07/06 -- Ukraine: At least 11 killed in second Russian strike on Kyiv in a week; From America 200 to America 250: A Personal Journey
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Thomas L. Knapp
Jul 6, 2026, 6:14:35 AM (yesterday) Jul 6
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 07/06/26
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Ukraine: At least 11 killed in second Russian strike on Kyiv in a week
2) Bitcoin pops to $63,900, then reverses, as week begins
3) China: Regime Test Fires Missile in the Pacific for the First Time Since 2024
4) Iran: Regime confirms new service fees for Strait of Hormuz, promises special treatment for allies
5) MI: McMorrow Drops Out of US Senate Primary
6) Hungary: Magyar files constitutional amendment to fire Orbán-allied president
7) FBI stole more than 600 drones near World Cup events
8) Eastern US Power Grid Operator Orders Emergency Curbs as Electricity Use Nears Record
9) NYC: Swift, Kelce married in ceremony officiated by Adam Sandler
10) Germany: Protesters clash with police in anti-Nazi riots
11) Pope defends migrants on symbolic visit to key immigration hub Lampedusa
12) Treasury Department launches “Trump Accounts” for children under 18
13) Turkey: Regime bars American LGBTQ+ cruise from ports, citing “moral values”
14) CA: Paul Pelosi investigated in hit-and-run
15) Peru: Fujimori declared winner of presidential election weeks after vote
16) China: Regime releases underground church pastor after months in detention
17) Congressional testimony: Manson murders allegedly tied to CIA mind control experiments
18) First known congressional SpaceX stock buys surface after record IPO
19) Lawyer warns abducted Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya is in critical condition
20) Monaco: Regime IDs suspect in bomb attack on Ukrainian oligarch
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) From America 200 to America 250: A Personal Journey
22) The Beauty Of Online Anonymity
23) The Great American Betrayal
24) Why Jason Watson is Wrong, Even if You Agree With What He Stands For
25) AI and the false consciousness trap
26) Can We Restore the Principles of 1776?
27) Freddy the World Cup Tourist and Tocqueville’s Hopes for America
28) Unfinished Republic: What I’m Teaching My Daughter About America’s Founding
29) The principle of Americanness
30) Vive la France!
31) A Semiquincentennial Psalm
32) When the Law Kills Your Electric Car Dealership
33) Empire Managers Invent Fake Threats So We Won’t Fight The Real Monsters
34) AI and Exams
35) Tax Foreclosures May Be Unconstitutional Takings
36) Israel Is an Apartheid State – and Its Weird Marriage Laws Show Us How
37) The Declaration still terrifies socialists and tyrants, here and abroad
38) The Spirit of Liberty in 1776 versus Today’s Political Paternalism
39) Why the US Government Acquiring OpenAI Equity Destroys Free Markets
40) Foreign Policy Restraint Is an American Promise
41) A Citizen’s Declaration of Independence for July 4, 2026
42) Tracing Jefferson’s Libertarian Thought in the Declaration of Independence
43) Forget the Vietnam war “gap,” we have a real credibility chasm today
44) A New Kind of State
45) Melat Kiros’s perverse views are the latest evidence that US schools need to be fixed
46) Quantum Vibe, 07/03/26
47) These Difficult States
48) Americans Will Never Shut Up or Do As We’re Told
49) Marco Rubio’s Dangerous Diplomacy in Lebanon
50) The Declaration
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Pink Flame of Liberty, 07/04/26
52) The Political Orphanage, 07/03/26
53) Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila, 07/04/26
54) Free Talk Live, 07/04/26
55) Focus Group, 07/04/26
56) Partisan Press Conference (Episode 4)
57) The Mark Edge Show, 07/03/26
58) The Liberty Exchange, 07/03/26
59) The Dispatch Podcast, 07/03/26
60) Freakonomics Radio, episode 680
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Ukraine: At least 11 killed in second Russian strike on Kyiv in a week
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“At least 11 people have been killed in Kyiv following a second night of Russian strikes on the Ukrainian capital in a week, the city’s top military administrator has said. Some 46 people have been injured, including five children, Timur Tkachenko added. Three more people were killed in the wider Kyiv region, emergency officials said. Rescue efforts are continuing at more than 20 locations, Tkachenko posted on Telegram, adding that residential high-rise buildings were hit in two districts. The strikes come on the eve of the Nato summit in Turkey, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to hold talks with President Trump.” (07/06/26)
https://archive.is/gZYzE
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2) Bitcoin pops to $63,900, then reverses, as week begins
Source: CoinDesk
“Bitcoin touched $63,882 overnight before retreating to around $62,900, per CoinDesk data. The 24-hour high of $63,900 held briefly before sellers pushed it back down. Thursday’s U.S. jobs report came in weaker than expected, giving liquidity-sensitive assets a lift heading into the weekend.” (07/06/26)
https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2026/07/06/live-markets-bitcoin-pops-to-usd63-900-then-reverses-as-week-begins
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3) China: Regime Test Fires Missile in the Pacific for the First Time Since 2024
Source: New York Times
“China test fired an intercontinental ballistic missile with a dummy warhead in the Pacific Ocean on Monday, the first such launch in two years. The missile was launched from a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine and sent a ‘mock warhead’ into the Pacific Ocean, according to a report from Xinhua, China’s official news agency. … The launch came as the leaders of Australia and Fiji announced a mutual defense treaty and a regional security alliance, the latest in a string of agreements Canberra has been striking in with Pacific Island nations widely viewed as efforts to push back against China’s encroachment in the region. Governments in the region were warned of the launch shortly beforehand.” (07/06/26)
https://archive.is/fmT3O
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4) Iran: Regime confirms new service fees for Strait of Hormuz, promises special treatment for allies
Source: Firstpost [India]
“Iran has announced plans to introduce new service fees for commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, while indicating that countries which supported Tehran during the recent conflict could receive preferential treatment. The announcement was made by Iran’s Ambassador to China, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, during the World Peace Forum in Beijing on Saturday. He said Iran was working with Oman on a new framework to manage traffic through one of the world’s most important maritime routes. The proposal comes after a temporary arrangement between Iran and the US under which commercial vessels were allowed to use the Hormuz without charge for 60 days following a ceasefire. It remains unclear when the new system will take effect.” (07/05/26)
https://www.firstpost.com/world/iran-plans-new-service-fees-for-strait-of-hormuz-promises-special-treatment-for-allies-14028982.html
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5) MI: McMorrow Drops Out of US Senate Primary
Source: US News & World Report
“Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow suspended her Democratic campaign for the U.S. Senate on Sunday, turning a three-way primary race in a key battleground state into a head-to-head between a moderate and a progressive. McMorrow’s exit leaves centrist U.S. Representative Haley Stevens and progressive public health advocate Abdul El-Sayed as the remaining candidates vying to face Republican former U.S. Representative Mike Rogers.” (07/05/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2026-07-05/michigan-democrat-drops-out-of-us-senate-primary
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6) Hungary: Magyar files constitutional amendment to fire Orbán-allied president
Source: Politico
“Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar on Saturday filed a 12-point proposal to amend the constitution aimed at ousting President Tamás Sulyok and to reduce the influence of the previous administration of Viktor Orbán. One of the key points in the proposal that Magyar announced on social media is the ‘termination of the current president’s term of office.’ Other points include a three-term limit for members of the national parliament, the introduction of a more independent Constitutional Court, and a 70-year age limit for judges to serve, as well as the establishment of a National Asset Recovery and Asset Protection Office, to recover funds misappropriated during Orban’s rule. The current president of the court, Péter Polt, is 70, so the change would effectively end his term.” (07/05/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/peter-magyar-files-constitutional-change-to-fire-viktor-orban-allied-president-hungary-tamas-sulyok/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication
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7) FBI stole more than 600 drones near World Cup events
Source: NBC News
“The FBI says it has [stolen] more than 600 drones near FIFA World Cup sites after authorities determined the devices violated restricted airspace since the tournament began on June 11. The total number of [stolen] drones nationwide has doubled in less than two weeks. The FBI, along with accredited operators from local and state law enforcement around the country, is monitoring drone activity near World Cup competitions and related fan fest events.” (07/04/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/soccer/fbi-seized-600-drones-world-cup-events-rcna353006
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8) Eastern US Power Grid Operator Orders Emergency Curbs as Electricity Use Nears Record
Source: US News & World Report
“U.S. power grid operator PJM, the nation’s largest covering much of the East Coast and Midwest, on Friday ordered customers in emergency electricity-reduction programs to curb their use, as it battled generator outages, overloaded transmission lines and surging air-conditioning demand during a prolonged heat wave. In an emergency alert, activated in line with utilities’ conservation programs, PJM said the order applied to industrial and residential electricity users with contracts that pay them in return for mandatory consumption cuts during emergencies. … The power grid operator serves 67 million people in the Mid-Atlantic, South and Washington, D.C., areas. Even before this week’s heat wave, it had been straining to overhaul a system pushed to the brink by surging energy demand from data centers and electric vehicles.” (06/03/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2026-07-03/largest-us-power-grid-pjm-escalates-emergency-actions-to-avoid-blackouts
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9) NYC: Swift, Kelce married in ceremony officiated by Adam Sandler
Source: CBS News
“After months of speculation and predictions, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were married as they celebrated their wedding with hundreds of guests Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. A representative for Swift confirmed in a statement provided to CBS News that the two were married in a ceremony officiated by comedian Adam Sandler. He was described by the representative as a ‘friend’ of the couple. … The duo announced their engagement last August in a joint Instagram post captioned: ‘Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.'” (07/04/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-wedding-day-madison-square-garden-nyc/
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10) Germany: Protesters clash with police in anti-Nazi riots
Source: Fox News
“Tens of thousands of far-left [sic] protesters flooded the streets and clashed with police in the Germany city of Erfurt on Saturday as they protested the conservative [sic] Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Videos showed police beating back agitators with batons and deploying anti-riot ordnance as the demonstrators chanted against the country’s conservative [sic] Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in a massive political rally. Police said over 30,000 people attended the demonstrations, according to the Associated Press (AP), and people could be seen carrying signs reading ‘Stop AfD Nazis’ and ‘For Diversity, Against Nazis.'” (07/04/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/world/tens-thousands-far-left-protesters-clash-police-anti-conservative-party-riots
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11) Pope defends migrants on symbolic visit to key immigration hub Lampedusa
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Pope Leo XIV on Saturday visited Italy’s Lampedusa island, a major port of call for migrants risking the perilous crossing from Africa, in a stark message to US and EU leaders. The Catholic Church’s first US pope, who has clashed with the administration of President Donald Trump over its treatment of migrants, is marking July 4, the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence, on a migration frontline. … After praying at the unmarked graves of shipwreck victims, the 70-year-old stood alone on the island’s rocky shoreline, buffeted by the wind as he looked out to sea, where countless migrant boats have been lost to the waves. He spoke to a migrant family before taking the children by the hand and standing along with their pregnant mother at the ‘Door of Europe’, a monument dedicated to people who risk everything in search of a better life.” (07/04/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260704-pope-defends-migrants-at-mediterranean-island-frontier
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12) Treasury Department launches “Trump Accounts” for children under 18
Source: United Press International
“The Trump administration officially launched ‘Trump Accounts’ on July 4, which have been set up for parents to save money for their children. The accounts, which include $1,000 for each child who is born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028 — President Donald Trump’s current term in office — can now be set up by parents after their authorization in last year’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’ The federal savings program is available for any child under 18, and can accept up to $5,000 in contributions per year, although the $1,000 seed funds for the accounts are only available to children born during Trump’s current term.” (07/04/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/07/04/treasury-department-launches-trump-accounts/8951783197610/
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13) Turkey: Regime bars American LGBTQ+ cruise from ports, citing “moral values”
Source: New York Post
“Turkey has reportedly blocked an American LGBTQ+ cruise from docking at two of its ports, citing ‘moral values’ in the latest sign of the Islamist-run government’s increasingly hardline stance toward the LGBTQ+ community. The ‘Athens to Venice’ voyage organized by Los Angeles-based Atlantis Events was scheduled to stop in the western Turkish port of Kuşadası on July 7 before continuing to Istanbul. Instead, the cruise will now visit Cairo, Egypt, and the Greek island of Crete, according to CNN, which first reported the ban.” (07/04/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/07/04/us-news/turkey-bars-american-lgbtq-cruise-from-ports-citing-moral-values/
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14) CA: Paul Pelosi investigated in hit-and-run
Source: Politico
“Paul Pelosi, husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is suspected of crashing into a parked car and leaving the scene over the Fourth of July weekend, law enforcement officials said Saturday. The Napa County Sheriff’s Office said that on Friday in Yountville, California, a witness reported a brown convertible striking a legally parked, unoccupied vehicle, stopping briefly and driving away. The parked car sustained major rear damage.” (07/04/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/04/paul-pelosi-investigated-in-hit-and-run-00987120
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15) Peru: Fujimori declared winner of presidential election weeks after vote
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori has been declared the winner of Peru’s tight presidential election, nearly a month after the vote took place. The 51-year-old won 50.135% of voters’ support in the runoff, held on 7 June, to 49.865% for left-wing candidate Roberto Sánchez – a margin of less than 50,000 votes, figures certified by Peru’s electoral court show. It is the fourth time the daughter of disgraced former President Alberto Fujimori has sought the South American nation’s presidency, promising this time to oversee a crackdown on organised crime.” (07/04/26)
https://archive.is/fN2oj
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16) China: Regime releases underground church pastor after months in detention
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The founder of a prominent underground church in China has been released after months in detention, his family and a Christian rights group said. ChinaAid said Pastor Jin Mingri, also known by his English name Ezra Jin, landed in Los Angeles on July 4 after being held in detention centres in the southern Chinese city of Beihai since October. … Jin founded Zion Church in Beijing in 2007 and became one of the most recognisable figures in China’s underground Christian movement. The Zion Church is among the largest underground or house churches in China that are unregistered with authorities. They defy a requirement that believers worship only in registered congregations.” (07/05/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/5/china-releases-underground-church-pastor-after-months-in-detention
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17) Congressional testimony: Manson murders allegedly tied to CIA mind control experiments
Source: Fox News
“House Republicans revisited long-standing questions last week about possible links between the CIA’s infamous MKUltra program and Charles Manson’s murderous cult, as lawmakers revealed newly discovered agency records are being prepared for declassification. Tuesday’s hearing before the House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets quickly delved into allegations that the CIA concealed the true scope of its Cold War-era mind-control program, with witnesses reviving claims involving Manson, Jack Ruby and decades of alleged government secrecy. Task Force Chair Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., opened the hearing by accusing the CIA of carrying out illegal human experimentation on unwitting Americans before destroying evidence to hide the program.” (07/05/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/us/manson-murders-allegedly-tied-cia-mind-control-experiments-congressional-testimony
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18) First known congressional SpaceX stock buys surface after record IPO
Source: CNBC
“Two members of Congress — Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., and Rep. Gil Cisneros, D-Calif. — have disclosed that they or their family members bought SpaceX stock in the days after the company’s historic initial public offering, according to publicly accessible House financial documents. Meuser recently disclosed that his dependent child made a June 15 purchase of between $15,001 and $50,000 of stock in the company. According to financial disclosures, it was the first time in several years Meuser or one of his family members has bought stock in an individual company. Cisneros disclosed a June 18 purchase of between $1,001 and $15,000 in SpaceX stock. SpaceX, Elon Musk’s aerospace and satellite company, went public on June 12 with a $2 trillion-plus market cap.” (07/03/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/03/spacex-stock-congress-meuser-cisneros-ipo-disclosure.html
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19) Lawyer warns abducted Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya is in critical condition
Source: SFGate
“The lawyer for a prominent Palestinian doctor who was [abducted] by Israeli forces 18 months ago said his client has been abused in captivity and is in critical condition, according to the human rights group representing him. Hussam Abu Safiya who served as director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, became the face of health workers struggling to treat patients throughout the Israel-Hamas war. He led the facility through an 85-day siege by the Israeli military, releasing videos in which he pleaded for help before he was [abducted] in December 2024. He has not been charged.” (07/05/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/lawyer-warns-detained-palestinian-doctor-hussam-22333019.php
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20) Monaco: Regime IDs suspect in bomb attack on Ukrainian oligarch
Source: Deutsche Welle [German state media]
“Monaco authorities have issued an Interpol Red Notice for a Ukrainian woman believed to have carried out a parcel bombing earlier this week that seriously wounded a Ukrainian-born oligarch and two others, including a 13-year-old. An Interpol Red Notice is a request to locate and provisionally arrest a suspect. It is not an international arrest warrant. The alert lists three charges: ‘attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place with criminal intent’ and ‘criminal conspiracy.’ The Red Notice identifies the suspect as a 39-year-old woman, Anastasiia Berezovska, a Ukrainian national.” (07/03/26)
https://www.dw.com/en/monaco-ids-suspect-in-bomb-attack-on-ukrainian-oligarch/a-77814163
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) From America 200 to America 250: A Personal Journey
Source: Chris’s Substack
by Chris Matthew Sciabarra
“My journey from America 200 to America 250 encompassed a fifty-year period of deep losses and incredible triumphs. To have survived two emergency surgeries in October 2025, I count my blessings that I am even here to mark the two-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of American independence. Quite frankly, given life-long health problems, it was almost inconceivable for 16-year-old Chris to project the possibility of 66-year-old Chris. But these fifty years of living, writing, and thinking about America and its founding document have illuminated a recurring motif in my work. What unites the 16-year-old and the 66-year-old is not merely an appreciation of ideas, but a commitment to understanding how ideas evolve alongside changing contexts.” (07/04/26)
https://chrismatthewsciabarra.substack.com/p/from-america-200-to-america-250-a
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22) The Beauty Of Online Anonymity
Source: Independent Institute
by Scott Beyer
“Social media platforms are full of ‘anon’ accounts these days. Particularly with Elon Musk’s purchase of X (formerly Twitter) and the de-censorship of that platform, many such accounts are dropping explosive ideas—about race, gender, immigration, etc.—from behind the safety of their screens. Some say this is harmful for society—free speech gone too far—while others mock the accounts for being cowardly. But anonymous communication is a time-worn American tradition, providing a useful check to government power while normalizing ideas that needed to be stated and debated all along.” (07/03/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/07/03/the-beauty-of-online-anonymity/
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23) The Great American Betrayal
Source: The Hill
by John Mac Ghlionn
“It wasn’t long ago that a losing candidate would give a dignified, mildly depressing concession speech, lick his wounds and try again in four years. That gentleman’s agreement is dead. Now, losing an election is treated as definitive proof of a deep-state conspiracy, while winning is celebrated as a mandate to crush the opposition. Elections in the U.S. now function less as democratic transfers of power and more like weaponized custody disputes. Supercharging this collective psychological break is the tech industry, which realized early on that rage drives engagement far better than nuance. The algorithms don’t want us to get along. Peace is bad for profit margins. Instead, citizens are all trapped in bespoke digital echo chambers designed to confirm their worst fears.” (07/04/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/politics/5952390-america-250-years-crisis/
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24) Why Jason Watson is Wrong, Even if You Agree With What He Stands For
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“No one forced Major Watson to accept an Air Force Commission. That choice — and the choice to be bound by the UCMJ and by DOD directives — was Major Watson’s and Major Watson’s alone. So was the choice to violate the rules he chose, of his own free will, to be bound by. While I’m on record as noticing that the Constitution doesn’t seem to matter much to those who rule us when those rulers find its strictures inconvenient, one of its features does make a good deal of sense for nearly any social or political system. That feature is requiring that civilians control the armed forces rather than vice versa.” (07/04/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20724
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25) AI and the false consciousness trap
Source: Unherd
by Yanis Varoufakis
“The connection with whether Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or DeepSeek are conscious or not is becoming clear. Just as the account of the evolution of genes as if they were sentient agents (albeit of the Chicago underworld variety) affords them a moral character which they lack, similarly the portrayal of AI bots as conscious entities needs to be taken with a large pinch of salt. Scientifically speaking, all that goes on is that microscopic perturbations yield macroscopic consequences. Their proliferation, or extinction, is an indirect by-product of that dynamic — nothing more. Causality abounds, but teleology, intent or consciousness do not.” [editor’s note: I suspect the only quality unique to humans may be our denial/fear that anything could possibly be like us; AI is just the current scenario in which many people feel the need to find … or perhaps fantasize … differences – TLK](07/04/26)
https://archive.is/QZQ67
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26) Can We Restore the Principles of 1776?
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis
“The world (at least by choice) is not going back to the horse and buggy age. We live in technologically advanced societies that have given us many wonderful inventions that make our lives far more convenient, if not always simpler. We credit ‘science’ with these advances, and frankly, that is both good and bad. The good, of course, are the medical breakthroughs, etc. that have aided mankind to enjoy this existence longer and more comfortably. We all should rejoice and be thankful for this. But unfortunately, that has led some people, too many people, to elevate science as ‘God’. Thus, 1776, in all ways and thoughts, is ancient, outmoded history, to be abandoned and forgotten …” (07/04/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2026/07/04/can-we-restore-the-principles-of-1776-n2678804
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27) Freddy the World Cup Tourist and Tocqueville’s Hopes for America
Source: EconLog
by Joy Buchanan
“In the 1830s, a French aristocrat named Alexis de Tocqueville traveled through the United States and returned home with Democracy in America, a penetrating analysis of a society marked by energetic voluntary associations and a restless spirit of enterprise. Tocqueville admired much of what he saw, but his verdict was not uncomplicated. Near the end of the book, he wrote, ‘I feel full of fears and full of hopes.’ Two centuries later, another European visitor is offering a portrait of America. Freddy (@FreddyLA7), a German soccer fan road-tripping across the country for the 2026 World Cup, has become an enthusiastic chronicler of American life. Where Tocqueville wrote volumes about institutions, Freddy posts photographs and exclamations about Buc-ee’s, Waffle House, and enormous houses. He’s also documenting the kindness of strangers.” (07/03/26)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/freddy-the-world-cup-tourist
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28) Unfinished Republic: What I’m Teaching My Daughter About America’s Founding
Source: The Daily Economy
by Laura Williams
“Americans fall short of our founding ideal that all are created equal. But reformers have fought ever since to fulfill that promise.” (07/03/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/unfinished-republic-what-im-teaching-my-daughter-about-americas-founding/
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29) The principle of Americanness
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“Sometimes, the confluence of disparate events unexpectedly illuminates ideas and ideals that have universal and enduring resonance. Three occasions that come to mind this July Fourth, fittingly, revolve around the essential nature of Americanness, of what it is to be American: the weekend celebrations of 250 years of independence, the Supreme Court ruling this week on birthright citizenship, and the annual recognition of ‘Great Immigrants, Great Americans’. The thread of citizen rights and responsibilities weaves through each of these, uniting evolving conceptions of freedom, self-government, and individual achievement from the nation’s past through to its present. In their 1776 Declaration of Independence from British rule, the Founding Fathers claimed for all future Americans the ‘unalienable Rights’ of ‘Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’.” (07/03/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0704/The-principle-of-Americanness
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30) Vive la France!
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson
“Congress was in Philadelphia, and Lafayette landed in South Carolina—he was an idealist, not a geographer. But with a letter of recommendation from Ben Franklin in his hand, he made his way up to Philadelphia, where Congress, grateful for the services of an enthusiastic young aristocrat who had the good taste to bring along his own money, commissioned the 19-year-old as a major general. … Lafayette was wounded at Brandywine, endured the hardships of Valley Forge, and was one of the key players when the tide was turned at Yorktown. Lafayette also provided a critical channel between the upstart Americans and the French monarchy, whose financial and naval power were simply indispensable to the project of American independence. No Lafayette, no United States of America. Spit hot contempt at foreign aid all you like: No foreign aid from France, no United States of America.” (07/03/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/france-america-history-allies-lafayette/
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31) A Semiquincentennial Psalm
Source: American Greatness
by Thaddeus G McCotter
“On the occasion of the Semiquincentennial anniversary of our free republic, many citizens will recognize and celebrate American Exceptionalism, including our nation’s Founders, its seminal documents, history, and undeniable legacy in advancing the cause of human liberty and self-government throughout the world. It is both appropriate and fitting that all this be done during the ‘America 250’ festivities. Still, there will also be indictments of all three from our republic’s current left-leaning malcontents, who often appear unaware of the irony and hypocrisy in their positions. The Left seeks to replace the very U.S. Constitution that protects their God-given right to assemble and voice their views. Further, despite their risible claims to promote ‘democracy’, the Left instead seeks to replace our free republic’s system of self-government with a centralized, elitist rule advancing a secular, identitarian civic religion of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’. Such an outcome is decidedly not ‘progressive’.” (07/04/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/07/04/a-semiquincentennial-psalm/
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32) When the Law Kills Your Electric Car Dealership
Source: Wired
by Aarian Marshall
“Dealers who invested in Polestar won’t be able to sell in the US next year after the federal government denied an authorization that would have allowed the company to avoid a Chinese tech ban.” (07/03/26)
https://archive.is/WVvKK
-----
33) Empire Managers Invent Fake Threats So We Won’t Fight The Real Monsters
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Can’t stop waging wars or the western empire will collapse. So they make up fake threats from dictators and tyrants and take action to stop them. Can’t stop inflating the military budget and circling the planet with more and more war machinery or the military-industrial complex will stop reaping profits. So they tell you to be afraid of Muslims and ‘terrorists’ and Russia and China and take action to protect you from them. … Can’t stop supporting Israeli atrocities or they’ll hamstring their hegemonic agendas in west Asia and make an enemy of the Zionists. So they create a boogie man of ‘antisemitism’ and set up envoys, inquiries and task forces dedicated to stopping it.” (07/04/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/07/04/empire-managers-invent-fake-threats-so-we-wont-fight-the-real-monsters/
-----
34) AI and Exams
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“The existence of AI, like the earlier problem of students buying papers online, reduces the ability of teachers to test their students but does not eliminate it, is inconvenient but not catastrophic. It makes some kinds of testing more difficult but not impossible; Serrano could have asked students whose midterms were suspiciously good to explain some of their answers and failed any obviously unable to do so. That would have been additional work for him and, judging by the article, not a policy Brown would have endorsed. Unwilling or unable to do that that he can base his future grading on work done in-person and adequately monitored.” (07/03/26)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/ai-and-exams
-----
35) Tax Foreclosures May Be Unconstitutional Takings
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Rachel Chiu
“Last week, the Supreme Court held in Pung v. Isabella County that when a home is taken by the government and sold at a tax foreclosure auction, the sale proceeds satisfy the constitutional requirement for ‘just compensation’ to the owner. This unanimous decision appears to be a loss for homeowners and property rights. But the justices stopped short of sanctioning the County’s actions, leaving some of the most important questions for another day.” (07/03/26)
https://fee.org/articles/tax-foreclosures-may-be-unconstitutional-takings/
-----
36) Israel Is an Apartheid State – and Its Weird Marriage Laws Show Us How
Source: Antiwar.com
by Jonathan Cook
“Israel’s supporters have gone apoplectic over a short post on X from the journalist Mehdi Hasan, highlighting Israel’s peculiar marriage laws. Hasan asks: ‘Did you know that you can’t have a civil or secular marriage in Israel?’ He’s not wrong. Israel has banned civil marriage. You can wed only in a ceremony strictly controlled by religious authorities. If you want a civil marriage, you have to travel to another country. Why, you might reasonably wonder. Isn’t Israel a modern, secular, western-style liberal democracy? After all, that’s what our politicians and media keep telling us. The most popular rejoinder to Hasan from Israel’s apologists – that the situation is no better in Saudi Arabia – is not quite the flex they seem to imagine. So Israel offers the same human rights protections as Saudi Arabia? Impressive.” (07/03/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/cook/2026/07/02/israel-is-an-apartheid-state-and-its-weird-marriage-laws-show-us-how/
-----
37) The Declaration still terrifies socialists and tyrants, here and abroad
Source: Fox News
by Newt Gingrich
“This Fourth of July matters more than most for three reasons. First, it is the historic 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration is the most radical political document ever written. It challenged millennia of thought about monarchs having rights and commoners being mere subjects, peasants or even slaves. Suddenly, people on the edge of a continent decided that they would challenge the entire system that dominated their world. Kings, czars and emperors were put on notice that power did not come from them; it came from God. The single phrase, ‘We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’, enunciated a transfer of authority and power from the head of government to the citizen.” (07/04/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/newt-gingrich-declaration-still-terrifies-socialists-tyrants-here-abroad
-----
38) The Spirit of Liberty in 1776 versus Today’s Political Paternalism
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Richard M Ebeling
“As friends of freedom, our duty is to remind our fellow Americans what that Declaration of Independence really means — the ideals that it represents about free man, voluntary society, and limited government. The spirit of liberty still glows in America like dying embers in what was once a bright flame of freedom.” (07/03/26)
https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/the-spirit-of-liberty-in-1776-versus-todays-political-paternalism/
-----
39) Why the US Government Acquiring OpenAI Equity Destroys Free Markets
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey
“I think we can all agree that talk about artificial intelligence (AI) is near-constant. And now we hear that OPENAI (the parent of ChatGPT) is offering 5% of its equity to the U.S. Government, valued at an estimated $40 billion. This is perhaps the most expensive bribe I’ve seen in U.S. history, as such a stake would help OPENAI ease up on political pressure and regulatory scrutiny. Talk about greasing the wheels, is Sam Altman that desperate?” (07/03/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/why-the-us-government-acquiring-openai
-----
40) Foreign Policy Restraint Is an American Promise
Source: The American Conservative
by Reid Smith
“Hours before Iran’s national soccer team took the pitch in Seattle for its group-stage match against Egypt, the U.S. Central Command announced further strikes against the Islamic Republic. This sequence was without obvious precedent. A World Cup host nation had never bombed a participating country during the tournament. Fortunately, FIFA had already provided the punchline by awarding President Donald Trump the FIFA Peace Prize just over six months before the tournament’s opening kickoff. The scene is absurd, but the paradox is typically American. As we reflect on the anniversary of our independence, we may confront the fact that America has always struggled to reconcile words and deeds. We are an ambitious country littered with contradictions between the tales we tell ourselves and the actions that we take.” (07/03/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/foreign-policy-restraint-is-an-american-promise/
-----
41) A Citizen’s Declaration of Independence for July 4, 2026
Source: Common Dreams
by John Raby
“The history of the government of the United States in this century, especially under this president, is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all tending to the establishment of a corporate despotism over the American people. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. On repeated occasions, the current government has manipulated elections from which officials have assumed their offices. A government whose character is thus marked by actions that exhibit such arrogance is unfit to be the government of a free people. Its current president has allowed his subordinates to suggest a postponement of the constitutionally required date of a presidential election, a step unprecedented in United States history, even in times of war and civil rebellion. While doing so, he has suggested that no further national elections will be necessary.” [editor’s note: This began with a paraphrase of the actual D of I, and went downhill into this partisan from there – SAT](07/04/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/2026-declaration-of-independence
-----
42) Tracing Jefferson’s Libertarian Thought in the Declaration of Independence
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Joshua Mawhorter
“Humans, by their nature, have rights that exist prior to and independent of the state and other people. These rights cannot be surrendered, transferred, sold, or legitimately taken away because they are inherent to human beings by nature. These rights are negative in that they restrict aggression against them. These rights include life, liberty, and the limited, non-aggressive pursuit of happiness, as well as the right of self-ownership and property rights, which are inferred from the previous rights. Jefferson may not have followed John Locke’s triad—life, liberty, and property—exactly because of the issue of slavery. If what Jefferson said about rights is the case, then slavery would be an evident denial of self-ownership.” (07/03/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/tracing-jeffersons-libertarian-thought-declaration-independence
-----
43) Forget the Vietnam war “gap,” we have a real credibility chasm today
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Gregory Daddis
“Leadership has spun, misled, and kept the populace in the dark through many wars during the country’s 250-year history. This may be the worst.” (07/03/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/us-iran-war-trump-credibility/
-----
44) A New Kind of State
Source: Law & Liberty
by Paul Seaton
“Modern political philosophy and modern politics brought ‘the State’ to the fore in novel and contentious ways. Leo Strauss argued that Machiavelli’s concept of ‘lo stato’ was an essential component of a revolution in human thought and aspiration. The Treaty of Westphalia is rightly said to have inaugurated a new international order in Europe, precisely with its legitimatization of absolute territorial sovereignty, expanding upon the principle of cuius regio, eius religio—that is, the modern state system. And Will Morrisey, in his Regime Change: What It Is, Why It Matters, argued that fledgling America sought to escape the Westphalian conception with a new understanding of liberal republican government.” (07/03/26)
https://lawliberty.org/a-new-kind-of-state/
-----
45) Melat Kiros’s perverse views are the latest evidence that US schools need to be fixed
Source: New York Post
by staff
“America’s educational system has clearly failed, judging by the recent comments of 29-year-old lawyer Melat Kiros, who just won a Democratic primary in Colorado and is now a sure bet for Congress. And if we fail to fix that system (and to dispel young folks of the absurd notion that America and Israel are, essentially, the root of all the world’s problems) the nation faces a rocky road ahead for sure. Kiros, a member of the radical Democratic Socialists of America, just dethroned Rep. Diana DeGette (D), despite (or maybe because of) her repugnant assertions. She has claimed, for example, that 9/11 was ‘inevitable’ because the United States ‘destabilized a lot of the Middle East’, which convinced people that ‘violence was the only response’.” [editor’s note: Is it significant or just ironic that Dr. Ron Paul said almost the same thing when the plane attacks happened, yet this is now considered leftist ravings? – SAT] (07/04/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/07/04/opinion/melat-kiros-sick-views-are-just-the-latest-evidence-that-us-schools-need-to-be-fixed/
-----
46) Quantum Vibe, 07/03/26
Source: Quantum Vibe
Cartoon. (07/03/26)
https://www.quantumvibe.com/strip?page=2596
-----
47) These Difficult States
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“I’ve been a U.S. citizen for more than a quarter of the 250 years that there has been a United States.
Proud to be an American? Yes. Not because my country, or more specifically our government, has always been spectacular, or even in the right. I’ve taken a few lumps battling against the government. More than ‘proud to be an American,’ which was admittedly an accident of birth, I’m proud of America.” (07/03/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/07/03/these-difficult-states/
-----
48) Americans Will Never Shut Up or Do As We’re Told
Source: Reason
by Matt Welch
“Two distinctly American traits that powered the Revolution: We don’t like being told what to do by our supposed betters, and we really don’t like being told to shut up.” (07/03/26)
https://reason.com/2026/07/03/americans-will-never-shut-up-or-do-as-were-told/
-----
49) Marco Rubio’s Dangerous Diplomacy in Lebanon
Source: The American Prospect
by Nathan Thompson
“While Secretary of State Marco Rubio seemed to maintain a low profile while the Iran war’s violence was at its apex, content to focus on projects closer to his heart in the Americas, he has now re-emerged at the helm of Israel-Lebanon diplomacy. That diplomacy has produced an agreement that is roiling Lebanese society, perceived as a functional surrender to the ongoing Israeli occupation. Many commentators were impressed by Vice President JD Vance’s candid rebukes of Israeli excesses, but Rubio’s Lebanon track demonstrates how the pro-Israel wing of the White House is reasserting itself, peace with Iran be damned. The Lebanon front may receive far less media attention than the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its economic fallout, but it has been no less central to the helter-skelter effort to end Trump and Netanyahu’s war.” (07/03/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/07/03/marco-rubios-dangerous-diplomacy-in-lebanon/
-----
50) The Declaration
Source: Free Association
by Sheldon Richman
“If for no other reason, the 250-year-old Declaration of Independence deserves adoration for its invocation of each individual’s rights to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ The significance of that phrase, which overshadows everything else in Thomas Jefferson’s composition (it clarifies the meaning of ‘all men are created equal’), cannot be exaggerated. Unfortunately, those words are so familiar—which should have been a good thing—that they long ago blended with the landscape. By and large, people have stopped noticing it and lack appreciation for it. Unlike in the 1700s, it has become a cliché.” (07/03/26)
https://sheldonrichman.substack.com/p/tgif-the-declaration
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Pink Flame of Liberty, 07/04/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Mises Caucus: Laying Rotten Eggs in the LP’s Nest.” (07/04/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3Ssq-rvDYI
-----
52) The Political Orphanage, 07/03/26
Source: The Political Orphanage
“George Washington’s Anti-Daddy.” (07/03/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/george-washingtons-anti-daddy
-----
53) Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila, 07/04/26
Source: Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila
“Facing Tyranny: Ammon Bundy on Liberty, Property, and Resistance.” (07/04/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMp3mfRUdAc
-----
54) Free Talk Live, 07/04/26
Source: Free Talk Live
“TJ the Spy back in his true home in the Shire for a week :: TJ’s experience being forced to testify to the feds in Ian’s case :: Ian’s railroading :: freeiannow.org :: Porcfest drama :: Public schooling is getting us fleeced :: Forkfest a success :: If your man isn’t cheating on you then he has a porn collection :: Mr.Bitcoin and Bitcoin Ghandi’s activism before Ian’s trial :: Try not to take the plea deal :: True spirituality rejects the violence of the empire :: 2026-07-04 Host: Bonnie, TJ The Spy, Uber Jorge, Riley O’Bill, Angelo.” (07/04/26)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/ftl2026-07-04
-----
55) Focus Group, 07/04/26
Source: The Bulwark
“The Second Trump Election Broke Something in America (w/ Heather Cox Richardson).” (07/04/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBE68EKHq2c
-----
56) Partisan Press Conference (Episode 4)
Source: Reason
“Republican and Democratic coaches take questions from the press.” (07/03/26)
https://reason.com/video/2026/07/04/partisan-press-conference-episode-4/
-----
57) The Mark Edge Show, 07/03/26
Source: Free Talk Live
“Mark Edge welcomes Lauren Noone, sister of Jay Noone and founder of Rooted Free, a community based project in New Hampshire focused on living a freer, more self-sufficient life.” (07/03/26)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/mesrootedfree
-----
58) The Liberty Exchange, 07/03/26
Source: The Liberty Exchange
“A Radical Experiment in Liberty: A conversation with Brad Birzer.” (07/03/26)
https://shows.acast.com/the-liberty-exchange/episodes/a-conversation-with-brad-birzer
-----
59) The Dispatch Podcast, 07/03/26
Source: The Dispatch
“What the Birthright Citizenship Decisions Mean for Conservatism.” (07/03/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/dispatch-podcast/what-the-birthright-citizenship-decisions-mean-for-conservatism/
-----
60) Freakonomics Radio, episode 680
Source: Freakonomics
“Can Universities Win Back Our Trust?” (07/03/26)
https://freakonomics.com/podcast/can-universities-win-back-our-trust/
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Ukraine: At least 11 killed in second Russian strike on Kyiv in a week
2) Bitcoin pops to $63,900, then reverses, as week begins
3) China: Regime Test Fires Missile in the Pacific for the First Time Since 2024
4) Iran: Regime confirms new service fees for Strait of Hormuz, promises special treatment for allies
5) MI: McMorrow Drops Out of US Senate Primary
6) Hungary: Magyar files constitutional amendment to fire Orbán-allied president
7) FBI stole more than 600 drones near World Cup events
8) Eastern US Power Grid Operator Orders Emergency Curbs as Electricity Use Nears Record
9) NYC: Swift, Kelce married in ceremony officiated by Adam Sandler
10) Germany: Protesters clash with police in anti-Nazi riots
11) Pope defends migrants on symbolic visit to key immigration hub Lampedusa
12) Treasury Department launches “Trump Accounts” for children under 18
13) Turkey: Regime bars American LGBTQ+ cruise from ports, citing “moral values”
14) CA: Paul Pelosi investigated in hit-and-run
15) Peru: Fujimori declared winner of presidential election weeks after vote
16) China: Regime releases underground church pastor after months in detention
17) Congressional testimony: Manson murders allegedly tied to CIA mind control experiments
18) First known congressional SpaceX stock buys surface after record IPO
19) Lawyer warns abducted Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya is in critical condition
20) Monaco: Regime IDs suspect in bomb attack on Ukrainian oligarch
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) From America 200 to America 250: A Personal Journey
22) The Beauty Of Online Anonymity
23) The Great American Betrayal
24) Why Jason Watson is Wrong, Even if You Agree With What He Stands For
25) AI and the false consciousness trap
26) Can We Restore the Principles of 1776?
27) Freddy the World Cup Tourist and Tocqueville’s Hopes for America
28) Unfinished Republic: What I’m Teaching My Daughter About America’s Founding
29) The principle of Americanness
30) Vive la France!
31) A Semiquincentennial Psalm
32) When the Law Kills Your Electric Car Dealership
33) Empire Managers Invent Fake Threats So We Won’t Fight The Real Monsters
34) AI and Exams
35) Tax Foreclosures May Be Unconstitutional Takings
36) Israel Is an Apartheid State – and Its Weird Marriage Laws Show Us How
37) The Declaration still terrifies socialists and tyrants, here and abroad
38) The Spirit of Liberty in 1776 versus Today’s Political Paternalism
39) Why the US Government Acquiring OpenAI Equity Destroys Free Markets
40) Foreign Policy Restraint Is an American Promise
41) A Citizen’s Declaration of Independence for July 4, 2026
42) Tracing Jefferson’s Libertarian Thought in the Declaration of Independence
43) Forget the Vietnam war “gap,” we have a real credibility chasm today
44) A New Kind of State
45) Melat Kiros’s perverse views are the latest evidence that US schools need to be fixed
46) Quantum Vibe, 07/03/26
47) These Difficult States
48) Americans Will Never Shut Up or Do As We’re Told
49) Marco Rubio’s Dangerous Diplomacy in Lebanon
50) The Declaration
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Pink Flame of Liberty, 07/04/26
52) The Political Orphanage, 07/03/26
53) Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila, 07/04/26
54) Free Talk Live, 07/04/26
55) Focus Group, 07/04/26
56) Partisan Press Conference (Episode 4)
57) The Mark Edge Show, 07/03/26
58) The Liberty Exchange, 07/03/26
59) The Dispatch Podcast, 07/03/26
60) Freakonomics Radio, episode 680
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Ukraine: At least 11 killed in second Russian strike on Kyiv in a week
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“At least 11 people have been killed in Kyiv following a second night of Russian strikes on the Ukrainian capital in a week, the city’s top military administrator has said. Some 46 people have been injured, including five children, Timur Tkachenko added. Three more people were killed in the wider Kyiv region, emergency officials said. Rescue efforts are continuing at more than 20 locations, Tkachenko posted on Telegram, adding that residential high-rise buildings were hit in two districts. The strikes come on the eve of the Nato summit in Turkey, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to hold talks with President Trump.” (07/06/26)
https://archive.is/gZYzE
-----
2) Bitcoin pops to $63,900, then reverses, as week begins
Source: CoinDesk
“Bitcoin touched $63,882 overnight before retreating to around $62,900, per CoinDesk data. The 24-hour high of $63,900 held briefly before sellers pushed it back down. Thursday’s U.S. jobs report came in weaker than expected, giving liquidity-sensitive assets a lift heading into the weekend.” (07/06/26)
https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2026/07/06/live-markets-bitcoin-pops-to-usd63-900-then-reverses-as-week-begins
-----
3) China: Regime Test Fires Missile in the Pacific for the First Time Since 2024
Source: New York Times
“China test fired an intercontinental ballistic missile with a dummy warhead in the Pacific Ocean on Monday, the first such launch in two years. The missile was launched from a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine and sent a ‘mock warhead’ into the Pacific Ocean, according to a report from Xinhua, China’s official news agency. … The launch came as the leaders of Australia and Fiji announced a mutual defense treaty and a regional security alliance, the latest in a string of agreements Canberra has been striking in with Pacific Island nations widely viewed as efforts to push back against China’s encroachment in the region. Governments in the region were warned of the launch shortly beforehand.” (07/06/26)
https://archive.is/fmT3O
-----
4) Iran: Regime confirms new service fees for Strait of Hormuz, promises special treatment for allies
Source: Firstpost [India]
“Iran has announced plans to introduce new service fees for commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, while indicating that countries which supported Tehran during the recent conflict could receive preferential treatment. The announcement was made by Iran’s Ambassador to China, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, during the World Peace Forum in Beijing on Saturday. He said Iran was working with Oman on a new framework to manage traffic through one of the world’s most important maritime routes. The proposal comes after a temporary arrangement between Iran and the US under which commercial vessels were allowed to use the Hormuz without charge for 60 days following a ceasefire. It remains unclear when the new system will take effect.” (07/05/26)
https://www.firstpost.com/world/iran-plans-new-service-fees-for-strait-of-hormuz-promises-special-treatment-for-allies-14028982.html
-----
5) MI: McMorrow Drops Out of US Senate Primary
Source: US News & World Report
“Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow suspended her Democratic campaign for the U.S. Senate on Sunday, turning a three-way primary race in a key battleground state into a head-to-head between a moderate and a progressive. McMorrow’s exit leaves centrist U.S. Representative Haley Stevens and progressive public health advocate Abdul El-Sayed as the remaining candidates vying to face Republican former U.S. Representative Mike Rogers.” (07/05/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2026-07-05/michigan-democrat-drops-out-of-us-senate-primary
-----
6) Hungary: Magyar files constitutional amendment to fire Orbán-allied president
Source: Politico
“Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar on Saturday filed a 12-point proposal to amend the constitution aimed at ousting President Tamás Sulyok and to reduce the influence of the previous administration of Viktor Orbán. One of the key points in the proposal that Magyar announced on social media is the ‘termination of the current president’s term of office.’ Other points include a three-term limit for members of the national parliament, the introduction of a more independent Constitutional Court, and a 70-year age limit for judges to serve, as well as the establishment of a National Asset Recovery and Asset Protection Office, to recover funds misappropriated during Orban’s rule. The current president of the court, Péter Polt, is 70, so the change would effectively end his term.” (07/05/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/peter-magyar-files-constitutional-change-to-fire-viktor-orban-allied-president-hungary-tamas-sulyok/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication
-----
7) FBI stole more than 600 drones near World Cup events
Source: NBC News
“The FBI says it has [stolen] more than 600 drones near FIFA World Cup sites after authorities determined the devices violated restricted airspace since the tournament began on June 11. The total number of [stolen] drones nationwide has doubled in less than two weeks. The FBI, along with accredited operators from local and state law enforcement around the country, is monitoring drone activity near World Cup competitions and related fan fest events.” (07/04/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/soccer/fbi-seized-600-drones-world-cup-events-rcna353006
-----
8) Eastern US Power Grid Operator Orders Emergency Curbs as Electricity Use Nears Record
Source: US News & World Report
“U.S. power grid operator PJM, the nation’s largest covering much of the East Coast and Midwest, on Friday ordered customers in emergency electricity-reduction programs to curb their use, as it battled generator outages, overloaded transmission lines and surging air-conditioning demand during a prolonged heat wave. In an emergency alert, activated in line with utilities’ conservation programs, PJM said the order applied to industrial and residential electricity users with contracts that pay them in return for mandatory consumption cuts during emergencies. … The power grid operator serves 67 million people in the Mid-Atlantic, South and Washington, D.C., areas. Even before this week’s heat wave, it had been straining to overhaul a system pushed to the brink by surging energy demand from data centers and electric vehicles.” (06/03/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2026-07-03/largest-us-power-grid-pjm-escalates-emergency-actions-to-avoid-blackouts
-----
9) NYC: Swift, Kelce married in ceremony officiated by Adam Sandler
Source: CBS News
“After months of speculation and predictions, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were married as they celebrated their wedding with hundreds of guests Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. A representative for Swift confirmed in a statement provided to CBS News that the two were married in a ceremony officiated by comedian Adam Sandler. He was described by the representative as a ‘friend’ of the couple. … The duo announced their engagement last August in a joint Instagram post captioned: ‘Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.'” (07/04/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-wedding-day-madison-square-garden-nyc/
-----
10) Germany: Protesters clash with police in anti-Nazi riots
Source: Fox News
“Tens of thousands of far-left [sic] protesters flooded the streets and clashed with police in the Germany city of Erfurt on Saturday as they protested the conservative [sic] Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Videos showed police beating back agitators with batons and deploying anti-riot ordnance as the demonstrators chanted against the country’s conservative [sic] Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in a massive political rally. Police said over 30,000 people attended the demonstrations, according to the Associated Press (AP), and people could be seen carrying signs reading ‘Stop AfD Nazis’ and ‘For Diversity, Against Nazis.'” (07/04/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/world/tens-thousands-far-left-protesters-clash-police-anti-conservative-party-riots
-----
11) Pope defends migrants on symbolic visit to key immigration hub Lampedusa
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Pope Leo XIV on Saturday visited Italy’s Lampedusa island, a major port of call for migrants risking the perilous crossing from Africa, in a stark message to US and EU leaders. The Catholic Church’s first US pope, who has clashed with the administration of President Donald Trump over its treatment of migrants, is marking July 4, the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence, on a migration frontline. … After praying at the unmarked graves of shipwreck victims, the 70-year-old stood alone on the island’s rocky shoreline, buffeted by the wind as he looked out to sea, where countless migrant boats have been lost to the waves. He spoke to a migrant family before taking the children by the hand and standing along with their pregnant mother at the ‘Door of Europe’, a monument dedicated to people who risk everything in search of a better life.” (07/04/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260704-pope-defends-migrants-at-mediterranean-island-frontier
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12) Treasury Department launches “Trump Accounts” for children under 18
Source: United Press International
“The Trump administration officially launched ‘Trump Accounts’ on July 4, which have been set up for parents to save money for their children. The accounts, which include $1,000 for each child who is born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028 — President Donald Trump’s current term in office — can now be set up by parents after their authorization in last year’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’ The federal savings program is available for any child under 18, and can accept up to $5,000 in contributions per year, although the $1,000 seed funds for the accounts are only available to children born during Trump’s current term.” (07/04/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/07/04/treasury-department-launches-trump-accounts/8951783197610/
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13) Turkey: Regime bars American LGBTQ+ cruise from ports, citing “moral values”
Source: New York Post
“Turkey has reportedly blocked an American LGBTQ+ cruise from docking at two of its ports, citing ‘moral values’ in the latest sign of the Islamist-run government’s increasingly hardline stance toward the LGBTQ+ community. The ‘Athens to Venice’ voyage organized by Los Angeles-based Atlantis Events was scheduled to stop in the western Turkish port of Kuşadası on July 7 before continuing to Istanbul. Instead, the cruise will now visit Cairo, Egypt, and the Greek island of Crete, according to CNN, which first reported the ban.” (07/04/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/07/04/us-news/turkey-bars-american-lgbtq-cruise-from-ports-citing-moral-values/
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14) CA: Paul Pelosi investigated in hit-and-run
Source: Politico
“Paul Pelosi, husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is suspected of crashing into a parked car and leaving the scene over the Fourth of July weekend, law enforcement officials said Saturday. The Napa County Sheriff’s Office said that on Friday in Yountville, California, a witness reported a brown convertible striking a legally parked, unoccupied vehicle, stopping briefly and driving away. The parked car sustained major rear damage.” (07/04/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/04/paul-pelosi-investigated-in-hit-and-run-00987120
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15) Peru: Fujimori declared winner of presidential election weeks after vote
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori has been declared the winner of Peru’s tight presidential election, nearly a month after the vote took place. The 51-year-old won 50.135% of voters’ support in the runoff, held on 7 June, to 49.865% for left-wing candidate Roberto Sánchez – a margin of less than 50,000 votes, figures certified by Peru’s electoral court show. It is the fourth time the daughter of disgraced former President Alberto Fujimori has sought the South American nation’s presidency, promising this time to oversee a crackdown on organised crime.” (07/04/26)
https://archive.is/fN2oj
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16) China: Regime releases underground church pastor after months in detention
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The founder of a prominent underground church in China has been released after months in detention, his family and a Christian rights group said. ChinaAid said Pastor Jin Mingri, also known by his English name Ezra Jin, landed in Los Angeles on July 4 after being held in detention centres in the southern Chinese city of Beihai since October. … Jin founded Zion Church in Beijing in 2007 and became one of the most recognisable figures in China’s underground Christian movement. The Zion Church is among the largest underground or house churches in China that are unregistered with authorities. They defy a requirement that believers worship only in registered congregations.” (07/05/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/5/china-releases-underground-church-pastor-after-months-in-detention
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17) Congressional testimony: Manson murders allegedly tied to CIA mind control experiments
Source: Fox News
“House Republicans revisited long-standing questions last week about possible links between the CIA’s infamous MKUltra program and Charles Manson’s murderous cult, as lawmakers revealed newly discovered agency records are being prepared for declassification. Tuesday’s hearing before the House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets quickly delved into allegations that the CIA concealed the true scope of its Cold War-era mind-control program, with witnesses reviving claims involving Manson, Jack Ruby and decades of alleged government secrecy. Task Force Chair Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., opened the hearing by accusing the CIA of carrying out illegal human experimentation on unwitting Americans before destroying evidence to hide the program.” (07/05/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/us/manson-murders-allegedly-tied-cia-mind-control-experiments-congressional-testimony
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18) First known congressional SpaceX stock buys surface after record IPO
Source: CNBC
“Two members of Congress — Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., and Rep. Gil Cisneros, D-Calif. — have disclosed that they or their family members bought SpaceX stock in the days after the company’s historic initial public offering, according to publicly accessible House financial documents. Meuser recently disclosed that his dependent child made a June 15 purchase of between $15,001 and $50,000 of stock in the company. According to financial disclosures, it was the first time in several years Meuser or one of his family members has bought stock in an individual company. Cisneros disclosed a June 18 purchase of between $1,001 and $15,000 in SpaceX stock. SpaceX, Elon Musk’s aerospace and satellite company, went public on June 12 with a $2 trillion-plus market cap.” (07/03/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/03/spacex-stock-congress-meuser-cisneros-ipo-disclosure.html
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19) Lawyer warns abducted Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya is in critical condition
Source: SFGate
“The lawyer for a prominent Palestinian doctor who was [abducted] by Israeli forces 18 months ago said his client has been abused in captivity and is in critical condition, according to the human rights group representing him. Hussam Abu Safiya who served as director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, became the face of health workers struggling to treat patients throughout the Israel-Hamas war. He led the facility through an 85-day siege by the Israeli military, releasing videos in which he pleaded for help before he was [abducted] in December 2024. He has not been charged.” (07/05/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/lawyer-warns-detained-palestinian-doctor-hussam-22333019.php
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20) Monaco: Regime IDs suspect in bomb attack on Ukrainian oligarch
Source: Deutsche Welle [German state media]
“Monaco authorities have issued an Interpol Red Notice for a Ukrainian woman believed to have carried out a parcel bombing earlier this week that seriously wounded a Ukrainian-born oligarch and two others, including a 13-year-old. An Interpol Red Notice is a request to locate and provisionally arrest a suspect. It is not an international arrest warrant. The alert lists three charges: ‘attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place with criminal intent’ and ‘criminal conspiracy.’ The Red Notice identifies the suspect as a 39-year-old woman, Anastasiia Berezovska, a Ukrainian national.” (07/03/26)
https://www.dw.com/en/monaco-ids-suspect-in-bomb-attack-on-ukrainian-oligarch/a-77814163
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) From America 200 to America 250: A Personal Journey
Source: Chris’s Substack
by Chris Matthew Sciabarra
“My journey from America 200 to America 250 encompassed a fifty-year period of deep losses and incredible triumphs. To have survived two emergency surgeries in October 2025, I count my blessings that I am even here to mark the two-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of American independence. Quite frankly, given life-long health problems, it was almost inconceivable for 16-year-old Chris to project the possibility of 66-year-old Chris. But these fifty years of living, writing, and thinking about America and its founding document have illuminated a recurring motif in my work. What unites the 16-year-old and the 66-year-old is not merely an appreciation of ideas, but a commitment to understanding how ideas evolve alongside changing contexts.” (07/04/26)
https://chrismatthewsciabarra.substack.com/p/from-america-200-to-america-250-a
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22) The Beauty Of Online Anonymity
Source: Independent Institute
by Scott Beyer
“Social media platforms are full of ‘anon’ accounts these days. Particularly with Elon Musk’s purchase of X (formerly Twitter) and the de-censorship of that platform, many such accounts are dropping explosive ideas—about race, gender, immigration, etc.—from behind the safety of their screens. Some say this is harmful for society—free speech gone too far—while others mock the accounts for being cowardly. But anonymous communication is a time-worn American tradition, providing a useful check to government power while normalizing ideas that needed to be stated and debated all along.” (07/03/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/07/03/the-beauty-of-online-anonymity/
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23) The Great American Betrayal
Source: The Hill
by John Mac Ghlionn
“It wasn’t long ago that a losing candidate would give a dignified, mildly depressing concession speech, lick his wounds and try again in four years. That gentleman’s agreement is dead. Now, losing an election is treated as definitive proof of a deep-state conspiracy, while winning is celebrated as a mandate to crush the opposition. Elections in the U.S. now function less as democratic transfers of power and more like weaponized custody disputes. Supercharging this collective psychological break is the tech industry, which realized early on that rage drives engagement far better than nuance. The algorithms don’t want us to get along. Peace is bad for profit margins. Instead, citizens are all trapped in bespoke digital echo chambers designed to confirm their worst fears.” (07/04/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/politics/5952390-america-250-years-crisis/
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24) Why Jason Watson is Wrong, Even if You Agree With What He Stands For
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“No one forced Major Watson to accept an Air Force Commission. That choice — and the choice to be bound by the UCMJ and by DOD directives — was Major Watson’s and Major Watson’s alone. So was the choice to violate the rules he chose, of his own free will, to be bound by. While I’m on record as noticing that the Constitution doesn’t seem to matter much to those who rule us when those rulers find its strictures inconvenient, one of its features does make a good deal of sense for nearly any social or political system. That feature is requiring that civilians control the armed forces rather than vice versa.” (07/04/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20724
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25) AI and the false consciousness trap
Source: Unherd
by Yanis Varoufakis
“The connection with whether Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or DeepSeek are conscious or not is becoming clear. Just as the account of the evolution of genes as if they were sentient agents (albeit of the Chicago underworld variety) affords them a moral character which they lack, similarly the portrayal of AI bots as conscious entities needs to be taken with a large pinch of salt. Scientifically speaking, all that goes on is that microscopic perturbations yield macroscopic consequences. Their proliferation, or extinction, is an indirect by-product of that dynamic — nothing more. Causality abounds, but teleology, intent or consciousness do not.” [editor’s note: I suspect the only quality unique to humans may be our denial/fear that anything could possibly be like us; AI is just the current scenario in which many people feel the need to find … or perhaps fantasize … differences – TLK](07/04/26)
https://archive.is/QZQ67
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26) Can We Restore the Principles of 1776?
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis
“The world (at least by choice) is not going back to the horse and buggy age. We live in technologically advanced societies that have given us many wonderful inventions that make our lives far more convenient, if not always simpler. We credit ‘science’ with these advances, and frankly, that is both good and bad. The good, of course, are the medical breakthroughs, etc. that have aided mankind to enjoy this existence longer and more comfortably. We all should rejoice and be thankful for this. But unfortunately, that has led some people, too many people, to elevate science as ‘God’. Thus, 1776, in all ways and thoughts, is ancient, outmoded history, to be abandoned and forgotten …” (07/04/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2026/07/04/can-we-restore-the-principles-of-1776-n2678804
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27) Freddy the World Cup Tourist and Tocqueville’s Hopes for America
Source: EconLog
by Joy Buchanan
“In the 1830s, a French aristocrat named Alexis de Tocqueville traveled through the United States and returned home with Democracy in America, a penetrating analysis of a society marked by energetic voluntary associations and a restless spirit of enterprise. Tocqueville admired much of what he saw, but his verdict was not uncomplicated. Near the end of the book, he wrote, ‘I feel full of fears and full of hopes.’ Two centuries later, another European visitor is offering a portrait of America. Freddy (@FreddyLA7), a German soccer fan road-tripping across the country for the 2026 World Cup, has become an enthusiastic chronicler of American life. Where Tocqueville wrote volumes about institutions, Freddy posts photographs and exclamations about Buc-ee’s, Waffle House, and enormous houses. He’s also documenting the kindness of strangers.” (07/03/26)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/freddy-the-world-cup-tourist
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28) Unfinished Republic: What I’m Teaching My Daughter About America’s Founding
Source: The Daily Economy
by Laura Williams
“Americans fall short of our founding ideal that all are created equal. But reformers have fought ever since to fulfill that promise.” (07/03/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/unfinished-republic-what-im-teaching-my-daughter-about-americas-founding/
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29) The principle of Americanness
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“Sometimes, the confluence of disparate events unexpectedly illuminates ideas and ideals that have universal and enduring resonance. Three occasions that come to mind this July Fourth, fittingly, revolve around the essential nature of Americanness, of what it is to be American: the weekend celebrations of 250 years of independence, the Supreme Court ruling this week on birthright citizenship, and the annual recognition of ‘Great Immigrants, Great Americans’. The thread of citizen rights and responsibilities weaves through each of these, uniting evolving conceptions of freedom, self-government, and individual achievement from the nation’s past through to its present. In their 1776 Declaration of Independence from British rule, the Founding Fathers claimed for all future Americans the ‘unalienable Rights’ of ‘Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’.” (07/03/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0704/The-principle-of-Americanness
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30) Vive la France!
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson
“Congress was in Philadelphia, and Lafayette landed in South Carolina—he was an idealist, not a geographer. But with a letter of recommendation from Ben Franklin in his hand, he made his way up to Philadelphia, where Congress, grateful for the services of an enthusiastic young aristocrat who had the good taste to bring along his own money, commissioned the 19-year-old as a major general. … Lafayette was wounded at Brandywine, endured the hardships of Valley Forge, and was one of the key players when the tide was turned at Yorktown. Lafayette also provided a critical channel between the upstart Americans and the French monarchy, whose financial and naval power were simply indispensable to the project of American independence. No Lafayette, no United States of America. Spit hot contempt at foreign aid all you like: No foreign aid from France, no United States of America.” (07/03/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/france-america-history-allies-lafayette/
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31) A Semiquincentennial Psalm
Source: American Greatness
by Thaddeus G McCotter
“On the occasion of the Semiquincentennial anniversary of our free republic, many citizens will recognize and celebrate American Exceptionalism, including our nation’s Founders, its seminal documents, history, and undeniable legacy in advancing the cause of human liberty and self-government throughout the world. It is both appropriate and fitting that all this be done during the ‘America 250’ festivities. Still, there will also be indictments of all three from our republic’s current left-leaning malcontents, who often appear unaware of the irony and hypocrisy in their positions. The Left seeks to replace the very U.S. Constitution that protects their God-given right to assemble and voice their views. Further, despite their risible claims to promote ‘democracy’, the Left instead seeks to replace our free republic’s system of self-government with a centralized, elitist rule advancing a secular, identitarian civic religion of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’. Such an outcome is decidedly not ‘progressive’.” (07/04/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/07/04/a-semiquincentennial-psalm/
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32) When the Law Kills Your Electric Car Dealership
Source: Wired
by Aarian Marshall
“Dealers who invested in Polestar won’t be able to sell in the US next year after the federal government denied an authorization that would have allowed the company to avoid a Chinese tech ban.” (07/03/26)
https://archive.is/WVvKK
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33) Empire Managers Invent Fake Threats So We Won’t Fight The Real Monsters
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Can’t stop waging wars or the western empire will collapse. So they make up fake threats from dictators and tyrants and take action to stop them. Can’t stop inflating the military budget and circling the planet with more and more war machinery or the military-industrial complex will stop reaping profits. So they tell you to be afraid of Muslims and ‘terrorists’ and Russia and China and take action to protect you from them. … Can’t stop supporting Israeli atrocities or they’ll hamstring their hegemonic agendas in west Asia and make an enemy of the Zionists. So they create a boogie man of ‘antisemitism’ and set up envoys, inquiries and task forces dedicated to stopping it.” (07/04/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/07/04/empire-managers-invent-fake-threats-so-we-wont-fight-the-real-monsters/
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34) AI and Exams
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“The existence of AI, like the earlier problem of students buying papers online, reduces the ability of teachers to test their students but does not eliminate it, is inconvenient but not catastrophic. It makes some kinds of testing more difficult but not impossible; Serrano could have asked students whose midterms were suspiciously good to explain some of their answers and failed any obviously unable to do so. That would have been additional work for him and, judging by the article, not a policy Brown would have endorsed. Unwilling or unable to do that that he can base his future grading on work done in-person and adequately monitored.” (07/03/26)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/ai-and-exams
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35) Tax Foreclosures May Be Unconstitutional Takings
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Rachel Chiu
“Last week, the Supreme Court held in Pung v. Isabella County that when a home is taken by the government and sold at a tax foreclosure auction, the sale proceeds satisfy the constitutional requirement for ‘just compensation’ to the owner. This unanimous decision appears to be a loss for homeowners and property rights. But the justices stopped short of sanctioning the County’s actions, leaving some of the most important questions for another day.” (07/03/26)
https://fee.org/articles/tax-foreclosures-may-be-unconstitutional-takings/
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36) Israel Is an Apartheid State – and Its Weird Marriage Laws Show Us How
Source: Antiwar.com
by Jonathan Cook
“Israel’s supporters have gone apoplectic over a short post on X from the journalist Mehdi Hasan, highlighting Israel’s peculiar marriage laws. Hasan asks: ‘Did you know that you can’t have a civil or secular marriage in Israel?’ He’s not wrong. Israel has banned civil marriage. You can wed only in a ceremony strictly controlled by religious authorities. If you want a civil marriage, you have to travel to another country. Why, you might reasonably wonder. Isn’t Israel a modern, secular, western-style liberal democracy? After all, that’s what our politicians and media keep telling us. The most popular rejoinder to Hasan from Israel’s apologists – that the situation is no better in Saudi Arabia – is not quite the flex they seem to imagine. So Israel offers the same human rights protections as Saudi Arabia? Impressive.” (07/03/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/cook/2026/07/02/israel-is-an-apartheid-state-and-its-weird-marriage-laws-show-us-how/
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37) The Declaration still terrifies socialists and tyrants, here and abroad
Source: Fox News
by Newt Gingrich
“This Fourth of July matters more than most for three reasons. First, it is the historic 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration is the most radical political document ever written. It challenged millennia of thought about monarchs having rights and commoners being mere subjects, peasants or even slaves. Suddenly, people on the edge of a continent decided that they would challenge the entire system that dominated their world. Kings, czars and emperors were put on notice that power did not come from them; it came from God. The single phrase, ‘We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’, enunciated a transfer of authority and power from the head of government to the citizen.” (07/04/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/newt-gingrich-declaration-still-terrifies-socialists-tyrants-here-abroad
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38) The Spirit of Liberty in 1776 versus Today’s Political Paternalism
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Richard M Ebeling
“As friends of freedom, our duty is to remind our fellow Americans what that Declaration of Independence really means — the ideals that it represents about free man, voluntary society, and limited government. The spirit of liberty still glows in America like dying embers in what was once a bright flame of freedom.” (07/03/26)
https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/the-spirit-of-liberty-in-1776-versus-todays-political-paternalism/
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39) Why the US Government Acquiring OpenAI Equity Destroys Free Markets
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey
“I think we can all agree that talk about artificial intelligence (AI) is near-constant. And now we hear that OPENAI (the parent of ChatGPT) is offering 5% of its equity to the U.S. Government, valued at an estimated $40 billion. This is perhaps the most expensive bribe I’ve seen in U.S. history, as such a stake would help OPENAI ease up on political pressure and regulatory scrutiny. Talk about greasing the wheels, is Sam Altman that desperate?” (07/03/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/why-the-us-government-acquiring-openai
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40) Foreign Policy Restraint Is an American Promise
Source: The American Conservative
by Reid Smith
“Hours before Iran’s national soccer team took the pitch in Seattle for its group-stage match against Egypt, the U.S. Central Command announced further strikes against the Islamic Republic. This sequence was without obvious precedent. A World Cup host nation had never bombed a participating country during the tournament. Fortunately, FIFA had already provided the punchline by awarding President Donald Trump the FIFA Peace Prize just over six months before the tournament’s opening kickoff. The scene is absurd, but the paradox is typically American. As we reflect on the anniversary of our independence, we may confront the fact that America has always struggled to reconcile words and deeds. We are an ambitious country littered with contradictions between the tales we tell ourselves and the actions that we take.” (07/03/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/foreign-policy-restraint-is-an-american-promise/
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41) A Citizen’s Declaration of Independence for July 4, 2026
Source: Common Dreams
by John Raby
“The history of the government of the United States in this century, especially under this president, is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all tending to the establishment of a corporate despotism over the American people. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. On repeated occasions, the current government has manipulated elections from which officials have assumed their offices. A government whose character is thus marked by actions that exhibit such arrogance is unfit to be the government of a free people. Its current president has allowed his subordinates to suggest a postponement of the constitutionally required date of a presidential election, a step unprecedented in United States history, even in times of war and civil rebellion. While doing so, he has suggested that no further national elections will be necessary.” [editor’s note: This began with a paraphrase of the actual D of I, and went downhill into this partisan from there – SAT](07/04/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/2026-declaration-of-independence
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42) Tracing Jefferson’s Libertarian Thought in the Declaration of Independence
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Joshua Mawhorter
“Humans, by their nature, have rights that exist prior to and independent of the state and other people. These rights cannot be surrendered, transferred, sold, or legitimately taken away because they are inherent to human beings by nature. These rights are negative in that they restrict aggression against them. These rights include life, liberty, and the limited, non-aggressive pursuit of happiness, as well as the right of self-ownership and property rights, which are inferred from the previous rights. Jefferson may not have followed John Locke’s triad—life, liberty, and property—exactly because of the issue of slavery. If what Jefferson said about rights is the case, then slavery would be an evident denial of self-ownership.” (07/03/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/tracing-jeffersons-libertarian-thought-declaration-independence
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43) Forget the Vietnam war “gap,” we have a real credibility chasm today
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Gregory Daddis
“Leadership has spun, misled, and kept the populace in the dark through many wars during the country’s 250-year history. This may be the worst.” (07/03/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/us-iran-war-trump-credibility/
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44) A New Kind of State
Source: Law & Liberty
by Paul Seaton
“Modern political philosophy and modern politics brought ‘the State’ to the fore in novel and contentious ways. Leo Strauss argued that Machiavelli’s concept of ‘lo stato’ was an essential component of a revolution in human thought and aspiration. The Treaty of Westphalia is rightly said to have inaugurated a new international order in Europe, precisely with its legitimatization of absolute territorial sovereignty, expanding upon the principle of cuius regio, eius religio—that is, the modern state system. And Will Morrisey, in his Regime Change: What It Is, Why It Matters, argued that fledgling America sought to escape the Westphalian conception with a new understanding of liberal republican government.” (07/03/26)
https://lawliberty.org/a-new-kind-of-state/
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45) Melat Kiros’s perverse views are the latest evidence that US schools need to be fixed
Source: New York Post
by staff
“America’s educational system has clearly failed, judging by the recent comments of 29-year-old lawyer Melat Kiros, who just won a Democratic primary in Colorado and is now a sure bet for Congress. And if we fail to fix that system (and to dispel young folks of the absurd notion that America and Israel are, essentially, the root of all the world’s problems) the nation faces a rocky road ahead for sure. Kiros, a member of the radical Democratic Socialists of America, just dethroned Rep. Diana DeGette (D), despite (or maybe because of) her repugnant assertions. She has claimed, for example, that 9/11 was ‘inevitable’ because the United States ‘destabilized a lot of the Middle East’, which convinced people that ‘violence was the only response’.” [editor’s note: Is it significant or just ironic that Dr. Ron Paul said almost the same thing when the plane attacks happened, yet this is now considered leftist ravings? – SAT] (07/04/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/07/04/opinion/melat-kiros-sick-views-are-just-the-latest-evidence-that-us-schools-need-to-be-fixed/
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46) Quantum Vibe, 07/03/26
Source: Quantum Vibe
Cartoon. (07/03/26)
https://www.quantumvibe.com/strip?page=2596
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47) These Difficult States
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“I’ve been a U.S. citizen for more than a quarter of the 250 years that there has been a United States.
Proud to be an American? Yes. Not because my country, or more specifically our government, has always been spectacular, or even in the right. I’ve taken a few lumps battling against the government. More than ‘proud to be an American,’ which was admittedly an accident of birth, I’m proud of America.” (07/03/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/07/03/these-difficult-states/
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48) Americans Will Never Shut Up or Do As We’re Told
Source: Reason
by Matt Welch
“Two distinctly American traits that powered the Revolution: We don’t like being told what to do by our supposed betters, and we really don’t like being told to shut up.” (07/03/26)
https://reason.com/2026/07/03/americans-will-never-shut-up-or-do-as-were-told/
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49) Marco Rubio’s Dangerous Diplomacy in Lebanon
Source: The American Prospect
by Nathan Thompson
“While Secretary of State Marco Rubio seemed to maintain a low profile while the Iran war’s violence was at its apex, content to focus on projects closer to his heart in the Americas, he has now re-emerged at the helm of Israel-Lebanon diplomacy. That diplomacy has produced an agreement that is roiling Lebanese society, perceived as a functional surrender to the ongoing Israeli occupation. Many commentators were impressed by Vice President JD Vance’s candid rebukes of Israeli excesses, but Rubio’s Lebanon track demonstrates how the pro-Israel wing of the White House is reasserting itself, peace with Iran be damned. The Lebanon front may receive far less media attention than the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its economic fallout, but it has been no less central to the helter-skelter effort to end Trump and Netanyahu’s war.” (07/03/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/07/03/marco-rubios-dangerous-diplomacy-in-lebanon/
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50) The Declaration
Source: Free Association
by Sheldon Richman
“If for no other reason, the 250-year-old Declaration of Independence deserves adoration for its invocation of each individual’s rights to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ The significance of that phrase, which overshadows everything else in Thomas Jefferson’s composition (it clarifies the meaning of ‘all men are created equal’), cannot be exaggerated. Unfortunately, those words are so familiar—which should have been a good thing—that they long ago blended with the landscape. By and large, people have stopped noticing it and lack appreciation for it. Unlike in the 1700s, it has become a cliché.” (07/03/26)
https://sheldonrichman.substack.com/p/tgif-the-declaration
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Pink Flame of Liberty, 07/04/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Mises Caucus: Laying Rotten Eggs in the LP’s Nest.” (07/04/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3Ssq-rvDYI
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52) The Political Orphanage, 07/03/26
Source: The Political Orphanage
“George Washington’s Anti-Daddy.” (07/03/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/george-washingtons-anti-daddy
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53) Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila, 07/04/26
Source: Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila
“Facing Tyranny: Ammon Bundy on Liberty, Property, and Resistance.” (07/04/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMp3mfRUdAc
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54) Free Talk Live, 07/04/26
Source: Free Talk Live
“TJ the Spy back in his true home in the Shire for a week :: TJ’s experience being forced to testify to the feds in Ian’s case :: Ian’s railroading :: freeiannow.org :: Porcfest drama :: Public schooling is getting us fleeced :: Forkfest a success :: If your man isn’t cheating on you then he has a porn collection :: Mr.Bitcoin and Bitcoin Ghandi’s activism before Ian’s trial :: Try not to take the plea deal :: True spirituality rejects the violence of the empire :: 2026-07-04 Host: Bonnie, TJ The Spy, Uber Jorge, Riley O’Bill, Angelo.” (07/04/26)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/ftl2026-07-04
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55) Focus Group, 07/04/26
Source: The Bulwark
“The Second Trump Election Broke Something in America (w/ Heather Cox Richardson).” (07/04/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBE68EKHq2c
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56) Partisan Press Conference (Episode 4)
Source: Reason
“Republican and Democratic coaches take questions from the press.” (07/03/26)
https://reason.com/video/2026/07/04/partisan-press-conference-episode-4/
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57) The Mark Edge Show, 07/03/26
Source: Free Talk Live
“Mark Edge welcomes Lauren Noone, sister of Jay Noone and founder of Rooted Free, a community based project in New Hampshire focused on living a freer, more self-sufficient life.” (07/03/26)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/mesrootedfree
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58) The Liberty Exchange, 07/03/26
Source: The Liberty Exchange
“A Radical Experiment in Liberty: A conversation with Brad Birzer.” (07/03/26)
https://shows.acast.com/the-liberty-exchange/episodes/a-conversation-with-brad-birzer
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59) The Dispatch Podcast, 07/03/26
Source: The Dispatch
“What the Birthright Citizenship Decisions Mean for Conservatism.” (07/03/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/dispatch-podcast/what-the-birthright-citizenship-decisions-mean-for-conservatism/
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60) Freakonomics Radio, episode 680
Source: Freakonomics
“Can Universities Win Back Our Trust?” (07/03/26)
https://freakonomics.com/podcast/can-universities-win-back-our-trust/
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