How the Libertarian Movement Missed the Authoritarian Moment
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Thomas L. Knapp
Jun 9, 2026, 6:13:54 AMJun 9
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 06/09/26
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Today's Freedom News:
1) NYC: Knicks fans boo Trump to sleep
2) Ukraine: Russian attacks kill four
3) Trump predicts US surrender to Iran “just two to three days away”
4) ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan suspended amid sexual misconduct inquiry
5) NY: Regime releases rules for doctor-assisted patient suicide
6) Meta to take legal action against Israeli spyware company NSO
7) UN protests women’s arrests in Afghanistan for alleged clothing violations
8) Italian coffee giant Lavazza launches single-serve tablets to make espresso in the US
9) Lawsuit seeks to stop UFC fight on the White House South Lawn for Trump’s birthday
10) UK: Starmer tells Apple & Google to ban nude images on children’s phones
11) France: Nintendo will pay a $40 million bribe over faulty Joy-Cons
12) Ship ferrying aid from Mexico and Belize docks in Cuba as crises deepen
13) First-ever bear sighting in Japanese city triggers suspensions at 94 schools
14) Kenya: Police Attack Protesters With Chemical Weapons, Arrest Ex Chief Justice at National Park Protest
15) At least 32 dead after major earthquake strikes southern Philippines
16) Armenia: Ruling party wins landslide election victory
17) Ancient palace discovery challenges the myth behind Sparta’s rise to power
18) Secret Service announces plans to harass NBA fans
19) CA: Newsom backtracks, reduces healthcare benefits for undocumented people
20) CA: Nithya Raman leaps past Spencer Pratt in tight race to make LA mayoral runoff
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) How the Libertarian Movement Missed the Authoritarian Moment
22) The Pentagon’s New War — Canceling American Religion and American History
23) Why Trump Seems Confused By His Own War
24) Trump Can’t End War Against Iran Until He Gets Israel Under Control
25) How Much Ethnocentrism is Okay?
26) Pastor’s open letter to Talarico says it all
27) Bessent’s Neo-Mercantilism: New Podium, Old Mistakes
28) An Ode to Bicameralism
29) It Will Stop When the American People Decide to Stop It, and Not Before
30) The way out is significant economic growth
31) Woodrow Wilson’s War Against the Constitution
32) The “Living Wage” Attack on Jobs and Prosperity
33) Critics mock new White House ballroom, but modern security is no joke
34) Obama’s Bonkers Beacon
35) Spheres Within Spheres
36) A Public Bank in California Would Be Costly, Risky, and Unnecessary
37) Gaza: A Meditation on Spirit and Survival
38) We’re Freaking Doomed without Freedom from State Rule
39) Trump Is Doing What FDR Could Not
40) The Bulldozer Revolution: A Blueprint For American Meddling in Eastern Europe
41) Human Life Is So Much Harder Than It Needs To Be
42) Lookin’ Out Your Backdoor
43) Gaza and its people may not survive this phase of ceasefire
44) The One War Trump Is Winning Is the One Against Us
45) Dems can’t escape Bidens & their drama, even if they’re done covering for them
46) Inside the Anti-Tech Rebellion In Schools
47) The Difference Between LGBT and Queer is a Revolutionary One
48) How the cult of mental health created Generation Jobless
49) ICE Profiteer Claims It Cannot Be Sued
50) Economic Calculation and the Vaccine Industry
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/08/26
52) Rising, 06/08/26
53) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 06/08/26
54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 08/06/26
55) EconTalk, 06/08/26
56) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 06/08/26
57) Trump Watch, 06/08/26
58) Trita Parsi on The Scott Horton Show
59) Pink Flame of Liberty, 06/07/26
60) Fountainhead Forum, episode 456
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) NYC: Knicks fans boo Trump to sleep
Source: The Journal [Ireland]
“US president Donald Trump became the first sitting US president to attend – and fall asleep – at an NBA Finals game on Monday night. Tightened security due to Trump’s presence causes huge queues for the highly anticipated game – where the San Antonio Spurs ultimately beat the New York Knicks. During the national anthem at Madison Square Garden Trump was loudly booed by basketball fans, which appeared to cause the president to stop clapping. The 79-year-old who was seated in a private box with Knicks owner James Dolan and his granddaughter Kai Trump, was later caught on camera appearing to have nodded off during the game.” (06/09/26)
https://www.thejournal.ie/trump-was-booed-and-fell-asleep-at-nba-finals-game-7064594-Jun2026/
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2) Ukraine: Russian attacks kill four
Source: AOL
“Four people were killed and more than 20 injured after Russia hit Ukraine’s Kharkiv region with missiles and drones, according to officials on Tuesday, while Russia-annexed Crimea said it was repelling drone attacks. The strikes follow large attacks by Russia and Ukraine on each other in recent weeks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week called for an end to the war and proposed direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia, with active U.S. and European participation. The latest attacks came as Zelenskiy was returning to Kyiv from talks in London with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany who said they were ready to support ceasefire talks.” (06/09/26)
https://www.aol.com/articles/three-killed-russian-attacks-ukraines-233049000.html
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3) Trump predicts US surrender to Iran “just two to three days away”
Source: Business Standard [India]
“US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said a peace deal with Iran is ‘just two to three days away,’ adding that negotiations between the two nations are in their ‘final throes.’ … Trump’s statement comes a day after Iran said it was halting its operation against Israel after the two nations exchanged missile fire for the first time since a truce took effect in April. However, Iran warned it would resume if Israel’s strikes in southern Lebanon continued. … After the strikes, Trump also warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against actions that could derail the negotiations, amid growing signs of friction between Washington and Tel Aviv over the handling of the conflict.” (06/09/26)
https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/trump-iran-peace-deal-netanyahu-israel-lebanon-conflict-126060900409_1.html
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4) ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan suspended amid sexual misconduct inquiry
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“The chief prosecutor of the international criminal court, Karim Khan, has been suspended after a disciplinary process triggered by sexual abuse allegations against him reached a conclusion. The ICC’s governing body announced the decision on Monday evening after its executive committee voted to refer the proceedings against Khan to a special session of the court’s member states for them to consider his future. According to a document seen by the Guardian, the committee of 21 of the court’s member states voted by qualified majority to determine that Khan had committed serious misconduct in connection to the sexual abuse claims. Khan, a prominent British lawyer, has repeatedly denied the allegations which first emerged in 2024 and threw his tenure leading the court’s prosecution department into disarray.” (06/08/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/jun/09/icc-chief-prosecutor-karim-khan-suspended-international-criminal-court
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5) NY: Regime releases rules for doctor-assisted patient suicide
Source: New York Post
“New York’s health department released rules for the state’s controversial new doctor-assisted suicide law — as critics argue it’ll herald a ‘new and frightening era’ allowing government and corporations to view patients as expendable. The rules aim to set strict standards for how patients ‘self-administer’ suicide medications, including requiring two verbal requests and mandatory waiting period. … The law allows terminally ill New Yorkers with less than six months to live to make a voluntary, informed decision to request medication to end their lives via suicide.” [editor’s note: No law should be required to “allow” people to make their own decisions about whether to continue their own lives, terminally ill or not – TLK] (06/08/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/06/08/us-news/ny-releases-rules-for-doctor-assisted-patient-suicide-as-critics-cry-of-new-and-frightening-era/
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6) Meta to take legal action against Israeli spyware company NSO
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Meta has said it is filing a federal US court contempt order against Israeli spyware firm NSO Group for violating a permanent injunction that barred it from ever targeting WhatsApp and its users. The company said on Monday that its WhatsApp messaging service disrupted new spear phishing attempts linked to NSO, an entity blacklisted by the United States government for engaging in activities that are contrary to national security or foreign policy interests. … Meta said WhatsApp took down test accounts and groups created by NSO on its platform. NSO did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Last year, a US court ordered NSO to stop targeting Meta’s WhatsApp, a development the spyware company warned could put it out of business.” (06/08/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/8/meta-to-take-legal-action-against-israeli-spyware-company-nso
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7) UN protests women’s arrests in Afghanistan for alleged clothing violations
Source: Seattle Times
“The United Nations’[s] mission in Afghanistan has expressed concern over what it says are arrests and detentions of women in western Afghanistan for allegedly not adhering to regulations governing how they should dress. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said on X late Sunday that the arrests and detentions in the city of Herat raise ‘serious human rights concerns.’ It did not provide details. Afghanistan’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice dismissed the reports of arrests as ‘rumors.’ … A human rights monitor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release details to the media, said Monday that monitors had verified at least 16 arrests and detentions, including of a pregnant woman, in Herat since Friday over alleged non-compliance with dress requirements.” (06/08/26)
https://archive.is/umWzB
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8) Italian coffee giant Lavazza launches single-serve tablets to make espresso in the US
Source: CNBC
“Lavazza is bringing its espresso tablets to the U.S., aiming to loosen Keurig Dr Pepper’s grip on the single-serve coffee category. The Italian coffee giant unveiled Tablì last year and launched the new brewing system first in Italy. The tablets, made of compressed ground coffee without a coating, binder or gelatin, can only be used with a Tablì coffee machine made by Lavazza. Each tablet is marked with the words ‘100% coffee.’ At launch, the tabs will come in five varieties: espresso, double espresso, decaf espresso, super crema and lungo, or a ‘long shot’ espresso brewed with more water. … Lavazza is betting that sustainability is still a top consideration for many coffee drinkers, although Baravalle said that can differ across countries. For years, Keurig’s pods have been dogged by questions about waste, leaving an opening for a competitor with a more environmentally-friendly product.” (06/08/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/08/lavazza-launches-single-serve-tablets-to-make-espresso.html
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9) Lawsuit seeks to stop UFC fight on the White House South Lawn for Trump’s birthday
Source: Boston Globe
“A federal lawsuit seeks to halt the upcoming UFC fight card on the White House South Lawn in a mixed martial arts show timed for President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The filing Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents contends the Trump administration’s authorization of the June 14 event was unlawful. The lawsuit says such approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, Congress did not consent to the towering arch overlooking the event space and no environmental review was conducted before the construction.” (06/08/26)
https://archive.is/QJqRz
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10) UK: Starmer tells Apple & Google to ban nude images on children’s phones
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Tech companies such as Apple and Google have been asked [sic] by the UK government to block access to naked images on smartphones and other devices for under-18s. Sir Keir Starmer has told firms to either activate built-in features or update software to prevent children from taking, sending or viewing sexually explicit images on their phones and other devices. Speaking at London Tech Week, the prime minister said: ‘This is not an impossible challenge. These are some of the most innovative companies in the world and I believe they can solve it.’ The government said it will bring forward legislation to force firms to activate the features if they do not comply voluntarily [sic] within three months. This could include fines or, as a last resort, criminal liability for companies which do not comply.” (06/08/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly752ydjw6o
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11) France: Nintendo will pay a $40 million bribe over faulty Joy-Cons
Source: Engadget
“The Joy-Con stick drift saga never ends. France’s equivalent of the Federal Trade Commission, Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes or DGCCRF for short, hit Nintendo of Europe with a 35 million euro fine, or more than $40 million. The French authority said the fine was for misleading consumers about the stick drift issues found in the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons. … Nintendo has been doing free repairs for Joy-Cons for affected customers since 2019.” [editor’s note: So the “fine” is just a bribe to be allowed to continue doing business, not restitution/compensaation to the buyers of defective products – TLK] (06/08/26)
https://www.engadget.com/2189455/nintendo-will-pay-a-dollar40-million-fine-for-faulty-joy-cons/
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12) Ship ferrying aid from Mexico and Belize docks in Cuba as crises deepen
Source: ABC News
“A ship laden with 1,700 tons of food and other aid collected in Mexico and Belize has docked in Cuba to help ease the island’s crises. Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel said that the aid was sent by government officials in both countries, as well as supporters and Cubans living abroad. ‘We appreciate the supportive embrace in such difficult times,’ Díaz-Canel wrote in a post on X on Sunday. A U.S. energy blockade that began in late January has halted oil shipments to Cuba, which is experiencing severe blackouts and food shortages.” (06/08/26)
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/ship-ferrying-aid-mexico-belize-docks-cuba-crises-133683510
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13) First-ever bear sighting in Japanese city triggers suspensions at 94 schools
Source: New York Post
“The Japanese city of Utsunomiya has suspended all 94 of the primary and middle schools that it operates on Monday after its first-ever bear sighting, a municipal official said. The city of half a million residents, about 100 km (60 miles) north of Tokyo, said the bear was first seen in a residential area near a park on Saturday evening. It remains at large after the last sighting early Monday morning about half a kilometer from a middle school. Bear attacks, including in urban areas, have been on the rise in Japan, prompting the government to set up a task force this year to reduce casualties.” (06/08/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/06/08/world-news/first-ever-bear-sighting-in-japanese-city-triggers-suspensions-at-94-schools/
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14) Kenya: Police Attack Protesters With Chemical Weapons, Arrest Ex Chief Justice at National Park Protest
Source: US News & World Report
“Riot police fired tear gas to disperse scores of protesters rallying on Monday against plans to build on part of a national park in Kenya’s capital. Officers moved in and arrested at least nine people, including former Chief Justice David Maraga, outside the main entrance of Nairobi National Park, Reuters reporters said. The Kenya Wildlife Service has defended the project, saying it will expand an animal orphanage on the site, Africa’s only wildlife reserve within a capital city. Protesters — who waved placards marked with ‘Nature is not vacant land’ and other slogans — say the plans, including a parking area for more than 1,000 vehicles, will encroach on one of Kenya’s most famous protected areas.” (06/08/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-06-08/kenya-police-fire-tear-gas-arrest-ex-chief-justice-at-national-park-protest
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15) At least 32 dead after major earthquake strikes southern Philippines
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“At least 32 people have died after a magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao island in the southern Philippines, officials say. The quake hit at 07:37 local time on Monday (Sunday 23:37 GMT), triggering tsunami alerts in the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and Australia. Some of those were cancelled hours later. Videos and images showed buildings collapsing, including a clip of a Jollibee fast food restaurant reduced to rubble, and landslides have been recorded in some areas. More than 100 people have been injured across several provinces, almost two dozen are missing, and 10,000 residents have been pre-emptively evacuated, authorities have said.” (06/08/26)
https://archive.is/VkUuE
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16) Armenia: Ruling party wins landslide election victory
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s ruling party has won parliamentary elections, preliminary results showed on Monday, a victory seen as endorsement of the nation’s pro-Western shift after threats from Moscow and claims of Russian interference. Pashinyan’s push to forge closer ties with the West and move Armenia out of the orbit of its former imperial ruler has angered the Kremlin and drawn rebukes from President Vladimir Putin. The election comes after years of turmoil since Pashinyan was swept to power in a 2018 street revolution.” (06/07/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260607-armenia-pm-heads-for-win-to-cement-westward-shift
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17) Ancient palace discovery challenges the myth behind Sparta’s rise to power
Source: Fox News
“New historical research suggests that one of the most legendary cities in history did not start out as a conquering warrior state — poking a hole in its founding myth. The study, which centered around Sparta, was recently published by historian Hans Beck in The Annual of the British School at Athens, Cover Media reported. Sparta emerged in the 9th century B.C. and dominated much of the Peloponnese between roughly 700 and 371 B.C. … Though Sparta is often remembered as a warrior society forged through conquest, the historical picture appears to be far more complex. Using archaeological discoveries at a site called Aghios Vasileios, Beck argues that Sparta emerged from an older Lakedaimonian cultural landscape, rather than being created from scratch by conquering warriors.” (06/08/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/travel/ancient-palace-discovery-challenges-myth-behind-spartas-rise-power
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18) Secret Service announces plans to harass NBA fans
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Road closures, no watch parties, bag bans and a gauntlet of security measures will greet fans when they arrive at Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals, as United States President Donald Trump descends on the heart of Manhattan to watch the New York Knicks play the San Antonio Spurs at home. The Knicks have defied the odds to build a 2-0 head start in the best-of-seven series before their first home game of the finals on Monday. … ‘Attendees should anticipate hard street closures in the immediate area surrounding Madison Square Garden,’ Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said. ‘A strict no-bag policy will be enforced, and we want to communicate that early and broadly so fans can plan accordingly. Attendees should also expect Secret Service-level security screening, similar to airport screening procedures.'” (06/08/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/6/8/secret-service-level-security-for-nba-finals-with-trump-attending-game-3
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19) CA: Newsom backtracks, reduces healthcare benefits for undocumented people
Source: SFGate
“At the end of 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom framed it as a matter of principle when under his administration, California became the first state in the nation to pay for undocumented immigrants to use Medicaid. … now Newsom and fellow Democrats in Sacramento are walking back on their promise to provide healthcare access to all. Lawmakers have slashed the program in a series of cuts over the last year with more expected to come. In January, the state froze any new undocumented adults from applying for the program. Dental benefits for undocumented people are set to expire in July. And Newsom’s latest budget proposal, released in May, calls for increasing premiums from a planned $30 to $50 for undocumented people starting in July next year.” (06/08/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/newsom-healthcare-undocumented-immigrants-22292838.php
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20) CA: Nithya Raman leaps past Spencer Pratt in tight race to make LA mayoral runoff
Source: NBC News
“Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman, a Democrat, has taken a narrow lead for second place over former reality TV star Spencer Pratt, a registered Republican, in the race to take on Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a runoff this fall. NBC News projected Bass’[s] advancing to the runoff last week, but the outstanding question, as the city and the state continue counting ballots, is whom she will face and what kind of matchup that will be. NBC News hasn’t projected the winner of the other spot in the runoff. … Los Angeles still has more than 100,000 votes left to count.” (06/07/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/nithya-raman-leaps-spencer-pratt-tight-unresolved-race-make-l-mayoral-rcna348781
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) How the Libertarian Movement Missed the Authoritarian Moment
Source: The UnPopulist
by Marlene Laruelle
Interview with Shikha Dalmia. Dalmia: “My break with libertarianism happened when Trump arrived on the scene. I was working at Reason magazine at that time and, the minute Trump came down the golden escalator, it was clear to me that he was a different kind of politician: he was a demagogue and an authoritarian, he didn’t really understand liberalism, and he didn’t understand America’s core commitments. … It is not that libertarians were completely unconcerned about Trump; it’s that they were just not taking the threat seriously. They were treating him as a normal politician, just bad in a different kind of way and, at best, maybe a corrective to the excesses of the left. This chasm between me and libertarian circles just kept growing, and it was getting hard to get my point of view taken seriously.” (06/08/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/how-the-libertarian-movement-missed
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22) The Pentagon’s New War — Canceling American Religion and American History
Source: The Volokh Conspiracy
by Professor Paul Finkelman
“The Trump administration recently announced that it is removing about 180 religions from those recognized by the Pentagon. This is an obvious violation of the First Amendment’s protection of religious liberty. In essence, the Administration has ‘established’ 31 religions as acceptable to the U.S. government and denied religious freedom to members of many other faiths. … The message of the administration is that some faiths matter, and many do not. There seems to be some politics involved here. The ‘liberal’ Unitarian/Universalist Church, which is as old as the nation itself, is no longer officially a church. Nor are churches tied to minorities, such as the Native American Church or the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME).” (06/08/26)
https://reason.com/volokh/2026/06/08/the-pentagons-new-war-canceling-american-religion-and-american-history/
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23) Why Trump Seems Confused By His Own War
Source: Persuasion
by Sam Kahn
“With all the bravado that tends to accompany Donald Trump, something else has been striking me recently—when faced with major decisions, there’s a way in which he carries himself like a wise fool in a Shakespeare play, bemused by all the tumult that’s going on around him. In a revealing moment, on March 17, when asked to explain why the United States was at war with Iran, Trump said, ‘You could say we did it out of habit’ — as if the war was just a bit of noise going on in the background and had nothing really to do with him. … what is this storm that sweeps Trump along, this force that he can only bemusedly watch? I would argue that it’s political realism — the doctrine that’s taken over the second Trump administration, maybe not entirely with Trump willing it, but which marks a fundamentally different era in international relations.” (06/08/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/trump-misunderstands-realism
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24) Trump Can’t End War Against Iran Until He Gets Israel Under Control
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Connor Echols
“Amid a rapid escalation between Israel and Iran, Yemen’s Houthis have rejoined the Iran war, launching a volley of missiles at Israel and pledging to implement ‘a complete and total ban’ of Israeli shipping in the Red Sea. It’s safe to say that the tenuous ceasefire in the Middle East is now unraveling. President Donald Trump demanded that all parties deescalate, writing on Truth Social Monday morning that ‘Final negotiations on ‘Peace’ are proceeding’ so long as ‘ignorance or stupidity’ don’t get in their way. But the latest developments suggest that the United States has limited control over the path of the conflict, which is now entering its fourth month.” (06/08/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/iran-war-escalation/
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25) How Much Ethnocentrism is Okay?
Source: Racket News
by Matt Taibbi
“I don’t think of America as a ‘white’ country. To me the best part of our system is that anyone can be an American overnight, provided he or she accepts a few minor guidelines, like agreeing to tolerate other religions and embrace free speech. As for the early academic weasel word ‘ethnocentrism,’ it’s so close in meaning to ‘chauvinism’ that it probably never needed to exist, but in the name of making work for Yale social scientists, we apparently must live with it. How chauvinistic should Americans be? I don’t know. Just enough? As much as any other citizen of any other place?” (06/08/26)
https://www.racket.news/p/how-much-ethnocentrism-is-okay
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26) Pastor’s open letter to Talarico says it all
Source: Washington Times
by Everett Piper
“The list of biblical absurdities from James Talarico, the Democratic Senate candidate in Texas, continues to grow. In addition to his claims that God is ‘nonbinary,’ that ‘the Bible is silent about abortion’ and that there are ‘six different genders,’ we now have his contention that Mary’s consent to the virgin birth is a story about her being ‘pro-choice.’ How should we respond? Well, sometimes someone else has already said it better than you ever could. The following is an abbreviated version of an open letter written by Jeff Mullen, a pastor from Nevada, and posted to his social media on May 29.” [editor’s note: Except for the six-genders nonsense, and the concept of “informed consent” for a minor, a case can be made for each of the other statements, if you view the Bible as an “inspired” metaphysical history book written by human beings – SAT] [additional editor’s note: Judaism, in the Midrash and Talmud, does in fact recognize six genders — Zachar, Nekevah, Androgynos, Tumtum, Ay’Ionit, and Saris – TLK] (06/07/26)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jun/7/pastors-open-letter-senate-candidate-james-talarico-says/
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27) Bessent’s Neo-Mercantilism: New Podium, Old Mistakes
Source: The Daily Economy
by David Hebert
“Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and others argue that tariffs and industrial policy can restore America’s strength. In reality, diversified supply chains and open markets provide greater resilience than economic nationalism.” (06/08/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/bessents-neo-mercantilism-new-podium-old-mistakes/
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28) An Ode to Bicameralism
Source: Law & Liberty
by Ojel L Rodríguez Burgos
“Bicameralism has been a vital safeguard of liberty — it would be sorely missed if Western democracies traded it away.” (06/08/26)
https://lawliberty.org/an-ode-to-bicameralism/
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29) It Will Stop When the American People Decide to Stop It, and Not Before
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis
“We can blame the politicians. We can castigate them mightily, and we should, because they have — both parties — become a liability to the nation, wholly untrustworthy, corrupt and self-centered. Hey, Republicans: ‘If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small’ (Proverbs 24:10). Maybe no thought in human history describes gutless Republican Party politicians better than that. Here is one that perfectly pictures the Democrats: ‘Every intent of the thoughts of [their] heart [is] only evil continually’ (Genesis 6:5). Back to the days of Noah … But, yeah, while we can, and should, reprimand politicians of both parties, who is really to blame here? Who elects the politicians to office? Ultimately, the American people have no one to blame but themselves for the condition of their country.” (06/08/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2026/06/08/it-will-stop-when-the-american-people-decide-to-stop-it-and-not-before-n2677388
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30) The way out is significant economic growth
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Tim Worstall
“We’re told that the national debt is about to murder the economy in its bed …. Given that taxation is already at historical highs as a level of everything more of that’s not going to work. The idea that there will ever be any significant cuts in spending is, aha, aha, one of those solutions not to be found in the possible space of political solutions. Sure, we’d be delighted to point to all the things government shouldn’t be doing to bring the bill down but we do agree that a Parliament that would do this is unlikely. Which leaves only the one other possible solution — change the denominator. Debt at 100/100 is a different thing from debt at 100/200. So, grow the economy.” (06/08/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/the-way-out-is-significant-economic-growth
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31) Woodrow Wilson’s War Against the Constitution
Source: American Greatness
by Jon Fleischman
“When I survey the long parade of presidents who led this country, from giants like Washington and Lincoln to the mediocrities and failures, one man stands apart as uniquely destructive: Woodrow Wilson. When he entered the White House in 1913, he brought unusual credentials: a doctorate from Johns Hopkins, a scholarly reputation, and experience leading Princeton University. Americans thought they were getting their first true scholar-president. What they got instead was the worst president in American history, a man whose toxic blend of intellectual arrogance, racial prejudice, and authoritarian instincts inflicted wounds on this country that we are still trying to heal. Wilson’s academic background shaped everything in his presidency, sometimes for better, often for worse. He approached governing like a professor addressing a stubborn class, convinced that if he explained things clearly enough, everyone would eventually see the wisdom of his vision.” (06/08/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/06/08/woodrow-wilsons-war-against-the-constitution/
-----
32) The “Living Wage” Attack on Jobs and Prosperity
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“Rep. Ro Khanna’s minimum wage proposal promises prosperity but would likely price many low-skilled workers out of the labor market.” (06/08/26)
https://reason.com/2026/06/08/the-living-wage-attack-on-jobs-and-prosperity/
-----
33) Critics mock new White House ballroom, but modern security is no joke
Source: Fox News
by Brett L Tolman
“This year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner should have been the same as any other: a beloved, annual tradition that brings together the media, politicians, and administration officials to celebrate our free press, build relationships, and honor the First Amendment. Instead, the event served as a reminder of the urgent need to modernize and secure the White House complex. The third assassination attempt of President Donald Trump proves these are no longer random acts. This is a pattern.” [editor’s note: And yet Trump is going out to a basketball game. Apparently security is only a considerration when he wants to build something – TLK] (06/08/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/critics-mock-new-white-house-ballroom-modern-security-joke
-----
34) Obama’s Bonkers Beacon
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“‘We had the idea of a beacon,’ said the architect who designed the Obama Presidential Center.
It looks like … a triumph of brutalist … whimsy? (Is that even possible?) A science-fictional housing for our ET overlords, maybe. Or something worse. Perhaps Baphomet poses inside. You’ve probably seen the outside of the monstrosity by now. If you’re like me, you’ve marveled at this triumph of bad taste. It surely symbolizes something, but what?” (06/08/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/06/08/obamas-bonkers-beacon/
-----
35) Spheres Within Spheres
Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders
“Friedrich Hayek spent much of his later life thinking about a tension at the heart of civilization. The rules that make large-scale social life possible are often not the ones our evolved instincts would tend to generate on their own. Humans evolved for life in small, familiar groups, but eventually we learned to live within a far more impersonal civilization — one sustained by property, contract, law, and market exchange, and by standards of conduct that no one designed. That order did not arise from a blueprint or command. … That insight still has force, but it leaves a critical question open.” (06/08/26)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/spheres-within-spheres
-----
36) A Public Bank in California Would Be Costly, Risky, and Unnecessary
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Matt Fleming
“Forming a state-run bank in California would be a massive undertaking for which the state is woefully unqualified. It’s also a big risk to taxpayers and is totally unnecessary. But lawmakers were pushing forward anyway.” (06/08/26)
https://fee.org/articles/a-public-bank-in-california-would-be-costly-risky-and-unnecessary/
-----
37) Gaza: A Meditation on Spirit and Survival
Source: Antiwar.com
by M Reza Behnam
“The human spirit cannot comprehend the reality of tens of thousands of Palestinians entombed beneath mountains of pulverized concrete. The very air of Gaza carries the heavy toxic dust of war and of extinguished lives. To gaze upon the ruins, is to confront not only its physical erasure, but the malign systematic campaign of the Israeli regime to wholly erase Palestinian ethnic, cultural and national identity – the very definition of genocide.” (06/08/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/reza_behnam/2026/06/07/gaza-a-meditation-on-spirit-and-survival/
-----
38) We’re Freaking Doomed without Freedom from State Rule
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by George Ford Smith
“For now, at least, we know what computers can and cannot do. Whatever their limitations, it is clear their development is on an exponential path, and any shortcomings will be short-lived. … The combination of these strengths will be formidable, to say the least. And these strengths will continue to grow exponentially. It’s quite possible this technology could become the exclusive domain of the state, the only organization that ‘legitimately’ acquires its revenue by theft, which it enforces with a vengeance. Despite its elaborate pretensions and propaganda, the state, by its nature, is the enemy of the people, as all criminals are.” (06/08/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/were-freaking-doomed-without-freedom-state-rule
-----
39) Trump Is Doing What FDR Could Not
Source: Foreign Policy
by Julian E Zelizer
“To understand the hold that Trump has on his party, it is useful to look back to the 1938 midterms, when Franklin D. Roosevelt — one of the most consequential presidents in U.S. history — failed to keep his party on the same page. When Roosevelt tried to purge the Democratic Party of conservative Southern legislators who were holding back his New Deal, the president found himself on the losing end of the battle, empowering the very forces he was trying to stop. … The irony, though, is that, despite his defeat in 1938, Roosevelt ultimately helped build a far more enduring Democratic coalition. … Trump, by contrast, has tied his party to a deeply unpopular leader and agenda.” (06/08/26)
https://archive.is/MNRZF
-----
40) The Bulldozer Revolution: A Blueprint For American Meddling in Eastern Europe
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Patrick Pillow
“By the summer of 2000, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević appeared firmly entrenched in power. A decade earlier, he had risen to prominence by harnessing Serbian nationalism as Yugoslavia began to fracture. Over time, he consolidated control over political institutions and much of the media while leading Serbia through wars, sanctions, and NATO’s 1999 bombing campaign. Yet beneath the surface, public frustration was growing. The economy was struggling, unemployment remained high, and many Serbians had grown weary of international isolation and authoritarian rule. When Milošević changed election rules in July 2000 to allow the presidency to be decided by popular vote, he likely expected another victory. Instead, the move created an opportunity for a united opposition.” (06/08/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-bulldozer-revolution-a-blueprint-for-american-meddling-in-eastern-europe/
-----
41) Human Life Is So Much Harder Than It Needs To Be
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“We make it so hard for ourselves, this human experience. Like it would be hard enough just being born into mortal bodies that have to experience pain and get sick and deteriorate and die. That alone would be more than enough to deal with. Then on top of all that we go and create these psychological ego structures in our heads that make us miserable for a whole bunch of other reasons that aren’t even real.” (06/08/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/06/08/human-life-is-so-much-harder-than-it-needs-to-be/
-----
42) Lookin’ Out Your Backdoor
Source: The American Conservative
by Bill Kauffman
“Say the powers-that-be determine to site something truly noxious == a radioactive waste dump, a halfway house for child molesters, a data center — in your neighborhood. (These almost inevitably will be government projects or enabled by corporate welfare and subsidies to developers.) You protest. Instead of meeting your sincere remonstrations with arguments, you will be sneeringly called a NIMBY — a Not in My Backyard obstructionist. This epithet can be disorienting. Not in My Backyard? Well, yeah—not in my backyard. What’s wrong with caring about my backyard?” (06/08/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/lookin-out-your-backdoor/
-----
43) Gaza and its people may not survive this phase of ceasefire
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Omar Shaban Ismail
“By corralling millions of Palestinians into 30% of the former strip, Netanyahu is making life there untenable. For hardliners, this is all part of the plan.” (06/08/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/israel-occupation-gaza/
-----
44) The One War Trump Is Winning Is the One Against Us
Source: The Daily Beast
by David Rothkopf
“Trump may not be able to beat Iran, but he sure is kicking the crap out of America.” (06/07/26)
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-one-war-donald-trump-is-winning-is-the-one-against-us/
-----
45) Dems can’t escape Bidens & their drama, even if they’re done covering for them
Source: New York Post
by Miranda Devine
“You could almost feel sorry for Joe Biden when he crashed his wife Jill’s debut book talk in New York last week. Standing in the shadows at the 92nd Street Y, and with no microphone in sight, the former president looked lost as he rasped at his wife: ‘Who do you love most in the whole world?’ Up on stage, resplendent in a pastel skirt suit in her starring role alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Jill responds, ‘Whoopi,’ laughs and turns on her stiletto heel. Maybe it was a comedy routine the former first couple had practiced, but it fell flat. There wasn’t much laughter from the audience. Who humiliates her 83-year-old husband in public to try to boost lackluster book sales? ‘Dr.’ Jill Biden, that’s who …” (06/07/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/06/07/opinion/democrats-cant-escape-the-bidens-and-their-drama-even-if-theyre-done-covering-for-them/
-----
46) Inside the Anti-Tech Rebellion In Schools
Source: Persuasion
by Nicholas Smith
“The average parent of a young American child is now a Millennial. They remember growing up with technology, with computer class, with laptops in high school. They have cellphones, use the internet, and may even work in tech or communications. They have concerns about technology but are happy to incorporate it into their family life when it makes sense. However, they are often deeply shocked when they find out that their 4 year-old is about to be given a Chromebook or an iPad upon entry to kindergarten. They think: isn’t that a little young? They discover that this is now common practice. According to 2022 data, 73% of K-2 classrooms have a 1-to-1 device policy. They ask: Who made this decision?” (06/07/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/inside-the-anti-tech-rebellion-in
-----
47) The Difference Between LGBT and Queer is a Revolutionary One
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“The harsh reality is that while Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender are each specific categories of people who are traditionally Queer, ‘LGBT’ itself is more of a brand than an identity. It is a label used to market these sexual and/or gender minorities to straight people for mainstream consumption. Liberals love it because it’s clean and neat and hyper-specific. Everybody gets a letter and every letter fits into a consumer-friendly box.” (06/07/26)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-difference-between-lgbt-and-queer.html
-----
48) How the cult of mental health created Generation Jobless
Source: spiked
by Linda Murdoch
“Young people have been socialised to see themselves as vulnerable, fragile and incapable of hard graft.” (06/07/26)
https://www.spiked-online.com/2026/06/07/how-the-cult-of-mental-health-created-generation-jobless/
-----
49) ICE Profiteer Claims It Cannot Be Sued
Source: The American Prospect
by Whitney Curry Wimbish
“As immigrant prisoners inside Newark’s Delaney Hall enter their third week of collective action against increasingly inhumane conditions, attorneys for the private prison company that runs it are attempting a new gambit to evade responsibility. GEO Group lawyers argued in a recent court filing that the company is exempt from legal action because it is subject to government oversight …. Plaintiffs allege that GEO systematically forced Aurora, Colorado, ICE prisoners into forced labor, a similar complaint to that of detainees in Delaney Hall. But GEO says it has ‘qualified immunity,’ a doctrine the Supreme Court invented out of whole cloth that is meant to protect government officials from cases brought against them as individuals.” (06/08/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/06/08/ice-profiteer-claims-it-cannot-be-sued-geo-group-delaney-hall-new-jersey/
-----
50) Economic Calculation and the Vaccine Industry
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Jeffrey A Tucker
“The cacophony for and against vaccines – even what is a vaccine is in broad dispute – has reached new level of deafening absurdity. There isn’t just one rabbit hole but hundreds. Compliance is tanking, which is what one would expect after brutal mandates and ubiquitous injury and death. Meanwhile, pharma bots are dominating social media to shame dissidents, while legacy media turns news pages into nonstop shot-and-pill advertising. Everyone is left with questions about whom to trust and what is true. Several states have already seceded from the CDC’s own attempt to change the childhood schedule even slightly. That’s how contentious this issue has become. My thesis: this epistemic nihilism is born of the deliberate subversion of economic signaling systems that would otherwise reveal inconvenient truths.” (06/07/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/economic-calculation-and-the-vaccine-industry/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/08/26
Source: Reason
"Do Democrats Still Have a Big-City Crime Problem?" (06/08/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/06/08/do-democrats-still-have-a-big-city-crime-problem/
-----
52) Rising, 06/08/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on the recent allegations surrounding Maine Democratic Senate Candidate Graham Platner, which have led to some reflecting on the #MeToo movement.” (06/08/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/5911470-rising-june-8-2026/
-----
53) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 06/08/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Übersheep and Orthogonal Things | Interview: Luke Burgis.” (06/08/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/ubersheep-and-orthogonal-things-interview-luke-burgis/
-----
54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 08/06/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“NDAA Sec. 224 Puts America Last!” (06/08/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1yKAPPloeoWxb
-----
55) EconTalk, 06/08/26
Source: EconTalk
“The Self, the Crowd, and Social Contagion (with Luke Burgis).” (06/08/26)
https://www.econtalk.org/the-self-the-crowd-and-social-contagion-with-luke-burgis/
-----
56) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 06/08/26
Source: The New Republic
“Trump 250 Rally Takes Humiliating Turn as MAGA Ally Harshly Mocks Him.” (06/08/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/211464/trump-250-rally-takes-humiliating-turn-maga-ally-harshly-mocks
-----
57) Trump Watch, 06/08/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Trump Watch: Why People Blindly Support Trump.” (06/08/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak3zUD5Qc9A
-----
58) Trita Parsi on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Trita Parsi on Where Things Stand Between Trump and the Iranians.” (06/07/26)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/6-5-26-trita-parsi-on-where-things-stand-between-trump-and-the-iranians/
-----
59) Pink Flame of Liberty, 06/07/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Let’s Watch the June 7, 2026 LNC Meeting.” (06/07/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm_S00fPLC8
-----
60) Fountainhead Forum, episode 456
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Jayant Bhandari on the decline of India and the West.” (06/07/26)
https://rumble.com/v7awm1y-ff-456-jayant-bhandari-on-the-decline-of-india-and-the-west.html
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Today's Freedom News:
1) NYC: Knicks fans boo Trump to sleep
2) Ukraine: Russian attacks kill four
3) Trump predicts US surrender to Iran “just two to three days away”
4) ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan suspended amid sexual misconduct inquiry
5) NY: Regime releases rules for doctor-assisted patient suicide
6) Meta to take legal action against Israeli spyware company NSO
7) UN protests women’s arrests in Afghanistan for alleged clothing violations
8) Italian coffee giant Lavazza launches single-serve tablets to make espresso in the US
9) Lawsuit seeks to stop UFC fight on the White House South Lawn for Trump’s birthday
10) UK: Starmer tells Apple & Google to ban nude images on children’s phones
11) France: Nintendo will pay a $40 million bribe over faulty Joy-Cons
12) Ship ferrying aid from Mexico and Belize docks in Cuba as crises deepen
13) First-ever bear sighting in Japanese city triggers suspensions at 94 schools
14) Kenya: Police Attack Protesters With Chemical Weapons, Arrest Ex Chief Justice at National Park Protest
15) At least 32 dead after major earthquake strikes southern Philippines
16) Armenia: Ruling party wins landslide election victory
17) Ancient palace discovery challenges the myth behind Sparta’s rise to power
18) Secret Service announces plans to harass NBA fans
19) CA: Newsom backtracks, reduces healthcare benefits for undocumented people
20) CA: Nithya Raman leaps past Spencer Pratt in tight race to make LA mayoral runoff
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) How the Libertarian Movement Missed the Authoritarian Moment
22) The Pentagon’s New War — Canceling American Religion and American History
23) Why Trump Seems Confused By His Own War
24) Trump Can’t End War Against Iran Until He Gets Israel Under Control
25) How Much Ethnocentrism is Okay?
26) Pastor’s open letter to Talarico says it all
27) Bessent’s Neo-Mercantilism: New Podium, Old Mistakes
28) An Ode to Bicameralism
29) It Will Stop When the American People Decide to Stop It, and Not Before
30) The way out is significant economic growth
31) Woodrow Wilson’s War Against the Constitution
32) The “Living Wage” Attack on Jobs and Prosperity
33) Critics mock new White House ballroom, but modern security is no joke
34) Obama’s Bonkers Beacon
35) Spheres Within Spheres
36) A Public Bank in California Would Be Costly, Risky, and Unnecessary
37) Gaza: A Meditation on Spirit and Survival
38) We’re Freaking Doomed without Freedom from State Rule
39) Trump Is Doing What FDR Could Not
40) The Bulldozer Revolution: A Blueprint For American Meddling in Eastern Europe
41) Human Life Is So Much Harder Than It Needs To Be
42) Lookin’ Out Your Backdoor
43) Gaza and its people may not survive this phase of ceasefire
44) The One War Trump Is Winning Is the One Against Us
45) Dems can’t escape Bidens & their drama, even if they’re done covering for them
46) Inside the Anti-Tech Rebellion In Schools
47) The Difference Between LGBT and Queer is a Revolutionary One
48) How the cult of mental health created Generation Jobless
49) ICE Profiteer Claims It Cannot Be Sued
50) Economic Calculation and the Vaccine Industry
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/08/26
52) Rising, 06/08/26
53) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 06/08/26
54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 08/06/26
55) EconTalk, 06/08/26
56) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 06/08/26
57) Trump Watch, 06/08/26
58) Trita Parsi on The Scott Horton Show
59) Pink Flame of Liberty, 06/07/26
60) Fountainhead Forum, episode 456
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) NYC: Knicks fans boo Trump to sleep
Source: The Journal [Ireland]
“US president Donald Trump became the first sitting US president to attend – and fall asleep – at an NBA Finals game on Monday night. Tightened security due to Trump’s presence causes huge queues for the highly anticipated game – where the San Antonio Spurs ultimately beat the New York Knicks. During the national anthem at Madison Square Garden Trump was loudly booed by basketball fans, which appeared to cause the president to stop clapping. The 79-year-old who was seated in a private box with Knicks owner James Dolan and his granddaughter Kai Trump, was later caught on camera appearing to have nodded off during the game.” (06/09/26)
https://www.thejournal.ie/trump-was-booed-and-fell-asleep-at-nba-finals-game-7064594-Jun2026/
-----
2) Ukraine: Russian attacks kill four
Source: AOL
“Four people were killed and more than 20 injured after Russia hit Ukraine’s Kharkiv region with missiles and drones, according to officials on Tuesday, while Russia-annexed Crimea said it was repelling drone attacks. The strikes follow large attacks by Russia and Ukraine on each other in recent weeks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week called for an end to the war and proposed direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia, with active U.S. and European participation. The latest attacks came as Zelenskiy was returning to Kyiv from talks in London with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany who said they were ready to support ceasefire talks.” (06/09/26)
https://www.aol.com/articles/three-killed-russian-attacks-ukraines-233049000.html
-----
3) Trump predicts US surrender to Iran “just two to three days away”
Source: Business Standard [India]
“US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said a peace deal with Iran is ‘just two to three days away,’ adding that negotiations between the two nations are in their ‘final throes.’ … Trump’s statement comes a day after Iran said it was halting its operation against Israel after the two nations exchanged missile fire for the first time since a truce took effect in April. However, Iran warned it would resume if Israel’s strikes in southern Lebanon continued. … After the strikes, Trump also warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against actions that could derail the negotiations, amid growing signs of friction between Washington and Tel Aviv over the handling of the conflict.” (06/09/26)
https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/trump-iran-peace-deal-netanyahu-israel-lebanon-conflict-126060900409_1.html
-----
4) ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan suspended amid sexual misconduct inquiry
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“The chief prosecutor of the international criminal court, Karim Khan, has been suspended after a disciplinary process triggered by sexual abuse allegations against him reached a conclusion. The ICC’s governing body announced the decision on Monday evening after its executive committee voted to refer the proceedings against Khan to a special session of the court’s member states for them to consider his future. According to a document seen by the Guardian, the committee of 21 of the court’s member states voted by qualified majority to determine that Khan had committed serious misconduct in connection to the sexual abuse claims. Khan, a prominent British lawyer, has repeatedly denied the allegations which first emerged in 2024 and threw his tenure leading the court’s prosecution department into disarray.” (06/08/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/jun/09/icc-chief-prosecutor-karim-khan-suspended-international-criminal-court
-----
5) NY: Regime releases rules for doctor-assisted patient suicide
Source: New York Post
“New York’s health department released rules for the state’s controversial new doctor-assisted suicide law — as critics argue it’ll herald a ‘new and frightening era’ allowing government and corporations to view patients as expendable. The rules aim to set strict standards for how patients ‘self-administer’ suicide medications, including requiring two verbal requests and mandatory waiting period. … The law allows terminally ill New Yorkers with less than six months to live to make a voluntary, informed decision to request medication to end their lives via suicide.” [editor’s note: No law should be required to “allow” people to make their own decisions about whether to continue their own lives, terminally ill or not – TLK] (06/08/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/06/08/us-news/ny-releases-rules-for-doctor-assisted-patient-suicide-as-critics-cry-of-new-and-frightening-era/
-----
6) Meta to take legal action against Israeli spyware company NSO
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Meta has said it is filing a federal US court contempt order against Israeli spyware firm NSO Group for violating a permanent injunction that barred it from ever targeting WhatsApp and its users. The company said on Monday that its WhatsApp messaging service disrupted new spear phishing attempts linked to NSO, an entity blacklisted by the United States government for engaging in activities that are contrary to national security or foreign policy interests. … Meta said WhatsApp took down test accounts and groups created by NSO on its platform. NSO did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Last year, a US court ordered NSO to stop targeting Meta’s WhatsApp, a development the spyware company warned could put it out of business.” (06/08/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/8/meta-to-take-legal-action-against-israeli-spyware-company-nso
-----
7) UN protests women’s arrests in Afghanistan for alleged clothing violations
Source: Seattle Times
“The United Nations’[s] mission in Afghanistan has expressed concern over what it says are arrests and detentions of women in western Afghanistan for allegedly not adhering to regulations governing how they should dress. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said on X late Sunday that the arrests and detentions in the city of Herat raise ‘serious human rights concerns.’ It did not provide details. Afghanistan’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice dismissed the reports of arrests as ‘rumors.’ … A human rights monitor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release details to the media, said Monday that monitors had verified at least 16 arrests and detentions, including of a pregnant woman, in Herat since Friday over alleged non-compliance with dress requirements.” (06/08/26)
https://archive.is/umWzB
-----
8) Italian coffee giant Lavazza launches single-serve tablets to make espresso in the US
Source: CNBC
“Lavazza is bringing its espresso tablets to the U.S., aiming to loosen Keurig Dr Pepper’s grip on the single-serve coffee category. The Italian coffee giant unveiled Tablì last year and launched the new brewing system first in Italy. The tablets, made of compressed ground coffee without a coating, binder or gelatin, can only be used with a Tablì coffee machine made by Lavazza. Each tablet is marked with the words ‘100% coffee.’ At launch, the tabs will come in five varieties: espresso, double espresso, decaf espresso, super crema and lungo, or a ‘long shot’ espresso brewed with more water. … Lavazza is betting that sustainability is still a top consideration for many coffee drinkers, although Baravalle said that can differ across countries. For years, Keurig’s pods have been dogged by questions about waste, leaving an opening for a competitor with a more environmentally-friendly product.” (06/08/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/08/lavazza-launches-single-serve-tablets-to-make-espresso.html
-----
9) Lawsuit seeks to stop UFC fight on the White House South Lawn for Trump’s birthday
Source: Boston Globe
“A federal lawsuit seeks to halt the upcoming UFC fight card on the White House South Lawn in a mixed martial arts show timed for President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The filing Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents contends the Trump administration’s authorization of the June 14 event was unlawful. The lawsuit says such approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, Congress did not consent to the towering arch overlooking the event space and no environmental review was conducted before the construction.” (06/08/26)
https://archive.is/QJqRz
-----
10) UK: Starmer tells Apple & Google to ban nude images on children’s phones
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Tech companies such as Apple and Google have been asked [sic] by the UK government to block access to naked images on smartphones and other devices for under-18s. Sir Keir Starmer has told firms to either activate built-in features or update software to prevent children from taking, sending or viewing sexually explicit images on their phones and other devices. Speaking at London Tech Week, the prime minister said: ‘This is not an impossible challenge. These are some of the most innovative companies in the world and I believe they can solve it.’ The government said it will bring forward legislation to force firms to activate the features if they do not comply voluntarily [sic] within three months. This could include fines or, as a last resort, criminal liability for companies which do not comply.” (06/08/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly752ydjw6o
-----
11) France: Nintendo will pay a $40 million bribe over faulty Joy-Cons
Source: Engadget
“The Joy-Con stick drift saga never ends. France’s equivalent of the Federal Trade Commission, Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes or DGCCRF for short, hit Nintendo of Europe with a 35 million euro fine, or more than $40 million. The French authority said the fine was for misleading consumers about the stick drift issues found in the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons. … Nintendo has been doing free repairs for Joy-Cons for affected customers since 2019.” [editor’s note: So the “fine” is just a bribe to be allowed to continue doing business, not restitution/compensaation to the buyers of defective products – TLK] (06/08/26)
https://www.engadget.com/2189455/nintendo-will-pay-a-dollar40-million-fine-for-faulty-joy-cons/
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12) Ship ferrying aid from Mexico and Belize docks in Cuba as crises deepen
Source: ABC News
“A ship laden with 1,700 tons of food and other aid collected in Mexico and Belize has docked in Cuba to help ease the island’s crises. Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel said that the aid was sent by government officials in both countries, as well as supporters and Cubans living abroad. ‘We appreciate the supportive embrace in such difficult times,’ Díaz-Canel wrote in a post on X on Sunday. A U.S. energy blockade that began in late January has halted oil shipments to Cuba, which is experiencing severe blackouts and food shortages.” (06/08/26)
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/ship-ferrying-aid-mexico-belize-docks-cuba-crises-133683510
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13) First-ever bear sighting in Japanese city triggers suspensions at 94 schools
Source: New York Post
“The Japanese city of Utsunomiya has suspended all 94 of the primary and middle schools that it operates on Monday after its first-ever bear sighting, a municipal official said. The city of half a million residents, about 100 km (60 miles) north of Tokyo, said the bear was first seen in a residential area near a park on Saturday evening. It remains at large after the last sighting early Monday morning about half a kilometer from a middle school. Bear attacks, including in urban areas, have been on the rise in Japan, prompting the government to set up a task force this year to reduce casualties.” (06/08/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/06/08/world-news/first-ever-bear-sighting-in-japanese-city-triggers-suspensions-at-94-schools/
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14) Kenya: Police Attack Protesters With Chemical Weapons, Arrest Ex Chief Justice at National Park Protest
Source: US News & World Report
“Riot police fired tear gas to disperse scores of protesters rallying on Monday against plans to build on part of a national park in Kenya’s capital. Officers moved in and arrested at least nine people, including former Chief Justice David Maraga, outside the main entrance of Nairobi National Park, Reuters reporters said. The Kenya Wildlife Service has defended the project, saying it will expand an animal orphanage on the site, Africa’s only wildlife reserve within a capital city. Protesters — who waved placards marked with ‘Nature is not vacant land’ and other slogans — say the plans, including a parking area for more than 1,000 vehicles, will encroach on one of Kenya’s most famous protected areas.” (06/08/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-06-08/kenya-police-fire-tear-gas-arrest-ex-chief-justice-at-national-park-protest
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15) At least 32 dead after major earthquake strikes southern Philippines
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“At least 32 people have died after a magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao island in the southern Philippines, officials say. The quake hit at 07:37 local time on Monday (Sunday 23:37 GMT), triggering tsunami alerts in the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and Australia. Some of those were cancelled hours later. Videos and images showed buildings collapsing, including a clip of a Jollibee fast food restaurant reduced to rubble, and landslides have been recorded in some areas. More than 100 people have been injured across several provinces, almost two dozen are missing, and 10,000 residents have been pre-emptively evacuated, authorities have said.” (06/08/26)
https://archive.is/VkUuE
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16) Armenia: Ruling party wins landslide election victory
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s ruling party has won parliamentary elections, preliminary results showed on Monday, a victory seen as endorsement of the nation’s pro-Western shift after threats from Moscow and claims of Russian interference. Pashinyan’s push to forge closer ties with the West and move Armenia out of the orbit of its former imperial ruler has angered the Kremlin and drawn rebukes from President Vladimir Putin. The election comes after years of turmoil since Pashinyan was swept to power in a 2018 street revolution.” (06/07/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260607-armenia-pm-heads-for-win-to-cement-westward-shift
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17) Ancient palace discovery challenges the myth behind Sparta’s rise to power
Source: Fox News
“New historical research suggests that one of the most legendary cities in history did not start out as a conquering warrior state — poking a hole in its founding myth. The study, which centered around Sparta, was recently published by historian Hans Beck in The Annual of the British School at Athens, Cover Media reported. Sparta emerged in the 9th century B.C. and dominated much of the Peloponnese between roughly 700 and 371 B.C. … Though Sparta is often remembered as a warrior society forged through conquest, the historical picture appears to be far more complex. Using archaeological discoveries at a site called Aghios Vasileios, Beck argues that Sparta emerged from an older Lakedaimonian cultural landscape, rather than being created from scratch by conquering warriors.” (06/08/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/travel/ancient-palace-discovery-challenges-myth-behind-spartas-rise-power
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18) Secret Service announces plans to harass NBA fans
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Road closures, no watch parties, bag bans and a gauntlet of security measures will greet fans when they arrive at Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals, as United States President Donald Trump descends on the heart of Manhattan to watch the New York Knicks play the San Antonio Spurs at home. The Knicks have defied the odds to build a 2-0 head start in the best-of-seven series before their first home game of the finals on Monday. … ‘Attendees should anticipate hard street closures in the immediate area surrounding Madison Square Garden,’ Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said. ‘A strict no-bag policy will be enforced, and we want to communicate that early and broadly so fans can plan accordingly. Attendees should also expect Secret Service-level security screening, similar to airport screening procedures.'” (06/08/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/6/8/secret-service-level-security-for-nba-finals-with-trump-attending-game-3
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19) CA: Newsom backtracks, reduces healthcare benefits for undocumented people
Source: SFGate
“At the end of 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom framed it as a matter of principle when under his administration, California became the first state in the nation to pay for undocumented immigrants to use Medicaid. … now Newsom and fellow Democrats in Sacramento are walking back on their promise to provide healthcare access to all. Lawmakers have slashed the program in a series of cuts over the last year with more expected to come. In January, the state froze any new undocumented adults from applying for the program. Dental benefits for undocumented people are set to expire in July. And Newsom’s latest budget proposal, released in May, calls for increasing premiums from a planned $30 to $50 for undocumented people starting in July next year.” (06/08/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/newsom-healthcare-undocumented-immigrants-22292838.php
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20) CA: Nithya Raman leaps past Spencer Pratt in tight race to make LA mayoral runoff
Source: NBC News
“Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman, a Democrat, has taken a narrow lead for second place over former reality TV star Spencer Pratt, a registered Republican, in the race to take on Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a runoff this fall. NBC News projected Bass’[s] advancing to the runoff last week, but the outstanding question, as the city and the state continue counting ballots, is whom she will face and what kind of matchup that will be. NBC News hasn’t projected the winner of the other spot in the runoff. … Los Angeles still has more than 100,000 votes left to count.” (06/07/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/nithya-raman-leaps-spencer-pratt-tight-unresolved-race-make-l-mayoral-rcna348781
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) How the Libertarian Movement Missed the Authoritarian Moment
Source: The UnPopulist
by Marlene Laruelle
Interview with Shikha Dalmia. Dalmia: “My break with libertarianism happened when Trump arrived on the scene. I was working at Reason magazine at that time and, the minute Trump came down the golden escalator, it was clear to me that he was a different kind of politician: he was a demagogue and an authoritarian, he didn’t really understand liberalism, and he didn’t understand America’s core commitments. … It is not that libertarians were completely unconcerned about Trump; it’s that they were just not taking the threat seriously. They were treating him as a normal politician, just bad in a different kind of way and, at best, maybe a corrective to the excesses of the left. This chasm between me and libertarian circles just kept growing, and it was getting hard to get my point of view taken seriously.” (06/08/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/how-the-libertarian-movement-missed
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22) The Pentagon’s New War — Canceling American Religion and American History
Source: The Volokh Conspiracy
by Professor Paul Finkelman
“The Trump administration recently announced that it is removing about 180 religions from those recognized by the Pentagon. This is an obvious violation of the First Amendment’s protection of religious liberty. In essence, the Administration has ‘established’ 31 religions as acceptable to the U.S. government and denied religious freedom to members of many other faiths. … The message of the administration is that some faiths matter, and many do not. There seems to be some politics involved here. The ‘liberal’ Unitarian/Universalist Church, which is as old as the nation itself, is no longer officially a church. Nor are churches tied to minorities, such as the Native American Church or the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME).” (06/08/26)
https://reason.com/volokh/2026/06/08/the-pentagons-new-war-canceling-american-religion-and-american-history/
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23) Why Trump Seems Confused By His Own War
Source: Persuasion
by Sam Kahn
“With all the bravado that tends to accompany Donald Trump, something else has been striking me recently—when faced with major decisions, there’s a way in which he carries himself like a wise fool in a Shakespeare play, bemused by all the tumult that’s going on around him. In a revealing moment, on March 17, when asked to explain why the United States was at war with Iran, Trump said, ‘You could say we did it out of habit’ — as if the war was just a bit of noise going on in the background and had nothing really to do with him. … what is this storm that sweeps Trump along, this force that he can only bemusedly watch? I would argue that it’s political realism — the doctrine that’s taken over the second Trump administration, maybe not entirely with Trump willing it, but which marks a fundamentally different era in international relations.” (06/08/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/trump-misunderstands-realism
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24) Trump Can’t End War Against Iran Until He Gets Israel Under Control
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Connor Echols
“Amid a rapid escalation between Israel and Iran, Yemen’s Houthis have rejoined the Iran war, launching a volley of missiles at Israel and pledging to implement ‘a complete and total ban’ of Israeli shipping in the Red Sea. It’s safe to say that the tenuous ceasefire in the Middle East is now unraveling. President Donald Trump demanded that all parties deescalate, writing on Truth Social Monday morning that ‘Final negotiations on ‘Peace’ are proceeding’ so long as ‘ignorance or stupidity’ don’t get in their way. But the latest developments suggest that the United States has limited control over the path of the conflict, which is now entering its fourth month.” (06/08/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/iran-war-escalation/
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25) How Much Ethnocentrism is Okay?
Source: Racket News
by Matt Taibbi
“I don’t think of America as a ‘white’ country. To me the best part of our system is that anyone can be an American overnight, provided he or she accepts a few minor guidelines, like agreeing to tolerate other religions and embrace free speech. As for the early academic weasel word ‘ethnocentrism,’ it’s so close in meaning to ‘chauvinism’ that it probably never needed to exist, but in the name of making work for Yale social scientists, we apparently must live with it. How chauvinistic should Americans be? I don’t know. Just enough? As much as any other citizen of any other place?” (06/08/26)
https://www.racket.news/p/how-much-ethnocentrism-is-okay
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26) Pastor’s open letter to Talarico says it all
Source: Washington Times
by Everett Piper
“The list of biblical absurdities from James Talarico, the Democratic Senate candidate in Texas, continues to grow. In addition to his claims that God is ‘nonbinary,’ that ‘the Bible is silent about abortion’ and that there are ‘six different genders,’ we now have his contention that Mary’s consent to the virgin birth is a story about her being ‘pro-choice.’ How should we respond? Well, sometimes someone else has already said it better than you ever could. The following is an abbreviated version of an open letter written by Jeff Mullen, a pastor from Nevada, and posted to his social media on May 29.” [editor’s note: Except for the six-genders nonsense, and the concept of “informed consent” for a minor, a case can be made for each of the other statements, if you view the Bible as an “inspired” metaphysical history book written by human beings – SAT] [additional editor’s note: Judaism, in the Midrash and Talmud, does in fact recognize six genders — Zachar, Nekevah, Androgynos, Tumtum, Ay’Ionit, and Saris – TLK] (06/07/26)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jun/7/pastors-open-letter-senate-candidate-james-talarico-says/
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27) Bessent’s Neo-Mercantilism: New Podium, Old Mistakes
Source: The Daily Economy
by David Hebert
“Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and others argue that tariffs and industrial policy can restore America’s strength. In reality, diversified supply chains and open markets provide greater resilience than economic nationalism.” (06/08/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/bessents-neo-mercantilism-new-podium-old-mistakes/
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28) An Ode to Bicameralism
Source: Law & Liberty
by Ojel L Rodríguez Burgos
“Bicameralism has been a vital safeguard of liberty — it would be sorely missed if Western democracies traded it away.” (06/08/26)
https://lawliberty.org/an-ode-to-bicameralism/
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29) It Will Stop When the American People Decide to Stop It, and Not Before
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis
“We can blame the politicians. We can castigate them mightily, and we should, because they have — both parties — become a liability to the nation, wholly untrustworthy, corrupt and self-centered. Hey, Republicans: ‘If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small’ (Proverbs 24:10). Maybe no thought in human history describes gutless Republican Party politicians better than that. Here is one that perfectly pictures the Democrats: ‘Every intent of the thoughts of [their] heart [is] only evil continually’ (Genesis 6:5). Back to the days of Noah … But, yeah, while we can, and should, reprimand politicians of both parties, who is really to blame here? Who elects the politicians to office? Ultimately, the American people have no one to blame but themselves for the condition of their country.” (06/08/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2026/06/08/it-will-stop-when-the-american-people-decide-to-stop-it-and-not-before-n2677388
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30) The way out is significant economic growth
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Tim Worstall
“We’re told that the national debt is about to murder the economy in its bed …. Given that taxation is already at historical highs as a level of everything more of that’s not going to work. The idea that there will ever be any significant cuts in spending is, aha, aha, one of those solutions not to be found in the possible space of political solutions. Sure, we’d be delighted to point to all the things government shouldn’t be doing to bring the bill down but we do agree that a Parliament that would do this is unlikely. Which leaves only the one other possible solution — change the denominator. Debt at 100/100 is a different thing from debt at 100/200. So, grow the economy.” (06/08/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/the-way-out-is-significant-economic-growth
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31) Woodrow Wilson’s War Against the Constitution
Source: American Greatness
by Jon Fleischman
“When I survey the long parade of presidents who led this country, from giants like Washington and Lincoln to the mediocrities and failures, one man stands apart as uniquely destructive: Woodrow Wilson. When he entered the White House in 1913, he brought unusual credentials: a doctorate from Johns Hopkins, a scholarly reputation, and experience leading Princeton University. Americans thought they were getting their first true scholar-president. What they got instead was the worst president in American history, a man whose toxic blend of intellectual arrogance, racial prejudice, and authoritarian instincts inflicted wounds on this country that we are still trying to heal. Wilson’s academic background shaped everything in his presidency, sometimes for better, often for worse. He approached governing like a professor addressing a stubborn class, convinced that if he explained things clearly enough, everyone would eventually see the wisdom of his vision.” (06/08/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/06/08/woodrow-wilsons-war-against-the-constitution/
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32) The “Living Wage” Attack on Jobs and Prosperity
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“Rep. Ro Khanna’s minimum wage proposal promises prosperity but would likely price many low-skilled workers out of the labor market.” (06/08/26)
https://reason.com/2026/06/08/the-living-wage-attack-on-jobs-and-prosperity/
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33) Critics mock new White House ballroom, but modern security is no joke
Source: Fox News
by Brett L Tolman
“This year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner should have been the same as any other: a beloved, annual tradition that brings together the media, politicians, and administration officials to celebrate our free press, build relationships, and honor the First Amendment. Instead, the event served as a reminder of the urgent need to modernize and secure the White House complex. The third assassination attempt of President Donald Trump proves these are no longer random acts. This is a pattern.” [editor’s note: And yet Trump is going out to a basketball game. Apparently security is only a considerration when he wants to build something – TLK] (06/08/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/critics-mock-new-white-house-ballroom-modern-security-joke
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34) Obama’s Bonkers Beacon
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“‘We had the idea of a beacon,’ said the architect who designed the Obama Presidential Center.
It looks like … a triumph of brutalist … whimsy? (Is that even possible?) A science-fictional housing for our ET overlords, maybe. Or something worse. Perhaps Baphomet poses inside. You’ve probably seen the outside of the monstrosity by now. If you’re like me, you’ve marveled at this triumph of bad taste. It surely symbolizes something, but what?” (06/08/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/06/08/obamas-bonkers-beacon/
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35) Spheres Within Spheres
Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders
“Friedrich Hayek spent much of his later life thinking about a tension at the heart of civilization. The rules that make large-scale social life possible are often not the ones our evolved instincts would tend to generate on their own. Humans evolved for life in small, familiar groups, but eventually we learned to live within a far more impersonal civilization — one sustained by property, contract, law, and market exchange, and by standards of conduct that no one designed. That order did not arise from a blueprint or command. … That insight still has force, but it leaves a critical question open.” (06/08/26)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/spheres-within-spheres
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36) A Public Bank in California Would Be Costly, Risky, and Unnecessary
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Matt Fleming
“Forming a state-run bank in California would be a massive undertaking for which the state is woefully unqualified. It’s also a big risk to taxpayers and is totally unnecessary. But lawmakers were pushing forward anyway.” (06/08/26)
https://fee.org/articles/a-public-bank-in-california-would-be-costly-risky-and-unnecessary/
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37) Gaza: A Meditation on Spirit and Survival
Source: Antiwar.com
by M Reza Behnam
“The human spirit cannot comprehend the reality of tens of thousands of Palestinians entombed beneath mountains of pulverized concrete. The very air of Gaza carries the heavy toxic dust of war and of extinguished lives. To gaze upon the ruins, is to confront not only its physical erasure, but the malign systematic campaign of the Israeli regime to wholly erase Palestinian ethnic, cultural and national identity – the very definition of genocide.” (06/08/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/reza_behnam/2026/06/07/gaza-a-meditation-on-spirit-and-survival/
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38) We’re Freaking Doomed without Freedom from State Rule
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by George Ford Smith
“For now, at least, we know what computers can and cannot do. Whatever their limitations, it is clear their development is on an exponential path, and any shortcomings will be short-lived. … The combination of these strengths will be formidable, to say the least. And these strengths will continue to grow exponentially. It’s quite possible this technology could become the exclusive domain of the state, the only organization that ‘legitimately’ acquires its revenue by theft, which it enforces with a vengeance. Despite its elaborate pretensions and propaganda, the state, by its nature, is the enemy of the people, as all criminals are.” (06/08/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/were-freaking-doomed-without-freedom-state-rule
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39) Trump Is Doing What FDR Could Not
Source: Foreign Policy
by Julian E Zelizer
“To understand the hold that Trump has on his party, it is useful to look back to the 1938 midterms, when Franklin D. Roosevelt — one of the most consequential presidents in U.S. history — failed to keep his party on the same page. When Roosevelt tried to purge the Democratic Party of conservative Southern legislators who were holding back his New Deal, the president found himself on the losing end of the battle, empowering the very forces he was trying to stop. … The irony, though, is that, despite his defeat in 1938, Roosevelt ultimately helped build a far more enduring Democratic coalition. … Trump, by contrast, has tied his party to a deeply unpopular leader and agenda.” (06/08/26)
https://archive.is/MNRZF
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40) The Bulldozer Revolution: A Blueprint For American Meddling in Eastern Europe
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Patrick Pillow
“By the summer of 2000, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević appeared firmly entrenched in power. A decade earlier, he had risen to prominence by harnessing Serbian nationalism as Yugoslavia began to fracture. Over time, he consolidated control over political institutions and much of the media while leading Serbia through wars, sanctions, and NATO’s 1999 bombing campaign. Yet beneath the surface, public frustration was growing. The economy was struggling, unemployment remained high, and many Serbians had grown weary of international isolation and authoritarian rule. When Milošević changed election rules in July 2000 to allow the presidency to be decided by popular vote, he likely expected another victory. Instead, the move created an opportunity for a united opposition.” (06/08/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-bulldozer-revolution-a-blueprint-for-american-meddling-in-eastern-europe/
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41) Human Life Is So Much Harder Than It Needs To Be
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“We make it so hard for ourselves, this human experience. Like it would be hard enough just being born into mortal bodies that have to experience pain and get sick and deteriorate and die. That alone would be more than enough to deal with. Then on top of all that we go and create these psychological ego structures in our heads that make us miserable for a whole bunch of other reasons that aren’t even real.” (06/08/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/06/08/human-life-is-so-much-harder-than-it-needs-to-be/
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42) Lookin’ Out Your Backdoor
Source: The American Conservative
by Bill Kauffman
“Say the powers-that-be determine to site something truly noxious == a radioactive waste dump, a halfway house for child molesters, a data center — in your neighborhood. (These almost inevitably will be government projects or enabled by corporate welfare and subsidies to developers.) You protest. Instead of meeting your sincere remonstrations with arguments, you will be sneeringly called a NIMBY — a Not in My Backyard obstructionist. This epithet can be disorienting. Not in My Backyard? Well, yeah—not in my backyard. What’s wrong with caring about my backyard?” (06/08/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/lookin-out-your-backdoor/
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43) Gaza and its people may not survive this phase of ceasefire
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Omar Shaban Ismail
“By corralling millions of Palestinians into 30% of the former strip, Netanyahu is making life there untenable. For hardliners, this is all part of the plan.” (06/08/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/israel-occupation-gaza/
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44) The One War Trump Is Winning Is the One Against Us
Source: The Daily Beast
by David Rothkopf
“Trump may not be able to beat Iran, but he sure is kicking the crap out of America.” (06/07/26)
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-one-war-donald-trump-is-winning-is-the-one-against-us/
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45) Dems can’t escape Bidens & their drama, even if they’re done covering for them
Source: New York Post
by Miranda Devine
“You could almost feel sorry for Joe Biden when he crashed his wife Jill’s debut book talk in New York last week. Standing in the shadows at the 92nd Street Y, and with no microphone in sight, the former president looked lost as he rasped at his wife: ‘Who do you love most in the whole world?’ Up on stage, resplendent in a pastel skirt suit in her starring role alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Jill responds, ‘Whoopi,’ laughs and turns on her stiletto heel. Maybe it was a comedy routine the former first couple had practiced, but it fell flat. There wasn’t much laughter from the audience. Who humiliates her 83-year-old husband in public to try to boost lackluster book sales? ‘Dr.’ Jill Biden, that’s who …” (06/07/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/06/07/opinion/democrats-cant-escape-the-bidens-and-their-drama-even-if-theyre-done-covering-for-them/
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46) Inside the Anti-Tech Rebellion In Schools
Source: Persuasion
by Nicholas Smith
“The average parent of a young American child is now a Millennial. They remember growing up with technology, with computer class, with laptops in high school. They have cellphones, use the internet, and may even work in tech or communications. They have concerns about technology but are happy to incorporate it into their family life when it makes sense. However, they are often deeply shocked when they find out that their 4 year-old is about to be given a Chromebook or an iPad upon entry to kindergarten. They think: isn’t that a little young? They discover that this is now common practice. According to 2022 data, 73% of K-2 classrooms have a 1-to-1 device policy. They ask: Who made this decision?” (06/07/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/inside-the-anti-tech-rebellion-in
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47) The Difference Between LGBT and Queer is a Revolutionary One
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“The harsh reality is that while Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender are each specific categories of people who are traditionally Queer, ‘LGBT’ itself is more of a brand than an identity. It is a label used to market these sexual and/or gender minorities to straight people for mainstream consumption. Liberals love it because it’s clean and neat and hyper-specific. Everybody gets a letter and every letter fits into a consumer-friendly box.” (06/07/26)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-difference-between-lgbt-and-queer.html
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48) How the cult of mental health created Generation Jobless
Source: spiked
by Linda Murdoch
“Young people have been socialised to see themselves as vulnerable, fragile and incapable of hard graft.” (06/07/26)
https://www.spiked-online.com/2026/06/07/how-the-cult-of-mental-health-created-generation-jobless/
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49) ICE Profiteer Claims It Cannot Be Sued
Source: The American Prospect
by Whitney Curry Wimbish
“As immigrant prisoners inside Newark’s Delaney Hall enter their third week of collective action against increasingly inhumane conditions, attorneys for the private prison company that runs it are attempting a new gambit to evade responsibility. GEO Group lawyers argued in a recent court filing that the company is exempt from legal action because it is subject to government oversight …. Plaintiffs allege that GEO systematically forced Aurora, Colorado, ICE prisoners into forced labor, a similar complaint to that of detainees in Delaney Hall. But GEO says it has ‘qualified immunity,’ a doctrine the Supreme Court invented out of whole cloth that is meant to protect government officials from cases brought against them as individuals.” (06/08/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/06/08/ice-profiteer-claims-it-cannot-be-sued-geo-group-delaney-hall-new-jersey/
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50) Economic Calculation and the Vaccine Industry
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Jeffrey A Tucker
“The cacophony for and against vaccines – even what is a vaccine is in broad dispute – has reached new level of deafening absurdity. There isn’t just one rabbit hole but hundreds. Compliance is tanking, which is what one would expect after brutal mandates and ubiquitous injury and death. Meanwhile, pharma bots are dominating social media to shame dissidents, while legacy media turns news pages into nonstop shot-and-pill advertising. Everyone is left with questions about whom to trust and what is true. Several states have already seceded from the CDC’s own attempt to change the childhood schedule even slightly. That’s how contentious this issue has become. My thesis: this epistemic nihilism is born of the deliberate subversion of economic signaling systems that would otherwise reveal inconvenient truths.” (06/07/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/economic-calculation-and-the-vaccine-industry/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 06/08/26
Source: Reason
"Do Democrats Still Have a Big-City Crime Problem?" (06/08/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/06/08/do-democrats-still-have-a-big-city-crime-problem/
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52) Rising, 06/08/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on the recent allegations surrounding Maine Democratic Senate Candidate Graham Platner, which have led to some reflecting on the #MeToo movement.” (06/08/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/5911470-rising-june-8-2026/
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53) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 06/08/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Übersheep and Orthogonal Things | Interview: Luke Burgis.” (06/08/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/ubersheep-and-orthogonal-things-interview-luke-burgis/
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54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 08/06/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“NDAA Sec. 224 Puts America Last!” (06/08/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1yKAPPloeoWxb
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55) EconTalk, 06/08/26
Source: EconTalk
“The Self, the Crowd, and Social Contagion (with Luke Burgis).” (06/08/26)
https://www.econtalk.org/the-self-the-crowd-and-social-contagion-with-luke-burgis/
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56) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 06/08/26
Source: The New Republic
“Trump 250 Rally Takes Humiliating Turn as MAGA Ally Harshly Mocks Him.” (06/08/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/211464/trump-250-rally-takes-humiliating-turn-maga-ally-harshly-mocks
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57) Trump Watch, 06/08/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Trump Watch: Why People Blindly Support Trump.” (06/08/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak3zUD5Qc9A
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58) Trita Parsi on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Trita Parsi on Where Things Stand Between Trump and the Iranians.” (06/07/26)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/6-5-26-trita-parsi-on-where-things-stand-between-trump-and-the-iranians/
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59) Pink Flame of Liberty, 06/07/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Let’s Watch the June 7, 2026 LNC Meeting.” (06/07/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm_S00fPLC8
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60) Fountainhead Forum, episode 456
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Jayant Bhandari on the decline of India and the West.” (06/07/26)
https://rumble.com/v7awm1y-ff-456-jayant-bhandari-on-the-decline-of-india-and-the-west.html
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