07/30 -- Fauci takes Fifth Amendment, refuses to answer Senate panel questions; When Science Becomes a State Religion
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Thomas L. Knapp
Jul 30, 2026, 6:05:59 AM (6 days ago) Jul 30
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 07/30/26
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Fauci takes Fifth Amendment, refuses to answer Senate panel questions
2) US regime carries out new strikes on Iran after Trump threatens “a beating”
3) Explosion in Poland after Russian missile attack on western Ukraine
4) Fed votes 9-3 to leave key rate unchanged despited high prices — for now
5) Trump’s pick for US attorney general Todd Blanche in jeopardy as vote postponed
6) Myanmar: Junta courts sentence activists up to 37 years over election boycott protest
7) Uganda: Political prisoner Besigye collapses in the dock during treason trial
8) Yemen: Saudi puppet regime accuses Houthis of planning Red Sea transit fee system under Iranian guidance
9) Four women accuse Leto of sexual offenses when they were teens
10) France: Regime issues expulsion order against Russian TV star Xenia Fedorova
11) CA: Man accused of intentionally running over regime surveillance cameras, caught on regime surveillance cameras
12) OpenAI says the rogue agent that hacked Hugging Face also breached other services
13) KS: High school teacher dragged out, arrested for clapping at city meeting over proposed data center
14) US Regime Bans Foreign-Made Humanoid Robots, Tries to Kill Increased Solar Adoption
15) Kenya: Mysterious deaths of elephants prompt urgent inquiry
16) Apple passes $5 trillion valuation mark
17) GA: Battle to replace late House Democrat goes to overtime after daughter failed to clinch seat
18) Algeria: Khalida Boufedeche elected as first woman parliamentary speaker
19) Death toll rises to 18 as rescuers comb through quake rubble in southwestern Japan
20) NJ: Sherill refuses DOJ demand for data on noncitizen voters, citing privacy laws
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) When Science Becomes a State Religion
22) Good rule of thumb: Mind your business
23) The US Immigration System Is Not Broken
24) Inside the Emerging Microcollege Movement
25) “Pink” Prices Aren’t Prejudice
26) New York wants to govern Iowa and Missouri — we’re suing to stop it cold
27) A tax system that fines the behaviour that growth requires
28) Churchill and Trump: The Lions in Winter
29) What Pope Leo Can Teach Liberals About Power
30) They Geofenced the Pews
31) The Dangerous Precedent Behind the Shiloh Hendrix Verdict
32) Democracy and the Founders’ Constitution
33) How To Be An Empire Propagandist
34) Anthony Fauci’s Private Diary and Emails Show He Knew Lockdowns Failed
35) Trump Keeps Pushing Legally Dubious Tariffs
36) Marco Rubio’s “Democratic Hemisphere” vs. the National Security Strategy
37) Anthony Fauci’s own diary proves what a despicable villain he truly is
38) Fauci Faces Perjury Risk at Senate Homeland Security Hearing
39) Ukraine’s “turned tide” doesn’t comport “with basic military reality”
40) Back in the USSR: Spending Two Weeks in a Real Socialist Country
41) Punishing Trump: New War on Saudi Refineries by Iran Allies
42) The Echoing Failure of Acoustic Gunshot Detectors
43) Is It Just About AIPAC’s Money, or Does the US-Israel Rot Run Far Deeper?
44) Finding common ground on high-capacity transmission: Collaboration, competition, and a path forward
45) The Secretary Trying to Close the Department of Education Did Something It Never Did
46) Is Congress Ready for Reconciliation 3.0?
47) NIMBYism’s Slow Cancellation of the Future
48) Billions Mis-Served
49) Yes, Trump Will Attempt a Coup
50) A Free Society is an Educated Society
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) The Fifth Column, episode 568
52) Trump Watch, 07/29/26
53) The Mark Edge Show, 07/29/26
54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 07/29/26
55) The Good Fight, 07/29/26
56) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 07/29/26
57) Why AI Could Trigger Mass UK Job Cuts
58) The Coverup: Prosecuting Fauci’s Crimes with Senator Rand Paul & Matt Kibbe
59) NonZero, 07/28/26
60) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 07/28/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Fauci takes Fifth Amendment, refuses to answer Senate panel questions
Source: Axios
“Dr. Anthony Fauci, who led the nation’s infectious disease efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, invoked the Fifth Amendment on Wednesday and declined to answer questions from a Senate committee investigating the origins of the coronavirus. Fauci said Homeland Security Chair Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was trying to get him to say something that could put him in legal jeopardy. Former President Biden preemptively pardoned Fauci before leaving office, but Fauci argues he could be in trouble if he makes any statements that could open new lines of investigation for the committee. … Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) told Fauci he wasn’t surprised the former top infectious disease expert was taking the Fifth: ‘I think it would be almost impossible for you to answer the questions truthfully without really demonstrating what you did.'” (07/29/26)
https://www.axios.com/2026/07/29/anthony-fauci-fifth-amendment-covid-hearing-paul
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2) US regime carries out new strikes on Iran after Trump threatens “a beating”
Source: Yahoo! News
“The U.S. carried out strikes on Iran Thursday morning, hours after President Trump told reporters the U.S. would ‘be hitting them very hard’ in response to new attacks by Iran targeting U.S. forces in the Mideast. Hours later, Jordan shot down five missiles launched from Iran, Jordan’s state-run news agency said.At least 20 people were killed in joint U.S.-Saudi strikes on Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, an umbrella paramilitary group known as the Popular Mobilization Forces said Wednesday. Central Command said U.S. and Saudi forces conducted strikes late Tuesday on Iranian proxies in Iraq, the first confirmed attacks by a Gulf state during the war.” (07/30/26)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/war-expands-joint-u-saudi-094845170.html
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3) Explosion in Poland after Russian missile attack on western Ukraine
Source: AOL
“An explosion in Poland left a 10m-wide crater after Russia launched an overnight missile attack on Ukraine. Polish armed forces are investigating a possible missile incursion after fighter jets were scrambled and sirens sounded in the eastern border city of Lublin in response to the Russian attack. Russian missiles hit the Ukrainian city of Lviv overnight, near the Polish border, in a huge overnight bombardment of 74 missiles and 284 drones spanning east to west Ukraine. The operational command of the Polish armed forces said on Thursday morning that at least 12 missiles had been observed over western Ukraine, but they had not identified what had crashed into its territory.” (07/30/26)
https://www.aol.com/articles/explosion-poland-russian-missile-attack-063141000.html
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4) Fed votes 9-3 to leave key rate unchanged despited high prices — for now
Source: Associated Press
“The Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday despite persistently high inflation and a spike in energy prices caused by the Iran war. The Fed’s rate-setting committee reached the 9-3 decision after two days of deliberations, marking the fifth straight meeting at which the benchmark rate was kept at around 3.6%. Dissenting in favor of a quarter-point interest rate hike were Beth Hammack, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland; Neel Kashkari, president of the Minneapolis Fed; and Lorie Logan, president of the Dallas Fed. Inflation has been stuck above the central bank’s 2% target for more than five years.” (07/29/26)
https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-inflation-interest-rates-iran-war-ad10c177cb8d96f9e3ed122e12352a74
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5) Trump’s pick for US attorney general Todd Blanche in jeopardy as vote postponed
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Todd Blanche’s hopes of becoming US attorney general seemed to be in jeopardy on Wednesday after the Department of Justice did not provide written assurances to a key Republican senator that a $1.8bn slush fund was dead. The US Senate judiciary committee postponed a vote scheduled for Thursday on whether to advance Blanche’s nomination. … Blanche, Trump’s former personal lawyer, is already serving as acting US attorney general. He needs the vote of every Republican on the Senate judiciary panel to advance his nomination to land the role on a permanent basis. … But a swing vote on the committee, John Cornyn of Texas, told reporters on Wednesday he would not support Blanche’s nomination until he received written confirmation that the fund was not moving ahead.” (07/29/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/29/todd-blanche-nomination
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6) Myanmar: Junta courts sentence activists up to 37 years over election boycott protest
Source: ABC News
“Courts in Myanmar have sentenced nine activists to up to 37 years in prison for involvement in a protest calling for a boycott of the elections last December, an activist group said Wednesday. May Hnin, a spokesperson for the Anti-Junta Forces Coordination Committee-Mandalay, said eight members including prominent activist Htet Myat Aung were sentenced to 37 years on Tuesday by two courts in Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, after being convicted under the electoral law and counterterrorism Law. A ninth activist was sentenced to 27 years after being convicted under the counterterrorism law, she said. Htet Myat Aung and the others were arrested days after staging a flash protest in downtown Mandalay on Dec. 3 calling on the public to reject the elections, abolish the military conscription law and release political prisoners detained after the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021.” (07/29/26)
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/myanmar-courts-sentence-activists-37-years-election-boycott-135195224
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7) Uganda: Political prisoner Besigye collapses in the dock during treason trial
Source: Seattle Times
“Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye appeared to collapse in court on Wednesday during a trial in which he is facing treason charges. Besigye, 69, who has been detained without bail for several months, shouted the word ‘stop’ many times before he fell backward in the dock. The court proceedings were postponed as prison guards moved to attend to the high-profile defendant. Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate, has been repeatedly denied bail. His main attorney, Erias Lukwago, has also been arrested and charged with alleged failure to report acts of treason. In recent days, prosecutors have moved to present evidence they say will prove Besigye and others plotted to overthrow the government of President Yoweri Museveni.” (07/29/26)
https://archive.is/BeZzY
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8) Yemen: Saudi puppet regime accuses Houthis of planning Red Sea transit fee system under Iranian guidance
Source: mint [India]
“Yemen’s government has accused the Iran-backed Houthi rebels [sic] of working with Tehran to establish a system for charging fees to commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, describing the alleged plan as a major threat to global shipping and energy markets. Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said on Wednesday (July 29) that recently obtained intelligence indicated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was helping the Houthis create a technical and administrative framework to collect payments from shipping companies using one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors. … Reuters reported that senior Houthi officials travelled to Iran in July to attend the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, where Iranian officials discussed the possibility of introducing transit charges for ships passing through the Bab el-Mandeb.” (07/29/26)
https://www.livemint.com/news/world/yemen-government-accuses-houthis-of-planning-red-sea-transit-fee-system-under-iranian-guidance-11785328543296.html
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9) Four women accuse Leto of sexual offenses when they were teens
Source: CBS News
“Four women speaking to CBS News’ partner network the BBC have accused actor and band frontman Jared Leto of criminal sexual conduct when they were teenagers. One woman said the Oscar-winning actor and ‘Thirty Seconds to Mars’ band frontman sexually assaulted her in a motel when she was 17, while another told the BBC said she had sex with Leto in California when she was the same age — which would qualify as statutory rape. A third woman told the BBC that Leto threatened her with sexual assault when she was 19 while she was alone with him in a hotel room. Another alleges the star groomed her as a teenager, on one occasion suggesting they should have sex. … Leto has been plagued by allegations of sexual misconduct for years, but has denied all wrongdoing. No criminal charges have ever been filed against him.” (07/29/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jared-leto-women-accuse-us-actor-sexual-offenses-bbc-documentary/
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10) France: Regime issues expulsion order against Russian TV star Xenia Fedorova
Source: Politico
“French authorities have moved to expel from the country Xenia Fedorova, a Russian media star who has courted controversy for her pro-Kremlin narrative. Fedorova, the former head of the Kremlin-backed RT France news outlet, was handed an expulsion order by the Paris Prefecture of Police, which handles immigration matters for foreigners living in the French capital, according to a report by French newspaper Libération published Wednesday that was confirmed by POLITICO. ‘By spreading her narratives, [Xenia Fedorova] acts as a conduit for disinformation campaigns led by Russian authorities,’ with the aim of ‘destabilizing public order’ in France, reads the document, seen by Libération. It also accuses Fedorova of ‘contribut[ing] to the spread of disinformation and destabilization’ in order to manipulate public opinion.” (07/29/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/france-issues-expulsion-order-pro-kremlin-xenia-fedorova
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11) CA: Man accused of intentionally running over regime surveillance cameras, caught on regime surveillance cameras
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
“A California man accused of deliberately damaging automated license plate readers was identified with the help of other surveillance cameras near the devices, authorities said Tuesday. Marcus Bee, 40, of Pismo Beach, was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism after investigators linked him to damage involving at least three Flock Safety cameras in Monterey County, the county sheriff’s office said.” (07/28/26)
https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/flock-camera-vandalism-arrest-22364531.php
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12) OpenAI says the rogue agent that hacked Hugging Face also breached other services
Source: Engadget
“OpenAI has updated its blog post about the rogue agent that breached Hugging Face and admitted that it also infiltrated other other third-party accounts and services to achieve its goal. In the updated post, the company said it has been finding ‘a small number of cases where the models identified and used publicly exposed credentials at the account-level on other publicly-available services’ during its ongoing review. So far, it has determined that the rogue agent used the credentials of ‘four accounts’ to infiltrate ‘four services’ as part of the Hugging Face incident. It also said that it accessed a ‘few accounts’ as part of other evaluations.” (07/29/26)
https://www.engadget.com/2225812/openai-rogue-agent-hacked-hugging-face-breached-other-services/
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13) KS: High school teacher dragged out, arrested for clapping at city meeting over proposed data center
Source: New York Post
“A Kansas high school teacher was arrested and dragged out of a contentious city zoning meeting for continuously clapping in opposition to a proposed data center. Lux Claridge was yanked out of a chair by three police officers and carried out of the Emporia City Commission meeting on July 22 for seemingly disobeying the mayor’s orders regarding clapping against the controversial Flint Hills Digital Campus data center proposed in Emporia, Kansas, the Emporia Police said. … Several oppositionists gave comments and testimonials against the 1,000-acre, gigawatt-scale project that garnered rounds of applause, which provoked one board official to call for order against the clapping that was ‘rude and disruptive.'” (07/29/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/07/29/us-news/kansas-high-school-teacher-lux-claridge-dragged-out-arrested-for-clapping-at-city-meeting-over-proposed-data-center/
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14) US Regime Bans Foreign-Made Humanoid Robots, Tries to Kill Increased Solar Adoption
Source: US News & World Report
“The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is banning imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots and power inverters, citing national security risks, in a move that targets China. The measures are likely to test relations with Beijing ahead of a planned U.S. visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in September. China dominates the global market for humanoid robots with an estimated market share of roughly 85%. The FCC’s ban also includes new imports of quadruped robots – often referred to as four-legged robot dogs. … The ban on power inverters, which are used to convert direct current (DC) electricity into alternating current (AC) electricity and are used in renewable energy systems, data centers and household appliances, could have sweeping ramifications.” (07/29/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2026-07-29/us-bans-foreign-made-humanoid-robots-targeting-china-over-national-security
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15) Kenya: Mysterious deaths of elephants prompt urgent inquiry
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“An urgent investigation has been launched into the mysterious deaths of 15 elephants in southern Kenya near the Amboseli National Park. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) told the BBC that experts were examining the carcasses and said that tissue samples had been sent to laboratories to determine whether the deaths were caused by disease, poisoning or another factor. The park and its surrounds are known as the Amboseli ecosystem, a vast area that straddles the border with Tanzania, which is famous for its wildlife. Officials say this is the first time in decades that elephant mortalities on this scale have been recorded in the region where they have successfully cracked down on poaching.” (07/29/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3w0d7yeqlxo
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16) Apple passes $5 trillion valuation mark
Source: United Press International
“On Tuesday, Apple became the second company to pass the $5 trillion valuation mark, one day after it passed Nvidia to become the world’s most valuable publicly traded company. While Apple held the $5 trillion mark for a brief time, that still leaves it in rare territory. Nvidia was the first company to hit the $5 trillion valuation mark, which it did in October. Companies calculate this valuation by multiplying a company’s share price by its outstanding shares. Apple shares have climbed 25% this year, outpacing many other tech companies, CNBC reported. The stock hit a high of $342.89 Tuesday before falling slightly.” (07/28/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/07/28/apple-hits-5tn-valuation/9991785272330/
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17) GA: Battle to replace late House Democrat goes to overtime after daughter failed to clinch seat
Source: Fox News
“Two Democratic candidates locked in a race to fill the seat left by the late Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., advanced to a runoff election on Tuesday evening after failing to capture 51% of the vote. The winner of the election will add another Democratic seat in a narrowly divided House of Representatives where Republicans hold 218 seats and Democrats control 212. Adding even one more Democratic member puts increased pressure on Republicans to remain united on party-line legislation. Marcye Scott, the daughter of the late David Scott, and Everton Blair, chair of the Gwinnett County School Board, will face off against each other in a runoff to represent the Peach State’s 13th Congressional District on Aug. 25. A third candidate, Caesar Gonzales, a Republican, did not advance, receiving only 8.7% of the vote.” (07/29/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/battle-replace-late-house-dem-overtime-after-daughter-failed-clinch-seat
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18) Algeria: Khalida Boufedeche elected as first woman parliamentary speaker
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Algeria’s parliament elected its first-ever woman speaker on Tuesday evening, making Khalida Boufedeche the fourth-highest-ranking official in the country. Boufedeche, an allergist by training who represents the capital Algiers, is a member of the National Liberation Front (FLN), the historic party of Algerian independence and allied with the current government. The FLN was the biggest winner in parliamentary elections earlier this month, securing 91 of the body’s 407 seats.” (07/29/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20260729-khalida-boufedeche-elected-as-algeria-first-woman-parliamentary-speaker
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19) Death toll rises to 18 as rescuers comb through quake rubble in southwestern Japan
Source: SFGate
“Soldiers and emergency workers combed through a badly damaged shopping mall and collapsed houses looking for trapped survivors Wednesday after a powerful earthquake that killed at least 18 people in southwestern Japan. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake that hit a day earlier in the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu, also left at least 62 people injured, six of them seriously, the prefectural government said. The tally has been steadily growing, fanning fears it may continue to rise.” (07/29/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/death-toll-rises-to-13-as-rescuers-search-for-the-22364581.php
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20) NJ: Sherill refuses DOJ demand for data on noncitizen voters, citing privacy laws
Source: Politico
“New Jersey will not cooperate with a federal demand for data on the approximately 6,600 noncitizens accidentally added to the state’s voter rolls in 2023 and 2024, Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration announced on Tuesday. … The decision escalates what has become a nationally watched dispute between Sherrill and the Trump administration, one that has exacerbated long-fraught debates over voter fraud and election integrity. [Assistant Attorney General Harmeet] Dhillon said the Department of Justice will continue to pursue the voter records ‘through all legal means,’ though it’s not immediately clear what that might entail.” (07/28/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/28/sherrill-doj-demand-data-noncitizen-voters-privacy-01013856
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) When Science Becomes a State Religion
Source: Mindset Shifts
by Barry Brownstein
“[US Senator Rand] Paul has exposed a side of Dr. Fauci that his admirers prefer not to see: the narcissism of a public official who became accustomed to applause, deference, and celebrity treatment. … Yes, Dr. Fauci has the emotional IQ of an eight-year-old, which would be only his problem if he didn’t use the coercive power of government to harm millions of Americans as well as destroy countless businesses. That is the personal vanity side of the story. The deeper problem is institutional: once government officials are treated as arbiters of scientific truth, dissent becomes a political offense rather than a normal part of inquiry. The issue was never only Fauci; it was the state power that allowed one official consensus to become compulsory.” (07/29/26)
https://mindsetshifts.substack.com/p/when-science-becomes-a-state-religion
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22) Good rule of thumb: Mind your business
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“People who believe they have a right to not see or hear something they don’t like are one of the biggest roadblocks to liberty. They imagine they have a right to not be offended. This nonexistent right is more important to them than letting others use their own property as they wish. Offense is subjective. What offends you doesn’t offend others. Something about you offends someone. It sets a dangerous precedent to attack others based on what offends you. Being offended is a personal character problem, not a condition that creates a right to control someone else.” (07/29/26)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2026/07/29/voices/opinion-good-rule-of-thumb-mind-your-business/233907.html
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23) The US Immigration System Is Not Broken
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“I recently received an email from the ACLU stating that America’s immigration-control system is ‘fundamentally broken’ and needs a ‘total overhaul.’ … the ACLU has it wrong. The fact is that America’s immigration-control system is not broken. Instead, what most Americans still cannot bring themselves to see, even after 100 years of chaos, is that their beloved immigration-control system is inherently defective.” (07/29/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/07/29/the-u-s-immigration-system-is-not-broken/
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24) Inside the Emerging Microcollege Movement
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Kerry McDonald
“Thoreau College is one of several microcolleges that have opened in recent years, offering intentionally small, immersive programming and expanding the landscape of higher education possibilities. As the higher education sector struggles with declining public confidence, enrollment challenges and institutional closures, microcolleges emerge as a creative, collaborative model for post-secondary education.” (07/29/26)
https://fee.org/articles/inside-the-emerging-microcollege-movement/
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25) “Pink” Prices Aren’t Prejudice
Source: The Daily Economy
by Matthew Blakey
“The idea of a ‘pink tax,’ that women commonly pay more for equivalent goods, has sparked public debate and inspired various policy proposals. This concept gained prominence after the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs released its 2015 report From Cradle to Cane: The Cost of Being a Female Consumer, describing many examples of women’s products costing more than nearly identical men’s products. While the report documented many cases of women paying more than men for similar products, the causes of these differences are more complicated than the notion of a straightforward tax. Understanding how prices emerge in a market economy offers another way to interpret these disparities.” (07/29/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/pink-prices-arent-prejudice/
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26) New York wants to govern Iowa and Missouri — we’re suing to stop it cold
Source: Fox News
“U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously called the states ‘laboratories of democracy.’ In those laboratories, Iowans shape Iowa’s laws, Missourians make Missouri’s laws, and New Yorkers establish New York’s laws. That is a core tenet of federalism — a structural part of our nation’s Constitution that allows for great variation and competition between the states. What a state can’t do, however, is lay claim to the entire country as its laboratory. That’s exactly what New York is trying to do. Its new greenhouse gas reporting rule requires ‘fuel suppliers’ throughout the nation to register with New York and report information related to greenhouse gas emissions. But the rule doesn’t just concern companies doing business in the Empire State. New York has made clear that its new regulation applies to any ethanol and biodiesel producers whose product may, after being blended or sold by others, eventually end up in New York.” (07/29/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/new-york-wants-govern-iowa-missouri-suing-stop-cold
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27) A tax system that fines the behaviour that growth requires
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Madsen Pirie
“If the planning system is an inherited failure of land, the tax code contains an equally striking inherited failure of transactions, taxes that were reasonable revenue-raising devices in their moment and have become, in their present form, penalties on the specific behaviours a mobile, productive economy most needs. Stamp Duty Land Tax is the clearest case. It is a tax levied at the point of moving house, which means it is a tax on exactly the behaviour that lets people move to where the jobs are, that lets an ageing couple downsize and free up family-sized housing for the families who need it, that lets a growing firm’s employees relocate without a punitive toll standing between them and the move.” (07/29/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/a-tax-system-that-fines-the-behaviour-that-growth-requires
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28) Churchill and Trump: The Lions in Winter
Source: The Realist Review
by Martin Sieff
“Winston Churchill is still revered in Britain and by old-generation American conservatives and Make America Great Again (MAGA) patriots alike, as the epitome of an all-wise, brilliantly successful Warlord. The truth was the precise opposite, as the great Anglo-American biographer and historian Nigel Hamilton documents in his classic trilogy of books on President Franklin Roosevelt’s wartime leadership …. as the war drew to a close, Churchill was indeed a Lion in Winter. He was an old fool – and recognized as such by both FDR and Josef Stalin at the fateful Tehran Conference of October 1943. … Now the United States is similarly blessed with its own Lion in Winter.” (07/29/26)
https://therealistreview.substack.com/p/churchill-and-trump-the-lions-in
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29) What Pope Leo Can Teach Liberals About Power
Source: The Nation
by Felipe de la Hoz
“As he ascended the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica for his public introduction, the Chicago-born pope was already caught between constituencies that wanted to build on Francis’s transformations and those intent on turning back the clock. Archconservative elements of the church eager to take back the reins after a decade-plus of Francis were initially mollified by Leo’s ‘traditional’ presentation. Less of a public firebrand than his mentor, he cut a diplomatic figure that a friend memorably called ‘a dignified middle of the road.’ But the most hard-line traditionalists proved impossible to satisfy. The fringe, ultraconservative Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), long a thorn in the Vatican’s side, forced a showdown earlier this month. Dignified, middle-of-the-road Leo responded by unilaterally excommunicating not only the leaders but potentially adherents of the order.” (07/29/26)
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/society-sspx-excommunication-schism-leo-catholic/
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30) They Geofenced the Pews
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Thomas Karat
“In late September 2025, a San Diego firm called Show Faith by Works, LLC registered with the Justice Department as a foreign agent of the State of Israel. The filing it submitted under the Foreign Agents Registration Act laid out, in its own promotional language, the largest Christian Church Geofencing Campaign in U.S. history: a plan to draw digital perimeters around every major church in California, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado during worship hours, and around Christian colleges on weekdays, then to track attendees and hit their phones with ads. The contract ran to roughly $3.2 million, with a ceiling reported as high as $4.1 million. … The deepest libertarian objection here is not about Israel. It is about the individual conscience, and what it means to operate on it from the outside without its owner’s awareness.” (07/29/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/they-geofenced-the-pews
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31) The Dangerous Precedent Behind the Shiloh Hendrix Verdict
Source: The American Spectator
by Scott McKay
“Nobody wants to be stuck defending white people who use the N-word at black people. Since the 1970s, if not further back than that, to do so indicates poor breeding, poor manners, and poor character. We should all know better. And in Rochester, Minnesota, last year, a woman named Shiloh Hendrix committed exactly that social transgression. … after a trial which — to be charitable — could have been better-run, Shiloh Hendrix was convicted on a misdemeanor count of disturbing the peace for having dropped an N-bomb on someone who was filming her. And now we’ve got people talking about Shiloh Hendrix and having a debate over the use of the N-word and just how unacceptable it is. Do we need this debate? Maybe a little more than we thought.” (07/28/26)
https://spectator.org/scott-mckay-dangerous-precedent-behind-the-shiloh-hendrix-verdict/
----
32) Democracy and the Founders’ Constitution
Source: Law & Liberty
by Tal Fortgang
“As someone who has long profited from and appreciated Roger Pilon’s work, I must admit that I am gratified to see him reckon with my work—however critically—in his recent essay, ‘On the Importance of First Principles.’ I think the root of our disagreement is not that Pilon has first principles and I do not, needless to say, but that we order our principles differently. More precisely, we see principles ordered differently in our Constitution and the system of ordered liberty it instantiates. Pilon is a libertarian, and he thinks our Constitution is, too. … My view is that our constitutional order rests upon the default assumption that at the state level majorities can rule—indeed must rule—limited only by a partly undefined set of rights.” (07/29/26)
https://lawliberty.org/democracy-and-the-founders-constitution/
----
33) How To Be An Empire Propagandist
Source: Caitlin Johnstone
by Caitlin Johnstone
“If you want to help the western empire administer war propaganda, one of the best ways to do this is to pretend the violence of empire-targeted governments happens in a vacuum, completely divorced from western imperial agendas.” (07/29/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/07/29/how-to-be-an-empire-propagandist/
----
34) Anthony Fauci’s Private Diary and Emails Show He Knew Lockdowns Failed
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Ian Miller
“Sometimes you learn that people are exactly who you think they are. And that may never apply more accurately and comprehensively than it does with Anthony Fauci. Fauci was portrayed, starting in early 2020, as an objective, brilliant, virtually infallible God-like figure. … That’s not an exaggeration; there were Christmas tree ornaments made depicting Fauci as a Pope, there were shrines put up in people’s houses, he was on the cover of various magazines, and he was given a parade of endless, relentlessly glowing media appearances from his fawning, adoring fans. Fans like CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. For most critics it was clear almost immediately that these portrayals and friendly media appearances depicted the exact opposite of reality.” (07/29/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/anthony-faucis-private-diary-and-emails-show-he-knew-lockdowns-failed/
----
35) Trump Keeps Pushing Legally Dubious Tariffs
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum
“When you start with a predetermined policy and then go looking for a legal pretext to justify it, you are building on shaky ground. President Donald Trump illustrated that point once again last week, when he announced a third round of broad tariffs after his first two attempts were rejected by federal courts.” (07/29/26)
https://reason.com/2026/07/29/trump-keeps-pushing-legally-dubious-tariffs/
----
36) Marco Rubio’s “Democratic Hemisphere” vs. the National Security Strategy
Source: The American Conservative
by Joseph Addington
“Earlier this month, Daniel Ortega, the dictator of Nicaragua, announced that his country would no longer hold elections. In response, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement condemning Ortega and declaring that Nicaragua ‘cannot expect to maintain business as usual with other nations when it is thwarting the basic tenets of our democratic hemisphere.’ There is no doubt that Nicaragua has suffered under the rule of Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo, who have run the country as their personal fiefdom for nearly two decades. But Rubio’s rhetoric on Latin America increasingly resembles the neoconservatism President Trump was ostensibly elected to displace.” (07/29/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/marco-rubios-democratic-hemisphere-vs-the-national-security-strategy/
-----
37) Anthony Fauci’s own diary proves what a despicable villain he truly is
Source: New York Post
by the Editorial Board
“As COVID cases and deaths began to soar in the spring of 2020, America desperately needed a trustworthy public-health leader. Instead, we got Dr. Anthony Fauci — and now his diary entries from that time are showing just how incredibly unworthy of the nation’s trust he truly was. Time and again, his private notes contradict what he was telling the world at the very same time, and the stories he’s spun up since to protect his unearned reputation.” (07/28/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/07/28/opinion/anthony-faucis-own-diary-proves-what-a-despicable-villain-he-truly-is/
----
38) Fauci Faces Perjury Risk at Senate Homeland Security Hearing
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey
“Senator Paul released the Fauci diaries this week. I read the journals, and they reveal an official focused on celebrity and media praise. Fauci wrote during the 2020 lockdowns about interacting with Hollywood actors like Sean Penn and Julia Roberts. He called himself the most credible scientist in the world. He filled pages with insults aimed at Donald Trump, calling the former president an idiot and totally nuts. I expect public servants to focus on public outcomes. Fauci focused on his television appearances and fame while individual freedoms were sacrificed and small businesses collapsed. … I view this upcoming testimony as a lesson in a core libertarian truth. Harry Browne often warned that government power always grows beyond its intended limits and destroys personal freedom.” (07/29/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/fauci-faces-perjury-risk-at-senate
----
39) Ukraine’s “turned tide” doesn’t comport “with basic military reality”
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Stavroula Pabst
“Encouraged by Ukraine’s sustained advances in drone warfare, Western media is abuzz with the idea that Kyiv just might be able to defeat Russia after more than four years of bitter fighting. … But this isn’t the first time the press has played up Ukraine’s military capabilities, despite repeated setbacks on the battlefield. As experts warn RS, such coverage reinforces the idea that more military aid can still help Ukraine win back all of its territory, thus downplaying the need for a negotiated solution.” (07/29/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/ukraine-media/
----
40) Back in the USSR: Spending Two Weeks in a Real Socialist Country
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Patrick Barron
“So-called ‘Democratic Socialists’ are winning elections in America (New York City and Colorado). I’m sure that no one who either is running on a socialist platform or who voted for a socialist candidate has ever visited a real socialist country. One of the reasons is that there are not that many left. I can think only of Cuba and North Korea.” [editor’s note: Bernie Sanders honeymooned in the Soviet Union, and many American “democratic socialists” have made highly publicized trips to Cuba – TLK] (07/29/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/back-ussr-spending-two-weeks-real-socialist-country
----
41) Punishing Trump: New War on Saudi Refineries by Iran Allies
Source: Informed Comment
by Juan Cole
“he Trump administration’s 13 nights of strikes on Iran, including on bridges and energy infrastructure, have been followed by three nights of calm. The Iranians, however, clearly do not trust Trump to halt his war of aggression on their country for very long, especially with the visit to Washington, D. C. this week of Trump Whisperer, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Even Trump is complaining about Netanyahu’s loud campaign to have Trump bomb specific targets in Iran. To show what they thought about Netanyahu’s warmongering against them, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commanders sent a barrage of missiles against covert US bases in Jordan early on Wednesday local time.” (07/29/26)
https://www.juancole.com/2026/07/punishing-refineries-allies.html
----
42) The Echoing Failure of Acoustic Gunshot Detectors
Source: Independent Institute
by Jonathan Hofer
“Acoustic gunshot detection (AGD) systems are designed to detect and report gunfire to law enforcement. Promoted as a high-tech solution to urban gun violence, AGD has been widely adopted by police departments across the United States, with California a leader in the number of cities that use the technology. To be considered a successful public safety innovation, a technology would be able to demonstrate effectiveness in assisting law enforcement in reducing violence and solving crimes and do so in a cost-efficient manner. However, AGD does not meet these criteria and constitutes a costly failure that undermines effective policing.” (07/29/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/07/29/the-echoing-failure-of-acoustic-gunshot-detectors/
----
43) Is It Just About AIPAC’s Money, or Does the US-Israel Rot Run Far Deeper?
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ramzy Baroud
“[E]ven as fierce criticism of Israel reaches the very apex of American politics, a profound, schizophrenic rupture divides Washington. While the American public, influential media personalities, and top-tier politicians are openly turning against Israel’s unbridled violence, the traditional power structures continue to toe the line. This is explicitly evident in Congress, where establishment politicians remain busy acting as defense contractors for Tel Aviv. … To believe this subservience is a recent phenomenon is to misunderstand history.” (07/29/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/ramzy-baroud/2026/07/28/is-it-just-about-aipacs-money-or-does-the-us-israel-rot-run-far-deeper/
----
44) Finding common ground on high-capacity transmission: Collaboration, competition, and a path forward
Source: Niskanen Center
by Robin Allen & Zachary Norris
“Dramatically expanding the high-voltage grid is a top priority to address surging demand from data centers, industrial growth, and electrification. In the U.S., most high-voltage projects are decided through transmission planning processes. Particularly in the wake of FERC’s Order 1000, the transmission planning policy discussions have often centered on longstanding disagreements over competition versus incumbent utility control. The debate has intensified with two recent FERC filings — one urging FERC to suspend or scale back market competition; the other to expand it.” [editor’s note: “The grid” should be abandoned (in favor of local/decentralized generation and delivery), not expanded – TLK] (07/28/26)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/finding-common-ground-on-high-capacity-transmission-collaboration-competition-and-a-path-forward/
----
45) The Secretary Trying to Close the Department of Education Did Something It Never Did
Source: Townhall
by Ryan Walters
“For 45 years, the Department of Education has claimed to speak for the nation’s teachers. This month in Dallas, the secretary running it sat in a ballroom full of them and let them speak for themselves. Linda McMahon came to the Teacher Freedom Summit to argue that the best decisions in education are made closest to the child, and that the department she leads should hand its authority back to the states. She made the case, then spent the afternoon in roundtables asking classroom teachers what that shift would mean for their students. The willingness to ask is itself the news. An institution built in teachers’ name spent four decades deciding what teachers needed without much bothering to consult them.” (07/28/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/ryan-walters/2026/07/28/the-secretary-trying-to-close-the-department-of-education-did-something-it-never-did-n2680265
----
46) Is Congress Ready for Reconciliation 3.0?
Source: Exiled Policy
by Jason Pye
“Although the House passed the budget resolution, the Senate hasn’t moved on it. There’s a real possibility that the Senate doesn’t do anything with it. Why? Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) doesn’t have the votes to move H.Con.Res. 113. Instead, Thune, who is in his first term as majority leader, is more interested in moving a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the federal government open. The House passed a CR, H.R. 9770, before the recess. However, the House-passed CR doesn’t include the anomalies requested by the White House, which include $1 billion for procurement of materials to build a new battleship.” (07/28/26)
https://exiledpolicy.substack.com/p/is-congress-ready-for-reconciliation
----
47) NIMBYism’s Slow Cancellation of the Future
Source: Aaron Ross Powell
by Aaron Ross Powell
“In the opening chapter of his book Ghosts of My Life, the Marxist theorist Mark Fisher argues that capitalism has destroyed creativity. That art—and he’s talking mostly about music in the book—has stagnated, that it’s no longer dynamic, but is instead endlessly remixing the past. I’ve always found this passage fascinating, because he’s very much onto something, even if not to quite the degree he imagines, but then he pins the blame in the wrong place. To the extent that we’ve lost the creative spark, in the way Fisher presents it, the culprit really isn’t capitalism. Or neoliberalism. It’s instead, to a rather blameworthy degree, NIMBYism.” (07/29/26)
https://www.aaronrosspowell.com/3mrqtnr7r2c2i
----
48) Billions Mis-Served
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“For decades, cameras have been installed on American roads to snap pics of speeding (or not-speeding) vehicles so that fines can be mailed to the guilty (or innocent) motorists. These cameras are supposedly about ticketing for speeding. But they have also often been used as a means of revenue extraction. Now there’s a new angle. Super-smart, super-dumb artificial intelligence is being merged with street cameras.” (07/28/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/07/28/billions-mis-served/
----
49) Yes, Trump Will Attempt a Coup
Source: The American Prospect
by Robert Kuttner
“On January 6, 2021, Trump attempted to stage a coup and he will surely try again. Last time, only the integrity of a handful of Republican officials spared the Republic that fate. Georgia’s secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, rebuffed Trump’s demand to find exactly 11,780 votes, and Vice President Mike Pence refused to go along with Trump’s scheme, laid out in detail by John Eastman, to refuse to certify the results. This time, Trump is relying on four possible strategies to steal the election. The survival of our democracy depends on whether each of them can be foiled, and how.” (07/28/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/07/28/trump-attempt-coup-january-6-election-republican-congress/
----
50) A Free Society is an Educated Society
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
by Ron Paul
“Students who are not taught the history of America’s founding, including the importance of limiting government to a few well-defined functions and separating power among three branches of government and between the federal government and the states, will be less likely to support constitutional government. Similarly young people who are not taught that prosperity comes from free markets, private property, and sound money will be more likely to believe the socialist delusion that the key to prosperity is surrendering our liberty to politicians. The lack of education in basic economics is why many confuse our current economic system with the free market and thus blame capitalism for problems caused by the government.” [editor’s note: It’s also why many confuse free markets with capitalism – TLK] (07/28/26)
http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/a-free-society-is-an-educated-society
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) The Fifth Column, episode 568
Source: The Fifth Column
"The Fifth Gets a Substitute Teacher (w/ Jesse Singal)." (07/29/26)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/the-fifth-gets-a-substitute-teacher
-----
52) Trump Watch, 07/29/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
"The U.S. Is Mired in Statism." (07/29/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFZL_ih6x20
-----
53) The Mark Edge Show, 07/29/26
Source: Free Talk Live
"Bitcoin, Censorship Resistance, Self Custody and Finding Freedom in New Hampshire with Light." (07/29/26)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/meslight
-----
54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 07/29/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
"Fauci Flounders Under Final Sen. Paul Grilling." (07/29/26)
http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/fauci-flounders-under-final-sen-paul-grilling
-----
55) The Good Fight, 07/29/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Katja Hoyer on Why We Should Stop Comparing Everything to Weimar.” (07/29/26)
https://writing.yaschamounk.com/p/katja-hoyer-2
----
56) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 07/29/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Coercion and Attrition | Interview: Ken Pollack.” (07/29/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/coercion-and-attrition-interview-ken-pollack/
----
57) Why AI Could Trigger Mass UK Job Cuts
Source: Cobden Centre
“Interview with City AM on The Artificial Intelligence Revolution.” (07/29/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/07/interview-with-city-am-on-the-artificial-intelligence-revolution/
----
58) The Coverup: Prosecuting Fauci’s Crimes with Senator Rand Paul & Matt Kibbe
Source: Free the People
“At FreedomFest 2026, Senator Rand Paul joined Matt Kibbe to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on the lab leak theory, government coverups, gain-of-function research, and the role of Anthony Fauci and other officials.” (07/28/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XUA34310HY
----
59) NonZero, 07/28/26
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“Are the Ukraine and the Iran Wars Merging? | Robert Wright & Nikita Petrov.” (07/28/26)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/69614
----
60) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 07/28/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Iran Targets US Base in Jordan After Trump-Netanyahu Meeting, Zelensky Attends Senate Vote, and More.” (07/28/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_s6Kvspf34
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Fauci takes Fifth Amendment, refuses to answer Senate panel questions
2) US regime carries out new strikes on Iran after Trump threatens “a beating”
3) Explosion in Poland after Russian missile attack on western Ukraine
4) Fed votes 9-3 to leave key rate unchanged despited high prices — for now
5) Trump’s pick for US attorney general Todd Blanche in jeopardy as vote postponed
6) Myanmar: Junta courts sentence activists up to 37 years over election boycott protest
7) Uganda: Political prisoner Besigye collapses in the dock during treason trial
8) Yemen: Saudi puppet regime accuses Houthis of planning Red Sea transit fee system under Iranian guidance
9) Four women accuse Leto of sexual offenses when they were teens
10) France: Regime issues expulsion order against Russian TV star Xenia Fedorova
11) CA: Man accused of intentionally running over regime surveillance cameras, caught on regime surveillance cameras
12) OpenAI says the rogue agent that hacked Hugging Face also breached other services
13) KS: High school teacher dragged out, arrested for clapping at city meeting over proposed data center
14) US Regime Bans Foreign-Made Humanoid Robots, Tries to Kill Increased Solar Adoption
15) Kenya: Mysterious deaths of elephants prompt urgent inquiry
16) Apple passes $5 trillion valuation mark
17) GA: Battle to replace late House Democrat goes to overtime after daughter failed to clinch seat
18) Algeria: Khalida Boufedeche elected as first woman parliamentary speaker
19) Death toll rises to 18 as rescuers comb through quake rubble in southwestern Japan
20) NJ: Sherill refuses DOJ demand for data on noncitizen voters, citing privacy laws
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) When Science Becomes a State Religion
22) Good rule of thumb: Mind your business
23) The US Immigration System Is Not Broken
24) Inside the Emerging Microcollege Movement
25) “Pink” Prices Aren’t Prejudice
26) New York wants to govern Iowa and Missouri — we’re suing to stop it cold
27) A tax system that fines the behaviour that growth requires
28) Churchill and Trump: The Lions in Winter
29) What Pope Leo Can Teach Liberals About Power
30) They Geofenced the Pews
31) The Dangerous Precedent Behind the Shiloh Hendrix Verdict
32) Democracy and the Founders’ Constitution
33) How To Be An Empire Propagandist
34) Anthony Fauci’s Private Diary and Emails Show He Knew Lockdowns Failed
35) Trump Keeps Pushing Legally Dubious Tariffs
36) Marco Rubio’s “Democratic Hemisphere” vs. the National Security Strategy
37) Anthony Fauci’s own diary proves what a despicable villain he truly is
38) Fauci Faces Perjury Risk at Senate Homeland Security Hearing
39) Ukraine’s “turned tide” doesn’t comport “with basic military reality”
40) Back in the USSR: Spending Two Weeks in a Real Socialist Country
41) Punishing Trump: New War on Saudi Refineries by Iran Allies
42) The Echoing Failure of Acoustic Gunshot Detectors
43) Is It Just About AIPAC’s Money, or Does the US-Israel Rot Run Far Deeper?
44) Finding common ground on high-capacity transmission: Collaboration, competition, and a path forward
45) The Secretary Trying to Close the Department of Education Did Something It Never Did
46) Is Congress Ready for Reconciliation 3.0?
47) NIMBYism’s Slow Cancellation of the Future
48) Billions Mis-Served
49) Yes, Trump Will Attempt a Coup
50) A Free Society is an Educated Society
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) The Fifth Column, episode 568
52) Trump Watch, 07/29/26
53) The Mark Edge Show, 07/29/26
54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 07/29/26
55) The Good Fight, 07/29/26
56) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 07/29/26
57) Why AI Could Trigger Mass UK Job Cuts
58) The Coverup: Prosecuting Fauci’s Crimes with Senator Rand Paul & Matt Kibbe
59) NonZero, 07/28/26
60) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 07/28/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Fauci takes Fifth Amendment, refuses to answer Senate panel questions
Source: Axios
“Dr. Anthony Fauci, who led the nation’s infectious disease efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, invoked the Fifth Amendment on Wednesday and declined to answer questions from a Senate committee investigating the origins of the coronavirus. Fauci said Homeland Security Chair Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was trying to get him to say something that could put him in legal jeopardy. Former President Biden preemptively pardoned Fauci before leaving office, but Fauci argues he could be in trouble if he makes any statements that could open new lines of investigation for the committee. … Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) told Fauci he wasn’t surprised the former top infectious disease expert was taking the Fifth: ‘I think it would be almost impossible for you to answer the questions truthfully without really demonstrating what you did.'” (07/29/26)
https://www.axios.com/2026/07/29/anthony-fauci-fifth-amendment-covid-hearing-paul
----
2) US regime carries out new strikes on Iran after Trump threatens “a beating”
Source: Yahoo! News
“The U.S. carried out strikes on Iran Thursday morning, hours after President Trump told reporters the U.S. would ‘be hitting them very hard’ in response to new attacks by Iran targeting U.S. forces in the Mideast. Hours later, Jordan shot down five missiles launched from Iran, Jordan’s state-run news agency said.At least 20 people were killed in joint U.S.-Saudi strikes on Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, an umbrella paramilitary group known as the Popular Mobilization Forces said Wednesday. Central Command said U.S. and Saudi forces conducted strikes late Tuesday on Iranian proxies in Iraq, the first confirmed attacks by a Gulf state during the war.” (07/30/26)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/war-expands-joint-u-saudi-094845170.html
----
3) Explosion in Poland after Russian missile attack on western Ukraine
Source: AOL
“An explosion in Poland left a 10m-wide crater after Russia launched an overnight missile attack on Ukraine. Polish armed forces are investigating a possible missile incursion after fighter jets were scrambled and sirens sounded in the eastern border city of Lublin in response to the Russian attack. Russian missiles hit the Ukrainian city of Lviv overnight, near the Polish border, in a huge overnight bombardment of 74 missiles and 284 drones spanning east to west Ukraine. The operational command of the Polish armed forces said on Thursday morning that at least 12 missiles had been observed over western Ukraine, but they had not identified what had crashed into its territory.” (07/30/26)
https://www.aol.com/articles/explosion-poland-russian-missile-attack-063141000.html
----
4) Fed votes 9-3 to leave key rate unchanged despited high prices — for now
Source: Associated Press
“The Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday despite persistently high inflation and a spike in energy prices caused by the Iran war. The Fed’s rate-setting committee reached the 9-3 decision after two days of deliberations, marking the fifth straight meeting at which the benchmark rate was kept at around 3.6%. Dissenting in favor of a quarter-point interest rate hike were Beth Hammack, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland; Neel Kashkari, president of the Minneapolis Fed; and Lorie Logan, president of the Dallas Fed. Inflation has been stuck above the central bank’s 2% target for more than five years.” (07/29/26)
https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-inflation-interest-rates-iran-war-ad10c177cb8d96f9e3ed122e12352a74
----
5) Trump’s pick for US attorney general Todd Blanche in jeopardy as vote postponed
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Todd Blanche’s hopes of becoming US attorney general seemed to be in jeopardy on Wednesday after the Department of Justice did not provide written assurances to a key Republican senator that a $1.8bn slush fund was dead. The US Senate judiciary committee postponed a vote scheduled for Thursday on whether to advance Blanche’s nomination. … Blanche, Trump’s former personal lawyer, is already serving as acting US attorney general. He needs the vote of every Republican on the Senate judiciary panel to advance his nomination to land the role on a permanent basis. … But a swing vote on the committee, John Cornyn of Texas, told reporters on Wednesday he would not support Blanche’s nomination until he received written confirmation that the fund was not moving ahead.” (07/29/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/29/todd-blanche-nomination
-----
6) Myanmar: Junta courts sentence activists up to 37 years over election boycott protest
Source: ABC News
“Courts in Myanmar have sentenced nine activists to up to 37 years in prison for involvement in a protest calling for a boycott of the elections last December, an activist group said Wednesday. May Hnin, a spokesperson for the Anti-Junta Forces Coordination Committee-Mandalay, said eight members including prominent activist Htet Myat Aung were sentenced to 37 years on Tuesday by two courts in Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, after being convicted under the electoral law and counterterrorism Law. A ninth activist was sentenced to 27 years after being convicted under the counterterrorism law, she said. Htet Myat Aung and the others were arrested days after staging a flash protest in downtown Mandalay on Dec. 3 calling on the public to reject the elections, abolish the military conscription law and release political prisoners detained after the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021.” (07/29/26)
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/myanmar-courts-sentence-activists-37-years-election-boycott-135195224
----
7) Uganda: Political prisoner Besigye collapses in the dock during treason trial
Source: Seattle Times
“Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye appeared to collapse in court on Wednesday during a trial in which he is facing treason charges. Besigye, 69, who has been detained without bail for several months, shouted the word ‘stop’ many times before he fell backward in the dock. The court proceedings were postponed as prison guards moved to attend to the high-profile defendant. Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate, has been repeatedly denied bail. His main attorney, Erias Lukwago, has also been arrested and charged with alleged failure to report acts of treason. In recent days, prosecutors have moved to present evidence they say will prove Besigye and others plotted to overthrow the government of President Yoweri Museveni.” (07/29/26)
https://archive.is/BeZzY
----
8) Yemen: Saudi puppet regime accuses Houthis of planning Red Sea transit fee system under Iranian guidance
Source: mint [India]
“Yemen’s government has accused the Iran-backed Houthi rebels [sic] of working with Tehran to establish a system for charging fees to commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, describing the alleged plan as a major threat to global shipping and energy markets. Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said on Wednesday (July 29) that recently obtained intelligence indicated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was helping the Houthis create a technical and administrative framework to collect payments from shipping companies using one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors. … Reuters reported that senior Houthi officials travelled to Iran in July to attend the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, where Iranian officials discussed the possibility of introducing transit charges for ships passing through the Bab el-Mandeb.” (07/29/26)
https://www.livemint.com/news/world/yemen-government-accuses-houthis-of-planning-red-sea-transit-fee-system-under-iranian-guidance-11785328543296.html
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9) Four women accuse Leto of sexual offenses when they were teens
Source: CBS News
“Four women speaking to CBS News’ partner network the BBC have accused actor and band frontman Jared Leto of criminal sexual conduct when they were teenagers. One woman said the Oscar-winning actor and ‘Thirty Seconds to Mars’ band frontman sexually assaulted her in a motel when she was 17, while another told the BBC said she had sex with Leto in California when she was the same age — which would qualify as statutory rape. A third woman told the BBC that Leto threatened her with sexual assault when she was 19 while she was alone with him in a hotel room. Another alleges the star groomed her as a teenager, on one occasion suggesting they should have sex. … Leto has been plagued by allegations of sexual misconduct for years, but has denied all wrongdoing. No criminal charges have ever been filed against him.” (07/29/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jared-leto-women-accuse-us-actor-sexual-offenses-bbc-documentary/
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10) France: Regime issues expulsion order against Russian TV star Xenia Fedorova
Source: Politico
“French authorities have moved to expel from the country Xenia Fedorova, a Russian media star who has courted controversy for her pro-Kremlin narrative. Fedorova, the former head of the Kremlin-backed RT France news outlet, was handed an expulsion order by the Paris Prefecture of Police, which handles immigration matters for foreigners living in the French capital, according to a report by French newspaper Libération published Wednesday that was confirmed by POLITICO. ‘By spreading her narratives, [Xenia Fedorova] acts as a conduit for disinformation campaigns led by Russian authorities,’ with the aim of ‘destabilizing public order’ in France, reads the document, seen by Libération. It also accuses Fedorova of ‘contribut[ing] to the spread of disinformation and destabilization’ in order to manipulate public opinion.” (07/29/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/france-issues-expulsion-order-pro-kremlin-xenia-fedorova
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11) CA: Man accused of intentionally running over regime surveillance cameras, caught on regime surveillance cameras
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
“A California man accused of deliberately damaging automated license plate readers was identified with the help of other surveillance cameras near the devices, authorities said Tuesday. Marcus Bee, 40, of Pismo Beach, was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism after investigators linked him to damage involving at least three Flock Safety cameras in Monterey County, the county sheriff’s office said.” (07/28/26)
https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/flock-camera-vandalism-arrest-22364531.php
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12) OpenAI says the rogue agent that hacked Hugging Face also breached other services
Source: Engadget
“OpenAI has updated its blog post about the rogue agent that breached Hugging Face and admitted that it also infiltrated other other third-party accounts and services to achieve its goal. In the updated post, the company said it has been finding ‘a small number of cases where the models identified and used publicly exposed credentials at the account-level on other publicly-available services’ during its ongoing review. So far, it has determined that the rogue agent used the credentials of ‘four accounts’ to infiltrate ‘four services’ as part of the Hugging Face incident. It also said that it accessed a ‘few accounts’ as part of other evaluations.” (07/29/26)
https://www.engadget.com/2225812/openai-rogue-agent-hacked-hugging-face-breached-other-services/
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13) KS: High school teacher dragged out, arrested for clapping at city meeting over proposed data center
Source: New York Post
“A Kansas high school teacher was arrested and dragged out of a contentious city zoning meeting for continuously clapping in opposition to a proposed data center. Lux Claridge was yanked out of a chair by three police officers and carried out of the Emporia City Commission meeting on July 22 for seemingly disobeying the mayor’s orders regarding clapping against the controversial Flint Hills Digital Campus data center proposed in Emporia, Kansas, the Emporia Police said. … Several oppositionists gave comments and testimonials against the 1,000-acre, gigawatt-scale project that garnered rounds of applause, which provoked one board official to call for order against the clapping that was ‘rude and disruptive.'” (07/29/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/07/29/us-news/kansas-high-school-teacher-lux-claridge-dragged-out-arrested-for-clapping-at-city-meeting-over-proposed-data-center/
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14) US Regime Bans Foreign-Made Humanoid Robots, Tries to Kill Increased Solar Adoption
Source: US News & World Report
“The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is banning imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots and power inverters, citing national security risks, in a move that targets China. The measures are likely to test relations with Beijing ahead of a planned U.S. visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in September. China dominates the global market for humanoid robots with an estimated market share of roughly 85%. The FCC’s ban also includes new imports of quadruped robots – often referred to as four-legged robot dogs. … The ban on power inverters, which are used to convert direct current (DC) electricity into alternating current (AC) electricity and are used in renewable energy systems, data centers and household appliances, could have sweeping ramifications.” (07/29/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2026-07-29/us-bans-foreign-made-humanoid-robots-targeting-china-over-national-security
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15) Kenya: Mysterious deaths of elephants prompt urgent inquiry
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“An urgent investigation has been launched into the mysterious deaths of 15 elephants in southern Kenya near the Amboseli National Park. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) told the BBC that experts were examining the carcasses and said that tissue samples had been sent to laboratories to determine whether the deaths were caused by disease, poisoning or another factor. The park and its surrounds are known as the Amboseli ecosystem, a vast area that straddles the border with Tanzania, which is famous for its wildlife. Officials say this is the first time in decades that elephant mortalities on this scale have been recorded in the region where they have successfully cracked down on poaching.” (07/29/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3w0d7yeqlxo
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16) Apple passes $5 trillion valuation mark
Source: United Press International
“On Tuesday, Apple became the second company to pass the $5 trillion valuation mark, one day after it passed Nvidia to become the world’s most valuable publicly traded company. While Apple held the $5 trillion mark for a brief time, that still leaves it in rare territory. Nvidia was the first company to hit the $5 trillion valuation mark, which it did in October. Companies calculate this valuation by multiplying a company’s share price by its outstanding shares. Apple shares have climbed 25% this year, outpacing many other tech companies, CNBC reported. The stock hit a high of $342.89 Tuesday before falling slightly.” (07/28/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/07/28/apple-hits-5tn-valuation/9991785272330/
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17) GA: Battle to replace late House Democrat goes to overtime after daughter failed to clinch seat
Source: Fox News
“Two Democratic candidates locked in a race to fill the seat left by the late Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., advanced to a runoff election on Tuesday evening after failing to capture 51% of the vote. The winner of the election will add another Democratic seat in a narrowly divided House of Representatives where Republicans hold 218 seats and Democrats control 212. Adding even one more Democratic member puts increased pressure on Republicans to remain united on party-line legislation. Marcye Scott, the daughter of the late David Scott, and Everton Blair, chair of the Gwinnett County School Board, will face off against each other in a runoff to represent the Peach State’s 13th Congressional District on Aug. 25. A third candidate, Caesar Gonzales, a Republican, did not advance, receiving only 8.7% of the vote.” (07/29/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/battle-replace-late-house-dem-overtime-after-daughter-failed-clinch-seat
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18) Algeria: Khalida Boufedeche elected as first woman parliamentary speaker
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Algeria’s parliament elected its first-ever woman speaker on Tuesday evening, making Khalida Boufedeche the fourth-highest-ranking official in the country. Boufedeche, an allergist by training who represents the capital Algiers, is a member of the National Liberation Front (FLN), the historic party of Algerian independence and allied with the current government. The FLN was the biggest winner in parliamentary elections earlier this month, securing 91 of the body’s 407 seats.” (07/29/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20260729-khalida-boufedeche-elected-as-algeria-first-woman-parliamentary-speaker
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19) Death toll rises to 18 as rescuers comb through quake rubble in southwestern Japan
Source: SFGate
“Soldiers and emergency workers combed through a badly damaged shopping mall and collapsed houses looking for trapped survivors Wednesday after a powerful earthquake that killed at least 18 people in southwestern Japan. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake that hit a day earlier in the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu, also left at least 62 people injured, six of them seriously, the prefectural government said. The tally has been steadily growing, fanning fears it may continue to rise.” (07/29/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/death-toll-rises-to-13-as-rescuers-search-for-the-22364581.php
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20) NJ: Sherill refuses DOJ demand for data on noncitizen voters, citing privacy laws
Source: Politico
“New Jersey will not cooperate with a federal demand for data on the approximately 6,600 noncitizens accidentally added to the state’s voter rolls in 2023 and 2024, Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration announced on Tuesday. … The decision escalates what has become a nationally watched dispute between Sherrill and the Trump administration, one that has exacerbated long-fraught debates over voter fraud and election integrity. [Assistant Attorney General Harmeet] Dhillon said the Department of Justice will continue to pursue the voter records ‘through all legal means,’ though it’s not immediately clear what that might entail.” (07/28/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/28/sherrill-doj-demand-data-noncitizen-voters-privacy-01013856
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) When Science Becomes a State Religion
Source: Mindset Shifts
by Barry Brownstein
“[US Senator Rand] Paul has exposed a side of Dr. Fauci that his admirers prefer not to see: the narcissism of a public official who became accustomed to applause, deference, and celebrity treatment. … Yes, Dr. Fauci has the emotional IQ of an eight-year-old, which would be only his problem if he didn’t use the coercive power of government to harm millions of Americans as well as destroy countless businesses. That is the personal vanity side of the story. The deeper problem is institutional: once government officials are treated as arbiters of scientific truth, dissent becomes a political offense rather than a normal part of inquiry. The issue was never only Fauci; it was the state power that allowed one official consensus to become compulsory.” (07/29/26)
https://mindsetshifts.substack.com/p/when-science-becomes-a-state-religion
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22) Good rule of thumb: Mind your business
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“People who believe they have a right to not see or hear something they don’t like are one of the biggest roadblocks to liberty. They imagine they have a right to not be offended. This nonexistent right is more important to them than letting others use their own property as they wish. Offense is subjective. What offends you doesn’t offend others. Something about you offends someone. It sets a dangerous precedent to attack others based on what offends you. Being offended is a personal character problem, not a condition that creates a right to control someone else.” (07/29/26)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2026/07/29/voices/opinion-good-rule-of-thumb-mind-your-business/233907.html
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23) The US Immigration System Is Not Broken
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“I recently received an email from the ACLU stating that America’s immigration-control system is ‘fundamentally broken’ and needs a ‘total overhaul.’ … the ACLU has it wrong. The fact is that America’s immigration-control system is not broken. Instead, what most Americans still cannot bring themselves to see, even after 100 years of chaos, is that their beloved immigration-control system is inherently defective.” (07/29/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/07/29/the-u-s-immigration-system-is-not-broken/
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24) Inside the Emerging Microcollege Movement
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Kerry McDonald
“Thoreau College is one of several microcolleges that have opened in recent years, offering intentionally small, immersive programming and expanding the landscape of higher education possibilities. As the higher education sector struggles with declining public confidence, enrollment challenges and institutional closures, microcolleges emerge as a creative, collaborative model for post-secondary education.” (07/29/26)
https://fee.org/articles/inside-the-emerging-microcollege-movement/
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25) “Pink” Prices Aren’t Prejudice
Source: The Daily Economy
by Matthew Blakey
“The idea of a ‘pink tax,’ that women commonly pay more for equivalent goods, has sparked public debate and inspired various policy proposals. This concept gained prominence after the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs released its 2015 report From Cradle to Cane: The Cost of Being a Female Consumer, describing many examples of women’s products costing more than nearly identical men’s products. While the report documented many cases of women paying more than men for similar products, the causes of these differences are more complicated than the notion of a straightforward tax. Understanding how prices emerge in a market economy offers another way to interpret these disparities.” (07/29/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/pink-prices-arent-prejudice/
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26) New York wants to govern Iowa and Missouri — we’re suing to stop it cold
Source: Fox News
“U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously called the states ‘laboratories of democracy.’ In those laboratories, Iowans shape Iowa’s laws, Missourians make Missouri’s laws, and New Yorkers establish New York’s laws. That is a core tenet of federalism — a structural part of our nation’s Constitution that allows for great variation and competition between the states. What a state can’t do, however, is lay claim to the entire country as its laboratory. That’s exactly what New York is trying to do. Its new greenhouse gas reporting rule requires ‘fuel suppliers’ throughout the nation to register with New York and report information related to greenhouse gas emissions. But the rule doesn’t just concern companies doing business in the Empire State. New York has made clear that its new regulation applies to any ethanol and biodiesel producers whose product may, after being blended or sold by others, eventually end up in New York.” (07/29/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/new-york-wants-govern-iowa-missouri-suing-stop-cold
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27) A tax system that fines the behaviour that growth requires
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Madsen Pirie
“If the planning system is an inherited failure of land, the tax code contains an equally striking inherited failure of transactions, taxes that were reasonable revenue-raising devices in their moment and have become, in their present form, penalties on the specific behaviours a mobile, productive economy most needs. Stamp Duty Land Tax is the clearest case. It is a tax levied at the point of moving house, which means it is a tax on exactly the behaviour that lets people move to where the jobs are, that lets an ageing couple downsize and free up family-sized housing for the families who need it, that lets a growing firm’s employees relocate without a punitive toll standing between them and the move.” (07/29/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/a-tax-system-that-fines-the-behaviour-that-growth-requires
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28) Churchill and Trump: The Lions in Winter
Source: The Realist Review
by Martin Sieff
“Winston Churchill is still revered in Britain and by old-generation American conservatives and Make America Great Again (MAGA) patriots alike, as the epitome of an all-wise, brilliantly successful Warlord. The truth was the precise opposite, as the great Anglo-American biographer and historian Nigel Hamilton documents in his classic trilogy of books on President Franklin Roosevelt’s wartime leadership …. as the war drew to a close, Churchill was indeed a Lion in Winter. He was an old fool – and recognized as such by both FDR and Josef Stalin at the fateful Tehran Conference of October 1943. … Now the United States is similarly blessed with its own Lion in Winter.” (07/29/26)
https://therealistreview.substack.com/p/churchill-and-trump-the-lions-in
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29) What Pope Leo Can Teach Liberals About Power
Source: The Nation
by Felipe de la Hoz
“As he ascended the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica for his public introduction, the Chicago-born pope was already caught between constituencies that wanted to build on Francis’s transformations and those intent on turning back the clock. Archconservative elements of the church eager to take back the reins after a decade-plus of Francis were initially mollified by Leo’s ‘traditional’ presentation. Less of a public firebrand than his mentor, he cut a diplomatic figure that a friend memorably called ‘a dignified middle of the road.’ But the most hard-line traditionalists proved impossible to satisfy. The fringe, ultraconservative Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), long a thorn in the Vatican’s side, forced a showdown earlier this month. Dignified, middle-of-the-road Leo responded by unilaterally excommunicating not only the leaders but potentially adherents of the order.” (07/29/26)
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/society-sspx-excommunication-schism-leo-catholic/
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30) They Geofenced the Pews
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Thomas Karat
“In late September 2025, a San Diego firm called Show Faith by Works, LLC registered with the Justice Department as a foreign agent of the State of Israel. The filing it submitted under the Foreign Agents Registration Act laid out, in its own promotional language, the largest Christian Church Geofencing Campaign in U.S. history: a plan to draw digital perimeters around every major church in California, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado during worship hours, and around Christian colleges on weekdays, then to track attendees and hit their phones with ads. The contract ran to roughly $3.2 million, with a ceiling reported as high as $4.1 million. … The deepest libertarian objection here is not about Israel. It is about the individual conscience, and what it means to operate on it from the outside without its owner’s awareness.” (07/29/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/they-geofenced-the-pews
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31) The Dangerous Precedent Behind the Shiloh Hendrix Verdict
Source: The American Spectator
by Scott McKay
“Nobody wants to be stuck defending white people who use the N-word at black people. Since the 1970s, if not further back than that, to do so indicates poor breeding, poor manners, and poor character. We should all know better. And in Rochester, Minnesota, last year, a woman named Shiloh Hendrix committed exactly that social transgression. … after a trial which — to be charitable — could have been better-run, Shiloh Hendrix was convicted on a misdemeanor count of disturbing the peace for having dropped an N-bomb on someone who was filming her. And now we’ve got people talking about Shiloh Hendrix and having a debate over the use of the N-word and just how unacceptable it is. Do we need this debate? Maybe a little more than we thought.” (07/28/26)
https://spectator.org/scott-mckay-dangerous-precedent-behind-the-shiloh-hendrix-verdict/
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32) Democracy and the Founders’ Constitution
Source: Law & Liberty
by Tal Fortgang
“As someone who has long profited from and appreciated Roger Pilon’s work, I must admit that I am gratified to see him reckon with my work—however critically—in his recent essay, ‘On the Importance of First Principles.’ I think the root of our disagreement is not that Pilon has first principles and I do not, needless to say, but that we order our principles differently. More precisely, we see principles ordered differently in our Constitution and the system of ordered liberty it instantiates. Pilon is a libertarian, and he thinks our Constitution is, too. … My view is that our constitutional order rests upon the default assumption that at the state level majorities can rule—indeed must rule—limited only by a partly undefined set of rights.” (07/29/26)
https://lawliberty.org/democracy-and-the-founders-constitution/
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33) How To Be An Empire Propagandist
Source: Caitlin Johnstone
by Caitlin Johnstone
“If you want to help the western empire administer war propaganda, one of the best ways to do this is to pretend the violence of empire-targeted governments happens in a vacuum, completely divorced from western imperial agendas.” (07/29/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/07/29/how-to-be-an-empire-propagandist/
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34) Anthony Fauci’s Private Diary and Emails Show He Knew Lockdowns Failed
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Ian Miller
“Sometimes you learn that people are exactly who you think they are. And that may never apply more accurately and comprehensively than it does with Anthony Fauci. Fauci was portrayed, starting in early 2020, as an objective, brilliant, virtually infallible God-like figure. … That’s not an exaggeration; there were Christmas tree ornaments made depicting Fauci as a Pope, there were shrines put up in people’s houses, he was on the cover of various magazines, and he was given a parade of endless, relentlessly glowing media appearances from his fawning, adoring fans. Fans like CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. For most critics it was clear almost immediately that these portrayals and friendly media appearances depicted the exact opposite of reality.” (07/29/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/anthony-faucis-private-diary-and-emails-show-he-knew-lockdowns-failed/
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35) Trump Keeps Pushing Legally Dubious Tariffs
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum
“When you start with a predetermined policy and then go looking for a legal pretext to justify it, you are building on shaky ground. President Donald Trump illustrated that point once again last week, when he announced a third round of broad tariffs after his first two attempts were rejected by federal courts.” (07/29/26)
https://reason.com/2026/07/29/trump-keeps-pushing-legally-dubious-tariffs/
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36) Marco Rubio’s “Democratic Hemisphere” vs. the National Security Strategy
Source: The American Conservative
by Joseph Addington
“Earlier this month, Daniel Ortega, the dictator of Nicaragua, announced that his country would no longer hold elections. In response, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement condemning Ortega and declaring that Nicaragua ‘cannot expect to maintain business as usual with other nations when it is thwarting the basic tenets of our democratic hemisphere.’ There is no doubt that Nicaragua has suffered under the rule of Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo, who have run the country as their personal fiefdom for nearly two decades. But Rubio’s rhetoric on Latin America increasingly resembles the neoconservatism President Trump was ostensibly elected to displace.” (07/29/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/marco-rubios-democratic-hemisphere-vs-the-national-security-strategy/
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37) Anthony Fauci’s own diary proves what a despicable villain he truly is
Source: New York Post
by the Editorial Board
“As COVID cases and deaths began to soar in the spring of 2020, America desperately needed a trustworthy public-health leader. Instead, we got Dr. Anthony Fauci — and now his diary entries from that time are showing just how incredibly unworthy of the nation’s trust he truly was. Time and again, his private notes contradict what he was telling the world at the very same time, and the stories he’s spun up since to protect his unearned reputation.” (07/28/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/07/28/opinion/anthony-faucis-own-diary-proves-what-a-despicable-villain-he-truly-is/
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38) Fauci Faces Perjury Risk at Senate Homeland Security Hearing
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey
“Senator Paul released the Fauci diaries this week. I read the journals, and they reveal an official focused on celebrity and media praise. Fauci wrote during the 2020 lockdowns about interacting with Hollywood actors like Sean Penn and Julia Roberts. He called himself the most credible scientist in the world. He filled pages with insults aimed at Donald Trump, calling the former president an idiot and totally nuts. I expect public servants to focus on public outcomes. Fauci focused on his television appearances and fame while individual freedoms were sacrificed and small businesses collapsed. … I view this upcoming testimony as a lesson in a core libertarian truth. Harry Browne often warned that government power always grows beyond its intended limits and destroys personal freedom.” (07/29/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/fauci-faces-perjury-risk-at-senate
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39) Ukraine’s “turned tide” doesn’t comport “with basic military reality”
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Stavroula Pabst
“Encouraged by Ukraine’s sustained advances in drone warfare, Western media is abuzz with the idea that Kyiv just might be able to defeat Russia after more than four years of bitter fighting. … But this isn’t the first time the press has played up Ukraine’s military capabilities, despite repeated setbacks on the battlefield. As experts warn RS, such coverage reinforces the idea that more military aid can still help Ukraine win back all of its territory, thus downplaying the need for a negotiated solution.” (07/29/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/ukraine-media/
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40) Back in the USSR: Spending Two Weeks in a Real Socialist Country
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Patrick Barron
“So-called ‘Democratic Socialists’ are winning elections in America (New York City and Colorado). I’m sure that no one who either is running on a socialist platform or who voted for a socialist candidate has ever visited a real socialist country. One of the reasons is that there are not that many left. I can think only of Cuba and North Korea.” [editor’s note: Bernie Sanders honeymooned in the Soviet Union, and many American “democratic socialists” have made highly publicized trips to Cuba – TLK] (07/29/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/back-ussr-spending-two-weeks-real-socialist-country
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41) Punishing Trump: New War on Saudi Refineries by Iran Allies
Source: Informed Comment
by Juan Cole
“he Trump administration’s 13 nights of strikes on Iran, including on bridges and energy infrastructure, have been followed by three nights of calm. The Iranians, however, clearly do not trust Trump to halt his war of aggression on their country for very long, especially with the visit to Washington, D. C. this week of Trump Whisperer, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Even Trump is complaining about Netanyahu’s loud campaign to have Trump bomb specific targets in Iran. To show what they thought about Netanyahu’s warmongering against them, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commanders sent a barrage of missiles against covert US bases in Jordan early on Wednesday local time.” (07/29/26)
https://www.juancole.com/2026/07/punishing-refineries-allies.html
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42) The Echoing Failure of Acoustic Gunshot Detectors
Source: Independent Institute
by Jonathan Hofer
“Acoustic gunshot detection (AGD) systems are designed to detect and report gunfire to law enforcement. Promoted as a high-tech solution to urban gun violence, AGD has been widely adopted by police departments across the United States, with California a leader in the number of cities that use the technology. To be considered a successful public safety innovation, a technology would be able to demonstrate effectiveness in assisting law enforcement in reducing violence and solving crimes and do so in a cost-efficient manner. However, AGD does not meet these criteria and constitutes a costly failure that undermines effective policing.” (07/29/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/07/29/the-echoing-failure-of-acoustic-gunshot-detectors/
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43) Is It Just About AIPAC’s Money, or Does the US-Israel Rot Run Far Deeper?
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ramzy Baroud
“[E]ven as fierce criticism of Israel reaches the very apex of American politics, a profound, schizophrenic rupture divides Washington. While the American public, influential media personalities, and top-tier politicians are openly turning against Israel’s unbridled violence, the traditional power structures continue to toe the line. This is explicitly evident in Congress, where establishment politicians remain busy acting as defense contractors for Tel Aviv. … To believe this subservience is a recent phenomenon is to misunderstand history.” (07/29/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/ramzy-baroud/2026/07/28/is-it-just-about-aipacs-money-or-does-the-us-israel-rot-run-far-deeper/
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44) Finding common ground on high-capacity transmission: Collaboration, competition, and a path forward
Source: Niskanen Center
by Robin Allen & Zachary Norris
“Dramatically expanding the high-voltage grid is a top priority to address surging demand from data centers, industrial growth, and electrification. In the U.S., most high-voltage projects are decided through transmission planning processes. Particularly in the wake of FERC’s Order 1000, the transmission planning policy discussions have often centered on longstanding disagreements over competition versus incumbent utility control. The debate has intensified with two recent FERC filings — one urging FERC to suspend or scale back market competition; the other to expand it.” [editor’s note: “The grid” should be abandoned (in favor of local/decentralized generation and delivery), not expanded – TLK] (07/28/26)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/finding-common-ground-on-high-capacity-transmission-collaboration-competition-and-a-path-forward/
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45) The Secretary Trying to Close the Department of Education Did Something It Never Did
Source: Townhall
by Ryan Walters
“For 45 years, the Department of Education has claimed to speak for the nation’s teachers. This month in Dallas, the secretary running it sat in a ballroom full of them and let them speak for themselves. Linda McMahon came to the Teacher Freedom Summit to argue that the best decisions in education are made closest to the child, and that the department she leads should hand its authority back to the states. She made the case, then spent the afternoon in roundtables asking classroom teachers what that shift would mean for their students. The willingness to ask is itself the news. An institution built in teachers’ name spent four decades deciding what teachers needed without much bothering to consult them.” (07/28/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/ryan-walters/2026/07/28/the-secretary-trying-to-close-the-department-of-education-did-something-it-never-did-n2680265
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46) Is Congress Ready for Reconciliation 3.0?
Source: Exiled Policy
by Jason Pye
“Although the House passed the budget resolution, the Senate hasn’t moved on it. There’s a real possibility that the Senate doesn’t do anything with it. Why? Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) doesn’t have the votes to move H.Con.Res. 113. Instead, Thune, who is in his first term as majority leader, is more interested in moving a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the federal government open. The House passed a CR, H.R. 9770, before the recess. However, the House-passed CR doesn’t include the anomalies requested by the White House, which include $1 billion for procurement of materials to build a new battleship.” (07/28/26)
https://exiledpolicy.substack.com/p/is-congress-ready-for-reconciliation
----
47) NIMBYism’s Slow Cancellation of the Future
Source: Aaron Ross Powell
by Aaron Ross Powell
“In the opening chapter of his book Ghosts of My Life, the Marxist theorist Mark Fisher argues that capitalism has destroyed creativity. That art—and he’s talking mostly about music in the book—has stagnated, that it’s no longer dynamic, but is instead endlessly remixing the past. I’ve always found this passage fascinating, because he’s very much onto something, even if not to quite the degree he imagines, but then he pins the blame in the wrong place. To the extent that we’ve lost the creative spark, in the way Fisher presents it, the culprit really isn’t capitalism. Or neoliberalism. It’s instead, to a rather blameworthy degree, NIMBYism.” (07/29/26)
https://www.aaronrosspowell.com/3mrqtnr7r2c2i
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48) Billions Mis-Served
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“For decades, cameras have been installed on American roads to snap pics of speeding (or not-speeding) vehicles so that fines can be mailed to the guilty (or innocent) motorists. These cameras are supposedly about ticketing for speeding. But they have also often been used as a means of revenue extraction. Now there’s a new angle. Super-smart, super-dumb artificial intelligence is being merged with street cameras.” (07/28/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/07/28/billions-mis-served/
----
49) Yes, Trump Will Attempt a Coup
Source: The American Prospect
by Robert Kuttner
“On January 6, 2021, Trump attempted to stage a coup and he will surely try again. Last time, only the integrity of a handful of Republican officials spared the Republic that fate. Georgia’s secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, rebuffed Trump’s demand to find exactly 11,780 votes, and Vice President Mike Pence refused to go along with Trump’s scheme, laid out in detail by John Eastman, to refuse to certify the results. This time, Trump is relying on four possible strategies to steal the election. The survival of our democracy depends on whether each of them can be foiled, and how.” (07/28/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/07/28/trump-attempt-coup-january-6-election-republican-congress/
----
50) A Free Society is an Educated Society
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
by Ron Paul
“Students who are not taught the history of America’s founding, including the importance of limiting government to a few well-defined functions and separating power among three branches of government and between the federal government and the states, will be less likely to support constitutional government. Similarly young people who are not taught that prosperity comes from free markets, private property, and sound money will be more likely to believe the socialist delusion that the key to prosperity is surrendering our liberty to politicians. The lack of education in basic economics is why many confuse our current economic system with the free market and thus blame capitalism for problems caused by the government.” [editor’s note: It’s also why many confuse free markets with capitalism – TLK] (07/28/26)
http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/a-free-society-is-an-educated-society
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) The Fifth Column, episode 568
Source: The Fifth Column
"The Fifth Gets a Substitute Teacher (w/ Jesse Singal)." (07/29/26)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/the-fifth-gets-a-substitute-teacher
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52) Trump Watch, 07/29/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
"The U.S. Is Mired in Statism." (07/29/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFZL_ih6x20
-----
53) The Mark Edge Show, 07/29/26
Source: Free Talk Live
"Bitcoin, Censorship Resistance, Self Custody and Finding Freedom in New Hampshire with Light." (07/29/26)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/meslight
-----
54) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 07/29/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
"Fauci Flounders Under Final Sen. Paul Grilling." (07/29/26)
http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/fauci-flounders-under-final-sen-paul-grilling
-----
55) The Good Fight, 07/29/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Katja Hoyer on Why We Should Stop Comparing Everything to Weimar.” (07/29/26)
https://writing.yaschamounk.com/p/katja-hoyer-2
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56) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 07/29/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Coercion and Attrition | Interview: Ken Pollack.” (07/29/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/coercion-and-attrition-interview-ken-pollack/
----
57) Why AI Could Trigger Mass UK Job Cuts
Source: Cobden Centre
“Interview with City AM on The Artificial Intelligence Revolution.” (07/29/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/07/interview-with-city-am-on-the-artificial-intelligence-revolution/
----
58) The Coverup: Prosecuting Fauci’s Crimes with Senator Rand Paul & Matt Kibbe
Source: Free the People
“At FreedomFest 2026, Senator Rand Paul joined Matt Kibbe to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on the lab leak theory, government coverups, gain-of-function research, and the role of Anthony Fauci and other officials.” (07/28/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XUA34310HY
----
59) NonZero, 07/28/26
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“Are the Ukraine and the Iran Wars Merging? | Robert Wright & Nikita Petrov.” (07/28/26)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/69614
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60) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 07/28/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Iran Targets US Base in Jordan After Trump-Netanyahu Meeting, Zelensky Attends Senate Vote, and More.” (07/28/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_s6Kvspf34
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