05/15 -- Ukraine: At least 24 killed in Russian attacks; Are Democrats Now the Party of Free Markets? Don't Bet on It.
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Thomas L. Knapp
May 15, 2026, 6:14:19 AM (10 days ago) May 15
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 05/15/26
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Ukraine: At least 24 killed in Russian attacks
2) SCOTUS preserves abortion pill access over Alito, Thomas dissents
3) Israeli regime to sue New York Times for exposing sexual abuse of Palestinian inmates
4) Iranian regime eyes Hormuz Internet cable extortion scheme as new lever against the West
5) US regime’s Border Patrol gang shot-caller resigns amid sex tourism allegations
6) US DOJ sues to block ethics punishments of administration lawyers
7) UK: Health secretary resigns in scathing letter, setting up challenge to Starmer’s leadership
8) Federal judge blocks US sanctions against UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese
9) ME: Vance set to speak about fraud investigations ahead of primary election
10) Honda records its first-ever annual loss on a costly EV strategy
11) US Senators approve withholding their own pay during government shutdowns
12) Apple backs Google after EU orders Android be opened up to AI rivals
13) “Floating armoury” ship reportedly seized by Iran
14) Cuba: Regime considers $100 million US aid offer as energy crisis worsens
15) CA: Tourists may be behind “unprecedented” surge in mushroom poisonings
16) NY: Man Found Guilty in Chinese “Secret Police Station” Case
17) New study finds evidence cannabis could treat obesity, diabetes
18) Mexico: Sheinbaum denies CIA involvement in assassination of cartel operative
19) NASA’s Psyche spacecraft buzzing Mars on its way to rare-metal asteroid
20) NE: Powell wins Democratic primary for top US House battleground district
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Are Democrats Now the Party of Free Markets? Don’t Bet on It.
22) “Nearest Nickel” Makes Sense … But Why a Law?
23) Welfare-Warfare State Reform Is Not Freedom
24) When Killing Becomes Commonplace
25) The “Trade Deficit” is a Misnomer
26) AOC’s war on billionaires twists America’s birth into a socialist myth
27) “The Library is One of the Best Libertarian Arguments for Limited Government”
28) The Charity Trap
29) Ruth Lopez Spoke Up for Due Process; Now She’s Detained Without Charges
30) AI Won’t Necessarily Lead to Mass Unemployment: The Case of the Financial Industry
31) China summit is Trump’s best chance to choke off Iran’s terror cash
32) Bullet Train or Bay Bridge?
33) We Need a Department of Peace, Not $1.5 Trillion for More War
34) Can Socialists Support Commerce But Not Capitalism?
35) Return of the Next Pandemic Script
36) Pope Leo is right. Trump’s war in Iran fails a test.
37) Mike Pence, Pretend Lifeguard of Conservatism; Voters Already Left His Pool
38) Socialists Are Reaping a Bountiful Political Harvest while They Create Havoc
39) How to Lower Gas Prices
40) Are Democrats trying to out-hawk Trump on China to spite him?
41) How CEOs Use “Neutral” Legislature Group to Indoctrinate State Lawmakers
42) Today’s AIs Show the Marginal Revolution’s Unfinished Business
43) Land, Law, and Constitutional Overreach
44) The Perfect Storm for ADHD Overdiagnosis
45) Gavin Newsom Has a Kamala Harris Problem
46) A Central Bank Digital Currency Isn’t an Immediate Threat
47) What do they fear?
48) Why Walgreens Gives Up
49) ICE-Cold Cash: Members of Congress Took More than $1.7 Million from ICE Contractors
50) Political Islam Is Rank Populism That Perverts a Fundamentally Liberal Faith
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila, 05/14/26
52) The Libertarian Angle, 05/14/26
53) TAC Right Now, 05/14/26
54) Rising, 05/14/26
55) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 05/14/26
56) The Fifth Column, episode 557
57) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 05/14/26
58) Underthrow Podcast, 05/14/26
59) Advisory Opinion, 05/14/26
60) Cato Podcast, 05/14/26
61) Kibbe on Liberty, episode 385
62) The Science of Politics, 05/13/26
63) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/13/26
64) Make It Make Sense, 05/13/26
65) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 05/13/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Ukraine: At least 24 killed in Russian attacks
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“At least 24 people, including three children, were reported killed in yesterday’s Russian attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The death toll update came after a night of search and rescue operations. ‘The Russians practically demolished an entire section of the building with their missile,’ president Zelenskyy said after visiting the site in Kyiv. The Ukrainian ministry of foreign affairs said it was ‘one of the deadliest attacks on Kyiv since the start of Russia’s full-scale war.’ … Separately, Russia and Ukraine have reportedly exchanged 205 prisoners of war each, which Zelenskyy said was the first part of a broader swap of 1,000 for 1,000.” (05/15/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/may/15/russian-attack-kyiv-ukraine-europe-live-updates-latest
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2) SCOTUS preserves abortion pill access over Alito, Thomas dissents
Source: The Hill
“Abortion pills can remain available through the mail for the immediate future after the Supreme Court on Thursday paused a lower court ruling that would have blocked access while a lawsuit proceeds. The justices halted a May 1 order from the conservative U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit that reinstated a requirement that women must visit a health care provider in-person to obtain mifepristone. If it had taken effect, the order would have severely curtailed abortion access across the country. Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented separately. ‘The Court’s unreasoned order granting stays in this case is remarkable. What is at stake is the perpetration of a scheme to undermine our decision’ overturning constitutional [sic] abortion rights, Alito wrote.” (05/14/26)
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5879032-mifepristone-abortion-pills-ruling/
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3) Israeli regime to sue New York Times for exposing sexual abuse of Palestinian inmates
Source: Le Monde [France]
“Israeli authorities will take The New York Times to court over a piece it published denouncing alleged widespread sexual abuse against Palestinian detainees, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday, May 15. Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar have ordered the ‘initiation of a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times,’ according to a joint statement issued by their offices. … The investigation, which was published on Monday as an opinion piece by Kristof, a columnist, is based on testimonies gathered in the Israeli-occupied West Bank from 14 men and women who said that they had been sexually assaulted by Israeli settlers or members of the security forces. … The New York Times responded that any legal claim over the ‘deeply reported opinion column’ lacked merit.” (05/14/26)
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/05/14/israel-to-sue-nyt-over-report-on-sexual-abuse-of-palestinian-inmates_6753458_4.html
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4) Iranian regime eyes Hormuz Internet cable extortion scheme as new lever against the West
Source: euronews [EU]
“Iran’s Revolutionary Guards-linked media are pushing for Tehran to impose charges on the submarine fibre-optic cables running through the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that the waterway’s role in global digital infrastructure could generate billions of dollars and give Iran a new pressure point against the West. Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the IRGC, proposed that Iran charge transit fees to the international consortia that own and operate the cables, offer maintenance services, and require companies — including Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon — to operate under Iranian regulations.” (05/15/26)
https://www.euronews.com/2026/05/15/iran-eyes-fees-on-hormuz-internet-cables-as-new-lever-against-the-west
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5) US regime’s Border Patrol gang shot-caller resigns amid sex tourism allegations
Source: WIBA 1310 News
“Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks has resigned, according to a report from Fox News. Banks, who took on the role at the start of President Trump’s second term, steps down amid serious allegations. Reports from the Washington Examiner claim that Banks engaged in sex tourism, visiting countries like Colombia and Thailand to pay for sex with prostitutes. These activities reportedly occurred over a decade and were known among colleagues. The allegations have sparked controversy, especially given the Border Patrol’s mission to combat human trafficking. Banks'[s] behavior was reportedly investigated twice by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) but was closed without action.” (05/14/26)
https://wiba.iheart.com/content/2026-05-14-border-patrol-chief-mike-banks-resigns-amid-allegations/
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6) US DOJ sues to block ethics punishments of administration lawyers
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
“The Justice Department on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the District of Columbia Bar over its efforts to discipline Trump administration lawyers, escalating the department’s feud with legal ethics authorities. The lawsuit defends Jeffrey Clark, a government lawyer in the first Trump administration who sought to undo the results of the 2020 presidential race, and Ed Martin, a current senior Justice Department official. The suit was filed by Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, and Stanley E. Woodward Jr., the No. 3 official at the Justice Department…. The lawsuit centers on the long-running battle over the D.C. Bar’s effort to disbar Clark, an environmental lawyer who had no formal role in investigating elections, over his push to promote Trump’s baseless assertions of fraud in Joe Biden’s electoral victory in 2020.” (05/14/26)
https://www.inquirer.com/politics/nation/trump-administration-lawyers-ethics-bar-20260514.html
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7) UK: Health secretary resigns in scathing letter, setting up challenge to Starmer’s leadership
Source: CBS News
“Efforts to unseat British Prime Minister Keir Starmer broke out into open rebellion Thursday, with one potential rival resigning from the Cabinet and another clearing the way for her to enter any future leadership contest. Health Secretary Wes Streeting became the first senior minister to quit Starmer’s Cabinet in what is expected to be a precursor to challenging his leadership. … Streeting, whose political ambitions have long been known, is considered one of a handful of people who could try to unseat Starmer. … Another likely challenger, former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, said Thursday that she had reached an agreement with tax authorities to clear up questions about her taxes that forced her to leave the Cabinet last September.” (05/14/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uk-health-secretary-resigns-prime-minister-keir-starmer-challenge/
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8) Federal judge blocks US sanctions against UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“A federal judge has temporarily blocked United States sanctions against Francesca Albanese, a United Nations expert on the occupied Palestinian territory. UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese was sanctioned in July 2025 after she publicly criticised Washington’s policy on Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza. Albanese’s husband and daughter filed a lawsuit in February against the Trump administration over the sanctions. It argued that the sanctions were an effort to punish Albanese for bringing attention to Israel’s rights abuses against Palestinians. In his court order on Wednesday, US District Judge Richard Leon granted a preliminary injunction against the sanctions. He found that the Trump administration sought to regulate her speech because of the ‘idea or message expressed.'” (05/14/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/14/federal-judge-blocks-us-sanctions-against-un-rapporteur-francesca-albanese
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9) ME: Vance set to speak about fraud investigations ahead of primary election
Source: Los Angeles Daily News
“Vice President JD Vance is slated to make an appearance in Maine on Thursday to highlight the Trump administration’s efforts to combat fraud ahead of the state’s primary elections for several high-profile races. Vance, who chairs the administration’s anti-fraud task force, is scheduled to deliver remarks at Bangor International Airport, the White House and the Maine Republican Party announced. The vice president, who is seen as a potential GOP candidate for president in 2028, has been promoting the work of the task force as he has campaigned for Republican candidates in recent months. But Thursday’s visit is the first that has been expressly billed as a stop to talk about the fraud-fighting efforts rather than the economic-focused message he’s delivered in other visits.” (05/14/26)
https://www.dailynews.com/2026/05/14/jd-vance-maine-fraud-investigations/
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10) Honda records its first-ever annual loss on a costly EV strategy
Source: Seattle Times
“Honda racked up a 423.9 billion yen ($2.7 billion) loss Thursday, the first-ever full year loss for the Japanese automaker, acknowledging heavy costs for its electric-vehicle plans, stemming from President Donald Trump’s pro-U.S. [sic] policies. The Japanese automaker said losses related to its EV operations are estimated to total 2.5 trillion yen ($16 billion), incurred mostly in the fiscal year just ended and the current fiscal year. Analysts say Honda Motor Co. might have been too ambitious too fast, when many markets weren’t ready. As a result, Honda abandoned many of its plans for EV models, including those in the works in a joint venture with Sony Corp.” (05/14/26)
https://archive.is/G1rl7
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11) US Senators approve withholding their own pay during government shutdowns
Source: SFGate
“Senators unanimously approved a resolution Thursday to withhold their pay during government shutdowns, an attempt to make federal closures financially painful for lawmakers after a string of record-breaking impasses in the past year. The bipartisan support for the measure comes at a time when federal closures have become longer and more frequent, frustrating lawmakers who say there should be punishment when Congress fails at its most basic legislative duty. Under the resolution, senators’ pay would be withheld by the secretary of the Senate whenever a government shutdown affects one or more agencies, then released once funding is restored. It will take effect the day after the Nov. 3 general election. ‘Shutting down government should not be our default solution to our refusal to work out our issues and our differences,’ said Sen. John Kennedy [R-LA], the bill’s sponsor, in a floor speech Wednesday.” (05/14/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/senators-vote-to-withhold-their-own-pay-during-22259128.php
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12) Apple backs Google after EU orders Android be opened up to AI rivals
Source: Engadget
“Apple is on Google’s side when it comes the latter’s criticisms against the European Union’s proposals which would give third-party AI services the same level of access to Android that Gemini has. The European Commission has been taking steps to ensure that Google complies with the rules of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). In January, it told the company that it has to give external AI assistants the same access to Android its own technology has and to hand over ‘anonymized ranking, query, click and view data held by Google Search’ to rival search engines. … According to Reuters, Apple echoed Google’s statement that allowing competing AI services complete access to Android would undermine European users’ privacy. It would, for instance, allow them to interact with the apps people use to send emails, order food or share photos.” (05/14/26)
https://www.engadget.com/2172631/apple-comments-back-google-eu-ai-order-android/
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13) “Floating armoury” ship reportedly seized by Iran
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“A vessel reportedly operating as a ‘floating armoury’ in the Gulf of Oman has been seized by Iranian military personnel, according to the maritime risk management company Vanguard. The ship is now ‘bound for Iranian territorial waters,’ the UK’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organisation said. BBC Verify has checked ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic which shows the vessel – identified by Vanguard as the Honduras-flagged Hui Chuan — last broadcast its location 70km (40 miles) north-east of Fujairah in the UAE on Wednesday. Hui Chuan’s operators told Vanguard it was operating as a floating armoury which stores weapons for security firms who protect ships at sea from attack by pirates. BBC Verify cannot confirm what was on the ship or who it was used by.” (05/14/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx219xwxg9no
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14) Cuba: Regime considers $100 million US aid offer as energy crisis worsens
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“The Cuban government says it is open to reviewing a US offer of $100m (£74m) in aid, hours after rare protests over worsening power cuts erupted on the Communist-run island. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said on Thursday that Cuba was ‘ready to hear the details of the proposal and how it would be implemented’. The shortages have been exacerbated by a US-imposed blockade of oil which has squeezed the country’s supplies of essentials such as diesel and fuel oil. Hospitals have been unable to function normally, and schools and government offices have been forced to close. Tourism, an economic engine for Cuba, has also been impacted.” (05/14/26)
http://bbc.com/news/articles/cd7pyrj0vx7o
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15) CA: Tourists may be behind “unprecedented” surge in mushroom poisonings
Source: SFGate
“Bay Area health officials are warning the public of an unusual surge in mushroom poisonings across the region and state, including the latest cases in Napa County. Over the weekend, three adults were hospitalized after eating wild mushrooms they collected in the rural area of Deer Park, the county’s Health and Human Services Agency said in a Tuesday news release. The three people were not Napa County residents and were foraging mushrooms specifically between Deer Park Road, Fawn Road and Silverado Trail. The agency said the poisonings are part of an ‘unprecedented outbreak’ of mushroom-related illnesses and deaths across California. According to the California Department of Public Health, there have been 47 cases, including four deaths, since Nov. 18, 2025. Of these cases, hospitalizations occurred in six Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma.” (05/14/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/napa-mushrooms-poison-california-22257807.php
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16) NY: Man Found Guilty in Chinese “Secret Police Station” Case
Source: US News & World Report
“A New York man was found guilty on Wednesday of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government after a trial over federal prosecutors’ allegations that he operated a ‘secret police station’ on behalf of Beijing in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said Lu Jianwang, 64, should have alerted the U.S. Attorney General that he was a Chinese agent when he helped open the so-called police station in 2022. They also said he helped China’s government locate a pro-democracy activist living in California. Lu was arrested in April 2023. He had pleaded not guilty to the three felony charges he faced: conspiracy to act as an unregistered foreign agent, acting as an unregistered agent of China, and obstruction of justice. A jury in Brooklyn federal court reached the verdict after a weeklong trial.” (05/13/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-05-13/new-york-man-found-guilty-in-chinese-secret-police-station-case
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17) New study finds evidence cannabis could treat obesity, diabetes
Source: Yahoo! News
“The munchies are one of marijuana’s most famous effects, with countless movies playing up the trope that smoking weed leads to uncontrollable hunger. But a new study is showing that cannabis could actually have surprising effects on your waistline. Researchers at UC Riverside gave cannabis to obese mice and found that not only did the rodents lose weight, but when given a concentrated cannabis oil, the mice also saw striking benefits in their metabolic function. Nicholas DiPatrizio, a UC Riverside professor and the lead author of the study, said he thinks the work could lead to cannabis-based diet therapies. ‘We can develop molecules that can be cannabis based, isolate them and maybe even do better than nature. We are just at the beginning,’ DiPatrizio told SFGATE.” (05/14/26)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/calif-study-finds-evidence-cannabis-120000613.html
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18) Mexico: Sheinbaum denies CIA involvement in assassination of cartel operative
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that reports claiming the CIA was involved in a recent targeted assassination outside Mexico City were ‘fictions the size of the universe.’ CNN and the New York Times reported Tuesday that the CIA was involved in the targeted car bombing of a mid-level Sinaloa cartel member on March 28. … Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar Harfuch immediately denied the reports Tuesday evening in a post on social media platform X. CIA spokesperson Liz Lyons followed Harfuch’s post with her own carrying the agency’s official denial.” (05/13/26)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/mexico-cia-sinaloa-cartel-member-bombing-9.7198270
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19) NASA’s Psyche spacecraft buzzing Mars on its way to rare-metal asteroid
Source: SFGate
“A NASA spacecraft chasing a rare metal asteroid swings past Mars this week for a gravity boost, snapping thousands of pictures as practice for the main encounter in 2029. Named Psyche like the asteroid it’s after, the robotic explorer will slingshot past the red planet at 12,333 mph (19,848 kph) on Friday. It will be an especially close flyby, with Psyche passing within 2,800 miles (4,500 kilometers) of Mars, equivalent to the distance between the U.S. east and west coasts. Then it will barrel toward the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter that is home to its enticing target. All of the spacecraft’s science instruments will be on for the Mars pass. NASA’s two Mars rovers along with a small fleet of U.S. and European orbiters will make surface and atmospheric observations at the same time for comparison..” (05/14/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/nasa-s-psyche-spacecraft-buzzing-mars-on-its-way-22258643.php
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20) NE: Powell wins Democratic primary for top US House battleground district
Source: NBC News
“Political organizer Denise Powell has won the Democratic nomination in Nebraska’s 2nd District, NBC News projects, emerging from a tough primary fight in one of her party’s top opportunities to flip a swing seat this year. Powell narrowly defeated state Sen. John Cavanaugh in a race that featured five other Democratic candidates on the ballot. Powell had 39% to Cavanaugh’s 37% in the primary with about 90% of the expected vote tallied. She will advance to a general election matchup against Omaha City Council member Brinker Harding, who ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. … Nebraska’s 2nd District has been a top target for Democrats for several election cycles, but GOP Rep. Don Bacon’s decision to retire at the end of his term has renewed enthusiasm among Democrats hoping to win his seat.” (05/13/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/denise-powell-wins-democratic-primary-top-house-battleground-district-rcna344472
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Are Democrats Now the Party of Free Markets? Don’t Bet on It.
Source: Reason
by Stephanie Slade
“Listening to two prominent progressives highlight the cronyism and inefficiencies of government bureaucracy that libertarians have been shouting about for decades was equal parts refreshing and infuriating. But if you were tempted to hope those realizations would bring them around to genuinely libertarian conclusions, you would be disappointed. Ultimately, as the second half of the podcast made clear, [Ezra] Klein and his allies support streamlining government because they hope to make it easier for government to do big, ambitious things: nationwide high-speed rail, federal housing projects, Medicare for All. They are not trying to get government out of the way so people can thrive; they want government itself to thrive. That distinction is the main problem with the hypothesis that Democrats will soon be the party of free markets and limited government.” (05/14/26)
https://reason.com/2026/05/14/are-democrats-now-the-party-of-free-markets-dont-bet-on-it/
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22) “Nearest Nickel” Makes Sense … But Why a Law?
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“On May 11, a new law went into effect in Florida, ‘allowing’ businesses to round the amounts charged for cash purchases to the nearest nickel. Really? Nothing more important than this for our masters in Tallahassee to spend their time on? Don’t get me wrong. The practice in question makes sense …. But why on Earth would merchants need a law to ‘allow’ this? … Even when framed as ‘voluntary’ — as this one is — unnecessary laws ‘allowing’ behaviors already unquestionably ‘allowed’ (by common sense and conventional morality) tend to nudge the public toward an ‘everything not required is forbidden’ mindset in which we instinctively seek permission from our rulers for every action, trivial or momentous.” (05/14/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20615
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23) Welfare-Warfare State Reform Is Not Freedom
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“The libertarian movement can be divided into two basic groups: libertarians who call for reforming welfare-warfare state programs and libertarians who call for dismantling welfare-warfare state programs. I fall within the latter group. Why? Because I want to be free. Reform doesn’t get me freedom. At best it gets me a better serfdom. That’s nice, but it’s not want I want for the rest of my life. I want to be free, and only by dismantling infringements on freedom can I attain genuine freedom.” (05/14/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/05/14/welfare-warfare-state-reform-is-not-freedom/
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24) When Killing Becomes Commonplace
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano
“Last week, when the Pentagon resumed its attacks on small boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean, the media barely noticed. The U.S. military has now destroyed 56 vessels and killed 190 persons. The killings began in September 2025 and have continued to this month. … Killing survivors is expressly prohibited by federal law as well as by the Uniform Code of Military Justice. And, of course, ordering the killing of innocents is always unlawful. So, the Pentagon made two changes. It produced more lethal strikes so as not to be burdened with the problem of survivors, and it either stopped killing survivors or stopped revealing that it killed them.” (05/14/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2026/05/13/when-killing-becomes-commonplace/
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25) The “Trade Deficit” is a Misnomer
Source: EconLog
by Jon Murphy
“The United States, like most other countries, use a method of double-entry accounting to track certain aggregate statistics known as National Income Accounting. One of the statistics tracked is the balance of trade. The balance of trade reports the difference between imports and exports. … The connotations of the words ‘surplus’ and ‘deficit’ (coupled with the accounting conventions of pluses and minus) give the impression to those who do not understand the balance of trade that deficits are bad while surpluses are good. But, digging a little into the accounting shows that 1) ‘deficits’ and ‘surpluses’ are value-free and 2) referring to these as ‘trade deficits/surpluses’ is something of a misnomer.” (05/14/26)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/the-trade-deficit-is-a-misnomer
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26) AOC’s war on billionaires twists America’s birth into a socialist myth
Source: Fox News Forum
by Jonathan Turley
“Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [D-NY] is fast becoming the greatest fabulist since Aesop. Recently, Ocasio-Cortez insisted that true billionaires are a capitalist myth since ‘you can’t earn a billion dollars.’ However, her greatest work of fiction may be her insistence that the Framers fought against billionaires and would have joined her and other socialists in seeking to eradicate them today. Bertrand Russell once noted that ‘there is something feeble and a little contemptible’ about those ‘who cannot face the perils of life without the help of comfortable myths.’ The American left has long peddled such ‘comfortable myths’ as the wealthy ‘not paying their fair share’ of taxes. The top 1% of income earners pay over 40% of federal taxes, and that percentage goes up to 70% for the top 10%.” (05/14/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/jonathan-turley-aocs-war-billionaires-twists-americas-birth-socialist-myth
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27) “The Library is One of the Best Libertarian Arguments for Limited Government”
Source: Washington Monthly
by David Masciotra
“John Chrastka of EveryLibrary, which fights for library budgets and against book bans, discusses libraries, their central role in our society, censorship — and those drag-queen story hours.” (05/14/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/05/14/library-book-bans-limited-government/
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28) The Charity Trap
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Mani Basharzad
“One of the first attempts by the second Trump administration to cut government waste was massive cuts and layoffs at USAID. Now, the same administration is pressuring the United Nations to adopt more trade-focused policies rather than aid-focused ones — the ‘trade not aid’ strategy. While it is not obvious how Trump’s tariffs are helping poor nations through trade, we still need to rethink foreign aid.” (05/14/26)
https://fee.org/articles/the-charity-trap/
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29) Ruth Lopez Spoke Up for Due Process; Now She’s Detained Without Charges
Source: Our Future
by Sulma Arias
“Who of us has the right to live without fear? This is the question human rights lawyer Ruth Lopez has asked fearlessly in El Salvador — the country of my birth — for decades. It’s a question we all need to ask ourselves in the United States as well. For speaking boldly, Ruth is now in prison. She’s been held without trial since May 18, 2025 — now a year ago — when she was torn from her bed by police and arrested without any investigation or judicial warrant. Ruth has since had minimal contact with her family and lawyers. Ruth’s crime? She opposed corruption. When Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele signed a secret agreement with the Trump administration to accept $4.7 million for the illegal transfer of more than 200 U.S. deportees to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison, Ruth spoke up to defend their basic rights.” (05/14/26)
https://ourfuture.org/20260514/ruth-lopez-spoke-up-for-due-process-now-shes-detained-without-charges
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30) AI Won’t Necessarily Lead to Mass Unemployment: The Case of the Financial Industry
Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker
“There is widespread concern that AI will lead to mass unemployment in the years ahead. As I and others have pointed out, we have yet to see any evidence of this in the data on job growth or productivity. But maybe we just have to wait a bit longer. But the idea that AI will eliminate all the jobs ignores the ways that creative entrepreneurs can develop new industries that require hundreds of thousands, or even millions of employees. These new industries may contribute nothing to well-being, but they create jobs. The best example of this sort of waste is the financial industry.” (05/14/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/05/14/ai-wont-necessarily-lead-to-mass-unemployment-the-case-of-the-financial-industry/
-----
31) China summit is Trump’s best chance to choke off Iran’s terror cash
Source: New York Post
by Elaine Dezenski & Max Meizlish
“A bombshell report this week laid bare a startling truth: Hong Kong is the lifeline for the Iranian regime and its terrorist proxies. Hong Kong-registered shell companies are funneling billions of dollars in illicit oil revenue, along with weapons technology and surveillance tools, to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, fueling Tehran’s repressive military machine. But more than two months into the war, not one of Iran’s most important financial enablers — in Hong Kong or anywhere else in China — has been taken offline. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping shaking hands, with the US and Chinese flags behind them. It’s a glaring loophole in President Trump’s ‘Economic Fury’ and ‘Maximum Pressure’ campaigns that he’s promised will break the regime. So this week, as the president meets with Xi Jinping in Beijing, he should present the Chinese Communist Party with the bill for its continued support of Tehran’s terror.” (05/13/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/05/13/opinion/china-summit-is-trumps-chance-to-choke-irans-terror-cash/
-----
32) Bullet Train or Bay Bridge?
Source: Independent Institute
by K Lloyd Billingsley
“The contest for California’s biggest disaster may soon be decided.” (05/14/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/05/14/bullet-train-or-bay-bridge/
-----
33) We Need a Department of Peace, Not $1.5 Trillion for More War
Source: Common Dreams
by Robert C Koehler
“It’s hard to avoid noticing, and internally screaming over, the Trump administration’s proposed military budget upgrade to $1.5 trillion annually, as though the present trillion-dollar annual gift to the end of the world weren’t enough. It’s not just the proposed taxpayer bleed. It’s the collective assumption that ‘self-defense’ requires an ever-present readiness to kill lots of people, and beyond that the utter certainty that we have soulless enemies out there who want what we have, hate our freedoms, and will take what they can the moment we relax. This is just the way it is. No questions allowed. And our enemies aren’t pussycats. One of them, for instance, is China. … Nothing holds a country together like a good enemy.” (05/14/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/department-of-peace
-----
34) Can Socialists Support Commerce But Not Capitalism?
Source: The Daily Economy
by Christopher Freiman
“Many socialists condemn trade barriers while supporting bans on wage labor and private ownership. Can that logic be reconciled?” (05/14/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/can-socialists-support-commerce-but-not-capitalism/
-----
35) Return of the Next Pandemic Script
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Yaffa Shir-Raz
“On the surface, an international cruise ship experiencing serious illnesses and deaths during a voyage would seem destined to become an immediate global news story. But that did not happen. Only weeks later, on May 1, the story suddenly received intense international coverage. Within a short time, headlines around the world warned of a ‘plague ship’ at sea, passengers from 23 countries under monitoring, quarantine measures, and fears of human-to-human transmission. After the Covid years, and the way the crisis unfolded in early 2020, the sense of déjà vu was almost unavoidable. … This time, the timing is particularly striking. On May 1, three days before the MV Hondius story received widespread international media attention, the World Health Organization announced yet another one-year delay in negotiations over the PABS annex of the Pandemic Agreement.” (05/14/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/return-of-the-next-pandemic-script/
-----
36) Pope Leo is right. Trump’s war in Iran fails a test.
Source: Washington Post
by Ramesh Ponnuru
“Trump has made next to no attempt to justify his Iran policy using the traditional criteria for just war, and sometimes he broadcasts contempt for the idea that war could be subject to moral evaluation. When he threatens to end Iran’s civilization, it can’t plausibly be spun as anything but placing large-scale war crimes on the table. Though just-war theory is frequently associated with the Catholic Church, its influence extends to non-Catholics and it rests on no distinctively Christian premises. It holds that war is permissible when (among other conditions) it serves a just cause, is declared by a legitimate authority, has a reasonable chance of success and can be expected to do more good than harm.
There is plenty of room to debate when these conditions have been met, but they clearly rule out some wars.” (05/14/26)
https://archive.is/u3LYa
-----
37) Mike Pence, Pretend Lifeguard of Conservatism; Voters Already Left His Pool
Source: American Greatness
by Steve Cortes
“Mike Pence anointed himself to stand athwart the populist Right with a whistle in his mouth, screaming for conservatives to ‘get out of the pool.’ The imagery fits him perfectly. Pence increasingly resembles that obnoxious childhood lifeguard we all remember — the self-important scold, high on perceived power, perched way above everyone else. As such, Pence is convinced that enforcing his rules matters more than understanding why people jumped into the water in the first place. From his perch at CNN studios and establishment think tanks, Pence now lectures conservatives about ‘traditional principles,’ warning Republicans against populism and urging a return to the old GOP orthodoxy. … Pence demands that Republicans engage in ‘soul-searching’ over populism. Fine. Let’s do exactly that.” (05/14/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/05/14/mike-pence-pretend-lifeguard-of-conservatism-voters-already-left-his-pool/
-----
38) Socialists Are Reaping a Bountiful Political Harvest while They Create Havoc
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by William L Anderson
“There is no doubt that socialists are doing very well in the current electoral climate. Zohran Mamdani’s recent victory in the New York City mayoral election has electrified the socialist movement across the country, which also includes the election of Katie Wilson as mayor of Seattle. … Indeed, Bernie Sanders lost narrowly in the 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, and it certainly is not beyond the imagination to say American voters might well have sent him to the White House in either of those elections, had he won the nomination. … One might think, given the electoral successes of leftwing Democrats, that their policies have been successful in transforming the economic and social landscapes of the cities and states where they govern. Think again.” (05/14/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/socialists-are-reaping-bountiful-political-harvest-while-they-create-havoc
-----
39) How to Lower Gas Prices
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Gasoline prices have skyrocketed. The Iran War is to blame, but the President has not been able to bring it to an end. Still, he has offered a small fix. A federal gas tax suspension! In its favor, this temporary measure would offer some relief. In addition, the federal government shouldn’t be attaching an excise to fuel sales anyway. The states already burden our fuel bills with their own taxes. … Cutting off a source of revenue would increase the deficit, of course. But there is a simple solution to that: spend less.” (05/14/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/05/14/how2lower/
-----
40) Are Democrats trying to out-hawk Trump on China to spite him?
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Connor Echols
“The president has actually opened the door to rethinking ties with Beijing, but partisan politics are preventing some lawmakers from walking on through.” (05/14/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-china-deal-democrats/
-----
41) How CEOs Use “Neutral” Legislature Group to Indoctrinate State Lawmakers
Source: The American Prospect
by Whitney Curry Wimbish
“Executives from Amazon, Walmart, and scores of other anti-worker, anti-regulation corporations are paying millions to influence elected officials through the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), researchers and former lawmakers who have attended the meetings told the Prospect. In exchange for donating to the NCSL Foundation, the NCSL allows executives to set conference agendas and put their preferred speakers on panel discussions about policymaking, they said. The arrangement is giving corporate interests significant power to shape how lawmakers think about issues, especially those in which they have little or no expertise, these critics say. The benefits go well beyond those that the NCSL Foundation says on its website come with the annual sponsorship fees at various price levels, such as invitations to meetings.” (05/14/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/05/14/how-ceos-use-neutral-legislature-group-indoctrinate-state-lawmakers-ncsl/
-----
42) Today’s AIs Show the Marginal Revolution’s Unfinished Business
Source: Cobden Centre
by Joakim Book
“AIs excel at pattern recognition, correlation spotting, and out-of-sample prediction from vast datasets; they do not deduce the impossibility of economic calculation under socialism, the coordinative power of market prices under private property, or why fiat results in boom-bust cycles or all manner of unproductive financialization schemes.” (05/14/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/05/todays-ais-show-the-marginal-revolutions-unfinished-business/
-----
43) Land, Law, and Constitutional Overreach
Source: Law & Liberty
by John O McGinnis
“Historians regularly assail ‘law office history.’ But they can be guilty of writing ‘history department jurisprudence.'” (05/14/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/land-law-and-constitutional-overreach/
-----
44) The Perfect Storm for ADHD Overdiagnosis
Source: Cato Institute
by Adam Omary and Jeffrey A Singer
“The sharp increase in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses — nearly doubling among American children between 1997 and 2022, and more than tripling among adults from 2012 to 2023 — has been chalked up to better screening, increased awareness, and the corrosive effects of smartphones and social media on developing brains. None of these factors holds up well under scrutiny. The diagnostic category itself has been steadily widened by the institutions that define it and the financial structure that rewards every participant for applying the ADHD label.” (05/13/26)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/perfect-storm-adhd-overdiagnosis
-----
45) Gavin Newsom Has a Kamala Harris Problem
Source: Town Hall
by Larry Elder
“Former Vice President Kamala Harris recently dropped several not-too-subtle hints that she wants to run for president in 2028. Polls, at least for now, show the leading likely Democrat candidate is California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Many Democrat pundits and insiders say Harris'[s] failed run against Donald Trump renders her damaged goods and therefore insufficiently attractive to the donor class. The Los Angeles Times recently wrote: ‘As Kamala Harris eyes a possible 2028 presidential bid, there is little outward enthusiasm among her biggest 2024 backers to fund a repeat performance’ …. For Harris, this sounds ominous. But there’s a flaw in this reasoning, and it represents a huge threat to Newsom’s plans, as well as those of any of the other names floated as possible candidates.” (05/14/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/larryelder/2026/05/14/gavin-newsom-has-a-kamala-harris-problem-n2676056
-----
46) A Central Bank Digital Currency Isn’t an Immediate Threat
Source: Exiled Policy
by Jason Pye
“Critics are right that a digital dollar could be another surveillance tool, but the Federal Reserve likely needs Congress to authorize it.” (05/13/26)
https://exiledpolicy.substack.com/p/a-central-bank-digital-currency-isnt
-----
47) What do they fear?
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton
“The more power we have, the more we fear losing that power. However little we have. If, for example, we enjoy weekends without having to work at a 9-to-5 job, and have our employer tell us otherwise? (… if we want to keep our job.) The idea of losing power over our own schedule and our daily lives causes worry, even fear. How much more those who have much greater power, whether it is the power of wealth or the power of controlling others.” (05/13/26)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/05/13/what-do-they-fear/
-----
48) Why Walgreens Gives Up
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Walgreens closes another store in another crime-ridden Chicago neighborhood, so of course folks get mad at Walgreens. The defeated Chatham store, closing its doors on June 4, suffered a million dollars in losses last year, citing theft rates ‘far above company average’ — according to one astute observer on X. … Local leaders ‘and residents’ are rallying ‘to demand’ that the chain either keep this particular store open or give money to healthcare organizations in the area. Hey, I’d like Walgreens to give me money to help me with stuff too. I wouldn’t think of demanding it though. Or demanding that Walgreens stores operate at a loss.” (05/13/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/05/13/walgreens-gives-up/
-----
49) ICE-Cold Cash: Members of Congress Took More than $1.7 Million from ICE Contractors
Source: In These Times
by Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg & Ethan Corey
“The Trump administration has doled out billions of taxpayer dollars to corporations tasked with carrying out its mass deportation agenda. Many of these same companies have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to sitting members of Congress, according to an investigation by The Appeal. Using Federal Election Commission records, The Appeal has compiled information on every member of Congress who received campaign contributions from the top contractors for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) either through the company’s Political Action Committee (PAC) or executives during the 2022, 2024 and 2026 election cycles. Over that period, executives at ICE’s biggest contractors donated more than $1.7 million to 168 members of Congress. Palantir CEO Alexander Karp outspent the other executives, donating a total of about $465,000, including nearly $200,000 to Democrats. The Appeal is publishing its findings in a searchable database found below and on a standalone web page.” (05/13/26)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/immigration-customs-enforcement-ice-palantir-congress-donations
-----
50) Political Islam Is Rank Populism That Perverts a Fundamentally Liberal Faith
Source: The UnPopulist
by Mohammed Nosseir
“The Western right’s smearing of the entire religion and the left’s romanticization of it are both misguided.” (05/13/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/political-islam-is-rank-populism
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila, 05/14/26
Source: Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila
"When the Primary Source Disappears, So Does the Truth | Ford Fischer." (05/14/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrsMkSM73aM
-----
52) The Libertarian Angle, 05/14/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“The Folly of Trump’s Trade Summit in China.” (05/15/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zjzIUX3pwc
-----
53) TAC Right Now, 05/14/26
Source: The American Conservative
“Andrew Day and Harrison Berger talk to geopolitical analyst Brandon Weichert about the Iran war, President Trump’s visit to China, and the Russian thinker urging Vladimir Putin to escalate against Europe.” (05/14/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/tac-right-now-will-china-push-trump-to-end-iran-war/
-----
54) Rising, 05/14/26
Source: The Hill
“Fauci buried lab leak evidence, CIA analyst reveals!” (05/14/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/5869849-rising-may-14-2026/
-----
55) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 05/14/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Trump In China — Who Has The Upper Hand?” (05/14/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1AKEmOYvPRAKL
-----
56) The Fifth Column, episode 557
Source: The Fifth Column
“When Everyone Stops Pretending w/ Steven Pinker.” (05/14/26)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/when-everyone-stops-pretending-w
-----
57) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 05/14/26
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Iran Tirade Visibly Rattles GOPers as Leaks Expose New Blunders.” (05/14/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/210409/trump-iran-tirade-visibly-rattles-gopers-leaks-expose-new-blunders
-----
58) Underthrow Podcast, 05/14/26
Source: Underthrow
“Five Conspiracy Theories that Became Conspiracy Facts.” (05/14/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngy-de9Mwk0
-----
59) Advisory Opinion, 05/14/26
Source: The Dispatch
“SCOTUS Clears Way for Alabama to Use Congressional Map.” (05/14/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/scotus-clears-way-for-alabama-to-use-congressional-map/
-----
60) Cato Podcast, 05/14/26
Source: Cato Institute
“The Immigration Crackdown You’re Not Hearing About.” (05/14/26)
https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-podcast/immigration-crackdown-youre-not-hearing-about
-----
61) Kibbe on Liberty, episode 385
Source: Free the People
“Grading the Trump Administration on Gun Rights | Guest: Dudley Brown.” (05/13/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1mjULd0wQk
-----
62) The Science of Politics, 05/13/26
Source: Niskanen Center
“Political inequality isn’t responsible for economic inequality.” (05/13/26)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/political-inequality-isnt-responsible-for-economic-inequality
-----
63) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/13/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Israel Bombs Cars on Major Lebanese Highway, US Surging Military Flights Near Cuba, and More.” (05/13/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN5q2bQ_Uog
-----
64) Make It Make Sense, 05/13/26
Source: Washington Post
“Has the U.S. lost the Iran war?” (05/13/26)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/make-it-make-sense/has-the-us-lost-the-iran-war/
-----
65) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 05/13/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“We sit down with Nick Cleveland-Stout of the Quincy Institute (and a writer at Drop Site News) to track a sweeping Israeli influence campaign in the United States that goes far beyond the usual Capitol Hill lobbying.” (05/13/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/the-kyle-anzalone-show-with-nick-cleveland-stout-exposes-israels-massive-campaign-to-influence-american-christians-lawmakers/
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Ukraine: At least 24 killed in Russian attacks
2) SCOTUS preserves abortion pill access over Alito, Thomas dissents
3) Israeli regime to sue New York Times for exposing sexual abuse of Palestinian inmates
4) Iranian regime eyes Hormuz Internet cable extortion scheme as new lever against the West
5) US regime’s Border Patrol gang shot-caller resigns amid sex tourism allegations
6) US DOJ sues to block ethics punishments of administration lawyers
7) UK: Health secretary resigns in scathing letter, setting up challenge to Starmer’s leadership
8) Federal judge blocks US sanctions against UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese
9) ME: Vance set to speak about fraud investigations ahead of primary election
10) Honda records its first-ever annual loss on a costly EV strategy
11) US Senators approve withholding their own pay during government shutdowns
12) Apple backs Google after EU orders Android be opened up to AI rivals
13) “Floating armoury” ship reportedly seized by Iran
14) Cuba: Regime considers $100 million US aid offer as energy crisis worsens
15) CA: Tourists may be behind “unprecedented” surge in mushroom poisonings
16) NY: Man Found Guilty in Chinese “Secret Police Station” Case
17) New study finds evidence cannabis could treat obesity, diabetes
18) Mexico: Sheinbaum denies CIA involvement in assassination of cartel operative
19) NASA’s Psyche spacecraft buzzing Mars on its way to rare-metal asteroid
20) NE: Powell wins Democratic primary for top US House battleground district
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Are Democrats Now the Party of Free Markets? Don’t Bet on It.
22) “Nearest Nickel” Makes Sense … But Why a Law?
23) Welfare-Warfare State Reform Is Not Freedom
24) When Killing Becomes Commonplace
25) The “Trade Deficit” is a Misnomer
26) AOC’s war on billionaires twists America’s birth into a socialist myth
27) “The Library is One of the Best Libertarian Arguments for Limited Government”
28) The Charity Trap
29) Ruth Lopez Spoke Up for Due Process; Now She’s Detained Without Charges
30) AI Won’t Necessarily Lead to Mass Unemployment: The Case of the Financial Industry
31) China summit is Trump’s best chance to choke off Iran’s terror cash
32) Bullet Train or Bay Bridge?
33) We Need a Department of Peace, Not $1.5 Trillion for More War
34) Can Socialists Support Commerce But Not Capitalism?
35) Return of the Next Pandemic Script
36) Pope Leo is right. Trump’s war in Iran fails a test.
37) Mike Pence, Pretend Lifeguard of Conservatism; Voters Already Left His Pool
38) Socialists Are Reaping a Bountiful Political Harvest while They Create Havoc
39) How to Lower Gas Prices
40) Are Democrats trying to out-hawk Trump on China to spite him?
41) How CEOs Use “Neutral” Legislature Group to Indoctrinate State Lawmakers
42) Today’s AIs Show the Marginal Revolution’s Unfinished Business
43) Land, Law, and Constitutional Overreach
44) The Perfect Storm for ADHD Overdiagnosis
45) Gavin Newsom Has a Kamala Harris Problem
46) A Central Bank Digital Currency Isn’t an Immediate Threat
47) What do they fear?
48) Why Walgreens Gives Up
49) ICE-Cold Cash: Members of Congress Took More than $1.7 Million from ICE Contractors
50) Political Islam Is Rank Populism That Perverts a Fundamentally Liberal Faith
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila, 05/14/26
52) The Libertarian Angle, 05/14/26
53) TAC Right Now, 05/14/26
54) Rising, 05/14/26
55) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 05/14/26
56) The Fifth Column, episode 557
57) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 05/14/26
58) Underthrow Podcast, 05/14/26
59) Advisory Opinion, 05/14/26
60) Cato Podcast, 05/14/26
61) Kibbe on Liberty, episode 385
62) The Science of Politics, 05/13/26
63) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/13/26
64) Make It Make Sense, 05/13/26
65) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 05/13/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Ukraine: At least 24 killed in Russian attacks
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“At least 24 people, including three children, were reported killed in yesterday’s Russian attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The death toll update came after a night of search and rescue operations. ‘The Russians practically demolished an entire section of the building with their missile,’ president Zelenskyy said after visiting the site in Kyiv. The Ukrainian ministry of foreign affairs said it was ‘one of the deadliest attacks on Kyiv since the start of Russia’s full-scale war.’ … Separately, Russia and Ukraine have reportedly exchanged 205 prisoners of war each, which Zelenskyy said was the first part of a broader swap of 1,000 for 1,000.” (05/15/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/may/15/russian-attack-kyiv-ukraine-europe-live-updates-latest
-----
2) SCOTUS preserves abortion pill access over Alito, Thomas dissents
Source: The Hill
“Abortion pills can remain available through the mail for the immediate future after the Supreme Court on Thursday paused a lower court ruling that would have blocked access while a lawsuit proceeds. The justices halted a May 1 order from the conservative U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit that reinstated a requirement that women must visit a health care provider in-person to obtain mifepristone. If it had taken effect, the order would have severely curtailed abortion access across the country. Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented separately. ‘The Court’s unreasoned order granting stays in this case is remarkable. What is at stake is the perpetration of a scheme to undermine our decision’ overturning constitutional [sic] abortion rights, Alito wrote.” (05/14/26)
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5879032-mifepristone-abortion-pills-ruling/
-----
3) Israeli regime to sue New York Times for exposing sexual abuse of Palestinian inmates
Source: Le Monde [France]
“Israeli authorities will take The New York Times to court over a piece it published denouncing alleged widespread sexual abuse against Palestinian detainees, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday, May 15. Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar have ordered the ‘initiation of a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times,’ according to a joint statement issued by their offices. … The investigation, which was published on Monday as an opinion piece by Kristof, a columnist, is based on testimonies gathered in the Israeli-occupied West Bank from 14 men and women who said that they had been sexually assaulted by Israeli settlers or members of the security forces. … The New York Times responded that any legal claim over the ‘deeply reported opinion column’ lacked merit.” (05/14/26)
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/05/14/israel-to-sue-nyt-over-report-on-sexual-abuse-of-palestinian-inmates_6753458_4.html
-----
4) Iranian regime eyes Hormuz Internet cable extortion scheme as new lever against the West
Source: euronews [EU]
“Iran’s Revolutionary Guards-linked media are pushing for Tehran to impose charges on the submarine fibre-optic cables running through the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that the waterway’s role in global digital infrastructure could generate billions of dollars and give Iran a new pressure point against the West. Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the IRGC, proposed that Iran charge transit fees to the international consortia that own and operate the cables, offer maintenance services, and require companies — including Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon — to operate under Iranian regulations.” (05/15/26)
https://www.euronews.com/2026/05/15/iran-eyes-fees-on-hormuz-internet-cables-as-new-lever-against-the-west
-----
5) US regime’s Border Patrol gang shot-caller resigns amid sex tourism allegations
Source: WIBA 1310 News
“Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks has resigned, according to a report from Fox News. Banks, who took on the role at the start of President Trump’s second term, steps down amid serious allegations. Reports from the Washington Examiner claim that Banks engaged in sex tourism, visiting countries like Colombia and Thailand to pay for sex with prostitutes. These activities reportedly occurred over a decade and were known among colleagues. The allegations have sparked controversy, especially given the Border Patrol’s mission to combat human trafficking. Banks'[s] behavior was reportedly investigated twice by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) but was closed without action.” (05/14/26)
https://wiba.iheart.com/content/2026-05-14-border-patrol-chief-mike-banks-resigns-amid-allegations/
-----
6) US DOJ sues to block ethics punishments of administration lawyers
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
“The Justice Department on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the District of Columbia Bar over its efforts to discipline Trump administration lawyers, escalating the department’s feud with legal ethics authorities. The lawsuit defends Jeffrey Clark, a government lawyer in the first Trump administration who sought to undo the results of the 2020 presidential race, and Ed Martin, a current senior Justice Department official. The suit was filed by Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, and Stanley E. Woodward Jr., the No. 3 official at the Justice Department…. The lawsuit centers on the long-running battle over the D.C. Bar’s effort to disbar Clark, an environmental lawyer who had no formal role in investigating elections, over his push to promote Trump’s baseless assertions of fraud in Joe Biden’s electoral victory in 2020.” (05/14/26)
https://www.inquirer.com/politics/nation/trump-administration-lawyers-ethics-bar-20260514.html
-----
7) UK: Health secretary resigns in scathing letter, setting up challenge to Starmer’s leadership
Source: CBS News
“Efforts to unseat British Prime Minister Keir Starmer broke out into open rebellion Thursday, with one potential rival resigning from the Cabinet and another clearing the way for her to enter any future leadership contest. Health Secretary Wes Streeting became the first senior minister to quit Starmer’s Cabinet in what is expected to be a precursor to challenging his leadership. … Streeting, whose political ambitions have long been known, is considered one of a handful of people who could try to unseat Starmer. … Another likely challenger, former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, said Thursday that she had reached an agreement with tax authorities to clear up questions about her taxes that forced her to leave the Cabinet last September.” (05/14/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uk-health-secretary-resigns-prime-minister-keir-starmer-challenge/
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8) Federal judge blocks US sanctions against UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“A federal judge has temporarily blocked United States sanctions against Francesca Albanese, a United Nations expert on the occupied Palestinian territory. UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese was sanctioned in July 2025 after she publicly criticised Washington’s policy on Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza. Albanese’s husband and daughter filed a lawsuit in February against the Trump administration over the sanctions. It argued that the sanctions were an effort to punish Albanese for bringing attention to Israel’s rights abuses against Palestinians. In his court order on Wednesday, US District Judge Richard Leon granted a preliminary injunction against the sanctions. He found that the Trump administration sought to regulate her speech because of the ‘idea or message expressed.'” (05/14/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/14/federal-judge-blocks-us-sanctions-against-un-rapporteur-francesca-albanese
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9) ME: Vance set to speak about fraud investigations ahead of primary election
Source: Los Angeles Daily News
“Vice President JD Vance is slated to make an appearance in Maine on Thursday to highlight the Trump administration’s efforts to combat fraud ahead of the state’s primary elections for several high-profile races. Vance, who chairs the administration’s anti-fraud task force, is scheduled to deliver remarks at Bangor International Airport, the White House and the Maine Republican Party announced. The vice president, who is seen as a potential GOP candidate for president in 2028, has been promoting the work of the task force as he has campaigned for Republican candidates in recent months. But Thursday’s visit is the first that has been expressly billed as a stop to talk about the fraud-fighting efforts rather than the economic-focused message he’s delivered in other visits.” (05/14/26)
https://www.dailynews.com/2026/05/14/jd-vance-maine-fraud-investigations/
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10) Honda records its first-ever annual loss on a costly EV strategy
Source: Seattle Times
“Honda racked up a 423.9 billion yen ($2.7 billion) loss Thursday, the first-ever full year loss for the Japanese automaker, acknowledging heavy costs for its electric-vehicle plans, stemming from President Donald Trump’s pro-U.S. [sic] policies. The Japanese automaker said losses related to its EV operations are estimated to total 2.5 trillion yen ($16 billion), incurred mostly in the fiscal year just ended and the current fiscal year. Analysts say Honda Motor Co. might have been too ambitious too fast, when many markets weren’t ready. As a result, Honda abandoned many of its plans for EV models, including those in the works in a joint venture with Sony Corp.” (05/14/26)
https://archive.is/G1rl7
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11) US Senators approve withholding their own pay during government shutdowns
Source: SFGate
“Senators unanimously approved a resolution Thursday to withhold their pay during government shutdowns, an attempt to make federal closures financially painful for lawmakers after a string of record-breaking impasses in the past year. The bipartisan support for the measure comes at a time when federal closures have become longer and more frequent, frustrating lawmakers who say there should be punishment when Congress fails at its most basic legislative duty. Under the resolution, senators’ pay would be withheld by the secretary of the Senate whenever a government shutdown affects one or more agencies, then released once funding is restored. It will take effect the day after the Nov. 3 general election. ‘Shutting down government should not be our default solution to our refusal to work out our issues and our differences,’ said Sen. John Kennedy [R-LA], the bill’s sponsor, in a floor speech Wednesday.” (05/14/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/senators-vote-to-withhold-their-own-pay-during-22259128.php
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12) Apple backs Google after EU orders Android be opened up to AI rivals
Source: Engadget
“Apple is on Google’s side when it comes the latter’s criticisms against the European Union’s proposals which would give third-party AI services the same level of access to Android that Gemini has. The European Commission has been taking steps to ensure that Google complies with the rules of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). In January, it told the company that it has to give external AI assistants the same access to Android its own technology has and to hand over ‘anonymized ranking, query, click and view data held by Google Search’ to rival search engines. … According to Reuters, Apple echoed Google’s statement that allowing competing AI services complete access to Android would undermine European users’ privacy. It would, for instance, allow them to interact with the apps people use to send emails, order food or share photos.” (05/14/26)
https://www.engadget.com/2172631/apple-comments-back-google-eu-ai-order-android/
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13) “Floating armoury” ship reportedly seized by Iran
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“A vessel reportedly operating as a ‘floating armoury’ in the Gulf of Oman has been seized by Iranian military personnel, according to the maritime risk management company Vanguard. The ship is now ‘bound for Iranian territorial waters,’ the UK’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organisation said. BBC Verify has checked ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic which shows the vessel – identified by Vanguard as the Honduras-flagged Hui Chuan — last broadcast its location 70km (40 miles) north-east of Fujairah in the UAE on Wednesday. Hui Chuan’s operators told Vanguard it was operating as a floating armoury which stores weapons for security firms who protect ships at sea from attack by pirates. BBC Verify cannot confirm what was on the ship or who it was used by.” (05/14/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx219xwxg9no
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14) Cuba: Regime considers $100 million US aid offer as energy crisis worsens
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“The Cuban government says it is open to reviewing a US offer of $100m (£74m) in aid, hours after rare protests over worsening power cuts erupted on the Communist-run island. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said on Thursday that Cuba was ‘ready to hear the details of the proposal and how it would be implemented’. The shortages have been exacerbated by a US-imposed blockade of oil which has squeezed the country’s supplies of essentials such as diesel and fuel oil. Hospitals have been unable to function normally, and schools and government offices have been forced to close. Tourism, an economic engine for Cuba, has also been impacted.” (05/14/26)
http://bbc.com/news/articles/cd7pyrj0vx7o
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15) CA: Tourists may be behind “unprecedented” surge in mushroom poisonings
Source: SFGate
“Bay Area health officials are warning the public of an unusual surge in mushroom poisonings across the region and state, including the latest cases in Napa County. Over the weekend, three adults were hospitalized after eating wild mushrooms they collected in the rural area of Deer Park, the county’s Health and Human Services Agency said in a Tuesday news release. The three people were not Napa County residents and were foraging mushrooms specifically between Deer Park Road, Fawn Road and Silverado Trail. The agency said the poisonings are part of an ‘unprecedented outbreak’ of mushroom-related illnesses and deaths across California. According to the California Department of Public Health, there have been 47 cases, including four deaths, since Nov. 18, 2025. Of these cases, hospitalizations occurred in six Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma.” (05/14/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/napa-mushrooms-poison-california-22257807.php
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16) NY: Man Found Guilty in Chinese “Secret Police Station” Case
Source: US News & World Report
“A New York man was found guilty on Wednesday of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government after a trial over federal prosecutors’ allegations that he operated a ‘secret police station’ on behalf of Beijing in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said Lu Jianwang, 64, should have alerted the U.S. Attorney General that he was a Chinese agent when he helped open the so-called police station in 2022. They also said he helped China’s government locate a pro-democracy activist living in California. Lu was arrested in April 2023. He had pleaded not guilty to the three felony charges he faced: conspiracy to act as an unregistered foreign agent, acting as an unregistered agent of China, and obstruction of justice. A jury in Brooklyn federal court reached the verdict after a weeklong trial.” (05/13/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-05-13/new-york-man-found-guilty-in-chinese-secret-police-station-case
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17) New study finds evidence cannabis could treat obesity, diabetes
Source: Yahoo! News
“The munchies are one of marijuana’s most famous effects, with countless movies playing up the trope that smoking weed leads to uncontrollable hunger. But a new study is showing that cannabis could actually have surprising effects on your waistline. Researchers at UC Riverside gave cannabis to obese mice and found that not only did the rodents lose weight, but when given a concentrated cannabis oil, the mice also saw striking benefits in their metabolic function. Nicholas DiPatrizio, a UC Riverside professor and the lead author of the study, said he thinks the work could lead to cannabis-based diet therapies. ‘We can develop molecules that can be cannabis based, isolate them and maybe even do better than nature. We are just at the beginning,’ DiPatrizio told SFGATE.” (05/14/26)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/calif-study-finds-evidence-cannabis-120000613.html
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18) Mexico: Sheinbaum denies CIA involvement in assassination of cartel operative
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that reports claiming the CIA was involved in a recent targeted assassination outside Mexico City were ‘fictions the size of the universe.’ CNN and the New York Times reported Tuesday that the CIA was involved in the targeted car bombing of a mid-level Sinaloa cartel member on March 28. … Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar Harfuch immediately denied the reports Tuesday evening in a post on social media platform X. CIA spokesperson Liz Lyons followed Harfuch’s post with her own carrying the agency’s official denial.” (05/13/26)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/mexico-cia-sinaloa-cartel-member-bombing-9.7198270
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19) NASA’s Psyche spacecraft buzzing Mars on its way to rare-metal asteroid
Source: SFGate
“A NASA spacecraft chasing a rare metal asteroid swings past Mars this week for a gravity boost, snapping thousands of pictures as practice for the main encounter in 2029. Named Psyche like the asteroid it’s after, the robotic explorer will slingshot past the red planet at 12,333 mph (19,848 kph) on Friday. It will be an especially close flyby, with Psyche passing within 2,800 miles (4,500 kilometers) of Mars, equivalent to the distance between the U.S. east and west coasts. Then it will barrel toward the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter that is home to its enticing target. All of the spacecraft’s science instruments will be on for the Mars pass. NASA’s two Mars rovers along with a small fleet of U.S. and European orbiters will make surface and atmospheric observations at the same time for comparison..” (05/14/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/nasa-s-psyche-spacecraft-buzzing-mars-on-its-way-22258643.php
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20) NE: Powell wins Democratic primary for top US House battleground district
Source: NBC News
“Political organizer Denise Powell has won the Democratic nomination in Nebraska’s 2nd District, NBC News projects, emerging from a tough primary fight in one of her party’s top opportunities to flip a swing seat this year. Powell narrowly defeated state Sen. John Cavanaugh in a race that featured five other Democratic candidates on the ballot. Powell had 39% to Cavanaugh’s 37% in the primary with about 90% of the expected vote tallied. She will advance to a general election matchup against Omaha City Council member Brinker Harding, who ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. … Nebraska’s 2nd District has been a top target for Democrats for several election cycles, but GOP Rep. Don Bacon’s decision to retire at the end of his term has renewed enthusiasm among Democrats hoping to win his seat.” (05/13/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/denise-powell-wins-democratic-primary-top-house-battleground-district-rcna344472
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Are Democrats Now the Party of Free Markets? Don’t Bet on It.
Source: Reason
by Stephanie Slade
“Listening to two prominent progressives highlight the cronyism and inefficiencies of government bureaucracy that libertarians have been shouting about for decades was equal parts refreshing and infuriating. But if you were tempted to hope those realizations would bring them around to genuinely libertarian conclusions, you would be disappointed. Ultimately, as the second half of the podcast made clear, [Ezra] Klein and his allies support streamlining government because they hope to make it easier for government to do big, ambitious things: nationwide high-speed rail, federal housing projects, Medicare for All. They are not trying to get government out of the way so people can thrive; they want government itself to thrive. That distinction is the main problem with the hypothesis that Democrats will soon be the party of free markets and limited government.” (05/14/26)
https://reason.com/2026/05/14/are-democrats-now-the-party-of-free-markets-dont-bet-on-it/
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22) “Nearest Nickel” Makes Sense … But Why a Law?
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“On May 11, a new law went into effect in Florida, ‘allowing’ businesses to round the amounts charged for cash purchases to the nearest nickel. Really? Nothing more important than this for our masters in Tallahassee to spend their time on? Don’t get me wrong. The practice in question makes sense …. But why on Earth would merchants need a law to ‘allow’ this? … Even when framed as ‘voluntary’ — as this one is — unnecessary laws ‘allowing’ behaviors already unquestionably ‘allowed’ (by common sense and conventional morality) tend to nudge the public toward an ‘everything not required is forbidden’ mindset in which we instinctively seek permission from our rulers for every action, trivial or momentous.” (05/14/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20615
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23) Welfare-Warfare State Reform Is Not Freedom
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“The libertarian movement can be divided into two basic groups: libertarians who call for reforming welfare-warfare state programs and libertarians who call for dismantling welfare-warfare state programs. I fall within the latter group. Why? Because I want to be free. Reform doesn’t get me freedom. At best it gets me a better serfdom. That’s nice, but it’s not want I want for the rest of my life. I want to be free, and only by dismantling infringements on freedom can I attain genuine freedom.” (05/14/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/05/14/welfare-warfare-state-reform-is-not-freedom/
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24) When Killing Becomes Commonplace
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano
“Last week, when the Pentagon resumed its attacks on small boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean, the media barely noticed. The U.S. military has now destroyed 56 vessels and killed 190 persons. The killings began in September 2025 and have continued to this month. … Killing survivors is expressly prohibited by federal law as well as by the Uniform Code of Military Justice. And, of course, ordering the killing of innocents is always unlawful. So, the Pentagon made two changes. It produced more lethal strikes so as not to be burdened with the problem of survivors, and it either stopped killing survivors or stopped revealing that it killed them.” (05/14/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2026/05/13/when-killing-becomes-commonplace/
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25) The “Trade Deficit” is a Misnomer
Source: EconLog
by Jon Murphy
“The United States, like most other countries, use a method of double-entry accounting to track certain aggregate statistics known as National Income Accounting. One of the statistics tracked is the balance of trade. The balance of trade reports the difference between imports and exports. … The connotations of the words ‘surplus’ and ‘deficit’ (coupled with the accounting conventions of pluses and minus) give the impression to those who do not understand the balance of trade that deficits are bad while surpluses are good. But, digging a little into the accounting shows that 1) ‘deficits’ and ‘surpluses’ are value-free and 2) referring to these as ‘trade deficits/surpluses’ is something of a misnomer.” (05/14/26)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/the-trade-deficit-is-a-misnomer
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26) AOC’s war on billionaires twists America’s birth into a socialist myth
Source: Fox News Forum
by Jonathan Turley
“Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [D-NY] is fast becoming the greatest fabulist since Aesop. Recently, Ocasio-Cortez insisted that true billionaires are a capitalist myth since ‘you can’t earn a billion dollars.’ However, her greatest work of fiction may be her insistence that the Framers fought against billionaires and would have joined her and other socialists in seeking to eradicate them today. Bertrand Russell once noted that ‘there is something feeble and a little contemptible’ about those ‘who cannot face the perils of life without the help of comfortable myths.’ The American left has long peddled such ‘comfortable myths’ as the wealthy ‘not paying their fair share’ of taxes. The top 1% of income earners pay over 40% of federal taxes, and that percentage goes up to 70% for the top 10%.” (05/14/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/jonathan-turley-aocs-war-billionaires-twists-americas-birth-socialist-myth
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27) “The Library is One of the Best Libertarian Arguments for Limited Government”
Source: Washington Monthly
by David Masciotra
“John Chrastka of EveryLibrary, which fights for library budgets and against book bans, discusses libraries, their central role in our society, censorship — and those drag-queen story hours.” (05/14/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/05/14/library-book-bans-limited-government/
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28) The Charity Trap
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Mani Basharzad
“One of the first attempts by the second Trump administration to cut government waste was massive cuts and layoffs at USAID. Now, the same administration is pressuring the United Nations to adopt more trade-focused policies rather than aid-focused ones — the ‘trade not aid’ strategy. While it is not obvious how Trump’s tariffs are helping poor nations through trade, we still need to rethink foreign aid.” (05/14/26)
https://fee.org/articles/the-charity-trap/
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29) Ruth Lopez Spoke Up for Due Process; Now She’s Detained Without Charges
Source: Our Future
by Sulma Arias
“Who of us has the right to live without fear? This is the question human rights lawyer Ruth Lopez has asked fearlessly in El Salvador — the country of my birth — for decades. It’s a question we all need to ask ourselves in the United States as well. For speaking boldly, Ruth is now in prison. She’s been held without trial since May 18, 2025 — now a year ago — when she was torn from her bed by police and arrested without any investigation or judicial warrant. Ruth has since had minimal contact with her family and lawyers. Ruth’s crime? She opposed corruption. When Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele signed a secret agreement with the Trump administration to accept $4.7 million for the illegal transfer of more than 200 U.S. deportees to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison, Ruth spoke up to defend their basic rights.” (05/14/26)
https://ourfuture.org/20260514/ruth-lopez-spoke-up-for-due-process-now-shes-detained-without-charges
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30) AI Won’t Necessarily Lead to Mass Unemployment: The Case of the Financial Industry
Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker
“There is widespread concern that AI will lead to mass unemployment in the years ahead. As I and others have pointed out, we have yet to see any evidence of this in the data on job growth or productivity. But maybe we just have to wait a bit longer. But the idea that AI will eliminate all the jobs ignores the ways that creative entrepreneurs can develop new industries that require hundreds of thousands, or even millions of employees. These new industries may contribute nothing to well-being, but they create jobs. The best example of this sort of waste is the financial industry.” (05/14/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/05/14/ai-wont-necessarily-lead-to-mass-unemployment-the-case-of-the-financial-industry/
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31) China summit is Trump’s best chance to choke off Iran’s terror cash
Source: New York Post
by Elaine Dezenski & Max Meizlish
“A bombshell report this week laid bare a startling truth: Hong Kong is the lifeline for the Iranian regime and its terrorist proxies. Hong Kong-registered shell companies are funneling billions of dollars in illicit oil revenue, along with weapons technology and surveillance tools, to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, fueling Tehran’s repressive military machine. But more than two months into the war, not one of Iran’s most important financial enablers — in Hong Kong or anywhere else in China — has been taken offline. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping shaking hands, with the US and Chinese flags behind them. It’s a glaring loophole in President Trump’s ‘Economic Fury’ and ‘Maximum Pressure’ campaigns that he’s promised will break the regime. So this week, as the president meets with Xi Jinping in Beijing, he should present the Chinese Communist Party with the bill for its continued support of Tehran’s terror.” (05/13/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/05/13/opinion/china-summit-is-trumps-chance-to-choke-irans-terror-cash/
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32) Bullet Train or Bay Bridge?
Source: Independent Institute
by K Lloyd Billingsley
“The contest for California’s biggest disaster may soon be decided.” (05/14/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/05/14/bullet-train-or-bay-bridge/
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33) We Need a Department of Peace, Not $1.5 Trillion for More War
Source: Common Dreams
by Robert C Koehler
“It’s hard to avoid noticing, and internally screaming over, the Trump administration’s proposed military budget upgrade to $1.5 trillion annually, as though the present trillion-dollar annual gift to the end of the world weren’t enough. It’s not just the proposed taxpayer bleed. It’s the collective assumption that ‘self-defense’ requires an ever-present readiness to kill lots of people, and beyond that the utter certainty that we have soulless enemies out there who want what we have, hate our freedoms, and will take what they can the moment we relax. This is just the way it is. No questions allowed. And our enemies aren’t pussycats. One of them, for instance, is China. … Nothing holds a country together like a good enemy.” (05/14/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/department-of-peace
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34) Can Socialists Support Commerce But Not Capitalism?
Source: The Daily Economy
by Christopher Freiman
“Many socialists condemn trade barriers while supporting bans on wage labor and private ownership. Can that logic be reconciled?” (05/14/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/can-socialists-support-commerce-but-not-capitalism/
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35) Return of the Next Pandemic Script
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Yaffa Shir-Raz
“On the surface, an international cruise ship experiencing serious illnesses and deaths during a voyage would seem destined to become an immediate global news story. But that did not happen. Only weeks later, on May 1, the story suddenly received intense international coverage. Within a short time, headlines around the world warned of a ‘plague ship’ at sea, passengers from 23 countries under monitoring, quarantine measures, and fears of human-to-human transmission. After the Covid years, and the way the crisis unfolded in early 2020, the sense of déjà vu was almost unavoidable. … This time, the timing is particularly striking. On May 1, three days before the MV Hondius story received widespread international media attention, the World Health Organization announced yet another one-year delay in negotiations over the PABS annex of the Pandemic Agreement.” (05/14/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/return-of-the-next-pandemic-script/
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36) Pope Leo is right. Trump’s war in Iran fails a test.
Source: Washington Post
by Ramesh Ponnuru
“Trump has made next to no attempt to justify his Iran policy using the traditional criteria for just war, and sometimes he broadcasts contempt for the idea that war could be subject to moral evaluation. When he threatens to end Iran’s civilization, it can’t plausibly be spun as anything but placing large-scale war crimes on the table. Though just-war theory is frequently associated with the Catholic Church, its influence extends to non-Catholics and it rests on no distinctively Christian premises. It holds that war is permissible when (among other conditions) it serves a just cause, is declared by a legitimate authority, has a reasonable chance of success and can be expected to do more good than harm.
There is plenty of room to debate when these conditions have been met, but they clearly rule out some wars.” (05/14/26)
https://archive.is/u3LYa
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37) Mike Pence, Pretend Lifeguard of Conservatism; Voters Already Left His Pool
Source: American Greatness
by Steve Cortes
“Mike Pence anointed himself to stand athwart the populist Right with a whistle in his mouth, screaming for conservatives to ‘get out of the pool.’ The imagery fits him perfectly. Pence increasingly resembles that obnoxious childhood lifeguard we all remember — the self-important scold, high on perceived power, perched way above everyone else. As such, Pence is convinced that enforcing his rules matters more than understanding why people jumped into the water in the first place. From his perch at CNN studios and establishment think tanks, Pence now lectures conservatives about ‘traditional principles,’ warning Republicans against populism and urging a return to the old GOP orthodoxy. … Pence demands that Republicans engage in ‘soul-searching’ over populism. Fine. Let’s do exactly that.” (05/14/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/05/14/mike-pence-pretend-lifeguard-of-conservatism-voters-already-left-his-pool/
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38) Socialists Are Reaping a Bountiful Political Harvest while They Create Havoc
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by William L Anderson
“There is no doubt that socialists are doing very well in the current electoral climate. Zohran Mamdani’s recent victory in the New York City mayoral election has electrified the socialist movement across the country, which also includes the election of Katie Wilson as mayor of Seattle. … Indeed, Bernie Sanders lost narrowly in the 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, and it certainly is not beyond the imagination to say American voters might well have sent him to the White House in either of those elections, had he won the nomination. … One might think, given the electoral successes of leftwing Democrats, that their policies have been successful in transforming the economic and social landscapes of the cities and states where they govern. Think again.” (05/14/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/socialists-are-reaping-bountiful-political-harvest-while-they-create-havoc
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39) How to Lower Gas Prices
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Gasoline prices have skyrocketed. The Iran War is to blame, but the President has not been able to bring it to an end. Still, he has offered a small fix. A federal gas tax suspension! In its favor, this temporary measure would offer some relief. In addition, the federal government shouldn’t be attaching an excise to fuel sales anyway. The states already burden our fuel bills with their own taxes. … Cutting off a source of revenue would increase the deficit, of course. But there is a simple solution to that: spend less.” (05/14/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/05/14/how2lower/
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40) Are Democrats trying to out-hawk Trump on China to spite him?
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Connor Echols
“The president has actually opened the door to rethinking ties with Beijing, but partisan politics are preventing some lawmakers from walking on through.” (05/14/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-china-deal-democrats/
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41) How CEOs Use “Neutral” Legislature Group to Indoctrinate State Lawmakers
Source: The American Prospect
by Whitney Curry Wimbish
“Executives from Amazon, Walmart, and scores of other anti-worker, anti-regulation corporations are paying millions to influence elected officials through the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), researchers and former lawmakers who have attended the meetings told the Prospect. In exchange for donating to the NCSL Foundation, the NCSL allows executives to set conference agendas and put their preferred speakers on panel discussions about policymaking, they said. The arrangement is giving corporate interests significant power to shape how lawmakers think about issues, especially those in which they have little or no expertise, these critics say. The benefits go well beyond those that the NCSL Foundation says on its website come with the annual sponsorship fees at various price levels, such as invitations to meetings.” (05/14/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/05/14/how-ceos-use-neutral-legislature-group-indoctrinate-state-lawmakers-ncsl/
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42) Today’s AIs Show the Marginal Revolution’s Unfinished Business
Source: Cobden Centre
by Joakim Book
“AIs excel at pattern recognition, correlation spotting, and out-of-sample prediction from vast datasets; they do not deduce the impossibility of economic calculation under socialism, the coordinative power of market prices under private property, or why fiat results in boom-bust cycles or all manner of unproductive financialization schemes.” (05/14/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/05/todays-ais-show-the-marginal-revolutions-unfinished-business/
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43) Land, Law, and Constitutional Overreach
Source: Law & Liberty
by John O McGinnis
“Historians regularly assail ‘law office history.’ But they can be guilty of writing ‘history department jurisprudence.'” (05/14/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/land-law-and-constitutional-overreach/
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44) The Perfect Storm for ADHD Overdiagnosis
Source: Cato Institute
by Adam Omary and Jeffrey A Singer
“The sharp increase in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses — nearly doubling among American children between 1997 and 2022, and more than tripling among adults from 2012 to 2023 — has been chalked up to better screening, increased awareness, and the corrosive effects of smartphones and social media on developing brains. None of these factors holds up well under scrutiny. The diagnostic category itself has been steadily widened by the institutions that define it and the financial structure that rewards every participant for applying the ADHD label.” (05/13/26)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/perfect-storm-adhd-overdiagnosis
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45) Gavin Newsom Has a Kamala Harris Problem
Source: Town Hall
by Larry Elder
“Former Vice President Kamala Harris recently dropped several not-too-subtle hints that she wants to run for president in 2028. Polls, at least for now, show the leading likely Democrat candidate is California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Many Democrat pundits and insiders say Harris'[s] failed run against Donald Trump renders her damaged goods and therefore insufficiently attractive to the donor class. The Los Angeles Times recently wrote: ‘As Kamala Harris eyes a possible 2028 presidential bid, there is little outward enthusiasm among her biggest 2024 backers to fund a repeat performance’ …. For Harris, this sounds ominous. But there’s a flaw in this reasoning, and it represents a huge threat to Newsom’s plans, as well as those of any of the other names floated as possible candidates.” (05/14/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/larryelder/2026/05/14/gavin-newsom-has-a-kamala-harris-problem-n2676056
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46) A Central Bank Digital Currency Isn’t an Immediate Threat
Source: Exiled Policy
by Jason Pye
“Critics are right that a digital dollar could be another surveillance tool, but the Federal Reserve likely needs Congress to authorize it.” (05/13/26)
https://exiledpolicy.substack.com/p/a-central-bank-digital-currency-isnt
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47) What do they fear?
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton
“The more power we have, the more we fear losing that power. However little we have. If, for example, we enjoy weekends without having to work at a 9-to-5 job, and have our employer tell us otherwise? (… if we want to keep our job.) The idea of losing power over our own schedule and our daily lives causes worry, even fear. How much more those who have much greater power, whether it is the power of wealth or the power of controlling others.” (05/13/26)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/05/13/what-do-they-fear/
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48) Why Walgreens Gives Up
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Walgreens closes another store in another crime-ridden Chicago neighborhood, so of course folks get mad at Walgreens. The defeated Chatham store, closing its doors on June 4, suffered a million dollars in losses last year, citing theft rates ‘far above company average’ — according to one astute observer on X. … Local leaders ‘and residents’ are rallying ‘to demand’ that the chain either keep this particular store open or give money to healthcare organizations in the area. Hey, I’d like Walgreens to give me money to help me with stuff too. I wouldn’t think of demanding it though. Or demanding that Walgreens stores operate at a loss.” (05/13/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/05/13/walgreens-gives-up/
-----
49) ICE-Cold Cash: Members of Congress Took More than $1.7 Million from ICE Contractors
Source: In These Times
by Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg & Ethan Corey
“The Trump administration has doled out billions of taxpayer dollars to corporations tasked with carrying out its mass deportation agenda. Many of these same companies have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to sitting members of Congress, according to an investigation by The Appeal. Using Federal Election Commission records, The Appeal has compiled information on every member of Congress who received campaign contributions from the top contractors for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) either through the company’s Political Action Committee (PAC) or executives during the 2022, 2024 and 2026 election cycles. Over that period, executives at ICE’s biggest contractors donated more than $1.7 million to 168 members of Congress. Palantir CEO Alexander Karp outspent the other executives, donating a total of about $465,000, including nearly $200,000 to Democrats. The Appeal is publishing its findings in a searchable database found below and on a standalone web page.” (05/13/26)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/immigration-customs-enforcement-ice-palantir-congress-donations
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50) Political Islam Is Rank Populism That Perverts a Fundamentally Liberal Faith
Source: The UnPopulist
by Mohammed Nosseir
“The Western right’s smearing of the entire religion and the left’s romanticization of it are both misguided.” (05/13/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/political-islam-is-rank-populism
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila, 05/14/26
Source: Try Liberty with Steven Nekhaila
"When the Primary Source Disappears, So Does the Truth | Ford Fischer." (05/14/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrsMkSM73aM
-----
52) The Libertarian Angle, 05/14/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“The Folly of Trump’s Trade Summit in China.” (05/15/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zjzIUX3pwc
-----
53) TAC Right Now, 05/14/26
Source: The American Conservative
“Andrew Day and Harrison Berger talk to geopolitical analyst Brandon Weichert about the Iran war, President Trump’s visit to China, and the Russian thinker urging Vladimir Putin to escalate against Europe.” (05/14/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/tac-right-now-will-china-push-trump-to-end-iran-war/
-----
54) Rising, 05/14/26
Source: The Hill
“Fauci buried lab leak evidence, CIA analyst reveals!” (05/14/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/5869849-rising-may-14-2026/
-----
55) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 05/14/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Trump In China — Who Has The Upper Hand?” (05/14/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1AKEmOYvPRAKL
-----
56) The Fifth Column, episode 557
Source: The Fifth Column
“When Everyone Stops Pretending w/ Steven Pinker.” (05/14/26)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/when-everyone-stops-pretending-w
-----
57) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 05/14/26
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Iran Tirade Visibly Rattles GOPers as Leaks Expose New Blunders.” (05/14/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/210409/trump-iran-tirade-visibly-rattles-gopers-leaks-expose-new-blunders
-----
58) Underthrow Podcast, 05/14/26
Source: Underthrow
“Five Conspiracy Theories that Became Conspiracy Facts.” (05/14/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngy-de9Mwk0
-----
59) Advisory Opinion, 05/14/26
Source: The Dispatch
“SCOTUS Clears Way for Alabama to Use Congressional Map.” (05/14/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/scotus-clears-way-for-alabama-to-use-congressional-map/
-----
60) Cato Podcast, 05/14/26
Source: Cato Institute
“The Immigration Crackdown You’re Not Hearing About.” (05/14/26)
https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-podcast/immigration-crackdown-youre-not-hearing-about
-----
61) Kibbe on Liberty, episode 385
Source: Free the People
“Grading the Trump Administration on Gun Rights | Guest: Dudley Brown.” (05/13/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1mjULd0wQk
-----
62) The Science of Politics, 05/13/26
Source: Niskanen Center
“Political inequality isn’t responsible for economic inequality.” (05/13/26)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/political-inequality-isnt-responsible-for-economic-inequality
-----
63) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/13/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Israel Bombs Cars on Major Lebanese Highway, US Surging Military Flights Near Cuba, and More.” (05/13/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN5q2bQ_Uog
-----
64) Make It Make Sense, 05/13/26
Source: Washington Post
“Has the U.S. lost the Iran war?” (05/13/26)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/make-it-make-sense/has-the-us-lost-the-iran-war/
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65) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 05/13/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“We sit down with Nick Cleveland-Stout of the Quincy Institute (and a writer at Drop Site News) to track a sweeping Israeli influence campaign in the United States that goes far beyond the usual Capitol Hill lobbying.” (05/13/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/the-kyle-anzalone-show-with-nick-cleveland-stout-exposes-israels-massive-campaign-to-influence-american-christians-lawmakers/
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