12/02 -- Another Day, Another Year-End Fundraiser Update; White House confirms Hegseth ordered murder of Caribbean boat strike survivors; The "Free" World Is Coming for Your Private Messages
4 views
Skip to first unread message
Thomas L. Knapp
Dec 2, 2025, 6:18:56 AM (9 days ago) Dec 2
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 12/0225
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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:
0) Another Day, Another Year-End Fundraiser Update
1) White House confirms Hegseth ordered murder of Caribbean boat strike survivors
2) Third Russian tanker allegedly attacked in Black Sea
3) Appeals court disqualifies Alina Habba as US attorney for New Jersey
4) Haiti: Gangs launch large-scale attack in central region
5) Guinea-Bissau: Military Rulers Ban Protests Ahead of ECOWAS Visit
6) Amazon and Google Unveil Joint Multicloud Connectivity Service
7) India: Regime orders phone makers to pre-install spyware
8) Hong Kong fire probe reveals unsafe netting as public mourns and government stifles dissent
9) MN: Social service workers slam Walz as “100% responsible for massive fraud”
10) Long-lost Rubens painting depicting crucifixion of Jesus Christ sells for $2.7 million
11) IN: Legislators in state House to convene session with re-gerrymandering top of mind
12) NYC: Starbucks to pay $39 million in labor settlement
13) Minnesota judge under fire for tossing $7.2 million taxpayer-fraud conviction
14) Australia: Sydney men charged with spreading child sexual abuse videos tied to international ring
15) MA: Man goes on trial in death of wife who disappeared more than two years ago
16) Airbus says most of its recalled 6,000 A320 jets now modified
17) Landmine casualties hit four-year high, driven by conflicts in Syria, Myanmar
18) Bangladesh: British MP sentenced in absentia
19) Mangione fights to exclude evidence from his trial in killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO
20) Pope Pushes Peace Message on Second Day in Crisis-Hit Lebanon
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) The “Free” World Is Coming for Your Private Messages
22) If free speech only matters when convenient, it isn’t free at all
23) Pete Hegseth, not Mark Kelly, should be facing justice
24) Subversive Organizations
25) The Tragic Hysteria of Abortion
26) The War in Ukraine: Lots of Questions and a Few Answers
27) What the 50-Year Mortgage Debate Reveals About US Housing Constraints
28) Trump Is the Destroyer of Peace
29) The Craziest Thing In The World Is That We Could End Poverty, But We Don’t
30) Liberty, Innovation, and the Garage Startup: Lessons from Silicon Valley
31) The Party of No Responsibility
32) War Crime … or Murder?
33) Comparing the Ukraine and Gaza Peace Deals
34) The New Speech Wars
35) Rent Control
36) AEI and Johns Hopkins Attempt a Covid Redo
37) I grew up in public housing and I know how to fix Obamacare
38) America’s Hidden Judiciary
39) Life After Xi
40) Stop making the Donbas territory a zero-sum confrontation
41) The Historic Reversal of Cultural Affordability
42) As Trump’s Peace Plan Shows, Washington Still Doesn’t Understand Russia
43) Quantum Vibe, 12/01/25
44) The Caribbean Faces Two Choices: Join the US Attempt to Intimidate Venezuela or Build Its Own Sovereignty
45) Americans are rightly waking up: Much of higher education is now a scam
46) Ukraine Peace Talks: Concessions or Done Deals?
47) Even by a Strict Definition, Elon Musk Is a Fascist
48) In the Age of the Epstein Files, True Populists Should Embrace Feminism
49) They Worked Underground in the Uranium Mines; They’ve Been Surrounded by Death Ever Since
50) One year later, was I wrong to downplay the dangers of Trump? Yes.
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 12/01/25
52) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 12/01/25
53) Rising, 12/01/25
54) Conflicts of Interest, episode 856
55) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 12/01/25
56) EconTalk, 12/01/25
57) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 12/01/25
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 12/01/25
59) Quillette Podcast, episode 314
60) Free Talk Live, 11/30/25
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
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
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
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
0) Another Day, Another Year-End Fundraiser Update
THANK YOU to long-time supporter / subscribing contributor JS, whose $10 donation yesterday brings our year-end fundraiser total to $1,368.34!
Are you tired of these daily year-end fundraiser updates yet? You can end them until next October with this one weird trick:
https://news.rationalreview.com/support-rrnd
We're only $1,382.16 away from our goal of $5,501 (not bad math -- supporter GL has pledged to "match funds" for half of that, once we've raised the first $2,750.50).
Once we've hit our goal, I shut up about money entirely for the remainder of 2025, and mostly (just the occasional "we're reader-supported" mention) until NEXT year's year-end fundraiser.
https://news.rationalreview.com/support-rrnd
Another "the sooner the better" reason to donate NOW: GL usually pays his pledges in Bitcoin, which happens to be down from record highs right now. If we get his Bitcoin while that's the case, we'll make bank when it goes back up (which I expect it to do before the end of the year).
Please support the freedom movement's daily newspaper, and have a great day!
https://news.rationalreview.com/support-rrnd
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily
-----
1) White House confirms Hegseth ordered murder of Caribbean boat strike survivors
Source: The Hill
“White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Monday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the second, follow-up strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean in September following a bombshell Washington Post report that claimed he ordered the military to ‘kill everybody.’ Leavitt told reporters at the White House press briefing that Hegseth authorized Adm. Frank Bradley to carry out the second strike, which reportedly killed two people who were hanging onto the burning vessel after an initial strike. … According to the Post, an initial strike left two survivors, and Bradley ordered a follow-up strike to comply with Hegseth’s orders to leave no survivors.” (12/01/25)
https://thehill.com/homenews/5628447-defense-secretary-authorizes-drug-boat-strike/
-----
2) Third Russian tanker allegedly attacked in Black Sea
Source: Le Monde [France]
“Turkey said on Tuesday, December 2, another tanker had reported coming under attack in the Black Sea while en route to Georgia, without sustaining any injuries. The incident took place just days after two other tankers were hit by explosions off the Turkish coast. A Ukrainian security source claimed responsibility for those attacks, telling AFP agency that drones had hit vessels that were ‘covertly transporting Russian oil.’ The latest incident on Tuesday morning hit the Midvolga 2, which ‘reported that it was attacked 80 nautical miles off our coast,’ Turkey’s maritime affairs directorate wrote on X, saying the tanker was ‘sailing from Russia to Georgia loaded with sunflower oil’ with 13 crew on board.” (12/02/25)
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/12/02/third-russian-tanker-attacked-in-black-sea-turkey-says_6748055_4.html
-----
3) Appeals court disqualifies Alina Habba as US attorney for New Jersey
Source: Axios
“A federal appeals court on Monday disqualified President Trump’s former personal attorney Alina Habba from serving as U.S. attorney for New Jersey. … Habba was appointed to the post on an interim basis in March, a designation that could last for 120 days. Trump then nominated her for the permanent post in June, but the Senate never acted on her nomination, which the president eventually withdrew. A federal judge ruled in August that Habba was acting without legal authority for about two months, at that point. Her actions since July 1 may be considered void, U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann wrote at the time.” (12/01/25)
https://archive.is/L37pu
-----
4) Haiti: Gangs launch large-scale attack in central region
Source: Independent [UK]
“Heavily armed gangs attacked Haiti’s central region over the weekend, killing men, women and children as they set fire to homes and forced survivors to flee into the darkness. [The rival “police” gang] made emergency calls for backup, asserting that 50% of the Artibonite region had fallen under gang control after the large-scale attacks targeting towns including Bercy and Pont-Sondé. … Guerby Simeus, a Pont-Sondé official, told The Associated Press by phone on Monday that he had confirmed nearly a dozen deaths, including a mother and her child and a local government employee. … Many survivors fled to the coastal town of Saint-Marc, where hundreds of angry people on Monday demanded that the government [gang] take action against [rival] gangs who have repeatedly attacked Haiti’s central region.” (12/01/25)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/haiti-gangs-police-portauprince-kenyan-b2875847.html
-----
5) Guinea-Bissau: Military Rulers Ban Protests Ahead of ECOWAS Visit
Source: US News & World Report
“Guinea-Bissau’s military rulers have banned protests and strikes as they tighten control ahead of a high-level visit by West Africa’s ECOWAS bloc that is seeking to restore constitutional order following last week’s coup. The military government, which seized power in what some West African leaders have termed a ‘sham’ coup, announced late on Sunday that all demonstrations, strikes and activities regarded as threats to peace and stability were prohibited. The directive also ordered public institutions, ministries and state secretariats to reopen and resume operations. The announcement followed protests in Bissau on Saturday, where hundreds, primarily youths, demanded the release of detained opposition leaders and the publication of presidential election results.” (12/01/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-12-01/guinea-bissau-military-rulers-ban-protests-ahead-of-ecowas-visit
-----
6) Amazon and Google Unveil Joint Multicloud Connectivity Service
Source: Yahoo! Finance
“Amazon and Google introduced a co-developed multicloud networking service designed to help customers establish private, high-speed connections between the companies’ cloud platforms. The initiative responds to rising demand for uninterrupted connectivity at a time when even brief disruptions can trigger significant business losses. The launch comes shortly after a major Amazon Web Services outage on Oct. 20 that brought down thousands of websites, including widely used consumer apps. Analytics firm Parametrix estimates the incident will cost U.S. businesses between $500 million and $650 million.” (12/01/25)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-google-unveil-joint-multicloud-123441302.html
-----
7) India: Regime orders phone makers to pre-install spyware
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The Indian government has instructed smartphone makers to pre-install a state-owned cybersecurity app on all new devices in a bid to tackle online scams and other crimes, according to reports. The November 28 order – the existence of which was reported by Reuters news agency and Indian media on Monday, three days after it was privately sent to manufacturers – gives the companies 90 days to ensure that the app, Sanchar Saathi or ‘communication companion,’ is pre-installed on new mobile phones, with a requirement that users cannot disable it. The directive of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) also requires phone companies to push a software update for installing the app on devices already in circulation, the reports said.” (12/01/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/1/india-orders-phone-makers-to-pre-install-state-owned-web-safety-app-report
-----
8) Hong Kong fire probe reveals unsafe netting as public mourns and government stifles dissent
Source: SFGate
“Hong Kong officials said Monday that their investigation into a deadly blaze that killed at least 151 has revealed some of the netting that covered scaffolding used in renovations was not up to fire-safety codes, as a wave of public sympathy and support was met by government moves to stifle criticism. Wednesday’s blaze, which took until Friday to fully extinguish, started on the lower-level netting covering bamboo scaffolding around one building in the high-rise Wang Fuk Court complex. It then swept inside as foam panels placed over windows caught fire and blew out the glass. Winds carried flames from building to building that all were covered in scaffolding and netting, until seven of eight were ablaze. Initial tests of the netting showed it was up to code, but subsequently investigators collected 20 samples from all areas, including higher floors, and found seven failed safety standards …” (12/01/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/donations-for-hong-kong-fire-victims-reach-115-21215993.php
-----
9) MN: Social service workers slam Walz as “100% responsible for massive fraud”
Source: New York Post
“Hundreds of state workers at the Minnesota Department of Human Services publicly excoriated Gov. Tim Walz for allowing ‘a massive fraud’ scandal to unfold under his watch and retaliating against their whistleblowers. Over $1 billion in taxpayers’ money was fleeced by dozens of scammers in Minnesota’s Feeding Our Future fraud scandal, the largest known COVID-19 fraud case in the country. ‘Tim Walz is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota. We let Tim Walz know of fraud early on, hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud but no, we got the opposite response,’ the Minnesota DHS employees’ X account, which represents over 480 staffers, chided Saturday. ‘Tim Walz systematically retaliated against whistleblowers using monitoring, threats, repression, and did his best to discredit fraud reports. Instead of partnership, we got the full weight of retaliation,’ the account charged. ‘It’s scary, isolating and left us wondering who we can turn to.'” (12/01/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/12/01/us-news/minn-social-service-workers-slam-gov-tim-walz-as-100-responsible-for-1b-state-fraud/
-----
10) Long-lost Rubens painting depicting crucifixion of Jesus Christ sells for $2.7 million
Source: CBS News
“A long-lost painting by Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens, which was hidden for more than four centuries, sold for $2.7 million at an auction Sunday in Versailles. The painting was recently found in a private townhouse in Paris. It depicts the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It was part of a French collection and was initially thought to be from one of the many Rubens workshops that existed at the time. The artwork was rarely valued at more than $11,500. … The painting was authenticated by German art historian Nils Buttner, known for his research on the master of the Flemish Baroque, Osenat said. Its provenance was certified through methods including X-ray imaging and pigment analysis, he added. Büttner explained before the auction that the master often painted crucifixions but rarely depicted ‘the crucified Christ as a dead body on the cross.'” (12/01/25)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rubens-painting-crucifixion-jesus-christ-sells-2-7-million/
-----
11) IN: Legislators in state House to convene session with re-gerrymandering top of mind
Source: SFGate
“Indiana House members are expected to press forward Monday with redrawing the state’s congressional districts in Republicans’ favor, increasing pressure on their defiant counterparts in the GOP-led Senate to meet President Donald Trump’s demands. Republicans who control the House have said there’s no doubt that redistricting will pass that chamber. But the fate of any proposal remains uncertain in the Senate. Republicans control that chamber, but caucus members have resisted pressure to redistrict for months. Senate leadership recently backed off its previous intentions not to meet at all, agreeing to convene next Monday. However, it’s still unclear whether enough senators will support a new map. Republicans hold seven of Indiana’s nine U.S. House seats. Trump and other Republicans want to make the map 9-0 in the GOP’s favor, seeking to give the party two extra seats in the 2026 elections that will determine control of the U.S. House.” (12/01/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/indiana-lawmakers-in-state-house-to-convene-21215942.php
-----
12) NYC: Starbucks to pay $39 million in labor settlement
Source: New York Times
“Mayor Eric Adams announced a $38.9 million settlement with Starbucks on Monday over violations of New York City’s law guaranteeing fair working conditions, a resolution that city officials said was the largest worker protection settlement in the city’s history. The city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection found that Starbucks had violated the law more than half a million times since 2021 by failing to provide workers with stable schedules. More than 15,000 hourly workers are expected to receive restitution payments under the agreement. … Under the settlement, most employees who worked for Starbucks in an hourly position from July 2021 through July 2024 will receive $50 for each week they worked.” (12/01/25)
https://archive.is/ALRRL
-----
13) Minnesota judge under fire for tossing $7.2 million taxpayer-fraud conviction
Source: Fox News
“A judge in Minnesota is facing heat after she overturned a guilty verdict for an individual convicted in a $7.2 million fraud scheme that involved taxpayer money. Abdifatah Yusuf and his wife Lul Ahmed were charged in June 2024 after they were accused of stealing $7.2 million from the state’s Medicaid program while running a home healthcare business that lacked an office building and operated ‘for years out of a mailbox,’ according to the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. Prosecutors said Yusuf received Medicaid money for services that weren’t provided and overbilled for services that didn’t have documentation. Yusuf allegedly used the money to fund ‘a lavish lifestyle’ that included shopping sprees at ‘luxury clothing stores including Coach, Canada Goose, Michael Kors, Third Degree Heat, Nike, and Nordstrom.'” (12/01/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/us/minnesota-judge-under-fire-tossing-7-2m-taxpayer-fraud-conviction-tied-alleged-lavish-lifestyle
-----
14) Australia: Sydney men charged with spreading child sexual abuse videos tied to international ring
Source: ABC News
“Four Sydney men have been charged with criminal offenses over their alleged involvement in the distribution of child sexual abuse material linked to an international child sex abuse ring, police said Monday. A New South Wales state police task force identified the Sydney-based network while investigating the online distribution of encrypted child sexual abuse material involving ritualistic and satanic themes, Det. Supt. Jayne Doherty said. … Police also seized electronic devices allegedly containing thousands of videos depicting the abuse of children from babies to 12-year-olds. ‘Police will allege in court that this international group were engaging in conversations and the sharing of material which depicted child abuse and the torture of children involving symbols and rituals linked to Satanism and the occult,’ Doherty said.” (12/01/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/sydney-men-charged-spreading-child-sexual-abuse-videos-127992650
-----
15) MA: Man goes on trial in death of wife who disappeared more than two years ago
Source: SFGate
“Prosecutors Monday argued a Massachusetts man was responsible for the grisly murder of his wife who disappeared more than two years ago while his lawyers insisted the man panicked after she suddenly died in bed. Ana Walshe, a real estate agent who immigrated from Serbia, was last seen early on Jan. 1, 2023, following a New Year’s Eve dinner at her Massachusetts home. Her body has never been found. Her husband, Brian Walshe, faces a first-degree murder charge, after agreeing to plead guilty last month to lesser charges of misleading police and willfully disposing of a human body in violation of state law.” (12/01/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/brian-walshe-goes-on-trial-in-death-of-wife-who-21215946.php
-----
16) Airbus says most of its recalled 6,000 A320 jets now modified
Source: Reuters
“Airbus fleets were returning towards normal operations on Monday after the European planemaker pushed through abrupt software changes faster than expected, averting a prolonged crisis over the discovery of a space-related computer bug. Dozens of airlines from Asia to the United States said they had carried out a snap software retrofit ordered by Airbus, and mandated by global regulators, after a vulnerability to solar flares emerged in a recent mid-air incident on a JetBlue A320. … Sources familiar with the matter said the unprecedented decision to recall about half the A320-family fleet was taken shortly after the possible but unproven link to a drop in altitude on the JetBlue jet emerged late last week.” (12/01/25)
https://archive.is/kcTXE
-----
17) Landmine casualties hit four-year high, driven by conflicts in Syria, Myanmar
Source: UN News
“Civilian deaths and injuries from landmines and explosive remnants of war have risen to their highest level in four years, according to the Landmine Monitor 2025 report launched in Geneva on Monday. It documents 6,279 casualties in 2024. Children remain especially vulnerable, particularly in conflict-affected countries where displaced families are returning to heavily contaminated areas. ‘Civilians made up 90 per cent of casualties in 2024,’ said Loren Persi, Impact Team Lead for the report. ‘And children remained a significant portion of all casualties, almost half … In Afghanistan, 77 per cent, so over three-quarters of all casualties, were children, which is horrific.’ The launch was led by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) and hosted by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).” (12/01/25)
https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166476
-----
18) Bangladesh: British MP sentenced in absentia
Source: Politico
“British MP Tulip Siddiq has been handed a two-year prison sentence in Bangladesh in her absence following a corruption trial she did not attend. Siddiq, a former U.K. minister, was found guilty of influencing her aunt, Bangladesh’s ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to secure a plot of land for her family in the outskirts of the capital Dhaka, according to a BBC report of the trial. Siddiq, a former U.K. Treasury minister, has strongly denied the claims and is unlikely to serve the sentence. She is based in London and is the MP for the London constituency of Hampstead and Highgate.” (12/01/25)
https://www.politico.eu/article/british-mp-tulip-siddiq-given-two-year-bangladesh-prison-sentence-in-absence
-----
19) Mangione fights to exclude evidence from his trial in killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO
Source: SFGate
“Luigi Mangione watched stoically in court Monday as prosecutors played surveillance videos showing the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a New York City sidewalk last year and Mangione’s arrest five days later at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. The videos, including footage from the restaurant previously unseen by the press or the public, kicked off a hearing on Mangione’s fight to bar evidence from his state murder trial, including the gun prosecutors say matches the one used in the Dec. 4, 2024, attack.” (12/01/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/luigi-mangione-fights-to-exclude-gun-notes-as-21215944.php
-----
20) Pope Pushes Peace Message on Second Day in Crisis-Hit Lebanon
Source: US News & World Report
“Pope Leo will meet leaders from Lebanon’s diverse religious sects on Monday and is expected to urge Lebanese not to abandon their country despite years of conflict, political paralysis and economic crisis that have prompted waves of migration. Leo, the first U.S. pope, visited Lebanon’s Catholic community before hosting a dialogue with members of the Sunni Muslim, Shi’ite and Druze communities, as well as migrant workers and other Christians. The pope, on what he has described as a mission of peace, has urged Lebanon’s leaders to persevere with peace efforts in the aftermath of last year’s devastating war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, and continued Israeli strikes.” (12/01/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-12-01/pope-pushes-peace-message-on-second-day-in-crisis-hit-lebanon
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) The “Free” World Is Coming for Your Private Messages
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“As I write, European Union (E.U.) officials are debating the details of a proposal to either require or pressure tech companies to scan all private messages for child sexual abuse material. Dubbed ‘chat control,’ the scheme inevitably entails mass surveillance of private communications — targeting one sort of content for the moment, though it’s difficult to see how that would long remain limited in any way. It’s an illustration of the continuing decline in online liberty documented in a new report from Freedom House. … It’s unsurprising that countries already recognized as authoritarian are continuing repressive practices. Nobody expects China or Iran to suddenly develop a taste for protecting online dissent and respecting privacy of communications. More disturbingly though, as seen in the European debate over chat control, nominally free countries are becoming increasingly intrusive when it comes to the digital world.” (12/01/25)
https://reason.com/2025/12/01/the-free-world-is-coming-for-your-private-messages/
-----
22) If free speech only matters when convenient, it isn’t free at all
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Samuel J Abrams
“The recent controversies surrounding Charlie Kirk — and the extraordinary reaction that followed his campus appearances and commentary — offer a revealing window into the fragile state of free expression in contemporary America. Two recent New York Times opinion pieces examining the backlash were right to highlight how quickly public discourse has hardened into a zero-sum contest in which speech itself becomes grounds for professional punishment, social ostracism, and institutional retaliation. But the deeper lesson is even more unsettling: Free speech is increasingly treated not as a constitutional principle, but as a conditional privilege — one that applies only when speech is politically comfortable.” (12/01/25)
https://www.thefire.org/news/if-free-speech-only-matters-when-convenient-it-isnt-free-all
-----
23) Pete Hegseth, not Mark Kelly, should be facing justice
Source: Washington Post
by Max Boot
“There is a good reason Mark Kelly and the other lawmakers felt compelled to warn service members not to carry out illegal orders. That seems to be precisely what the military is now doing at the behest of an administration that disdains any limits on the president’s imperial authority and treats war crimes as a joke.” (12/01/25)
https://archive.is/HAPvP
-----
24) Subversive Organizations
Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders
“A quiet transformation is underway. Where hierarchies once dominated, many founding teams have learned that people can be more effective when they organize without formal command-and-control structures. One would think that this recommends an egalitarian or democratic form of organization. Not exactly.” (12/01/25)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/subversive-organizations
-----
25) The Tragic Hysteria of Abortion
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“I know this is a quixotic essay. Almost everyone has long since made up their minds, and I’ll probably anger both sides. So why write it? My stock answer: Because I have something original, important, and true to say. Hysterically aborting your baby because you falsely believe the baby will ruin your life isn’t merely morally wrong; it is tragic.” (12/01/25)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/the-tragic-hysteria-of-abortion
-----
26) The War in Ukraine: Lots of Questions and a Few Answers
Source: American Greatness
by Victor Davis Hanson
“Why did the war in Ukraine start in 2021? As in 2008 and 2012, but unlike 2017 to 2021, Vladimir Putin sensed an American president would not or could not deter him, so he invaded a former Soviet republic. Under past presidents, Putin saw no downside to grabbing Ossetia, the Donbas, and Crimea. Putin was also led to believe the West or Joe Biden would not challenge him following the recent humiliating U.S. withdrawal from Kabul. Biden’s unfortunate remark that a ‘minor’ Russian invasion might not invoke a U.S. response did not help. Based on past experience, Putin saw no real obstacle to a quick victory. ” (12/01/25)
https://amgreatness.com/2025/12/01/the-war-in-ukraine-lots-of-questions-and-a-few-answers/
-----
27) What the 50-Year Mortgage Debate Reveals About US Housing Constraints
Source: The Daily Economic
by Alexander C Cartwright
“The US housing market in late 2025 is defined by contradictory forces: rising prices but slowing growth, increasing inventory but falling affordability, and a demographic shift that is weakening long-run demand even as short-run supply remains structurally constrained. Against this backdrop, President Trump’s proposal for a 50-year mortgage is an attempt to stretch affordability in a market that has outpaced incomes, and it exposes deeper issues.” (12/01/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/what-the-50-year-mortgage-debate-reveals-about-us-housing-constraints/
-----
28) Trump Is the Destroyer of Peace
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“The crime of aggression is rightly considered the ‘supreme international crime’ because all the other crimes committed in war stem from it. Initiating a war is a despicable thing to do regardless of the pretext. If the U.S. starts a war with Venezuela it will be yet another black mark on this country’s reputation. Virtually no one is asking for this intervention except for hardline ideologues, exiles, and a few foreign politicians. Most Americans reject attacking Venezuela. The American people do not support aggression against Venezuela. All of this is being driven by the whims of a tyrannical president and the obsessions of his advisers. The president’s coming war with Venezuela is deeply undemocratic and unconstitutional. It is Mr. Trump’s War. He is its instigator and he will be responsible for the consequences.” (12/01/25)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/trump-is-the-destroyer-of-peace
-----
29) The Craziest Thing In The World Is That We Could End Poverty, But We Don’t
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“It’s the craziest thing in the world that we already have the technological ability to provide a decent standard of living for everyone on earth, but it doesn’t happen because it’s not profitable. We attained the greatest scientific achievement of all time and then did nothing with it. Our society is completely uninterested in it because capitalism is completely uninterested in it. It’s just so insane how this doesn’t sit front and center in our attention all the time. There are people dying of starvation, exposure and preventable illnesses every single day for no good reason. Humanity became more than capable of ensuring that this never happened to anyone ever again, and just rode right past that stunning moment in history without even glancing up from its smartphone. Can you imagine if we did that with any other major technological development?” (12/01/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/12/01/the-craziest-thing-in-the-world-is-that-we-could-end-poverty-but-we-dont/
-----
30) Liberty, Innovation, and the Garage Startup: Lessons from Silicon Valley
Source: Students For Liberty
by Oscar Gill-Lewis
“One of the most interesting aspects of Silicon Valley is that Richard never originally set out to create a decentralized internet. His initial plan was far more modest: to sell his compression algorithm, a technology that makes digital files smaller and more efficient to store and transmit. He develops this algorithm because he recognizes, through market feedback and investor interest, that there is strong demand for such a tool. This reflects key insights from Hayek and Kirzner.” (12/01/25)
https://studentsforliberty.org/blog/liberty-innovation-and-the-garage-startup-lessons-from-silicon-valley/
-----
31) The Party of No Responsibility
Source: Town Hall
by Allen West
“When we lose a member of our Armed Services to the enemy on the battlefield, we mostly understand that it is part of the accepted risk. However, when Soldiers are ambushed and shot just blocks away from the White House in our Nation’s capital, it shocks us. And so is the case with 20-year-old US Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, who volunteered to take a Thanksgiving tour of duty to protect the streets of Washington, DC, so that others could enjoy Thanksgiving with family. Sarah was shot in the chest and head, and we lost her. US Air Force SSG Andrew Wolfe is fighting for his life. Both were shot by an Afghan national who was allowed entry into our country, and it appears not properly vetted.” (12/01/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/allenwest/2025/12/01/the-party-of-no-responsibility-n2667165
-----
32) War Crime … or Murder?
Source: The Contrarian
by Jennifer Rubin
“Even Senate and House Republicans seem to comprehend the gravity of the situation. Departing from their normal spinelessness, they joined Democrats on both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the House Armed Services Committee in bipartisan statements vowing to investigate [the murder of two survivors of an illegal Caribbean boat attack]. Democrats — and any decent Republican — should use every tool available to insist on a thorough and independent investigation, reiterate zero tolerance for war crimes and murder, and pledge to hold everyone responsible to the full extent of the law. No wonder Trump and his minions freaked out over Democratic congressmen and senators’ video advising military personnel not to follow illegal orders.” (12/01/25)
https://contrarian.substack.com/p/war-crimeor-murder
-----
33) Comparing the Ukraine and Gaza Peace Deals
Source: Common Dreams
by James Zogby
“In the span of a week, the Trump administration succeeded in passing a United Nations Security Council resolution on Gaza (based on its earlier 20-point plan to end the conflict) and also released a 28-point peace plan for Ukraine. Commentators and critics have noted some similarities between the two initiatives. There are also profound differences that are important to note. In the first place, the intention of both plans appears to be driven by the simple and commendable goal of ending the ongoing violence in Gaza and Ukraine. While trying to do this, however, critics note that aggressors have been given undo [sic] deference. In the case of Ukraine, it was deemed that the way forward was in awarding Russia’s land grab in eastern and southern Ukraine. In the case of Gaza, no attention was paid to Israel’s genocidal crimes against Palestinians …” (12/01/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/comparing-gaza-ukraine-peace-deals
-----
34) The New Speech Wars
Source: Quillette
by Cathy Young
“During the free-speech skirmishes of the last decade, the battle lines were often drawn in a way that placed heterodox liberals and centrists on the same side as conservatives in opposing censorious progressivism. But those lines have been redrawn in recent months, after the Trump administration began aggressively targeting disfavoured expression, from overly negative museum exhibits on slavery to uncouth reactions to the murder of Charlie Kirk. Much of a triumphalist Right has now enthusiastically embraced the ‘cancel culture’ it once condemned, embracing many of the same justifications once employed by the Left (censorship, we are told, is merely ‘accountability’). The heterodox community, defined by dissent from the progressive consensus on identity and social justice, has split into those whose defence of free speech extends to the Trump administration’s abuses and those who still prefer to fight various iterations of ‘wokeness.'” (12/01/25)
https://quillette.com/2025/12/01/the-new-speech-wars-global-free-speech-summit-trump-rufo/
-----
35) Rent Control
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Sergio Martínez
“Rent control is a subset of price controls. While its supposed goal is sympathetic—the desire to make housing affordable — it fails for a simple reason: it prevents prices from doing the job they exist to do.” (12/01/25)
https://fee.org/articles/rent-control/
-----
36) AEI and Johns Hopkins Attempt a Covid Redo
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Bret Swanson
“The experts have not been quick to assess, let alone apologize for, their performance during Covid. I took note, therefore, when two elite institutions that led the pandemic response co-hosted a retrospective event on Thursday, November 6. Johns Hopkins University is home to a world-renowned medical center and the Bloomberg School of Public Health. The American Enterprise Institute is one of Washington, D.C.’s oldest and largest public policy think tanks. Both helped shape pandemic policy and perception from its earliest days. The two organizations have been collaborating for the past year, and they framed their first event on November 6 around the book In Covid’s Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us, a critique of lockdowns written by two Princeton political scientists, Frances Lee and Stephen Macedo. Given their vocal insistence on maximal Covid impositions, Hopkins and AEI deserve credit for finally highlighting an opposing view.” (12/01/25)
https://brownstone.org/articles/aei-and-johns-hopkins-attempt-a-covid-redo/
-----
37) I grew up in public housing and I know how to fix Obamacare
Source: Fox News
by US Senator Rick Scott (R-FL)
“It’s time for all of us to admit what the American people already know: Obamacare has failed. The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, created a system that enriched insurance companies and hospitals and screwed over Americans. Obamacare didn’t let people keep their insurance plans or their doctors, and families didn’t save money — and neither did the federal government. Families have been left with higher costs and healthcare that doesn’t meet their needs. I want to tell you about a family with a preexisting health condition that I think about whenever I talk about healthcare in our country. They grew up in public housing, rarely saw a doctor. One of the kids had a hip disease. Their mom would drive 200 miles to a charity hospital to get him treatment. That was my family growing up.” (12/01/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/sen-rick-scott-i-grew-up-public-housing-i-know-how-fix-obamacare
-----
38) America’s Hidden Judiciary
Source: Law & Liberty
by Stone Washington
“Unbeknownst to most Americans, federal regulatory agencies have their own court system for adjudicating disputes that businesses and citizens have with regulators. These agencies rely on special courts headed by administrative law judges (ALJs). One big problem with this system is that it operates independently of legitimate Article III courts. Another problem is that agency-housed tribunals have a strong tendency to favor regulators over the regulated. And yet another problem is how these judges (which I call ‘transitory’) get loaned out between agencies. Inter-agency borrowing of ALJs may not immediately stand out to the average citizen as problematic, but it raises serious questions about constitutionality, executive transparency, and bureaucratic oversight.” (12/01/25)
https://lawliberty.org/americas-hidden-judiciary/
-----
39) Life After Xi
Source: The American Conservative
by Liam Childers
“or years, Xi Jinping has encouraged the usage of many Maoist era slogans. One such slogan, ‘Sailing the Seas Depends on the Helmsman,’ was a Cultural Revolution staple, used in song, speeches, and on posters praising the chairman. The slogan’s reemergence highlights a connection in how the state viewed itself then and now. The slogan also reflects Xi’s view of himself. As his years in office have gone on, this self-portrait has also been imposed on the party itself. Xi is presented as singular and irreplaceable. And yet, inevitably, he will need one day to be replaced.” (12/01/25)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/life-after-xi/
-----
40) Stop making the Donbas territory a zero-sum confrontation
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Almut Rochowanski
“Before the two sides have even sat at the same table, the fate of the Donbas territories has emerged as the issue on which the sides are so far apart, and so unlikely to give in to the other, that it may doom peace talks before they even open. Ukraine considers conceding territory bitter, humiliating, and painful. Understandably so: giving up even more, after the country has lost so much and so many in defending itself, is intolerable. Russia seems grimly determined to gain the territory, if need be militarily, its recent progress on the battlefield making this threat all too credible. In this conundrum, the inhabitants of this sliver of the Donbas are offered only two futures, both of them devastating.” (12/01/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/donbas-peace-plan/
-----
41) The Historic Reversal of Cultural Affordability
Source: The American Prospect
by Paul Starr
“‘Everyone is a V.I.P.’ was the motto of the Disney theme parks for decades after the opening of Disneyland in 1955. A broad middle class could afford a trip to a Disney park, and visitors had equal access to the attractions once they were there. Unfortunately, America is a long way from that middle-class ideal today. Disney and other companies now make more money from people with high incomes, and they tailor their services accordingly. So much for the old Disney theme song: ‘When you wish upon a star / Makes no difference who you are.’ The original Disney vision reflected a long history of popular cultural affordability that once set America apart.” (12/01/25)
https://prospect.org/2025/12/01/historic-reversal-of-cultural-affordability/
-----
42) As Trump’s Peace Plan Shows, Washington Still Doesn’t Understand Russia
Source: Libertarian Institute
by José Niño
“The chaotic rollout of the latest Ukraine peace initiative reveals a troubling reality that transcends partisan politics. Three years into a devastating European war, American policymakers still operate under the delusion that diplomatic papering over irreconcilable positions can substitute for the hard work of strategic disengagement.” (12/01/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/as-trumps-peace-plan-shows-washington-still-doesnt-understand-russia
-----
43) Quantum Vibe, 12/01/25
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (12/01/25)
https://www.quantumvibe.com/strip?page=2563
-----
44) The Caribbean Faces Two Choices: Join the US Attempt to Intimidate Venezuela or Build Its Own Sovereignty
Source: CounterPunch
by Vijay Prashad
“The Caribbean has a choice between two futures. One path leads toward deeper militarisation, dependency, and incorporation into the US security apparatus. The other leads toward the revitalisation of regional autonomy, South-South cooperation, and the anti-imperialist traditions that have long sustained the Caribbean’s political imagination.” (12/01/25)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/12/01/the-caribbean-faces-two-choices-join-the-us-attempt-to-intimidate-venezuela-or-build-its-own-sovereignty/
-----
45) Americans are rightly waking up: Much of higher education is now a scam
Source: New York Post
by staff
“More Americans are wising up to the fact that higher education has become a raw deal for all too many young people. A new NBC News poll finds that a full 63% of voters believe a four-year college degree now isn’t worth it, since many students graduate with ‘a large amount of debt’ but ‘no specific job skills.’ That’s up markedly from 2013, when a majority took the opposite view, as 53% called a degree ‘worth the cost because people have a better chance to get a good job and earn more money over their lifetime.’ That was the case for generations of Americans, who saw college as a key step to higher-paying jobs and a better life: ‘Upwardly mobile’ was almost entirely synonymous with ‘college-educated.’ But over the last few decades, the dynamic has shifted: Far too many college degrees guarantee nothing … except onerous debt.” (11/30/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/11/30/opinion/more-americans-are-realizing-a-four-year-degree-is-an-expensive-scam/
-----
46) Ukraine Peace Talks: Concessions or Done Deals?
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ted Snider
“The possible death of the Trump administration’s latest attempt at a diplomatic settlement is the latest tragedy in the story of this war. It was likely the best chance at granting Russia what it had to have to end the war while granting Ukraine what it had to have to achieve its own goals, as opposed to America’s or Europe’s.” (12/01/25)
https://original.antiwar.com/ted_snider/2025/11/30/ukraine-peace-talks-concessions-or-done-deals
-----
47) Even by a Strict Definition, Elon Musk Is a Fascist
Source: The UnPopulist
by Toby Buckle
“Until very recently, it was standard to dismiss as alarmists those who would invoke ‘fascism’ to describe the right’s transformation in the era of Trump. But even for the most committed of us — I’m someone who does use the f-word — endless media obliviousness and obfuscation can get in your head: Are things really as bad as I’m suggesting? Is liberal democracy really in this much danger? The modern illiberal right is bad, sure, but is this really fascism? And then you listen to a few sentences out of Elon Musk’s mouth and all doubts are dispelled.” (11/30/25)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/even-by-a-strict-definition-elon
-----
48) In the Age of the Epstein Files, True Populists Should Embrace Feminism
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“Powerful men rape and even when they get caught red handed, they tend to get away with it. This is a fact, and it is a fact impervious to partisan bullshit. This is also why everyone should be a feminist, and every feminist should be an anarchist who opposes the patriarchal institutional power represented by the two-party shell game. This should include libertarians and even conservatives, and this should also include men who frequently find themselves the victims of the patriarchy as well.” (11/30/25)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2025/11/in-age-of-epstein-files-true-populists.html
-----
49) They Worked Underground in the Uranium Mines; They’ve Been Surrounded by Death Ever Since
Source: In These Times
by Sarah Lazare
“Leslie Begay sets aside the last few bites of his BLT. It’s something he does every meal as an offering for the person who gave him his lungs, he explains at a family-run diner in Gallup, N.M. Every morning and evening, Begay prays for the person whose organ donation, four years ago, saved his life. He doesn’t know their identity. … He is the only person he knows who got a double lung transplant. When his friends, coworkers and family members got sick, they died. They moved heaven and earth to get what they wanted when they needed it. But they will not move heaven and earth to clean up the mess they left behind.” (12/01/25)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/they-worked-underground-in-the-uranium-mines-theyve-been-surrounded-by-death-ever-since-navajo-nation-war-trump-labor-abandoned-vanadium-cancer-lung-transplant-industry-homeland-southwest-atomic-energy-environment-justice
-----
50) One year later, was I wrong to downplay the dangers of Trump? Yes.
Source: Orange County Register
by Rafael Perez
“A year ago, to the day, I wrote a column (‘Americans really need to relax and stop taking national politics so seriously’) in which I argued that modern Americans are far too concerned with politics and too emotionally invested in what politicians say and do. … Relax, I said. Everything will be fine, I assured the toiling peasants from my ivory tower, naive and jolly, hands brown but never soiled. That is at least how many of our readers received it. … we are now seeing how wrong I was – Trump’s second term has been an ugly disaster. We have acquired a self-inflicted wound in the form of a global trade war. This administration is spreading medical misinformation, weaponizing the Department of Justice, destroying the separation of powers, and blatantly selling political favors. Ex high school benchwarmers are roaming the streets abducting mestizos.” (11/30/25)
https://archive.is/p8I2d
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 12/01/25
Source: Reason
"Is Economic Anxiety Driving People to Socialism?" (12/01/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/12/01/is-economic-anxiety-driving-people-to-socialism/
-----
52) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 12/01/25
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“How The Afghan Attacker Could Have Been Stopped.” (12/01/25)
https://rumble.com/v72grka-how-the-afghan-attacker-could-have-been-stopped.html
-----
53) Rising, 12/01/25
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on the recent National Guard shooting in Washington, DC, and how many have blamed President Trump for the shooting by deploying the National Guard.” [editor’s note: Well, Trump DID deploy the National Guard as occupation troops, and Trump DID approve the alleged shooter’s asylum application, so … – TLK] (12/01/25)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5627982-rising-december-1-2025/
-----
54) Conflicts of Interest, episode 856
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Will a Corruption Scandal Be the Final Nail in Ukraine’s Coffin?” (12/01/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-856-will-a-corruption-scandal-be-the-final-nail-in-ukraines-coffin
-----
55) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 12/01/25
Source: The Dispatch
“Let the Pandas Go Extinct | Interview: Sarah Isgur.” (12/01/25)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/let-the-pandas-go-extinct-interview-sarah-isgur/
-----
56) EconTalk, 12/01/25
Source: EconTalk
“The Perfect Tuba: How Band, Grit, and Community Build a Better Life (with Sam Quinones).” (12/01/25)
https://www.econtalk.org/the-perfect-tuba-how-band-grit-and-community-build-a-better-life-with-sam-quinones/
-----
57) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 12/01/25
Source: The New Republic
“Trump’s Fury at NYT Explodes amid Fresh Concerns about Mental Decline.” (12/01/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/203763/trump-fury-nyt-explodes-amid-fresh-concerns-mental-decline
-----
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 12/01/25
Source: Antiwar.com
“Trump Declares Closure of Venezuela’s Airspace, IDF Kills Two Young Brothers in Gaza, and More.” (12/01/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNw-6rc8Um8
-----
59) Quillette Podcast, episode 314
Source: Quillette
“A Gay Author’s Escape from Cults, Drugs, Queer Radicalism, and ‘Scrupulosity.’” (11/30/25)
https://quillette.com/2025/11/30/podcast-314-a-gay-authors-escape-from-cults-drugs-queer-radicalism-and-scrupulosity/
-----
60) Free Talk Live, 11/30/25
Source: Free Talk Live
“PSYOPs :: NCI engineered reality scoring system :: Sarah in NM wants to vote for the mayor that will keep speeding cameras :: Rob from VT calls about the ‘Dick act’ :: Book: Lawful Tax Avoidance (.com) :: Dave Ridley calls about ex-cop turning pro-freedom and challenging the ‘resisting arrest’ law in NH :: Skeeter says freedom is the real psyop/ fails to deny working for the government :: Jet calls to discuss mindsets in relation to government :: Right to travel vs. driving :: FSP :: Freedom migration to New Hampshire :: 2025-11-30 Hosts: Stu, Bear Arms, Mr. Penguin.” (11/30/25)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/ftl2025-11-30
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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:
0) Another Day, Another Year-End Fundraiser Update
1) White House confirms Hegseth ordered murder of Caribbean boat strike survivors
2) Third Russian tanker allegedly attacked in Black Sea
3) Appeals court disqualifies Alina Habba as US attorney for New Jersey
4) Haiti: Gangs launch large-scale attack in central region
5) Guinea-Bissau: Military Rulers Ban Protests Ahead of ECOWAS Visit
6) Amazon and Google Unveil Joint Multicloud Connectivity Service
7) India: Regime orders phone makers to pre-install spyware
8) Hong Kong fire probe reveals unsafe netting as public mourns and government stifles dissent
9) MN: Social service workers slam Walz as “100% responsible for massive fraud”
10) Long-lost Rubens painting depicting crucifixion of Jesus Christ sells for $2.7 million
11) IN: Legislators in state House to convene session with re-gerrymandering top of mind
12) NYC: Starbucks to pay $39 million in labor settlement
13) Minnesota judge under fire for tossing $7.2 million taxpayer-fraud conviction
14) Australia: Sydney men charged with spreading child sexual abuse videos tied to international ring
15) MA: Man goes on trial in death of wife who disappeared more than two years ago
16) Airbus says most of its recalled 6,000 A320 jets now modified
17) Landmine casualties hit four-year high, driven by conflicts in Syria, Myanmar
18) Bangladesh: British MP sentenced in absentia
19) Mangione fights to exclude evidence from his trial in killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO
20) Pope Pushes Peace Message on Second Day in Crisis-Hit Lebanon
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) The “Free” World Is Coming for Your Private Messages
22) If free speech only matters when convenient, it isn’t free at all
23) Pete Hegseth, not Mark Kelly, should be facing justice
24) Subversive Organizations
25) The Tragic Hysteria of Abortion
26) The War in Ukraine: Lots of Questions and a Few Answers
27) What the 50-Year Mortgage Debate Reveals About US Housing Constraints
28) Trump Is the Destroyer of Peace
29) The Craziest Thing In The World Is That We Could End Poverty, But We Don’t
30) Liberty, Innovation, and the Garage Startup: Lessons from Silicon Valley
31) The Party of No Responsibility
32) War Crime … or Murder?
33) Comparing the Ukraine and Gaza Peace Deals
34) The New Speech Wars
35) Rent Control
36) AEI and Johns Hopkins Attempt a Covid Redo
37) I grew up in public housing and I know how to fix Obamacare
38) America’s Hidden Judiciary
39) Life After Xi
40) Stop making the Donbas territory a zero-sum confrontation
41) The Historic Reversal of Cultural Affordability
42) As Trump’s Peace Plan Shows, Washington Still Doesn’t Understand Russia
43) Quantum Vibe, 12/01/25
44) The Caribbean Faces Two Choices: Join the US Attempt to Intimidate Venezuela or Build Its Own Sovereignty
45) Americans are rightly waking up: Much of higher education is now a scam
46) Ukraine Peace Talks: Concessions or Done Deals?
47) Even by a Strict Definition, Elon Musk Is a Fascist
48) In the Age of the Epstein Files, True Populists Should Embrace Feminism
49) They Worked Underground in the Uranium Mines; They’ve Been Surrounded by Death Ever Since
50) One year later, was I wrong to downplay the dangers of Trump? Yes.
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 12/01/25
52) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 12/01/25
53) Rising, 12/01/25
54) Conflicts of Interest, episode 856
55) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 12/01/25
56) EconTalk, 12/01/25
57) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 12/01/25
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 12/01/25
59) Quillette Podcast, episode 314
60) Free Talk Live, 11/30/25
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
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
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
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
0) Another Day, Another Year-End Fundraiser Update
THANK YOU to long-time supporter / subscribing contributor JS, whose $10 donation yesterday brings our year-end fundraiser total to $1,368.34!
Are you tired of these daily year-end fundraiser updates yet? You can end them until next October with this one weird trick:
https://news.rationalreview.com/support-rrnd
We're only $1,382.16 away from our goal of $5,501 (not bad math -- supporter GL has pledged to "match funds" for half of that, once we've raised the first $2,750.50).
Once we've hit our goal, I shut up about money entirely for the remainder of 2025, and mostly (just the occasional "we're reader-supported" mention) until NEXT year's year-end fundraiser.
https://news.rationalreview.com/support-rrnd
Another "the sooner the better" reason to donate NOW: GL usually pays his pledges in Bitcoin, which happens to be down from record highs right now. If we get his Bitcoin while that's the case, we'll make bank when it goes back up (which I expect it to do before the end of the year).
Please support the freedom movement's daily newspaper, and have a great day!
https://news.rationalreview.com/support-rrnd
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily
-----
1) White House confirms Hegseth ordered murder of Caribbean boat strike survivors
Source: The Hill
“White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Monday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the second, follow-up strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean in September following a bombshell Washington Post report that claimed he ordered the military to ‘kill everybody.’ Leavitt told reporters at the White House press briefing that Hegseth authorized Adm. Frank Bradley to carry out the second strike, which reportedly killed two people who were hanging onto the burning vessel after an initial strike. … According to the Post, an initial strike left two survivors, and Bradley ordered a follow-up strike to comply with Hegseth’s orders to leave no survivors.” (12/01/25)
https://thehill.com/homenews/5628447-defense-secretary-authorizes-drug-boat-strike/
-----
2) Third Russian tanker allegedly attacked in Black Sea
Source: Le Monde [France]
“Turkey said on Tuesday, December 2, another tanker had reported coming under attack in the Black Sea while en route to Georgia, without sustaining any injuries. The incident took place just days after two other tankers were hit by explosions off the Turkish coast. A Ukrainian security source claimed responsibility for those attacks, telling AFP agency that drones had hit vessels that were ‘covertly transporting Russian oil.’ The latest incident on Tuesday morning hit the Midvolga 2, which ‘reported that it was attacked 80 nautical miles off our coast,’ Turkey’s maritime affairs directorate wrote on X, saying the tanker was ‘sailing from Russia to Georgia loaded with sunflower oil’ with 13 crew on board.” (12/02/25)
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/12/02/third-russian-tanker-attacked-in-black-sea-turkey-says_6748055_4.html
-----
3) Appeals court disqualifies Alina Habba as US attorney for New Jersey
Source: Axios
“A federal appeals court on Monday disqualified President Trump’s former personal attorney Alina Habba from serving as U.S. attorney for New Jersey. … Habba was appointed to the post on an interim basis in March, a designation that could last for 120 days. Trump then nominated her for the permanent post in June, but the Senate never acted on her nomination, which the president eventually withdrew. A federal judge ruled in August that Habba was acting without legal authority for about two months, at that point. Her actions since July 1 may be considered void, U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann wrote at the time.” (12/01/25)
https://archive.is/L37pu
-----
4) Haiti: Gangs launch large-scale attack in central region
Source: Independent [UK]
“Heavily armed gangs attacked Haiti’s central region over the weekend, killing men, women and children as they set fire to homes and forced survivors to flee into the darkness. [The rival “police” gang] made emergency calls for backup, asserting that 50% of the Artibonite region had fallen under gang control after the large-scale attacks targeting towns including Bercy and Pont-Sondé. … Guerby Simeus, a Pont-Sondé official, told The Associated Press by phone on Monday that he had confirmed nearly a dozen deaths, including a mother and her child and a local government employee. … Many survivors fled to the coastal town of Saint-Marc, where hundreds of angry people on Monday demanded that the government [gang] take action against [rival] gangs who have repeatedly attacked Haiti’s central region.” (12/01/25)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/haiti-gangs-police-portauprince-kenyan-b2875847.html
-----
5) Guinea-Bissau: Military Rulers Ban Protests Ahead of ECOWAS Visit
Source: US News & World Report
“Guinea-Bissau’s military rulers have banned protests and strikes as they tighten control ahead of a high-level visit by West Africa’s ECOWAS bloc that is seeking to restore constitutional order following last week’s coup. The military government, which seized power in what some West African leaders have termed a ‘sham’ coup, announced late on Sunday that all demonstrations, strikes and activities regarded as threats to peace and stability were prohibited. The directive also ordered public institutions, ministries and state secretariats to reopen and resume operations. The announcement followed protests in Bissau on Saturday, where hundreds, primarily youths, demanded the release of detained opposition leaders and the publication of presidential election results.” (12/01/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-12-01/guinea-bissau-military-rulers-ban-protests-ahead-of-ecowas-visit
-----
6) Amazon and Google Unveil Joint Multicloud Connectivity Service
Source: Yahoo! Finance
“Amazon and Google introduced a co-developed multicloud networking service designed to help customers establish private, high-speed connections between the companies’ cloud platforms. The initiative responds to rising demand for uninterrupted connectivity at a time when even brief disruptions can trigger significant business losses. The launch comes shortly after a major Amazon Web Services outage on Oct. 20 that brought down thousands of websites, including widely used consumer apps. Analytics firm Parametrix estimates the incident will cost U.S. businesses between $500 million and $650 million.” (12/01/25)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-google-unveil-joint-multicloud-123441302.html
-----
7) India: Regime orders phone makers to pre-install spyware
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The Indian government has instructed smartphone makers to pre-install a state-owned cybersecurity app on all new devices in a bid to tackle online scams and other crimes, according to reports. The November 28 order – the existence of which was reported by Reuters news agency and Indian media on Monday, three days after it was privately sent to manufacturers – gives the companies 90 days to ensure that the app, Sanchar Saathi or ‘communication companion,’ is pre-installed on new mobile phones, with a requirement that users cannot disable it. The directive of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) also requires phone companies to push a software update for installing the app on devices already in circulation, the reports said.” (12/01/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/1/india-orders-phone-makers-to-pre-install-state-owned-web-safety-app-report
-----
8) Hong Kong fire probe reveals unsafe netting as public mourns and government stifles dissent
Source: SFGate
“Hong Kong officials said Monday that their investigation into a deadly blaze that killed at least 151 has revealed some of the netting that covered scaffolding used in renovations was not up to fire-safety codes, as a wave of public sympathy and support was met by government moves to stifle criticism. Wednesday’s blaze, which took until Friday to fully extinguish, started on the lower-level netting covering bamboo scaffolding around one building in the high-rise Wang Fuk Court complex. It then swept inside as foam panels placed over windows caught fire and blew out the glass. Winds carried flames from building to building that all were covered in scaffolding and netting, until seven of eight were ablaze. Initial tests of the netting showed it was up to code, but subsequently investigators collected 20 samples from all areas, including higher floors, and found seven failed safety standards …” (12/01/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/donations-for-hong-kong-fire-victims-reach-115-21215993.php
-----
9) MN: Social service workers slam Walz as “100% responsible for massive fraud”
Source: New York Post
“Hundreds of state workers at the Minnesota Department of Human Services publicly excoriated Gov. Tim Walz for allowing ‘a massive fraud’ scandal to unfold under his watch and retaliating against their whistleblowers. Over $1 billion in taxpayers’ money was fleeced by dozens of scammers in Minnesota’s Feeding Our Future fraud scandal, the largest known COVID-19 fraud case in the country. ‘Tim Walz is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota. We let Tim Walz know of fraud early on, hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud but no, we got the opposite response,’ the Minnesota DHS employees’ X account, which represents over 480 staffers, chided Saturday. ‘Tim Walz systematically retaliated against whistleblowers using monitoring, threats, repression, and did his best to discredit fraud reports. Instead of partnership, we got the full weight of retaliation,’ the account charged. ‘It’s scary, isolating and left us wondering who we can turn to.'” (12/01/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/12/01/us-news/minn-social-service-workers-slam-gov-tim-walz-as-100-responsible-for-1b-state-fraud/
-----
10) Long-lost Rubens painting depicting crucifixion of Jesus Christ sells for $2.7 million
Source: CBS News
“A long-lost painting by Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens, which was hidden for more than four centuries, sold for $2.7 million at an auction Sunday in Versailles. The painting was recently found in a private townhouse in Paris. It depicts the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It was part of a French collection and was initially thought to be from one of the many Rubens workshops that existed at the time. The artwork was rarely valued at more than $11,500. … The painting was authenticated by German art historian Nils Buttner, known for his research on the master of the Flemish Baroque, Osenat said. Its provenance was certified through methods including X-ray imaging and pigment analysis, he added. Büttner explained before the auction that the master often painted crucifixions but rarely depicted ‘the crucified Christ as a dead body on the cross.'” (12/01/25)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rubens-painting-crucifixion-jesus-christ-sells-2-7-million/
-----
11) IN: Legislators in state House to convene session with re-gerrymandering top of mind
Source: SFGate
“Indiana House members are expected to press forward Monday with redrawing the state’s congressional districts in Republicans’ favor, increasing pressure on their defiant counterparts in the GOP-led Senate to meet President Donald Trump’s demands. Republicans who control the House have said there’s no doubt that redistricting will pass that chamber. But the fate of any proposal remains uncertain in the Senate. Republicans control that chamber, but caucus members have resisted pressure to redistrict for months. Senate leadership recently backed off its previous intentions not to meet at all, agreeing to convene next Monday. However, it’s still unclear whether enough senators will support a new map. Republicans hold seven of Indiana’s nine U.S. House seats. Trump and other Republicans want to make the map 9-0 in the GOP’s favor, seeking to give the party two extra seats in the 2026 elections that will determine control of the U.S. House.” (12/01/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/indiana-lawmakers-in-state-house-to-convene-21215942.php
-----
12) NYC: Starbucks to pay $39 million in labor settlement
Source: New York Times
“Mayor Eric Adams announced a $38.9 million settlement with Starbucks on Monday over violations of New York City’s law guaranteeing fair working conditions, a resolution that city officials said was the largest worker protection settlement in the city’s history. The city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection found that Starbucks had violated the law more than half a million times since 2021 by failing to provide workers with stable schedules. More than 15,000 hourly workers are expected to receive restitution payments under the agreement. … Under the settlement, most employees who worked for Starbucks in an hourly position from July 2021 through July 2024 will receive $50 for each week they worked.” (12/01/25)
https://archive.is/ALRRL
-----
13) Minnesota judge under fire for tossing $7.2 million taxpayer-fraud conviction
Source: Fox News
“A judge in Minnesota is facing heat after she overturned a guilty verdict for an individual convicted in a $7.2 million fraud scheme that involved taxpayer money. Abdifatah Yusuf and his wife Lul Ahmed were charged in June 2024 after they were accused of stealing $7.2 million from the state’s Medicaid program while running a home healthcare business that lacked an office building and operated ‘for years out of a mailbox,’ according to the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. Prosecutors said Yusuf received Medicaid money for services that weren’t provided and overbilled for services that didn’t have documentation. Yusuf allegedly used the money to fund ‘a lavish lifestyle’ that included shopping sprees at ‘luxury clothing stores including Coach, Canada Goose, Michael Kors, Third Degree Heat, Nike, and Nordstrom.'” (12/01/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/us/minnesota-judge-under-fire-tossing-7-2m-taxpayer-fraud-conviction-tied-alleged-lavish-lifestyle
-----
14) Australia: Sydney men charged with spreading child sexual abuse videos tied to international ring
Source: ABC News
“Four Sydney men have been charged with criminal offenses over their alleged involvement in the distribution of child sexual abuse material linked to an international child sex abuse ring, police said Monday. A New South Wales state police task force identified the Sydney-based network while investigating the online distribution of encrypted child sexual abuse material involving ritualistic and satanic themes, Det. Supt. Jayne Doherty said. … Police also seized electronic devices allegedly containing thousands of videos depicting the abuse of children from babies to 12-year-olds. ‘Police will allege in court that this international group were engaging in conversations and the sharing of material which depicted child abuse and the torture of children involving symbols and rituals linked to Satanism and the occult,’ Doherty said.” (12/01/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/sydney-men-charged-spreading-child-sexual-abuse-videos-127992650
-----
15) MA: Man goes on trial in death of wife who disappeared more than two years ago
Source: SFGate
“Prosecutors Monday argued a Massachusetts man was responsible for the grisly murder of his wife who disappeared more than two years ago while his lawyers insisted the man panicked after she suddenly died in bed. Ana Walshe, a real estate agent who immigrated from Serbia, was last seen early on Jan. 1, 2023, following a New Year’s Eve dinner at her Massachusetts home. Her body has never been found. Her husband, Brian Walshe, faces a first-degree murder charge, after agreeing to plead guilty last month to lesser charges of misleading police and willfully disposing of a human body in violation of state law.” (12/01/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/brian-walshe-goes-on-trial-in-death-of-wife-who-21215946.php
-----
16) Airbus says most of its recalled 6,000 A320 jets now modified
Source: Reuters
“Airbus fleets were returning towards normal operations on Monday after the European planemaker pushed through abrupt software changes faster than expected, averting a prolonged crisis over the discovery of a space-related computer bug. Dozens of airlines from Asia to the United States said they had carried out a snap software retrofit ordered by Airbus, and mandated by global regulators, after a vulnerability to solar flares emerged in a recent mid-air incident on a JetBlue A320. … Sources familiar with the matter said the unprecedented decision to recall about half the A320-family fleet was taken shortly after the possible but unproven link to a drop in altitude on the JetBlue jet emerged late last week.” (12/01/25)
https://archive.is/kcTXE
-----
17) Landmine casualties hit four-year high, driven by conflicts in Syria, Myanmar
Source: UN News
“Civilian deaths and injuries from landmines and explosive remnants of war have risen to their highest level in four years, according to the Landmine Monitor 2025 report launched in Geneva on Monday. It documents 6,279 casualties in 2024. Children remain especially vulnerable, particularly in conflict-affected countries where displaced families are returning to heavily contaminated areas. ‘Civilians made up 90 per cent of casualties in 2024,’ said Loren Persi, Impact Team Lead for the report. ‘And children remained a significant portion of all casualties, almost half … In Afghanistan, 77 per cent, so over three-quarters of all casualties, were children, which is horrific.’ The launch was led by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) and hosted by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).” (12/01/25)
https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166476
-----
18) Bangladesh: British MP sentenced in absentia
Source: Politico
“British MP Tulip Siddiq has been handed a two-year prison sentence in Bangladesh in her absence following a corruption trial she did not attend. Siddiq, a former U.K. minister, was found guilty of influencing her aunt, Bangladesh’s ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to secure a plot of land for her family in the outskirts of the capital Dhaka, according to a BBC report of the trial. Siddiq, a former U.K. Treasury minister, has strongly denied the claims and is unlikely to serve the sentence. She is based in London and is the MP for the London constituency of Hampstead and Highgate.” (12/01/25)
https://www.politico.eu/article/british-mp-tulip-siddiq-given-two-year-bangladesh-prison-sentence-in-absence
-----
19) Mangione fights to exclude evidence from his trial in killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO
Source: SFGate
“Luigi Mangione watched stoically in court Monday as prosecutors played surveillance videos showing the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a New York City sidewalk last year and Mangione’s arrest five days later at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. The videos, including footage from the restaurant previously unseen by the press or the public, kicked off a hearing on Mangione’s fight to bar evidence from his state murder trial, including the gun prosecutors say matches the one used in the Dec. 4, 2024, attack.” (12/01/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/luigi-mangione-fights-to-exclude-gun-notes-as-21215944.php
-----
20) Pope Pushes Peace Message on Second Day in Crisis-Hit Lebanon
Source: US News & World Report
“Pope Leo will meet leaders from Lebanon’s diverse religious sects on Monday and is expected to urge Lebanese not to abandon their country despite years of conflict, political paralysis and economic crisis that have prompted waves of migration. Leo, the first U.S. pope, visited Lebanon’s Catholic community before hosting a dialogue with members of the Sunni Muslim, Shi’ite and Druze communities, as well as migrant workers and other Christians. The pope, on what he has described as a mission of peace, has urged Lebanon’s leaders to persevere with peace efforts in the aftermath of last year’s devastating war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, and continued Israeli strikes.” (12/01/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-12-01/pope-pushes-peace-message-on-second-day-in-crisis-hit-lebanon
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) The “Free” World Is Coming for Your Private Messages
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“As I write, European Union (E.U.) officials are debating the details of a proposal to either require or pressure tech companies to scan all private messages for child sexual abuse material. Dubbed ‘chat control,’ the scheme inevitably entails mass surveillance of private communications — targeting one sort of content for the moment, though it’s difficult to see how that would long remain limited in any way. It’s an illustration of the continuing decline in online liberty documented in a new report from Freedom House. … It’s unsurprising that countries already recognized as authoritarian are continuing repressive practices. Nobody expects China or Iran to suddenly develop a taste for protecting online dissent and respecting privacy of communications. More disturbingly though, as seen in the European debate over chat control, nominally free countries are becoming increasingly intrusive when it comes to the digital world.” (12/01/25)
https://reason.com/2025/12/01/the-free-world-is-coming-for-your-private-messages/
-----
22) If free speech only matters when convenient, it isn’t free at all
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Samuel J Abrams
“The recent controversies surrounding Charlie Kirk — and the extraordinary reaction that followed his campus appearances and commentary — offer a revealing window into the fragile state of free expression in contemporary America. Two recent New York Times opinion pieces examining the backlash were right to highlight how quickly public discourse has hardened into a zero-sum contest in which speech itself becomes grounds for professional punishment, social ostracism, and institutional retaliation. But the deeper lesson is even more unsettling: Free speech is increasingly treated not as a constitutional principle, but as a conditional privilege — one that applies only when speech is politically comfortable.” (12/01/25)
https://www.thefire.org/news/if-free-speech-only-matters-when-convenient-it-isnt-free-all
-----
23) Pete Hegseth, not Mark Kelly, should be facing justice
Source: Washington Post
by Max Boot
“There is a good reason Mark Kelly and the other lawmakers felt compelled to warn service members not to carry out illegal orders. That seems to be precisely what the military is now doing at the behest of an administration that disdains any limits on the president’s imperial authority and treats war crimes as a joke.” (12/01/25)
https://archive.is/HAPvP
-----
24) Subversive Organizations
Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders
“A quiet transformation is underway. Where hierarchies once dominated, many founding teams have learned that people can be more effective when they organize without formal command-and-control structures. One would think that this recommends an egalitarian or democratic form of organization. Not exactly.” (12/01/25)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/subversive-organizations
-----
25) The Tragic Hysteria of Abortion
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“I know this is a quixotic essay. Almost everyone has long since made up their minds, and I’ll probably anger both sides. So why write it? My stock answer: Because I have something original, important, and true to say. Hysterically aborting your baby because you falsely believe the baby will ruin your life isn’t merely morally wrong; it is tragic.” (12/01/25)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/the-tragic-hysteria-of-abortion
-----
26) The War in Ukraine: Lots of Questions and a Few Answers
Source: American Greatness
by Victor Davis Hanson
“Why did the war in Ukraine start in 2021? As in 2008 and 2012, but unlike 2017 to 2021, Vladimir Putin sensed an American president would not or could not deter him, so he invaded a former Soviet republic. Under past presidents, Putin saw no downside to grabbing Ossetia, the Donbas, and Crimea. Putin was also led to believe the West or Joe Biden would not challenge him following the recent humiliating U.S. withdrawal from Kabul. Biden’s unfortunate remark that a ‘minor’ Russian invasion might not invoke a U.S. response did not help. Based on past experience, Putin saw no real obstacle to a quick victory. ” (12/01/25)
https://amgreatness.com/2025/12/01/the-war-in-ukraine-lots-of-questions-and-a-few-answers/
-----
27) What the 50-Year Mortgage Debate Reveals About US Housing Constraints
Source: The Daily Economic
by Alexander C Cartwright
“The US housing market in late 2025 is defined by contradictory forces: rising prices but slowing growth, increasing inventory but falling affordability, and a demographic shift that is weakening long-run demand even as short-run supply remains structurally constrained. Against this backdrop, President Trump’s proposal for a 50-year mortgage is an attempt to stretch affordability in a market that has outpaced incomes, and it exposes deeper issues.” (12/01/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/what-the-50-year-mortgage-debate-reveals-about-us-housing-constraints/
-----
28) Trump Is the Destroyer of Peace
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“The crime of aggression is rightly considered the ‘supreme international crime’ because all the other crimes committed in war stem from it. Initiating a war is a despicable thing to do regardless of the pretext. If the U.S. starts a war with Venezuela it will be yet another black mark on this country’s reputation. Virtually no one is asking for this intervention except for hardline ideologues, exiles, and a few foreign politicians. Most Americans reject attacking Venezuela. The American people do not support aggression against Venezuela. All of this is being driven by the whims of a tyrannical president and the obsessions of his advisers. The president’s coming war with Venezuela is deeply undemocratic and unconstitutional. It is Mr. Trump’s War. He is its instigator and he will be responsible for the consequences.” (12/01/25)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/trump-is-the-destroyer-of-peace
-----
29) The Craziest Thing In The World Is That We Could End Poverty, But We Don’t
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“It’s the craziest thing in the world that we already have the technological ability to provide a decent standard of living for everyone on earth, but it doesn’t happen because it’s not profitable. We attained the greatest scientific achievement of all time and then did nothing with it. Our society is completely uninterested in it because capitalism is completely uninterested in it. It’s just so insane how this doesn’t sit front and center in our attention all the time. There are people dying of starvation, exposure and preventable illnesses every single day for no good reason. Humanity became more than capable of ensuring that this never happened to anyone ever again, and just rode right past that stunning moment in history without even glancing up from its smartphone. Can you imagine if we did that with any other major technological development?” (12/01/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/12/01/the-craziest-thing-in-the-world-is-that-we-could-end-poverty-but-we-dont/
-----
30) Liberty, Innovation, and the Garage Startup: Lessons from Silicon Valley
Source: Students For Liberty
by Oscar Gill-Lewis
“One of the most interesting aspects of Silicon Valley is that Richard never originally set out to create a decentralized internet. His initial plan was far more modest: to sell his compression algorithm, a technology that makes digital files smaller and more efficient to store and transmit. He develops this algorithm because he recognizes, through market feedback and investor interest, that there is strong demand for such a tool. This reflects key insights from Hayek and Kirzner.” (12/01/25)
https://studentsforliberty.org/blog/liberty-innovation-and-the-garage-startup-lessons-from-silicon-valley/
-----
31) The Party of No Responsibility
Source: Town Hall
by Allen West
“When we lose a member of our Armed Services to the enemy on the battlefield, we mostly understand that it is part of the accepted risk. However, when Soldiers are ambushed and shot just blocks away from the White House in our Nation’s capital, it shocks us. And so is the case with 20-year-old US Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, who volunteered to take a Thanksgiving tour of duty to protect the streets of Washington, DC, so that others could enjoy Thanksgiving with family. Sarah was shot in the chest and head, and we lost her. US Air Force SSG Andrew Wolfe is fighting for his life. Both were shot by an Afghan national who was allowed entry into our country, and it appears not properly vetted.” (12/01/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/allenwest/2025/12/01/the-party-of-no-responsibility-n2667165
-----
32) War Crime … or Murder?
Source: The Contrarian
by Jennifer Rubin
“Even Senate and House Republicans seem to comprehend the gravity of the situation. Departing from their normal spinelessness, they joined Democrats on both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the House Armed Services Committee in bipartisan statements vowing to investigate [the murder of two survivors of an illegal Caribbean boat attack]. Democrats — and any decent Republican — should use every tool available to insist on a thorough and independent investigation, reiterate zero tolerance for war crimes and murder, and pledge to hold everyone responsible to the full extent of the law. No wonder Trump and his minions freaked out over Democratic congressmen and senators’ video advising military personnel not to follow illegal orders.” (12/01/25)
https://contrarian.substack.com/p/war-crimeor-murder
-----
33) Comparing the Ukraine and Gaza Peace Deals
Source: Common Dreams
by James Zogby
“In the span of a week, the Trump administration succeeded in passing a United Nations Security Council resolution on Gaza (based on its earlier 20-point plan to end the conflict) and also released a 28-point peace plan for Ukraine. Commentators and critics have noted some similarities between the two initiatives. There are also profound differences that are important to note. In the first place, the intention of both plans appears to be driven by the simple and commendable goal of ending the ongoing violence in Gaza and Ukraine. While trying to do this, however, critics note that aggressors have been given undo [sic] deference. In the case of Ukraine, it was deemed that the way forward was in awarding Russia’s land grab in eastern and southern Ukraine. In the case of Gaza, no attention was paid to Israel’s genocidal crimes against Palestinians …” (12/01/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/comparing-gaza-ukraine-peace-deals
-----
34) The New Speech Wars
Source: Quillette
by Cathy Young
“During the free-speech skirmishes of the last decade, the battle lines were often drawn in a way that placed heterodox liberals and centrists on the same side as conservatives in opposing censorious progressivism. But those lines have been redrawn in recent months, after the Trump administration began aggressively targeting disfavoured expression, from overly negative museum exhibits on slavery to uncouth reactions to the murder of Charlie Kirk. Much of a triumphalist Right has now enthusiastically embraced the ‘cancel culture’ it once condemned, embracing many of the same justifications once employed by the Left (censorship, we are told, is merely ‘accountability’). The heterodox community, defined by dissent from the progressive consensus on identity and social justice, has split into those whose defence of free speech extends to the Trump administration’s abuses and those who still prefer to fight various iterations of ‘wokeness.'” (12/01/25)
https://quillette.com/2025/12/01/the-new-speech-wars-global-free-speech-summit-trump-rufo/
-----
35) Rent Control
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Sergio Martínez
“Rent control is a subset of price controls. While its supposed goal is sympathetic—the desire to make housing affordable — it fails for a simple reason: it prevents prices from doing the job they exist to do.” (12/01/25)
https://fee.org/articles/rent-control/
-----
36) AEI and Johns Hopkins Attempt a Covid Redo
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Bret Swanson
“The experts have not been quick to assess, let alone apologize for, their performance during Covid. I took note, therefore, when two elite institutions that led the pandemic response co-hosted a retrospective event on Thursday, November 6. Johns Hopkins University is home to a world-renowned medical center and the Bloomberg School of Public Health. The American Enterprise Institute is one of Washington, D.C.’s oldest and largest public policy think tanks. Both helped shape pandemic policy and perception from its earliest days. The two organizations have been collaborating for the past year, and they framed their first event on November 6 around the book In Covid’s Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us, a critique of lockdowns written by two Princeton political scientists, Frances Lee and Stephen Macedo. Given their vocal insistence on maximal Covid impositions, Hopkins and AEI deserve credit for finally highlighting an opposing view.” (12/01/25)
https://brownstone.org/articles/aei-and-johns-hopkins-attempt-a-covid-redo/
-----
37) I grew up in public housing and I know how to fix Obamacare
Source: Fox News
by US Senator Rick Scott (R-FL)
“It’s time for all of us to admit what the American people already know: Obamacare has failed. The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, created a system that enriched insurance companies and hospitals and screwed over Americans. Obamacare didn’t let people keep their insurance plans or their doctors, and families didn’t save money — and neither did the federal government. Families have been left with higher costs and healthcare that doesn’t meet their needs. I want to tell you about a family with a preexisting health condition that I think about whenever I talk about healthcare in our country. They grew up in public housing, rarely saw a doctor. One of the kids had a hip disease. Their mom would drive 200 miles to a charity hospital to get him treatment. That was my family growing up.” (12/01/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/sen-rick-scott-i-grew-up-public-housing-i-know-how-fix-obamacare
-----
38) America’s Hidden Judiciary
Source: Law & Liberty
by Stone Washington
“Unbeknownst to most Americans, federal regulatory agencies have their own court system for adjudicating disputes that businesses and citizens have with regulators. These agencies rely on special courts headed by administrative law judges (ALJs). One big problem with this system is that it operates independently of legitimate Article III courts. Another problem is that agency-housed tribunals have a strong tendency to favor regulators over the regulated. And yet another problem is how these judges (which I call ‘transitory’) get loaned out between agencies. Inter-agency borrowing of ALJs may not immediately stand out to the average citizen as problematic, but it raises serious questions about constitutionality, executive transparency, and bureaucratic oversight.” (12/01/25)
https://lawliberty.org/americas-hidden-judiciary/
-----
39) Life After Xi
Source: The American Conservative
by Liam Childers
“or years, Xi Jinping has encouraged the usage of many Maoist era slogans. One such slogan, ‘Sailing the Seas Depends on the Helmsman,’ was a Cultural Revolution staple, used in song, speeches, and on posters praising the chairman. The slogan’s reemergence highlights a connection in how the state viewed itself then and now. The slogan also reflects Xi’s view of himself. As his years in office have gone on, this self-portrait has also been imposed on the party itself. Xi is presented as singular and irreplaceable. And yet, inevitably, he will need one day to be replaced.” (12/01/25)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/life-after-xi/
-----
40) Stop making the Donbas territory a zero-sum confrontation
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Almut Rochowanski
“Before the two sides have even sat at the same table, the fate of the Donbas territories has emerged as the issue on which the sides are so far apart, and so unlikely to give in to the other, that it may doom peace talks before they even open. Ukraine considers conceding territory bitter, humiliating, and painful. Understandably so: giving up even more, after the country has lost so much and so many in defending itself, is intolerable. Russia seems grimly determined to gain the territory, if need be militarily, its recent progress on the battlefield making this threat all too credible. In this conundrum, the inhabitants of this sliver of the Donbas are offered only two futures, both of them devastating.” (12/01/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/donbas-peace-plan/
-----
41) The Historic Reversal of Cultural Affordability
Source: The American Prospect
by Paul Starr
“‘Everyone is a V.I.P.’ was the motto of the Disney theme parks for decades after the opening of Disneyland in 1955. A broad middle class could afford a trip to a Disney park, and visitors had equal access to the attractions once they were there. Unfortunately, America is a long way from that middle-class ideal today. Disney and other companies now make more money from people with high incomes, and they tailor their services accordingly. So much for the old Disney theme song: ‘When you wish upon a star / Makes no difference who you are.’ The original Disney vision reflected a long history of popular cultural affordability that once set America apart.” (12/01/25)
https://prospect.org/2025/12/01/historic-reversal-of-cultural-affordability/
-----
42) As Trump’s Peace Plan Shows, Washington Still Doesn’t Understand Russia
Source: Libertarian Institute
by José Niño
“The chaotic rollout of the latest Ukraine peace initiative reveals a troubling reality that transcends partisan politics. Three years into a devastating European war, American policymakers still operate under the delusion that diplomatic papering over irreconcilable positions can substitute for the hard work of strategic disengagement.” (12/01/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/as-trumps-peace-plan-shows-washington-still-doesnt-understand-russia
-----
43) Quantum Vibe, 12/01/25
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (12/01/25)
https://www.quantumvibe.com/strip?page=2563
-----
44) The Caribbean Faces Two Choices: Join the US Attempt to Intimidate Venezuela or Build Its Own Sovereignty
Source: CounterPunch
by Vijay Prashad
“The Caribbean has a choice between two futures. One path leads toward deeper militarisation, dependency, and incorporation into the US security apparatus. The other leads toward the revitalisation of regional autonomy, South-South cooperation, and the anti-imperialist traditions that have long sustained the Caribbean’s political imagination.” (12/01/25)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/12/01/the-caribbean-faces-two-choices-join-the-us-attempt-to-intimidate-venezuela-or-build-its-own-sovereignty/
-----
45) Americans are rightly waking up: Much of higher education is now a scam
Source: New York Post
by staff
“More Americans are wising up to the fact that higher education has become a raw deal for all too many young people. A new NBC News poll finds that a full 63% of voters believe a four-year college degree now isn’t worth it, since many students graduate with ‘a large amount of debt’ but ‘no specific job skills.’ That’s up markedly from 2013, when a majority took the opposite view, as 53% called a degree ‘worth the cost because people have a better chance to get a good job and earn more money over their lifetime.’ That was the case for generations of Americans, who saw college as a key step to higher-paying jobs and a better life: ‘Upwardly mobile’ was almost entirely synonymous with ‘college-educated.’ But over the last few decades, the dynamic has shifted: Far too many college degrees guarantee nothing … except onerous debt.” (11/30/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/11/30/opinion/more-americans-are-realizing-a-four-year-degree-is-an-expensive-scam/
-----
46) Ukraine Peace Talks: Concessions or Done Deals?
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ted Snider
“The possible death of the Trump administration’s latest attempt at a diplomatic settlement is the latest tragedy in the story of this war. It was likely the best chance at granting Russia what it had to have to end the war while granting Ukraine what it had to have to achieve its own goals, as opposed to America’s or Europe’s.” (12/01/25)
https://original.antiwar.com/ted_snider/2025/11/30/ukraine-peace-talks-concessions-or-done-deals
-----
47) Even by a Strict Definition, Elon Musk Is a Fascist
Source: The UnPopulist
by Toby Buckle
“Until very recently, it was standard to dismiss as alarmists those who would invoke ‘fascism’ to describe the right’s transformation in the era of Trump. But even for the most committed of us — I’m someone who does use the f-word — endless media obliviousness and obfuscation can get in your head: Are things really as bad as I’m suggesting? Is liberal democracy really in this much danger? The modern illiberal right is bad, sure, but is this really fascism? And then you listen to a few sentences out of Elon Musk’s mouth and all doubts are dispelled.” (11/30/25)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/even-by-a-strict-definition-elon
-----
48) In the Age of the Epstein Files, True Populists Should Embrace Feminism
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid
“Powerful men rape and even when they get caught red handed, they tend to get away with it. This is a fact, and it is a fact impervious to partisan bullshit. This is also why everyone should be a feminist, and every feminist should be an anarchist who opposes the patriarchal institutional power represented by the two-party shell game. This should include libertarians and even conservatives, and this should also include men who frequently find themselves the victims of the patriarchy as well.” (11/30/25)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2025/11/in-age-of-epstein-files-true-populists.html
-----
49) They Worked Underground in the Uranium Mines; They’ve Been Surrounded by Death Ever Since
Source: In These Times
by Sarah Lazare
“Leslie Begay sets aside the last few bites of his BLT. It’s something he does every meal as an offering for the person who gave him his lungs, he explains at a family-run diner in Gallup, N.M. Every morning and evening, Begay prays for the person whose organ donation, four years ago, saved his life. He doesn’t know their identity. … He is the only person he knows who got a double lung transplant. When his friends, coworkers and family members got sick, they died. They moved heaven and earth to get what they wanted when they needed it. But they will not move heaven and earth to clean up the mess they left behind.” (12/01/25)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/they-worked-underground-in-the-uranium-mines-theyve-been-surrounded-by-death-ever-since-navajo-nation-war-trump-labor-abandoned-vanadium-cancer-lung-transplant-industry-homeland-southwest-atomic-energy-environment-justice
-----
50) One year later, was I wrong to downplay the dangers of Trump? Yes.
Source: Orange County Register
by Rafael Perez
“A year ago, to the day, I wrote a column (‘Americans really need to relax and stop taking national politics so seriously’) in which I argued that modern Americans are far too concerned with politics and too emotionally invested in what politicians say and do. … Relax, I said. Everything will be fine, I assured the toiling peasants from my ivory tower, naive and jolly, hands brown but never soiled. That is at least how many of our readers received it. … we are now seeing how wrong I was – Trump’s second term has been an ugly disaster. We have acquired a self-inflicted wound in the form of a global trade war. This administration is spreading medical misinformation, weaponizing the Department of Justice, destroying the separation of powers, and blatantly selling political favors. Ex high school benchwarmers are roaming the streets abducting mestizos.” (11/30/25)
https://archive.is/p8I2d
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 12/01/25
Source: Reason
"Is Economic Anxiety Driving People to Socialism?" (12/01/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/12/01/is-economic-anxiety-driving-people-to-socialism/
-----
52) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 12/01/25
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“How The Afghan Attacker Could Have Been Stopped.” (12/01/25)
https://rumble.com/v72grka-how-the-afghan-attacker-could-have-been-stopped.html
-----
53) Rising, 12/01/25
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on the recent National Guard shooting in Washington, DC, and how many have blamed President Trump for the shooting by deploying the National Guard.” [editor’s note: Well, Trump DID deploy the National Guard as occupation troops, and Trump DID approve the alleged shooter’s asylum application, so … – TLK] (12/01/25)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5627982-rising-december-1-2025/
-----
54) Conflicts of Interest, episode 856
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Will a Corruption Scandal Be the Final Nail in Ukraine’s Coffin?” (12/01/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-856-will-a-corruption-scandal-be-the-final-nail-in-ukraines-coffin
-----
55) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 12/01/25
Source: The Dispatch
“Let the Pandas Go Extinct | Interview: Sarah Isgur.” (12/01/25)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/let-the-pandas-go-extinct-interview-sarah-isgur/
-----
56) EconTalk, 12/01/25
Source: EconTalk
“The Perfect Tuba: How Band, Grit, and Community Build a Better Life (with Sam Quinones).” (12/01/25)
https://www.econtalk.org/the-perfect-tuba-how-band-grit-and-community-build-a-better-life-with-sam-quinones/
-----
57) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 12/01/25
Source: The New Republic
“Trump’s Fury at NYT Explodes amid Fresh Concerns about Mental Decline.” (12/01/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/203763/trump-fury-nyt-explodes-amid-fresh-concerns-mental-decline
-----
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 12/01/25
Source: Antiwar.com
“Trump Declares Closure of Venezuela’s Airspace, IDF Kills Two Young Brothers in Gaza, and More.” (12/01/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNw-6rc8Um8
-----
59) Quillette Podcast, episode 314
Source: Quillette
“A Gay Author’s Escape from Cults, Drugs, Queer Radicalism, and ‘Scrupulosity.’” (11/30/25)
https://quillette.com/2025/11/30/podcast-314-a-gay-authors-escape-from-cults-drugs-queer-radicalism-and-scrupulosity/
-----
60) Free Talk Live, 11/30/25
Source: Free Talk Live
“PSYOPs :: NCI engineered reality scoring system :: Sarah in NM wants to vote for the mayor that will keep speeding cameras :: Rob from VT calls about the ‘Dick act’ :: Book: Lawful Tax Avoidance (.com) :: Dave Ridley calls about ex-cop turning pro-freedom and challenging the ‘resisting arrest’ law in NH :: Skeeter says freedom is the real psyop/ fails to deny working for the government :: Jet calls to discuss mindsets in relation to government :: Right to travel vs. driving :: FSP :: Freedom migration to New Hampshire :: 2025-11-30 Hosts: Stu, Bear Arms, Mr. Penguin.” (11/30/25)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/ftl2025-11-30
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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