09/16 -- Trump publicly confesses to ordering three more murders at sea; On Political Violence
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Thomas L. Knapp
Sep 16, 2025, 6:20:53 AMSep 16
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 09/16/25
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Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
https://news.rationalreview.com/
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Trump publicly confesses to ordering three more murders at sea
2) Ukraine: Russian attacks kill two, set private homes on fire
3) Appeals court denies Trump bid to remove Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook
4) UN commission on Gaza: Yes, it’s genocide
5) Tensions flare as Chinese and Philippine ships collide near disputed shoal in South China Sea
6) South Sudan: Vice-president charged with murder, crimes against humanity
7) Colombia: Meta was wrong to shut down porn star’s Instagram account, court rules
8) UK: Regime Bans Israelis From London Defence College Over Gaza Escalation
9) US regime announces “framework” deal for not attempting to implement TikTok ban
10) Dog bites man: Idiot pols introduce bill to ban employers from checking applicants’ credit reports
11) UK: Regime drops charges against two men accused of spying for China
12) Nepal: PM appoints three new ministers as interim regime prepares to hold elections
13) NY: After Hochul’s Mamdani Endorsement, Trump Threatens Federal Funding
14) Tesla shares gain as Elon Musk reveals rare $1 billion stock buy in sign of confidence in EV maker
15) South Africa: Trial begins for 3 accused of stealing [sic] $580,000 hidden in couch at president’s farm
16) India: Regime forces kill top Maoist commander who had US$113,000 bounty on his head
17) Bongino: Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin was “taken over” by ideology, as FBI busks about possible wider plot
18) Trump Vows New Fake “National Emergency” in DC Over ICE Gang Dispute
19) CA: Legislators show rare unity in passing cannabis tax cut
20) Germany: Ruling Parties Lose Support in Vote in Merz’s Home State
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) On Political Violence
22) Why Shouldn’t Trump Be Convicted and Impeached for Murder?
23) Our New Age of American Terror
24) The Folks Cheering Charlie Kirk’s Murder Are Awful, But …
25) Markets and Marshals: How the Old West Used Private Enforcement to Deliver Justice
26) I Have a Solution to Crime
27) The Scouring of the American Middle Class
28) No, It Wasn’t Ironic That Second Amendment Advocate Charlie Kirk Was Shot
29) In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, colleges must not burden speaking events
30) Back to 1984? Trump’s Strange Global Power Rankings
31) AI’s Energy Appetite
32) Alleged Free Speech Champions Are Campaigning Against Speech They Don’t Like
33) Celebrities Should Have Been Calling Out The Gaza Holocaust This Entire Time
34) Germany Versus X
35) Lords of the Flies
36) The WTO Exists for Times Like These; Why Not Use It?
37) How Will John Roberts Be Remembered? As a Democracy Destroyer
38) Do we need a treaty on neutrality?
39) The Warmonger Rebrand
40) To Protect Ukraine, Keep It out of NATO
41) What Would a No Kings Budget Look Like?
42) The Marshall Plan for the Mind
43) Quantum Vibe, 09/15/25
44) How the Trump tariffs boomerang to hurt US winemakers
45) When the Preference Cascade Becomes a Flood
46) Why Did Feds Ignore Epstein’s Financial Crime Wave?
47) Corrupt “Democracy” Makes Fascism Inevitable
48) Is the Lack of “Friction” in Our Virtual World Leading to Liberalism’s Decline?
49) “Starbucks Is on the Ropes”
50) Liberal-Anarchism
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 09/15/25
52) Conflicts of Interest, episode 837
53) The Mona Charen Show, 09/15/25
54) Rising, 09/15/25
55) Quillette Narrated, 09/15/25
56) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 09/15/25
57) EconTalk, 09/15/25
58) How to Fix It with John Avlon, 09/14/25
59) Free Talk Live, 09/14/25
60) Jason Jones on The Scott Horton Show
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Trump publicly confesses to ordering three more murders at sea
Source: CNN
“The US military [murdered] three people in another deadly strike on a vessel in international waters around South America allegedly ‘transporting illegal narcotics’ from Venezuela, President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday. ‘This morning, on my Orders, US Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the US,’ Trump said. … The Strike resulted in 3 male terrorists [murdered].’ … Monday’s announcement comes just under two weeks after the US military [murdered] 11 individuals in a strike allegedly tied to the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang.” (09/15/25)
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/15/politics/trump-strike-international-waters
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2) Ukraine: Russian attacks kill two, set private homes on fire
Source: Reuters
“Russian forces launched a large attack early on Tuesday on Ukraine’s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, killing a 41-year-old man, injuring at least 18 people and triggering a number of fires, the regional governor said. Ivan Fedorov said that two children were among the injured. Pictures posted by the governor online showed firefighters battling blazes in private homes and other buildings. In Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine’s emergency services reported a fire covering an area of 350 square metres (4,000 sq ft) in three residential buildings and in a service station. … Other Ukrainian cities in the centre, south, and east of the country also came under attack as Russian troops launched more than 100 drones and about 150 glide bombs overnight, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.” (09/16/25)
https://archive.is/70D6p
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3) Appeals court denies Trump bid to remove Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook
Source: Politico
“A federal appeals court has rejected President Donald Trump’s bid to quickly fire Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook, leaving the president just hours to ask the Supreme Court to oust her before a critical interest-rate setting meeting kicks off Tuesday morning. The 2-1 ruling Monday by a panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is unlikely to be the last word on the matter, given the anticipated Supreme Court action. But it sets up a race against the clock to determine whether Cook, a Biden appointee who Trump tried to fire last month, will participate in the Fed meeting set to begin Tuesday.” (09/15/25)
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/15/appeals-court-denies-trump-bid-to-remove-federal-reserve-board-member-lisa-cook-00565084
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4) UN commission on Gaza: Yes, it’s genocide
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“A United Nations commission of inquiry says Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. A new report says there are reasonable grounds to conclude that four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law have been carried out since the start of the war with Hamas in 2023: killing members of a group, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to destroy the group, and preventing births. It cites statements by Israeli leaders, and the pattern of conduct by Israeli forces, as evidence of genocidal intent. Israel’s foreign ministry said it categorically rejected the report, denouncing it as ‘distorted and false.'” (09/16/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8641wv0n4go
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5) Tensions flare as Chinese and Philippine ships collide near disputed shoal in South China Sea
Source: Associated Press
“China’s coast guard accused a Philippine ship of deliberately ramming one of its vessels on Tuesday near Scarborough Shoal, a disputed territory that both countries claim in the South China Sea. A coast guard statement said more than 10 Philippine government ships coming from various directions entered the waters around the shoal, which is called Huangyan island in Chinese. It said it deployed water cannons against the vessels. The encounter came six days after China announced it was designating part of Scarborough Shoal as a national nature reserve. There was no immediate comment from the Philippines.” (09/16/25)
https://apnews.com/article/philippines-south-china-sea-scarborough-shoal-collision-fc31a170189e4747b8314fb605ca7d0c
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6) South Sudan: Vice-president charged with murder, crimes against humanity
Source: news.com.au
“South Sudan’s Vice-President Riek Machar has been charged with murder, treason and crimes against humanity over an attack by an ethnic militia on a military base that killed more than 250 soldiers, the justice minister said Thursday. A fragile power-sharing agreement between President Salva Kiir and his first vice-president Machar has been unravelling for months in the world’s youngest country. In early March, a militia from Machar’s ethnic Nuer community known as the White Army attacked a military base in Nasir County, Upper Nile State in the northeast of the country. The government says Machar was responsible and has now charged him and 20 others with murder, conspiracy, terrorism, treason, destruction of public property and crimes against humanity. … Kiir had already been moving for months to consolidate power and sideline Machar, who was placed under house arrest a few weeks after the attack, while many of his allies have also been detained.” (09/15/25)
https://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/ssudan-vice-president-charged-with-murder-crimes-against-humanity/news-story/d5b30b3e0f2ab59808187198581186f6
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7) Colombia: Meta was wrong to shut down porn star’s Instagram account, court rules
Source: CBS News
“Colombia’s Constitutional Court on Friday ordered Meta to change its privacy policies after ruling that it trampled the freedom of expression of a porn star by closing her Instagram account. Esperanza Gomez, one of Colombia’s best-known adult content actresses, said she posted photographs of herself in her underwear as part of her job. Gomez, who has over 5 million followers on Instagram, said Meta’s decision to close her account affected her ability to work and said she was given no clear explanation. Meta, which owns Facebook and WhatsApp as well as Instagram, argued that Gomez violated the platform’s rules on nudity. But the court ruled that it acted in an ‘arbitrary’ fashion in closing her account and ‘illegitimately restricted her freedom of expression.'” (09/15/25)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/porn-star-instagram-meta-shut-down-colombia-court-ruling/
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8) UK: Regime Bans Israelis From London Defence College Over Gaza Escalation
Source: US News & World Report
“Britain has banned Israelis from attending a prestigious London defence studies college due to the escalation of the war in Gaza, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said on Monday, prompting an angry response from Israel. While Britain remains a close ally of Israel’s, it has recently tried to pressure its government over the conflict, threatening in July to recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel takes steps to relieve suffering in the enclave. The latest move means from next year Israeli students will be refused entry to the Royal College of Defence Studies, which offers a post-graduate course in international strategic studies to students from Britain and around the world. It follows Israel’s announcement in August of plans to escalate the conflict by moving to take control of Gaza City, where about a million Palestinians have been sheltering, with the aim of eliminating the militant group Hamas.” (09/15/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-09-15/britain-bans-israelis-from-london-defence-college-over-gaza-escalation
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9) US regime announces “framework” deal for not attempting to implement TikTok ban
Source: National Public Radion [US state media]
“U.S. officials say they have reached a ‘framework’ for a deal with China over the fate of the hugely popular short-video platform TikTok, an apparent breakthrough in the multi-year standoff over the ban against the Chinese-owned app. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the news after two days of talks with Chinese officials in Madrid. He added that President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would ‘speak on Friday to complete the deal.’ … the Trump administration has been trying to broker a deal for an American company, or companies, to buy TikTok from ByteDance in order to keep the app from going dark in the United States. But the issue has become wrapped up in sweeping trade talks between Washington and Beijing that include strategically thorny topics like tariffs, fentanyl, microchips and rare earths.” (09/15/25)
https://www.npr.org/2025/09/15/nx-s1-5539868/tiktok-framework-bessent-trump
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10) Dog bites man: Idiot pols introduce bill to ban employers from checking applicants’ credit reports
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“As the US labor market comes under pressure, two senior figures in Washington are pushing to end a practice that prevents large swaths of US workers from obtaining jobs. A bill reintroduced today by Elizabeth Warren, the senator from Massachusetts, and Steve Cohen, the representative from Tennessee, bans employers from using credit checks to vet potential hires. Denying jobs based on a candidate’s financial history ‘makes no sense,’ the prominent Democrats argue. It also disproportionately affects minorities.” [editor’s note: Suppose I run a business that hires financial advisors or people in positions where embezzlement is a problem. Think maybe applicants’ financial histories might be relevant? – TLK] (09/15/25)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/15/elizabeth-warren-credit-reports-employment
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11) UK: Regime drops charges against two men accused of spying for China
Source: SFGate
“British authorities said Monday they were dropping a criminal case against two men who had been accused of spying for China in Britain, including a former researcher who worked in the U.K. Parliament. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said it was ‘extremely disappointing’ that Christopher Cash, 30, and Christopher Berry, 33, would not face trial, but prosecutors said there was not enough evidence to proceed. Both men have denied wrongdoing. The men had been charged in April 2024 with violating the Official Secrets Act by providing information or documents that could be ‘useful to an enemy’ and ‘prejudicial to the safety or interests’ of the U.K. between late 2021 and February 2023. Cash was a parliamentary researcher who led the China Research Group.” (09/15/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/uk-drops-charges-against-2-men-accused-of-spying-21048589.php
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12) Nepal: PM appoints three new ministers as interim regime prepares to hold elections
Source: ABC News
“Nepal’s prime minister on Monday selected three new ministers to join her interim administration, which is tasked with holding fresh elections in March after violent street protests last week led to the collapse of the previous government. Sushila Karki, the Himalayan country’s first female prime minster, appointed Kalman Gurung as energy minister, Rameshore Khanal as finance minister and Om Prakash Aryal as home minister. … Last week’s massive demonstrations — called the protest of Gen Z — ended with at least 72 people killed and hundreds wounded. The army stepped in to impose a curfew and finally agreed to make Karki the head of an interim government that will hold elections in six months.” (09/15/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/nepals-pm-appoints-3-new-ministers-interim-government-125577232
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13) NY: After Hochul’s Mamdani Endorsement, Trump Threatens Federal Funding
Source: Common Dreams
“‘Threatening voters and cities over their elections is what authoritarians do,’ said one progressive organizer Monday after US President Donald Trump did just that—suggesting he would rip federal funding away from New York City, and possibly the state, if democratic socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the November election. The president’s threat came after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, announced her endorsement of Mamdani in an op-ed in The New York Times, after months of pressure from progressives. Trump said Hochul had ‘Endorsed the ‘Liddle Communist’’ and called the governor’s support ‘a rather shocking development. How can such a thing happen? … Washington will be watching this situation very closely. No reason to be sending good money after bad!'” (09/15/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/hochul-mamdani
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14) Tesla shares gain as Elon Musk reveals rare $1 billion stock buy in sign of confidence in EV maker
Source: CNBC
“Tesla shares jumped after CEO Elon Musk disclosed Monday his first purchase of the stock in the open market since February 2020. Musk bought 2.57 million shares at various prices Friday which tallies up to about $1 billion, a significant insider acquisition that traders took as a vote of confidence from the outspoken CEO. Tesla shares were higher by 8% in premarket trading Monday morning. They closed Friday slightly lower for 2025 despite a recent rally, with the stock up more than 25% over the last 3 months.” (09/15/25)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/15/tesla-shares-gain-after-elon-musk-discloses-purchase.html
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15) South Africa: Trial begins for 3 accused of stealing [sic] $580,000 hidden in couch at president’s farm
Source: SFGate
“Three people went on trial in South Africa on Monday after being charged with housebreaking and stealing $580,000 in U.S. banknotes hidden in a couch at a game farm owned by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The strange case mired Ramaphosa in scandal and almost cost him his job after he was accused of tax evasion, money laundering and breaching foreign currency laws. He was also accused of trying to hide the existence of the money because the alleged theft happened in 2020, but was only revealed two years later. The case has been dubbed ‘farmgate’ in South Africa. Ramaphosa, who campaigned on an anti-corruption ticket, was cleared of wrongdoing and survived a vote in Parliament over whether impeachment charges should be brought against him, but he is still under scrutiny over why such a large amount of money was stashed in a piece of furniture.” [editor’s note: Yes, before any trial for “stealing” it they need to explain how it got there, and whose money it really is – SAT] (09/15/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/trial-begins-for-3-accused-of-stealing-580-000-21049492.php
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16) India: Regime forces kill top Maoist commander who had US$113,000 bounty on his head
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“Indian security forces killed a top Maoist commander and two other rebels in a gun battle on Monday, officials said, as the government intensifies efforts to crush the decades-long conflict. India is waging an all-out offensive against the last remaining traces of the Naxalite rebellion, named after the village in the foothills of the Himalayas where the Maoist-inspired guerrilla movement began nearly six decades ago. … Three ‘top Naxal commanders’ were killed in the fight, the CRPF said, including Sahdev Soren, who was part of the central committee of the Maoist organisation. Authorities had issued a bounty of around US$113,000 for his capture.” (09/15/25)
https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3325578/indian-forces-kill-top-maoist-commander-who-had-us113000-bounty-his-head
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17) Bongino: Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin was “taken over” by ideology, as FBI busks about possible wider plot
Source: Fox News
“FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Monday that investigators are probing whether Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin acted alone or as part of a broader plot, while also revealing troubling signs that the suspect had been ‘taken over’ by ideology leading up to the shooting. Bongino told Fox News'[s] ‘America’s Newsroom’ that although one suspect is in custody, the bureau is ‘looking into’ possible accomplices. ‘If this was a larger effort, if there was any aiding and abetting, whether it be financial or someone who knew the specifics of it and failed to report that, we’re looking into that,’ he told Bill Hemmer Monday. ‘There’s not going to be a stone left unturned.’ Investigators are scrutinizing video showing the gunman leaping from a rooftop after the fatal shot.” (09/15/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/us/charlie-kirk-alleged-assassin-taken-over-leftist-ideology-while-fbi-probes-wider-plot-bongino
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18) Trump Vows New Fake “National Emergency” in DC Over ICE Gang Dispute
Source: US News & World Report
“U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he would call a national emergency and federalize Washington, D.C. after Mayor Muriel Bowser said its police would not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. At issue is the provision of information on individuals living in, or entering, the United States illegally [sic]. Trump’s threat adds to a move critics have seen as federal overreach, with more than 2,000 troops patrolling the city. … Trump blamed ‘Radical Left Democrats’ for pressuring Bowser to inform the government about the non-cooperation with ICE, adding that if the police halted cooperation with ICE, ‘Crime would come roaring back.'” (09/15/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2025-09-15/trump-intensifies-crackdown-on-washington-dc-threatens-national-emergency-over-ice-cooperaton
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19) CA: Legislators show rare unity in passing cannabis tax cut
Source: SFGate
“California lawmakers are throwing a lifeline to the troubled legal cannabis industry, approving a cannabis tax cut that the industry says will prevent further business failures. Lawmakers gave final approval to the bill last week, sending the measure to the desk of Newsom, who has previously committed to signing it into law. The measure would drop the state excise tax on cannabis from 19% to 15% on Oct. 1 and maintain that tax rate until June 30, 2028. Amy O’Gorman Jenkins, the executive director for the California Cannabis Operators Association, said in a statement that the organization is ‘deeply grateful’ to the Legislature for passing the law, which she said would strengthen the legal market. ‘This vote saves thousands of jobs and prevents hundreds of small businesses from closing their doors,’ O’Gorman Jenkins said in an email.” [editor’s note: I almost never say this, but this time California leads the way to sanity – SAT] [editor’s note: The implication that a small tax cut is some kind of special favor is sickening, though – TLK] (09/15/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/cannabis/article/california-cannabis-tax-cut-21045488.php
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20) Germany: Ruling Parties Lose Support in Vote in Merz’s Home State
Source: Bloomberg
“Germany’s ruling parties suffered losses in municipal elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, the country’s most-populous state, intensifying pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government to revive growth and push through reforms. The far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, was able to more than triple support to 16.5% across the state, according to exit polls from Infratest dimap for public broadcaster WDR on Sunday. Merz’s Christian Democrats lost 0.3 points to 34%, but remained the strongest force in the state. The co-ruling Social Democrats, which once counted the state as a stronghold, declined 1.8 points to 22.5%.” 909/14/25)
https://archive.is/2f6yh
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) On Political Violence
Source: Notablog
by Chris Matthew Sciabarra
"We are not likely to overturn the macro-aggressions in our politics by violently erasing those whom we believe are engaged in the micro-aggressions in our culture. Yes, <em>culture matters</em>. The toxicity in our culture is both a reflection of — and a driving force for — the toxicity in our politics, whether it is coming from the 'left' or the 'right.' That said, political toxicity is nothing new. The political history of the United States has been bathed in blood. The very phrase 'political violence' is almost a redundancy. Most political action entails violence. Still, a distinction must be made between those who engage in the ideological legitimation of political action, however harmful, and those who implement violent interventions in people’s lives. Murray Rothbard once used the phrase 'court intellectual' to describe the former class." (09/15/25)
https://notablog.net/2025/09/15/on-political-violence/
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22) Why Shouldn’t Trump Be Convicted and Impeached for Murder?
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“The U.S. Code provides that a murder of a foreigner by an American citizen on the high seas is a federal criminal offense. The pertinent sections are 18 U.S.C. Section 1111 (Murder) and 18 U.S.C. Section 7 (Special Maritime and Territorial Jurisdiction of the United States). The U.S. Constitution provides that the president shall be removed from office on impeachment and conviction of ‘high crimes.’ It goes without saying that murder is a ‘high crime.’ So, the question arises: Why shouldn’t President Trump be both criminally prosecuted and removed from office through impeachment for murdering those 11 Venezuelan citizens on the high seas? Indeed, why shouldn’t the military personnel who loyally followed his orders also be prosecuted and convicted of murder?” (09/15/25)
https://www.fff.org/2025/09/15/why-shouldnt-trump-be-convicted-and-impeached-for-murder/
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23) Our New Age of American Terror
Source: Persuasion
by Ethan Dodd
“In 1894, the French intellectual Émile Henry nursed two beers in a Parisian café as the orchestra played to a room of wealthy patrons. After paying his bill and getting up to leave, Henry removed a bomb from his overcoat pocket, lit the fuse with his cigar, and threw the bomb into the café, toward the orchestra, leaving five widows and ten orphans. ‘This was the first modern terrorist act,’ wrote the late historian John Merriman in his book The Dynamite Club. ‘It was the day that ordinary people became the targets of terrorists.’ Today, such terror has become frighteningly normal in America.” (09/15/25)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/we-are-living-in-eddingtons-world
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24) The Folks Cheering Charlie Kirk’s Murder Are Awful, But …
Source: Coyote Blog
by Warren Meyer
“It is an exceedingly popular but absurd game to try to count coup on one’s political opponents based on the actions of a single fringe participant in some of their beliefs. In my lifetime pretty much every major public assassination of this type has been by someone who turned out to be mentally unbalanced or a total loony. … There is a funny dynamic in which both team Red and team Blue believe their side to be well-behaved while the other side is steeped in violent rhetoric. There is a reason for this, as alluded to earlier: Opinion-makers from both teams love to explore the other team’s fringe supporters to look for craziness, and inevitably find it.” (09/15/25)
https://coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2025/09/the-folks-cheering-charlie-kirks-murder-are-awful-but.html
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25) Markets and Marshals: How the Old West Used Private Enforcement to Deliver Justice
Source: The Daily Economy
by Connor Crase
“While bounties and private detectives may seem like relics of the past, they offer valuable insights into how markets fill in the gaps when the government fails.” (09/15/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/markets-not-marshals-how-the-old-west-delivered-justice-and-kept-order/
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26) I Have a Solution to Crime
Source: Townhall
by Kurt Schlichter
“Political crime, like the murder of Charlie Kirk, is one thing, and we are committed to crushing it – at this writing, there is a suspect in custody in Utah, which shoots criminals, and I’d hate to be his life insurance underwriter. Street crime is another issue, and after the assassination briefly took the focus off Iryna’s public transit murder, it will be back. As Republicans, solving street crime is a moral obligation as well as our ticket to victory in 2026. Luckily, the solution to the criminal disorder sweeping blue-run cities – yeah, Governor Hairstyle, the chaos in the red states is entirely within those parts of them that are deep blue – is pretty simple.” (09/15/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2025/09/15/i-have-a-solution-to-crime-n2663243
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27) The Scouring of the American Middle Class
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Artis Shepherd
“The war of words between President Donald Trump and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has been revealed as largely histrionic. Like their predecessors — Richard Nixon and Arthur Burns — over 50 years ago, Trump and Powell have been acting out a performative charade regarding when and to what extent artificially low interest rates should go even lower in the midst of persistent inflation. The supposed sparring between Trump and Powell merely guarantees the result both want — more easy money.” (09/15/25)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/scouring-american-middle-class
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28) No, It Wasn’t Ironic That Second Amendment Advocate Charlie Kirk Was Shot
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“Inevitably, in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, some observers looked at the problem of a radicalized young man who drove hundreds of miles to plan and carry out the murder of somebody whose political views he abhorred and concluded that the problem is the tool used by the assassin. A few of those observers even gloat that Kirk was shot after defending the right to keep and bear arms when he discussed the tradeoffs inherent in balancing the benefits and dangers of liberty. Much political discourse was already stupid, but too many people want to make it even stupider.” (09/15/25)
https://reason.com/2025/09/15/no-it-wasnt-ironic-that-second-amendment-advocate-charlie-kirk-was-shot/
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29) In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, colleges must not burden speaking events
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by staff
“Last week, an assassin silenced speech on a college campus. A family lost a father and a husband. As we have said without equivocation, political violence is never an acceptable response to free speech. Appropriately, we can expect colleges and universities to place even greater emphasis on safety and security ahead of outside speakers arriving on campus moving forward. They have a moral and legal obligation to redouble their efforts to protect free speech as well as their campus community. However, administrators must not pass those security costs along to speakers or use security concerns as pretext to cancel a speaker’s appearance. Rewarding threats of violence by taxing speech or silencing speakers will only invite more threats and more violence.” (09/15/25)
https://www.thefire.org/news/wake-charlie-kirks-assassination-colleges-must-not-burden-speaking-events
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30) Back to 1984? Trump’s Strange Global Power Rankings
Source: TomDispatch
by Michael Klare
“‘We’re No. 1 and they’re No. 2 in the world.’ That was President Trump’s blunt assessment of global power politics when it came to the United States and Russia following his inconclusive ‘summit’ meeting with Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15th. Of all his comments about the meeting, that numerical assessment — made during a post-summit interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News — was perhaps the most revealing, if also in some strange sense the hardest to decipher. Supposedly, the intent of the Anchorage meeting was to arrange an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine and devise a path to lasting peace there — none of which, of course, occurred. Instead, Trump appeared to focus on repairing U.S.-Russia relations, which had been in a deep freeze since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.” (09/14/25)
https://tomdispatch.com/back-to-1984/
-----
31) AI’s Energy Appetite
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Lika Kobeshavidze
“Every time we ask an AI tool a question, it silently consumes electricity and water. But until now, we never knew how much. Google has set the record straight by publishing calculations from its Gemini model. … According to the company, one text query to the system consumes as much energy as watching nine seconds of TV, uses about five drops of water, and releases 0.03 grams of CO₂. This doesn’t seem like much, right? But imagine millions of users making multiple requests at the same time, several times per minute. These numbers add up quickly. So, how much electricity will it take to satisfy our growing appetite for artificial intelligence? If we continue to use AI as we do now, we will need more electricity. Because of this, major tech executives suggested that nuclear power is an inevitable solution to meet these needs.” (09/15/25)
https://fee.org/articles/ais-energy-appetite/
-----
32) Alleged Free Speech Champions Are Campaigning Against Speech They Don’t Like
Source: The Nation
by Joan Walsh
“There’s more than a little irony in the fact that acolytes of slain right-wing provocateur Charlie Kirk, hailed as a champion of free speech, have spent the days since his death working hard to attack people and even get them fired for factual social media posts about Kirk’s noxious and loudly broadcast political beliefs. … Unfortunately, politically motivated firings come with the territory when you’re a mainstream media commentator — often lamentable, but not uncommon. Much more unusual has been the dozens if not hundreds of firings of people whose jobs have nothing to do with politics.” (09/15/25)
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/charlie-kirk-firings-free-speech/#
-----
33) Celebrities Should Have Been Calling Out The Gaza Holocaust This Entire Time
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“‘Hacks’ costar Hannah Einbinder said ‘Free Palestine’ during her acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress at the Emmys on Sunday. Questioned by the press afterward, Einbinder said she has friends in Gaza, adding, ‘I feel like it is my obligation as a Jewish person to distinguish Jews from the state of Israel, because our religion and our culture is such an important and longstanding institution that is really separate to this sort of ethnonationalist state.’ I’ve followed Einbinder on Instagram for a long time because she’s been one of the few people in Hollywood consistently using their influential voice to oppose this genocide, and it is very good that she said these things. Hopefully we see much more of this.” (09/15/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/09/15/celebrities-should-have-been-calling-out-the-gaza-holocaust-this-entire-time/
-----
34) Germany Versus X
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“The question is freedom of speech. Many German officials are opposed. Twitter‑X, or X, is in favor.
As Reclaim the Net summarizes the case, ‘German prosecutors are testing whether the reach of their censorship laws can outstrip the guardrails of international treaties.’ These prosecutors have been going after three X managers for alleged ‘obstruction of justice.’ This obstruction consisted of refusing to immediately give prosecutors data on users who utter government-disapproved speech.” (09/15/25)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/09/15/germany-versus-x/
-----
35) Lords of the Flies
Source: The Honest Courtesan
by Maggie McNeill
“White supremacists are now trying to create panic among other bigots by claiming that the ‘white’ race (by which they mean fair-skinned Caucasians) is vanishing. Actually, what’s happening is that, since the most-developed countries are largely inhabited by Europeans and their descendants, their birth rates are most subject to the birth rate decrease which is typical of highly-developed societies, and thus the number of ‘whites’ is slowly decreasing in relation to other genetic groups who inhabit portions of the globe where the birth rate is not decreasing as quickly. But the mathematical, biological, historical, and sociological ignorance in which this manufactured hysteria is rooted isn’t as bad as its philosophical imbecility.” (09/15/25)
https://maggiemcneill.com/2025/09/15/lords-of-the-flies/
-----
36) The WTO Exists for Times Like These; Why Not Use It?
Source: Cato Institute
by James Bacchus
“Of all the erratic tariffs imposed by President Trump, few have been so vindictive as those meted out to Brazil, which from 1 August has been subject to 50% effective tariffs. And as Brazil subsequently took its case against the US to the World Trade Organization, the question is not whether it will win or lose (it will almost certainly win), but rather: Why have dozens of other countries suffering enormously from arbitrary and illegal US tariffs not joined in the Brazilian case or brought their own cases in the WTO against the US?” (09/15/25)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/wto-exists-times-these-why-not-use-it
-----
37) How Will John Roberts Be Remembered? As a Democracy Destroyer
Source: Common Dreams
by Fred Wertheimer
“Chief Justice John Roberts is smart and skilled. He will be remembered, however, as a historic failure. This is not a claim to make lightly, but his record compels it, because Roberts’ legacy will be defined by two catastrophic [sic] roles he played. First, Roberts has played the lead role in destroying indispensable rules of our democracy. Second, Roberts has played the lead judicial role in serving as the handmaiden to President Trump’s efforts to turn our democracy into an autocracy. Chief Justice Roberts has taken the lead in writing a series of opinions that have destroyed essential rules governing our democracy.” [editor’s note: This is posted just to remind you how delulu the “left” pundits really are – SAT] (09/15/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/how-will-john-roberts-be-remembered-as-a-democracy-destroyercatastrophic roles he played.
-----
38) Do we need a treaty on neutrality?
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Naman Karl-Thomas Habtom
“In an era of widespread use of economic sanctions, dual-use technology exports, and hybrid warfare, the boundary between peacetime and wartime has become increasingly blurry. Yet understandings of neutrality remain stuck in the time of trench warfare. An updated conception of neutrality, codified through an international treaty, is necessary for global security. Neutrality in the 21st century is often whatever a country wants it to be.” (09/15/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/neutrality-treaty/
-----
39) The Warmonger Rebrand
Source: Liberal Currents
by Joseph Stieb
“On September 5, President Trump issued an executive order rebranding the Department of Defense as the ‘Department of War.’ The order boasted that the U.S. military is ‘the strongest and most lethal fighting force in the world’ and that this department ‘should have a name that reflects its unmatched power and readiness to protect national interests.’ He bizarrely ranted that since Congress consolidated the War Department and the Department of the Navy as the DoD in 1949 that the United States ‘never fought to win’ in the interceding wars. Oddly, Trump’s renaming has attracted support from many analysts and politicians who want a more restrained, less militarized foreign policy. They include both Buchananite nationalist conservatives, leftist commentators, and some mainstream outlets.” (09/15/25)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-warmonger-rebrand/
-----
40) To Protect Ukraine, Keep It out of NATO
Source: The American Conservative
by Ted Snider
“The war in Ukraine is heading to its inevitable conclusion. It may still take many months, but Russia will win the war on the battlefield, and Ukraine will be without some of its territory and without NATO membership. In such a situation, Kiev has every incentive to make a deal rather than wait for crushing defeat. There is no doubt that Ukraine will require reliable security guarantees …. While Kiev would like its security guarantee to come in the form of NATO membership, the most important guarantee of its future security is the opposite: a credible commitment from Kiev and from NATO that Ukraine will remain neutral and never join the Western alliance.” [editor’s note: Snider seems to think that if he just keeps proclaiming Russian “victory” is inevitable, it will magically come true. And there is not and never was any chance Ukraine would be allowed to join NATO – TLK] (09/15/25)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/to-protect-ukraine-keep-it-out-of-nato/
-----
41) What Would a No Kings Budget Look Like?
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“Democrats have now confirmed what was an open secret last week: They’re going to use their leverage in the upcoming government funding showdown, where their votes are needed to pass anything in the Senate, to ask for health care changes, in particular an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of the year. Both House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with other legislative leaders, pronounced themselves united on this, insisting that Democrats will put their imprint on the budget deal and reject any ‘clean’ stopgap funding that is negotiated without them. ‘We have broad agreement that the health of the American people should be paramount in this debate,’ Rep. Richie Neal (D-MA), the Democrats’ top member of the House Ways and Means Committee, told Politico.” (09/15/25)
https://prospect.org/politics/2025-09-15-what-would-a-no-kings-budget-look-like/
-----
42) The Marshall Plan for the Mind
Source: Law & Liberty
by Henry T Edmonson III
“How much did the CIA book program contribute to the fall of the Soviet Union?” (09/15/25)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/the-marshall-plan-for-the-mind/
-----
43) Quantum Vibe, 09/15/25
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (09/15/25)
https://www.quantumvibe.com/strip?page=2552
-----
44) How the Trump tariffs boomerang to hurt US winemakers
Source: Washington Post
by Kevin D Williamson
“Owning a vineyard in Napa Valley sounds fancy, but the wine business is, in reality, pretty gritty: It is a low-margin agricultural and food-processing business that is, on top of everything else, highly regulated. Now the Trump administration is threatening to make things a good deal worse by throwing a hand grenade into the U.S. wine industry’s supply chains and distribution networks in the form of tariffs that are meant, in theory, to protect domestic producers from overseas competition. Unfortunately, the wine industry doesn’t work the way Washington seems to think it does.” (09/14/25)
https://archive.is/EU533
-----
45) When the Preference Cascade Becomes a Flood
Source: Instapundit
by Glenn Harlan Reynolds
“I’ve written before about preference cascades — where large portions of the public, often a majority, conceal their views for fear of punishment, only to reveal those views when some precipitating event takes place. Classic examples include the fall of Communist regimes, like Ceausescu’s Romania, where even Ceausescu himself thought everyone loved him until shortly before he was stood in front of a wall and shot. Usually those happen in one direction. But in contemporary America, they’re happening in two. The murder of Charlie Kirk at the hands of a leftist gunman has revealed that many, many more Americans — and even people elsewhere around the world — supported Charlie and his views than was commonly appreciated. New Zealanders in London danced a Haka in his honor; crowds gathered all over the United States, as well as in Rome, London, Germany, and Israel.” (09/13/25)
https://instapundit.substack.com/p/when-the-preference-cascade-becomes?r=cyqk&triedRedirect=true
-----
46) Why Did Feds Ignore Epstein’s Financial Crime Wave?
Source: JimBovard.com
by James Bovard
“JPMorgan helped Jeffrey Epstein commit thousands of federal banking-law violations, per a bombshell New York Times report. Federal regulators perpetually ignored endless red flags of Epstein’s multimillion-dollar child-sex-trafficking operations. Federal money-laundering law requires banks to file a report for each cash transaction exceeding $10,000. Epstein was pulling out $800,000 in cash each year, ‘much of which was used to procure girls and young women,’ the Times details. Shortly after Epstein’s death in a New York prison cell, in late 2019, JPMorgan ‘filed a report with federal regulators that retroactively flagged as suspicious some 4,700 Epstein transactions — totaling more than $1.1 billion.’ … Ironically, during Epstein’s financial crime spree, the Internal Revenue Service was wreaking havoc on hapless small businesses for violating the same law.” (09/14/25)
https://jimbovard.com/blog/2025/09/14/feds-ignored-epstein-crime-wave/
-----
47) Corrupt “Democracy” Makes Fascism Inevitable
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“[E]ven though Donald Trump has become an unprecedented threat who needs to be stopped, his mainstream ‘resistance’ funded by neocon Never Trumpers and the neoliberal DNC need to be thrown out with him for making his reign of terror possible by being only marginally less despotic than Orange-Man-Bad while daring to call their proto-fascistic shell game woke. This has happened before. In fact, this is precisely how the original Hitler ended up in power.” (09/14/25)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2025/09/corrupt-democracy-makes-fascism.html
-----
48) Is the Lack of “Friction” in Our Virtual World Leading to Liberalism’s Decline?
Source: The UnPopulist
by JL Wall
“Our rapid-fire communication technologies may be overwhelming our capacity to deliberate and empathize, two new books suggest.” (09/14/25)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/is-the-lack-of-friction-in-our-virtual
-----
49) “Starbucks Is on the Ropes”
Source: In These Times
by Lynne Fox, SBWU President
“Starbucks’ logo, the green siren, is ubiquitous, and its 40,000 stores occupy an estimated 80 million square feet of real estate globally. But that doesn’t make the company too big to fail. The next three months will determine the future of this iconic U.S. company. Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol crossed his first anniversary in the position this week, on September 9. He was chosen to replace the previous CEO based on his reputation as a fixer amid declining sales and brand damage. At the time, he wrote this about union baristas: ’If our partners choose to be represented, I am committed to making sure we engage constructively and in good faith with the union and the partners it represents.’ One year later, Niccol is driving a ’Back to Starbucks’ turnaround strategy, implementing a dizzying number of policy and program changes.” (09/15/25)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/starbucks-union-bargaining-sbwu-strike-lynne-fox-nicchols
-----
50) Liberal-Anarchism
Source: Center for a Stateless Society
by Wesley Whitman
“Liberalism, properly understood, is not merely a justification for free markets or negative liberty. It is, at root, a philosophy of emancipation. Likewise, anarchism is not chaos, but the pursuit of a voluntary and non-dominating social order. When joined together and viewed through a dialectical libertarian lens, these traditions give birth to what I call liberal-anarchism.” (09/14/25)
https://c4ss.org/content/60717
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 09/15/25
Source: Reason
“To Honor Charlie Kirk, Reject Cancel Culture.” (09/15/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/09/15/to-honor-charlie-kirk-reject-cancel-culture/
-----
52) Conflicts of Interest, episode 837
Source: Libertarian Institute
” Israel Is Forcing Hundreds of Thousands of Palestinians to Flee Gaza City.” (09/15/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-837-israel-is-forcing-hundreds-of-thousands-of-palestinians-to-flee-gaza-city/
-----
53) The Mona Charen Show, 09/15/25
Source: The Bulwark
“Holly Berkley Fletcher explains the mindset of white evangelicals from a unique perspective — that of missionary kids. She was one.” (09/15/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm9HqMSk8W8
-----
54) Rising, 09/15/25
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave delivers radar on the assassination of Charlie Kirk.” (09/15/25)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5503519-rising-september-15-2025/
-----
55) Quillette Narrated, 09/15/25
Source: Quillette
“Pride and Prejudice.” (09/15/25)
https://quillette.com/2025/09/14/pride-and-prejudice-politics-activism-feminism-blm/
-----
56) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 09/15/25
Source: The New Republic
“Trump’s Threats Darken on Fox News as MAGA Fury over Kirk Goes Nuclear.” (09/15/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/200429/trump-threats-darken-fox-news-maga-fury-kirk-goes-nuclear
-----
57) EconTalk, 09/15/25
Source: EconTalk
“How Did America Build the Arsenal of Democracy? (with Brian Potter).” (09/15/25)
https://www.econtalk.org/how-did-america-build-the-arsenal-of-democracy-with-brian-potter/
-----
58) How to Fix It with John Avlon, 09/14/25
Source: The Bulwark
“Can Libertarians & Centrists Save Democracy?” (09/14/25)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/can-libertarians-centrists-save-democracy/id1772157676?i=1000726741661
-----
59) Free Talk Live, 09/14/25
Source: Free Talk Live
“Discussing all kinds of different cults :: Slavery, an opportunity? :: Martyrs are for taking away freedom :: Keene court case fighting cop corruption :: $58 million increase in government protection spending :: Is the US the best country on earth? :: Right wing cancel culture :: Rawdogging life :: Live by the sword? :: What is hatred? :: Is Trump just bringing us manufacturing jobs? :: Possible plans the US has for kicking the can down the road :: Peaceful separation is the only solution :: Lithium depletion caused Charlie Kirk shooting? :: DeFlock.me :: 2025-09-14 Hosts: Bonnie, Angelo, Riley.” (09/14/25)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/ftl2025-09-14
-----
60) Jason Jones on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Scott brings Jason Jones of the Vulnerable People Project on the show to discuss his organization’s effort to help the civilians bearing the brunt of the Israeli government’s violence in Gaza.” (09/14/25)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/9-12-25-jason-jones-on-the-reality-of-bringing-aid-to-the-people-of-gaza/
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Trump publicly confesses to ordering three more murders at sea
2) Ukraine: Russian attacks kill two, set private homes on fire
3) Appeals court denies Trump bid to remove Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook
4) UN commission on Gaza: Yes, it’s genocide
5) Tensions flare as Chinese and Philippine ships collide near disputed shoal in South China Sea
6) South Sudan: Vice-president charged with murder, crimes against humanity
7) Colombia: Meta was wrong to shut down porn star’s Instagram account, court rules
8) UK: Regime Bans Israelis From London Defence College Over Gaza Escalation
9) US regime announces “framework” deal for not attempting to implement TikTok ban
10) Dog bites man: Idiot pols introduce bill to ban employers from checking applicants’ credit reports
11) UK: Regime drops charges against two men accused of spying for China
12) Nepal: PM appoints three new ministers as interim regime prepares to hold elections
13) NY: After Hochul’s Mamdani Endorsement, Trump Threatens Federal Funding
14) Tesla shares gain as Elon Musk reveals rare $1 billion stock buy in sign of confidence in EV maker
15) South Africa: Trial begins for 3 accused of stealing [sic] $580,000 hidden in couch at president’s farm
16) India: Regime forces kill top Maoist commander who had US$113,000 bounty on his head
17) Bongino: Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin was “taken over” by ideology, as FBI busks about possible wider plot
18) Trump Vows New Fake “National Emergency” in DC Over ICE Gang Dispute
19) CA: Legislators show rare unity in passing cannabis tax cut
20) Germany: Ruling Parties Lose Support in Vote in Merz’s Home State
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) On Political Violence
22) Why Shouldn’t Trump Be Convicted and Impeached for Murder?
23) Our New Age of American Terror
24) The Folks Cheering Charlie Kirk’s Murder Are Awful, But …
25) Markets and Marshals: How the Old West Used Private Enforcement to Deliver Justice
26) I Have a Solution to Crime
27) The Scouring of the American Middle Class
28) No, It Wasn’t Ironic That Second Amendment Advocate Charlie Kirk Was Shot
29) In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, colleges must not burden speaking events
30) Back to 1984? Trump’s Strange Global Power Rankings
31) AI’s Energy Appetite
32) Alleged Free Speech Champions Are Campaigning Against Speech They Don’t Like
33) Celebrities Should Have Been Calling Out The Gaza Holocaust This Entire Time
34) Germany Versus X
35) Lords of the Flies
36) The WTO Exists for Times Like These; Why Not Use It?
37) How Will John Roberts Be Remembered? As a Democracy Destroyer
38) Do we need a treaty on neutrality?
39) The Warmonger Rebrand
40) To Protect Ukraine, Keep It out of NATO
41) What Would a No Kings Budget Look Like?
42) The Marshall Plan for the Mind
43) Quantum Vibe, 09/15/25
44) How the Trump tariffs boomerang to hurt US winemakers
45) When the Preference Cascade Becomes a Flood
46) Why Did Feds Ignore Epstein’s Financial Crime Wave?
47) Corrupt “Democracy” Makes Fascism Inevitable
48) Is the Lack of “Friction” in Our Virtual World Leading to Liberalism’s Decline?
49) “Starbucks Is on the Ropes”
50) Liberal-Anarchism
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 09/15/25
52) Conflicts of Interest, episode 837
53) The Mona Charen Show, 09/15/25
54) Rising, 09/15/25
55) Quillette Narrated, 09/15/25
56) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 09/15/25
57) EconTalk, 09/15/25
58) How to Fix It with John Avlon, 09/14/25
59) Free Talk Live, 09/14/25
60) Jason Jones on The Scott Horton Show
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Trump publicly confesses to ordering three more murders at sea
Source: CNN
“The US military [murdered] three people in another deadly strike on a vessel in international waters around South America allegedly ‘transporting illegal narcotics’ from Venezuela, President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday. ‘This morning, on my Orders, US Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the US,’ Trump said. … The Strike resulted in 3 male terrorists [murdered].’ … Monday’s announcement comes just under two weeks after the US military [murdered] 11 individuals in a strike allegedly tied to the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang.” (09/15/25)
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/15/politics/trump-strike-international-waters
-----
2) Ukraine: Russian attacks kill two, set private homes on fire
Source: Reuters
“Russian forces launched a large attack early on Tuesday on Ukraine’s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, killing a 41-year-old man, injuring at least 18 people and triggering a number of fires, the regional governor said. Ivan Fedorov said that two children were among the injured. Pictures posted by the governor online showed firefighters battling blazes in private homes and other buildings. In Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine’s emergency services reported a fire covering an area of 350 square metres (4,000 sq ft) in three residential buildings and in a service station. … Other Ukrainian cities in the centre, south, and east of the country also came under attack as Russian troops launched more than 100 drones and about 150 glide bombs overnight, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.” (09/16/25)
https://archive.is/70D6p
-----
3) Appeals court denies Trump bid to remove Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook
Source: Politico
“A federal appeals court has rejected President Donald Trump’s bid to quickly fire Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook, leaving the president just hours to ask the Supreme Court to oust her before a critical interest-rate setting meeting kicks off Tuesday morning. The 2-1 ruling Monday by a panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is unlikely to be the last word on the matter, given the anticipated Supreme Court action. But it sets up a race against the clock to determine whether Cook, a Biden appointee who Trump tried to fire last month, will participate in the Fed meeting set to begin Tuesday.” (09/15/25)
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/15/appeals-court-denies-trump-bid-to-remove-federal-reserve-board-member-lisa-cook-00565084
-----
4) UN commission on Gaza: Yes, it’s genocide
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“A United Nations commission of inquiry says Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. A new report says there are reasonable grounds to conclude that four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law have been carried out since the start of the war with Hamas in 2023: killing members of a group, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to destroy the group, and preventing births. It cites statements by Israeli leaders, and the pattern of conduct by Israeli forces, as evidence of genocidal intent. Israel’s foreign ministry said it categorically rejected the report, denouncing it as ‘distorted and false.'” (09/16/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8641wv0n4go
-----
5) Tensions flare as Chinese and Philippine ships collide near disputed shoal in South China Sea
Source: Associated Press
“China’s coast guard accused a Philippine ship of deliberately ramming one of its vessels on Tuesday near Scarborough Shoal, a disputed territory that both countries claim in the South China Sea. A coast guard statement said more than 10 Philippine government ships coming from various directions entered the waters around the shoal, which is called Huangyan island in Chinese. It said it deployed water cannons against the vessels. The encounter came six days after China announced it was designating part of Scarborough Shoal as a national nature reserve. There was no immediate comment from the Philippines.” (09/16/25)
https://apnews.com/article/philippines-south-china-sea-scarborough-shoal-collision-fc31a170189e4747b8314fb605ca7d0c
-----
6) South Sudan: Vice-president charged with murder, crimes against humanity
Source: news.com.au
“South Sudan’s Vice-President Riek Machar has been charged with murder, treason and crimes against humanity over an attack by an ethnic militia on a military base that killed more than 250 soldiers, the justice minister said Thursday. A fragile power-sharing agreement between President Salva Kiir and his first vice-president Machar has been unravelling for months in the world’s youngest country. In early March, a militia from Machar’s ethnic Nuer community known as the White Army attacked a military base in Nasir County, Upper Nile State in the northeast of the country. The government says Machar was responsible and has now charged him and 20 others with murder, conspiracy, terrorism, treason, destruction of public property and crimes against humanity. … Kiir had already been moving for months to consolidate power and sideline Machar, who was placed under house arrest a few weeks after the attack, while many of his allies have also been detained.” (09/15/25)
https://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/ssudan-vice-president-charged-with-murder-crimes-against-humanity/news-story/d5b30b3e0f2ab59808187198581186f6
-----
7) Colombia: Meta was wrong to shut down porn star’s Instagram account, court rules
Source: CBS News
“Colombia’s Constitutional Court on Friday ordered Meta to change its privacy policies after ruling that it trampled the freedom of expression of a porn star by closing her Instagram account. Esperanza Gomez, one of Colombia’s best-known adult content actresses, said she posted photographs of herself in her underwear as part of her job. Gomez, who has over 5 million followers on Instagram, said Meta’s decision to close her account affected her ability to work and said she was given no clear explanation. Meta, which owns Facebook and WhatsApp as well as Instagram, argued that Gomez violated the platform’s rules on nudity. But the court ruled that it acted in an ‘arbitrary’ fashion in closing her account and ‘illegitimately restricted her freedom of expression.'” (09/15/25)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/porn-star-instagram-meta-shut-down-colombia-court-ruling/
-----
8) UK: Regime Bans Israelis From London Defence College Over Gaza Escalation
Source: US News & World Report
“Britain has banned Israelis from attending a prestigious London defence studies college due to the escalation of the war in Gaza, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said on Monday, prompting an angry response from Israel. While Britain remains a close ally of Israel’s, it has recently tried to pressure its government over the conflict, threatening in July to recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel takes steps to relieve suffering in the enclave. The latest move means from next year Israeli students will be refused entry to the Royal College of Defence Studies, which offers a post-graduate course in international strategic studies to students from Britain and around the world. It follows Israel’s announcement in August of plans to escalate the conflict by moving to take control of Gaza City, where about a million Palestinians have been sheltering, with the aim of eliminating the militant group Hamas.” (09/15/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-09-15/britain-bans-israelis-from-london-defence-college-over-gaza-escalation
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9) US regime announces “framework” deal for not attempting to implement TikTok ban
Source: National Public Radion [US state media]
“U.S. officials say they have reached a ‘framework’ for a deal with China over the fate of the hugely popular short-video platform TikTok, an apparent breakthrough in the multi-year standoff over the ban against the Chinese-owned app. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the news after two days of talks with Chinese officials in Madrid. He added that President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would ‘speak on Friday to complete the deal.’ … the Trump administration has been trying to broker a deal for an American company, or companies, to buy TikTok from ByteDance in order to keep the app from going dark in the United States. But the issue has become wrapped up in sweeping trade talks between Washington and Beijing that include strategically thorny topics like tariffs, fentanyl, microchips and rare earths.” (09/15/25)
https://www.npr.org/2025/09/15/nx-s1-5539868/tiktok-framework-bessent-trump
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10) Dog bites man: Idiot pols introduce bill to ban employers from checking applicants’ credit reports
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“As the US labor market comes under pressure, two senior figures in Washington are pushing to end a practice that prevents large swaths of US workers from obtaining jobs. A bill reintroduced today by Elizabeth Warren, the senator from Massachusetts, and Steve Cohen, the representative from Tennessee, bans employers from using credit checks to vet potential hires. Denying jobs based on a candidate’s financial history ‘makes no sense,’ the prominent Democrats argue. It also disproportionately affects minorities.” [editor’s note: Suppose I run a business that hires financial advisors or people in positions where embezzlement is a problem. Think maybe applicants’ financial histories might be relevant? – TLK] (09/15/25)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/15/elizabeth-warren-credit-reports-employment
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11) UK: Regime drops charges against two men accused of spying for China
Source: SFGate
“British authorities said Monday they were dropping a criminal case against two men who had been accused of spying for China in Britain, including a former researcher who worked in the U.K. Parliament. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said it was ‘extremely disappointing’ that Christopher Cash, 30, and Christopher Berry, 33, would not face trial, but prosecutors said there was not enough evidence to proceed. Both men have denied wrongdoing. The men had been charged in April 2024 with violating the Official Secrets Act by providing information or documents that could be ‘useful to an enemy’ and ‘prejudicial to the safety or interests’ of the U.K. between late 2021 and February 2023. Cash was a parliamentary researcher who led the China Research Group.” (09/15/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/uk-drops-charges-against-2-men-accused-of-spying-21048589.php
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12) Nepal: PM appoints three new ministers as interim regime prepares to hold elections
Source: ABC News
“Nepal’s prime minister on Monday selected three new ministers to join her interim administration, which is tasked with holding fresh elections in March after violent street protests last week led to the collapse of the previous government. Sushila Karki, the Himalayan country’s first female prime minster, appointed Kalman Gurung as energy minister, Rameshore Khanal as finance minister and Om Prakash Aryal as home minister. … Last week’s massive demonstrations — called the protest of Gen Z — ended with at least 72 people killed and hundreds wounded. The army stepped in to impose a curfew and finally agreed to make Karki the head of an interim government that will hold elections in six months.” (09/15/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/nepals-pm-appoints-3-new-ministers-interim-government-125577232
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13) NY: After Hochul’s Mamdani Endorsement, Trump Threatens Federal Funding
Source: Common Dreams
“‘Threatening voters and cities over their elections is what authoritarians do,’ said one progressive organizer Monday after US President Donald Trump did just that—suggesting he would rip federal funding away from New York City, and possibly the state, if democratic socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the November election. The president’s threat came after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, announced her endorsement of Mamdani in an op-ed in The New York Times, after months of pressure from progressives. Trump said Hochul had ‘Endorsed the ‘Liddle Communist’’ and called the governor’s support ‘a rather shocking development. How can such a thing happen? … Washington will be watching this situation very closely. No reason to be sending good money after bad!'” (09/15/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/hochul-mamdani
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14) Tesla shares gain as Elon Musk reveals rare $1 billion stock buy in sign of confidence in EV maker
Source: CNBC
“Tesla shares jumped after CEO Elon Musk disclosed Monday his first purchase of the stock in the open market since February 2020. Musk bought 2.57 million shares at various prices Friday which tallies up to about $1 billion, a significant insider acquisition that traders took as a vote of confidence from the outspoken CEO. Tesla shares were higher by 8% in premarket trading Monday morning. They closed Friday slightly lower for 2025 despite a recent rally, with the stock up more than 25% over the last 3 months.” (09/15/25)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/15/tesla-shares-gain-after-elon-musk-discloses-purchase.html
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15) South Africa: Trial begins for 3 accused of stealing [sic] $580,000 hidden in couch at president’s farm
Source: SFGate
“Three people went on trial in South Africa on Monday after being charged with housebreaking and stealing $580,000 in U.S. banknotes hidden in a couch at a game farm owned by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The strange case mired Ramaphosa in scandal and almost cost him his job after he was accused of tax evasion, money laundering and breaching foreign currency laws. He was also accused of trying to hide the existence of the money because the alleged theft happened in 2020, but was only revealed two years later. The case has been dubbed ‘farmgate’ in South Africa. Ramaphosa, who campaigned on an anti-corruption ticket, was cleared of wrongdoing and survived a vote in Parliament over whether impeachment charges should be brought against him, but he is still under scrutiny over why such a large amount of money was stashed in a piece of furniture.” [editor’s note: Yes, before any trial for “stealing” it they need to explain how it got there, and whose money it really is – SAT] (09/15/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/trial-begins-for-3-accused-of-stealing-580-000-21049492.php
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16) India: Regime forces kill top Maoist commander who had US$113,000 bounty on his head
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“Indian security forces killed a top Maoist commander and two other rebels in a gun battle on Monday, officials said, as the government intensifies efforts to crush the decades-long conflict. India is waging an all-out offensive against the last remaining traces of the Naxalite rebellion, named after the village in the foothills of the Himalayas where the Maoist-inspired guerrilla movement began nearly six decades ago. … Three ‘top Naxal commanders’ were killed in the fight, the CRPF said, including Sahdev Soren, who was part of the central committee of the Maoist organisation. Authorities had issued a bounty of around US$113,000 for his capture.” (09/15/25)
https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3325578/indian-forces-kill-top-maoist-commander-who-had-us113000-bounty-his-head
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17) Bongino: Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin was “taken over” by ideology, as FBI busks about possible wider plot
Source: Fox News
“FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Monday that investigators are probing whether Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin acted alone or as part of a broader plot, while also revealing troubling signs that the suspect had been ‘taken over’ by ideology leading up to the shooting. Bongino told Fox News'[s] ‘America’s Newsroom’ that although one suspect is in custody, the bureau is ‘looking into’ possible accomplices. ‘If this was a larger effort, if there was any aiding and abetting, whether it be financial or someone who knew the specifics of it and failed to report that, we’re looking into that,’ he told Bill Hemmer Monday. ‘There’s not going to be a stone left unturned.’ Investigators are scrutinizing video showing the gunman leaping from a rooftop after the fatal shot.” (09/15/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/us/charlie-kirk-alleged-assassin-taken-over-leftist-ideology-while-fbi-probes-wider-plot-bongino
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18) Trump Vows New Fake “National Emergency” in DC Over ICE Gang Dispute
Source: US News & World Report
“U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he would call a national emergency and federalize Washington, D.C. after Mayor Muriel Bowser said its police would not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. At issue is the provision of information on individuals living in, or entering, the United States illegally [sic]. Trump’s threat adds to a move critics have seen as federal overreach, with more than 2,000 troops patrolling the city. … Trump blamed ‘Radical Left Democrats’ for pressuring Bowser to inform the government about the non-cooperation with ICE, adding that if the police halted cooperation with ICE, ‘Crime would come roaring back.'” (09/15/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2025-09-15/trump-intensifies-crackdown-on-washington-dc-threatens-national-emergency-over-ice-cooperaton
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19) CA: Legislators show rare unity in passing cannabis tax cut
Source: SFGate
“California lawmakers are throwing a lifeline to the troubled legal cannabis industry, approving a cannabis tax cut that the industry says will prevent further business failures. Lawmakers gave final approval to the bill last week, sending the measure to the desk of Newsom, who has previously committed to signing it into law. The measure would drop the state excise tax on cannabis from 19% to 15% on Oct. 1 and maintain that tax rate until June 30, 2028. Amy O’Gorman Jenkins, the executive director for the California Cannabis Operators Association, said in a statement that the organization is ‘deeply grateful’ to the Legislature for passing the law, which she said would strengthen the legal market. ‘This vote saves thousands of jobs and prevents hundreds of small businesses from closing their doors,’ O’Gorman Jenkins said in an email.” [editor’s note: I almost never say this, but this time California leads the way to sanity – SAT] [editor’s note: The implication that a small tax cut is some kind of special favor is sickening, though – TLK] (09/15/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/cannabis/article/california-cannabis-tax-cut-21045488.php
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20) Germany: Ruling Parties Lose Support in Vote in Merz’s Home State
Source: Bloomberg
“Germany’s ruling parties suffered losses in municipal elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, the country’s most-populous state, intensifying pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government to revive growth and push through reforms. The far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, was able to more than triple support to 16.5% across the state, according to exit polls from Infratest dimap for public broadcaster WDR on Sunday. Merz’s Christian Democrats lost 0.3 points to 34%, but remained the strongest force in the state. The co-ruling Social Democrats, which once counted the state as a stronghold, declined 1.8 points to 22.5%.” 909/14/25)
https://archive.is/2f6yh
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) On Political Violence
Source: Notablog
by Chris Matthew Sciabarra
"We are not likely to overturn the macro-aggressions in our politics by violently erasing those whom we believe are engaged in the micro-aggressions in our culture. Yes, <em>culture matters</em>. The toxicity in our culture is both a reflection of — and a driving force for — the toxicity in our politics, whether it is coming from the 'left' or the 'right.' That said, political toxicity is nothing new. The political history of the United States has been bathed in blood. The very phrase 'political violence' is almost a redundancy. Most political action entails violence. Still, a distinction must be made between those who engage in the ideological legitimation of political action, however harmful, and those who implement violent interventions in people’s lives. Murray Rothbard once used the phrase 'court intellectual' to describe the former class." (09/15/25)
https://notablog.net/2025/09/15/on-political-violence/
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22) Why Shouldn’t Trump Be Convicted and Impeached for Murder?
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“The U.S. Code provides that a murder of a foreigner by an American citizen on the high seas is a federal criminal offense. The pertinent sections are 18 U.S.C. Section 1111 (Murder) and 18 U.S.C. Section 7 (Special Maritime and Territorial Jurisdiction of the United States). The U.S. Constitution provides that the president shall be removed from office on impeachment and conviction of ‘high crimes.’ It goes without saying that murder is a ‘high crime.’ So, the question arises: Why shouldn’t President Trump be both criminally prosecuted and removed from office through impeachment for murdering those 11 Venezuelan citizens on the high seas? Indeed, why shouldn’t the military personnel who loyally followed his orders also be prosecuted and convicted of murder?” (09/15/25)
https://www.fff.org/2025/09/15/why-shouldnt-trump-be-convicted-and-impeached-for-murder/
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23) Our New Age of American Terror
Source: Persuasion
by Ethan Dodd
“In 1894, the French intellectual Émile Henry nursed two beers in a Parisian café as the orchestra played to a room of wealthy patrons. After paying his bill and getting up to leave, Henry removed a bomb from his overcoat pocket, lit the fuse with his cigar, and threw the bomb into the café, toward the orchestra, leaving five widows and ten orphans. ‘This was the first modern terrorist act,’ wrote the late historian John Merriman in his book The Dynamite Club. ‘It was the day that ordinary people became the targets of terrorists.’ Today, such terror has become frighteningly normal in America.” (09/15/25)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/we-are-living-in-eddingtons-world
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24) The Folks Cheering Charlie Kirk’s Murder Are Awful, But …
Source: Coyote Blog
by Warren Meyer
“It is an exceedingly popular but absurd game to try to count coup on one’s political opponents based on the actions of a single fringe participant in some of their beliefs. In my lifetime pretty much every major public assassination of this type has been by someone who turned out to be mentally unbalanced or a total loony. … There is a funny dynamic in which both team Red and team Blue believe their side to be well-behaved while the other side is steeped in violent rhetoric. There is a reason for this, as alluded to earlier: Opinion-makers from both teams love to explore the other team’s fringe supporters to look for craziness, and inevitably find it.” (09/15/25)
https://coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2025/09/the-folks-cheering-charlie-kirks-murder-are-awful-but.html
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25) Markets and Marshals: How the Old West Used Private Enforcement to Deliver Justice
Source: The Daily Economy
by Connor Crase
“While bounties and private detectives may seem like relics of the past, they offer valuable insights into how markets fill in the gaps when the government fails.” (09/15/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/markets-not-marshals-how-the-old-west-delivered-justice-and-kept-order/
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26) I Have a Solution to Crime
Source: Townhall
by Kurt Schlichter
“Political crime, like the murder of Charlie Kirk, is one thing, and we are committed to crushing it – at this writing, there is a suspect in custody in Utah, which shoots criminals, and I’d hate to be his life insurance underwriter. Street crime is another issue, and after the assassination briefly took the focus off Iryna’s public transit murder, it will be back. As Republicans, solving street crime is a moral obligation as well as our ticket to victory in 2026. Luckily, the solution to the criminal disorder sweeping blue-run cities – yeah, Governor Hairstyle, the chaos in the red states is entirely within those parts of them that are deep blue – is pretty simple.” (09/15/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2025/09/15/i-have-a-solution-to-crime-n2663243
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27) The Scouring of the American Middle Class
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Artis Shepherd
“The war of words between President Donald Trump and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has been revealed as largely histrionic. Like their predecessors — Richard Nixon and Arthur Burns — over 50 years ago, Trump and Powell have been acting out a performative charade regarding when and to what extent artificially low interest rates should go even lower in the midst of persistent inflation. The supposed sparring between Trump and Powell merely guarantees the result both want — more easy money.” (09/15/25)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/scouring-american-middle-class
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28) No, It Wasn’t Ironic That Second Amendment Advocate Charlie Kirk Was Shot
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“Inevitably, in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, some observers looked at the problem of a radicalized young man who drove hundreds of miles to plan and carry out the murder of somebody whose political views he abhorred and concluded that the problem is the tool used by the assassin. A few of those observers even gloat that Kirk was shot after defending the right to keep and bear arms when he discussed the tradeoffs inherent in balancing the benefits and dangers of liberty. Much political discourse was already stupid, but too many people want to make it even stupider.” (09/15/25)
https://reason.com/2025/09/15/no-it-wasnt-ironic-that-second-amendment-advocate-charlie-kirk-was-shot/
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29) In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, colleges must not burden speaking events
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by staff
“Last week, an assassin silenced speech on a college campus. A family lost a father and a husband. As we have said without equivocation, political violence is never an acceptable response to free speech. Appropriately, we can expect colleges and universities to place even greater emphasis on safety and security ahead of outside speakers arriving on campus moving forward. They have a moral and legal obligation to redouble their efforts to protect free speech as well as their campus community. However, administrators must not pass those security costs along to speakers or use security concerns as pretext to cancel a speaker’s appearance. Rewarding threats of violence by taxing speech or silencing speakers will only invite more threats and more violence.” (09/15/25)
https://www.thefire.org/news/wake-charlie-kirks-assassination-colleges-must-not-burden-speaking-events
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30) Back to 1984? Trump’s Strange Global Power Rankings
Source: TomDispatch
by Michael Klare
“‘We’re No. 1 and they’re No. 2 in the world.’ That was President Trump’s blunt assessment of global power politics when it came to the United States and Russia following his inconclusive ‘summit’ meeting with Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15th. Of all his comments about the meeting, that numerical assessment — made during a post-summit interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News — was perhaps the most revealing, if also in some strange sense the hardest to decipher. Supposedly, the intent of the Anchorage meeting was to arrange an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine and devise a path to lasting peace there — none of which, of course, occurred. Instead, Trump appeared to focus on repairing U.S.-Russia relations, which had been in a deep freeze since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.” (09/14/25)
https://tomdispatch.com/back-to-1984/
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31) AI’s Energy Appetite
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Lika Kobeshavidze
“Every time we ask an AI tool a question, it silently consumes electricity and water. But until now, we never knew how much. Google has set the record straight by publishing calculations from its Gemini model. … According to the company, one text query to the system consumes as much energy as watching nine seconds of TV, uses about five drops of water, and releases 0.03 grams of CO₂. This doesn’t seem like much, right? But imagine millions of users making multiple requests at the same time, several times per minute. These numbers add up quickly. So, how much electricity will it take to satisfy our growing appetite for artificial intelligence? If we continue to use AI as we do now, we will need more electricity. Because of this, major tech executives suggested that nuclear power is an inevitable solution to meet these needs.” (09/15/25)
https://fee.org/articles/ais-energy-appetite/
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32) Alleged Free Speech Champions Are Campaigning Against Speech They Don’t Like
Source: The Nation
by Joan Walsh
“There’s more than a little irony in the fact that acolytes of slain right-wing provocateur Charlie Kirk, hailed as a champion of free speech, have spent the days since his death working hard to attack people and even get them fired for factual social media posts about Kirk’s noxious and loudly broadcast political beliefs. … Unfortunately, politically motivated firings come with the territory when you’re a mainstream media commentator — often lamentable, but not uncommon. Much more unusual has been the dozens if not hundreds of firings of people whose jobs have nothing to do with politics.” (09/15/25)
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/charlie-kirk-firings-free-speech/#
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33) Celebrities Should Have Been Calling Out The Gaza Holocaust This Entire Time
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“‘Hacks’ costar Hannah Einbinder said ‘Free Palestine’ during her acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress at the Emmys on Sunday. Questioned by the press afterward, Einbinder said she has friends in Gaza, adding, ‘I feel like it is my obligation as a Jewish person to distinguish Jews from the state of Israel, because our religion and our culture is such an important and longstanding institution that is really separate to this sort of ethnonationalist state.’ I’ve followed Einbinder on Instagram for a long time because she’s been one of the few people in Hollywood consistently using their influential voice to oppose this genocide, and it is very good that she said these things. Hopefully we see much more of this.” (09/15/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/09/15/celebrities-should-have-been-calling-out-the-gaza-holocaust-this-entire-time/
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34) Germany Versus X
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“The question is freedom of speech. Many German officials are opposed. Twitter‑X, or X, is in favor.
As Reclaim the Net summarizes the case, ‘German prosecutors are testing whether the reach of their censorship laws can outstrip the guardrails of international treaties.’ These prosecutors have been going after three X managers for alleged ‘obstruction of justice.’ This obstruction consisted of refusing to immediately give prosecutors data on users who utter government-disapproved speech.” (09/15/25)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/09/15/germany-versus-x/
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35) Lords of the Flies
Source: The Honest Courtesan
by Maggie McNeill
“White supremacists are now trying to create panic among other bigots by claiming that the ‘white’ race (by which they mean fair-skinned Caucasians) is vanishing. Actually, what’s happening is that, since the most-developed countries are largely inhabited by Europeans and their descendants, their birth rates are most subject to the birth rate decrease which is typical of highly-developed societies, and thus the number of ‘whites’ is slowly decreasing in relation to other genetic groups who inhabit portions of the globe where the birth rate is not decreasing as quickly. But the mathematical, biological, historical, and sociological ignorance in which this manufactured hysteria is rooted isn’t as bad as its philosophical imbecility.” (09/15/25)
https://maggiemcneill.com/2025/09/15/lords-of-the-flies/
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36) The WTO Exists for Times Like These; Why Not Use It?
Source: Cato Institute
by James Bacchus
“Of all the erratic tariffs imposed by President Trump, few have been so vindictive as those meted out to Brazil, which from 1 August has been subject to 50% effective tariffs. And as Brazil subsequently took its case against the US to the World Trade Organization, the question is not whether it will win or lose (it will almost certainly win), but rather: Why have dozens of other countries suffering enormously from arbitrary and illegal US tariffs not joined in the Brazilian case or brought their own cases in the WTO against the US?” (09/15/25)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/wto-exists-times-these-why-not-use-it
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37) How Will John Roberts Be Remembered? As a Democracy Destroyer
Source: Common Dreams
by Fred Wertheimer
“Chief Justice John Roberts is smart and skilled. He will be remembered, however, as a historic failure. This is not a claim to make lightly, but his record compels it, because Roberts’ legacy will be defined by two catastrophic [sic] roles he played. First, Roberts has played the lead role in destroying indispensable rules of our democracy. Second, Roberts has played the lead judicial role in serving as the handmaiden to President Trump’s efforts to turn our democracy into an autocracy. Chief Justice Roberts has taken the lead in writing a series of opinions that have destroyed essential rules governing our democracy.” [editor’s note: This is posted just to remind you how delulu the “left” pundits really are – SAT] (09/15/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/how-will-john-roberts-be-remembered-as-a-democracy-destroyercatastrophic roles he played.
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38) Do we need a treaty on neutrality?
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Naman Karl-Thomas Habtom
“In an era of widespread use of economic sanctions, dual-use technology exports, and hybrid warfare, the boundary between peacetime and wartime has become increasingly blurry. Yet understandings of neutrality remain stuck in the time of trench warfare. An updated conception of neutrality, codified through an international treaty, is necessary for global security. Neutrality in the 21st century is often whatever a country wants it to be.” (09/15/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/neutrality-treaty/
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39) The Warmonger Rebrand
Source: Liberal Currents
by Joseph Stieb
“On September 5, President Trump issued an executive order rebranding the Department of Defense as the ‘Department of War.’ The order boasted that the U.S. military is ‘the strongest and most lethal fighting force in the world’ and that this department ‘should have a name that reflects its unmatched power and readiness to protect national interests.’ He bizarrely ranted that since Congress consolidated the War Department and the Department of the Navy as the DoD in 1949 that the United States ‘never fought to win’ in the interceding wars. Oddly, Trump’s renaming has attracted support from many analysts and politicians who want a more restrained, less militarized foreign policy. They include both Buchananite nationalist conservatives, leftist commentators, and some mainstream outlets.” (09/15/25)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-warmonger-rebrand/
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40) To Protect Ukraine, Keep It out of NATO
Source: The American Conservative
by Ted Snider
“The war in Ukraine is heading to its inevitable conclusion. It may still take many months, but Russia will win the war on the battlefield, and Ukraine will be without some of its territory and without NATO membership. In such a situation, Kiev has every incentive to make a deal rather than wait for crushing defeat. There is no doubt that Ukraine will require reliable security guarantees …. While Kiev would like its security guarantee to come in the form of NATO membership, the most important guarantee of its future security is the opposite: a credible commitment from Kiev and from NATO that Ukraine will remain neutral and never join the Western alliance.” [editor’s note: Snider seems to think that if he just keeps proclaiming Russian “victory” is inevitable, it will magically come true. And there is not and never was any chance Ukraine would be allowed to join NATO – TLK] (09/15/25)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/to-protect-ukraine-keep-it-out-of-nato/
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41) What Would a No Kings Budget Look Like?
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“Democrats have now confirmed what was an open secret last week: They’re going to use their leverage in the upcoming government funding showdown, where their votes are needed to pass anything in the Senate, to ask for health care changes, in particular an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of the year. Both House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with other legislative leaders, pronounced themselves united on this, insisting that Democrats will put their imprint on the budget deal and reject any ‘clean’ stopgap funding that is negotiated without them. ‘We have broad agreement that the health of the American people should be paramount in this debate,’ Rep. Richie Neal (D-MA), the Democrats’ top member of the House Ways and Means Committee, told Politico.” (09/15/25)
https://prospect.org/politics/2025-09-15-what-would-a-no-kings-budget-look-like/
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42) The Marshall Plan for the Mind
Source: Law & Liberty
by Henry T Edmonson III
“How much did the CIA book program contribute to the fall of the Soviet Union?” (09/15/25)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/the-marshall-plan-for-the-mind/
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43) Quantum Vibe, 09/15/25
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (09/15/25)
https://www.quantumvibe.com/strip?page=2552
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44) How the Trump tariffs boomerang to hurt US winemakers
Source: Washington Post
by Kevin D Williamson
“Owning a vineyard in Napa Valley sounds fancy, but the wine business is, in reality, pretty gritty: It is a low-margin agricultural and food-processing business that is, on top of everything else, highly regulated. Now the Trump administration is threatening to make things a good deal worse by throwing a hand grenade into the U.S. wine industry’s supply chains and distribution networks in the form of tariffs that are meant, in theory, to protect domestic producers from overseas competition. Unfortunately, the wine industry doesn’t work the way Washington seems to think it does.” (09/14/25)
https://archive.is/EU533
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45) When the Preference Cascade Becomes a Flood
Source: Instapundit
by Glenn Harlan Reynolds
“I’ve written before about preference cascades — where large portions of the public, often a majority, conceal their views for fear of punishment, only to reveal those views when some precipitating event takes place. Classic examples include the fall of Communist regimes, like Ceausescu’s Romania, where even Ceausescu himself thought everyone loved him until shortly before he was stood in front of a wall and shot. Usually those happen in one direction. But in contemporary America, they’re happening in two. The murder of Charlie Kirk at the hands of a leftist gunman has revealed that many, many more Americans — and even people elsewhere around the world — supported Charlie and his views than was commonly appreciated. New Zealanders in London danced a Haka in his honor; crowds gathered all over the United States, as well as in Rome, London, Germany, and Israel.” (09/13/25)
https://instapundit.substack.com/p/when-the-preference-cascade-becomes?r=cyqk&triedRedirect=true
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46) Why Did Feds Ignore Epstein’s Financial Crime Wave?
Source: JimBovard.com
by James Bovard
“JPMorgan helped Jeffrey Epstein commit thousands of federal banking-law violations, per a bombshell New York Times report. Federal regulators perpetually ignored endless red flags of Epstein’s multimillion-dollar child-sex-trafficking operations. Federal money-laundering law requires banks to file a report for each cash transaction exceeding $10,000. Epstein was pulling out $800,000 in cash each year, ‘much of which was used to procure girls and young women,’ the Times details. Shortly after Epstein’s death in a New York prison cell, in late 2019, JPMorgan ‘filed a report with federal regulators that retroactively flagged as suspicious some 4,700 Epstein transactions — totaling more than $1.1 billion.’ … Ironically, during Epstein’s financial crime spree, the Internal Revenue Service was wreaking havoc on hapless small businesses for violating the same law.” (09/14/25)
https://jimbovard.com/blog/2025/09/14/feds-ignored-epstein-crime-wave/
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47) Corrupt “Democracy” Makes Fascism Inevitable
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“[E]ven though Donald Trump has become an unprecedented threat who needs to be stopped, his mainstream ‘resistance’ funded by neocon Never Trumpers and the neoliberal DNC need to be thrown out with him for making his reign of terror possible by being only marginally less despotic than Orange-Man-Bad while daring to call their proto-fascistic shell game woke. This has happened before. In fact, this is precisely how the original Hitler ended up in power.” (09/14/25)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2025/09/corrupt-democracy-makes-fascism.html
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48) Is the Lack of “Friction” in Our Virtual World Leading to Liberalism’s Decline?
Source: The UnPopulist
by JL Wall
“Our rapid-fire communication technologies may be overwhelming our capacity to deliberate and empathize, two new books suggest.” (09/14/25)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/is-the-lack-of-friction-in-our-virtual
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49) “Starbucks Is on the Ropes”
Source: In These Times
by Lynne Fox, SBWU President
“Starbucks’ logo, the green siren, is ubiquitous, and its 40,000 stores occupy an estimated 80 million square feet of real estate globally. But that doesn’t make the company too big to fail. The next three months will determine the future of this iconic U.S. company. Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol crossed his first anniversary in the position this week, on September 9. He was chosen to replace the previous CEO based on his reputation as a fixer amid declining sales and brand damage. At the time, he wrote this about union baristas: ’If our partners choose to be represented, I am committed to making sure we engage constructively and in good faith with the union and the partners it represents.’ One year later, Niccol is driving a ’Back to Starbucks’ turnaround strategy, implementing a dizzying number of policy and program changes.” (09/15/25)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/starbucks-union-bargaining-sbwu-strike-lynne-fox-nicchols
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50) Liberal-Anarchism
Source: Center for a Stateless Society
by Wesley Whitman
“Liberalism, properly understood, is not merely a justification for free markets or negative liberty. It is, at root, a philosophy of emancipation. Likewise, anarchism is not chaos, but the pursuit of a voluntary and non-dominating social order. When joined together and viewed through a dialectical libertarian lens, these traditions give birth to what I call liberal-anarchism.” (09/14/25)
https://c4ss.org/content/60717
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 09/15/25
Source: Reason
“To Honor Charlie Kirk, Reject Cancel Culture.” (09/15/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/09/15/to-honor-charlie-kirk-reject-cancel-culture/
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52) Conflicts of Interest, episode 837
Source: Libertarian Institute
” Israel Is Forcing Hundreds of Thousands of Palestinians to Flee Gaza City.” (09/15/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-837-israel-is-forcing-hundreds-of-thousands-of-palestinians-to-flee-gaza-city/
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53) The Mona Charen Show, 09/15/25
Source: The Bulwark
“Holly Berkley Fletcher explains the mindset of white evangelicals from a unique perspective — that of missionary kids. She was one.” (09/15/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm9HqMSk8W8
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54) Rising, 09/15/25
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave delivers radar on the assassination of Charlie Kirk.” (09/15/25)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5503519-rising-september-15-2025/
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55) Quillette Narrated, 09/15/25
Source: Quillette
“Pride and Prejudice.” (09/15/25)
https://quillette.com/2025/09/14/pride-and-prejudice-politics-activism-feminism-blm/
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56) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 09/15/25
Source: The New Republic
“Trump’s Threats Darken on Fox News as MAGA Fury over Kirk Goes Nuclear.” (09/15/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/200429/trump-threats-darken-fox-news-maga-fury-kirk-goes-nuclear
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57) EconTalk, 09/15/25
Source: EconTalk
“How Did America Build the Arsenal of Democracy? (with Brian Potter).” (09/15/25)
https://www.econtalk.org/how-did-america-build-the-arsenal-of-democracy-with-brian-potter/
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58) How to Fix It with John Avlon, 09/14/25
Source: The Bulwark
“Can Libertarians & Centrists Save Democracy?” (09/14/25)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/can-libertarians-centrists-save-democracy/id1772157676?i=1000726741661
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59) Free Talk Live, 09/14/25
Source: Free Talk Live
“Discussing all kinds of different cults :: Slavery, an opportunity? :: Martyrs are for taking away freedom :: Keene court case fighting cop corruption :: $58 million increase in government protection spending :: Is the US the best country on earth? :: Right wing cancel culture :: Rawdogging life :: Live by the sword? :: What is hatred? :: Is Trump just bringing us manufacturing jobs? :: Possible plans the US has for kicking the can down the road :: Peaceful separation is the only solution :: Lithium depletion caused Charlie Kirk shooting? :: DeFlock.me :: 2025-09-14 Hosts: Bonnie, Angelo, Riley.” (09/14/25)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/ftl2025-09-14
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60) Jason Jones on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Scott brings Jason Jones of the Vulnerable People Project on the show to discuss his organization’s effort to help the civilians bearing the brunt of the Israeli government’s violence in Gaza.” (09/14/25)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/9-12-25-jason-jones-on-the-reality-of-bringing-aid-to-the-people-of-gaza/
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