Groups keyboard shortcuts have been updated
Dismiss
See shortcuts
04/15 -- Bukele gives Trump public assist in defying SCOTUS order on abducted man; America the Ugly
7 views
Skip to first unread message
Thomas L. Knapp
Apr 15, 2025, 6:19:23 AMApr 15
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 04/15/25
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Presented by the Liberty International
https://liberty-intl.org/
Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
https://news.rationalreview.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's Freedom News:
1) Bukele gives Trump public assist in defying SCOTUS order on abducted man
2) Haiti: Regime announces “war budget” as town after town falls to rival gangs
3) White House proposes drastic cuts to State Department and funding for UN, NATO and other groups
4) EU issues US-bound staff with burner phones over spying fears
5) US Stocks and Bonds Climb After Week of Upheaval
6) Yemen: Suspected US airstrikes kill at least seven
7) France: Opposition Parties Raise Spectre of No-Confidence Vote Over 2026 Budget
8) Hungary: Parliament passes constitutional amendment to ban LGBTQ public events
9) Meta heads to court over alleged illegal monopoly that could force it to sell Instagram, Whatsapp
10) Iranian foreign minister to visit Moscow ahead of second Iran-US meeting
11) Survey: More than 60% of CEOs expect a recession in the next 6 months as tariff turmoil grows
12) South Africa: Regime Appoints a Special US Envoy After Its Ambassador Was Expelled
13) MS: State auditor’s MOGE report claims $400 million in government waste
14) Katy Perry et al. return safely from Blue Origin space flight
15) Landmark antitrust trial could force Zuckerberg to sell Instagram
16) EU Ministers Adopt Iran Sanctions Over Citizen Detentions
17) CA: “Prioritizing the criminals” with $239 million taxpayer-funded prison project
18) Retrial opens in Sarah Palin’s attempt to use the New York Times to extend her long-since expired 15 minutes some more
19) Turkey: Court rejects appeal seeking release of key Erdogan rival from prison
20) Algeria: Regime gives 12 French embassy officials 48 hours to leave amid diplomatic rift
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) America the Ugly
22) Mario Vargas Llosa: A Literary Colossus Who Aimed to Change the World
23) The Invisible Crash
24) Empires of the Future
25) An American Gulag in the Making
26) Britain’s State Addiction
27) Sacred Cinema, part 3: The Triumph of the Intimate Epic
28) Even on Pause, Trump’s Trade War Runs Up a Big Price Tag
29) The tariffs really are about stupid men
30) Is Representative Democracy a Front for Oligarchy?
31) Fortress America: Is 2025 the New 1984?
32) What’s So Terrible About Trade Deficits Anyway?
33) Every Day The Gaza Holocaust Continues, The Empire Tells The Truth About Itself
34) Sabotage or Neglect?
35) The creation of Donald Trump, authoritarian
36) Seizable? Indeed! Crypto Is Now Closer to Functioning as Money in Brazil
37) Today’s “Death Squad Dems” Enable Trump-Backed Slaughter
38) Labour will bury British Steel, not save it
39) The Unusual Nonprofit That Helps ICE Spy on Wire Transfers
40) Quantum Vibe, 04/14/25
41) A Welcome New Twist on America’s Tax Future
42) Elon Musk’s Artificial God
43) Iran Is Not Building a Nuclear Bomb: A Fact Sheet
44) The Anarchist and the Republican
45) Tariffs & “trade wars”: Trump asks tough questions critics won’t answer
46) Greenland Deserves Solidarity, Too
47) Taxing Power: Luther Martin’s Anti-Federalist Warnings
48) A First Step Towards Autonomy in Medical Education
49) How the Euro Can Replace the Dollar
50) Why Classical Liberals Should be Skeptical of DOGE
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 04/14/25
52) The Mona Charen Show, 04/14/25
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 785
54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 04/14/25
55) What Happens When the Debt Hits the Fan?
56) EconTalk, 04/14/25
57) The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent, 04/14/25
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 04/14/25
59) Free Talk Live, 04/13/25
60) Bill Buppert on The Scott Horton Show
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
Tyranny Demands AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE: A NOVEL BY ERNE LEWIS
https://tinyurl.com/actofselfdefense
ONE IDENTITY FOR ALL YOUR CRYPTO
https://fioprotocol.io/
SAMUEL EDWARD KONKIN III REVOLUTIONARY FRIEND BY WENDY MCELROY
https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Edward-Konkin-Revolutionary-Friend-ebook/dp/B0DP7B6127
SHOP ONLINE, COLLECT A REBATE IN BITCOIN!
https://www.lolli.com/share/MZB4cCpheL
THE CONSTITUTION OF NON-STATE GOVERNMENT: FIELD GUIDE TO TEXAS SECESSION, by TL Hulsey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1947660853
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Bukele gives Trump public assist in defying SCOTUS order on abducted man
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“The president of El Salvador said in a meeting with Donald Trump in the White House on Monday that he would not order the return of a Maryland man who was deported in error to a Salvadoran mega-prison. … The comments came a day after the Trump administration claimed it is not legally obligated to secure the return of the [Kilmar] Abrego García, despite the US supreme court ruling that the administration should ‘facilitate’ bringing him back. … Earlier this month, the Trump administration acknowledged that Abrego García, an immigrant from El Salvador who was living in Maryland with protected status, was deported to a prison in El Salvador on 15 March as a result of an ‘administrative error.'” (04/14/25)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/14/trump-doj-return-man-wrongly-deported-el-salvador
-----
2) Haiti: Regime announces “war budget” as town after town falls to rival gangs
Source: Bozeman Daily Chronicle
“Haiti’s government announced Monday that it approved what it called a ‘war budget’ of $275,000 aimed at alleviating the country’s crisis as gang violence surges. Nearly 40% of the money will go toward Haiti’s police and military [gangs] ‘to fight the armed groups that threaten national stability,’ while nearly 20% will go to fortify the border it shares with the Dominican Republic, Haiti’s transitional presidential council said in a statement. Another 16% will go to social programs including those focused on education, health and humanitarian assistance.” (04/14/25)
https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/ap_news/international/haitis-government-announces-war-budget-as-town-after-town-falls-to-gangs/article_921e0025-46e4-5a4e-b30b-6f32284e9332.html
-----
3) White House proposes drastic cuts to State Department and funding for UN, NATO and other groups
Source: Associated Press
“The White House’s Office of Management and Budget has proposed gutting the State Department’s budget by almost 50%, closing a number of overseas diplomatic missions, slashing the number of diplomatic staff, and eliminating funding for nearly all international organizations, including the United Nations, many of its agencies and for NATO headquarters, officials said. The proposal, which was presented to the State Department last week and is still in a highly preliminary phase, is not expected to pass muster with either the department’s leadership or Congress, which will ultimately be asked to vote on the entire federal budget in the coming months.” [editor’s note: It would be a good start, at least! – TLK] (04/14/25)
https://apnews.com/article/state-department-funding-cuts-trump-diplomacy-8305713dc6da1b95811486b62bf46582
-----
4) EU issues US-bound staff with burner phones over spying fears
Source: Financial Times [UK]
“The European Commission is issuing burner phones and basic laptops to some US-bound staff to avoid the risk of espionage, a measure traditionally reserved for trips to China. Commissioners and senior officials travelling to the IMF and World Bank spring meetings next week have been given the new guidance, according to four people familiar with the situation. They said the measures replicate those used on trips to Ukraine and China, where standard IT kit cannot be brought into the countries for fear of Russian or Chinese surveillance. ‘They are worried about the US getting into the commission systems,’ said one official. The treatment of the US as a potential security risk highlights how relations have deteriorated since the return of Donald Trump as US president in January.” (04/14/25)
https://archive.is/ot8qt
-----
5) US Stocks and Bonds Climb After Week of Upheaval
Source: Bloomberg
“A degree of calm returned to Wall Street, with stocks and bonds notching a twin rally after a tumultuous week in the grip of President Donald Trump’s disruptive trade war. With the White House signaling a tariff reprieve on key consumer electronics …. Treasuries snapped a five-day slide that drove 10-year yields up by the most in over two decades. … The S&P 500 rose 0.8% as of 4 p.m. New York time …. The Nasdaq 100 rose 0.6% ….The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.8% Treasuries snapped a five-day slide that drove 10-year yields up by the most in over two decades.” (04/14/25)
https://archive.is/TZsTZ
-----
6) Yemen: Suspected US airstrikes kill at least seven
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
“Suspected U.S. airstrikes around Yemen’s rebel [sic]-held capital killed at least seven people and wounded 29 overnight, the Houthis said Monday as they also claimed shooting down another American MQ-9 Reaper drone. Since its start nearly a month ago, the intense campaign of U.S. airstrikes under President Donald Trump targeting the rebels [sic] over their attacks on shipping in Mideast waters — related to the Israel-Hamas war — has killed over 120 people, according to casualty figures released Monday by the Houthis’ Health Ministry.” (04/14/25)
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/04/14/us-airstrikes-yemen-houthis/
-----
7) France: Opposition Parties Raise Spectre of No-Confidence Vote Over 2026 Budget
Source: US News & World Report
“French opposition parties on Monday threatened to topple Prime Minister Francois Bayrou’s government with a no-confidence motion after his finance minister said next year’s budget would require billions of euros in savings. A vote on the 2026 budget is not due until the end of this year, but the subject is already testing the staying power of the government of Bayrou, who came to office in December after clashes over the 2025 budget brought down predecessor, Michel Barnier. Finance Minister Eric Lombard said in an interview with BFM TV on Sunday that a plan to lower the budget deficit to 4.6% of economic output in 2026 from 5.4% this year would require savings of 40 billion euros. Bayrou, who has survived other no-confidence votes, is due to make a budget speech on Tuesday, in which he is expected to outline the bruising austerity measures on the horizon.” (04/14/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-04-14/french-far-right-far-left-parties-threaten-no-confidence-motions-over-budget
-----
8) Hungary: Parliament passes constitutional amendment to ban LGBTQ public events
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“Hungary’s parliament on Monday passed an amendment to the constitution that allows the government to ban public events by LGBTQ communities, a decision that legal scholars and critics call another step towards authoritarianism by the populist government. The amendment, which required a two-thirds vote, passed along party lines with 140 votes for and 21 against. It was proposed by the ruling Fidesz-KDNP coalition led by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. … The amendment declares that children’s rights to moral, physical and spiritual development supersede any right other than the right to life, including that to peacefully assemble. Hungary’s contentious ‘child protection’ legislation prohibits the ‘depiction or promotion’ of homosexuality to minors aged under 18.” (04/14/25)
https://archive.is/Zfyki
-----
9) Meta heads to court over alleged illegal monopoly that could force it to sell Instagram, Whatsapp
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“Facebook parent Meta Platforms faces a high-stakes trial in Washington starting on Monday on claims it built an illegal social media monopoly by spending billions of dollars to acquire Instagram and WhatsApp, in a case where U.S. antitrust enforcers seek to unwind the deals. The acquisitions more than a decade ago aimed to eliminate competitors who could threaten Facebook’s status as the go-to social media platform for users to connect with friends and family, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission claims. It filed the case in 2020, during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term. The FTC is trying to force Meta to restructure or sell parts of its business. That means if the commission is successful, Instagram and WhatsApp could be hived off from Meta to become their own entities once again.” [editor’s note: Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp combined aren’t anything approaching or resembling a monopoly – TLK] (04/14/25)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/meta-court-monopoly-1.7509525
-----
10) Iranian foreign minister to visit Moscow ahead of second Iran-US meeting
Source: Reuters
“Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will visit ally Russia this week for talks prior to a second round of Iran-U.S. negotiations, a spokesperson said, during a diplomatic buildup to resolve Tehran’s nuclear dispute with the West. Iran and the U.S. held indirect talks via a mediator last week in Oman and are to reconvene this week in a dialogue over Tehran’s escalating nuclear programme, with President Donald Trump threatening military action if there is no deal.” (04/14/25)
https://archive.is/0HdYy
-----
11) Survey: More than 60% of CEOs expect a recession in the next 6 months as tariff turmoil grows
Source: CNBC
“A growing majority of America’s top executives now expects the U.S. economy to enter a recession in the near future, according to a survey released Monday. Of the more than 300 CEOs polled in April, 62% said they forecasted a recession or other economic downturn in the next six months, according to Chief Executive, an industry group that runs the survey. That’s up from 48% who said the same in March. Chief Executive’s data underscores the growing concern within corporate America around the future of the U.S. economy. Fears about a forthcoming recession hit a boiling point in the last two weeks, as President Donald Trump’s on-again-off-again tariff policy ratcheted up volatility in financial markets and stirred panic among some consumers.” (04/14/25)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/14/more-than-60percent-of-ceos-expect-a-recession-in-the-next-6-months-survey-says.html
-----
12) South Africa: Regime Appoints a Special US Envoy After Its Ambassador Was Expelled
Source: Time
“South African President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed a former deputy finance minister as a special envoy to the United States on Monday after the ambassador was expelled last month by the Trump administration. Ramaphosa said Mcebisi Jonas'[s] appointment would help South Africa rebuild its relationship with the U.S., which has deteriorated swiftly since President Donald Trump took office. Trump has accused the [b]lack-led South African government of mistreating a white minority at home and also criticized its foreign policy as anti-American. He signed an executive order in February cutting U.S. funding to South Africa over those issues.” (04/14/25)
https://time.com/7277571/south-africa-appoints-special-us-envoy/
-----
13) MS: State auditor’s MOGE report claims $400 million in government waste
Source: Fox News
“On Monday, Mississippi state auditor Shad White will release a compilation of audits conducted by his office that tabulated a collective $400 million in waste over the course of his tenure. ‘In the last few weeks, we’ve jokingly started calling ourselves MOGE, the Mississippi Office of Government Efficiency, like Elon Musk’s DOGE,’ White told Fox News Digital, referring to Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump administration. ‘We approach our work with the same attention to every penny as DOGE, and I’m happy to be Mississippi’s Musk,’ White said. While the auditor’s office cannot cut any of the wasteful spending, it alerts state lawmakers to what it discovers.” (04/14/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mississippi-musk-state-auditors-moge-report-finds-400m-government-waste
-----
14) Katy Perry et al. return safely from Blue Origin space flight
Source: Axios
“Singer Katy Perry, CBS anchor Gayle King and other well-known women set off to space on Monday morning in Blue Origin’s 11th human spaceflight mission. … The flight was led by Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ commercial space company. Minutes after taking off, the crew experienced weightlessness. Then they soon safely returned to Earth. The passengers aboard were: Lauren Sánchez, Jeff Bezos'[s] fiancée, the vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund and a former journalist …. Katy Perry, the biggest-selling woman artist in Capitol Records’ history …. Amanda Nguyễn, a bioastronautics research scientist and civil rights activist …. Aisha Bowe: a former NASA rocket scientist …. Gayle King: co-host of CBS Mornings … Kerianne Flynn, a film producer.” (04/14/25)
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/14/blue-origin-space-flight-katy-perry-gayle-king-lauren-sanchez
-----
15) Landmark antitrust trial could force Zuckerberg to sell Instagram
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“A trial in the landmark antitrust case against social media giant Meta kicks off in Washington on Monday. The US competition and consumer watchdog alleges that Meta, which already owned Facebook, bought Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 to eliminate competition, effectively giving itself a monopoly. The FTC reviewed and approved those acquisitions but committed to monitor the outcomes. If the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wins the case it could force Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to sell off both Instagram and WhatsApp. Meta previously said it was sure it would win and experts have told the BBC it is likely to argue that Instagram users have had a better experience since it was taken over. ‘The [FTC’s] argument is the acquisition of Instagram was a way of neutralizing this rising competitive threat to Facebook,’ says Rebecca Haw Allensworth, a professor of antitrust at Vanderbilt Law School.” (04/14/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cedy2ygy50do
-----
16) EU Ministers Adopt Iran Sanctions Over Citizen Detentions
Source: US News & World Report
“European Union foreign ministers on Monday adopted sanctions against seven Iranian individuals and two organisations over the detention of EU citizens, which the bloc calls a policy of state-sponsored hostage-taking, diplomats said. A list of those sanctioned, seen by Reuters, included the director of Tehran’s Evin prison and several judges and other judicial officials. The main prison in the city of Shiraz was among the organisations sanctioned. EU sanctions consist of a freeze on any assets held in the European Union and a ban on any travel into the bloc. In recent years, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on charges related to espionage and security. Among them are at least 20 European citizens, diplomats say.” (04/14/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-04-14/eu-ministers-adopt-iran-sanctions-over-citizen-detentions
-----
17) CA: “Prioritizing the criminals” with $239 million taxpayer-funded prison project
Source: Fox News
“A prosecutor in California blasted the state’s $239 million taxpayer-funded project to build a prison rehabilitation center in the Bay Area, arguing that it’s another example of politicians putting criminals ahead of law-abiding citizens. Construction is ongoing at the San Quentin State Prison, where construction crews are building a Norway-style rehabilitation center with luxury amenities such as a grocery store, library, café, farmer’s market and more. … The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Building 38 at San Quentin State Prison was demolished to make room for the rehabilitation center. The state agency said the rehab center is part of the ‘California Model,’ which is a ‘holistic initiative that leverages international, data-backed best practices to improve the well-being of those who live and work at state prisons’.” (04/14/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/us/blue-state-prioritizing-criminals-239m-taxpayer-funded-prison-project-prosecutor-says
-----
18) Retrial opens in Sarah Palin’s attempt to use the New York Times to extend her long-since expired 15 minutes some more
Source: ABC News
“A retrial is set to begin Monday for Sarah Palin’s libel lawsuit claiming The New York Times libeled her in an editorial eight years ago. The onetime Republican vice presidential candidate and ex-governor of Alaska gets another chance to prove to a federal jury that the newspaper defamed her with the 2017 editorial falsely linking her campaign rhetoric to a mass shooting. Palin said it damaged her reputation and career. The Times has acknowledged the editorial was inaccurate but said it quickly corrected an ‘honest mistake.’ The trial, expected to last a week, comes after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals restored the case last year. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday morning. In February 2022, Judge Jed S. Rakoff in Manhattan rejected Palin’s claims in a ruling issued while a jury deliberated. The judge then let jurors deliver their verdict, which went against Palin.” (04/14/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/retrial-opens-sarah-palins-libel-suit-new-york-120777839
-----
19) Turkey: Court rejects appeal seeking release of key Erdogan rival from prison
Source: SFGate
“Judicial officials on Monday rejected an appeal seeking the release of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu from jail pending the outcome of his corruption trial, the country’s state-run news agency reported. Imamoglu, a prominent opposition figure and a key challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s more than two-decade rule, was detained on March 19 and formally jailed on corruption charges four days later. His arrest is widely perceived to be politically motivated, aiming to sideline a major rival ahead of presidential elections … On Monday, the Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance ruled to reject the appeals made by Imamoglu’s lawyers, deciding that his detention would continue, the Anadolu Agency reported.” (04/14/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/turkish-court-rejects-appeal-seeking-release-of-20274797.php
-----
20) Algeria: Regime gives 12 French embassy officials 48 hours to leave amid diplomatic rift
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Algeria has asked 12 French embassy staff to leave in 48 hours, the French foreign minister said Monday, adding that this was linked to the arrest of three Algerian nationals in France. ‘I am asking Algerian authorities to abandon these expulsion measures … if the decision to send back our officials is maintained, we will have no other choice but to respond immediately,’ Jean-Noël Barrot said. The 12 include some members of the French interior ministry, a diplomatic source told AFP. On Friday, French prosecutors indicted three Algerians, including a consular official, on suspicion of involvement in the April 2024 abduction of an Algerian influencer, Amir Boukhors, in a Paris suburb.” (04/14/25)
https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20250414-algeria-gives-12-french-embassy-officials-48-hours-to-leave-amid-diplomatic-rift
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) America the Ugly
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“President Trump might have inadvertently come up with the perfect solution to America’s decades-old, ongoing, never-ending, perpetual immigration crisis. That solution entails making America so ugly that foreigners will longer want to come here. After all, that’s what North Korea did. Like the United States, North Korea militarized and sealed its southern border, established a police state, and isolated itself from the rest of the world. Today, no one is striving to get into North Korea because the government has made the country so ugly. Many foreigners are cancelling vacation plans in the United States. Others are selling American vacation homes. They are wise to do so. Otherwise, they could suddenly find themselves on a U.S. military transport plane carting them to the maximum-security, anti-terrorist torture and brutality camp in El Salvador.” (04/14/25)
https://www.fff.org/2025/04/14/america-the-ugly/
-----
22) Mario Vargas Llosa: A Literary Colossus Who Aimed to Change the World
Source: Foreign Policy
by Andrea Moncada
“In his acceptance speech for the 2010 Nobel Prize in literature, Mario Vargas Llosa, who died on April 13 at the age of 89, noted that he learned from French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre that ‘words are acts’ — that writing about the politics of the present and the opportunities to shift direction can, in Vargas Llosa’s words, ‘change the course of history.’ Vargas Llosa’s literature, fueled by a passionate commitment to individual liberty, aimed to do just that. The author of more than 50 books over a span of six decades, Vargas Llosa was a household name in Latin America. He will be remembered as a staunch defender of liberalism and the free market — indeed, that may be his enduring mark on history — yet in his youth he was animated by leftist ideology, discovering then what he called his first ‘utopian illusion’: communism.” (04/14/25)
https://archive.is/dyMvm
-----
23) The Invisible Crash
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“Trump’s tariff mayhem has crashed stock markets across the globe. His loyalists are searching for silver linings in these dark clouds, without success. But if you value insight for its own sake, there is indeed a silver lining to be found. While few Americans will profit from this demagogic nonsense, this is a fine opportunity to learn deep lessons about not just trade, but economic policy in general. … Doing nothing would have been far better than doing what he did. Contrary to the famed Dr. Pangloss, all is not ‘for the best in this, the best of all possible worlds.’ Once you accept this anti-Panglossian point, however, you ought to wonder: Are there any pre-2025 policies that have already done damage on the scale that Trump is now inflicting on the global economy?” (04/14/25)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/the-invisible-crash
-----
24) Empires of the Future
Source: Law & Liberty
by Graham McAleer
“Techno-futurists commonly believe that a totally human-made future will advance individual liberty. Bruno Maçães is doubtful, arguing in World Builders: Technology and the New Geopolitics that the future will more likely see us living inside a metaverse crafted by one of the superpowers. He foresees AI delivering ‘a radical increase in the centrality of sovereign power’ and believes the goal of today’s geopolitics is a hegemonic second genesis where all reside in an artificial cosmos that will be either American or Chinese. This is not fairyland stuff, argues Maçães, for recent events show that the great powers are trying to scale up the smart city. In the imperialism of the future, a superpower aspires to be ‘a global system administrator.'” (04/14/25)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/empires-of-the-future/
-----
25) An American Gulag in the Making
Source: Eyes On The Right
by Damon Linker
“We are apparently paying Bukele to take American deportees and imprison them. And our government’s official position, at this moment, is that once a person has left the territory of the United States, they not only have no recourse to American law, but the American president can do nothing to reverse an injustice concerning one of the imprisoned deportees, even in a case where the administration admits its own error. Once the administration puts someone on a plane to a foreign prison, he or she has no way out. And our president says he ‘loves’ the idea of sending American citizens there as well.” (04/14/25)
https://damonlinker.substack.com/p/an-american-gulag-in-the-making
-----
26) Britain’s State Addiction
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by James Price
“The United States gained much of its famous self-reliance and can-do spirit from its Anglo-Saxon heritage, and much of its skepticism of big government from its British origins to boot. So it should horrify Americans to learn just how much the motherland has forgotten its proud tradition of self-sufficiency and pride in being self-reliant. In fact, readers of a sensitive disposition may need to brace themselves for the following statistic: over half of British adults — 52.1% — now depend on the state for their livelihood. This nauseating discovery is the product of the Adam Smith Institute’s (ASI) new State Reliance Index.” (04/14/25)
https://fee.org/articles/britains-state-addiction/
-----
27) Sacred Cinema, part 3: The Triumph of the Intimate Epic
Source: Chris Matthew Sciabarra
by Chris Matthew Sciabarra
“Though every Oscar that [Ben Hur] received was well deserved, in my opinion, I hold a special place in my heart for the Rozsa score. I didn’t get to see Ben-Hur until 1969 when it was re-released in all its 70 mm glory for its tenth anniversary run at the Palace Theatre in New York City. Walking into that immense, majestic theater at the age of 9, seeing that famous wall portrait of Judy Garland, who had recently died, I settled into my seat, not quite realizing the depth of the cinematic moments I was about to experience. But I recognized the first three notes of the Overture instantly. Throughout the 1960s, I had listened countless times to the film’s soundtrack, a staple on our Victrola. I fell in love with every aspect of Rozsa’s score. Finally, I was able to integrate Rozsa’s music with the remarkable images on screen.” (04/14/25)
https://medium.com/@cms10_7549/sacred-cinema-1005493a2a0b
-----
28) Even on Pause, Trump’s Trade War Runs Up a Big Price Tag
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“Predictions vary as to the ultimate cost, but there’s no doubt that tariffs create economic pain.” (04/14/25)
https://reason.com/2025/04/14/even-on-pause-trumps-trade-war-runs-up-a-big-price-tag/
-----
29) The tariffs really are about stupid men
Source: Sex and the State
by Cathy Reisenwitz
“The male resist lib class is skeptical that international trade has hollowed out working-class America. Most economists agree automation did more to reduce manufacturing employment in the US than outsourcing. But this newsletter is about politics, not facts. And the politics just seems really, really obvious here. I am not good at math, but here’s my proposal. Let’s not self-immolate the entire global economy on the off chance that it will result in a couple hundred thousand Rust Belt male swing voters having a job that makes them feel manly. Let’s instead just write them all checks for $1,500 a month.” (04/14/25)
https://cathyreisenwitz.substack.com/p/the-tariffs-really-are-about-stupid
-----
30) Is Representative Democracy a Front for Oligarchy?
Source: CounterPunch
by Phil Wilson
“The organization ‘The General Strike’ aspires to mobilize approximately 11 million people committed to coordinating a massive work stoppage. The magic number of 11 million equals 3.5 percent of the US population – a figure that organizers argue will be large enough to transform the US power structure and give workers the agency to shape the national destiny with heretofore unprecedented scope. But what would the strike stand for? There is no set of demands, no concrete goal elucidated on ‘The General Strike’ website. The values of ‘decentralization, dissent and diversity’ are listed along with the rather abstract hope to ‘dismantle the master’s house.’ Is there a way to offer a concrete means to dismantle the master’s house, to name the actual tool of deconstruction?” (04/14/25)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/04/14/is-representative-democracy-a-front-for-oligarchy/
-----
31) Fortress America: Is 2025 the New 1984?
Source: TomDispatch
by Alfred McCoy
“Most of us can remember at least a few troubling scenes from George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984: the mandatory love demanded for the spectral dictator Big Brother; the malleability of facts at the Ministry of Truth; or the ruling party’s memorably grim slogans, ‘War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery.’ But for me, the most disturbing image of all — and I first read the book in high school — was the ‘Two Minutes Hate,’ aroused among the public by threatening images on giant video screens. Within just 30 seconds, Orwell wrote, ‘a hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness, a desire to kill, to torture, to smash faces in with a sledgehammer, seemed to flow through the whole group of people like an electric current, turning one even against one’s will into a grimacing, screaming lunatic.'” (04/14/25)
https://tomdispatch.com/fortress-america/
-----
32) What’s So Terrible About Trade Deficits Anyway?
Source: Quillette
by Robert Johnson
“Trump’s fixation with trade-deficit ‘offenders’ is punishing the very nations that could one day erase those deficits through development and prosperity. US consumers, businesses, and economic growth will all suffer as a result of the US president’s inability to grasp this elementary logic. There seems to be just one long-term strategy behind all this: unleash populism for immediate electoral returns, blame someone else for the problems that populism inevitably causes, and let someone else deal with the long-term consequences.” (04/14/25)
https://quillette.com/2025/04/14/whats-so-terrible-about-trade-deficits-anyway/
-----
33) Every Day The Gaza Holocaust Continues, The Empire Tells The Truth About Itself
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Every day the Gaza holocaust continues, the western empire tells the truth about itself. The US government is telling you the truth about itself. Israel is telling you the truth about itself. Their western allies are telling you the truth about themselves. The western media are telling you the truth about themselves. One of the most important stages when preparing to leave an abusive relationship is the information-gathering stage. This is when you begin quietly observing and making note of your partner’s abusive behavior, letting them tell you the truth about themselves with their actions rather than their words. The information-gathering stage is important because long-term abusive relationships are usually very confusing for the victim; if the abuse were simple and easy to understand, the relationship wouldn’t have continued into the long term.” (04/14/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/04/14/every-day-the-gaza-holocaust-continues-the-empire-tells-the-truth-about-itself/
-----
34) Sabotage or Neglect?
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“‘It might not be sabotage,’ says Member of Parliament Jonathan Reynolds. ‘It might be neglect.’ Reynolds serves as the United Kingdom’s Business Secretary. He’s talking about the behavior of Jungye, the Chinese owner of troubled British Steel. Takeaway? Maybe China isn’t such a great economic partner after all.” (04/14/25)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/04/14/sabotage-or-neglect/
-----
35) The creation of Donald Trump, authoritarian
Source: Washington Post
by Philip Bump
“When Donald Trump announced his presidential candidacy in June 2015, ‘Make America Great Again’ didn’t appear on any baseball caps. It was emblazoned on white T-shirts (in at least some cases) given to people hired to fill out the crowd. There was no hint, though, that the phrase would soon be a central element of the most robust attack on American democracy in 150 years. In fact, Trump’s 2016 campaign didn’t even come up with the MAGA hat. According to 2017 reporting from CNN, someone else sent an early version of the ball cap to the campaign. Trump, holding an outdoor event at the border one day, threw it on, immediately striking a chord. The hat was ‘un-designed,’ in the words of a designer who spoke with CNN, something that just sort of emerged. But it was extensible, replicable and cheap. Soon, it was unavoidable.” (04/14/25)
https://archive.is/MDbVE
-----
36) Seizable? Indeed! Crypto Is Now Closer to Functioning as Money in Brazil
Source: Bitcoin.com
by Sergio Goschenko
“Brazil appears to take one step forward and one step back regarding crypto, often making progress reluctantly. Last week, we criticized the stance of Brazilian regulators on stablecoins, and now a ruling from one of the highest tribunals benefits crypto, but it feels like a curveball.” (04/14/25)
https://news.bitcoin.com/seizable-indeed-crypto-is-now-closer-to-functioning-as-money-in-brazil/
-----
37) Today’s “Death Squad Dems” Enable Trump-Backed Slaughter
Source: The Progressive
by Stephen Zunes
“On March 15, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz informed fellow Trump Administration officials through their now-infamous Signal chat that a U.S. missile attack had resulted in the collapse of an apartment building filled with Yemeni civilians. Vice President JD Vance replied, ‘Excellent.’ Democrats on Capitol Hill have since expressed outrage — not at the deaths of innocent civilians, or at the United States’[s] unprovoked attack on a sovereign country, but at the fact that the conversation was not more carefully shielded from the public. The Trump administration claims to have resumed bombing in Yemen to stop the Houthi rebels’ [sic] attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea, despite the fact that the Houthis, who serve as the de facto government of much of the country, had ceased those attacks months ago.” (04/14/25)
https://progressive.org/latest/the-silence-of-the-dems-zunes-20250411/
-----
38) Labour will bury British Steel, not save it
Source: spiked
by Fraser Myers
“In a rare Saturday sitting of parliament, MPs voted this weekend to allow the UK government to assume operational control of British Steel. The emergency legislation will be used to block the firm’s Chinese owner, Jingye, from closing down its two blast furnaces in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire. Full nationalisation is likely on the way. There is no doubt that government intervention was necessary to prevent the plant’s closure. … This weekend’s emergency legislation has certainly bought the steelworks some time, but UK PM Keir Starmer has some serious brass neck to claim that he has ‘saved’ British steelmaking. On the contrary, his government is committed to the very policies that have made steelmaking and other heavy industries unviable in the UK.” (04/14/25)
https://www.spiked-online.com/2025/04/14/labour-will-bury-british-steel-not-save-it/
-----
39) The Unusual Nonprofit That Helps ICE Spy on Wire Transfers
Source: The Intercept
by Shawn Musgrave
“When Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are trying to track down undocumented immigrants, they seek out all the data they can find. In Arizona, they’ve found a special trove that’s ripe for abuse. The Transaction Record Analysis Center, or TRAC, database offers a rare glimpse into the financial lives of millions of immigrants and U.S. citizens alike. The database contains details about more than 340 million wire transfers sent via Western Union and more than two dozen other companies that immigrants rely on to send money back home. … The data dragnet is powered by Arizona’s state attorney general using administrative subpoenas, which do not require a judge’s sign-off. But TRAC operates as a nonprofit and a clearinghouse for ICE and hundreds of other law enforcement agencies around the country to access the data.” (04/14/25)
https://theintercept.com/2025/04/14/ice-surveillance-wire-western-union-arizona-trac/
-----
40) Quantum Vibe, 04/14/25
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (04/14/25)
https://www.quantumvibe.com/strip?page=2530
-----
41) A Welcome New Twist on America’s Tax Future
Source: Inequality.org
by Sam Pizzigati
“Republican leaders in Congress have been working feverishly over recent days to renew the rich people: friendly 2017 Trump tax cuts set to expire at this year’s end. Both the House and Senate have now passed bills that do that renewing, and also add in some assorted new goodies. All that remains before this latest giveaway to grand fortune becomes law: a bit of dickering between House and Senate GOP leaders over the tax cut’s particulars and then President Donald Trump’s John Henry on whatever legislation that dickering ends up producing. Trump can barely wait for the signing ceremony. But he’s also pushing for much more than an extension (and expansion) of those 2017 tax cuts. His ultimate goal: erasing taxes on income from the entire federal tax code.” (04/14/25)
https://inequality.org/article/a-welcome-new-twist-on-americas-tax-future/
-----
42) Elon Musk’s Artificial God
Source: Liberal Currents
by Katherine Alejandra Cross
“In the vision of Musk and other lords of Silicon Valley, the purpose of AI technology is to insulate them, and only them, from any hint that they might live in a society.” (04/14/25)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/elon-musks-artificial-god/
-----
43) Iran Is Not Building a Nuclear Bomb: A Fact Sheet
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ted Snider
“Broad and unquestioning public acceptance that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon is build upon what A.B. Abrams has called a ‘greater vilifying metanarrative.’ The U.S. and its partners, both government and media, repeat a claim so often that a foundation is built in the public imagination upon which current accusations are easily established. But next time the government or media feeds you the steady diet of evidence free claims that Iran is building a bomb, remember two things. Iran is not building a bomb. And, despite what you are being told, no one really believes that they are.” (04/14/25)
https://original.antiwar.com/ted_snider/2025/04/13/iran-is-not-building-a-nuclear-bomb-fact-sheet/
-----
44) The Anarchist and the Republican
Source: Reason
by Jesse Walker
“How John McClaughry and Karl Hess fought to decentralize power — one from inside the system, one ever further from it.” (for publication 05/25)
https://reason.com/2025/04/13/the-anarchist-and-the-republican/
-----
45) Tariffs & “trade wars”: Trump asks tough questions critics won’t answer
Source: New York Post
by Victor Davis Hanson
“Ten tariff questions aren’t being asked — but should be: 1) President Trump’s so-called ‘trade war.’ Many call the American effort to obtain either tariff parity or a reduction in the roughly $1 trillion trade deficit and 50 years of consecutive trade deficits a ‘trade war.’ But then what do they call the policies of the past half-century by Europe, Asia, China and others to ensure asymmetrical tariffs, pseudo-health and security trade restrictions, and large surpluses? A trade peace? Trade fairness? 2) Do nations prefer surpluses or deficits? Why do most nations prefer trade surpluses and protective tariffs? Are Europe, Asia, China and others stupid?” [editor’s note: “Nations” don’t prefer anything; only individuals have preferences. Regimes are gangs of individuals whose preferences come at the expense of the other individuals who identify with the “nations” the gangs rule – TLK] (04/13/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/04/13/opinion/trump-is-asking-tough-tariff-questions-critics-wont-answer/
-----
46) Greenland Deserves Solidarity, Too
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“Something very strange has happened to American colonialism. Somewhere between the shock-and-awe of Dubya’s New American Century and the explosive verbal dysentery of Orange-Sphincter-Bad, Uncle Sam’s mask of sanity got cracked. Naturally, the neocons and neolibs will blame it all on Trump but the election and reelection of such an openly debauched hooligan would never be possible in a functioning empire. That would be like blaming Caligula alone for Rome’s demise just because he stopped drawing the blinds before the orgies. The rot here clearly runs much deeper than 2024. Any nation that responds to a recession by reigniting the Cold War was already on its way down whether the fools calling audibles from their ivory towers realized it yet or not.” (04/13/25)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2025/04/greenland-deserves-solidarity-too.html
-----
47) Taxing Power: Luther Martin’s Anti-Federalist Warnings
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Michael Boldin
“Luther Martin believed the Constitution’s sweeping taxation power was one of its most dangerous features, a direct threat to both state sovereignty and individual liberty. Long before the Sixteenth Amendment and the rise of federal income taxes, Martin warned that the new government’s power to tax would concentrate control in the hands of a distant, centralized system – one that could crush the people economically and render the states irrelevant. His fierce opposition to the Constitution rested on this core concern: centralized taxing power would become a tool of oppression, not protection.” (04/13/25)
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2025/04/13/taxing-power-luther-martins-anti-federalist-warnings/
-----
48) A First Step Towards Autonomy in Medical Education
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Joni Ruller McGary
“Future healthcare providers have the same right to bodily autonomy as the patients they will someday serve. We must ensure that personal medical decisions remain with individuals, especially those who will one day be entrusted with our nation’s health.” (04/13/25)
https://brownstone.org/articles/a-first-step-towards-autonomy-in-medical-education/
-----
49) How the Euro Can Replace the Dollar
Source: The American Prospect
by Ryan Cooper
“Something odd is happening amid the great market instability touched off by Donald Trump’s lunatic tariff announcements. Normally during a chaotic trading situation, anxious financiers run to what has long been the safest of investments: dollars and dollar assets, like U.S. government debt. That drives the value of the dollar up and the interest rate on debt down. Instead, we are seeing the opposite: The dollar is falling against other currencies, and interest rates on American debt are increasing. As yet, these movements are relatively modest, and may represent nothing more than chaos in the market. However, they do indicate a likely weakening of confidence in the stability and security of the dollar as a global reserve currency – which, given Trump’s deranged behavior, ought to be expected. A country that elected a senile criminal madman twice is not to be trusted.” (04/14/25)
https://prospect.org/economy/2025-04-14-how-euro-can-replace-dollar/
-----
50) Why Classical Liberals Should be Skeptical of DOGE
Source: EconTalk
by Justin Callais
“Charlie Munger once said that ‘it’s not the bad ideas that do you in, but the good ones.’ While some have taken this quote to mean that people get stuck too easily on their good ideas, even if they don’t work. But you can also consider this to mean that poorly implemented ‘good’ ideas can have dangerous consequences for these ideas, perhaps even more so than people never taking your ideas seriously in the first place. At least as currently implemented, I’m afraid that this is where the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is. But first, I’d like to give DOGE some credit. They are at least bringing about a conversation, or a ‘vibe shift’ in the necessity of a seemingly never-ending increase in government spending.” (04/13/25)
https://www.econlib.org/why-classical-liberals-should-be-skeptical-of-doge/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 04/14/25
Source: Reason
"Why Trump's China Tariffs Won't Work." (04/14/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/04/14/why-trumps-china-tariffs-wont-work/
-----
52) The Mona Charen Show, 04/14/25
Source: The Bulwark
“Is Free Speech on Life Support?” (04/14/25)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/is-free-speech-on-life-support/id1482179882?i=1000703473291
-----
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 785
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Will Trump Make a Deal Between Russia and Ukraine?” (04/14/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-785-will-trump-make-a-deal-between-russia-and-ukraine
-----
54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 04/14/25
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“REAL ID = Real Tyranny!” (04/14/25)
https://rumble.com/v6s30b7-real-id-real-tyranny.html
-----
55) What Happens When the Debt Hits the Fan?
Source: Reason
“Spoiler: it’s bad.” (04/14/25)
https://reason.com/video/2025/04/14/what-happens-when-the-debt-hits-the-fan/
-----
56) EconTalk, 04/14/25
Source: EconTalk
“Rational and Religious (with Ross Douthat).” (04/14/25)
https://www.econtalk.org/rational-and-religious-with-ross-douthat/
-----
57) The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent, 04/14/25
Source: The New Republic
“‘Terrifying’: Trump’s Fury at Foes Darkens amid New Alina Habba Threat.” (04/14/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/193945/terrifying-trump-fury-foes-darkens-amid-new-alina-habba-threat
-----
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 04/14/25
Source: Antiwar.com
“US Strike on Yemen Factory Kills 6, Israel Bombs Christian-Run Hospital in Gaza, Iran Talks and More.” (04/14/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSUFpES5iYI
-----
59) Free Talk Live, 04/13/25
Source: Free Talk Live
“Claire Best calls about police corruption — James McLaughlin is alleged to have gotten away with crimes — Stephen calls to champion the post office — taxes pay for worse things than USPS — Jet calls about national debt and taxes — Skeeter calls to demonstrate the art of not having a conversation — is the war on crypto over? — is it hypocrisy for Trump to use lawfare? — Dodger in MI calls about the Keene co-op pee girl — is it okay to slap someone for being foolish? — David in NM calls about NH and driving rules and regs.” (04/13/25)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/free-talk-live-2025-04-13
-----
60) Bill Buppert on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Bill Buppert on the Prospects for War in Iran and Northern Mexico.” (04/13/25)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/4-10-25-bill-buppert-on-the-prospects-for-war-in-iran-and-northern-mexico/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FND is published every weekday except on holidays. Forward freely.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit:
http://groups.google.com/group/freedom-news-daily
Support the Liberty International (tax deductible)
https://liberty-intl.org/join-the-movement/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Presented by the Liberty International
https://liberty-intl.org/
Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
https://news.rationalreview.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's Freedom News:
1) Bukele gives Trump public assist in defying SCOTUS order on abducted man
2) Haiti: Regime announces “war budget” as town after town falls to rival gangs
3) White House proposes drastic cuts to State Department and funding for UN, NATO and other groups
4) EU issues US-bound staff with burner phones over spying fears
5) US Stocks and Bonds Climb After Week of Upheaval
6) Yemen: Suspected US airstrikes kill at least seven
7) France: Opposition Parties Raise Spectre of No-Confidence Vote Over 2026 Budget
8) Hungary: Parliament passes constitutional amendment to ban LGBTQ public events
9) Meta heads to court over alleged illegal monopoly that could force it to sell Instagram, Whatsapp
10) Iranian foreign minister to visit Moscow ahead of second Iran-US meeting
11) Survey: More than 60% of CEOs expect a recession in the next 6 months as tariff turmoil grows
12) South Africa: Regime Appoints a Special US Envoy After Its Ambassador Was Expelled
13) MS: State auditor’s MOGE report claims $400 million in government waste
14) Katy Perry et al. return safely from Blue Origin space flight
15) Landmark antitrust trial could force Zuckerberg to sell Instagram
16) EU Ministers Adopt Iran Sanctions Over Citizen Detentions
17) CA: “Prioritizing the criminals” with $239 million taxpayer-funded prison project
18) Retrial opens in Sarah Palin’s attempt to use the New York Times to extend her long-since expired 15 minutes some more
19) Turkey: Court rejects appeal seeking release of key Erdogan rival from prison
20) Algeria: Regime gives 12 French embassy officials 48 hours to leave amid diplomatic rift
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) America the Ugly
22) Mario Vargas Llosa: A Literary Colossus Who Aimed to Change the World
23) The Invisible Crash
24) Empires of the Future
25) An American Gulag in the Making
26) Britain’s State Addiction
27) Sacred Cinema, part 3: The Triumph of the Intimate Epic
28) Even on Pause, Trump’s Trade War Runs Up a Big Price Tag
29) The tariffs really are about stupid men
30) Is Representative Democracy a Front for Oligarchy?
31) Fortress America: Is 2025 the New 1984?
32) What’s So Terrible About Trade Deficits Anyway?
33) Every Day The Gaza Holocaust Continues, The Empire Tells The Truth About Itself
34) Sabotage or Neglect?
35) The creation of Donald Trump, authoritarian
36) Seizable? Indeed! Crypto Is Now Closer to Functioning as Money in Brazil
37) Today’s “Death Squad Dems” Enable Trump-Backed Slaughter
38) Labour will bury British Steel, not save it
39) The Unusual Nonprofit That Helps ICE Spy on Wire Transfers
40) Quantum Vibe, 04/14/25
41) A Welcome New Twist on America’s Tax Future
42) Elon Musk’s Artificial God
43) Iran Is Not Building a Nuclear Bomb: A Fact Sheet
44) The Anarchist and the Republican
45) Tariffs & “trade wars”: Trump asks tough questions critics won’t answer
46) Greenland Deserves Solidarity, Too
47) Taxing Power: Luther Martin’s Anti-Federalist Warnings
48) A First Step Towards Autonomy in Medical Education
49) How the Euro Can Replace the Dollar
50) Why Classical Liberals Should be Skeptical of DOGE
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 04/14/25
52) The Mona Charen Show, 04/14/25
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 785
54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 04/14/25
55) What Happens When the Debt Hits the Fan?
56) EconTalk, 04/14/25
57) The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent, 04/14/25
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 04/14/25
59) Free Talk Live, 04/13/25
60) Bill Buppert on The Scott Horton Show
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
Tyranny Demands AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE: A NOVEL BY ERNE LEWIS
https://tinyurl.com/actofselfdefense
ONE IDENTITY FOR ALL YOUR CRYPTO
https://fioprotocol.io/
SAMUEL EDWARD KONKIN III REVOLUTIONARY FRIEND BY WENDY MCELROY
https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Edward-Konkin-Revolutionary-Friend-ebook/dp/B0DP7B6127
SHOP ONLINE, COLLECT A REBATE IN BITCOIN!
https://www.lolli.com/share/MZB4cCpheL
THE CONSTITUTION OF NON-STATE GOVERNMENT: FIELD GUIDE TO TEXAS SECESSION, by TL Hulsey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1947660853
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Bukele gives Trump public assist in defying SCOTUS order on abducted man
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“The president of El Salvador said in a meeting with Donald Trump in the White House on Monday that he would not order the return of a Maryland man who was deported in error to a Salvadoran mega-prison. … The comments came a day after the Trump administration claimed it is not legally obligated to secure the return of the [Kilmar] Abrego García, despite the US supreme court ruling that the administration should ‘facilitate’ bringing him back. … Earlier this month, the Trump administration acknowledged that Abrego García, an immigrant from El Salvador who was living in Maryland with protected status, was deported to a prison in El Salvador on 15 March as a result of an ‘administrative error.'” (04/14/25)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/14/trump-doj-return-man-wrongly-deported-el-salvador
-----
2) Haiti: Regime announces “war budget” as town after town falls to rival gangs
Source: Bozeman Daily Chronicle
“Haiti’s government announced Monday that it approved what it called a ‘war budget’ of $275,000 aimed at alleviating the country’s crisis as gang violence surges. Nearly 40% of the money will go toward Haiti’s police and military [gangs] ‘to fight the armed groups that threaten national stability,’ while nearly 20% will go to fortify the border it shares with the Dominican Republic, Haiti’s transitional presidential council said in a statement. Another 16% will go to social programs including those focused on education, health and humanitarian assistance.” (04/14/25)
https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/ap_news/international/haitis-government-announces-war-budget-as-town-after-town-falls-to-gangs/article_921e0025-46e4-5a4e-b30b-6f32284e9332.html
-----
3) White House proposes drastic cuts to State Department and funding for UN, NATO and other groups
Source: Associated Press
“The White House’s Office of Management and Budget has proposed gutting the State Department’s budget by almost 50%, closing a number of overseas diplomatic missions, slashing the number of diplomatic staff, and eliminating funding for nearly all international organizations, including the United Nations, many of its agencies and for NATO headquarters, officials said. The proposal, which was presented to the State Department last week and is still in a highly preliminary phase, is not expected to pass muster with either the department’s leadership or Congress, which will ultimately be asked to vote on the entire federal budget in the coming months.” [editor’s note: It would be a good start, at least! – TLK] (04/14/25)
https://apnews.com/article/state-department-funding-cuts-trump-diplomacy-8305713dc6da1b95811486b62bf46582
-----
4) EU issues US-bound staff with burner phones over spying fears
Source: Financial Times [UK]
“The European Commission is issuing burner phones and basic laptops to some US-bound staff to avoid the risk of espionage, a measure traditionally reserved for trips to China. Commissioners and senior officials travelling to the IMF and World Bank spring meetings next week have been given the new guidance, according to four people familiar with the situation. They said the measures replicate those used on trips to Ukraine and China, where standard IT kit cannot be brought into the countries for fear of Russian or Chinese surveillance. ‘They are worried about the US getting into the commission systems,’ said one official. The treatment of the US as a potential security risk highlights how relations have deteriorated since the return of Donald Trump as US president in January.” (04/14/25)
https://archive.is/ot8qt
-----
5) US Stocks and Bonds Climb After Week of Upheaval
Source: Bloomberg
“A degree of calm returned to Wall Street, with stocks and bonds notching a twin rally after a tumultuous week in the grip of President Donald Trump’s disruptive trade war. With the White House signaling a tariff reprieve on key consumer electronics …. Treasuries snapped a five-day slide that drove 10-year yields up by the most in over two decades. … The S&P 500 rose 0.8% as of 4 p.m. New York time …. The Nasdaq 100 rose 0.6% ….The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.8% Treasuries snapped a five-day slide that drove 10-year yields up by the most in over two decades.” (04/14/25)
https://archive.is/TZsTZ
-----
6) Yemen: Suspected US airstrikes kill at least seven
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
“Suspected U.S. airstrikes around Yemen’s rebel [sic]-held capital killed at least seven people and wounded 29 overnight, the Houthis said Monday as they also claimed shooting down another American MQ-9 Reaper drone. Since its start nearly a month ago, the intense campaign of U.S. airstrikes under President Donald Trump targeting the rebels [sic] over their attacks on shipping in Mideast waters — related to the Israel-Hamas war — has killed over 120 people, according to casualty figures released Monday by the Houthis’ Health Ministry.” (04/14/25)
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/04/14/us-airstrikes-yemen-houthis/
-----
7) France: Opposition Parties Raise Spectre of No-Confidence Vote Over 2026 Budget
Source: US News & World Report
“French opposition parties on Monday threatened to topple Prime Minister Francois Bayrou’s government with a no-confidence motion after his finance minister said next year’s budget would require billions of euros in savings. A vote on the 2026 budget is not due until the end of this year, but the subject is already testing the staying power of the government of Bayrou, who came to office in December after clashes over the 2025 budget brought down predecessor, Michel Barnier. Finance Minister Eric Lombard said in an interview with BFM TV on Sunday that a plan to lower the budget deficit to 4.6% of economic output in 2026 from 5.4% this year would require savings of 40 billion euros. Bayrou, who has survived other no-confidence votes, is due to make a budget speech on Tuesday, in which he is expected to outline the bruising austerity measures on the horizon.” (04/14/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-04-14/french-far-right-far-left-parties-threaten-no-confidence-motions-over-budget
-----
8) Hungary: Parliament passes constitutional amendment to ban LGBTQ public events
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“Hungary’s parliament on Monday passed an amendment to the constitution that allows the government to ban public events by LGBTQ communities, a decision that legal scholars and critics call another step towards authoritarianism by the populist government. The amendment, which required a two-thirds vote, passed along party lines with 140 votes for and 21 against. It was proposed by the ruling Fidesz-KDNP coalition led by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. … The amendment declares that children’s rights to moral, physical and spiritual development supersede any right other than the right to life, including that to peacefully assemble. Hungary’s contentious ‘child protection’ legislation prohibits the ‘depiction or promotion’ of homosexuality to minors aged under 18.” (04/14/25)
https://archive.is/Zfyki
-----
9) Meta heads to court over alleged illegal monopoly that could force it to sell Instagram, Whatsapp
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“Facebook parent Meta Platforms faces a high-stakes trial in Washington starting on Monday on claims it built an illegal social media monopoly by spending billions of dollars to acquire Instagram and WhatsApp, in a case where U.S. antitrust enforcers seek to unwind the deals. The acquisitions more than a decade ago aimed to eliminate competitors who could threaten Facebook’s status as the go-to social media platform for users to connect with friends and family, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission claims. It filed the case in 2020, during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term. The FTC is trying to force Meta to restructure or sell parts of its business. That means if the commission is successful, Instagram and WhatsApp could be hived off from Meta to become their own entities once again.” [editor’s note: Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp combined aren’t anything approaching or resembling a monopoly – TLK] (04/14/25)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/meta-court-monopoly-1.7509525
-----
10) Iranian foreign minister to visit Moscow ahead of second Iran-US meeting
Source: Reuters
“Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will visit ally Russia this week for talks prior to a second round of Iran-U.S. negotiations, a spokesperson said, during a diplomatic buildup to resolve Tehran’s nuclear dispute with the West. Iran and the U.S. held indirect talks via a mediator last week in Oman and are to reconvene this week in a dialogue over Tehran’s escalating nuclear programme, with President Donald Trump threatening military action if there is no deal.” (04/14/25)
https://archive.is/0HdYy
-----
11) Survey: More than 60% of CEOs expect a recession in the next 6 months as tariff turmoil grows
Source: CNBC
“A growing majority of America’s top executives now expects the U.S. economy to enter a recession in the near future, according to a survey released Monday. Of the more than 300 CEOs polled in April, 62% said they forecasted a recession or other economic downturn in the next six months, according to Chief Executive, an industry group that runs the survey. That’s up from 48% who said the same in March. Chief Executive’s data underscores the growing concern within corporate America around the future of the U.S. economy. Fears about a forthcoming recession hit a boiling point in the last two weeks, as President Donald Trump’s on-again-off-again tariff policy ratcheted up volatility in financial markets and stirred panic among some consumers.” (04/14/25)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/14/more-than-60percent-of-ceos-expect-a-recession-in-the-next-6-months-survey-says.html
-----
12) South Africa: Regime Appoints a Special US Envoy After Its Ambassador Was Expelled
Source: Time
“South African President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed a former deputy finance minister as a special envoy to the United States on Monday after the ambassador was expelled last month by the Trump administration. Ramaphosa said Mcebisi Jonas'[s] appointment would help South Africa rebuild its relationship with the U.S., which has deteriorated swiftly since President Donald Trump took office. Trump has accused the [b]lack-led South African government of mistreating a white minority at home and also criticized its foreign policy as anti-American. He signed an executive order in February cutting U.S. funding to South Africa over those issues.” (04/14/25)
https://time.com/7277571/south-africa-appoints-special-us-envoy/
-----
13) MS: State auditor’s MOGE report claims $400 million in government waste
Source: Fox News
“On Monday, Mississippi state auditor Shad White will release a compilation of audits conducted by his office that tabulated a collective $400 million in waste over the course of his tenure. ‘In the last few weeks, we’ve jokingly started calling ourselves MOGE, the Mississippi Office of Government Efficiency, like Elon Musk’s DOGE,’ White told Fox News Digital, referring to Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump administration. ‘We approach our work with the same attention to every penny as DOGE, and I’m happy to be Mississippi’s Musk,’ White said. While the auditor’s office cannot cut any of the wasteful spending, it alerts state lawmakers to what it discovers.” (04/14/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mississippi-musk-state-auditors-moge-report-finds-400m-government-waste
-----
14) Katy Perry et al. return safely from Blue Origin space flight
Source: Axios
“Singer Katy Perry, CBS anchor Gayle King and other well-known women set off to space on Monday morning in Blue Origin’s 11th human spaceflight mission. … The flight was led by Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ commercial space company. Minutes after taking off, the crew experienced weightlessness. Then they soon safely returned to Earth. The passengers aboard were: Lauren Sánchez, Jeff Bezos'[s] fiancée, the vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund and a former journalist …. Katy Perry, the biggest-selling woman artist in Capitol Records’ history …. Amanda Nguyễn, a bioastronautics research scientist and civil rights activist …. Aisha Bowe: a former NASA rocket scientist …. Gayle King: co-host of CBS Mornings … Kerianne Flynn, a film producer.” (04/14/25)
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/14/blue-origin-space-flight-katy-perry-gayle-king-lauren-sanchez
-----
15) Landmark antitrust trial could force Zuckerberg to sell Instagram
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“A trial in the landmark antitrust case against social media giant Meta kicks off in Washington on Monday. The US competition and consumer watchdog alleges that Meta, which already owned Facebook, bought Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 to eliminate competition, effectively giving itself a monopoly. The FTC reviewed and approved those acquisitions but committed to monitor the outcomes. If the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wins the case it could force Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to sell off both Instagram and WhatsApp. Meta previously said it was sure it would win and experts have told the BBC it is likely to argue that Instagram users have had a better experience since it was taken over. ‘The [FTC’s] argument is the acquisition of Instagram was a way of neutralizing this rising competitive threat to Facebook,’ says Rebecca Haw Allensworth, a professor of antitrust at Vanderbilt Law School.” (04/14/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cedy2ygy50do
-----
16) EU Ministers Adopt Iran Sanctions Over Citizen Detentions
Source: US News & World Report
“European Union foreign ministers on Monday adopted sanctions against seven Iranian individuals and two organisations over the detention of EU citizens, which the bloc calls a policy of state-sponsored hostage-taking, diplomats said. A list of those sanctioned, seen by Reuters, included the director of Tehran’s Evin prison and several judges and other judicial officials. The main prison in the city of Shiraz was among the organisations sanctioned. EU sanctions consist of a freeze on any assets held in the European Union and a ban on any travel into the bloc. In recent years, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on charges related to espionage and security. Among them are at least 20 European citizens, diplomats say.” (04/14/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-04-14/eu-ministers-adopt-iran-sanctions-over-citizen-detentions
-----
17) CA: “Prioritizing the criminals” with $239 million taxpayer-funded prison project
Source: Fox News
“A prosecutor in California blasted the state’s $239 million taxpayer-funded project to build a prison rehabilitation center in the Bay Area, arguing that it’s another example of politicians putting criminals ahead of law-abiding citizens. Construction is ongoing at the San Quentin State Prison, where construction crews are building a Norway-style rehabilitation center with luxury amenities such as a grocery store, library, café, farmer’s market and more. … The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Building 38 at San Quentin State Prison was demolished to make room for the rehabilitation center. The state agency said the rehab center is part of the ‘California Model,’ which is a ‘holistic initiative that leverages international, data-backed best practices to improve the well-being of those who live and work at state prisons’.” (04/14/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/us/blue-state-prioritizing-criminals-239m-taxpayer-funded-prison-project-prosecutor-says
-----
18) Retrial opens in Sarah Palin’s attempt to use the New York Times to extend her long-since expired 15 minutes some more
Source: ABC News
“A retrial is set to begin Monday for Sarah Palin’s libel lawsuit claiming The New York Times libeled her in an editorial eight years ago. The onetime Republican vice presidential candidate and ex-governor of Alaska gets another chance to prove to a federal jury that the newspaper defamed her with the 2017 editorial falsely linking her campaign rhetoric to a mass shooting. Palin said it damaged her reputation and career. The Times has acknowledged the editorial was inaccurate but said it quickly corrected an ‘honest mistake.’ The trial, expected to last a week, comes after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals restored the case last year. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday morning. In February 2022, Judge Jed S. Rakoff in Manhattan rejected Palin’s claims in a ruling issued while a jury deliberated. The judge then let jurors deliver their verdict, which went against Palin.” (04/14/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/retrial-opens-sarah-palins-libel-suit-new-york-120777839
-----
19) Turkey: Court rejects appeal seeking release of key Erdogan rival from prison
Source: SFGate
“Judicial officials on Monday rejected an appeal seeking the release of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu from jail pending the outcome of his corruption trial, the country’s state-run news agency reported. Imamoglu, a prominent opposition figure and a key challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s more than two-decade rule, was detained on March 19 and formally jailed on corruption charges four days later. His arrest is widely perceived to be politically motivated, aiming to sideline a major rival ahead of presidential elections … On Monday, the Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance ruled to reject the appeals made by Imamoglu’s lawyers, deciding that his detention would continue, the Anadolu Agency reported.” (04/14/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/turkish-court-rejects-appeal-seeking-release-of-20274797.php
-----
20) Algeria: Regime gives 12 French embassy officials 48 hours to leave amid diplomatic rift
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Algeria has asked 12 French embassy staff to leave in 48 hours, the French foreign minister said Monday, adding that this was linked to the arrest of three Algerian nationals in France. ‘I am asking Algerian authorities to abandon these expulsion measures … if the decision to send back our officials is maintained, we will have no other choice but to respond immediately,’ Jean-Noël Barrot said. The 12 include some members of the French interior ministry, a diplomatic source told AFP. On Friday, French prosecutors indicted three Algerians, including a consular official, on suspicion of involvement in the April 2024 abduction of an Algerian influencer, Amir Boukhors, in a Paris suburb.” (04/14/25)
https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20250414-algeria-gives-12-french-embassy-officials-48-hours-to-leave-amid-diplomatic-rift
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) America the Ugly
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“President Trump might have inadvertently come up with the perfect solution to America’s decades-old, ongoing, never-ending, perpetual immigration crisis. That solution entails making America so ugly that foreigners will longer want to come here. After all, that’s what North Korea did. Like the United States, North Korea militarized and sealed its southern border, established a police state, and isolated itself from the rest of the world. Today, no one is striving to get into North Korea because the government has made the country so ugly. Many foreigners are cancelling vacation plans in the United States. Others are selling American vacation homes. They are wise to do so. Otherwise, they could suddenly find themselves on a U.S. military transport plane carting them to the maximum-security, anti-terrorist torture and brutality camp in El Salvador.” (04/14/25)
https://www.fff.org/2025/04/14/america-the-ugly/
-----
22) Mario Vargas Llosa: A Literary Colossus Who Aimed to Change the World
Source: Foreign Policy
by Andrea Moncada
“In his acceptance speech for the 2010 Nobel Prize in literature, Mario Vargas Llosa, who died on April 13 at the age of 89, noted that he learned from French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre that ‘words are acts’ — that writing about the politics of the present and the opportunities to shift direction can, in Vargas Llosa’s words, ‘change the course of history.’ Vargas Llosa’s literature, fueled by a passionate commitment to individual liberty, aimed to do just that. The author of more than 50 books over a span of six decades, Vargas Llosa was a household name in Latin America. He will be remembered as a staunch defender of liberalism and the free market — indeed, that may be his enduring mark on history — yet in his youth he was animated by leftist ideology, discovering then what he called his first ‘utopian illusion’: communism.” (04/14/25)
https://archive.is/dyMvm
-----
23) The Invisible Crash
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“Trump’s tariff mayhem has crashed stock markets across the globe. His loyalists are searching for silver linings in these dark clouds, without success. But if you value insight for its own sake, there is indeed a silver lining to be found. While few Americans will profit from this demagogic nonsense, this is a fine opportunity to learn deep lessons about not just trade, but economic policy in general. … Doing nothing would have been far better than doing what he did. Contrary to the famed Dr. Pangloss, all is not ‘for the best in this, the best of all possible worlds.’ Once you accept this anti-Panglossian point, however, you ought to wonder: Are there any pre-2025 policies that have already done damage on the scale that Trump is now inflicting on the global economy?” (04/14/25)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/the-invisible-crash
-----
24) Empires of the Future
Source: Law & Liberty
by Graham McAleer
“Techno-futurists commonly believe that a totally human-made future will advance individual liberty. Bruno Maçães is doubtful, arguing in World Builders: Technology and the New Geopolitics that the future will more likely see us living inside a metaverse crafted by one of the superpowers. He foresees AI delivering ‘a radical increase in the centrality of sovereign power’ and believes the goal of today’s geopolitics is a hegemonic second genesis where all reside in an artificial cosmos that will be either American or Chinese. This is not fairyland stuff, argues Maçães, for recent events show that the great powers are trying to scale up the smart city. In the imperialism of the future, a superpower aspires to be ‘a global system administrator.'” (04/14/25)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/empires-of-the-future/
-----
25) An American Gulag in the Making
Source: Eyes On The Right
by Damon Linker
“We are apparently paying Bukele to take American deportees and imprison them. And our government’s official position, at this moment, is that once a person has left the territory of the United States, they not only have no recourse to American law, but the American president can do nothing to reverse an injustice concerning one of the imprisoned deportees, even in a case where the administration admits its own error. Once the administration puts someone on a plane to a foreign prison, he or she has no way out. And our president says he ‘loves’ the idea of sending American citizens there as well.” (04/14/25)
https://damonlinker.substack.com/p/an-american-gulag-in-the-making
-----
26) Britain’s State Addiction
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by James Price
“The United States gained much of its famous self-reliance and can-do spirit from its Anglo-Saxon heritage, and much of its skepticism of big government from its British origins to boot. So it should horrify Americans to learn just how much the motherland has forgotten its proud tradition of self-sufficiency and pride in being self-reliant. In fact, readers of a sensitive disposition may need to brace themselves for the following statistic: over half of British adults — 52.1% — now depend on the state for their livelihood. This nauseating discovery is the product of the Adam Smith Institute’s (ASI) new State Reliance Index.” (04/14/25)
https://fee.org/articles/britains-state-addiction/
-----
27) Sacred Cinema, part 3: The Triumph of the Intimate Epic
Source: Chris Matthew Sciabarra
by Chris Matthew Sciabarra
“Though every Oscar that [Ben Hur] received was well deserved, in my opinion, I hold a special place in my heart for the Rozsa score. I didn’t get to see Ben-Hur until 1969 when it was re-released in all its 70 mm glory for its tenth anniversary run at the Palace Theatre in New York City. Walking into that immense, majestic theater at the age of 9, seeing that famous wall portrait of Judy Garland, who had recently died, I settled into my seat, not quite realizing the depth of the cinematic moments I was about to experience. But I recognized the first three notes of the Overture instantly. Throughout the 1960s, I had listened countless times to the film’s soundtrack, a staple on our Victrola. I fell in love with every aspect of Rozsa’s score. Finally, I was able to integrate Rozsa’s music with the remarkable images on screen.” (04/14/25)
https://medium.com/@cms10_7549/sacred-cinema-1005493a2a0b
-----
28) Even on Pause, Trump’s Trade War Runs Up a Big Price Tag
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“Predictions vary as to the ultimate cost, but there’s no doubt that tariffs create economic pain.” (04/14/25)
https://reason.com/2025/04/14/even-on-pause-trumps-trade-war-runs-up-a-big-price-tag/
-----
29) The tariffs really are about stupid men
Source: Sex and the State
by Cathy Reisenwitz
“The male resist lib class is skeptical that international trade has hollowed out working-class America. Most economists agree automation did more to reduce manufacturing employment in the US than outsourcing. But this newsletter is about politics, not facts. And the politics just seems really, really obvious here. I am not good at math, but here’s my proposal. Let’s not self-immolate the entire global economy on the off chance that it will result in a couple hundred thousand Rust Belt male swing voters having a job that makes them feel manly. Let’s instead just write them all checks for $1,500 a month.” (04/14/25)
https://cathyreisenwitz.substack.com/p/the-tariffs-really-are-about-stupid
-----
30) Is Representative Democracy a Front for Oligarchy?
Source: CounterPunch
by Phil Wilson
“The organization ‘The General Strike’ aspires to mobilize approximately 11 million people committed to coordinating a massive work stoppage. The magic number of 11 million equals 3.5 percent of the US population – a figure that organizers argue will be large enough to transform the US power structure and give workers the agency to shape the national destiny with heretofore unprecedented scope. But what would the strike stand for? There is no set of demands, no concrete goal elucidated on ‘The General Strike’ website. The values of ‘decentralization, dissent and diversity’ are listed along with the rather abstract hope to ‘dismantle the master’s house.’ Is there a way to offer a concrete means to dismantle the master’s house, to name the actual tool of deconstruction?” (04/14/25)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/04/14/is-representative-democracy-a-front-for-oligarchy/
-----
31) Fortress America: Is 2025 the New 1984?
Source: TomDispatch
by Alfred McCoy
“Most of us can remember at least a few troubling scenes from George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984: the mandatory love demanded for the spectral dictator Big Brother; the malleability of facts at the Ministry of Truth; or the ruling party’s memorably grim slogans, ‘War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery.’ But for me, the most disturbing image of all — and I first read the book in high school — was the ‘Two Minutes Hate,’ aroused among the public by threatening images on giant video screens. Within just 30 seconds, Orwell wrote, ‘a hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness, a desire to kill, to torture, to smash faces in with a sledgehammer, seemed to flow through the whole group of people like an electric current, turning one even against one’s will into a grimacing, screaming lunatic.'” (04/14/25)
https://tomdispatch.com/fortress-america/
-----
32) What’s So Terrible About Trade Deficits Anyway?
Source: Quillette
by Robert Johnson
“Trump’s fixation with trade-deficit ‘offenders’ is punishing the very nations that could one day erase those deficits through development and prosperity. US consumers, businesses, and economic growth will all suffer as a result of the US president’s inability to grasp this elementary logic. There seems to be just one long-term strategy behind all this: unleash populism for immediate electoral returns, blame someone else for the problems that populism inevitably causes, and let someone else deal with the long-term consequences.” (04/14/25)
https://quillette.com/2025/04/14/whats-so-terrible-about-trade-deficits-anyway/
-----
33) Every Day The Gaza Holocaust Continues, The Empire Tells The Truth About Itself
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Every day the Gaza holocaust continues, the western empire tells the truth about itself. The US government is telling you the truth about itself. Israel is telling you the truth about itself. Their western allies are telling you the truth about themselves. The western media are telling you the truth about themselves. One of the most important stages when preparing to leave an abusive relationship is the information-gathering stage. This is when you begin quietly observing and making note of your partner’s abusive behavior, letting them tell you the truth about themselves with their actions rather than their words. The information-gathering stage is important because long-term abusive relationships are usually very confusing for the victim; if the abuse were simple and easy to understand, the relationship wouldn’t have continued into the long term.” (04/14/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/04/14/every-day-the-gaza-holocaust-continues-the-empire-tells-the-truth-about-itself/
-----
34) Sabotage or Neglect?
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“‘It might not be sabotage,’ says Member of Parliament Jonathan Reynolds. ‘It might be neglect.’ Reynolds serves as the United Kingdom’s Business Secretary. He’s talking about the behavior of Jungye, the Chinese owner of troubled British Steel. Takeaway? Maybe China isn’t such a great economic partner after all.” (04/14/25)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/04/14/sabotage-or-neglect/
-----
35) The creation of Donald Trump, authoritarian
Source: Washington Post
by Philip Bump
“When Donald Trump announced his presidential candidacy in June 2015, ‘Make America Great Again’ didn’t appear on any baseball caps. It was emblazoned on white T-shirts (in at least some cases) given to people hired to fill out the crowd. There was no hint, though, that the phrase would soon be a central element of the most robust attack on American democracy in 150 years. In fact, Trump’s 2016 campaign didn’t even come up with the MAGA hat. According to 2017 reporting from CNN, someone else sent an early version of the ball cap to the campaign. Trump, holding an outdoor event at the border one day, threw it on, immediately striking a chord. The hat was ‘un-designed,’ in the words of a designer who spoke with CNN, something that just sort of emerged. But it was extensible, replicable and cheap. Soon, it was unavoidable.” (04/14/25)
https://archive.is/MDbVE
-----
36) Seizable? Indeed! Crypto Is Now Closer to Functioning as Money in Brazil
Source: Bitcoin.com
by Sergio Goschenko
“Brazil appears to take one step forward and one step back regarding crypto, often making progress reluctantly. Last week, we criticized the stance of Brazilian regulators on stablecoins, and now a ruling from one of the highest tribunals benefits crypto, but it feels like a curveball.” (04/14/25)
https://news.bitcoin.com/seizable-indeed-crypto-is-now-closer-to-functioning-as-money-in-brazil/
-----
37) Today’s “Death Squad Dems” Enable Trump-Backed Slaughter
Source: The Progressive
by Stephen Zunes
“On March 15, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz informed fellow Trump Administration officials through their now-infamous Signal chat that a U.S. missile attack had resulted in the collapse of an apartment building filled with Yemeni civilians. Vice President JD Vance replied, ‘Excellent.’ Democrats on Capitol Hill have since expressed outrage — not at the deaths of innocent civilians, or at the United States’[s] unprovoked attack on a sovereign country, but at the fact that the conversation was not more carefully shielded from the public. The Trump administration claims to have resumed bombing in Yemen to stop the Houthi rebels’ [sic] attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea, despite the fact that the Houthis, who serve as the de facto government of much of the country, had ceased those attacks months ago.” (04/14/25)
https://progressive.org/latest/the-silence-of-the-dems-zunes-20250411/
-----
38) Labour will bury British Steel, not save it
Source: spiked
by Fraser Myers
“In a rare Saturday sitting of parliament, MPs voted this weekend to allow the UK government to assume operational control of British Steel. The emergency legislation will be used to block the firm’s Chinese owner, Jingye, from closing down its two blast furnaces in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire. Full nationalisation is likely on the way. There is no doubt that government intervention was necessary to prevent the plant’s closure. … This weekend’s emergency legislation has certainly bought the steelworks some time, but UK PM Keir Starmer has some serious brass neck to claim that he has ‘saved’ British steelmaking. On the contrary, his government is committed to the very policies that have made steelmaking and other heavy industries unviable in the UK.” (04/14/25)
https://www.spiked-online.com/2025/04/14/labour-will-bury-british-steel-not-save-it/
-----
39) The Unusual Nonprofit That Helps ICE Spy on Wire Transfers
Source: The Intercept
by Shawn Musgrave
“When Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are trying to track down undocumented immigrants, they seek out all the data they can find. In Arizona, they’ve found a special trove that’s ripe for abuse. The Transaction Record Analysis Center, or TRAC, database offers a rare glimpse into the financial lives of millions of immigrants and U.S. citizens alike. The database contains details about more than 340 million wire transfers sent via Western Union and more than two dozen other companies that immigrants rely on to send money back home. … The data dragnet is powered by Arizona’s state attorney general using administrative subpoenas, which do not require a judge’s sign-off. But TRAC operates as a nonprofit and a clearinghouse for ICE and hundreds of other law enforcement agencies around the country to access the data.” (04/14/25)
https://theintercept.com/2025/04/14/ice-surveillance-wire-western-union-arizona-trac/
-----
40) Quantum Vibe, 04/14/25
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (04/14/25)
https://www.quantumvibe.com/strip?page=2530
-----
41) A Welcome New Twist on America’s Tax Future
Source: Inequality.org
by Sam Pizzigati
“Republican leaders in Congress have been working feverishly over recent days to renew the rich people: friendly 2017 Trump tax cuts set to expire at this year’s end. Both the House and Senate have now passed bills that do that renewing, and also add in some assorted new goodies. All that remains before this latest giveaway to grand fortune becomes law: a bit of dickering between House and Senate GOP leaders over the tax cut’s particulars and then President Donald Trump’s John Henry on whatever legislation that dickering ends up producing. Trump can barely wait for the signing ceremony. But he’s also pushing for much more than an extension (and expansion) of those 2017 tax cuts. His ultimate goal: erasing taxes on income from the entire federal tax code.” (04/14/25)
https://inequality.org/article/a-welcome-new-twist-on-americas-tax-future/
-----
42) Elon Musk’s Artificial God
Source: Liberal Currents
by Katherine Alejandra Cross
“In the vision of Musk and other lords of Silicon Valley, the purpose of AI technology is to insulate them, and only them, from any hint that they might live in a society.” (04/14/25)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/elon-musks-artificial-god/
-----
43) Iran Is Not Building a Nuclear Bomb: A Fact Sheet
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ted Snider
“Broad and unquestioning public acceptance that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon is build upon what A.B. Abrams has called a ‘greater vilifying metanarrative.’ The U.S. and its partners, both government and media, repeat a claim so often that a foundation is built in the public imagination upon which current accusations are easily established. But next time the government or media feeds you the steady diet of evidence free claims that Iran is building a bomb, remember two things. Iran is not building a bomb. And, despite what you are being told, no one really believes that they are.” (04/14/25)
https://original.antiwar.com/ted_snider/2025/04/13/iran-is-not-building-a-nuclear-bomb-fact-sheet/
-----
44) The Anarchist and the Republican
Source: Reason
by Jesse Walker
“How John McClaughry and Karl Hess fought to decentralize power — one from inside the system, one ever further from it.” (for publication 05/25)
https://reason.com/2025/04/13/the-anarchist-and-the-republican/
-----
45) Tariffs & “trade wars”: Trump asks tough questions critics won’t answer
Source: New York Post
by Victor Davis Hanson
“Ten tariff questions aren’t being asked — but should be: 1) President Trump’s so-called ‘trade war.’ Many call the American effort to obtain either tariff parity or a reduction in the roughly $1 trillion trade deficit and 50 years of consecutive trade deficits a ‘trade war.’ But then what do they call the policies of the past half-century by Europe, Asia, China and others to ensure asymmetrical tariffs, pseudo-health and security trade restrictions, and large surpluses? A trade peace? Trade fairness? 2) Do nations prefer surpluses or deficits? Why do most nations prefer trade surpluses and protective tariffs? Are Europe, Asia, China and others stupid?” [editor’s note: “Nations” don’t prefer anything; only individuals have preferences. Regimes are gangs of individuals whose preferences come at the expense of the other individuals who identify with the “nations” the gangs rule – TLK] (04/13/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/04/13/opinion/trump-is-asking-tough-tariff-questions-critics-wont-answer/
-----
46) Greenland Deserves Solidarity, Too
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“Something very strange has happened to American colonialism. Somewhere between the shock-and-awe of Dubya’s New American Century and the explosive verbal dysentery of Orange-Sphincter-Bad, Uncle Sam’s mask of sanity got cracked. Naturally, the neocons and neolibs will blame it all on Trump but the election and reelection of such an openly debauched hooligan would never be possible in a functioning empire. That would be like blaming Caligula alone for Rome’s demise just because he stopped drawing the blinds before the orgies. The rot here clearly runs much deeper than 2024. Any nation that responds to a recession by reigniting the Cold War was already on its way down whether the fools calling audibles from their ivory towers realized it yet or not.” (04/13/25)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2025/04/greenland-deserves-solidarity-too.html
-----
47) Taxing Power: Luther Martin’s Anti-Federalist Warnings
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Michael Boldin
“Luther Martin believed the Constitution’s sweeping taxation power was one of its most dangerous features, a direct threat to both state sovereignty and individual liberty. Long before the Sixteenth Amendment and the rise of federal income taxes, Martin warned that the new government’s power to tax would concentrate control in the hands of a distant, centralized system – one that could crush the people economically and render the states irrelevant. His fierce opposition to the Constitution rested on this core concern: centralized taxing power would become a tool of oppression, not protection.” (04/13/25)
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2025/04/13/taxing-power-luther-martins-anti-federalist-warnings/
-----
48) A First Step Towards Autonomy in Medical Education
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Joni Ruller McGary
“Future healthcare providers have the same right to bodily autonomy as the patients they will someday serve. We must ensure that personal medical decisions remain with individuals, especially those who will one day be entrusted with our nation’s health.” (04/13/25)
https://brownstone.org/articles/a-first-step-towards-autonomy-in-medical-education/
-----
49) How the Euro Can Replace the Dollar
Source: The American Prospect
by Ryan Cooper
“Something odd is happening amid the great market instability touched off by Donald Trump’s lunatic tariff announcements. Normally during a chaotic trading situation, anxious financiers run to what has long been the safest of investments: dollars and dollar assets, like U.S. government debt. That drives the value of the dollar up and the interest rate on debt down. Instead, we are seeing the opposite: The dollar is falling against other currencies, and interest rates on American debt are increasing. As yet, these movements are relatively modest, and may represent nothing more than chaos in the market. However, they do indicate a likely weakening of confidence in the stability and security of the dollar as a global reserve currency – which, given Trump’s deranged behavior, ought to be expected. A country that elected a senile criminal madman twice is not to be trusted.” (04/14/25)
https://prospect.org/economy/2025-04-14-how-euro-can-replace-dollar/
-----
50) Why Classical Liberals Should be Skeptical of DOGE
Source: EconTalk
by Justin Callais
“Charlie Munger once said that ‘it’s not the bad ideas that do you in, but the good ones.’ While some have taken this quote to mean that people get stuck too easily on their good ideas, even if they don’t work. But you can also consider this to mean that poorly implemented ‘good’ ideas can have dangerous consequences for these ideas, perhaps even more so than people never taking your ideas seriously in the first place. At least as currently implemented, I’m afraid that this is where the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is. But first, I’d like to give DOGE some credit. They are at least bringing about a conversation, or a ‘vibe shift’ in the necessity of a seemingly never-ending increase in government spending.” (04/13/25)
https://www.econlib.org/why-classical-liberals-should-be-skeptical-of-doge/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 04/14/25
Source: Reason
"Why Trump's China Tariffs Won't Work." (04/14/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/04/14/why-trumps-china-tariffs-wont-work/
-----
52) The Mona Charen Show, 04/14/25
Source: The Bulwark
“Is Free Speech on Life Support?” (04/14/25)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/is-free-speech-on-life-support/id1482179882?i=1000703473291
-----
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 785
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Will Trump Make a Deal Between Russia and Ukraine?” (04/14/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-785-will-trump-make-a-deal-between-russia-and-ukraine
-----
54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 04/14/25
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“REAL ID = Real Tyranny!” (04/14/25)
https://rumble.com/v6s30b7-real-id-real-tyranny.html
-----
55) What Happens When the Debt Hits the Fan?
Source: Reason
“Spoiler: it’s bad.” (04/14/25)
https://reason.com/video/2025/04/14/what-happens-when-the-debt-hits-the-fan/
-----
56) EconTalk, 04/14/25
Source: EconTalk
“Rational and Religious (with Ross Douthat).” (04/14/25)
https://www.econtalk.org/rational-and-religious-with-ross-douthat/
-----
57) The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent, 04/14/25
Source: The New Republic
“‘Terrifying’: Trump’s Fury at Foes Darkens amid New Alina Habba Threat.” (04/14/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/193945/terrifying-trump-fury-foes-darkens-amid-new-alina-habba-threat
-----
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 04/14/25
Source: Antiwar.com
“US Strike on Yemen Factory Kills 6, Israel Bombs Christian-Run Hospital in Gaza, Iran Talks and More.” (04/14/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSUFpES5iYI
-----
59) Free Talk Live, 04/13/25
Source: Free Talk Live
“Claire Best calls about police corruption — James McLaughlin is alleged to have gotten away with crimes — Stephen calls to champion the post office — taxes pay for worse things than USPS — Jet calls about national debt and taxes — Skeeter calls to demonstrate the art of not having a conversation — is the war on crypto over? — is it hypocrisy for Trump to use lawfare? — Dodger in MI calls about the Keene co-op pee girl — is it okay to slap someone for being foolish? — David in NM calls about NH and driving rules and regs.” (04/13/25)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/free-talk-live-2025-04-13
-----
60) Bill Buppert on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Bill Buppert on the Prospects for War in Iran and Northern Mexico.” (04/13/25)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/4-10-25-bill-buppert-on-the-prospects-for-war-in-iran-and-northern-mexico/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FND is published every weekday except on holidays. Forward freely.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit:
http://groups.google.com/group/freedom-news-daily
Support the Liberty International (tax deductible)
https://liberty-intl.org/join-the-movement/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages