Groups keyboard shortcuts have been updated
Dismiss
See shortcuts
05/08 -- Ukraine's cities quiet as Kremlin-sponsored ceasefire kicks in; Trump Is a Socialist
5 views
Skip to first unread message
Thomas L. Knapp
May 8, 2025, 6:28:25 AMMay 8
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 05/08/25
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Presented by the Liberty International
https://liberty-intl.org/
Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
https://news.rationalreview.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's Freedom News:
1) Ukraine’s cities quiet as Kremlin-sponsored ceasefire kicks in
2) Vatican: Cardinals to begin second day of voting for new pope
3) Federal Reserve holds key interest rate steady amid economic uncertainty
4) Gabbard whines over leak of order to spy on Greenland
5) AZ: Hobbs signs bill to create Bitcoin reserve days after vetoing other cryptocurrency legislation
6) Six European regimes reject “any demographic or territorial change” in Gaza
7) Appeals court orders abducted Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk returned to Vermont
8) WeightWatchers files for bankruptcy as Americans embrace weight loss drugs
9) NASA, in surprise shift, may launch rockets to Mars next year
10) Russia: Regime says 60,000 air passengers stranded after Ukrainian drone attacks
11) EU eyes tariffs on Boeing jets in retaliation plan
12) ICE Barbie blinks on upgraded police state internal passport scheme at US airports
13) Kennedy launches autism project using Medicare and Medicaid data
14) Slovakia: Fico rejects EU plan to halt Russian natural gas imports by the end of 2027
15) DC: ICE thugs raid restaurant belonging to husband of CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell
16) SCOTUS Backs Trump’s Ban on Transgender Troops
17) Regime comes up with new attempt to justify Abrego Garcia deportation
18) Palestine: Israeli attacks kill at least 31
19) TN: Three murdering Memphis cops skate on state charges
20) WA: Burglary suspect shot after break-in attempts at apartment complex
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Trump Is a Socialist
22) Three-Dimensional Trade Chess, Explained
23) No one should violate individual rights
24) Trump’s Foreign Film Tariffs Could Stick Us With Nothing but Disney Movies
25) Exit and Voice
26) Israel Really Is As Evil As It Looks
27) State Schools: Bad Then, Worse Now
28) Manufacturing and Trade
29) Pete Hegseth: Offense at the Defense Department
30) Political Power as Pathology
31) Syrians learning to bend and blend
32) Donald Trump’s Information Warfare Against America
33) The Wealthy Don’t Leave When States Soak the Rich, But It Does Raise Revenue [sic]
34) Consensus of the Conclave
35) Old as the Hills
36) Behold, the artful dealmaker Trump working his magic on Putin
37) Why DOJ must bring the hammer down on every corrupt Soros prosecutor
38) Moldbug Sold Out
39) GAO: Pentagon will likely fail audits through 2028
40) Donald Trump Versus Cheating Penguins
41) What’s Behind Trump’s Decision to Cease Bombing Yemen?
42) Poland’s Trump Conundrum — and Vice Versa
43) Trump Interview Puts Iran Negotiations in Jeopardy
44) Am I Rational?
45) Joe Biden’s Decline: The Inside Story and the Outside Story
46) Yet Another Federal Court Rules Against Trump in an Alien Enemies Act Case
47) The Marxist Owner of the American Store?
48) Power Outage, Inner Power
49) Medicaid Cuts in Republican Bill Would Charge Poor People More for Coverage
50) An End to the Bombing in Yemen?
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Interview: Steven Pinker
52) The Good Fight, 05/07/25
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 795
54) The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent, 05/07/25
55) How To Fix The Internet, 05/07/25
56) The Political Orphanage, 05/07/25
57) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 05/07/25
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/06/25
59) Nonzero, 05/06/25
60) Politics Politics Politics, 05/06/25
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
ONE IDENTITY FOR ALL YOUR CRYPTO
https://fioprotocol.io/
SAMUEL EDWARD KONKIN III REVOLUTIONARY FRIEND BY WENDY MCELROY
https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Edward-Konkin-Revolutionary-Friend-ebook/dp/B0DP7B6127
SHOP ONLINE, COLLECT A REBATE IN BITCOIN!
https://www.lolli.com/share/MZB4cCpheL
THE CONSTITUTION OF NON-STATE GOVERNMENT: FIELD GUIDE TO TEXAS SECESSION, by TL Hulsey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1947660853
Tyranny Demands AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE: A NOVEL BY ERNE LEWIS
https://tinyurl.com/actofselfdefense
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Ukraine’s cities quiet as Kremlin-sponsored ceasefire kicks in
Source: Reuters
“A three-day ceasefire declared by Russia came into effect on Thursday morning with skies over Ukraine’s major cities quiet, in a change from successive nights of heavy attacks by Russian drones and ballistic missiles. However, a Ukrainian military spokesman told Reuters that Russian troops had continued to conduct assaults in several areas on the eastern front. The air force said Russian aircraft had launched guided bombs on the Sumy region of northern Ukraine three times. But the air force also said there had been no Russian missiles or drones in Ukrainian airspace since the Kremlin-sponsored ceasefire kicked in. There was no word on damage and Reuters could not independently verify the reports of attacks.” (05/08/25)
https://archive.is/osg8H
-----
2) Vatican: Cardinals to begin second day of voting for new pope
Source: ABC News
“One hundred thirty three cardinals will gather again on Thursday under the vaulted ceilings of the Sistine Chapel, which are decorated with Michelangelo’s frescoes, including ‘The Creation of Adam,’ where they’ll cast their second set of ballots to make one among them the next leader of the Catholic Church’s more than 1 billion members worldwide. A successful candidate to replace Pope Francis, who died April 21, will require a two-thirds majority of the voting cardinals. The first ballot on Wednesday failed, resulting in a plume of black smoke — fumata nera in Italian — from the chapel’s chimney. White smoke — fumata bianca — will signify that a new pope has been elected, as will the ringing of the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica.” (05/08/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/papal-conclave-live-updates-cardinals-gather-vatican-elect/?id=121506573
-----
3) Federal Reserve holds key interest rate steady amid economic uncertainty
Source: Fox Business
“The Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced that it will leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged as policymakers continue to monitor inflation and the labor market amid elevated levels of economic uncertainty. The central bank’s decision leaves the benchmark federal funds rate at a range of 4.25% to 4.5%. It comes after the Fed left rates at that level at its two previous meetings in January and March, which followed three consecutive rate cuts at its preceding meetings – which involved a 50-basis-point cut in September and a pair of 25-basis-point reductions in November and December.” (05/07/25)
https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/federal-reserve-interest-rate-decision-may-2025
-----
4) Gabbard whines over leak of order to spy on Greenland
Source: Raw Story
“Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is hitting back at the Wall Street Journal after they published an exclusive report claiming the U.S. has ordered its intelligence agencies to ‘step up spying on Greenland.’ In a statement to the outlet, Gabbard said, ‘The Wall Street Journal should be ashamed of aiding deep state actors who seek to undermine the President by politicizing and leaking classified information. They are breaking the law and undermining our nation’s security and democracy.’ The journal quoted multiple sources in their report. … Since his first term, President Donald Trump has emphasized his determination to purchase, annex, or conquer Greenland.” (05/07/25)
https://www.rawstory.com/greenland-2671906461/
-----
5) AZ: Hobbs signs bill to create Bitcoin reserve days after vetoing other cryptocurrency legislation
Source: KGUN 9 News
“Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed House Bill 2749 into law on Wednesday, establishing a state-managed Bitcoin and Digital Assets Reserve Fund that will hold unclaimed digital assets and staking rewards — five days after she vetoed a separate cryptocurrency bill. With the signing, Arizona becomes the second state in the U.S. to create a formal framework for holding digital assets.” (05/07/25)
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/gov-katie-hobbs-signs-bill-to-create-bitcoin-reserve-days-after-vetoing-other-crypto-legislation
-----
6) Six European regimes reject “any demographic or territorial change” in Gaza
Source: Times of Israel [Palestine]
“Six European countries say that they ‘firmly reject any demographic or territorial change in Gaza’ after Israel announced plans to expand its military offensive in the Strip. Israel’s plan ‘would mark a new and dangerous escalation’ in the war, the foreign ministers of Spain, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway and Slovenia say in a joint statement. The foreign ministers, who apart from Luxembourg represent countries that have recognized a Palestinian state, say the plans would ‘cross another line’ and ‘endanger any perspective of a viable two-state solution’ to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” (06/07/25)
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/six-european-nations-reject-any-demographic-or-territorial-change-in-gaza/
-----
7) Appeals court orders abducted Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk returned to Vermont
Source: The Hill
“A federal appeals court panel Wednesday denied the Trump administration’s request to lift a judge’s order to physically transfer a[n abducted] international Tufts University student from Louisiana to Vermont. The administration has swiftly moved foreign-born students it wants to deport to Louisiana, which would route their legal challenges through more friendly judicial venues. Within hours of plainclothes officers [abducting] Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish national and Tufts student who co-authored a pro-Palestinian op-ed in her student newspaper, on March 25 near her Somerville, Mass., home, authorities had moved her to Vermont and then Louisiana. … The new order sets a May 14 deadline for the government to return Öztürk to Vermont, where she will remain in custody, for now. A bail hearing is set for Friday.” (05/07/25)
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5287510-appeals-court-detained-tufts-student-rumeysa-ozturk-vermont-louisiana/
-----
8) WeightWatchers files for bankruptcy as Americans embrace weight loss drugs
Source: CBS News
“WeightWatchers has filed for bankruptcy as more Americans turn to weight loss drugs to slim down. The 62-year-old weight loss program’s parent company, WW International, announced Tuesday that it aims to eliminate $1.1 billion in debt as part of the Chapter 11 filing and to focus on expanding its fledgling telehealth business. Services to WeightWatchers customers will continue uninterrupted, the company said. … WeightWatchers said it expects to complete the reorganization in 40 days and emerge as a publicly traded company.” (05/07/25)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/weightwatchers-bankruptcy-ozempic-weight-loss-drugs/
-----
9) NASA, in surprise shift, may launch rockets to Mars next year
Source: Politico
“NASA is considering launching rockets to Mars next year, a major shift in priorities that could boost the fortunes of Elon Musk’s space company and speed up the timeline for astronauts to reach the red planet. The sudden switch follows the release of the White House’s 2026 budget proposal, which would increase funding for Mars-related projects by $1 billion and pay for the launches. It also signals the Trump’s administration’s intentions to prioritize sending people to Mars. … Congress may buck Trump and refuse to approve the funding in his budget request, especially if lawmakers worry the effort will delay lunar plans. The White House’s budget proposal also cancels the Gateway lunar space station program, which many senators support.” (05/07/25)
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/07/nasa-mars-rocket-launch-00331694
-----
10) Russia: Regime says 60,000 air passengers stranded after Ukrainian drone attacks
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“At least 60,000 passengers have been stranded at airports across Russia because of a massive Ukrainian drone attack, local officials say. Russia’s Association of tour operators (Ator) says 350 flights have been affected since Tuesday evening in Moscow, St Petersburg, Sochi and several other cities. The Russian defence ministry says 524 Ukrainian drones were destroyed in the past 24 hours — a record number if confirmed. No casualties were reported. Ukraine says an overnight Russian drone and missile attack killed two people in Kyiv. The barrage of strikes came as a self-declared Russian three-day ceasefire was set to begin on Wednesday night, ahead of a World War Two victory parade in Moscow on 9 May. Kyiv has repeatedly rejected the truce idea as ‘theatrical play,’ reiterating its call for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, which is also supported by Ukraine’s allies in Europe and the US.” (05/07/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2dedjn3px3o
-----
11) EU eyes tariffs on Boeing jets in retaliation plan
Source: Financial Times [UK]
“Brussels intends to propose tariffs on Boeing aircraft as it prepares further retaliation in the event that trade talks with Washington fail. The European Commission, which runs EU trade policy, will include civilian aircraft on a list of about €100bn of annual US imports to be targeted, according to two people familiar with the matter. But the measures would only take effect if the EU does not make sufficient progress in reducing US tariffs, they said. The measures must first be approved by a weighted majority of member states.” (05/07/25)
https://archive.is/f4bCt
-----
12) ICE Barbie blinks on upgraded police state internal passport scheme at US airports
Source: New York Times
“Travelers who don’t have a Real ID, passport or other federally recognized document will face additional security screening at U.S. airports on Wednesday but will still be able to fly, Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, said on Tuesday. Her comments reiterated the department’s previous guidance to travelers, as a federal deadline to enforce the Real ID law approaches on Wednesday. In addition to a star-emblazoned Real ID, other forms of acceptable identification include a U.S. passport, a Global Entry card, a Department of Defense ID or a permanent resident card, according to the Transportation Security Administration. If travelers don’t have one of those forms of identification at airport checkpoints on Wednesday, ‘they may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step, but people will be allowed to fly,’ Ms. Noem told House members at a hearing on Tuesday.” (05/06/25)
https://archive.is/d3eZ5
-----
13) Kennedy launches autism project using Medicare and Medicaid data
Source: Reuters
“Federal health agencies will create a database of autism patients enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid that researchers will use to study the causes of autism spectrum disorder, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr said on Wednesday. ‘We’re pulling back the curtain, with full transparency and accountability, to deliver the honest answers families have waited far too long to hear,’ Kennedy, who has long promoted a debunked link between vaccines and autism, said in a statement. The department said the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will partner to build a real-world data platform enabling advanced research across claims data, electronic medical records, and wearable health-monitoring devices. The project is part of a wider $50 million research effort Kennedy is launching to identify the causes of autism, which he characterizes as an epidemic that can be prevented.” (05/07/25)
https://archive.is/8bYPi
-----
14) Slovakia: Fico rejects EU plan to halt Russian natural gas imports by the end of 2027
Source: ABC News
“Slovakia’s populist leader on Wednesday blasted a European Union plan to halt imports of Russian natural gas by the end of 2027 to deprive President Vladimir Putin of revenue that helps fuel the war in Ukraine. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, will present a detailed plan next month. It will seek to ban new gas contracts with Russia by the end of this year and phase out existing ones still in use in the 27-nation EU by the end of 2027. Prime Minister Robert Fico said that the plan is ‘absolutely unacceptable’ for Slovakia. He said that his government was ready to veto it and all Slovak representatives involved in the negotiations on the EU level would work to stop it.” (05/07/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/slovakias-leader-rejects-eu-plan-halt-russian-natural-121548787
-----
15) DC: ICE thugs raid restaurant belonging to husband of CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell
Source: Fox News
“The restaurant belonging to the husband of CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell was raided by ICE on Tuesday. A local D.C. Fox affiliate reported that ICE agents went into ‘Chef Geoff’s’ restaurant in D.C. that morning and asked to see staff members’ I-9 forms proving they are legally allowed to work in the U.S. The visit reportedly sent staff into ‘a panic.’ ‘Chef Geoff’s’ is owned by Geoff Tracy, who is married to the longtime CBS News anchor and correspondent. According to Fox 5, ‘Nearly a dozen law enforcement and immigration officials wearing DHS uniforms’ went into the restaurant located on New Mexico Avenue, Northwest. The agents were at Tracy’s restaurant for around 90 minutes, though no one was taken into custody.” (05/07/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/media/ice-agents-raid-dc-restaurant-belonging-husband-cbs-news-anchor-norah-odonnell
-----
16) SCOTUS Backs Trump’s Ban on Transgender Troops
Source: Time
“The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Trump’s trangender military ban can be enforced while legal challenges proceed, effectively barring trans servicemembers from serving in the military. The 6-3 decision overturned the injunction issued by a U.S. District Court, which prevented the policy from taking place. In January, Trump signed an Executive Order entitled ‘Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,’ saying that transgender troops did not meet the standard required of the armed forces, and directed the Department of Defense to enact a ban.” (05/06/25)
https://time.com/7283244/trump-military-transgender-ban-supreme-court/
-----
17) Regime comes up with new attempt to justify Abrego Garcia deportation
Source: New York Post
“Accused MS-13 gangbanger Kilmar Abrego Garcia allegedly worked as a ‘taxi service’ for a convicted human smuggler to transport illegal [sic] migrants from Texas to various locations across the United States, according to a report. Jose Ramon Hernandez-Reyes, who was convicted of smuggling illegal [sic] migrants in 2020, told federal investigators that he previously operated a smuggling service based in Baltimore — and hired Abrego Garcia ‘on multiple occasions’ to transport border crossers across the country, ABC News reported. The Department of Justice sent federal agents to a prison in Talladega, Alabama, late last month to question Hernandez-Reyes, 38, about Abrego Garcia, the alleged gangbanger at the center of a high-profile court battle over his mistaken deportation from Maryland to El Salvador by the Trump administration.” (05/07/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/05/07/us-news/kilmar-abrego-garcia-was-allegedly-hired-by-a-convicted-human-smuggler-to-transport-illegal-migrants/
-----
18) Palestine: Israeli attacks kill at least 31
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 31 people as its more than two-month blockade of the besieged and bombarded enclave has caused acute food shortages, accelerating the starvation of the Palestinian population. … While Israel announced that a new, more intense military offensive would begin in Gaza unless a ceasefire deal was signed, Hamas said talks were pointless.” (05/07/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/7/israeli-attacks-kill-at-least-16-as-gaza-blockade-accelerates-starvation
-----
19) TN: Three murdering Memphis cops skate on state charges
Source: SFGate
“Three former Memphis officers were acquitted Wednesday of state charges, including second-degree murder, in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols after he ran away from a traffic stop in 2023. A jury, which appeared to be all white, took about 8 1/2 hours over two days to find Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith not guilty on all charges after a nine-day trial in state court in Memphis. After the jury’s verdict was read, the defendants hugged their lawyers as relatives of the former officers cried. One relative yelled, ‘Thank you, Jesus!’ The three defendants still face the prospect of years in prison after they were convicted of federal charges last year, though they were acquitted of the most serious charges then, too.” (05/07/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/jury-deliberates-for-2nd-day-in-trial-of-3-former-20315058.php
-----
20) WA: Burglary suspect shot after break-in attempts at apartment complex
Source: Seattle Medium
“In the early hours of Friday morning, a burglary suspect was shot after reportedly breaking into a Seattle apartment building and attempting to force his way into several units. … Upon their arrival, officers discovered a 28-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper leg. … The investigation led officers to a third-floor apartment, where they spoke with a 31-year-old man, his wife, and their 2-year-old child, who provided crucial details about the incident. According to the family, the suspect had forcefully broken through an exterior door and attempted to enter multiple apartments before reaching their own. They recounted how the suspect began shouting and kicking their door in an aggressive manner. The father of the family reported that he issued several warnings to the intruder prior to the suspect breaching their door. In a moment of self-defense, the father fired a single shot through the door, hitting the suspect in the leg.” (05/06/25)
https://seattlemedium.com/seattle-burglary-shooting/
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Trump Is a Socialist
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson
“Donald Trump is a socialist. When I write ‘socialist,’ I do not use the word the way most right-leaning commentators use it, meaning: ‘bad.’ … The thing about socialism is, it stays socialism — whether you like socialism or dislike it. It is a word that means something, and what it means isn’t every dumb thing you don’t like …. Trump can’t put names to faces for half of the people who work directly for him and invents imaginary countries from time to time. But, somehow, he knows what imported bananas from country X absolutely should cost relative to those from country Y — because neither a sparrow nor a drop of rain in Ecuador falls without his knowledge. Yeah. Donald Trump’s vision of the economy is classic socialism.” (05/07/25)
https://thedispatch.com/article/trump-macys-socialism-nationalism/
-----
22) Three-Dimensional Trade Chess, Explained
Source: The Daily Economy
by Michael Munger
“Supporters of tariffs claim that mainstream economists don’t understand the game. This ‘game’ has been described by Peter Navarro as three-dimensional chess. I want to take that claim at face value, break down its dimensions, and then evaluate whether Trump’s actions are likely to lead to his desired outcomes. And the answer is ‘no,’ because the administration is playing three quite different, inconsistent games all at once. That isn’t a strategy at all; rather, it’s a scheme for certain failure.” (05/07/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/three-dimensional-trade-chess-explained/
-----
23) No one should violate individual rights
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“Nothing that violates individual rights is good for society, since society is made up of individuals no one has a right to violate. It’s not that you have a right to free speech; it’s that no one has a right to censor you. The flipside is that you have no right to force anyone to publish your words. … No one has a right to dictate what others believe or what religion they practice. On the other hand, no one has a right to violate the life, liberty, or property of another using religion as justification. This includes the religious belief in government authority, which is the most prevalent cult in the world, frequently practiced even by those who follow another religion.” (05/07/25)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2025/05/07/voices/opinion-no-one-should-violate-individual-rights/230781.html
-----
24) Trump’s Foreign Film Tariffs Could Stick Us With Nothing but Disney Movies
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“Tariffs on movies produced overseas might drive Hollywood to film more intensively in the United States, but it also makes it more difficult and expensive for American audiences to see movies made by foreign companies. Films from South Korea, India, Europe, and elsewhere compete with the U.S. film industry in terms of culture, ideas, and sometimes politics. Tariffs on overseas productions could effectively trap us with the products of Hollywood and reduce its need to adjust to the tastes of the viewing public.” (05/07/25)
https://reason.com/2025/05/07/trumps-foreign-film-tariffs-could-stick-us-with-nothing-but-disney-movies/
-----
25) Exit and Voice
Source: Center for a Stateless Society
by Kevin Carson
“Mainstream right-libertarianism has a long history of tending to prioritize what Albert O. Hirschman called ‘exit’ (i.e., the ability to escape governance through relocation or circumvention) over ‘voice’ (having a say in the governance process that one lives under). Now, there’s nothing wrong with the notion of exit as such. Under an oppressive state, as Charles Johnson pointed out, there are frequently fewer transaction costs entailed in circumventing a harmful or disagreeable policy than in changing it through the political process. And left-libertarian — anarchist or libertarian socialist — visions of an ideal free society generally entail a healthy mixture of voice and exit. The optimal mixture is to facilitate permissionless coordination wherever possible, through horizontal or stigmergic organization, while guaranteeing that, in all cases where some agreed-upon policy is required, the decision be made democratically.” (05/07/25)
https://c4ss.org/content/60390
-----
26) Israel Really Is As Evil As It Looks
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Israeli snipers routinely, deliberately shoot children in the head throughout the Gaza Strip. Israel created an AI system for the IDF to target suspected Hamas fighters when they go home to their families and mockingly called it ‘Where’s Daddy?,’ because they are killing the fighters’ children. Israel has targeted healthcare facilities and ambulances in Gaza hundreds upon hundreds of times. They’ve been documented entering the hospitals they attack and systematically destroying individual pieces of medical equipment in order to make them unusable. IDF soldiers constantly post photos and videos to their social media accounts showing themselves mockingly dressing in the clothes of dead and displaced Palestinian women and playing with the toys of dead and displaced Palestinian children.” (05/07/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/05/07/israel-really-is-as-evil-as-it-looks/
-----
27) State Schools: Bad Then, Worse Now
Source: Libertarian Institute
by John Weeks
“On April 20, President Donald Trump dropped another executive order: Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities has been received by both supporters and critics as aiming at the complete elimination of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). Now, look, if you love your children (which of course you do), then the best thing you can do is take executive control of their education. You could directly educate them. You could hire tutors. You could enroll them in a private school and supplement their acquisition of knowledge. You could join an agrarian commune where humble folk till the soil and collectively edify their young beneath the towering mansion of the commune’s ruling elite. You’ve got options. But whatever you do, absolutely do not send them to a government school.” (05/07/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/state-schools-bad-then-worse-now
-----
28) Manufacturing and Trade
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Alex Tabarrok
“The US Dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency confers significant financial and economic advantages that, in the long run, do not meaningfully erode the US’s manufacturing base.” (05/07/25)
https://fee.org/articles/manufacturing-and-trade/
-----
29) Pete Hegseth: Offense at the Defense Department
Source: Common Dreams
by Tom Gallagher
“Isn’t the most remarkable (and least remarked-upon) aspect of the Pete Hegseth Defense Department reality show the fact that no one has appeared worried that the nation’s security might actually be threatened by this? That no one has seemed particularly concerned about any danger resulting from the vast U.S. military arsenal ostensibly being placed in the hands of someone who had obviously not read the job manual? But then why would they? Did anyone seriously think China’s Ministry of State Security was dashing off memos advising the country’s leaders to invade the United States because control of its armed forces had somehow fallen into inept hands? Or that something like that was going on in Russia … or Denmark … or Canada … or any other of our enemies, old or new? Apparently not.” (05/07/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/pete-hegseth-offense
-----
30) Political Power as Pathology
Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders
“If political power is the problem and almost never the solution, we need to reframe our thinking through the way we talk about it.” (05/07/25)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/political-power-as-pathology
-----
31) Syrians learning to bend and blend
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“Five months after their liberation from a dictatorship, most Syrians seem glad for one thing. Their country, despite predictions of it splintering into religious and ethnic parts, is still a country. For half a century, the authoritarian Assad family justified its harsh rule as the only way to keep a diverse Syria intact. Yes, Israel has now taken control of chunks of Syrian territory. Other powers from Iran to Turkey to Russia want to direct the future of this pivotal Middle East nation toward their own interests. And twice in the last two months, serious violence by the country’s dominant Sunni Muslim Arabs has erupted against two minorities, the Druze and the Alawites. Still, ‘If we look at the full picture,’ Syria analyst Ghassan Ibrahim told Arab News, the absence of large-scale sectarian violence since the Dec. 8 liberation is ‘something promising, but requires a lot of work.'” (05/07/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/0507/Syrians-learn-to-bend-and-blend
-----
32) Donald Trump’s Information Warfare Against America
Source: The Bulwark
by Jill Lawrence
“I am such a geek that I remember when Barack Obama made a splash by liberating reams of government data so Americans could use it to do things like compare colleges and start businesses. It was 2013 and talk of a catchy ‘abundance agenda’ was not even a glimmer in anyone’s eye. Instead, Obama signed an executive order called ‘Making Open and Machine Readable the New Default for Government Information.’ Way to go viral, guys. … This was a relatively obscure moment. I probably wouldn’t remember it at all, except for the contrast with Donald Trump’s first term, when government data became unreliable and sometimes disappeared completely. Now, in his second presidency, it’s a major obsession for me and many others.” (05/07/25)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/donald-trump-information-warfare-privacy-federal-data
-----
33) The Wealthy Don’t Leave When States Soak the Rich, But It Does Raise Revenue [sic]
Source: Inequality.org
by Omar Ocampo
“Increasing taxes on high income earners helped raise revenue without hampering the wealth of the millionaire class in Massachusetts and Washington, according to a new policy brief from the Institute for Policy Studies and State Revenue Alliance. A common counter to raising taxes on the rich is that they will simply flee their home states to jurisdictions with friendlier tax codes. While some tax migration is inevitable, the wealthy that move to avoid taxes represent a tiny percentage of their own social class. The top one percent are incentivized not to move because of family, social networks and local business knowledge. Our findings support the case against tax flight: The number of individuals with a net worth of at least seven-figures continued to expand in both Massachusetts and Washington after tax hikes.” (05/07/25)
https://inequality.org/article/millionaires-dont-flee-states-over-higher-taxes/
-----
34) Consensus of the Conclave
Source: Law & Liberty
by John O McGinnis
“Few elections command as much fascination as the secret conclave of cardinals gathering this week to choose the next pope. Catholics trust that the Holy Spirit guides this decision, yet the outcome still depends on carefully forged human rules. Chief among them is the centuries-old mandate that no candidate may be elected without winning the support of at least two-thirds of the electors. A mere majority does not suffice. The history and function of this rule are both intriguing and revealing. The dynamics of a papal election are not comprehensible without understanding the rule. It also illustrates important truths about supermajoritarianism, which has a prominent place in secular politics, particularly in America’s own Constitution.” (05/07/25)
https://lawliberty.org/consensus-of-the-conclave/
-----
35) Old as the Hills
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“‘I’ll give up power when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.’ This is the operative principle for today’s politicians.” (05/07/25)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/05/07/old-as-the-hills/
-----
36) Behold, the artful dealmaker Trump working his magic on Putin
Source: Washington Post
by George F Will
“So this is ‘the art of the deal.’ The author of the book with that title is illustrating the subtleties of dealmaking in negotiations about Ukraine. First, flatter the person with whom you are negotiating, calling him a ‘genius,’ ‘savvy’ and ‘very smart.’ Disregard Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1940 warning that ‘no man can tame a tiger into a kitten by stroking it.’ … Second, emphasize that your diplomacy is uninfected by normative judgments about the origins of the conflict. … Third, signal eagerness to end the conflict. You can do this, as Trump did, by vowing to end it ‘before I even take office,’ or ‘on day one,’ or ‘within 24 hours,’ whichever comes first. … Seventh, streamline the negotiations by eliminating contentious topics that require negotiating.” (05/07/25)
https://archive.is/uZfdV
-----
37) Why DOJ must bring the hammer down on every corrupt Soros prosecutor
Source: New York Post
by staff
“Attorney General Pam Bondi and Justice Department civil rights chief Harmeet Dhillon just put one ‘Soros DA’ on warning; let’s hope they keep it up. The target: Hennepin County, Minn., District Attorney Mary Moriarty’s directive seemingly ordering up selective prosecutions, according to race. Sounds too crazy to be true, but the woke warrior copped to it in (so to speak) black and white: Her so-called ‘Negotiations Policy for Cases Involving Adult Defendants’ says ‘racial identity … should be part of the overall analysis,’ and prosecutors ‘should be identifying and addressing racial disparities at decision points, as appropriate.’ In other words, a literal two-tiered justice system based on skin color, with whites and Asians presumably getting the short end of the stick.” (05/07/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/05/07/opinion/why-justice-must-bring-the-hammer-down-on-every-corrupt-soros-prosecutor/
-----
38) Moldbug Sold Out
Source: Astral Codex Ten
“Cathy Young’s new hit piece on Curtis Yarvin (aka Mencius Moldbug) doesn’t mince words. Titled The Blogger Who Hates America, it describes him as an ‘inept,’ ‘not exactly coherent’ ‘trollish, ill-informed pseudo-intellectual’ notable for his ‘woefully superficial knowledge and utter ignorance.’ Yarvin’s fans counter that if you look deeper, he has good responses to Young’s objections …. Both sides are right. The synthesis is that Moldbug sold out. In the late 2000s, Moldbug wrote some genuinely interesting speculations on novel sci-fi variants of autocracy. … Then in the late 2010s, he caught his first whiff of actual power and dropped it all like a hot potato. The MAGA movement was exactly what 2000s Moldbug feared most …. But in the hope of winning a temporary political victory, he let them wear him as a skinsuit — giving their normal, boring autocratic tendencies the mystique of the cool, edgy, all-vulnerabilities-patched autocracy he foretold in his manifestos.” (05/07/25)
https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/moldbug-sold-out
-----
39) GAO: Pentagon will likely fail audits through 2028
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Aaron Sobczak
“DOD has failed every audit since it was legally required to submit to one each year beginning in 2018. In fact, the Pentagon is the only one of 24 federal agencies that has not been able to pass an unmodified financial audit since the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990. For more than two decades, the GAO has given over 100 recommendations on how the Pentagon can fix its financial weaknesses. Most cases are still open, with no progress satisfied other than a ‘leadership commitment.’ Additionally, many of the thousands of identified deficiencies found in its 2018 audit remain outstanding.” (05/07/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/department-of-defense-audit-failures/
-----
40) Donald Trump Versus Cheating Penguins
Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker
“Way back on his April 2 ‘Liberation Day,’ (it feels like a long time ago), Donald Trump released a set of ‘reciprocal’ tariffs. These tariffs bore no obvious relationship to the tariffs or other trade barriers that other countries impose on our exports to them. … someone noted a 10 percent tariff on imports from the Heard and McDonald Islands. The key problem with this tariff is that the islands are uninhabited except by penguins and other wildlife. The fact that Trump could come up with a schedule of tariffs that ostensibly took weeks of preparation and still include a set of uninhabited islands showed the ineptitude of his economic team in dealing with the issue that is most important to Trump. But even worse than this blunder was the fact that they couldn’t acknowledge the obvious mistake.” (05/07/25)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/05/07/donald-trump-versus-cheating-penguins/
-----
41) What’s Behind Trump’s Decision to Cease Bombing Yemen?
Source: Informed Comment
by Juan Cole
“Middle East Eye reports that Saudi Arabia pressured the Trump administration to cease bombing Yemen in advance of his planned trip to the Kingdom next week because such raids would be an embarrassment for him and his host. U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he was convinced that the Houthis were sincere in their new pledge to cease targeting shipping in the Red Sea. The subtext here is that people in the region believe the U.S. is bombing an Arab country on behalf of Israeli shipping in the Red Sea and to protect Israel from repercussions for its Gaza genocide. Attacking the Houthis, who are not otherwise popular, on these grounds while Trump is in Riyadh would make it look like Saudi Arabia is also running interference for the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.” (05/07/25)
https://www.juancole.com/2025/05/bombing-reportedly-pressure.html
-----
42) Poland’s Trump Conundrum — and Vice Versa
Source: Washington Monthly
by Tamar Jacoby
“Warsaw needs the U.S. even more than it hates and fears Russia. The U.S. president wants more European military spending, but when allies like Warsaw become stronger, they become more independent.” (05/07/25)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/05/07/polands-trump-conundrum-and-vice-versa/
-----
43) Trump Interview Puts Iran Negotiations in Jeopardy
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ted Snider
“U.S. President Donald Trump has consistently said that negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program are limited to preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon: ‘You know, it’s not a complicated formula. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.’ But in an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, when the interviewer asked Trump, ‘Is the goal of these talks limiting Iran’s nuclear program or total dismantlement?’ Trump answered, ‘Total disarmament.'” (05/07/25)
https://original.antiwar.com/ted_snider/2025/05/06/trump-interview-puts-iran-negotiations-in-jeopardy/
-----
44) Am I Rational?
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“The central assumption of economics is that individuals are rational, have objectives and tend to take the actions that best achieve them. For that assumption to be useful one must add to it restrictions on what those objectives might be, since if one is completely agnostic on the subject any possible behavior can be explained by assuming a suitable objective. Since we have a good deal of information on what humans value, both by introspection and by observing other humans, we can deduce from the rationality assumption a good deal about what humans will do. … The individual about whom I have most information is myself, which makes it interesting to see how consistent the rationality assumption is with my behavior.” (05/06/25)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/am-i-rational
-----
45) Joe Biden’s Decline: The Inside Story and the Outside Story
Source: Town Hall
by Byron York
“We’ve gotten a new tidbit of information about efforts by the Biden White House and some in the press to cover up President Joe Biden’s age-related infirmity. It comes from a new book, 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America, by reporters Tyler Pager, Josh Dawsey and Isaac Arnsdorf of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, respectively. The authors report that ‘top White House aides debated having [Biden] undergo a cognitive test to prove his fitness for a second term but ultimately decided against the move,’ according to a report on the book in the New York Times. The revelation is the latest in a series of news nuggets about the 82-year-old Biden’s senescence — stories like White House aides putting tape on the floor so that Biden wouldn’t wander off course — that have been included in new books about the 2024 election.” (05/07/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/byronyork/2025/05/07/columnistsbyronyork20250506joe-bidens-decline-the-inside-story-and-the-outside-story-n2656654
-----
46) Yet Another Federal Court Rules Against Trump in an Alien Enemies Act Case
Source: The Volokh Conspiracy
by Ilya Somin
“The Southern District of New York rules Trump invoked the Act illegally, because there is no ‘invasion’ or ‘predatory incursion.'” (05/06/25)
https://reason.com/volokh/2025/05/06/yet-another-federal-court-rules-against-trump-in-an-alien-enemies-act-case/
-----
47) The Marxist Owner of the American Store?
Source: EconLog
by Pierre Lemieux
“Barack Obama’s notorious admonishment to business owners that ‘you didn’t build that’ was bad enough, but a recent statement by Donald Trump is even more collectivist: he claims he owns the store.” (05/06/25)
https://www.econlib.org/the-owner-of-the-american-store/
-----
48) Power Outage, Inner Power
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Jordi Pigem
“April 28th will be remembered as the largest blackout (so far) in European history. Power went down in the whole of continental Spain and Portugal, taking more than 20 hours to come back in some areas. It has been blamed on technical causes, although the Audiencia Nacional (National High Court) has opened an investigation for possible cyberattack. Whatever the cause, however, we can see it as a symptom of something deeper and more far-reaching.” (05/06/25)
https://brownstone.org/articles/power-outage-inner-power/
-----
49) Medicaid Cuts in Republican Bill Would Charge Poor People More for Coverage
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“Medicaid recipients with earnings at or above the federal poverty line would have to pay significant out-of-pocket expenses for their health care coverage, and work requirements would be placed on the program, according to a menu of items in the emerging Republican budget reconciliation proposal seen by the Prospect. The Medicaid cuts, part of the giant tax and spending package Republicans are readying using the reconciliation process to avoid a Senate filibuster, would also roll back Biden-era rules that improved staffing at nursing homes. And they would alter a number of eligibility and enrollment provisions that would make Medicaid harder to navigate for its 71 million-plus enrollees, a common tactic to reduce enrollment.” (05/07/25)
https://prospect.org/health/2025-05-07-medicaid-cuts-in-republican-bill-would-charge-poor-people/
-----
50) An End to the Bombing in Yemen?
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“If this is the end of the campaign, it just drives home how stupid and unnecessary it all was.” (05/06/25)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/an-end-to-the-bombing-in-yemen
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Interview: Steven Pinker
Source: Reason
“The Harvard psychologist discusses recent gains for free speech at Harvard, growing political and ideological threats to academic freedom, and the importance of shared knowledge in sustaining truth and progress.” (05/07/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/05/07/steven-pinker-can-harvard-be-saved/
-----
52) The Good Fight, 05/07/25
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Rutger Bregman on How to Live a Moral Life.” (05/07/25)
https://yaschamounk.substack.com/p/rutger-bregman-on-how-to-live-a-moral
-----
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 795
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Netanyahu Handed Hamas Thousands of Bombs.” (05/07/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-795-netanyahu-handed-hamas-an-thousands-of-bombs
-----
54) The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent, 05/07/25
Source: The New Republic
“Trump’s Odd New Tariff Musings Show How Badly He’s Screwing His Voters.” (05/07/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/194944/trump-odd-new-tariff-musings-show-badly-he-screwing-voters
-----
55) How To Fix The Internet, 05/07/25
Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation
“Digital Autonomy for Bodily Autonomy.” (05/07/25)
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/04/podcast-episode-digital-autonomy-bodily-autonomy
-----
56) The Political Orphanage, 05/07/25
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Why You Need a License for Everything.” (05/07/25)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/why-you-need-a-license-for-everything
-----
57) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 05/07/25
Source: The Dispatch
“The Allegory of the Trade.” (05/07/25)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/the-allegory-of-the-trade/
-----
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/06/25
Source: Antiwar.com
“Trump Says US Will Stop Bombing Yemen, India Fires Missiles Into Pakistan, and More.” (05/06/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2t6YQdnAGg
-----
59) Nonzero, 05/06/25
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“The Biden-Trump Path to Global Ruin | Robert Wright & Matt Duss.” (05/06/25)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/68649
-----
60) Politics Politics Politics, 05/06/25
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Brian Kemp Is Out! Sci-Fi Revolution And The Consumerization Of Voting (with Aubrey Sitterson).” (05/06/25)
https://www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/p/brian-kemp-is-out-sci-fi-revolution
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FND is published every weekday except on holidays. Forward freely.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit:
http://groups.google.com/group/freedom-news-daily
Support the Liberty International (tax deductible)
https://liberty-intl.org/join-the-movement/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Presented by the Liberty International
https://liberty-intl.org/
Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
https://news.rationalreview.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's Freedom News:
1) Ukraine’s cities quiet as Kremlin-sponsored ceasefire kicks in
2) Vatican: Cardinals to begin second day of voting for new pope
3) Federal Reserve holds key interest rate steady amid economic uncertainty
4) Gabbard whines over leak of order to spy on Greenland
5) AZ: Hobbs signs bill to create Bitcoin reserve days after vetoing other cryptocurrency legislation
6) Six European regimes reject “any demographic or territorial change” in Gaza
7) Appeals court orders abducted Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk returned to Vermont
8) WeightWatchers files for bankruptcy as Americans embrace weight loss drugs
9) NASA, in surprise shift, may launch rockets to Mars next year
10) Russia: Regime says 60,000 air passengers stranded after Ukrainian drone attacks
11) EU eyes tariffs on Boeing jets in retaliation plan
12) ICE Barbie blinks on upgraded police state internal passport scheme at US airports
13) Kennedy launches autism project using Medicare and Medicaid data
14) Slovakia: Fico rejects EU plan to halt Russian natural gas imports by the end of 2027
15) DC: ICE thugs raid restaurant belonging to husband of CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell
16) SCOTUS Backs Trump’s Ban on Transgender Troops
17) Regime comes up with new attempt to justify Abrego Garcia deportation
18) Palestine: Israeli attacks kill at least 31
19) TN: Three murdering Memphis cops skate on state charges
20) WA: Burglary suspect shot after break-in attempts at apartment complex
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Trump Is a Socialist
22) Three-Dimensional Trade Chess, Explained
23) No one should violate individual rights
24) Trump’s Foreign Film Tariffs Could Stick Us With Nothing but Disney Movies
25) Exit and Voice
26) Israel Really Is As Evil As It Looks
27) State Schools: Bad Then, Worse Now
28) Manufacturing and Trade
29) Pete Hegseth: Offense at the Defense Department
30) Political Power as Pathology
31) Syrians learning to bend and blend
32) Donald Trump’s Information Warfare Against America
33) The Wealthy Don’t Leave When States Soak the Rich, But It Does Raise Revenue [sic]
34) Consensus of the Conclave
35) Old as the Hills
36) Behold, the artful dealmaker Trump working his magic on Putin
37) Why DOJ must bring the hammer down on every corrupt Soros prosecutor
38) Moldbug Sold Out
39) GAO: Pentagon will likely fail audits through 2028
40) Donald Trump Versus Cheating Penguins
41) What’s Behind Trump’s Decision to Cease Bombing Yemen?
42) Poland’s Trump Conundrum — and Vice Versa
43) Trump Interview Puts Iran Negotiations in Jeopardy
44) Am I Rational?
45) Joe Biden’s Decline: The Inside Story and the Outside Story
46) Yet Another Federal Court Rules Against Trump in an Alien Enemies Act Case
47) The Marxist Owner of the American Store?
48) Power Outage, Inner Power
49) Medicaid Cuts in Republican Bill Would Charge Poor People More for Coverage
50) An End to the Bombing in Yemen?
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Interview: Steven Pinker
52) The Good Fight, 05/07/25
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 795
54) The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent, 05/07/25
55) How To Fix The Internet, 05/07/25
56) The Political Orphanage, 05/07/25
57) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 05/07/25
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/06/25
59) Nonzero, 05/06/25
60) Politics Politics Politics, 05/06/25
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
ONE IDENTITY FOR ALL YOUR CRYPTO
https://fioprotocol.io/
SAMUEL EDWARD KONKIN III REVOLUTIONARY FRIEND BY WENDY MCELROY
https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Edward-Konkin-Revolutionary-Friend-ebook/dp/B0DP7B6127
SHOP ONLINE, COLLECT A REBATE IN BITCOIN!
https://www.lolli.com/share/MZB4cCpheL
THE CONSTITUTION OF NON-STATE GOVERNMENT: FIELD GUIDE TO TEXAS SECESSION, by TL Hulsey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1947660853
Tyranny Demands AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE: A NOVEL BY ERNE LEWIS
https://tinyurl.com/actofselfdefense
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Ukraine’s cities quiet as Kremlin-sponsored ceasefire kicks in
Source: Reuters
“A three-day ceasefire declared by Russia came into effect on Thursday morning with skies over Ukraine’s major cities quiet, in a change from successive nights of heavy attacks by Russian drones and ballistic missiles. However, a Ukrainian military spokesman told Reuters that Russian troops had continued to conduct assaults in several areas on the eastern front. The air force said Russian aircraft had launched guided bombs on the Sumy region of northern Ukraine three times. But the air force also said there had been no Russian missiles or drones in Ukrainian airspace since the Kremlin-sponsored ceasefire kicked in. There was no word on damage and Reuters could not independently verify the reports of attacks.” (05/08/25)
https://archive.is/osg8H
-----
2) Vatican: Cardinals to begin second day of voting for new pope
Source: ABC News
“One hundred thirty three cardinals will gather again on Thursday under the vaulted ceilings of the Sistine Chapel, which are decorated with Michelangelo’s frescoes, including ‘The Creation of Adam,’ where they’ll cast their second set of ballots to make one among them the next leader of the Catholic Church’s more than 1 billion members worldwide. A successful candidate to replace Pope Francis, who died April 21, will require a two-thirds majority of the voting cardinals. The first ballot on Wednesday failed, resulting in a plume of black smoke — fumata nera in Italian — from the chapel’s chimney. White smoke — fumata bianca — will signify that a new pope has been elected, as will the ringing of the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica.” (05/08/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/papal-conclave-live-updates-cardinals-gather-vatican-elect/?id=121506573
-----
3) Federal Reserve holds key interest rate steady amid economic uncertainty
Source: Fox Business
“The Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced that it will leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged as policymakers continue to monitor inflation and the labor market amid elevated levels of economic uncertainty. The central bank’s decision leaves the benchmark federal funds rate at a range of 4.25% to 4.5%. It comes after the Fed left rates at that level at its two previous meetings in January and March, which followed three consecutive rate cuts at its preceding meetings – which involved a 50-basis-point cut in September and a pair of 25-basis-point reductions in November and December.” (05/07/25)
https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/federal-reserve-interest-rate-decision-may-2025
-----
4) Gabbard whines over leak of order to spy on Greenland
Source: Raw Story
“Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is hitting back at the Wall Street Journal after they published an exclusive report claiming the U.S. has ordered its intelligence agencies to ‘step up spying on Greenland.’ In a statement to the outlet, Gabbard said, ‘The Wall Street Journal should be ashamed of aiding deep state actors who seek to undermine the President by politicizing and leaking classified information. They are breaking the law and undermining our nation’s security and democracy.’ The journal quoted multiple sources in their report. … Since his first term, President Donald Trump has emphasized his determination to purchase, annex, or conquer Greenland.” (05/07/25)
https://www.rawstory.com/greenland-2671906461/
-----
5) AZ: Hobbs signs bill to create Bitcoin reserve days after vetoing other cryptocurrency legislation
Source: KGUN 9 News
“Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed House Bill 2749 into law on Wednesday, establishing a state-managed Bitcoin and Digital Assets Reserve Fund that will hold unclaimed digital assets and staking rewards — five days after she vetoed a separate cryptocurrency bill. With the signing, Arizona becomes the second state in the U.S. to create a formal framework for holding digital assets.” (05/07/25)
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/gov-katie-hobbs-signs-bill-to-create-bitcoin-reserve-days-after-vetoing-other-crypto-legislation
-----
6) Six European regimes reject “any demographic or territorial change” in Gaza
Source: Times of Israel [Palestine]
“Six European countries say that they ‘firmly reject any demographic or territorial change in Gaza’ after Israel announced plans to expand its military offensive in the Strip. Israel’s plan ‘would mark a new and dangerous escalation’ in the war, the foreign ministers of Spain, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway and Slovenia say in a joint statement. The foreign ministers, who apart from Luxembourg represent countries that have recognized a Palestinian state, say the plans would ‘cross another line’ and ‘endanger any perspective of a viable two-state solution’ to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” (06/07/25)
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/six-european-nations-reject-any-demographic-or-territorial-change-in-gaza/
-----
7) Appeals court orders abducted Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk returned to Vermont
Source: The Hill
“A federal appeals court panel Wednesday denied the Trump administration’s request to lift a judge’s order to physically transfer a[n abducted] international Tufts University student from Louisiana to Vermont. The administration has swiftly moved foreign-born students it wants to deport to Louisiana, which would route their legal challenges through more friendly judicial venues. Within hours of plainclothes officers [abducting] Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish national and Tufts student who co-authored a pro-Palestinian op-ed in her student newspaper, on March 25 near her Somerville, Mass., home, authorities had moved her to Vermont and then Louisiana. … The new order sets a May 14 deadline for the government to return Öztürk to Vermont, where she will remain in custody, for now. A bail hearing is set for Friday.” (05/07/25)
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5287510-appeals-court-detained-tufts-student-rumeysa-ozturk-vermont-louisiana/
-----
8) WeightWatchers files for bankruptcy as Americans embrace weight loss drugs
Source: CBS News
“WeightWatchers has filed for bankruptcy as more Americans turn to weight loss drugs to slim down. The 62-year-old weight loss program’s parent company, WW International, announced Tuesday that it aims to eliminate $1.1 billion in debt as part of the Chapter 11 filing and to focus on expanding its fledgling telehealth business. Services to WeightWatchers customers will continue uninterrupted, the company said. … WeightWatchers said it expects to complete the reorganization in 40 days and emerge as a publicly traded company.” (05/07/25)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/weightwatchers-bankruptcy-ozempic-weight-loss-drugs/
-----
9) NASA, in surprise shift, may launch rockets to Mars next year
Source: Politico
“NASA is considering launching rockets to Mars next year, a major shift in priorities that could boost the fortunes of Elon Musk’s space company and speed up the timeline for astronauts to reach the red planet. The sudden switch follows the release of the White House’s 2026 budget proposal, which would increase funding for Mars-related projects by $1 billion and pay for the launches. It also signals the Trump’s administration’s intentions to prioritize sending people to Mars. … Congress may buck Trump and refuse to approve the funding in his budget request, especially if lawmakers worry the effort will delay lunar plans. The White House’s budget proposal also cancels the Gateway lunar space station program, which many senators support.” (05/07/25)
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/07/nasa-mars-rocket-launch-00331694
-----
10) Russia: Regime says 60,000 air passengers stranded after Ukrainian drone attacks
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“At least 60,000 passengers have been stranded at airports across Russia because of a massive Ukrainian drone attack, local officials say. Russia’s Association of tour operators (Ator) says 350 flights have been affected since Tuesday evening in Moscow, St Petersburg, Sochi and several other cities. The Russian defence ministry says 524 Ukrainian drones were destroyed in the past 24 hours — a record number if confirmed. No casualties were reported. Ukraine says an overnight Russian drone and missile attack killed two people in Kyiv. The barrage of strikes came as a self-declared Russian three-day ceasefire was set to begin on Wednesday night, ahead of a World War Two victory parade in Moscow on 9 May. Kyiv has repeatedly rejected the truce idea as ‘theatrical play,’ reiterating its call for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, which is also supported by Ukraine’s allies in Europe and the US.” (05/07/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2dedjn3px3o
-----
11) EU eyes tariffs on Boeing jets in retaliation plan
Source: Financial Times [UK]
“Brussels intends to propose tariffs on Boeing aircraft as it prepares further retaliation in the event that trade talks with Washington fail. The European Commission, which runs EU trade policy, will include civilian aircraft on a list of about €100bn of annual US imports to be targeted, according to two people familiar with the matter. But the measures would only take effect if the EU does not make sufficient progress in reducing US tariffs, they said. The measures must first be approved by a weighted majority of member states.” (05/07/25)
https://archive.is/f4bCt
-----
12) ICE Barbie blinks on upgraded police state internal passport scheme at US airports
Source: New York Times
“Travelers who don’t have a Real ID, passport or other federally recognized document will face additional security screening at U.S. airports on Wednesday but will still be able to fly, Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, said on Tuesday. Her comments reiterated the department’s previous guidance to travelers, as a federal deadline to enforce the Real ID law approaches on Wednesday. In addition to a star-emblazoned Real ID, other forms of acceptable identification include a U.S. passport, a Global Entry card, a Department of Defense ID or a permanent resident card, according to the Transportation Security Administration. If travelers don’t have one of those forms of identification at airport checkpoints on Wednesday, ‘they may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step, but people will be allowed to fly,’ Ms. Noem told House members at a hearing on Tuesday.” (05/06/25)
https://archive.is/d3eZ5
-----
13) Kennedy launches autism project using Medicare and Medicaid data
Source: Reuters
“Federal health agencies will create a database of autism patients enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid that researchers will use to study the causes of autism spectrum disorder, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr said on Wednesday. ‘We’re pulling back the curtain, with full transparency and accountability, to deliver the honest answers families have waited far too long to hear,’ Kennedy, who has long promoted a debunked link between vaccines and autism, said in a statement. The department said the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will partner to build a real-world data platform enabling advanced research across claims data, electronic medical records, and wearable health-monitoring devices. The project is part of a wider $50 million research effort Kennedy is launching to identify the causes of autism, which he characterizes as an epidemic that can be prevented.” (05/07/25)
https://archive.is/8bYPi
-----
14) Slovakia: Fico rejects EU plan to halt Russian natural gas imports by the end of 2027
Source: ABC News
“Slovakia’s populist leader on Wednesday blasted a European Union plan to halt imports of Russian natural gas by the end of 2027 to deprive President Vladimir Putin of revenue that helps fuel the war in Ukraine. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, will present a detailed plan next month. It will seek to ban new gas contracts with Russia by the end of this year and phase out existing ones still in use in the 27-nation EU by the end of 2027. Prime Minister Robert Fico said that the plan is ‘absolutely unacceptable’ for Slovakia. He said that his government was ready to veto it and all Slovak representatives involved in the negotiations on the EU level would work to stop it.” (05/07/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/slovakias-leader-rejects-eu-plan-halt-russian-natural-121548787
-----
15) DC: ICE thugs raid restaurant belonging to husband of CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell
Source: Fox News
“The restaurant belonging to the husband of CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell was raided by ICE on Tuesday. A local D.C. Fox affiliate reported that ICE agents went into ‘Chef Geoff’s’ restaurant in D.C. that morning and asked to see staff members’ I-9 forms proving they are legally allowed to work in the U.S. The visit reportedly sent staff into ‘a panic.’ ‘Chef Geoff’s’ is owned by Geoff Tracy, who is married to the longtime CBS News anchor and correspondent. According to Fox 5, ‘Nearly a dozen law enforcement and immigration officials wearing DHS uniforms’ went into the restaurant located on New Mexico Avenue, Northwest. The agents were at Tracy’s restaurant for around 90 minutes, though no one was taken into custody.” (05/07/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/media/ice-agents-raid-dc-restaurant-belonging-husband-cbs-news-anchor-norah-odonnell
-----
16) SCOTUS Backs Trump’s Ban on Transgender Troops
Source: Time
“The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Trump’s trangender military ban can be enforced while legal challenges proceed, effectively barring trans servicemembers from serving in the military. The 6-3 decision overturned the injunction issued by a U.S. District Court, which prevented the policy from taking place. In January, Trump signed an Executive Order entitled ‘Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,’ saying that transgender troops did not meet the standard required of the armed forces, and directed the Department of Defense to enact a ban.” (05/06/25)
https://time.com/7283244/trump-military-transgender-ban-supreme-court/
-----
17) Regime comes up with new attempt to justify Abrego Garcia deportation
Source: New York Post
“Accused MS-13 gangbanger Kilmar Abrego Garcia allegedly worked as a ‘taxi service’ for a convicted human smuggler to transport illegal [sic] migrants from Texas to various locations across the United States, according to a report. Jose Ramon Hernandez-Reyes, who was convicted of smuggling illegal [sic] migrants in 2020, told federal investigators that he previously operated a smuggling service based in Baltimore — and hired Abrego Garcia ‘on multiple occasions’ to transport border crossers across the country, ABC News reported. The Department of Justice sent federal agents to a prison in Talladega, Alabama, late last month to question Hernandez-Reyes, 38, about Abrego Garcia, the alleged gangbanger at the center of a high-profile court battle over his mistaken deportation from Maryland to El Salvador by the Trump administration.” (05/07/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/05/07/us-news/kilmar-abrego-garcia-was-allegedly-hired-by-a-convicted-human-smuggler-to-transport-illegal-migrants/
-----
18) Palestine: Israeli attacks kill at least 31
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 31 people as its more than two-month blockade of the besieged and bombarded enclave has caused acute food shortages, accelerating the starvation of the Palestinian population. … While Israel announced that a new, more intense military offensive would begin in Gaza unless a ceasefire deal was signed, Hamas said talks were pointless.” (05/07/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/7/israeli-attacks-kill-at-least-16-as-gaza-blockade-accelerates-starvation
-----
19) TN: Three murdering Memphis cops skate on state charges
Source: SFGate
“Three former Memphis officers were acquitted Wednesday of state charges, including second-degree murder, in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols after he ran away from a traffic stop in 2023. A jury, which appeared to be all white, took about 8 1/2 hours over two days to find Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith not guilty on all charges after a nine-day trial in state court in Memphis. After the jury’s verdict was read, the defendants hugged their lawyers as relatives of the former officers cried. One relative yelled, ‘Thank you, Jesus!’ The three defendants still face the prospect of years in prison after they were convicted of federal charges last year, though they were acquitted of the most serious charges then, too.” (05/07/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/jury-deliberates-for-2nd-day-in-trial-of-3-former-20315058.php
-----
20) WA: Burglary suspect shot after break-in attempts at apartment complex
Source: Seattle Medium
“In the early hours of Friday morning, a burglary suspect was shot after reportedly breaking into a Seattle apartment building and attempting to force his way into several units. … Upon their arrival, officers discovered a 28-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper leg. … The investigation led officers to a third-floor apartment, where they spoke with a 31-year-old man, his wife, and their 2-year-old child, who provided crucial details about the incident. According to the family, the suspect had forcefully broken through an exterior door and attempted to enter multiple apartments before reaching their own. They recounted how the suspect began shouting and kicking their door in an aggressive manner. The father of the family reported that he issued several warnings to the intruder prior to the suspect breaching their door. In a moment of self-defense, the father fired a single shot through the door, hitting the suspect in the leg.” (05/06/25)
https://seattlemedium.com/seattle-burglary-shooting/
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Trump Is a Socialist
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson
“Donald Trump is a socialist. When I write ‘socialist,’ I do not use the word the way most right-leaning commentators use it, meaning: ‘bad.’ … The thing about socialism is, it stays socialism — whether you like socialism or dislike it. It is a word that means something, and what it means isn’t every dumb thing you don’t like …. Trump can’t put names to faces for half of the people who work directly for him and invents imaginary countries from time to time. But, somehow, he knows what imported bananas from country X absolutely should cost relative to those from country Y — because neither a sparrow nor a drop of rain in Ecuador falls without his knowledge. Yeah. Donald Trump’s vision of the economy is classic socialism.” (05/07/25)
https://thedispatch.com/article/trump-macys-socialism-nationalism/
-----
22) Three-Dimensional Trade Chess, Explained
Source: The Daily Economy
by Michael Munger
“Supporters of tariffs claim that mainstream economists don’t understand the game. This ‘game’ has been described by Peter Navarro as three-dimensional chess. I want to take that claim at face value, break down its dimensions, and then evaluate whether Trump’s actions are likely to lead to his desired outcomes. And the answer is ‘no,’ because the administration is playing three quite different, inconsistent games all at once. That isn’t a strategy at all; rather, it’s a scheme for certain failure.” (05/07/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/three-dimensional-trade-chess-explained/
-----
23) No one should violate individual rights
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“Nothing that violates individual rights is good for society, since society is made up of individuals no one has a right to violate. It’s not that you have a right to free speech; it’s that no one has a right to censor you. The flipside is that you have no right to force anyone to publish your words. … No one has a right to dictate what others believe or what religion they practice. On the other hand, no one has a right to violate the life, liberty, or property of another using religion as justification. This includes the religious belief in government authority, which is the most prevalent cult in the world, frequently practiced even by those who follow another religion.” (05/07/25)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2025/05/07/voices/opinion-no-one-should-violate-individual-rights/230781.html
-----
24) Trump’s Foreign Film Tariffs Could Stick Us With Nothing but Disney Movies
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“Tariffs on movies produced overseas might drive Hollywood to film more intensively in the United States, but it also makes it more difficult and expensive for American audiences to see movies made by foreign companies. Films from South Korea, India, Europe, and elsewhere compete with the U.S. film industry in terms of culture, ideas, and sometimes politics. Tariffs on overseas productions could effectively trap us with the products of Hollywood and reduce its need to adjust to the tastes of the viewing public.” (05/07/25)
https://reason.com/2025/05/07/trumps-foreign-film-tariffs-could-stick-us-with-nothing-but-disney-movies/
-----
25) Exit and Voice
Source: Center for a Stateless Society
by Kevin Carson
“Mainstream right-libertarianism has a long history of tending to prioritize what Albert O. Hirschman called ‘exit’ (i.e., the ability to escape governance through relocation or circumvention) over ‘voice’ (having a say in the governance process that one lives under). Now, there’s nothing wrong with the notion of exit as such. Under an oppressive state, as Charles Johnson pointed out, there are frequently fewer transaction costs entailed in circumventing a harmful or disagreeable policy than in changing it through the political process. And left-libertarian — anarchist or libertarian socialist — visions of an ideal free society generally entail a healthy mixture of voice and exit. The optimal mixture is to facilitate permissionless coordination wherever possible, through horizontal or stigmergic organization, while guaranteeing that, in all cases where some agreed-upon policy is required, the decision be made democratically.” (05/07/25)
https://c4ss.org/content/60390
-----
26) Israel Really Is As Evil As It Looks
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Israeli snipers routinely, deliberately shoot children in the head throughout the Gaza Strip. Israel created an AI system for the IDF to target suspected Hamas fighters when they go home to their families and mockingly called it ‘Where’s Daddy?,’ because they are killing the fighters’ children. Israel has targeted healthcare facilities and ambulances in Gaza hundreds upon hundreds of times. They’ve been documented entering the hospitals they attack and systematically destroying individual pieces of medical equipment in order to make them unusable. IDF soldiers constantly post photos and videos to their social media accounts showing themselves mockingly dressing in the clothes of dead and displaced Palestinian women and playing with the toys of dead and displaced Palestinian children.” (05/07/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/05/07/israel-really-is-as-evil-as-it-looks/
-----
27) State Schools: Bad Then, Worse Now
Source: Libertarian Institute
by John Weeks
“On April 20, President Donald Trump dropped another executive order: Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities has been received by both supporters and critics as aiming at the complete elimination of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). Now, look, if you love your children (which of course you do), then the best thing you can do is take executive control of their education. You could directly educate them. You could hire tutors. You could enroll them in a private school and supplement their acquisition of knowledge. You could join an agrarian commune where humble folk till the soil and collectively edify their young beneath the towering mansion of the commune’s ruling elite. You’ve got options. But whatever you do, absolutely do not send them to a government school.” (05/07/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/state-schools-bad-then-worse-now
-----
28) Manufacturing and Trade
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Alex Tabarrok
“The US Dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency confers significant financial and economic advantages that, in the long run, do not meaningfully erode the US’s manufacturing base.” (05/07/25)
https://fee.org/articles/manufacturing-and-trade/
-----
29) Pete Hegseth: Offense at the Defense Department
Source: Common Dreams
by Tom Gallagher
“Isn’t the most remarkable (and least remarked-upon) aspect of the Pete Hegseth Defense Department reality show the fact that no one has appeared worried that the nation’s security might actually be threatened by this? That no one has seemed particularly concerned about any danger resulting from the vast U.S. military arsenal ostensibly being placed in the hands of someone who had obviously not read the job manual? But then why would they? Did anyone seriously think China’s Ministry of State Security was dashing off memos advising the country’s leaders to invade the United States because control of its armed forces had somehow fallen into inept hands? Or that something like that was going on in Russia … or Denmark … or Canada … or any other of our enemies, old or new? Apparently not.” (05/07/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/pete-hegseth-offense
-----
30) Political Power as Pathology
Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders
“If political power is the problem and almost never the solution, we need to reframe our thinking through the way we talk about it.” (05/07/25)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/political-power-as-pathology
-----
31) Syrians learning to bend and blend
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“Five months after their liberation from a dictatorship, most Syrians seem glad for one thing. Their country, despite predictions of it splintering into religious and ethnic parts, is still a country. For half a century, the authoritarian Assad family justified its harsh rule as the only way to keep a diverse Syria intact. Yes, Israel has now taken control of chunks of Syrian territory. Other powers from Iran to Turkey to Russia want to direct the future of this pivotal Middle East nation toward their own interests. And twice in the last two months, serious violence by the country’s dominant Sunni Muslim Arabs has erupted against two minorities, the Druze and the Alawites. Still, ‘If we look at the full picture,’ Syria analyst Ghassan Ibrahim told Arab News, the absence of large-scale sectarian violence since the Dec. 8 liberation is ‘something promising, but requires a lot of work.'” (05/07/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/0507/Syrians-learn-to-bend-and-blend
-----
32) Donald Trump’s Information Warfare Against America
Source: The Bulwark
by Jill Lawrence
“I am such a geek that I remember when Barack Obama made a splash by liberating reams of government data so Americans could use it to do things like compare colleges and start businesses. It was 2013 and talk of a catchy ‘abundance agenda’ was not even a glimmer in anyone’s eye. Instead, Obama signed an executive order called ‘Making Open and Machine Readable the New Default for Government Information.’ Way to go viral, guys. … This was a relatively obscure moment. I probably wouldn’t remember it at all, except for the contrast with Donald Trump’s first term, when government data became unreliable and sometimes disappeared completely. Now, in his second presidency, it’s a major obsession for me and many others.” (05/07/25)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/donald-trump-information-warfare-privacy-federal-data
-----
33) The Wealthy Don’t Leave When States Soak the Rich, But It Does Raise Revenue [sic]
Source: Inequality.org
by Omar Ocampo
“Increasing taxes on high income earners helped raise revenue without hampering the wealth of the millionaire class in Massachusetts and Washington, according to a new policy brief from the Institute for Policy Studies and State Revenue Alliance. A common counter to raising taxes on the rich is that they will simply flee their home states to jurisdictions with friendlier tax codes. While some tax migration is inevitable, the wealthy that move to avoid taxes represent a tiny percentage of their own social class. The top one percent are incentivized not to move because of family, social networks and local business knowledge. Our findings support the case against tax flight: The number of individuals with a net worth of at least seven-figures continued to expand in both Massachusetts and Washington after tax hikes.” (05/07/25)
https://inequality.org/article/millionaires-dont-flee-states-over-higher-taxes/
-----
34) Consensus of the Conclave
Source: Law & Liberty
by John O McGinnis
“Few elections command as much fascination as the secret conclave of cardinals gathering this week to choose the next pope. Catholics trust that the Holy Spirit guides this decision, yet the outcome still depends on carefully forged human rules. Chief among them is the centuries-old mandate that no candidate may be elected without winning the support of at least two-thirds of the electors. A mere majority does not suffice. The history and function of this rule are both intriguing and revealing. The dynamics of a papal election are not comprehensible without understanding the rule. It also illustrates important truths about supermajoritarianism, which has a prominent place in secular politics, particularly in America’s own Constitution.” (05/07/25)
https://lawliberty.org/consensus-of-the-conclave/
-----
35) Old as the Hills
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“‘I’ll give up power when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.’ This is the operative principle for today’s politicians.” (05/07/25)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/05/07/old-as-the-hills/
-----
36) Behold, the artful dealmaker Trump working his magic on Putin
Source: Washington Post
by George F Will
“So this is ‘the art of the deal.’ The author of the book with that title is illustrating the subtleties of dealmaking in negotiations about Ukraine. First, flatter the person with whom you are negotiating, calling him a ‘genius,’ ‘savvy’ and ‘very smart.’ Disregard Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1940 warning that ‘no man can tame a tiger into a kitten by stroking it.’ … Second, emphasize that your diplomacy is uninfected by normative judgments about the origins of the conflict. … Third, signal eagerness to end the conflict. You can do this, as Trump did, by vowing to end it ‘before I even take office,’ or ‘on day one,’ or ‘within 24 hours,’ whichever comes first. … Seventh, streamline the negotiations by eliminating contentious topics that require negotiating.” (05/07/25)
https://archive.is/uZfdV
-----
37) Why DOJ must bring the hammer down on every corrupt Soros prosecutor
Source: New York Post
by staff
“Attorney General Pam Bondi and Justice Department civil rights chief Harmeet Dhillon just put one ‘Soros DA’ on warning; let’s hope they keep it up. The target: Hennepin County, Minn., District Attorney Mary Moriarty’s directive seemingly ordering up selective prosecutions, according to race. Sounds too crazy to be true, but the woke warrior copped to it in (so to speak) black and white: Her so-called ‘Negotiations Policy for Cases Involving Adult Defendants’ says ‘racial identity … should be part of the overall analysis,’ and prosecutors ‘should be identifying and addressing racial disparities at decision points, as appropriate.’ In other words, a literal two-tiered justice system based on skin color, with whites and Asians presumably getting the short end of the stick.” (05/07/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/05/07/opinion/why-justice-must-bring-the-hammer-down-on-every-corrupt-soros-prosecutor/
-----
38) Moldbug Sold Out
Source: Astral Codex Ten
“Cathy Young’s new hit piece on Curtis Yarvin (aka Mencius Moldbug) doesn’t mince words. Titled The Blogger Who Hates America, it describes him as an ‘inept,’ ‘not exactly coherent’ ‘trollish, ill-informed pseudo-intellectual’ notable for his ‘woefully superficial knowledge and utter ignorance.’ Yarvin’s fans counter that if you look deeper, he has good responses to Young’s objections …. Both sides are right. The synthesis is that Moldbug sold out. In the late 2000s, Moldbug wrote some genuinely interesting speculations on novel sci-fi variants of autocracy. … Then in the late 2010s, he caught his first whiff of actual power and dropped it all like a hot potato. The MAGA movement was exactly what 2000s Moldbug feared most …. But in the hope of winning a temporary political victory, he let them wear him as a skinsuit — giving their normal, boring autocratic tendencies the mystique of the cool, edgy, all-vulnerabilities-patched autocracy he foretold in his manifestos.” (05/07/25)
https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/moldbug-sold-out
-----
39) GAO: Pentagon will likely fail audits through 2028
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Aaron Sobczak
“DOD has failed every audit since it was legally required to submit to one each year beginning in 2018. In fact, the Pentagon is the only one of 24 federal agencies that has not been able to pass an unmodified financial audit since the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990. For more than two decades, the GAO has given over 100 recommendations on how the Pentagon can fix its financial weaknesses. Most cases are still open, with no progress satisfied other than a ‘leadership commitment.’ Additionally, many of the thousands of identified deficiencies found in its 2018 audit remain outstanding.” (05/07/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/department-of-defense-audit-failures/
-----
40) Donald Trump Versus Cheating Penguins
Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker
“Way back on his April 2 ‘Liberation Day,’ (it feels like a long time ago), Donald Trump released a set of ‘reciprocal’ tariffs. These tariffs bore no obvious relationship to the tariffs or other trade barriers that other countries impose on our exports to them. … someone noted a 10 percent tariff on imports from the Heard and McDonald Islands. The key problem with this tariff is that the islands are uninhabited except by penguins and other wildlife. The fact that Trump could come up with a schedule of tariffs that ostensibly took weeks of preparation and still include a set of uninhabited islands showed the ineptitude of his economic team in dealing with the issue that is most important to Trump. But even worse than this blunder was the fact that they couldn’t acknowledge the obvious mistake.” (05/07/25)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/05/07/donald-trump-versus-cheating-penguins/
-----
41) What’s Behind Trump’s Decision to Cease Bombing Yemen?
Source: Informed Comment
by Juan Cole
“Middle East Eye reports that Saudi Arabia pressured the Trump administration to cease bombing Yemen in advance of his planned trip to the Kingdom next week because such raids would be an embarrassment for him and his host. U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he was convinced that the Houthis were sincere in their new pledge to cease targeting shipping in the Red Sea. The subtext here is that people in the region believe the U.S. is bombing an Arab country on behalf of Israeli shipping in the Red Sea and to protect Israel from repercussions for its Gaza genocide. Attacking the Houthis, who are not otherwise popular, on these grounds while Trump is in Riyadh would make it look like Saudi Arabia is also running interference for the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.” (05/07/25)
https://www.juancole.com/2025/05/bombing-reportedly-pressure.html
-----
42) Poland’s Trump Conundrum — and Vice Versa
Source: Washington Monthly
by Tamar Jacoby
“Warsaw needs the U.S. even more than it hates and fears Russia. The U.S. president wants more European military spending, but when allies like Warsaw become stronger, they become more independent.” (05/07/25)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/05/07/polands-trump-conundrum-and-vice-versa/
-----
43) Trump Interview Puts Iran Negotiations in Jeopardy
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ted Snider
“U.S. President Donald Trump has consistently said that negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program are limited to preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon: ‘You know, it’s not a complicated formula. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.’ But in an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, when the interviewer asked Trump, ‘Is the goal of these talks limiting Iran’s nuclear program or total dismantlement?’ Trump answered, ‘Total disarmament.'” (05/07/25)
https://original.antiwar.com/ted_snider/2025/05/06/trump-interview-puts-iran-negotiations-in-jeopardy/
-----
44) Am I Rational?
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“The central assumption of economics is that individuals are rational, have objectives and tend to take the actions that best achieve them. For that assumption to be useful one must add to it restrictions on what those objectives might be, since if one is completely agnostic on the subject any possible behavior can be explained by assuming a suitable objective. Since we have a good deal of information on what humans value, both by introspection and by observing other humans, we can deduce from the rationality assumption a good deal about what humans will do. … The individual about whom I have most information is myself, which makes it interesting to see how consistent the rationality assumption is with my behavior.” (05/06/25)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/am-i-rational
-----
45) Joe Biden’s Decline: The Inside Story and the Outside Story
Source: Town Hall
by Byron York
“We’ve gotten a new tidbit of information about efforts by the Biden White House and some in the press to cover up President Joe Biden’s age-related infirmity. It comes from a new book, 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America, by reporters Tyler Pager, Josh Dawsey and Isaac Arnsdorf of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, respectively. The authors report that ‘top White House aides debated having [Biden] undergo a cognitive test to prove his fitness for a second term but ultimately decided against the move,’ according to a report on the book in the New York Times. The revelation is the latest in a series of news nuggets about the 82-year-old Biden’s senescence — stories like White House aides putting tape on the floor so that Biden wouldn’t wander off course — that have been included in new books about the 2024 election.” (05/07/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/byronyork/2025/05/07/columnistsbyronyork20250506joe-bidens-decline-the-inside-story-and-the-outside-story-n2656654
-----
46) Yet Another Federal Court Rules Against Trump in an Alien Enemies Act Case
Source: The Volokh Conspiracy
by Ilya Somin
“The Southern District of New York rules Trump invoked the Act illegally, because there is no ‘invasion’ or ‘predatory incursion.'” (05/06/25)
https://reason.com/volokh/2025/05/06/yet-another-federal-court-rules-against-trump-in-an-alien-enemies-act-case/
-----
47) The Marxist Owner of the American Store?
Source: EconLog
by Pierre Lemieux
“Barack Obama’s notorious admonishment to business owners that ‘you didn’t build that’ was bad enough, but a recent statement by Donald Trump is even more collectivist: he claims he owns the store.” (05/06/25)
https://www.econlib.org/the-owner-of-the-american-store/
-----
48) Power Outage, Inner Power
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Jordi Pigem
“April 28th will be remembered as the largest blackout (so far) in European history. Power went down in the whole of continental Spain and Portugal, taking more than 20 hours to come back in some areas. It has been blamed on technical causes, although the Audiencia Nacional (National High Court) has opened an investigation for possible cyberattack. Whatever the cause, however, we can see it as a symptom of something deeper and more far-reaching.” (05/06/25)
https://brownstone.org/articles/power-outage-inner-power/
-----
49) Medicaid Cuts in Republican Bill Would Charge Poor People More for Coverage
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“Medicaid recipients with earnings at or above the federal poverty line would have to pay significant out-of-pocket expenses for their health care coverage, and work requirements would be placed on the program, according to a menu of items in the emerging Republican budget reconciliation proposal seen by the Prospect. The Medicaid cuts, part of the giant tax and spending package Republicans are readying using the reconciliation process to avoid a Senate filibuster, would also roll back Biden-era rules that improved staffing at nursing homes. And they would alter a number of eligibility and enrollment provisions that would make Medicaid harder to navigate for its 71 million-plus enrollees, a common tactic to reduce enrollment.” (05/07/25)
https://prospect.org/health/2025-05-07-medicaid-cuts-in-republican-bill-would-charge-poor-people/
-----
50) An End to the Bombing in Yemen?
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“If this is the end of the campaign, it just drives home how stupid and unnecessary it all was.” (05/06/25)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/an-end-to-the-bombing-in-yemen
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Interview: Steven Pinker
Source: Reason
“The Harvard psychologist discusses recent gains for free speech at Harvard, growing political and ideological threats to academic freedom, and the importance of shared knowledge in sustaining truth and progress.” (05/07/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/05/07/steven-pinker-can-harvard-be-saved/
-----
52) The Good Fight, 05/07/25
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Rutger Bregman on How to Live a Moral Life.” (05/07/25)
https://yaschamounk.substack.com/p/rutger-bregman-on-how-to-live-a-moral
-----
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 795
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Netanyahu Handed Hamas Thousands of Bombs.” (05/07/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-795-netanyahu-handed-hamas-an-thousands-of-bombs
-----
54) The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent, 05/07/25
Source: The New Republic
“Trump’s Odd New Tariff Musings Show How Badly He’s Screwing His Voters.” (05/07/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/194944/trump-odd-new-tariff-musings-show-badly-he-screwing-voters
-----
55) How To Fix The Internet, 05/07/25
Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation
“Digital Autonomy for Bodily Autonomy.” (05/07/25)
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/04/podcast-episode-digital-autonomy-bodily-autonomy
-----
56) The Political Orphanage, 05/07/25
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Why You Need a License for Everything.” (05/07/25)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/why-you-need-a-license-for-everything
-----
57) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 05/07/25
Source: The Dispatch
“The Allegory of the Trade.” (05/07/25)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/the-allegory-of-the-trade/
-----
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 05/06/25
Source: Antiwar.com
“Trump Says US Will Stop Bombing Yemen, India Fires Missiles Into Pakistan, and More.” (05/06/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2t6YQdnAGg
-----
59) Nonzero, 05/06/25
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“The Biden-Trump Path to Global Ruin | Robert Wright & Matt Duss.” (05/06/25)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/68649
-----
60) Politics Politics Politics, 05/06/25
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Brian Kemp Is Out! Sci-Fi Revolution And The Consumerization Of Voting (with Aubrey Sitterson).” (05/06/25)
https://www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/p/brian-kemp-is-out-sci-fi-revolution
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FND is published every weekday except on holidays. Forward freely.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit:
http://groups.google.com/group/freedom-news-daily
Support the Liberty International (tax deductible)
https://liberty-intl.org/join-the-movement/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages