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05/12 -- India Envoy Rejects US Calls for Mediation in Kashmir Dispute; There's No Rebellion, But Suspending Habeas Corpus Might Justify One
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Thomas L. Knapp
May 12, 2025, 6:25:47 AMMay 12
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 05/10/25
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Presented by the Liberty International
https://liberty-intl.org/
Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
https://news.rationalreview.com/
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Today's Freedom News:
1) India Envoy Rejects US Calls for Mediation in Kashmir Dispute
2) Pharmaceutical Stocks Tumble on Trump’s Supposed Plan to Cut US Drug Prices
3) Albania: Preliminary election results show Socialists ahead
4) Putin proposes direct peace talks with Ukraine to end war
5) David H. Souter, 1939-2025
6) China has covered a desert with solar panels and confirmed it could change the ecosystem forever.
7) Shingles vaccine has unexpected effect on heart health
8) Palestine: Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 13 people, mostly women and children
9) Trump says “total reset negotiated” with China during tariff talks in Geneva
10) MO: Legislature to potentially remove capital gains tax
11) Soviet-era spacecraft plunges to Earth after 53 years stuck in orbit
12) Pope Leo XIV calls for peace in Ukraine and Gaza in first Sunday blessing
13) Trump calls for 20,000 new ICE thugs to aid in abductions
14) Federal judge orders two-week pause on Trump’s mass layoffs
15) Study: Ancient wooden spears found in Germany may have been wielded by Neanderthals
16) South Korea: People Power Party fails in a bid to switch presidential candidates
17) MA: Pol allegedly defends victim from ICE, local thugs during chaotic abduction
18) Iranian, US regimes to resume nuclear talks amid clashing red lines
19) Dutch-led Suriname team digitizes 100,000 documents to preserve Jewish history in the Caribbean
20) Canadian tourists snub US and head to Mexico
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) There’s No Rebellion, But Suspending Habeas Corpus Might Justify One
22) Would Americans Trade Liberty for Security?
23) Are Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law Dying?
24) Does DOGE Show That There’s Little Government Waste?
25) Mark Zuckerberg is building a new surveillance state
26) What Is America?, part Three
27) The Liberation Tariffs: Worse Than an Oil Embargo?
28) How does Entangled Political Economy help us to understand political entrepreneurship?
29) India-Pakistan Ceasefire, And Other Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix
30) The Tea Act of 1773 Was a Test of Obedience
31) Hope Is Not a Strategy: The Urgent Need for India and Pakistan to De-escalate
32) “I Don’t Know.” Trump’s Go-To Response to All Sorts of Questions
33) The GOP Is Already Planning to Win the Midterms… by Suppressing Your Vote!
34) Newsom’s Terrifying “Antiterrorism”
35) US invasion of Panama was first step toward the “forever wars”
36) On the Importance of Undesigned Order
37) Biden defending his presidency even has the Dems wanting him to go away
38) Some Hollywood Tariff Game Theory
39) Only Congress May Suspend the Writ of Habeas Corpus
40) Sorry, Harvard. There’s No Such Thing as a “Free” Grant
41) Trump’s Tax Rate for Richest Would Affect Very Little of Their Income
42) Where the Money Went: USG Funding to Counter-Mis/Disinformation Initiatives
43) Yes, Harvard Deserves Due Process
44) Tariffs
45) Looney Jersey Dems put law enforcement at risk with pointless antics
46) US Change in Tone May Not be to Ukraine’s Benefit
47) “Unleashing” police means more abuses of everyone’s rights
48) Free Speech Is Essential to Our Human Dignity
49) The Democrats’ Great Debates
50) Trump’s Houthi Bombing Halt Puts America First
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) The Chris Spangle Show, 05/10/25
52) The Focus Group Podcast, 05/10/25
53) Unattended Baggage, episode 293
54) The Anarchist Experience, episode 527
55) Conflicts of Interest, episode 796
56) Reason Interview: Cliff Asness
57) Freakonomics Radio, episode 561
58) The Tom Woods Show, episode 2641
59) Free Speech Unmuted, 05/09/25
60) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/09/25
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) India Envoy Rejects US Calls for Mediation in Kashmir Dispute
Source: Bloomberg
“A top Indian envoy said the dispute over Kashmir is a bilateral issue with Pakistan, rejecting any external mediation on the matter despite the US saying it wanted to facilitate talks. ‘For us, Kashmir is a bilateral issue, not an international issue,’ High Commissioner of India to Singapore, Shilpak Ambule, told Bloomberg TV’s Haslinda Amin on Monday. … India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday after four days of clashes that brought the nuclear-armed neighbors close to a full-blown war. The US said it helped mediate the de-escalation, but India has maintained that the uneasy truce was a result of bilateral talks.” (05/12/25)
https://archive.is/9ytNg
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2) Pharmaceutical Stocks Tumble on Trump’s Supposed Plan to Cut US Drug Prices
Source: Yahoo! Finance
“Shares of pharmaceutical companies fell across the world after US President Donald Trump said he planned to order a cut in US prescription drug costs to bring them in line with other countries, prompting concern that profits will take a hit. … The declines come after Trump said on social media he intends to sign an executive order lowering the price of prescription medicines at 9 a.m. on Monday in Washington, after reports emerged of the plan last week. His social media post didn’t detail how the order would work, or any limits that may apply.” (05/12/25)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/asia-pharma-stocks-drop-trump-024422723.html
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3) Albania: Preliminary election results show Socialists ahead
Source: ABC News
“Preliminary results in Albania’s parliamentary election on Monday showed the ruling Socialist Party ahead, with voters supporting the country’s uphill effort to join the European Union and Prime Minister Edi Rama’s bid for a fourth term. With a quarter of the votes counted, Rama’s left-wing Socialists have 53% of the votes, followed by the opposition center-right Democratic Party-led coalition of Sali Berisha with 35%. With those numbers the Socialists will get the required 71 seats to govern alone and likely even more than the previous mandate.” (05/12/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/albanian-preliminary-election-results-show-socialists-ahead-121702049
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4) Putin proposes direct peace talks with Ukraine to end war
Source: Fox News
“Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukrainian officials to finally bring an end to the war that began with a 2022 invasion by Moscow. Putin has thus far offered few, if any, concessions but is now proposing talks with Ukraine in the Turkish city of Istanbul that he says must be held without preconditions and with the goal of lasting peace. ‘We are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions,’ Putin said in a televised statement on Sunday. ‘We offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already on Thursday, in Istanbul.'” (05/11/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/world/putin-proposes-direct-peace-talks-ukraine-end-war
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5) David H. Souter, 1939-2025
Source: New York Times
“David H. Souter, a New Hampshire Republican who was named to the Supreme Court by President George H.W. Bush and who over 19 years on that bench became a mainstay of the court’s shrinking liberal wing, died on Thursday at his home in New Hampshire. He was 85. His death was announced on Friday morning by the Supreme Court, which did not cite a cause, saying only that he had died ‘peacefully.’ A shy man who never married and who much preferred an evening alone with a good book to a night in the company of Washington insiders, Justice Souter retired at the unusually young age of 69 to return to his beloved home state.” (05/09/25)
https://archive.is/OeAEu
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6) China has covered a desert with solar panels and confirmed it could change the ecosystem forever.
Source: Stewartville Star
“China has come up with a win-win solution from an ecological point of view: by exploiting arid zones, the Middle Kingdom has not only succeeded in producing ‘clean’ energy, which makes sense, but it has also managed to improve the local ecosystem. A study published in Scientific Reports by researchers at Xi’an University of Technology confirms that solar farms in the desert have a positive impact on the microclimate, soil properties and vegetation. To reach this conclusion, the scientists used the Driving Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model recommended by the European Environment Agency. By analysing 57 indicators, they applied a calculation model based on entropy to assess their results.” (05/10/25)
https://thinkstewartville.com/2025/05/10/china-has-covered-a-desert-with-solar-panels-and-confirmed-it-could-change-the-ecosystem-forever-2/
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7) Shingles vaccine has unexpected effect on heart health
Source: Yahoo! News
“The list of potential benefits of the shingles vaccine continues to grow. Beyond protecting against the viral infection and resulting painful rash, the shot has also been linked to a reduced risk of dementia, as Fox News Digital previously reported. And now, a new study has found that the vaccine could lower the risk of heart disease for up to eight years. In the long-running study, researchers analyzed up to 12 years of data for more than 1.2 million people aged 50 or older in South Korea, focusing on shingles vaccination rates and 18 different types of cardiovascular disease.” (05/09/25)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/shingles-vaccine-unexpected-effect-heart-193943612.html
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8) Palestine: Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 13 people, mostly women and children
Source: Associated Press
“Israeli strikes overnight and into Sunday killed 13 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, according to local health officials. Two of the strikes hit tents in the southern city of Khan Younis, each killing two children and their parents, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. Another five people were killed in strikes elsewhere, according to hospitals. The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians.” (05/11/25)
https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-ceasefire-hostages-05-11-2025-6a562aa1c6ce81bcc9ff4649e39ab937
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9) Trump says “total reset negotiated” with China during tariff talks in Geneva
Source: Fox News
“President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social Saturday night that ‘great progress’ had been made during weekend trade negotiations with China. During the meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, between U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and a Chinese delegation, ‘many things’ were discussed and ‘much [was] agreed to,’ Trump said. No major breakthrough was announced in discussions that lasted over 10 hours, The Associated Press reported, and negotiations are scheduled to continue Sunday. The administration announced a round of tariffs April 2 and later imposed a 145% tariff on Chinese goods. After reducing reciprocal tariffs on other countries for 90 days to a baseline of 10%, China raised tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%.” (05/11/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-total-reset-negotiated-china-tariff-talks-geneva
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10) MO: Legislature to potentially remove capital gains tax
Source: The Street
“Missouri could soon become the first U.S. state to eliminate capital gains tax entirely — a move that would have profound implications for crypto holders, stock investors, and real estate stakeholders alike. Missouri House Bill 594, which passed a final vote in the state legislature, now awaits Governor Mike Kehoe’s signature. If signed, it would enact a 100% income tax deduction on all capital gains, including profits from digital assets like Bitcoin and XRP. … For now, all eyes are on Governor Kehoe, who has not publicly committed to signing the bill. But if he does, Missouri could become the most tax-advantaged state in America for crypto and stock investors alike.” (05/11/25)
https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/markets/first-state-to-potentially-remove-capital-gains-tax-on-bitcoin-xrp-stocks
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11) Soviet-era spacecraft plunges to Earth after 53 years stuck in orbit
Source: SFGate
“A Soviet-era spacecraft plunged to Earth on Saturday, more than a half-century after its failed launch to Venus. Its uncontrolled entry was confirmed by both the Russian Space Agency and European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking. The Russians indicated it came down over the Indian Ocean, but some experts were not so sure of the precise location. The European Space Agency’s space debris office also tracked the spacecraft’s doom after it failed to appear over a German radar station. It was not immediately known how much, if any, of the half-ton spacecraft survived the fiery descent from orbit. Experts said ahead of time that some if not all of it might come crashing down, given it was built to withstand a landing on Venus, the solar system’s hottest planet. ” (05/10/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/soviet-era-spacecraft-plunges-to-earth-after-53-20320561.php
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12) Pope Leo XIV calls for peace in Ukraine and Gaza in first Sunday blessing
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]
“Pope Leo XIV called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza with the release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid in his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff. ‘I too address the world’s great powers by repeating the ever-present call ‘never again war,” Leo said from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. It was the first time that Leo had returned to the loggia since he first appeared to the world on Thursday evening following his remarkable election as pope, the first from the United States. Then too he delivered a message of peace. Leo was picking up the papal tradition of offering a blessing at noon, but with several twists.” (05/11/25)
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/11/g-s1-65758/pope-leo-xiv-calls-for-peace-in-ukraine-and-gaza-saying-never-again-war
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13) Trump calls for 20,000 new ICE thugs to aid in abductions
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Donald Trump has ordered the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to add at least 20,000 officers to enforce his deportation policies. The US president’s directive was issued on Friday and forms part of his administration’s plan to incentivize undocumented immigrants to self-deport. In a video, Trump said he was making it ‘as easy as possible’ for them to leave the US. The federal government will fund flights out of the US for undocumented people who choose to leave voluntarily and provide an ‘exit bonus,’ the executive order stated. The president’s call to increase staff comes as his administration pursues multiple pathways to force undocumented immigrants to leave the US. His order on Friday did not specify how the increase in staffing at the DHS would be funded.” (05/11/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4k3j91q84o
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14) Federal judge orders two-week pause on Trump’s mass layoffs
Source: MSNBC
“A federal judge has issued a two-week pause on the Trump administration’s mass layoffs across the federal government, ruling that the effort to fire of thousands of workers and entirely eliminate some agencies cannot proceed for now. The plaintiffs behind the lawsuit, which include nonprofits, labor unions and multiple cities and counties, argued that the president does not have the power to ‘radically restructure and dismantle the federal government’ without congressional authorization. In a late-Friday order, Judge Susan Illston of the Northern District of California agreed. She instituted a 14-day pause on ‘reductions in force’ until May 23.” (05/10/25)
https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/doge-layoffs-federal-judge-pause-trump-rcna206009
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15) Study: Ancient wooden spears found in Germany may have been wielded by Neanderthals
Source: SFGate
“A set of ancient wooden spears may be younger than scientists thought and wielded by Neanderthals instead of their ancestors. The complete spears made of spruce and pine are among the oldest known hunting weapons. They were discovered in a coal mine over two decades ago in the German town of Schöningen along with the remains of nearly 50 horses. Previous estimates dated the spears to 300,000 years ago so scientists thought the weapons belonged to a group of early humans called Homo heidelbergensis — thought to be the last common ancestor between humans and Neanderthals. But the new analysis using a different dating technique suggests the spears are younger, placing them about 200,000 years old. The new age means the hunting weapons may have been used by Neanderthals instead, according to research published Friday in the journal Science Advances.” (05/10/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/ancient-wooden-spears-found-in-germany-may-have-20319542.php
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16) South Korea: People Power Party fails in a bid to switch presidential candidates
Source: Associated Press
“South Korea’s embattled conservative party canceled then reinstated the presidential candidacy of Kim Moon Soo within hours as internal turmoil escalated ahead of the June 3 election. Saturday’s chaotic U-turn, after a failed attempt to replace Kim with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, underscored the People Power Party’s leadership crisis following the ouster of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his martial law imposition in December, which possibly doomed the conservatives’ chances of winning another term in government.” (05/10/25)
https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-election-conservative-party-candidates-cc3141d0582486c6199b62f25d37445a
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17) MA: Pol allegedly defends victim from ICE, local thugs during chaotic abduction
Source: New York Post
“A Massachusetts police union is calling for charges against a City Councilmember who allegedly assaulted local and federal officers — and incited a caught-on-video chaotic protest of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement [abduction] of an accused violent criminal. The aggressive protest saw as many as 25 neighbors wailing and chanting ‘no warrant!’ and ‘not the mother!’ — with the daughter of the apprehended Ferreira de Oliveira jumping in front of the unmarked ICE vehicle while holding her own infant in an attempt to stop the [abduction], video showed. Etel Haxhiaj, who represents Worcester’s District 5, helped incite the mob into assaulting ICE thugs and cops during the Department of Homeland Security’s [abduction] in a suburban neighborhood that escalated out of control Friday, the Worcester Police Patrolman’s Union said in a statement obtained by The Post.” (05/10/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/05/10/us-news/chaotic-video-shows-massachusetts-ice-arrest-being-disrupted-by-unruly-crowd-leading-to-2-arrests/
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18) Iranian, US regimes to resume nuclear talks amid clashing red lines
Source: Reuters
“op Iranian and U.S. negotiators will resume talks on Sunday to address disputes over Tehran’s nuclear programme, in a push for progress as Washington hardens its stance ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East visit. Though Tehran and Washington both have said they prefer diplomacy to resolve the decades-long dispute, they remain deeply divided on several red lines that negotiators will have to circumvent to reach a new nuclear deal and avert future military action. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will hold the fourth round of talks in Muscat through Omani mediators, despite Washington taking a tough stance in public that Iranian officials said would not help the negotiations.” (05/11/25)
https://archive.is/qQywS
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19) Dutch-led Suriname team digitizes 100,000 documents to preserve Jewish history in the Caribbean
Source: SFGate
“The fire that caused significant damage in April to historic buildings in Suriname’s capital city was not the only threat facing the nearby Neveh Shalom Synagogue. As firefighters battled to save the historic city center of Paramaribo — a UNESCO World Heritage site — the synagogue’s volunteers were busy scanning thousands of archival documents in an effort to preserve the history of the thousands of Jews who have called the Surinamese capital home since the 1700s. The blaze was contained before reaching the synagogue, but at the mercy of other threats, including the tropical climate, insects and time, it was a reminder of how fragile the 100,000 historic documents, kept on pages stored in filing cabinets for decades, were and how vital the preservation project was.” (05/10/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/dutch-led-suriname-team-digitizes-100-000-20321416.php
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20) Canadian tourists snub US and head to Mexico
Source: Financial Times [UK]
“Mexico is reaping the benefits of a US travel boycott by Canadians angry at the policies of President Donald Trump, with visitor numbers soaring as airlines add new flight routes into the country. The number of Canadian residents visiting Mexico climbed 15.6 per cent in March compared with the same month in 2024, according to the Mexican Secretary of Tourism. Canadian air travel to the US fell 13.5 per cent over the same period, while cross-border road trips were down about a third, according to Statistics Canada.” (05/09/25)
https://archive.is/gcyQF
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) There’s No Rebellion, But Suspending Habeas Corpus Might Justify One
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“A hypothetical: You’re arrested for the murder of John Smith. As it happens, John Smith is alive, not missing, indeed has been seen and recorded on video eight hours after your arrest, tucking in to an Oklahoma onion burger at Sid’s Diner in El Reno. Without habeas corpus, your captors can keep you in jail … for up to a month before even indicting you for the murder that didn’t happen, followed by 10 days until arraigning you the murder that didn’t happen, followed by 60 days before actually taking the case to trial. But if you file a petition for habeas corpus, you can show a judge evidence that not only is there no probable cause to believe you murdered John Smith, but that John Smith is alive and well. The judge can call BS on your arrest and free you.” (05/10/25)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/19575
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22) Would Americans Trade Liberty for Security?
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“Benjamin Franklin stated, ‘Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.’ Would modern-day Americans do that? Would they give up liberty to purchase a little temporary safety? There is no question about it. They already have. In fact, they have been doing it for their entire lives.” (05/09/25)
https://www.fff.org/2025/05/09/would-americans-trade-liberty-for-security/
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23) Are Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law Dying?
Source: EconLog
by Pierre Lemieux
“Some goals of the Trump administration can be related to the defense of individual liberty, but they are relatively rare and compromised by the use of authoritarian means that will very likely accelerate the progression of Leviathan, whether Republican or Democratic. The promotion of personal loyalty over principles, the substitution of courtiers for advisers, the attacks on independent judicial institutions and due process, and a shameless disdain for truth have become a continuous spectacle.” (05/10/25)
https://www.econlib.org/are-constitutionalism-and-the-rule-of-law-dying/
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24) Does DOGE Show That There’s Little Government Waste?
Source: Cato Institute
by Ryan Bourne
“Matt Yglesias makes a point that we will hear a lot from Democrats in the coming months. Progressives will claim that because DOGE ‘failed’ to live up to its ambitions to slash government spending by trillions, there must be little government waste. Indeed, economist Alan Blinder even says that Elon Musk should examine Social Security as a model of efficiency, given its administration costs only 0.5 percent of benefits paid out. Hmm. DOGE’s ambition to cut trillions in annual spending was always wildly overambitious without the support of Congress and with DOGE’s limited focus on federal employees, grants, software, and eradicating waste and fraud. Clearly, DOGE had other goals beyond its spending ambitions anyway. But does DOGE’s smaller estimated savings of $165 billion (many think it’s lower still) really show that the federal government is a paragon of efficiency and devoid of ‘waste?’ I’m sorry, but no.” (05/09/25)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/does-doge-show-theres-little-government-waste
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25) Mark Zuckerberg is building a new surveillance state
Source: The Hill
by John Mac Ghlionn
“Mark Zuckerberg recently took to Instagram to boast that nearly a billion people now use Meta AI across the company’s platforms. To celebrate, he announced the launch of a new standalone app, encouraging users to ‘Check it out!’ It sounded innocuous, almost charming, as if he were discussing a playful new feature. But make no mistake: this wasn’t just a product release. It was a warning shot from a man who now has his hands firmly on the wheel of reality. The new app is only part of the story. The real revolution — and the real threat — lies in what comes next: Meta’s AI glasses.” (05/10/25)
https://thehill.com/opinion/5292465-meta-ai-glasses-society-threat/
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26) What Is America?, part Three
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis
“‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’ ‘Self-evident … All people should be able to discern these … ‘Truths.’ There is something called ‘truth.’ It is not subjective, it is eternal, absolute, and obtainable (some of it is ‘self-evident,’ but not all). One of those ‘truths’ is that … ‘All men are created equal …’ First, all men are CREATED. There is a God, and He created us. ” (05/10/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2025/05/10/what-is-america-part-three-n2656852
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27) The Liberation Tariffs: Worse Than an Oil Embargo?
Source: Quillette
by Garett Jones
“This won’t be Great Depression 2.0. But this trade war will cost America and the world many innovations and great prosperity.” (05/10/25)
https://quillette.com/2025/05/10/the-liberation-tariffs-worse-than-an-oil-embargo-2/
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28) How does Entangled Political Economy help us to understand political entrepreneurship?
Source: Freedom and Flourishing
by Winton Bates
“Wagner refers to the ancient Indian parable of the blind men and the elephant in suggesting that political economy is best approached from the standpoint of plausible reasoning rather than demonstrative reasoning. Plausible reasoning starts from the standpoint that the object of inquiry cannot be known in full detail to the inquirer. By contrast, demonstrative reasoning begins with a set of assumptions about human behavior, and then analyses the implications of those assumptions.” (05/10/25)
https://www.freedomandflourishing.com/2025/05/how-does-entangled-political-economy.html
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29) India-Pakistan Ceasefire, And Other Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“After a few frightening missile and drone strike exchanges and some of the most large-scale aerial combat that our world has seen in recent history, India and Pakistan have reportedly agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire. So that’s a relief. I was about to publish a piece about this conflict and the risk of nuclear war when the ceasefire was announced, and I’ve never in my life been so happy to have to throw out hours of my work. Things are still tense and the grievances of Kashmiris under Indian occupation remain unaddressed, but at least the nuclear brinkmanship is de-escalating for today. … In more good news, a judge has ordered the release of Rumeysa Ozturk, the Tufts University student who the Trump administration had detained for deportation solely for publishing an op-ed critical of Israel.” (05/11/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/05/11/india-pakistan-ceasefire-and-other-notes-from-the-edge-of-the-narrative-matrix/
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30) The Tea Act of 1773 Was a Test of Obedience
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Michael Boldin
“On May 10, 1773, the British Parliament passed the Tea Act. To the average observer, it seemed like a break. Cheaper tea. A financial rescue for the struggling East India Company. A convenient solution. But to the American Revolutionaries, it was a trap. And Benjamin Rush didn’t mince words about what it meant: ‘The baneful chests contain in them a slow poison in a political as well as a physical sense. They contain something worse than death – the seeds of slavery.’ This was never about tea. It was about submission. It was about accepting that Parliament could tax them – without consent.” (05/10/25)
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2025/05/10/the-tea-act-of-1773-was-a-test-of-obedience/
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31) Hope Is Not a Strategy: The Urgent Need for India and Pakistan to De-escalate
Source: Common Dreams
by Daryl G Kimball
“The heinous terrorist attack near Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 and the retaliatory May 6 missile and drone attacks by India, including on targets in Pakistani territory, have created the conditions for a dangerous escalation of hostilities between these two nuclear-armed states. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, as well as leaders from other key countries, including China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have called for urgent, direct dialogue leading to immediate de-escalation between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan. Nevertheless, the danger of a wider war has not yet been abated. So far, President Trump has apparently only offered vague words of hope that a more serious crisis can be averted. ‘They’ve gone tit-for-tat, so hopefully they can stop now,’ Trump said at the White House on May 7, adding he knew both sides ‘very well’ and wanted ‘to see them work it out’.” (05/10/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/india-pakistan-deescalation
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32) “I Don’t Know.” Trump’s Go-To Response to All Sorts of Questions
Source: The Intercept
by Nick Turse
“President Donald Trump keeps saying he doesn’t know what his own administration is up to. Three times in the last week, Trump responded to questions about his signature policies by expressing ignorance. Is he truly clueless? Is he fully aware of the answer but using ignorance as a cover? Whatever the case, the White House doesn’t want to talk about it.” (05/09/25)
https://theintercept.com/2025/05/09/i-dont-know-president-donald-trump-response-to-questions/
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33) The GOP Is Already Planning to Win the Midterms… by Suppressing Your Vote!
Source: Truthdig
by Bill Blum
“If you’re counting on the 2026 midterm elections to wrest control of U.S. Congress from the GOP, be forewarned. The party is taking no chances on the upcoming plebiscite and has hatched a plan to rig all future federal elections with the goal of transforming the United States into a one-party state. At the center of the plan is the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, passed on April 10 by the House and pending before the Senate, and an executive order issued by President Donald Trump on March 25 with the Orwellian title of ‘Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections’. And looming in the background, with the final word on either measure’s constitutionality, is the Supreme Court, packed with three Trump appointees and holding a long and sorry record of hostility to voting rights.” (05/10/25)
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/time-to-start-thinking-about-the-midterms/
-----
34) Newsom’s Terrifying “Antiterrorism”
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Some of the worthiest allies in the fight against terrorism are the cheerleaders of terrorism. Make sense? Makes sense to California Governor Gavin Newsom, apparently. This March he sent nearly $200,000 — on top of earlier grants — to the Islamic Center of San Diego. It’s part of a program to help religious institutions fight terrorism. The Center is led by an imam who rationalized Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks on Israeli civilians; no atrocity gave him pause.” (05/09/25)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/05/09/terrifying-anti-t/
-----
35) US invasion of Panama was first step toward the “forever wars”
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Richard Hinman
“The swift, successful action in 1989 led Washington to believe that regime change was not only possible, but easy.” (05/09/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/panama-invasion-marines/
-----
36) On the Importance of Undesigned Order
Source: Free Association
by Sheldon Richman
“Undesigned order may be the most counterintuitive idea around, but it is crucial to understanding how free societies work. Trump and his gang don’t get it. Observe that he thinks he knows when the Federal Reserve should cut interest rates or how national trade statistics should look. The price system, of which interest rates are a part, is generated, not by a central plan, but by the countless daily decisions of buyers, sellers, and abstainers acting according to their articulated, unarticulated, and even inarticulable personal information, know-how, preferences, and purposes. That ‘data’ cannot be recorded in a central and accessible place for use by anyone, bureaucrats included. So attempts at conscious government planning will only muck up the price system, along with everything else. A bull in a china shop is an apt image. If you don’t get this, you don’t get freedom.” (05/09/25)
https://sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com/2025/05/tgif-on-importance-of-undesigned-order.html
-----
37) Biden defending his presidency even has the Dems wanting him to go away
Source: New York Post
by Michael Goodwin
“Many Democrats are no doubt convinced they have suffered enough, but fate seems to believe otherwise. How else to explain Joe Biden’s decision to start making public appearances and defend his presidency? First he did a dry run with the BBC, then jumped into a warm bubble bath at ‘The View’ – and still nearly drowned. Amidst the usual half-sentences and frozen delays came this gem about what he’s up to: ‘I’m trying to figure out what’s the most significant and consequential role I can play, consistent with what I’ve done in the past.’ The sound you hear is 40 million Democrats smashing their heads against walls and shouting ‘No, no, no! You can help by going back to sleep!’ But wait, there’s more …” (05/10/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/05/10/opinion/michael-goodwin-biden-defending-his-presidency-even-has-the-dems-wanting-him-to-go-away/
-----
38) Some Hollywood Tariff Game Theory
Source: The Bulwark
by Sonny Bunch
“When news broke on Sunday that Donald Trump wanted to implement ‘100% Tariffs’ on foreign-made movies, no one was entirely sure what he meant. I mean, about any of it. Did he mean foreign movies like The 400 Blows or American movies that are made overseas like the forthcoming Avengers: Doomsday? Did he mean a tariff on the budget, on foreign subsidies, what? There are no actual ‘imports’ of goods, so how would you levy these tariffs: on ticket sales, by taxing studios, what? Wait, a tax — doesn’t that require Congress? (Hahaha, just kidding!)” (05/09/25)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/some-hollywood-tariff-game-theory
-----
39) Only Congress May Suspend the Writ of Habeas Corpus
Source: Reason
by Jonathan H Adler
“As my co-blogger Ilya Somin notes below, White House aide Stephen Miller commented today that the Trump Administration is ‘actively looking at’ whether it would be possible to suspend the writ of habeas corpus on the grounds that the country is suffering an ‘invasion’ by illegal immigrants. My own view is that the White House can look at this question all it wants, but it is ultimately up to Congress whether the writ should be suspended (at least during times of peace). This is clear form the Constitution’s text and structure. The suspension clause is in Article I, section 9, as among several enumerated constraints on legislative power. It is an interesting question whether Courts can review a legislative suspension of the writ, but I think it is relatively clear that the Executive cannot do so unilaterally. I also think that the Supreme Court has fairly consistently operated under this assumption.” (05/09/25)
https://reason.com/volokh/2025/05/09/only-congress-may-suspend-the-writ-of-habeas-corpus/
-----
40) Sorry, Harvard. There’s No Such Thing as a “Free” Grant
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Peter Jacobsen
“Harvard is upset that the government is trying to tell them what to say, while simultaneously demanding that it continue sending them money. Of the $9 billion being threatened, not all goes immediately to Harvard. Some funding goes in grant form to students who then transmit it to the university in fees. Other grants go to researchers who share a portion (often more than half) with the university. But, regardless of the transmission mechanism, this funding is critical to Harvard’s current operations; otherwise, Trump’s threat would be inconsequential. Is Harvard entitled to receive millions of taxpayer dollars, directly or indirectly? Are the wealthy administrators and faculty the proper owners of taxes paid by Americans of all economic classes? In my view, no.” (05/09/25)
https://fee.org/articles/sorry-harvard-theres-no-such-thing-as-a-free-grant/
-----
41) Trump’s Tax Rate for Richest Would Affect Very Little of Their Income
Source: Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy
by Steve Wamhoff & Carl Davis
“President Donald Trump has proposed extending all the temporary tax cuts he signed into law in 2017 with one (newly announced) exception: allowing the top rate to revert from 37% to 39.6% for taxable income greater than $5 million for married couples and $2.5 million for unmarried taxpayers. But many other special breaks in the tax code (some introduced by Trump’s 2017 tax law and many others that existed prior to it) would ensure that most income of very well-off people would never be subject to Trump’s 39.6% tax rate.” (05/10/25)
https://itep.org/trump-proposed-higher-tax-rate-on-richest-taxpayers-would-affect-very-little-of-their-income/
-----
42) Where the Money Went: USG Funding to Counter-Mis/Disinformation Initiatives
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Andrew Lowenthal
“Last week, my non-profit liber-net unveiled a new database of US government awards to mis-dis-and-malinformation (MDM) and other content control initiatives. A previous Network Affects post broke down where that money came from. This one details where the money went, specifically the countries, regions, topics, and activities, and the top organisations that took home the cash. The below graphs are based on 867 awards made between 2016-2024, out of nearly 1,100 that we reviewed from 2010 to the present day.” (05/09/25)
https://brownstone.org/articles/where-the-money-went-usg-funding-to-counter-mis-disinformation-initiatives/
-----
43) Yes, Harvard Deserves Due Process
Source: Persuasion
by Greg Lukianoff & Adam Goldstein
“On May 5, Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent Harvard University a letter declaring that the school ‘should no longer seek GRANTS from the federal government, since none will be provided,’ effectively rendering Harvard ineligible for government funding for any new research. It was the latest volley in what has been a contentious battle between Harvard and the Trump administration, which in March convened a task force to review grants and contracts as part of its ‘efforts to root out anti-Semitism and to refocus our institutions of higher learning on the core values that undergird a liberal education.’ … Harvard has absolutely earned everyone’s scorn. … However, the administration’s actions towards Harvard pose a far greater threat to higher education and the principles of academic freedom than any of the sins committed by Harvard itself.” (05/09/25)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/yes-harvard-deserves-due-process
-----
44) Tariffs
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
Four widely believed propositions about trade and tariffs: 1. A trade deficit, an ‘unfavorable’ balance of trade, importing more than you export, is bad. A trade surplus, a ‘favorable’ balance of trade, is good. 2. One reason a country has a trade surplus is that it has low wages, allowing it to undersell countries with higher wages. 3. A country with a trade deficit can reduce or eliminate it with tariffs to reduce its imports, giving more jobs to its workers, better able to compete now that they are protected by the tariff from unfair competition with the lower wage country. 4. The one problem with this tactic is that the other country may retaliate …. All four of these propositions are taken for granted by most people who think they understand tariffs and trade, including the current president of the US. All four are false.” (05/09/25)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/tariffs
-----
45) Looney Jersey Dems put law enforcement at risk with pointless antics
Source: Fox News Forum
by David Marcus
“Among the most dangerous jobs that any American can do is guarding prisons, and among the hardest prisons to guard are facilities that hold members of foreign gangs like MS-13. Yet, for some idiotic reason, the mayor of Newark, N.J., and three members of Congress, all Democrats, decided to make that job even more dangerous on Friday. At the Delaney Hall ICE facility in Newark, these so-called leaders didn’t just stage a protest, they illegally trespassed on a federal detention facility, pulling its guards away from normal duties and forcing the photo-op arrest of the mayor. U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba described the desperate grandstanding on X shortly after the incident.” (05/10/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/david-marcus-looney-jersey-dems-put-law-enforcement-risk-pointless-antics
-----
46) US Change in Tone May Not be to Ukraine’s Benefit
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ted Snider
“A flurry of statements from top White House officials suggests that, whether for real or as a negotiating tactic, the Trump administration is getting closer to walking away. … For those who have been infuriated by Trump’s ‘final offer,’ which blocked Ukrainian membership in NATO and included formal U.S. recognition of Russian control of Crimea, it may come as a relief that Washington may be about to abdicate its mediating role. But the U.S. walking away may favor Russia, and a slowdown in talks with an accompanying continuation of war is not likely to win Ukraine a better result.” (05/09/25)
https://original.antiwar.com/ted_snider/2025/05/08/us-change-in-tone-may-not-be-to-ukraines-benefit/
-----
47) “Unleashing” police means more abuses of everyone’s rights
Source: Orange County Register
by Steven Greenhut
“It wasn’t a surprise when President Donald Trump penned his recent executive order that calls ‘for cities to unleash high-impact local police forces.’ … Many conservatives applauded the order, arguing that he’s merely empowering police to do their jobs. But police and prosecutors have plenty of tools. … As someone who has covered police-abuse cases, I can guarantee that officers make mistakes, can be overly aggressive and on occasion are corrupt. After the 1980s-era War on Drugs, police often have used tactics more appropriate to an occupying military force rather than to civilian police officers. If you think police should be unrestrained, get back to me after a SWAT team gets the wrong address and invades your house instead.” (05/09/25)
https://www.ocregister.com/2025/05/09/unleashing-police-means-more-abuses-of-everyones-rights/
-----
48) Free Speech Is Essential to Our Human Dignity
Source: The Daily Economy
by Julian Adorney
“Proponents of laws banning so-called hate speech often couch their arguments in terms of dignity: that is, they claim that banning hate speech is essential for protecting the dignity of minorities from racial slurs and other denigration. As David Shih writes for NPR, hate speech is ‘nothing more than state-sanctioned injury of people of color.’ This argument sounds plausible; but in actuality, free speech is the best friend of minorities.” (05/09/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/free-speech-is-essential-to-our-human-dignity/
-----
49) The Democrats’ Great Debates
Source: The American Prospect
by Robert Kuttner
“There are now two parallel debates about the role and future of the Democratic Party. One has to do with how fiercely and by what means Democrats should resist Trump. The other is about what Democrats should stand for going forward. For a time, the accommodationists in the party had a modicum of credibility. Maybe there were areas of common ground? That posture was undermined by Trump’s increasing destructiveness and his habit of making a deal and then demanding more. Advocates of having the Democrats stand back and let Trump destroy himself, such as James Carville, now look silly. The coup de grâce was the extraordinary April 27 speech by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a man known more as a liberal than a radical but now sounding like Bernie Sanders on steroids.” (05/09/25)
https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2025-05-09-democrats-great-debates/
-----
50) Trump’s Houthi Bombing Halt Puts America First
Source: The American Conservative
by Eldar Mamedov
“The president’s surprise move will save lives and advance U.S. interests.” (05/09/25)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/trumps-houthi-bombing-halt-puts-america-first/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) The Chris Spangle Show, 05/10/25
Source: We Are Libertarians
“Tariffs, Trade, and Tensions: Chris Spangle and Alex Rosado on U.S.-China Policy.” (05/10/25)
https://www.chrisspangle.com/p/tariffs-trade-and-tensions-chris
-----
52) The Focus Group Podcast, 05/10/25
Source: The Bulwark
“These Trump Voters Are MAD. Do They Regret Their Votes? (with Dave Weigel).” (05/10/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku2FCbFX0Tg
-----
53) Unattended Baggage, episode 293
Source: Unattended Baggage
“How to protect your retirement investments during human extinction.” (05/10/25)
https://unattendedbaggage.substack.com/p/episode-293-hour-1-how-to-protect
-----
54) The Anarchist Experience, episode 527
Source: The Anarchist Experience
“Rich & MC let the troll on to discuss logic, what it means to be rational, argumentation ethics, and why the fatal flaw of libertarian ethics is its applicability to children.” (05/10/25)
https://theanarchistexperience.wordpress.com/2025/05/10/the-anarchist-experience-527/
-----
55) Conflicts of Interest, episode 796
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Israel’s Goal in Gaza Is Genocide, Not Freeing Hostages.” (05/09/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-796-israels-goal-in-gaza-is-genocide-not-freeing-hostages
-----
56) Reason Interview: Cliff Asness
Source: Reason
“Can Technology Outrun ‘Stupider and Stupider’ Government?” (05/09/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/05/09/billionaire-cliff-asness-can-technology-outrun-stupider-and-stupider-government/
-----
57) Freakonomics Radio, episode 561
Source: Freakonomics
“How to Succeed at Failing, Part 1: The Chain of Events (Update).” (05/09/25)
https://freakonomics.com/podcast/how-to-succeed-at-failing-part-1-the-chain-of-events-update/
-----
58) The Tom Woods Show, episode 2641
Source: The Tom Woods Show
“How to Make Censorship Impossible.” (05/09/25)
https://tomwoods.com/ep-2641-how-to-make-censorship-impossible/
-----
59) Free Speech Unmuted, 05/09/25
Source: Hoover Institution
“Can AI Companies Be Sued For What AI Says? | Eugene Volokh and Jane Bambauer.” (05/09/125)
https://free-speech-unmuted.podbean.com/e/can-ai-companies-be-sued-for-what-ai-says-eugene-volokh-and-jane-bambauer-hoover-institution/
-----
60) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/09/25
Source: Antiwar.com
“Dozens of Community Kitchens in Gaza Shut Down, Trump Delinks Saudi Deal From Israel, and More.” (05/09/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiS4YSC8LXg
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Today's Freedom News:
1) India Envoy Rejects US Calls for Mediation in Kashmir Dispute
2) Pharmaceutical Stocks Tumble on Trump’s Supposed Plan to Cut US Drug Prices
3) Albania: Preliminary election results show Socialists ahead
4) Putin proposes direct peace talks with Ukraine to end war
5) David H. Souter, 1939-2025
6) China has covered a desert with solar panels and confirmed it could change the ecosystem forever.
7) Shingles vaccine has unexpected effect on heart health
8) Palestine: Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 13 people, mostly women and children
9) Trump says “total reset negotiated” with China during tariff talks in Geneva
10) MO: Legislature to potentially remove capital gains tax
11) Soviet-era spacecraft plunges to Earth after 53 years stuck in orbit
12) Pope Leo XIV calls for peace in Ukraine and Gaza in first Sunday blessing
13) Trump calls for 20,000 new ICE thugs to aid in abductions
14) Federal judge orders two-week pause on Trump’s mass layoffs
15) Study: Ancient wooden spears found in Germany may have been wielded by Neanderthals
16) South Korea: People Power Party fails in a bid to switch presidential candidates
17) MA: Pol allegedly defends victim from ICE, local thugs during chaotic abduction
18) Iranian, US regimes to resume nuclear talks amid clashing red lines
19) Dutch-led Suriname team digitizes 100,000 documents to preserve Jewish history in the Caribbean
20) Canadian tourists snub US and head to Mexico
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) There’s No Rebellion, But Suspending Habeas Corpus Might Justify One
22) Would Americans Trade Liberty for Security?
23) Are Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law Dying?
24) Does DOGE Show That There’s Little Government Waste?
25) Mark Zuckerberg is building a new surveillance state
26) What Is America?, part Three
27) The Liberation Tariffs: Worse Than an Oil Embargo?
28) How does Entangled Political Economy help us to understand political entrepreneurship?
29) India-Pakistan Ceasefire, And Other Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix
30) The Tea Act of 1773 Was a Test of Obedience
31) Hope Is Not a Strategy: The Urgent Need for India and Pakistan to De-escalate
32) “I Don’t Know.” Trump’s Go-To Response to All Sorts of Questions
33) The GOP Is Already Planning to Win the Midterms… by Suppressing Your Vote!
34) Newsom’s Terrifying “Antiterrorism”
35) US invasion of Panama was first step toward the “forever wars”
36) On the Importance of Undesigned Order
37) Biden defending his presidency even has the Dems wanting him to go away
38) Some Hollywood Tariff Game Theory
39) Only Congress May Suspend the Writ of Habeas Corpus
40) Sorry, Harvard. There’s No Such Thing as a “Free” Grant
41) Trump’s Tax Rate for Richest Would Affect Very Little of Their Income
42) Where the Money Went: USG Funding to Counter-Mis/Disinformation Initiatives
43) Yes, Harvard Deserves Due Process
44) Tariffs
45) Looney Jersey Dems put law enforcement at risk with pointless antics
46) US Change in Tone May Not be to Ukraine’s Benefit
47) “Unleashing” police means more abuses of everyone’s rights
48) Free Speech Is Essential to Our Human Dignity
49) The Democrats’ Great Debates
50) Trump’s Houthi Bombing Halt Puts America First
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) The Chris Spangle Show, 05/10/25
52) The Focus Group Podcast, 05/10/25
53) Unattended Baggage, episode 293
54) The Anarchist Experience, episode 527
55) Conflicts of Interest, episode 796
56) Reason Interview: Cliff Asness
57) Freakonomics Radio, episode 561
58) The Tom Woods Show, episode 2641
59) Free Speech Unmuted, 05/09/25
60) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/09/25
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) India Envoy Rejects US Calls for Mediation in Kashmir Dispute
Source: Bloomberg
“A top Indian envoy said the dispute over Kashmir is a bilateral issue with Pakistan, rejecting any external mediation on the matter despite the US saying it wanted to facilitate talks. ‘For us, Kashmir is a bilateral issue, not an international issue,’ High Commissioner of India to Singapore, Shilpak Ambule, told Bloomberg TV’s Haslinda Amin on Monday. … India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday after four days of clashes that brought the nuclear-armed neighbors close to a full-blown war. The US said it helped mediate the de-escalation, but India has maintained that the uneasy truce was a result of bilateral talks.” (05/12/25)
https://archive.is/9ytNg
-----
2) Pharmaceutical Stocks Tumble on Trump’s Supposed Plan to Cut US Drug Prices
Source: Yahoo! Finance
“Shares of pharmaceutical companies fell across the world after US President Donald Trump said he planned to order a cut in US prescription drug costs to bring them in line with other countries, prompting concern that profits will take a hit. … The declines come after Trump said on social media he intends to sign an executive order lowering the price of prescription medicines at 9 a.m. on Monday in Washington, after reports emerged of the plan last week. His social media post didn’t detail how the order would work, or any limits that may apply.” (05/12/25)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/asia-pharma-stocks-drop-trump-024422723.html
-----
3) Albania: Preliminary election results show Socialists ahead
Source: ABC News
“Preliminary results in Albania’s parliamentary election on Monday showed the ruling Socialist Party ahead, with voters supporting the country’s uphill effort to join the European Union and Prime Minister Edi Rama’s bid for a fourth term. With a quarter of the votes counted, Rama’s left-wing Socialists have 53% of the votes, followed by the opposition center-right Democratic Party-led coalition of Sali Berisha with 35%. With those numbers the Socialists will get the required 71 seats to govern alone and likely even more than the previous mandate.” (05/12/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/albanian-preliminary-election-results-show-socialists-ahead-121702049
-----
4) Putin proposes direct peace talks with Ukraine to end war
Source: Fox News
“Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukrainian officials to finally bring an end to the war that began with a 2022 invasion by Moscow. Putin has thus far offered few, if any, concessions but is now proposing talks with Ukraine in the Turkish city of Istanbul that he says must be held without preconditions and with the goal of lasting peace. ‘We are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions,’ Putin said in a televised statement on Sunday. ‘We offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already on Thursday, in Istanbul.'” (05/11/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/world/putin-proposes-direct-peace-talks-ukraine-end-war
-----
5) David H. Souter, 1939-2025
Source: New York Times
“David H. Souter, a New Hampshire Republican who was named to the Supreme Court by President George H.W. Bush and who over 19 years on that bench became a mainstay of the court’s shrinking liberal wing, died on Thursday at his home in New Hampshire. He was 85. His death was announced on Friday morning by the Supreme Court, which did not cite a cause, saying only that he had died ‘peacefully.’ A shy man who never married and who much preferred an evening alone with a good book to a night in the company of Washington insiders, Justice Souter retired at the unusually young age of 69 to return to his beloved home state.” (05/09/25)
https://archive.is/OeAEu
-----
6) China has covered a desert with solar panels and confirmed it could change the ecosystem forever.
Source: Stewartville Star
“China has come up with a win-win solution from an ecological point of view: by exploiting arid zones, the Middle Kingdom has not only succeeded in producing ‘clean’ energy, which makes sense, but it has also managed to improve the local ecosystem. A study published in Scientific Reports by researchers at Xi’an University of Technology confirms that solar farms in the desert have a positive impact on the microclimate, soil properties and vegetation. To reach this conclusion, the scientists used the Driving Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model recommended by the European Environment Agency. By analysing 57 indicators, they applied a calculation model based on entropy to assess their results.” (05/10/25)
https://thinkstewartville.com/2025/05/10/china-has-covered-a-desert-with-solar-panels-and-confirmed-it-could-change-the-ecosystem-forever-2/
-----
7) Shingles vaccine has unexpected effect on heart health
Source: Yahoo! News
“The list of potential benefits of the shingles vaccine continues to grow. Beyond protecting against the viral infection and resulting painful rash, the shot has also been linked to a reduced risk of dementia, as Fox News Digital previously reported. And now, a new study has found that the vaccine could lower the risk of heart disease for up to eight years. In the long-running study, researchers analyzed up to 12 years of data for more than 1.2 million people aged 50 or older in South Korea, focusing on shingles vaccination rates and 18 different types of cardiovascular disease.” (05/09/25)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/shingles-vaccine-unexpected-effect-heart-193943612.html
-----
8) Palestine: Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 13 people, mostly women and children
Source: Associated Press
“Israeli strikes overnight and into Sunday killed 13 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, according to local health officials. Two of the strikes hit tents in the southern city of Khan Younis, each killing two children and their parents, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. Another five people were killed in strikes elsewhere, according to hospitals. The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians.” (05/11/25)
https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-ceasefire-hostages-05-11-2025-6a562aa1c6ce81bcc9ff4649e39ab937
-----
9) Trump says “total reset negotiated” with China during tariff talks in Geneva
Source: Fox News
“President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social Saturday night that ‘great progress’ had been made during weekend trade negotiations with China. During the meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, between U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and a Chinese delegation, ‘many things’ were discussed and ‘much [was] agreed to,’ Trump said. No major breakthrough was announced in discussions that lasted over 10 hours, The Associated Press reported, and negotiations are scheduled to continue Sunday. The administration announced a round of tariffs April 2 and later imposed a 145% tariff on Chinese goods. After reducing reciprocal tariffs on other countries for 90 days to a baseline of 10%, China raised tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%.” (05/11/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-total-reset-negotiated-china-tariff-talks-geneva
-----
10) MO: Legislature to potentially remove capital gains tax
Source: The Street
“Missouri could soon become the first U.S. state to eliminate capital gains tax entirely — a move that would have profound implications for crypto holders, stock investors, and real estate stakeholders alike. Missouri House Bill 594, which passed a final vote in the state legislature, now awaits Governor Mike Kehoe’s signature. If signed, it would enact a 100% income tax deduction on all capital gains, including profits from digital assets like Bitcoin and XRP. … For now, all eyes are on Governor Kehoe, who has not publicly committed to signing the bill. But if he does, Missouri could become the most tax-advantaged state in America for crypto and stock investors alike.” (05/11/25)
https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/markets/first-state-to-potentially-remove-capital-gains-tax-on-bitcoin-xrp-stocks
-----
11) Soviet-era spacecraft plunges to Earth after 53 years stuck in orbit
Source: SFGate
“A Soviet-era spacecraft plunged to Earth on Saturday, more than a half-century after its failed launch to Venus. Its uncontrolled entry was confirmed by both the Russian Space Agency and European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking. The Russians indicated it came down over the Indian Ocean, but some experts were not so sure of the precise location. The European Space Agency’s space debris office also tracked the spacecraft’s doom after it failed to appear over a German radar station. It was not immediately known how much, if any, of the half-ton spacecraft survived the fiery descent from orbit. Experts said ahead of time that some if not all of it might come crashing down, given it was built to withstand a landing on Venus, the solar system’s hottest planet. ” (05/10/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/soviet-era-spacecraft-plunges-to-earth-after-53-20320561.php
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12) Pope Leo XIV calls for peace in Ukraine and Gaza in first Sunday blessing
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]
“Pope Leo XIV called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza with the release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid in his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff. ‘I too address the world’s great powers by repeating the ever-present call ‘never again war,” Leo said from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. It was the first time that Leo had returned to the loggia since he first appeared to the world on Thursday evening following his remarkable election as pope, the first from the United States. Then too he delivered a message of peace. Leo was picking up the papal tradition of offering a blessing at noon, but with several twists.” (05/11/25)
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/11/g-s1-65758/pope-leo-xiv-calls-for-peace-in-ukraine-and-gaza-saying-never-again-war
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13) Trump calls for 20,000 new ICE thugs to aid in abductions
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Donald Trump has ordered the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to add at least 20,000 officers to enforce his deportation policies. The US president’s directive was issued on Friday and forms part of his administration’s plan to incentivize undocumented immigrants to self-deport. In a video, Trump said he was making it ‘as easy as possible’ for them to leave the US. The federal government will fund flights out of the US for undocumented people who choose to leave voluntarily and provide an ‘exit bonus,’ the executive order stated. The president’s call to increase staff comes as his administration pursues multiple pathways to force undocumented immigrants to leave the US. His order on Friday did not specify how the increase in staffing at the DHS would be funded.” (05/11/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4k3j91q84o
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14) Federal judge orders two-week pause on Trump’s mass layoffs
Source: MSNBC
“A federal judge has issued a two-week pause on the Trump administration’s mass layoffs across the federal government, ruling that the effort to fire of thousands of workers and entirely eliminate some agencies cannot proceed for now. The plaintiffs behind the lawsuit, which include nonprofits, labor unions and multiple cities and counties, argued that the president does not have the power to ‘radically restructure and dismantle the federal government’ without congressional authorization. In a late-Friday order, Judge Susan Illston of the Northern District of California agreed. She instituted a 14-day pause on ‘reductions in force’ until May 23.” (05/10/25)
https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/doge-layoffs-federal-judge-pause-trump-rcna206009
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15) Study: Ancient wooden spears found in Germany may have been wielded by Neanderthals
Source: SFGate
“A set of ancient wooden spears may be younger than scientists thought and wielded by Neanderthals instead of their ancestors. The complete spears made of spruce and pine are among the oldest known hunting weapons. They were discovered in a coal mine over two decades ago in the German town of Schöningen along with the remains of nearly 50 horses. Previous estimates dated the spears to 300,000 years ago so scientists thought the weapons belonged to a group of early humans called Homo heidelbergensis — thought to be the last common ancestor between humans and Neanderthals. But the new analysis using a different dating technique suggests the spears are younger, placing them about 200,000 years old. The new age means the hunting weapons may have been used by Neanderthals instead, according to research published Friday in the journal Science Advances.” (05/10/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/ancient-wooden-spears-found-in-germany-may-have-20319542.php
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16) South Korea: People Power Party fails in a bid to switch presidential candidates
Source: Associated Press
“South Korea’s embattled conservative party canceled then reinstated the presidential candidacy of Kim Moon Soo within hours as internal turmoil escalated ahead of the June 3 election. Saturday’s chaotic U-turn, after a failed attempt to replace Kim with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, underscored the People Power Party’s leadership crisis following the ouster of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his martial law imposition in December, which possibly doomed the conservatives’ chances of winning another term in government.” (05/10/25)
https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-election-conservative-party-candidates-cc3141d0582486c6199b62f25d37445a
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17) MA: Pol allegedly defends victim from ICE, local thugs during chaotic abduction
Source: New York Post
“A Massachusetts police union is calling for charges against a City Councilmember who allegedly assaulted local and federal officers — and incited a caught-on-video chaotic protest of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement [abduction] of an accused violent criminal. The aggressive protest saw as many as 25 neighbors wailing and chanting ‘no warrant!’ and ‘not the mother!’ — with the daughter of the apprehended Ferreira de Oliveira jumping in front of the unmarked ICE vehicle while holding her own infant in an attempt to stop the [abduction], video showed. Etel Haxhiaj, who represents Worcester’s District 5, helped incite the mob into assaulting ICE thugs and cops during the Department of Homeland Security’s [abduction] in a suburban neighborhood that escalated out of control Friday, the Worcester Police Patrolman’s Union said in a statement obtained by The Post.” (05/10/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/05/10/us-news/chaotic-video-shows-massachusetts-ice-arrest-being-disrupted-by-unruly-crowd-leading-to-2-arrests/
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18) Iranian, US regimes to resume nuclear talks amid clashing red lines
Source: Reuters
“op Iranian and U.S. negotiators will resume talks on Sunday to address disputes over Tehran’s nuclear programme, in a push for progress as Washington hardens its stance ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East visit. Though Tehran and Washington both have said they prefer diplomacy to resolve the decades-long dispute, they remain deeply divided on several red lines that negotiators will have to circumvent to reach a new nuclear deal and avert future military action. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will hold the fourth round of talks in Muscat through Omani mediators, despite Washington taking a tough stance in public that Iranian officials said would not help the negotiations.” (05/11/25)
https://archive.is/qQywS
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19) Dutch-led Suriname team digitizes 100,000 documents to preserve Jewish history in the Caribbean
Source: SFGate
“The fire that caused significant damage in April to historic buildings in Suriname’s capital city was not the only threat facing the nearby Neveh Shalom Synagogue. As firefighters battled to save the historic city center of Paramaribo — a UNESCO World Heritage site — the synagogue’s volunteers were busy scanning thousands of archival documents in an effort to preserve the history of the thousands of Jews who have called the Surinamese capital home since the 1700s. The blaze was contained before reaching the synagogue, but at the mercy of other threats, including the tropical climate, insects and time, it was a reminder of how fragile the 100,000 historic documents, kept on pages stored in filing cabinets for decades, were and how vital the preservation project was.” (05/10/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/dutch-led-suriname-team-digitizes-100-000-20321416.php
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20) Canadian tourists snub US and head to Mexico
Source: Financial Times [UK]
“Mexico is reaping the benefits of a US travel boycott by Canadians angry at the policies of President Donald Trump, with visitor numbers soaring as airlines add new flight routes into the country. The number of Canadian residents visiting Mexico climbed 15.6 per cent in March compared with the same month in 2024, according to the Mexican Secretary of Tourism. Canadian air travel to the US fell 13.5 per cent over the same period, while cross-border road trips were down about a third, according to Statistics Canada.” (05/09/25)
https://archive.is/gcyQF
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) There’s No Rebellion, But Suspending Habeas Corpus Might Justify One
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“A hypothetical: You’re arrested for the murder of John Smith. As it happens, John Smith is alive, not missing, indeed has been seen and recorded on video eight hours after your arrest, tucking in to an Oklahoma onion burger at Sid’s Diner in El Reno. Without habeas corpus, your captors can keep you in jail … for up to a month before even indicting you for the murder that didn’t happen, followed by 10 days until arraigning you the murder that didn’t happen, followed by 60 days before actually taking the case to trial. But if you file a petition for habeas corpus, you can show a judge evidence that not only is there no probable cause to believe you murdered John Smith, but that John Smith is alive and well. The judge can call BS on your arrest and free you.” (05/10/25)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/19575
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22) Would Americans Trade Liberty for Security?
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“Benjamin Franklin stated, ‘Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.’ Would modern-day Americans do that? Would they give up liberty to purchase a little temporary safety? There is no question about it. They already have. In fact, they have been doing it for their entire lives.” (05/09/25)
https://www.fff.org/2025/05/09/would-americans-trade-liberty-for-security/
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23) Are Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law Dying?
Source: EconLog
by Pierre Lemieux
“Some goals of the Trump administration can be related to the defense of individual liberty, but they are relatively rare and compromised by the use of authoritarian means that will very likely accelerate the progression of Leviathan, whether Republican or Democratic. The promotion of personal loyalty over principles, the substitution of courtiers for advisers, the attacks on independent judicial institutions and due process, and a shameless disdain for truth have become a continuous spectacle.” (05/10/25)
https://www.econlib.org/are-constitutionalism-and-the-rule-of-law-dying/
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24) Does DOGE Show That There’s Little Government Waste?
Source: Cato Institute
by Ryan Bourne
“Matt Yglesias makes a point that we will hear a lot from Democrats in the coming months. Progressives will claim that because DOGE ‘failed’ to live up to its ambitions to slash government spending by trillions, there must be little government waste. Indeed, economist Alan Blinder even says that Elon Musk should examine Social Security as a model of efficiency, given its administration costs only 0.5 percent of benefits paid out. Hmm. DOGE’s ambition to cut trillions in annual spending was always wildly overambitious without the support of Congress and with DOGE’s limited focus on federal employees, grants, software, and eradicating waste and fraud. Clearly, DOGE had other goals beyond its spending ambitions anyway. But does DOGE’s smaller estimated savings of $165 billion (many think it’s lower still) really show that the federal government is a paragon of efficiency and devoid of ‘waste?’ I’m sorry, but no.” (05/09/25)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/does-doge-show-theres-little-government-waste
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25) Mark Zuckerberg is building a new surveillance state
Source: The Hill
by John Mac Ghlionn
“Mark Zuckerberg recently took to Instagram to boast that nearly a billion people now use Meta AI across the company’s platforms. To celebrate, he announced the launch of a new standalone app, encouraging users to ‘Check it out!’ It sounded innocuous, almost charming, as if he were discussing a playful new feature. But make no mistake: this wasn’t just a product release. It was a warning shot from a man who now has his hands firmly on the wheel of reality. The new app is only part of the story. The real revolution — and the real threat — lies in what comes next: Meta’s AI glasses.” (05/10/25)
https://thehill.com/opinion/5292465-meta-ai-glasses-society-threat/
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26) What Is America?, part Three
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis
“‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’ ‘Self-evident … All people should be able to discern these … ‘Truths.’ There is something called ‘truth.’ It is not subjective, it is eternal, absolute, and obtainable (some of it is ‘self-evident,’ but not all). One of those ‘truths’ is that … ‘All men are created equal …’ First, all men are CREATED. There is a God, and He created us. ” (05/10/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2025/05/10/what-is-america-part-three-n2656852
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27) The Liberation Tariffs: Worse Than an Oil Embargo?
Source: Quillette
by Garett Jones
“This won’t be Great Depression 2.0. But this trade war will cost America and the world many innovations and great prosperity.” (05/10/25)
https://quillette.com/2025/05/10/the-liberation-tariffs-worse-than-an-oil-embargo-2/
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28) How does Entangled Political Economy help us to understand political entrepreneurship?
Source: Freedom and Flourishing
by Winton Bates
“Wagner refers to the ancient Indian parable of the blind men and the elephant in suggesting that political economy is best approached from the standpoint of plausible reasoning rather than demonstrative reasoning. Plausible reasoning starts from the standpoint that the object of inquiry cannot be known in full detail to the inquirer. By contrast, demonstrative reasoning begins with a set of assumptions about human behavior, and then analyses the implications of those assumptions.” (05/10/25)
https://www.freedomandflourishing.com/2025/05/how-does-entangled-political-economy.html
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29) India-Pakistan Ceasefire, And Other Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“After a few frightening missile and drone strike exchanges and some of the most large-scale aerial combat that our world has seen in recent history, India and Pakistan have reportedly agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire. So that’s a relief. I was about to publish a piece about this conflict and the risk of nuclear war when the ceasefire was announced, and I’ve never in my life been so happy to have to throw out hours of my work. Things are still tense and the grievances of Kashmiris under Indian occupation remain unaddressed, but at least the nuclear brinkmanship is de-escalating for today. … In more good news, a judge has ordered the release of Rumeysa Ozturk, the Tufts University student who the Trump administration had detained for deportation solely for publishing an op-ed critical of Israel.” (05/11/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/05/11/india-pakistan-ceasefire-and-other-notes-from-the-edge-of-the-narrative-matrix/
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30) The Tea Act of 1773 Was a Test of Obedience
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Michael Boldin
“On May 10, 1773, the British Parliament passed the Tea Act. To the average observer, it seemed like a break. Cheaper tea. A financial rescue for the struggling East India Company. A convenient solution. But to the American Revolutionaries, it was a trap. And Benjamin Rush didn’t mince words about what it meant: ‘The baneful chests contain in them a slow poison in a political as well as a physical sense. They contain something worse than death – the seeds of slavery.’ This was never about tea. It was about submission. It was about accepting that Parliament could tax them – without consent.” (05/10/25)
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2025/05/10/the-tea-act-of-1773-was-a-test-of-obedience/
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31) Hope Is Not a Strategy: The Urgent Need for India and Pakistan to De-escalate
Source: Common Dreams
by Daryl G Kimball
“The heinous terrorist attack near Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 and the retaliatory May 6 missile and drone attacks by India, including on targets in Pakistani territory, have created the conditions for a dangerous escalation of hostilities between these two nuclear-armed states. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, as well as leaders from other key countries, including China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have called for urgent, direct dialogue leading to immediate de-escalation between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan. Nevertheless, the danger of a wider war has not yet been abated. So far, President Trump has apparently only offered vague words of hope that a more serious crisis can be averted. ‘They’ve gone tit-for-tat, so hopefully they can stop now,’ Trump said at the White House on May 7, adding he knew both sides ‘very well’ and wanted ‘to see them work it out’.” (05/10/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/india-pakistan-deescalation
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32) “I Don’t Know.” Trump’s Go-To Response to All Sorts of Questions
Source: The Intercept
by Nick Turse
“President Donald Trump keeps saying he doesn’t know what his own administration is up to. Three times in the last week, Trump responded to questions about his signature policies by expressing ignorance. Is he truly clueless? Is he fully aware of the answer but using ignorance as a cover? Whatever the case, the White House doesn’t want to talk about it.” (05/09/25)
https://theintercept.com/2025/05/09/i-dont-know-president-donald-trump-response-to-questions/
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33) The GOP Is Already Planning to Win the Midterms… by Suppressing Your Vote!
Source: Truthdig
by Bill Blum
“If you’re counting on the 2026 midterm elections to wrest control of U.S. Congress from the GOP, be forewarned. The party is taking no chances on the upcoming plebiscite and has hatched a plan to rig all future federal elections with the goal of transforming the United States into a one-party state. At the center of the plan is the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, passed on April 10 by the House and pending before the Senate, and an executive order issued by President Donald Trump on March 25 with the Orwellian title of ‘Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections’. And looming in the background, with the final word on either measure’s constitutionality, is the Supreme Court, packed with three Trump appointees and holding a long and sorry record of hostility to voting rights.” (05/10/25)
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/time-to-start-thinking-about-the-midterms/
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34) Newsom’s Terrifying “Antiterrorism”
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Some of the worthiest allies in the fight against terrorism are the cheerleaders of terrorism. Make sense? Makes sense to California Governor Gavin Newsom, apparently. This March he sent nearly $200,000 — on top of earlier grants — to the Islamic Center of San Diego. It’s part of a program to help religious institutions fight terrorism. The Center is led by an imam who rationalized Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks on Israeli civilians; no atrocity gave him pause.” (05/09/25)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/05/09/terrifying-anti-t/
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35) US invasion of Panama was first step toward the “forever wars”
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Richard Hinman
“The swift, successful action in 1989 led Washington to believe that regime change was not only possible, but easy.” (05/09/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/panama-invasion-marines/
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36) On the Importance of Undesigned Order
Source: Free Association
by Sheldon Richman
“Undesigned order may be the most counterintuitive idea around, but it is crucial to understanding how free societies work. Trump and his gang don’t get it. Observe that he thinks he knows when the Federal Reserve should cut interest rates or how national trade statistics should look. The price system, of which interest rates are a part, is generated, not by a central plan, but by the countless daily decisions of buyers, sellers, and abstainers acting according to their articulated, unarticulated, and even inarticulable personal information, know-how, preferences, and purposes. That ‘data’ cannot be recorded in a central and accessible place for use by anyone, bureaucrats included. So attempts at conscious government planning will only muck up the price system, along with everything else. A bull in a china shop is an apt image. If you don’t get this, you don’t get freedom.” (05/09/25)
https://sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com/2025/05/tgif-on-importance-of-undesigned-order.html
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37) Biden defending his presidency even has the Dems wanting him to go away
Source: New York Post
by Michael Goodwin
“Many Democrats are no doubt convinced they have suffered enough, but fate seems to believe otherwise. How else to explain Joe Biden’s decision to start making public appearances and defend his presidency? First he did a dry run with the BBC, then jumped into a warm bubble bath at ‘The View’ – and still nearly drowned. Amidst the usual half-sentences and frozen delays came this gem about what he’s up to: ‘I’m trying to figure out what’s the most significant and consequential role I can play, consistent with what I’ve done in the past.’ The sound you hear is 40 million Democrats smashing their heads against walls and shouting ‘No, no, no! You can help by going back to sleep!’ But wait, there’s more …” (05/10/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/05/10/opinion/michael-goodwin-biden-defending-his-presidency-even-has-the-dems-wanting-him-to-go-away/
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38) Some Hollywood Tariff Game Theory
Source: The Bulwark
by Sonny Bunch
“When news broke on Sunday that Donald Trump wanted to implement ‘100% Tariffs’ on foreign-made movies, no one was entirely sure what he meant. I mean, about any of it. Did he mean foreign movies like The 400 Blows or American movies that are made overseas like the forthcoming Avengers: Doomsday? Did he mean a tariff on the budget, on foreign subsidies, what? There are no actual ‘imports’ of goods, so how would you levy these tariffs: on ticket sales, by taxing studios, what? Wait, a tax — doesn’t that require Congress? (Hahaha, just kidding!)” (05/09/25)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/some-hollywood-tariff-game-theory
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39) Only Congress May Suspend the Writ of Habeas Corpus
Source: Reason
by Jonathan H Adler
“As my co-blogger Ilya Somin notes below, White House aide Stephen Miller commented today that the Trump Administration is ‘actively looking at’ whether it would be possible to suspend the writ of habeas corpus on the grounds that the country is suffering an ‘invasion’ by illegal immigrants. My own view is that the White House can look at this question all it wants, but it is ultimately up to Congress whether the writ should be suspended (at least during times of peace). This is clear form the Constitution’s text and structure. The suspension clause is in Article I, section 9, as among several enumerated constraints on legislative power. It is an interesting question whether Courts can review a legislative suspension of the writ, but I think it is relatively clear that the Executive cannot do so unilaterally. I also think that the Supreme Court has fairly consistently operated under this assumption.” (05/09/25)
https://reason.com/volokh/2025/05/09/only-congress-may-suspend-the-writ-of-habeas-corpus/
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40) Sorry, Harvard. There’s No Such Thing as a “Free” Grant
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Peter Jacobsen
“Harvard is upset that the government is trying to tell them what to say, while simultaneously demanding that it continue sending them money. Of the $9 billion being threatened, not all goes immediately to Harvard. Some funding goes in grant form to students who then transmit it to the university in fees. Other grants go to researchers who share a portion (often more than half) with the university. But, regardless of the transmission mechanism, this funding is critical to Harvard’s current operations; otherwise, Trump’s threat would be inconsequential. Is Harvard entitled to receive millions of taxpayer dollars, directly or indirectly? Are the wealthy administrators and faculty the proper owners of taxes paid by Americans of all economic classes? In my view, no.” (05/09/25)
https://fee.org/articles/sorry-harvard-theres-no-such-thing-as-a-free-grant/
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41) Trump’s Tax Rate for Richest Would Affect Very Little of Their Income
Source: Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy
by Steve Wamhoff & Carl Davis
“President Donald Trump has proposed extending all the temporary tax cuts he signed into law in 2017 with one (newly announced) exception: allowing the top rate to revert from 37% to 39.6% for taxable income greater than $5 million for married couples and $2.5 million for unmarried taxpayers. But many other special breaks in the tax code (some introduced by Trump’s 2017 tax law and many others that existed prior to it) would ensure that most income of very well-off people would never be subject to Trump’s 39.6% tax rate.” (05/10/25)
https://itep.org/trump-proposed-higher-tax-rate-on-richest-taxpayers-would-affect-very-little-of-their-income/
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42) Where the Money Went: USG Funding to Counter-Mis/Disinformation Initiatives
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Andrew Lowenthal
“Last week, my non-profit liber-net unveiled a new database of US government awards to mis-dis-and-malinformation (MDM) and other content control initiatives. A previous Network Affects post broke down where that money came from. This one details where the money went, specifically the countries, regions, topics, and activities, and the top organisations that took home the cash. The below graphs are based on 867 awards made between 2016-2024, out of nearly 1,100 that we reviewed from 2010 to the present day.” (05/09/25)
https://brownstone.org/articles/where-the-money-went-usg-funding-to-counter-mis-disinformation-initiatives/
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43) Yes, Harvard Deserves Due Process
Source: Persuasion
by Greg Lukianoff & Adam Goldstein
“On May 5, Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent Harvard University a letter declaring that the school ‘should no longer seek GRANTS from the federal government, since none will be provided,’ effectively rendering Harvard ineligible for government funding for any new research. It was the latest volley in what has been a contentious battle between Harvard and the Trump administration, which in March convened a task force to review grants and contracts as part of its ‘efforts to root out anti-Semitism and to refocus our institutions of higher learning on the core values that undergird a liberal education.’ … Harvard has absolutely earned everyone’s scorn. … However, the administration’s actions towards Harvard pose a far greater threat to higher education and the principles of academic freedom than any of the sins committed by Harvard itself.” (05/09/25)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/yes-harvard-deserves-due-process
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44) Tariffs
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
Four widely believed propositions about trade and tariffs: 1. A trade deficit, an ‘unfavorable’ balance of trade, importing more than you export, is bad. A trade surplus, a ‘favorable’ balance of trade, is good. 2. One reason a country has a trade surplus is that it has low wages, allowing it to undersell countries with higher wages. 3. A country with a trade deficit can reduce or eliminate it with tariffs to reduce its imports, giving more jobs to its workers, better able to compete now that they are protected by the tariff from unfair competition with the lower wage country. 4. The one problem with this tactic is that the other country may retaliate …. All four of these propositions are taken for granted by most people who think they understand tariffs and trade, including the current president of the US. All four are false.” (05/09/25)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/tariffs
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45) Looney Jersey Dems put law enforcement at risk with pointless antics
Source: Fox News Forum
by David Marcus
“Among the most dangerous jobs that any American can do is guarding prisons, and among the hardest prisons to guard are facilities that hold members of foreign gangs like MS-13. Yet, for some idiotic reason, the mayor of Newark, N.J., and three members of Congress, all Democrats, decided to make that job even more dangerous on Friday. At the Delaney Hall ICE facility in Newark, these so-called leaders didn’t just stage a protest, they illegally trespassed on a federal detention facility, pulling its guards away from normal duties and forcing the photo-op arrest of the mayor. U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba described the desperate grandstanding on X shortly after the incident.” (05/10/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/david-marcus-looney-jersey-dems-put-law-enforcement-risk-pointless-antics
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46) US Change in Tone May Not be to Ukraine’s Benefit
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ted Snider
“A flurry of statements from top White House officials suggests that, whether for real or as a negotiating tactic, the Trump administration is getting closer to walking away. … For those who have been infuriated by Trump’s ‘final offer,’ which blocked Ukrainian membership in NATO and included formal U.S. recognition of Russian control of Crimea, it may come as a relief that Washington may be about to abdicate its mediating role. But the U.S. walking away may favor Russia, and a slowdown in talks with an accompanying continuation of war is not likely to win Ukraine a better result.” (05/09/25)
https://original.antiwar.com/ted_snider/2025/05/08/us-change-in-tone-may-not-be-to-ukraines-benefit/
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47) “Unleashing” police means more abuses of everyone’s rights
Source: Orange County Register
by Steven Greenhut
“It wasn’t a surprise when President Donald Trump penned his recent executive order that calls ‘for cities to unleash high-impact local police forces.’ … Many conservatives applauded the order, arguing that he’s merely empowering police to do their jobs. But police and prosecutors have plenty of tools. … As someone who has covered police-abuse cases, I can guarantee that officers make mistakes, can be overly aggressive and on occasion are corrupt. After the 1980s-era War on Drugs, police often have used tactics more appropriate to an occupying military force rather than to civilian police officers. If you think police should be unrestrained, get back to me after a SWAT team gets the wrong address and invades your house instead.” (05/09/25)
https://www.ocregister.com/2025/05/09/unleashing-police-means-more-abuses-of-everyones-rights/
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48) Free Speech Is Essential to Our Human Dignity
Source: The Daily Economy
by Julian Adorney
“Proponents of laws banning so-called hate speech often couch their arguments in terms of dignity: that is, they claim that banning hate speech is essential for protecting the dignity of minorities from racial slurs and other denigration. As David Shih writes for NPR, hate speech is ‘nothing more than state-sanctioned injury of people of color.’ This argument sounds plausible; but in actuality, free speech is the best friend of minorities.” (05/09/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/free-speech-is-essential-to-our-human-dignity/
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49) The Democrats’ Great Debates
Source: The American Prospect
by Robert Kuttner
“There are now two parallel debates about the role and future of the Democratic Party. One has to do with how fiercely and by what means Democrats should resist Trump. The other is about what Democrats should stand for going forward. For a time, the accommodationists in the party had a modicum of credibility. Maybe there were areas of common ground? That posture was undermined by Trump’s increasing destructiveness and his habit of making a deal and then demanding more. Advocates of having the Democrats stand back and let Trump destroy himself, such as James Carville, now look silly. The coup de grâce was the extraordinary April 27 speech by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a man known more as a liberal than a radical but now sounding like Bernie Sanders on steroids.” (05/09/25)
https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2025-05-09-democrats-great-debates/
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50) Trump’s Houthi Bombing Halt Puts America First
Source: The American Conservative
by Eldar Mamedov
“The president’s surprise move will save lives and advance U.S. interests.” (05/09/25)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/trumps-houthi-bombing-halt-puts-america-first/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) The Chris Spangle Show, 05/10/25
Source: We Are Libertarians
“Tariffs, Trade, and Tensions: Chris Spangle and Alex Rosado on U.S.-China Policy.” (05/10/25)
https://www.chrisspangle.com/p/tariffs-trade-and-tensions-chris
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52) The Focus Group Podcast, 05/10/25
Source: The Bulwark
“These Trump Voters Are MAD. Do They Regret Their Votes? (with Dave Weigel).” (05/10/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku2FCbFX0Tg
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53) Unattended Baggage, episode 293
Source: Unattended Baggage
“How to protect your retirement investments during human extinction.” (05/10/25)
https://unattendedbaggage.substack.com/p/episode-293-hour-1-how-to-protect
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54) The Anarchist Experience, episode 527
Source: The Anarchist Experience
“Rich & MC let the troll on to discuss logic, what it means to be rational, argumentation ethics, and why the fatal flaw of libertarian ethics is its applicability to children.” (05/10/25)
https://theanarchistexperience.wordpress.com/2025/05/10/the-anarchist-experience-527/
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55) Conflicts of Interest, episode 796
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Israel’s Goal in Gaza Is Genocide, Not Freeing Hostages.” (05/09/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-796-israels-goal-in-gaza-is-genocide-not-freeing-hostages
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56) Reason Interview: Cliff Asness
Source: Reason
“Can Technology Outrun ‘Stupider and Stupider’ Government?” (05/09/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/05/09/billionaire-cliff-asness-can-technology-outrun-stupider-and-stupider-government/
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57) Freakonomics Radio, episode 561
Source: Freakonomics
“How to Succeed at Failing, Part 1: The Chain of Events (Update).” (05/09/25)
https://freakonomics.com/podcast/how-to-succeed-at-failing-part-1-the-chain-of-events-update/
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58) The Tom Woods Show, episode 2641
Source: The Tom Woods Show
“How to Make Censorship Impossible.” (05/09/25)
https://tomwoods.com/ep-2641-how-to-make-censorship-impossible/
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59) Free Speech Unmuted, 05/09/25
Source: Hoover Institution
“Can AI Companies Be Sued For What AI Says? | Eugene Volokh and Jane Bambauer.” (05/09/125)
https://free-speech-unmuted.podbean.com/e/can-ai-companies-be-sued-for-what-ai-says-eugene-volokh-and-jane-bambauer-hoover-institution/
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60) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/09/25
Source: Antiwar.com
“Dozens of Community Kitchens in Gaza Shut Down, Trump Delinks Saudi Deal From Israel, and More.” (05/09/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiS4YSC8LXg
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