07/22 -- Ethereum ETFs Receive SEC Approval; Good Deeds Unpunished
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Thomas L. Knapp
Jul 23, 2024, 6:29:30 AM (4 days ago) Jul 23
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 07/23/24
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Ethereum ETFs Receive SEC Approval
2) Harris to meet privately with Middle East terror kingpin, skip congressional address
3) Pakistan: Police raid Khan’s party office and arrest its spokesman
4) Russia: Pols seek punishment for troops using smartphones in Ukraine war
5) Senate ethics panel to “review” Menendez in advance of possible expulsion, censure
6) Secret Service chief: “We failed” disgraced former president, others at rally shooting
7) Philippines: Marcos orders shutdown of Chinese-run online gambling outfits employing thousands
8) CO: Federal courts dismiss lawsuits challenging regulation of short-term rentals
9) Delta cancels 600 more flights as it struggles to recover from tech outage
10) Pig transplant research yields surprise: Bacon safe for some people allergic to red meat
11) UK: Group accuses Apple of failing to spy on users with sufficient enthusiasm
12) Uganda: Regime thugs lock down opposition’s HQ ahead of protest
13) Tesla to Have Humanoid Robots for Internal Use Next Year, Musk Says
14) US-Russian journalist convicted in rapid, secret trial, gets 6 1/2 years in prison
15) China: Regime says retirement age should rise in “voluntary and flexible” way
16) Estonia: Parliament backs Kristen Michal as new PM
17) Journalist Who Lost Leg in Israeli Attack Carries Olympic Torch in Paris
18) Ukraine’s Kuleba to visit China for first time since start of war
19) Croatia: Gunman has killed 6 people including his mother at a nursing home
20) CO: Resident fatally shoots home intruder
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Good Deeds Unpunished
22) What’s next: Will anyone challenge Kamala Harris?
23) Engineering a Crisis: How Political Theater Helps the Deep State Stay in Power
24) Genocide Monster Drops Out, Endorses Fellow Genocide Monster
25) Biden is out. Here’s the case for an open convention.
26) Biden’s rent-control plan will only make America’s housing crisis worse
27) Smithian Insights into Shrinking Global Inequality
28) Taxing the rich is no silver bullet for saving Social Security
29) Ptolemaic Trade Theory
30) An Uneasy New Fusionism
31) Why the US Secrecy Surrounding Evan Gershkovich?
32) Biden gone, Democrats rally around worst possible candidate
33) And Now, Dump Harris
34) Could Kamala Harris Be an Anti-War Candidate?
35) Gaza Is a Stain on Biden’s Legacy; Here’s How He Can Start to Make Amends
36) Are We Living Through Another 1850s?
37) The cost of a hoax
38) Inherit the Wind: A Defense of the Individual Mind
39) Kamala Harris: Not your wacky aunt, more dangerous than Biden
40) Quantum Vibe, 07/22/24
41) Harris is next in line for the Oval Office — the nomination is another matter
42) President Next
43) A Modest Suggestion for an American Jewish Response to Bibi: Excommunicate Him
44) Houthis only emboldened by Israeli attacks
45) Will SCOTUS Break Big Tobacco’s Grip on Nicotine?
46) The IRS and the Scale of Fraud during the Pandemic
47) Biden’s Drop Out Leaves No Doubt: It’s 25th Amendment Time
48) France’s Far-Right National Rally Has Lost the Battle, Not the War
49) American Assassinations
50) As Biden Bows out, Labor Begins to Coalesce Around Harris & Set Sights on Defeating Trump
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 07/22/24
52) The Chris Spangle Show, episode 452
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 640
54) The Bryan Hyde Show, 07/22/24
55) EconTalk, 07/22/24
56) Finding Freedom, episode 447
57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 07/22/24
58) Unattended Baggage, episode 254
59) Politics Politics Politics, 07/21/24
60) Free Talk Live, 07/21/24
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Ethereum ETFs Receive SEC Approval
Source: Investor’s Business Daily
“The Securities and Exchange Commission late Monday gave official approval for ethereum spot exchange-traded funds, giving investors exposure to the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency via traditional markets. The ethereum ETFs will begin trading on Tuesday. … Ethereum eased late Monday to $3,450 following the announcement, which was expected. ETH is down 1.5% over the last 24 hours as of Monday afternoon, from its overnight high of $3,559, CoinDesk data shows. Ethereum rallied nearly 51% so far this year. Bitcoin was unfazed by the ethereum ETF approval news and continued to trade around $67,700.” (07/22/24)
https://www.investors.com/news/ethereum-etf-sec-approval/
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2) Harris to meet privately with Middle East terror kingpin, skip congressional address
Source: Politico
“Vice President Kamala Harris will not attend Benjamin Netanyahu’s joint address to Congress but will conduct a separate bilateral meeting with the Israeli prime minister this week at the White House, according to a Harris aide who was granted anonymity to discuss internal plans. Harris was scheduled to attend an event for the Zeta Phi Beta sorority in Indianapolis before the Israeli prime minister’s address date was set. The conflict allows Harris to circumvent the question of whether to attend the address, a political challenge for many Democrats who oppose the way Israel is conducting the war in Gaza.” (07/22/24)
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/22/harris-plans-meeting-netanyahu-00170493
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3) Pakistan: Police raid Khan’s party office and arrest its spokesman
Source: Seattle Times
“Pakistan’s police raided the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political party office in Islamabad on Monday and arrested its spokesman for carrying out anti-state propaganda, the Interior Ministry said. In a statement, the ministry said officers also arrested Ahmad Janjua, a media coordinator for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI party. Janjua was arrested over the weekend in a separate raid. The arrests have drawn criticism from Gohar Ali Khan, the chairman of PTI, who said authorities also arrested some other workers of the party’s media wing, in a series of police raids in recent weeks.” (07/22/24)
https://archive.is/GTOEk
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4) Russia: Pols seek punishment for troops using smartphones in Ukraine war
Source: Reuters
“Russia’s lower house of parliament, the Duma, has proposed disciplinary detention for up to 10 days for troops using devices with camera and geolocation functions in combat zones such as Ukraine, Russia’s TASS state news agency reported. Mobile phones have been used by both sides to identify targets in the Ukraine war, both by tracking signal locations and by accessing the photographs or messages posted by the devices, according to Russian and Western officials. According to a draft law supported by the State Duma Defence Committee, the use of electronic devices meant for ‘household purposes’ and which allow for filming, audio recording and transmission of geodata while in the combat zone in Ukraine, will be classified as gross disciplinary offence, TASS reported.” (07/23/24)
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-lawmakers-seek-punishment-troops-using-smartphones-ukraine-war-2024-07-23/
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5) Senate ethics panel to “review” Menendez in advance of possible expulsion, censure
Source: The Hill
“Senate Ethics Committee leaders on Monday notified convicted Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) that panel members have voted to ;initiate an adjudicatory review of his alleged violations of Senate Rules,’ setting the stage for a possible future vote to expel or censure him. … A majority of the Senate Democratic Conference, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), has called on Menendez to resign following his conviction on 16 counts ranging from bribery and extortion to obstruction of justice and acting as a foreign agent. At least four Democratic senators — Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Bob Casey (Pa.), Jacky Rosen (Nev.) and Jon Tester (Mont.) — say they are prepared to vote to expel Menendez if he doesn’t step down from office voluntarily.” (07/22/24)
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4786421-senate-ethics-committee-menendez-conviction/
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6) Secret Service chief: “We failed” disgraced former president, others at rally shooting
Source: CNBC
“Embattled Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle told a House panel on Monday that ‘we failed’ to maintain the agency’s ‘solemn mission to protect our nation’s leaders’ during the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13. ‘We must learn what happened and I will move heaven and earth to ensure an incident like July 13th does not happen again,’ said Cheatle, who is testifying under subpoena before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. … Cheatle has refused to resign despite facing blistering criticism over the Secret Service’s failure to secure a building rooftop overlooking the site of Trump’s campaign rally in Butler Township, Pennsylvania, which 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks used as a sniper position to shoot at the Republican presidential nominee and audience members.” (07/22/24)
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/22/secret-service-failed-trump-shooting-cheatle-house.html
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7) Philippines: Marcos orders shutdown of Chinese-run online gambling outfits employing thousands
Source: ABC News
“President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday ordered an immediate ban on widespread and mostly Chinese-run online gaming operations in the Philippines accusing them of venturing into crimes, including financial scams, human trafficking, torture, kidnappings and murders. Marcos also said in his state-of-the-nation address that the Philippines would press efforts to strengthen its defensive capability by forging security alliances with friendly countries to counter threats to its territorial interests in the South China Sea, adding that his country would only settle disputes through diplomacy. He made the remarks on the territorial conflicts before legislators, top officials and diplomats at the House of Representatives after the worst confrontation between Chinese and Filipino forces in the disputed waters last month.” (07/22/24)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/philippine-president-orders-shutdown-chinese-run-online-gambling-112162018
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8) CO: Federal courts dismiss lawsuits challenging regulation of short-term rentals
Source: Colorado Sun
“Federal judges have dismissed two lawsuits filed by property owners in Summit County challenging recent regulations on short-term rentals from the county and the town of Breckenridge. A coalition of more than 100 property owners in Summit County in September sued in federal court in Grand Junction, calling county rules that limit short-term rental property owners to 35 bookings a year and imposing a 2% tax ‘a blunderbuss response’ of ‘successively more severe, wide-ranging, misguided and unlawful regulations.’ In October, residents and property owners in Breckenridge filed a lawsuit in federal court in Denver, arguing a new cap of 2,200 short-term rental licenses was a form of rent control prohibited by state law. … U.S. District Court Judge Nina Wang on July 9 dismissed the Breckenridge property owners’ lawsuit …. U.S. District Court Judge Gordon Gallagher on June 25 dismissed the county owners’ lawsuit …” (07/22/24)
https://coloradosun.com/2024/07/22/summit-county-lawsuits-short-term-rentals
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9) Delta cancels 600 more flights as it struggles to recover from tech outage
Source: Washington Post
“Delta Air Lines canceled more than 600 flights Monday as the fallout from a global tech outage extended into a fourth day. The Atlanta-based carrier had already scuttled hundreds of flights after a software update on Friday knocked out computer systems worldwide, sparking widespread disruptions at airports, hospitals and an array of other businesses. On Sunday alone, Delta recorded more than 1,300 cancellations and some 1,600 delays, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.” (07/22/24)
https://archive.is/LAe8Q
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10) Pig transplant research yields surprise: Bacon safe for some people allergic to red meat
Source: SFGate
“Some people who develop a weird and terrifying allergy to red meat after a bite from a lone star tick can still eat pork from a surprising source: Genetically modified pigs created for organ transplant research. Don’t look for it in grocery stores. The company that bred these special pigs shares its small supply, for free, with allergy patients. ‘We get hundreds and hundreds of orders,’ said David Ayares, who heads Revivicor Inc., as he opened a freezer jammed with packages of ground pork patties, ham, ribs and pork chops. The allergy is called alpha-gal syndrome, named for a sugar that’s present in the tissues of nearly all mammals – except for people and some of our primate cousins. It can cause a serious reaction hours after eating beef, pork or any other red meat, or certain mammalian products such as milk or gelatin.” (07/22/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/pig-transplant-research-yields-a-surprise-bacon-19587117.php
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11) UK: Group accuses Apple of failing to spy on users with sufficient enthusiasm
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Apple is failing to effectively monitor its platforms or scan for images and videos of the sexual abuse of children, child safety experts allege, which is raising concerns about how the company can handle growth in the volume of such material associated with artificial intelligence. The UK’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) accuses Apple of vastly undercounting how often child sexual abuse material (CSAM) appears in its products. In a year, child predators used Apple’s iCloud, iMessage and Facetime to store and exchange CSAM in a higher number of cases in England and Wales alone than the company reported across all other countries combined, according to police data obtained by the NSPCC.” (07/22/24)
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/jul/22/apple-security-child-sexual-images-accusation
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12) Uganda: Regime thugs lock down opposition’s HQ ahead of protest
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Ugandan security forces have surrounded the headquarters of the main opposition party in advance of a planned antigovernment rally over alleged corruption and human rights abuses. Police and soldiers cut off access to the office of the National Unity Platform (NUP), which sits near the capital, Kampala, on Monday. The threat of protests has angered longtime President Yoweri Museveni, who claimed it to be a plot being operated by unnamed ‘foreigners.’ NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi claimed that the blockade prevented people from entering or leaving, while some have been roughly detained. ‘These cowards have turned the National Unity Platform Headquarters into a military barracks,’ he wrote on X. Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, added that several opposition leaders had been ‘violently arrested.'” (07/22/24)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/22/security-forces-lock-down-ugandan-oppositions-hq-ahead-of
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13) Tesla to Have Humanoid Robots for Internal Use Next Year, Musk Says
Source: US News & World Report
“Tesla will have humanoid robots in low production for the company’s internal use next year, CEO Elon Musk said on Monday, months after he announced that the rollout would be by the end of 2024. The company will have the robots in high production for other companies’ use ‘hopefully’ in 2026, Musk said in a post on social media platform X. Musk had said in April that the Tesla robot, called Optimus, would be able to perform tasks in the factory by the end of this year and could be ready for sale as soon as the end of 2025. Humanoid robots have been in development for several years by Japan’s Honda and Hyundai Motor’s Boston Dynamics. Several companies are betting on them to meet potential labor shortages and perform repetitive tasks that could be dangerous or tedious in industries such as logistics, warehousing and manufacturing.” (07/22/24)
https://www.usnews.com/news/technology/articles/2024-07-22/tesla-to-have-humanoid-robots-for-internal-use-next-year-musk-says
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14) US-Russian journalist convicted in rapid, secret trial, gets 6 1/2 years in prison
Source: SFGate
“A court has convicted Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist for the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, of spreading false information about the Russian army and sentenced her to 6 1/2 years in prison after a secret trial, court records and officials said Monday. The conviction in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s central region of Tatarstan, came on Friday, the same day a court in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in prison in a case that the U.S. called politically motivated. Kurmasheva, a 47-year-old editor for RFE/RL’s Tatar-Bashkir language service, was convicted of ‘spreading false information’ about the military, according to the website of the Supreme Court of Tatarstan. Court spokesperson Natalya Loseva confirmed Kurmasheva’s conviction and revealed the sentence to The Associated Press by phone in the case classified as secret.” (07/22/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/us-russian-journalist-convicted-in-a-rapid-19588654.php
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15) China: Regime says retirement age should rise in “voluntary and flexible” way
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“China’s ruling elite has said it wants to raise the country’s retirement age in a ‘voluntary and flexible’ manner. The country’s leadership have repeatedly suggested that this policy needs to be implemented and the language used in a document about the decisions taken during last week’s Communist Party third plenum might bring it a step closer to reality. However, the move might prove unpopular and analysts warned it could create further pressure on the jobs market. … Currently, the retirement age – first set about 70 years ago – is 60 for men, 55 for female office workers and 50 for female blue-collar workers. However, in 1949, when the People’s Republic was founded, life expectancy was just 35 and it has now risen to 77. … The cost of paying for pensions is a major drain on local government finances and the document also included measures to address that problem.” (07/22/24)
https://archive.is/VkqvO
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16) Estonia: Parliament backs Kristen Michal as new PM
Source: Politico
“The Estonian parliament on Monday voted for Climate Minister Kristen Michal to take over as prime minister, with 64 votes in favor and 27 against. Michal will succeed Kaja Kallas, who resigned as prime minister on July 15 to become the European Union’s new chief diplomat. Following her resignation, Kallas named Michal as a possible candidate to succeed her as prime minister and chairman of the party. Both politicians hail from Estonia’s centrist Reform party. Michal will lead the same majority coalition as his predecessor, which is composed of Reform, the liberal party Estonia 200 and the center-left Social Democrats.” (07/22/24)
https://www.politico.eu/article/estonia-parliament-backs-kristen-michal-new-prime-minister
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17) Journalist Who Lost Leg in Israeli Attack Carries Olympic Torch in Paris
Source: Common Dreams
“Lebanese photojournalist Christina Assi, who lost a leg in an Israeli tank strike while working in southern Lebanon last year, carried the Olympic torch through Paris on Sunday amid renewed calls to ban Israel from the 2024 Games following a World Court ruling against the illegal occupation of Palestine and the ongoing obliteration of Gaza. Assi, who works for Agence France-Presse (AFP), carried the Olympic flame through Parisian streets in a wheelchair pushed by Dylan Collins, an American deputy editor at Al Jazeera English who was also wounded in the October 13 attack. ‘This is all for my best friend, Issam Abdallah, and all the other journalists who we have lost this year,’ Assi said, according toDemocracy Now! ‘This is all for them and to pay tribute and to honor them, to honor their memory. And I will keep Issam’s memory alive in everything I do. It’s all for him.'” (07/22/24)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/christina-assi
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18) Ukraine’s Kuleba to visit China for first time since start of war
Source: Politico
“Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will visit China this week. It will be his first trip to Beijing since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The Chinese Foreign Ministry provided little detail apart from an announcement by spokesperson Mao Ning saying Kuleba will be in China from Tuesday to Friday. Kuleba’s visit was made upon invitation from his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, state media Xinhua reported. … Kuleba’s trip also comes weeks after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy openly criticized Beijing for helping Moscow sabotage a peace conference in Switzerland last month.” (07/22/24)
https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraines-kuleba-to-visit-china-for-first-time-since-start-of-war/
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19) Croatia: Gunman has killed 6 people including his mother at a nursing home
Source: SFGate
“A gunman entered a nursing home in a quiet Croatian town on Monday and opened fire, killing six people including his mother, officials said. The dead were mostly in their 80s and 90s, the prime minister said. The national police chief, Nikola Milina, said five people died immediately and another died in a hospital. Five were residents and one was an employee. At least six other people were wounded, four seriously. The suspect fled but police caught him in a cafe near the facility in the town of Daruvar, Milina said. Authorities were investigating the motive behind the attack. N1 regional television reported that the suspect was born in 1973 and was a former policeman who took part in the 1991-95 war in Croatia and was decorated as a war veteran. Officials said he was known to police after causing several incidents in the past.” (07/22/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/assailant-kills-5-people-at-care-home-for-the-19588391.php
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20) CO: Resident fatally shoots home intruder
Source: Denver Gazette
“A startled resident shot and killed a man who was intruding in their apartment early Sunday morning, according to the Denver Police Department. … An initial call of a shooting came in around 1 a.m., according to a police department spokesperson. Police officials said a ‘surprised’ resident shot the intruder inside their home. The man who intruded on the home was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.” (07/21/24)
https://denvergazette.com/news/denver-home-intruder-fatally-shot/article_626cdfdc-4787-11ef-b83c-c7af04c0f89c.html
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Good Deeds Unpunished
Source: Law & Liberty
by Adam J Macleod & Mark David Hall
“On March 8, 2022, police officers in Bullhead City, Arizona, arrested Norma Thornton for serving home-cooked meals in a park near her home. The city charged her with violating an ordinance that essentially prohibits anyone from sharing food on public property for charitable purposes. Under that ordinance, individuals may share food on public property for any purpose whatsoever, so long as their motivations are not charitable or they are charging money. Thornton was not trying to profit in any way. She was motivated only by a desire to feed the hungry. That made her a criminal. … direct prohibitions on the selfless use of property, especially when employed to feed the hungry, burden the right to make charitable uses of one’s property.” (07/22/24)
https://lawliberty.org/good-deeds-unpunished/
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22) What’s next: Will anyone challenge Kamala Harris?
Source: Semafor
by David Weigel & Benjy Sarlin
“Minutes after announcing his withdrawal from the presidential race, Joe Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him. Thousands of Democratic delegates will have to sign off on that. Of the 3,933 delegates who pick the party’s nominee, 3,896 are pledged to Biden, based on the results of this year’s primaries. When Biden unbinds them, they are free to vote for whoever they chose. The ‘open convention’ that some Democrats pined for is already here; anyone can now run for the nomination, and against Harris. … The question now is who would try to make Harris ‘earn’ it.” (07/21/24)
https://www.semafor.com/article/07/21/2024/whats-next-will-anyone-challenge-kamala-harris
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23) Engineering a Crisis: How Political Theater Helps the Deep State Stay in Power
Source: Rutherford Institute
by John & Nisha Whitehead
“A failed assassination attempt on a presidential candidate. An incumbent president withdrawing his re-election bid at the 11th hour. A politicized judiciary that fails to hold the powers-that-be accountable to the rule of law. A world at war. A nation in turmoil. This is what controlled chaos looks like. This year’s election-year referendum on which corporate puppet should occupy the White House has quickly become a lesson in how the Deep State engineers a crisis to keep itself in power. Don’t get so caught up in the performance that you lose sight of what’s real. This endless series of diversions, distractions and political drama is the oldest con game in the books, the magician’s sleight of hand that keeps you focused on the shell game in front of you while your wallet is being picked clean by ruffians in your midst.” (07/22/24)
https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/engineering_a_crisis_how_political_theater_helps_the_deep_state_stay_in_power
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24) Genocide Monster Drops Out, Endorses Fellow Genocide Monster
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“President Biden has caved to mounting pressure to drop out of the presidential race due to widespread concerns about his obvious neurological decline, bowing out and endorsing his exact ideological clone Kamala Harris. Apparently the consensus is that he’s too demented to run for president, but is not too demented to actually be president for the next six months. And hell, whatever man. This means nothing and changes nothing, other than perhaps arguably somewhat diminishing the likelihood of a Republican empire manager being sworn into the White House in January. … Harris, assuming she wins the nomination, will campaign on the promise of continuing Biden’s incineration of Gaza, [his] ‘ironclad’ support for Israel, [his] proxy war in Ukraine, [his] escalations against Russia and China, [his expansion of the US war machine, [his] facilitation of ecocidal capitalism, and [his] dehumanizing policies of worldwide exploitation and imperialist extraction.” (07/22/24)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2024/07/22/genocide-monster-drops-out-endorses-fellow-genocide-monster/
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25) Biden is out. Here’s the case for an open convention.
Source: Drop Site
by Ryan Grim
“The question now is whether the torch will be handed directly to Kamala Harris or whether she’ll have to fight for it at the convention. Biden did not endorse Harris in his letter announcing his decision, instead only thanking her for her counsel. But in a follow-up statement, he endorsed her for president. The conventional wisdom is that an open convention is simply never going to happen, and if it does it will be a disaster for Democrats — weeks of infighting and chaos that’ll drag the party down. But that argument is merely a mix of assumption and assertion. With a little imagination, that chaos could be turned toward the party’s advantage at a time when it’s desperately needed.” (07/21/24)
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/biden-is-out-heres-the-case-for-an
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26) Biden’s rent-control plan will only make America’s housing crisis worse
Source: Fox News
by Kerry Jackson
“President Joe Biden is suggesting that a federal limit on annual rent increases in residential units will ease housing costs. This is what happens when economist Milton Friedman isn’t ‘running the show’: Policymakers follow ideas that make the problem they say they’re solving infinitely worse. ‘While the prior administration gave special tax breaks to corporate landlords, I’m working to lower housing costs for families,’ Biden said Tuesday. He urged congressional Republicans to ‘join Democrats to pass my plan to lower housing costs for Americans,’ in which corporate owners would ‘have a choice to either cap rent increases on existing units at 5% or risk losing current valuable federal tax breaks.’ If he had only looked west, he would have seen the damage caused by rent-control policies in California. California is one of the most rent-controlled states in the country.” (07/22/24)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/bidens-rent-control-plan-only-make-americas-housing-crisis-worse
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27) Smithian Insights into Shrinking Global Inequality
Source: EconLog
by Chelsea Follett
“Over the past two and a half centuries, the world has seen significant progress. People live longer, are richer and better educated, and enjoy greater political freedom. (I previously explored the role of cities as engines of such progress for the Liberty Fund’s AdamSmithWorks project). But has that progress been enjoyed by only a few? Has the improvement in living conditions accrued mainly to a small elite, leaving much of the world behind? What many don’t realize is that these improvements have indeed been widely shared. It seems that globalization and market liberalization — whose power Adam Smith recognized more than two centuries ago — have raised absolute living standards to unprecedented heights and reduced overall inequality. The world is not only wealthier but also more equal.” (07/22/24)
https://www.econlib.org/smithian-insights-into-shrinking-global-inequality/
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28) Taxing the rich is no silver bullet for saving Social Security
Source: The Hill
by Chris McIsaac
“Social Security is projected to run deficits moving forward that will drive the trust fund balance to zero over the next decade and cause an automatic benefit cut of approximately 20 percent. To avoid the benefit cut to millions of seniors and stabilize Social Security over the long term, President Biden has proposed increasing revenues by applying the payroll tax to wages above $400,000. While some could argue that the rich could afford to pay more in taxes, the tax increase would only delay the inevitable shortage. According to the Social Security chief actuary, soaking the rich through proposals like this would push back insolvency by 10 years and would solve just 60 percent of the long-term actuarial deficit. In other words, this tax increase alone would not be enough.” (07/22/24)
https://thehill.com/opinion/4785332-biden-social-security-tax-proposal/
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29) Ptolemaic Trade Theory
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“One argument sometimes offered for restricting foreign investment is that if the Chinese own a lot of US assets that gives them power over us. The same argument was offered in the early 19th century when European investors were paying to build railroads and dig canals in the US. Daniel Webster pointed out that, if there was a conflict with European powers, their assets were sitting on our territory under our control. It wasn’t like they could repossess the Erie canal.” (07/22/24)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/ptolemaic-trade-theory
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30) An Uneasy New Fusionism
Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders
“Libertarian Populism could become a bulwark against rising authoritarianism on the left and right, but it’s not yet clear how durable such a synthesis can be.” (07/22/24)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/an-uneasy-new-fusionism
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31) Why the US Secrecy Surrounding Evan Gershkovich?
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“Last Friday, a Russian court, operating in secret, convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in a Russian penal colony. Ever since Gershkovich’s arrest in March 2023, I have written extensively about the case … The Journal and U.S. officials have responded to the verdict and sentence in the same way they have responded ever since Gershkovich’s arrest. They deny that he is a spy and say that he was simply doing his job as a reporter when he was arrested. They also say that Russia is simply engaged in taking Gershkovich hostage so that Russia can trade him for Russians held prisoner by the West. It might well be true that Gershkovich isn’t a spy, but the problem is that if he is a spy, the Journal and U.S. officials would still deny it.” (07/22/24)
https://www.fff.org/2024/07/22/why-the-u-s-secrecy-surrounding-evan-gershkovich/
-----
32) Biden gone, Democrats rally around worst possible candidate
Source: Washington Examiner
by Byron York
“It wasn’t really a surprise that President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he will no longer be a candidate for a second term. After all, Biden was under crushing pressure from some of the most powerful forces in the Democratic Party: congressional leaders, fundraisers, former President Barack Obama, and especially former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). In the time-honored Washington way, once Biden relented and stepped aside, people who just hours earlier had their boot on his neck raced to express their heartfelt respect and admiration for his judgment, selflessness, and patriotism. What was a surprise was the speed with which the party apparatus ran to embrace Vice President Kamala Harris as the new Democratic nominee for president of the United States.” (07/22/24)
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/3094190/biden-gone-democrats-rally-around-worst-possible-candidate/
-----
33) And Now, Dump Harris
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson
“Of course Kamala Harris should be the next president. I endorse her without hesitation. She wouldn’t be the first African American in the position, and so we won’t have to endure that ‘making history’ speech we’d otherwise get. And, besides, Michael Drake has already been in the job for four years. President of the University of California, I mean. … It’s no good trading in the 1999 Buick Park Avenue with 367,000 miles on it (the mileage creeps up on you, every day!) for a 2007 Chevrolet Uplander with 289,000 miles on it and a failing transmission. It wasn’t a very good model to begin with — a half-assed minivan pretending to be an SUV — and there is a reason its career came to a quiet end. The question for Democrats now is: Which university or law school should Kamala Harris be president of? Which MSNBC time slot does she want?” (07/22/24)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/now-dump-harris-130000212.html
-----
34) Could Kamala Harris Be an Anti-War Candidate?
Source: Reason
by Matthew Petti
“President Joe Biden wants to pass off the baton smoothly. After dropping out of the election, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her an ‘extraordinary partner’ in his administration. And in many policy areas, a Harris administration would probably be equivalent to a second Biden term. But foreign policy is the one area where the president’s personal feelings matter the most, because he or she is unilaterally calling the shots. … Harris has been surrounded by very different influences than Biden, from her father Donald Harris, an unorthodox economist who scrutinized military Keynesianism, to her stepdaughter Ella Emhoff, who publicly raised money for Palestinian charities. Her national security adviser, Philip Gordon, is a former Obama administration official who became an outspoken dissident against the foreign policy consensus.” (07/22/24)
https://reason.com/2024/07/22/could-kamala-harris-be-an-anti-war-candidate/
-----
35) Gaza Is a Stain on Biden’s Legacy; Here’s How He Can Start to Make Amends
Source: Informed Comment
by Juan Cole
“Presidents have two major legacies, on domestic policy and on foreign policy. Big foreign policy mistakes can throw even gargantuan domestic wins into the shade. President Lyndon Baines Johnson reshaped the United States with his Great Society programs, and at least acquiesced in finally ending Jim Crow racial discrimination. Johnson’s obsession with winning the Vietnam War and his investment in the false ‘domino theory’ of the spread of Communism, however, doomed his presidency and harmed the United States for decades. I’m old, so I remember as a teenager watching Johnson on March 31, 1968 come on television and announce that he would not seek another term in office. … I was reminded of LBJ’s resignation speech by U.S. President Joe Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he would not seek another term.” (07/22/24)
https://www.juancole.com/2024/07/catastrophic-conflict-domestic.html
-----
36) Are We Living Through Another 1850s?
Source: The American Conservative
by Robert W Merry
“When House Republicans dislodged Kevin McCarthy from the speakership last October and then struggled for three weeks to select a replacement, it struck many as entirely aberrational. … Yet in the decade leading to the Civil War, the House experienced three such stall-out crises: one, in December 1849, lasting three weeks; the others in 1855 and 1959, each lasting fully two months. The recurrent difficulty in electing a speaker signaled that the nation was hopelessly split over whether slavery would be allowed in the new southwestern territories acquired through James Polk’s war with Mexico. … With America fraught with greater political tension and venomous discourse than the country has seen since the Civil War era, could we be heading into a new time of domestic bloodshed?” (07/22/24)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/are-we-living-through-another-1850s/
-----
37) The cost of a hoax
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Wendy McElroy
“The scandal surrounding Canada’s Kamloops Indian Residential School (1890-1969, British Columbia) is an ultracautionary tale about the damage inflicted by self-interested politicians and activists, backed by a media that toes the line. The 2021 scandal sprang from the alleged discovery of 215 graves of indigenous children. They were said to have died under suspicious circumstances at the Catholic-run school and then buried in unmarked graves behind the facility. Kamloops was one of the largest schools in the residential system through which indigenous children were culturally deprogrammed and indoctrinated to mold them into ‘proper’ Canadians. When the story broke, the press fell over itself in a race to sensationalism. … Actually, no graves had been discovered; their existence was extrapolated from ‘anomalies’ in the earth found by ground-penetrating radar. … Today, after three years and almost $8 million of publicly unaccountable funds being expended, no graves have been found.” (07/22/24)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/cost-hoax
-----
38) Inherit the Wind: A Defense of the Individual Mind
Source: Students For Liberty
by Jack Nicastro
“Inherit the Wind (1960) is, on its face, a dramatic re-enactment of the Scopes Trial of 1925. Henry Drummond is Clarence Darrow, Matthew Brady is William Jennings Bryan, E. K. Hornbeck is H. L. Mencken (they were really on the nose with this one!), and Bertram Cates is John Scopes. Preserving its analogy to the real-world case, Cates is put on trial for teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution in a Tennessee public high school, in direct contravention of state law …. The way the author sees it, the real conflict is between those who believe the individual has a right to observe, contemplate, deduce, and arrive at one’s own judgments about the nature of things (E.K. Hornbeck, Henry Drummond, and Bertram Cates), and those fearful that reason unmoored from revealed wisdom will kill god, annihilate morality, and plunge society headlong into nihilism (Matthew Brady).” (07/22/24)
https://studentsforliberty.org/blog/inherit-the-wind-a-defense-of-the-individual-mind/
-----
39) Kamala Harris: Not your wacky aunt, more dangerous than Biden
Source: New York Post
by Isaac Schorr
“Kamala Harris is a human meme. Over the past three and a half years, America has come to know the veep for her philosophizing about the significance of the passage of time, her coconut-laden lectures about context, her yearning to be ‘unburdened by what has been,’ and of course, The Cackle[TM]. Consequently, the GOP’s attacks on her have tended to revolve around the fact that Harris is cringe personified. But as enjoyable and cathartic as the jokes about her have been, it’s time to get serious. Harris is now on the precipice of the presidency and Americans must know the truth. Her greatest sin is not that she’s sometimes awkward in the way that your wacky aunt is, or even that she’s lacking in political talent. It’s that at her core, Kamala Harris is a far-left [sic], authoritarian demagogue.” (07/22/24)
https://nypost.com/2024/07/22/opinion/kamala-harris-is-not-your-wacky-aunt-shes-more-dangerous-than-biden/
-----
40) Quantum Vibe, 07/22/24
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (07/22/24)
https://www.quantumvibe.com/strip?page=2489
-----
41) Harris is next in line for the Oval Office — the nomination is another matter
Source: Washington Post
by Matt Bai
“At their convention in Chicago a mere four weeks from now, Democrats will have a chance to put the ugliness of the past month behind them — to give President Biden, a true American statesman, the send-off he deserves after 50 years of service to his country. But they will also have a chance to cement Biden’s legacy by introducing a nominee who isn’t burdened by the past and who stands the strongest chance of assembling another winning coalition. Which is why delegates to the convention should at least take a minute to evaluate their options right now, rather than rushing to nominate Vice President Harris.” (07/22/24)
https://archive.is/jqHD9
-----
42) President Next
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“There has been no word on whether in the coming days, not weeks, we will see the first female president of these United States, Kamala Harris. If Democrats are too scared to have Biden as their leader this fall, should the American people really be okay with Biden sticking around for six months to be ours? Giving national and world leadership a continued go? Thanks, but no thanks. Hello, President Harris.” (07/22/24)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2024/07/22/president-next/
-----
43) A Modest Suggestion for an American Jewish Response to Bibi: Excommunicate Him
Source: The American Prospect
by Harold Meyerson
“Buried beneath the deluge of stories, first, on whether Joe Biden was in or out, and now on the implications of his withdrawal, there’s another imminent big deal that has largely fallen through journalism’s cracks and eluded public notice: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress, coming up this Wednesday. With so much at stake in our own upcoming election, the kind of outrage and dismay that Bibi’s visit would otherwise occasion has understandably been lost in the shuffle of Democratic dread. Given this existential distraction, it may be that such protesters as do turn out to demonstrate against our Congress’s convening—at Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s behest—to applaud the man still bent on reducing every last structure in Gaza to ruins, will represent the outermost extremes of Palestinian ultranationalism, those who actually celebrate Hamas’s murder raid of October 7.” (07/22/24)
https://prospect.org/world/2024-07-22-american-jewish-response-bibi-netanyahu/
-----
44) Houthis only emboldened by Israeli attacks
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Daniel Larison
“Israeli forces attacked ‘vital civilian infrastructure’ at the port of Hodeidah in Yemen on Saturday in response to a Houthi drone strike in Tel Aviv, according to Mwatana, a leading independent Yemeni human rights organization. The Israeli military claimed that it hit ‘military targets,’ but Mwatana reports that the strikes did extensive damage to oil facilities, fuel tanks, and the port’s wharf and cranes, all of which are critical to supplying the civilian population in north Yemen with much-needed fuel and food. … The Israeli government used the same tactics in Yemen that it has employed to such devastating effect in Gaza. … In addition to being a disproportionate response to the drone attack, the strikes on Hodeidah seem certain to provoke the Houthis to launch more attacks on Israel.” (07/22/24)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/houthis-israeli-attacks/
-----
45) Will SCOTUS Break Big Tobacco’s Grip on Nicotine?
Source: American Institute for Economic Research
by Peter Clark
“The Supreme Court recently announced it will review a case where the FDA denied marketing approval for two e-cigarette markers selling flavored products. … Since 2016, when the FDA extended Pre-Market Tobacco Application (PMTA) requirements to e-cigarettes, Big Tobacco has tightened its grip on the market. The onerous requirement of the pre-market approvals has made it harder for smaller e-cigarette companies to compete. Many independent vape shops and e-juice makers had to choose between selling e-cigarette products to willing buyers without the FDA’s permission, or filing for bankruptcy. Before FDA oversight, the top-selling e-cigarette brand was not owned by big tobacco. Most popular brands now are owned by Atria or RJ Reynolds (leading the pack with 38.5 percent market share). They are proving that the FDA-mandated PMTAs are an effective barrier to entry into the US market.” (07/22/24)
https://www.aier.org/article/will-scotus-break-big-tobaccos-grip-on-nicotine/
-----
46) The IRS and the Scale of Fraud during the Pandemic
Source: Independent Institute
by Craig Eyermann
“The scale of fraud against U.S. taxpayers during the coronavirus pandemic amounts to billions, possibly even trillions of dollars. Count the Internal Revenue Service among the government agencies that enabled the frauds that were perpetrated.” (07/22/24)
https://blog.independent.org/2024/07/22/the-irs-and-the-scale-of-fraud-during-the-pandemic/
-----
47) Biden’s Drop Out Leaves No Doubt: It’s 25th Amendment Time
Source: The Federalist
by Margot Cleveland
“In announcing he would no longer be the Democrats’ presidential candidate on Sunday, Joe Biden professed he was doing so because he believed it ‘in the best interest of [his] party and the country.’ While Biden did not elaborate further on his reasoning, he promised to address the country later this week with more details about his decision. When he eventually addresses the nation, Biden will likely portray himself as a modern-day hero, withdrawing from the race to protect America from the existential threat of Donald Trump. … Left unsaid will be the fact that party insiders and Democrat mega-donors forced Biden to step down out of fear Trump would win the presidency again.” (07/22/24)
https://thefederalist.com/2024/07/22/bidens-drop-out-leaves-no-doubt-its-25th-amendment-time/
-----
48) France’s Far-Right National Rally Has Lost the Battle, Not the War
Source: The UnPopulist
by Michele Barbero
“France’s snap legislative elections in June and July were widely believed to be the far-right National Rally’s best-ever chance to clinch real power after decades spent in the opposition. In the first round of voting, Marine Le Pen’s right-wing populist-nationalist party, whose overriding policy commitment is hostility to immigration, finished in first place in over half of the races, winning the largest share of the vote nationwide. But then, in a story that has become quite familiar to the French far right, the National Rally’s hopes were dashed at the last minute. … The National Rally, however, is used to playing the long game.” (07/21/24)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/frances-far-right-national-rally
-----
49) American Assassinations
Source: Quillette
by Thomas Doherty
“America has lost four presidents to assassinations; four have escaped attempted hits, not counting plots foiled or never executed. As of 13 July 2024, the list of lucky near misses includes the once and possibly future president Donald Trump, whose call was the closest of all. Few Americans are so history impaired as not to know the crime scene, the name of the assassin, and the forensic details of the two most famous presidential assassinations in American history. In each case, the inherent drama and symbolic power of the event created an unforgettable chapter in the collective memory of the nation.” (07/22/24)
https://quillette.com/2024/07/21/american-assassinations/
-----
50) As Biden Bows out, Labor Begins to Coalesce Around Harris & Set Sights on Defeating Trump
Source: In These Times
by Luis Feliz Leon
“President Joe Biden, who has often touted himself as the most pro-union president in U.S. history, dropped out of the race for a second term in office on Sunday, less than a month before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and less than four months before November’s general election. Biden also endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to run against former President Donald Trump, and within hours several major unions echoed that endorsement. They include, among others, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the nation’s largest private sector union; United Farm Workers, the nation’s largest and most enduring farm workers’ union (chiefly organizing in California); the American Federation of Teachers, the country’s second largest teachers’ union.” [editor’s note: Stock up on popcorn and ice cream; this should be at least amusing for the next month or so and beyond – SAT] (07/21/24)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/biden-harris-seiu-uaw-trump-2024-election
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 07/22/24
Source: Reason
"Biden's Out. Harris Is In. Everyone Else Is Screwed." (07/22/24)
https://reason.com/podcast/2024/07/22/bidens-out-harris-is-in-everyone-else-is-screwed/
-----
52) The Chris Spangle Show, episode 452
Source: We Are Libertarians
“Kamala Harris’s Record.” (07/22/24)
https://www.chrisspangle.com/p/452-kamala-harriss-record
-----
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 640
Source: Libertarian Institute
“On the March to Nuclear War.” (07/22/24)
https://rumble.com/v57yhx9-on-the-march-to-nuclear-war-coi-640.html
-----
54) The Bryan Hyde Show, 07/22/24
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
“You may not have noticed but it’s an election year. Adam De Gree explores the question, what are presidential elections about?” (07/22/24)
https://www.podbean.com/ep/pb-wiwed-16765cf
-----
55) EconTalk, 07/22/24
Source: EconTalk
“Does Parenting Make You a Better Person? (with Erik Hoel).” (07/22/24)
https://www.econtalk.org/does-parenting-make-you-a-better-person-with-erik-hoel/
-----
56) Finding Freedom, episode 447
Source: Lions of Liberty
“The Forgotten Man is Forgotten No More with Remso Martinez.” (07/22/24)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/the-forgotten-man-is-forgotten-no-more-with-remso-martinez
-----
57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 07/22/24
Source: Antiwar.com
“Houthis Vow Response to Israeli Strike on Yemen, US Denounces Ruling on Israeli Occupation, and More.” (07/22/24)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxTpn9p8WsE
-----
58) Unattended Baggage, episode 254
Source: International Guild of Professional Anarchists
“Vote for Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho.” (07/21/24)
https://alexandersnitker.substack.com/p/unattended-baggage-episode-254-vote
-----
59) Politics Politics Politics, 07/21/24
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Emergency stream reacting to the news that Joe Biden will not seek a second term as president.” (07/22/24)
https://shows.acast.com/politicspoliticspolitics/episodes/joe-biden-drops-out
-----
60) Free Talk Live, 07/21/24
Source: Free Talk Live
“Biden drops out :: Who will be the next President? :: Ridley calls to talk about nukes :: Gigi airs her grievances :: Footloose (Frank Staples) for Governor :: Goldilocks zone for pooping :: Skeeter has no emotions :: Christians not being very Christ-like :: DCYF is an abomination :: Onlyfans doesn’t pay that well :: 2024-07-21 Hosts: Lori, Bonnie, Steve Classic.” (07/21/24)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/free-talk-live-2024-07-21
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Ethereum ETFs Receive SEC Approval
2) Harris to meet privately with Middle East terror kingpin, skip congressional address
3) Pakistan: Police raid Khan’s party office and arrest its spokesman
4) Russia: Pols seek punishment for troops using smartphones in Ukraine war
5) Senate ethics panel to “review” Menendez in advance of possible expulsion, censure
6) Secret Service chief: “We failed” disgraced former president, others at rally shooting
7) Philippines: Marcos orders shutdown of Chinese-run online gambling outfits employing thousands
8) CO: Federal courts dismiss lawsuits challenging regulation of short-term rentals
9) Delta cancels 600 more flights as it struggles to recover from tech outage
10) Pig transplant research yields surprise: Bacon safe for some people allergic to red meat
11) UK: Group accuses Apple of failing to spy on users with sufficient enthusiasm
12) Uganda: Regime thugs lock down opposition’s HQ ahead of protest
13) Tesla to Have Humanoid Robots for Internal Use Next Year, Musk Says
14) US-Russian journalist convicted in rapid, secret trial, gets 6 1/2 years in prison
15) China: Regime says retirement age should rise in “voluntary and flexible” way
16) Estonia: Parliament backs Kristen Michal as new PM
17) Journalist Who Lost Leg in Israeli Attack Carries Olympic Torch in Paris
18) Ukraine’s Kuleba to visit China for first time since start of war
19) Croatia: Gunman has killed 6 people including his mother at a nursing home
20) CO: Resident fatally shoots home intruder
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Good Deeds Unpunished
22) What’s next: Will anyone challenge Kamala Harris?
23) Engineering a Crisis: How Political Theater Helps the Deep State Stay in Power
24) Genocide Monster Drops Out, Endorses Fellow Genocide Monster
25) Biden is out. Here’s the case for an open convention.
26) Biden’s rent-control plan will only make America’s housing crisis worse
27) Smithian Insights into Shrinking Global Inequality
28) Taxing the rich is no silver bullet for saving Social Security
29) Ptolemaic Trade Theory
30) An Uneasy New Fusionism
31) Why the US Secrecy Surrounding Evan Gershkovich?
32) Biden gone, Democrats rally around worst possible candidate
33) And Now, Dump Harris
34) Could Kamala Harris Be an Anti-War Candidate?
35) Gaza Is a Stain on Biden’s Legacy; Here’s How He Can Start to Make Amends
36) Are We Living Through Another 1850s?
37) The cost of a hoax
38) Inherit the Wind: A Defense of the Individual Mind
39) Kamala Harris: Not your wacky aunt, more dangerous than Biden
40) Quantum Vibe, 07/22/24
41) Harris is next in line for the Oval Office — the nomination is another matter
42) President Next
43) A Modest Suggestion for an American Jewish Response to Bibi: Excommunicate Him
44) Houthis only emboldened by Israeli attacks
45) Will SCOTUS Break Big Tobacco’s Grip on Nicotine?
46) The IRS and the Scale of Fraud during the Pandemic
47) Biden’s Drop Out Leaves No Doubt: It’s 25th Amendment Time
48) France’s Far-Right National Rally Has Lost the Battle, Not the War
49) American Assassinations
50) As Biden Bows out, Labor Begins to Coalesce Around Harris & Set Sights on Defeating Trump
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Reason Roundtable, 07/22/24
52) The Chris Spangle Show, episode 452
53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 640
54) The Bryan Hyde Show, 07/22/24
55) EconTalk, 07/22/24
56) Finding Freedom, episode 447
57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 07/22/24
58) Unattended Baggage, episode 254
59) Politics Politics Politics, 07/21/24
60) Free Talk Live, 07/21/24
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Ethereum ETFs Receive SEC Approval
Source: Investor’s Business Daily
“The Securities and Exchange Commission late Monday gave official approval for ethereum spot exchange-traded funds, giving investors exposure to the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency via traditional markets. The ethereum ETFs will begin trading on Tuesday. … Ethereum eased late Monday to $3,450 following the announcement, which was expected. ETH is down 1.5% over the last 24 hours as of Monday afternoon, from its overnight high of $3,559, CoinDesk data shows. Ethereum rallied nearly 51% so far this year. Bitcoin was unfazed by the ethereum ETF approval news and continued to trade around $67,700.” (07/22/24)
https://www.investors.com/news/ethereum-etf-sec-approval/
-----
2) Harris to meet privately with Middle East terror kingpin, skip congressional address
Source: Politico
“Vice President Kamala Harris will not attend Benjamin Netanyahu’s joint address to Congress but will conduct a separate bilateral meeting with the Israeli prime minister this week at the White House, according to a Harris aide who was granted anonymity to discuss internal plans. Harris was scheduled to attend an event for the Zeta Phi Beta sorority in Indianapolis before the Israeli prime minister’s address date was set. The conflict allows Harris to circumvent the question of whether to attend the address, a political challenge for many Democrats who oppose the way Israel is conducting the war in Gaza.” (07/22/24)
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/22/harris-plans-meeting-netanyahu-00170493
-----
3) Pakistan: Police raid Khan’s party office and arrest its spokesman
Source: Seattle Times
“Pakistan’s police raided the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political party office in Islamabad on Monday and arrested its spokesman for carrying out anti-state propaganda, the Interior Ministry said. In a statement, the ministry said officers also arrested Ahmad Janjua, a media coordinator for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI party. Janjua was arrested over the weekend in a separate raid. The arrests have drawn criticism from Gohar Ali Khan, the chairman of PTI, who said authorities also arrested some other workers of the party’s media wing, in a series of police raids in recent weeks.” (07/22/24)
https://archive.is/GTOEk
-----
4) Russia: Pols seek punishment for troops using smartphones in Ukraine war
Source: Reuters
“Russia’s lower house of parliament, the Duma, has proposed disciplinary detention for up to 10 days for troops using devices with camera and geolocation functions in combat zones such as Ukraine, Russia’s TASS state news agency reported. Mobile phones have been used by both sides to identify targets in the Ukraine war, both by tracking signal locations and by accessing the photographs or messages posted by the devices, according to Russian and Western officials. According to a draft law supported by the State Duma Defence Committee, the use of electronic devices meant for ‘household purposes’ and which allow for filming, audio recording and transmission of geodata while in the combat zone in Ukraine, will be classified as gross disciplinary offence, TASS reported.” (07/23/24)
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-lawmakers-seek-punishment-troops-using-smartphones-ukraine-war-2024-07-23/
-----
5) Senate ethics panel to “review” Menendez in advance of possible expulsion, censure
Source: The Hill
“Senate Ethics Committee leaders on Monday notified convicted Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) that panel members have voted to ;initiate an adjudicatory review of his alleged violations of Senate Rules,’ setting the stage for a possible future vote to expel or censure him. … A majority of the Senate Democratic Conference, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), has called on Menendez to resign following his conviction on 16 counts ranging from bribery and extortion to obstruction of justice and acting as a foreign agent. At least four Democratic senators — Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Bob Casey (Pa.), Jacky Rosen (Nev.) and Jon Tester (Mont.) — say they are prepared to vote to expel Menendez if he doesn’t step down from office voluntarily.” (07/22/24)
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4786421-senate-ethics-committee-menendez-conviction/
-----
6) Secret Service chief: “We failed” disgraced former president, others at rally shooting
Source: CNBC
“Embattled Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle told a House panel on Monday that ‘we failed’ to maintain the agency’s ‘solemn mission to protect our nation’s leaders’ during the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13. ‘We must learn what happened and I will move heaven and earth to ensure an incident like July 13th does not happen again,’ said Cheatle, who is testifying under subpoena before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. … Cheatle has refused to resign despite facing blistering criticism over the Secret Service’s failure to secure a building rooftop overlooking the site of Trump’s campaign rally in Butler Township, Pennsylvania, which 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks used as a sniper position to shoot at the Republican presidential nominee and audience members.” (07/22/24)
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/22/secret-service-failed-trump-shooting-cheatle-house.html
-----
7) Philippines: Marcos orders shutdown of Chinese-run online gambling outfits employing thousands
Source: ABC News
“President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday ordered an immediate ban on widespread and mostly Chinese-run online gaming operations in the Philippines accusing them of venturing into crimes, including financial scams, human trafficking, torture, kidnappings and murders. Marcos also said in his state-of-the-nation address that the Philippines would press efforts to strengthen its defensive capability by forging security alliances with friendly countries to counter threats to its territorial interests in the South China Sea, adding that his country would only settle disputes through diplomacy. He made the remarks on the territorial conflicts before legislators, top officials and diplomats at the House of Representatives after the worst confrontation between Chinese and Filipino forces in the disputed waters last month.” (07/22/24)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/philippine-president-orders-shutdown-chinese-run-online-gambling-112162018
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8) CO: Federal courts dismiss lawsuits challenging regulation of short-term rentals
Source: Colorado Sun
“Federal judges have dismissed two lawsuits filed by property owners in Summit County challenging recent regulations on short-term rentals from the county and the town of Breckenridge. A coalition of more than 100 property owners in Summit County in September sued in federal court in Grand Junction, calling county rules that limit short-term rental property owners to 35 bookings a year and imposing a 2% tax ‘a blunderbuss response’ of ‘successively more severe, wide-ranging, misguided and unlawful regulations.’ In October, residents and property owners in Breckenridge filed a lawsuit in federal court in Denver, arguing a new cap of 2,200 short-term rental licenses was a form of rent control prohibited by state law. … U.S. District Court Judge Nina Wang on July 9 dismissed the Breckenridge property owners’ lawsuit …. U.S. District Court Judge Gordon Gallagher on June 25 dismissed the county owners’ lawsuit …” (07/22/24)
https://coloradosun.com/2024/07/22/summit-county-lawsuits-short-term-rentals
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9) Delta cancels 600 more flights as it struggles to recover from tech outage
Source: Washington Post
“Delta Air Lines canceled more than 600 flights Monday as the fallout from a global tech outage extended into a fourth day. The Atlanta-based carrier had already scuttled hundreds of flights after a software update on Friday knocked out computer systems worldwide, sparking widespread disruptions at airports, hospitals and an array of other businesses. On Sunday alone, Delta recorded more than 1,300 cancellations and some 1,600 delays, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.” (07/22/24)
https://archive.is/LAe8Q
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10) Pig transplant research yields surprise: Bacon safe for some people allergic to red meat
Source: SFGate
“Some people who develop a weird and terrifying allergy to red meat after a bite from a lone star tick can still eat pork from a surprising source: Genetically modified pigs created for organ transplant research. Don’t look for it in grocery stores. The company that bred these special pigs shares its small supply, for free, with allergy patients. ‘We get hundreds and hundreds of orders,’ said David Ayares, who heads Revivicor Inc., as he opened a freezer jammed with packages of ground pork patties, ham, ribs and pork chops. The allergy is called alpha-gal syndrome, named for a sugar that’s present in the tissues of nearly all mammals – except for people and some of our primate cousins. It can cause a serious reaction hours after eating beef, pork or any other red meat, or certain mammalian products such as milk or gelatin.” (07/22/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/pig-transplant-research-yields-a-surprise-bacon-19587117.php
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11) UK: Group accuses Apple of failing to spy on users with sufficient enthusiasm
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Apple is failing to effectively monitor its platforms or scan for images and videos of the sexual abuse of children, child safety experts allege, which is raising concerns about how the company can handle growth in the volume of such material associated with artificial intelligence. The UK’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) accuses Apple of vastly undercounting how often child sexual abuse material (CSAM) appears in its products. In a year, child predators used Apple’s iCloud, iMessage and Facetime to store and exchange CSAM in a higher number of cases in England and Wales alone than the company reported across all other countries combined, according to police data obtained by the NSPCC.” (07/22/24)
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/jul/22/apple-security-child-sexual-images-accusation
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12) Uganda: Regime thugs lock down opposition’s HQ ahead of protest
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Ugandan security forces have surrounded the headquarters of the main opposition party in advance of a planned antigovernment rally over alleged corruption and human rights abuses. Police and soldiers cut off access to the office of the National Unity Platform (NUP), which sits near the capital, Kampala, on Monday. The threat of protests has angered longtime President Yoweri Museveni, who claimed it to be a plot being operated by unnamed ‘foreigners.’ NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi claimed that the blockade prevented people from entering or leaving, while some have been roughly detained. ‘These cowards have turned the National Unity Platform Headquarters into a military barracks,’ he wrote on X. Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, added that several opposition leaders had been ‘violently arrested.'” (07/22/24)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/22/security-forces-lock-down-ugandan-oppositions-hq-ahead-of
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13) Tesla to Have Humanoid Robots for Internal Use Next Year, Musk Says
Source: US News & World Report
“Tesla will have humanoid robots in low production for the company’s internal use next year, CEO Elon Musk said on Monday, months after he announced that the rollout would be by the end of 2024. The company will have the robots in high production for other companies’ use ‘hopefully’ in 2026, Musk said in a post on social media platform X. Musk had said in April that the Tesla robot, called Optimus, would be able to perform tasks in the factory by the end of this year and could be ready for sale as soon as the end of 2025. Humanoid robots have been in development for several years by Japan’s Honda and Hyundai Motor’s Boston Dynamics. Several companies are betting on them to meet potential labor shortages and perform repetitive tasks that could be dangerous or tedious in industries such as logistics, warehousing and manufacturing.” (07/22/24)
https://www.usnews.com/news/technology/articles/2024-07-22/tesla-to-have-humanoid-robots-for-internal-use-next-year-musk-says
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14) US-Russian journalist convicted in rapid, secret trial, gets 6 1/2 years in prison
Source: SFGate
“A court has convicted Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist for the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, of spreading false information about the Russian army and sentenced her to 6 1/2 years in prison after a secret trial, court records and officials said Monday. The conviction in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s central region of Tatarstan, came on Friday, the same day a court in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in prison in a case that the U.S. called politically motivated. Kurmasheva, a 47-year-old editor for RFE/RL’s Tatar-Bashkir language service, was convicted of ‘spreading false information’ about the military, according to the website of the Supreme Court of Tatarstan. Court spokesperson Natalya Loseva confirmed Kurmasheva’s conviction and revealed the sentence to The Associated Press by phone in the case classified as secret.” (07/22/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/us-russian-journalist-convicted-in-a-rapid-19588654.php
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15) China: Regime says retirement age should rise in “voluntary and flexible” way
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“China’s ruling elite has said it wants to raise the country’s retirement age in a ‘voluntary and flexible’ manner. The country’s leadership have repeatedly suggested that this policy needs to be implemented and the language used in a document about the decisions taken during last week’s Communist Party third plenum might bring it a step closer to reality. However, the move might prove unpopular and analysts warned it could create further pressure on the jobs market. … Currently, the retirement age – first set about 70 years ago – is 60 for men, 55 for female office workers and 50 for female blue-collar workers. However, in 1949, when the People’s Republic was founded, life expectancy was just 35 and it has now risen to 77. … The cost of paying for pensions is a major drain on local government finances and the document also included measures to address that problem.” (07/22/24)
https://archive.is/VkqvO
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16) Estonia: Parliament backs Kristen Michal as new PM
Source: Politico
“The Estonian parliament on Monday voted for Climate Minister Kristen Michal to take over as prime minister, with 64 votes in favor and 27 against. Michal will succeed Kaja Kallas, who resigned as prime minister on July 15 to become the European Union’s new chief diplomat. Following her resignation, Kallas named Michal as a possible candidate to succeed her as prime minister and chairman of the party. Both politicians hail from Estonia’s centrist Reform party. Michal will lead the same majority coalition as his predecessor, which is composed of Reform, the liberal party Estonia 200 and the center-left Social Democrats.” (07/22/24)
https://www.politico.eu/article/estonia-parliament-backs-kristen-michal-new-prime-minister
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17) Journalist Who Lost Leg in Israeli Attack Carries Olympic Torch in Paris
Source: Common Dreams
“Lebanese photojournalist Christina Assi, who lost a leg in an Israeli tank strike while working in southern Lebanon last year, carried the Olympic torch through Paris on Sunday amid renewed calls to ban Israel from the 2024 Games following a World Court ruling against the illegal occupation of Palestine and the ongoing obliteration of Gaza. Assi, who works for Agence France-Presse (AFP), carried the Olympic flame through Parisian streets in a wheelchair pushed by Dylan Collins, an American deputy editor at Al Jazeera English who was also wounded in the October 13 attack. ‘This is all for my best friend, Issam Abdallah, and all the other journalists who we have lost this year,’ Assi said, according toDemocracy Now! ‘This is all for them and to pay tribute and to honor them, to honor their memory. And I will keep Issam’s memory alive in everything I do. It’s all for him.'” (07/22/24)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/christina-assi
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18) Ukraine’s Kuleba to visit China for first time since start of war
Source: Politico
“Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will visit China this week. It will be his first trip to Beijing since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The Chinese Foreign Ministry provided little detail apart from an announcement by spokesperson Mao Ning saying Kuleba will be in China from Tuesday to Friday. Kuleba’s visit was made upon invitation from his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, state media Xinhua reported. … Kuleba’s trip also comes weeks after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy openly criticized Beijing for helping Moscow sabotage a peace conference in Switzerland last month.” (07/22/24)
https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraines-kuleba-to-visit-china-for-first-time-since-start-of-war/
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19) Croatia: Gunman has killed 6 people including his mother at a nursing home
Source: SFGate
“A gunman entered a nursing home in a quiet Croatian town on Monday and opened fire, killing six people including his mother, officials said. The dead were mostly in their 80s and 90s, the prime minister said. The national police chief, Nikola Milina, said five people died immediately and another died in a hospital. Five were residents and one was an employee. At least six other people were wounded, four seriously. The suspect fled but police caught him in a cafe near the facility in the town of Daruvar, Milina said. Authorities were investigating the motive behind the attack. N1 regional television reported that the suspect was born in 1973 and was a former policeman who took part in the 1991-95 war in Croatia and was decorated as a war veteran. Officials said he was known to police after causing several incidents in the past.” (07/22/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/assailant-kills-5-people-at-care-home-for-the-19588391.php
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20) CO: Resident fatally shoots home intruder
Source: Denver Gazette
“A startled resident shot and killed a man who was intruding in their apartment early Sunday morning, according to the Denver Police Department. … An initial call of a shooting came in around 1 a.m., according to a police department spokesperson. Police officials said a ‘surprised’ resident shot the intruder inside their home. The man who intruded on the home was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.” (07/21/24)
https://denvergazette.com/news/denver-home-intruder-fatally-shot/article_626cdfdc-4787-11ef-b83c-c7af04c0f89c.html
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Good Deeds Unpunished
Source: Law & Liberty
by Adam J Macleod & Mark David Hall
“On March 8, 2022, police officers in Bullhead City, Arizona, arrested Norma Thornton for serving home-cooked meals in a park near her home. The city charged her with violating an ordinance that essentially prohibits anyone from sharing food on public property for charitable purposes. Under that ordinance, individuals may share food on public property for any purpose whatsoever, so long as their motivations are not charitable or they are charging money. Thornton was not trying to profit in any way. She was motivated only by a desire to feed the hungry. That made her a criminal. … direct prohibitions on the selfless use of property, especially when employed to feed the hungry, burden the right to make charitable uses of one’s property.” (07/22/24)
https://lawliberty.org/good-deeds-unpunished/
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22) What’s next: Will anyone challenge Kamala Harris?
Source: Semafor
by David Weigel & Benjy Sarlin
“Minutes after announcing his withdrawal from the presidential race, Joe Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him. Thousands of Democratic delegates will have to sign off on that. Of the 3,933 delegates who pick the party’s nominee, 3,896 are pledged to Biden, based on the results of this year’s primaries. When Biden unbinds them, they are free to vote for whoever they chose. The ‘open convention’ that some Democrats pined for is already here; anyone can now run for the nomination, and against Harris. … The question now is who would try to make Harris ‘earn’ it.” (07/21/24)
https://www.semafor.com/article/07/21/2024/whats-next-will-anyone-challenge-kamala-harris
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23) Engineering a Crisis: How Political Theater Helps the Deep State Stay in Power
Source: Rutherford Institute
by John & Nisha Whitehead
“A failed assassination attempt on a presidential candidate. An incumbent president withdrawing his re-election bid at the 11th hour. A politicized judiciary that fails to hold the powers-that-be accountable to the rule of law. A world at war. A nation in turmoil. This is what controlled chaos looks like. This year’s election-year referendum on which corporate puppet should occupy the White House has quickly become a lesson in how the Deep State engineers a crisis to keep itself in power. Don’t get so caught up in the performance that you lose sight of what’s real. This endless series of diversions, distractions and political drama is the oldest con game in the books, the magician’s sleight of hand that keeps you focused on the shell game in front of you while your wallet is being picked clean by ruffians in your midst.” (07/22/24)
https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/engineering_a_crisis_how_political_theater_helps_the_deep_state_stay_in_power
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24) Genocide Monster Drops Out, Endorses Fellow Genocide Monster
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“President Biden has caved to mounting pressure to drop out of the presidential race due to widespread concerns about his obvious neurological decline, bowing out and endorsing his exact ideological clone Kamala Harris. Apparently the consensus is that he’s too demented to run for president, but is not too demented to actually be president for the next six months. And hell, whatever man. This means nothing and changes nothing, other than perhaps arguably somewhat diminishing the likelihood of a Republican empire manager being sworn into the White House in January. … Harris, assuming she wins the nomination, will campaign on the promise of continuing Biden’s incineration of Gaza, [his] ‘ironclad’ support for Israel, [his] proxy war in Ukraine, [his] escalations against Russia and China, [his expansion of the US war machine, [his] facilitation of ecocidal capitalism, and [his] dehumanizing policies of worldwide exploitation and imperialist extraction.” (07/22/24)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2024/07/22/genocide-monster-drops-out-endorses-fellow-genocide-monster/
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25) Biden is out. Here’s the case for an open convention.
Source: Drop Site
by Ryan Grim
“The question now is whether the torch will be handed directly to Kamala Harris or whether she’ll have to fight for it at the convention. Biden did not endorse Harris in his letter announcing his decision, instead only thanking her for her counsel. But in a follow-up statement, he endorsed her for president. The conventional wisdom is that an open convention is simply never going to happen, and if it does it will be a disaster for Democrats — weeks of infighting and chaos that’ll drag the party down. But that argument is merely a mix of assumption and assertion. With a little imagination, that chaos could be turned toward the party’s advantage at a time when it’s desperately needed.” (07/21/24)
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/biden-is-out-heres-the-case-for-an
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26) Biden’s rent-control plan will only make America’s housing crisis worse
Source: Fox News
by Kerry Jackson
“President Joe Biden is suggesting that a federal limit on annual rent increases in residential units will ease housing costs. This is what happens when economist Milton Friedman isn’t ‘running the show’: Policymakers follow ideas that make the problem they say they’re solving infinitely worse. ‘While the prior administration gave special tax breaks to corporate landlords, I’m working to lower housing costs for families,’ Biden said Tuesday. He urged congressional Republicans to ‘join Democrats to pass my plan to lower housing costs for Americans,’ in which corporate owners would ‘have a choice to either cap rent increases on existing units at 5% or risk losing current valuable federal tax breaks.’ If he had only looked west, he would have seen the damage caused by rent-control policies in California. California is one of the most rent-controlled states in the country.” (07/22/24)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/bidens-rent-control-plan-only-make-americas-housing-crisis-worse
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27) Smithian Insights into Shrinking Global Inequality
Source: EconLog
by Chelsea Follett
“Over the past two and a half centuries, the world has seen significant progress. People live longer, are richer and better educated, and enjoy greater political freedom. (I previously explored the role of cities as engines of such progress for the Liberty Fund’s AdamSmithWorks project). But has that progress been enjoyed by only a few? Has the improvement in living conditions accrued mainly to a small elite, leaving much of the world behind? What many don’t realize is that these improvements have indeed been widely shared. It seems that globalization and market liberalization — whose power Adam Smith recognized more than two centuries ago — have raised absolute living standards to unprecedented heights and reduced overall inequality. The world is not only wealthier but also more equal.” (07/22/24)
https://www.econlib.org/smithian-insights-into-shrinking-global-inequality/
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28) Taxing the rich is no silver bullet for saving Social Security
Source: The Hill
by Chris McIsaac
“Social Security is projected to run deficits moving forward that will drive the trust fund balance to zero over the next decade and cause an automatic benefit cut of approximately 20 percent. To avoid the benefit cut to millions of seniors and stabilize Social Security over the long term, President Biden has proposed increasing revenues by applying the payroll tax to wages above $400,000. While some could argue that the rich could afford to pay more in taxes, the tax increase would only delay the inevitable shortage. According to the Social Security chief actuary, soaking the rich through proposals like this would push back insolvency by 10 years and would solve just 60 percent of the long-term actuarial deficit. In other words, this tax increase alone would not be enough.” (07/22/24)
https://thehill.com/opinion/4785332-biden-social-security-tax-proposal/
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29) Ptolemaic Trade Theory
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“One argument sometimes offered for restricting foreign investment is that if the Chinese own a lot of US assets that gives them power over us. The same argument was offered in the early 19th century when European investors were paying to build railroads and dig canals in the US. Daniel Webster pointed out that, if there was a conflict with European powers, their assets were sitting on our territory under our control. It wasn’t like they could repossess the Erie canal.” (07/22/24)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/ptolemaic-trade-theory
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30) An Uneasy New Fusionism
Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders
“Libertarian Populism could become a bulwark against rising authoritarianism on the left and right, but it’s not yet clear how durable such a synthesis can be.” (07/22/24)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/an-uneasy-new-fusionism
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31) Why the US Secrecy Surrounding Evan Gershkovich?
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“Last Friday, a Russian court, operating in secret, convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in a Russian penal colony. Ever since Gershkovich’s arrest in March 2023, I have written extensively about the case … The Journal and U.S. officials have responded to the verdict and sentence in the same way they have responded ever since Gershkovich’s arrest. They deny that he is a spy and say that he was simply doing his job as a reporter when he was arrested. They also say that Russia is simply engaged in taking Gershkovich hostage so that Russia can trade him for Russians held prisoner by the West. It might well be true that Gershkovich isn’t a spy, but the problem is that if he is a spy, the Journal and U.S. officials would still deny it.” (07/22/24)
https://www.fff.org/2024/07/22/why-the-u-s-secrecy-surrounding-evan-gershkovich/
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32) Biden gone, Democrats rally around worst possible candidate
Source: Washington Examiner
by Byron York
“It wasn’t really a surprise that President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he will no longer be a candidate for a second term. After all, Biden was under crushing pressure from some of the most powerful forces in the Democratic Party: congressional leaders, fundraisers, former President Barack Obama, and especially former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). In the time-honored Washington way, once Biden relented and stepped aside, people who just hours earlier had their boot on his neck raced to express their heartfelt respect and admiration for his judgment, selflessness, and patriotism. What was a surprise was the speed with which the party apparatus ran to embrace Vice President Kamala Harris as the new Democratic nominee for president of the United States.” (07/22/24)
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/3094190/biden-gone-democrats-rally-around-worst-possible-candidate/
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33) And Now, Dump Harris
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson
“Of course Kamala Harris should be the next president. I endorse her without hesitation. She wouldn’t be the first African American in the position, and so we won’t have to endure that ‘making history’ speech we’d otherwise get. And, besides, Michael Drake has already been in the job for four years. President of the University of California, I mean. … It’s no good trading in the 1999 Buick Park Avenue with 367,000 miles on it (the mileage creeps up on you, every day!) for a 2007 Chevrolet Uplander with 289,000 miles on it and a failing transmission. It wasn’t a very good model to begin with — a half-assed minivan pretending to be an SUV — and there is a reason its career came to a quiet end. The question for Democrats now is: Which university or law school should Kamala Harris be president of? Which MSNBC time slot does she want?” (07/22/24)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/now-dump-harris-130000212.html
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34) Could Kamala Harris Be an Anti-War Candidate?
Source: Reason
by Matthew Petti
“President Joe Biden wants to pass off the baton smoothly. After dropping out of the election, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her an ‘extraordinary partner’ in his administration. And in many policy areas, a Harris administration would probably be equivalent to a second Biden term. But foreign policy is the one area where the president’s personal feelings matter the most, because he or she is unilaterally calling the shots. … Harris has been surrounded by very different influences than Biden, from her father Donald Harris, an unorthodox economist who scrutinized military Keynesianism, to her stepdaughter Ella Emhoff, who publicly raised money for Palestinian charities. Her national security adviser, Philip Gordon, is a former Obama administration official who became an outspoken dissident against the foreign policy consensus.” (07/22/24)
https://reason.com/2024/07/22/could-kamala-harris-be-an-anti-war-candidate/
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35) Gaza Is a Stain on Biden’s Legacy; Here’s How He Can Start to Make Amends
Source: Informed Comment
by Juan Cole
“Presidents have two major legacies, on domestic policy and on foreign policy. Big foreign policy mistakes can throw even gargantuan domestic wins into the shade. President Lyndon Baines Johnson reshaped the United States with his Great Society programs, and at least acquiesced in finally ending Jim Crow racial discrimination. Johnson’s obsession with winning the Vietnam War and his investment in the false ‘domino theory’ of the spread of Communism, however, doomed his presidency and harmed the United States for decades. I’m old, so I remember as a teenager watching Johnson on March 31, 1968 come on television and announce that he would not seek another term in office. … I was reminded of LBJ’s resignation speech by U.S. President Joe Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he would not seek another term.” (07/22/24)
https://www.juancole.com/2024/07/catastrophic-conflict-domestic.html
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36) Are We Living Through Another 1850s?
Source: The American Conservative
by Robert W Merry
“When House Republicans dislodged Kevin McCarthy from the speakership last October and then struggled for three weeks to select a replacement, it struck many as entirely aberrational. … Yet in the decade leading to the Civil War, the House experienced three such stall-out crises: one, in December 1849, lasting three weeks; the others in 1855 and 1959, each lasting fully two months. The recurrent difficulty in electing a speaker signaled that the nation was hopelessly split over whether slavery would be allowed in the new southwestern territories acquired through James Polk’s war with Mexico. … With America fraught with greater political tension and venomous discourse than the country has seen since the Civil War era, could we be heading into a new time of domestic bloodshed?” (07/22/24)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/are-we-living-through-another-1850s/
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37) The cost of a hoax
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Wendy McElroy
“The scandal surrounding Canada’s Kamloops Indian Residential School (1890-1969, British Columbia) is an ultracautionary tale about the damage inflicted by self-interested politicians and activists, backed by a media that toes the line. The 2021 scandal sprang from the alleged discovery of 215 graves of indigenous children. They were said to have died under suspicious circumstances at the Catholic-run school and then buried in unmarked graves behind the facility. Kamloops was one of the largest schools in the residential system through which indigenous children were culturally deprogrammed and indoctrinated to mold them into ‘proper’ Canadians. When the story broke, the press fell over itself in a race to sensationalism. … Actually, no graves had been discovered; their existence was extrapolated from ‘anomalies’ in the earth found by ground-penetrating radar. … Today, after three years and almost $8 million of publicly unaccountable funds being expended, no graves have been found.” (07/22/24)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/cost-hoax
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38) Inherit the Wind: A Defense of the Individual Mind
Source: Students For Liberty
by Jack Nicastro
“Inherit the Wind (1960) is, on its face, a dramatic re-enactment of the Scopes Trial of 1925. Henry Drummond is Clarence Darrow, Matthew Brady is William Jennings Bryan, E. K. Hornbeck is H. L. Mencken (they were really on the nose with this one!), and Bertram Cates is John Scopes. Preserving its analogy to the real-world case, Cates is put on trial for teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution in a Tennessee public high school, in direct contravention of state law …. The way the author sees it, the real conflict is between those who believe the individual has a right to observe, contemplate, deduce, and arrive at one’s own judgments about the nature of things (E.K. Hornbeck, Henry Drummond, and Bertram Cates), and those fearful that reason unmoored from revealed wisdom will kill god, annihilate morality, and plunge society headlong into nihilism (Matthew Brady).” (07/22/24)
https://studentsforliberty.org/blog/inherit-the-wind-a-defense-of-the-individual-mind/
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39) Kamala Harris: Not your wacky aunt, more dangerous than Biden
Source: New York Post
by Isaac Schorr
“Kamala Harris is a human meme. Over the past three and a half years, America has come to know the veep for her philosophizing about the significance of the passage of time, her coconut-laden lectures about context, her yearning to be ‘unburdened by what has been,’ and of course, The Cackle[TM]. Consequently, the GOP’s attacks on her have tended to revolve around the fact that Harris is cringe personified. But as enjoyable and cathartic as the jokes about her have been, it’s time to get serious. Harris is now on the precipice of the presidency and Americans must know the truth. Her greatest sin is not that she’s sometimes awkward in the way that your wacky aunt is, or even that she’s lacking in political talent. It’s that at her core, Kamala Harris is a far-left [sic], authoritarian demagogue.” (07/22/24)
https://nypost.com/2024/07/22/opinion/kamala-harris-is-not-your-wacky-aunt-shes-more-dangerous-than-biden/
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40) Quantum Vibe, 07/22/24
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (07/22/24)
https://www.quantumvibe.com/strip?page=2489
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41) Harris is next in line for the Oval Office — the nomination is another matter
Source: Washington Post
by Matt Bai
“At their convention in Chicago a mere four weeks from now, Democrats will have a chance to put the ugliness of the past month behind them — to give President Biden, a true American statesman, the send-off he deserves after 50 years of service to his country. But they will also have a chance to cement Biden’s legacy by introducing a nominee who isn’t burdened by the past and who stands the strongest chance of assembling another winning coalition. Which is why delegates to the convention should at least take a minute to evaluate their options right now, rather than rushing to nominate Vice President Harris.” (07/22/24)
https://archive.is/jqHD9
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42) President Next
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“There has been no word on whether in the coming days, not weeks, we will see the first female president of these United States, Kamala Harris. If Democrats are too scared to have Biden as their leader this fall, should the American people really be okay with Biden sticking around for six months to be ours? Giving national and world leadership a continued go? Thanks, but no thanks. Hello, President Harris.” (07/22/24)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2024/07/22/president-next/
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43) A Modest Suggestion for an American Jewish Response to Bibi: Excommunicate Him
Source: The American Prospect
by Harold Meyerson
“Buried beneath the deluge of stories, first, on whether Joe Biden was in or out, and now on the implications of his withdrawal, there’s another imminent big deal that has largely fallen through journalism’s cracks and eluded public notice: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress, coming up this Wednesday. With so much at stake in our own upcoming election, the kind of outrage and dismay that Bibi’s visit would otherwise occasion has understandably been lost in the shuffle of Democratic dread. Given this existential distraction, it may be that such protesters as do turn out to demonstrate against our Congress’s convening—at Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s behest—to applaud the man still bent on reducing every last structure in Gaza to ruins, will represent the outermost extremes of Palestinian ultranationalism, those who actually celebrate Hamas’s murder raid of October 7.” (07/22/24)
https://prospect.org/world/2024-07-22-american-jewish-response-bibi-netanyahu/
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44) Houthis only emboldened by Israeli attacks
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Daniel Larison
“Israeli forces attacked ‘vital civilian infrastructure’ at the port of Hodeidah in Yemen on Saturday in response to a Houthi drone strike in Tel Aviv, according to Mwatana, a leading independent Yemeni human rights organization. The Israeli military claimed that it hit ‘military targets,’ but Mwatana reports that the strikes did extensive damage to oil facilities, fuel tanks, and the port’s wharf and cranes, all of which are critical to supplying the civilian population in north Yemen with much-needed fuel and food. … The Israeli government used the same tactics in Yemen that it has employed to such devastating effect in Gaza. … In addition to being a disproportionate response to the drone attack, the strikes on Hodeidah seem certain to provoke the Houthis to launch more attacks on Israel.” (07/22/24)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/houthis-israeli-attacks/
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45) Will SCOTUS Break Big Tobacco’s Grip on Nicotine?
Source: American Institute for Economic Research
by Peter Clark
“The Supreme Court recently announced it will review a case where the FDA denied marketing approval for two e-cigarette markers selling flavored products. … Since 2016, when the FDA extended Pre-Market Tobacco Application (PMTA) requirements to e-cigarettes, Big Tobacco has tightened its grip on the market. The onerous requirement of the pre-market approvals has made it harder for smaller e-cigarette companies to compete. Many independent vape shops and e-juice makers had to choose between selling e-cigarette products to willing buyers without the FDA’s permission, or filing for bankruptcy. Before FDA oversight, the top-selling e-cigarette brand was not owned by big tobacco. Most popular brands now are owned by Atria or RJ Reynolds (leading the pack with 38.5 percent market share). They are proving that the FDA-mandated PMTAs are an effective barrier to entry into the US market.” (07/22/24)
https://www.aier.org/article/will-scotus-break-big-tobaccos-grip-on-nicotine/
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46) The IRS and the Scale of Fraud during the Pandemic
Source: Independent Institute
by Craig Eyermann
“The scale of fraud against U.S. taxpayers during the coronavirus pandemic amounts to billions, possibly even trillions of dollars. Count the Internal Revenue Service among the government agencies that enabled the frauds that were perpetrated.” (07/22/24)
https://blog.independent.org/2024/07/22/the-irs-and-the-scale-of-fraud-during-the-pandemic/
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47) Biden’s Drop Out Leaves No Doubt: It’s 25th Amendment Time
Source: The Federalist
by Margot Cleveland
“In announcing he would no longer be the Democrats’ presidential candidate on Sunday, Joe Biden professed he was doing so because he believed it ‘in the best interest of [his] party and the country.’ While Biden did not elaborate further on his reasoning, he promised to address the country later this week with more details about his decision. When he eventually addresses the nation, Biden will likely portray himself as a modern-day hero, withdrawing from the race to protect America from the existential threat of Donald Trump. … Left unsaid will be the fact that party insiders and Democrat mega-donors forced Biden to step down out of fear Trump would win the presidency again.” (07/22/24)
https://thefederalist.com/2024/07/22/bidens-drop-out-leaves-no-doubt-its-25th-amendment-time/
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48) France’s Far-Right National Rally Has Lost the Battle, Not the War
Source: The UnPopulist
by Michele Barbero
“France’s snap legislative elections in June and July were widely believed to be the far-right National Rally’s best-ever chance to clinch real power after decades spent in the opposition. In the first round of voting, Marine Le Pen’s right-wing populist-nationalist party, whose overriding policy commitment is hostility to immigration, finished in first place in over half of the races, winning the largest share of the vote nationwide. But then, in a story that has become quite familiar to the French far right, the National Rally’s hopes were dashed at the last minute. … The National Rally, however, is used to playing the long game.” (07/21/24)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/frances-far-right-national-rally
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49) American Assassinations
Source: Quillette
by Thomas Doherty
“America has lost four presidents to assassinations; four have escaped attempted hits, not counting plots foiled or never executed. As of 13 July 2024, the list of lucky near misses includes the once and possibly future president Donald Trump, whose call was the closest of all. Few Americans are so history impaired as not to know the crime scene, the name of the assassin, and the forensic details of the two most famous presidential assassinations in American history. In each case, the inherent drama and symbolic power of the event created an unforgettable chapter in the collective memory of the nation.” (07/22/24)
https://quillette.com/2024/07/21/american-assassinations/
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50) As Biden Bows out, Labor Begins to Coalesce Around Harris & Set Sights on Defeating Trump
Source: In These Times
by Luis Feliz Leon
“President Joe Biden, who has often touted himself as the most pro-union president in U.S. history, dropped out of the race for a second term in office on Sunday, less than a month before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and less than four months before November’s general election. Biden also endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to run against former President Donald Trump, and within hours several major unions echoed that endorsement. They include, among others, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the nation’s largest private sector union; United Farm Workers, the nation’s largest and most enduring farm workers’ union (chiefly organizing in California); the American Federation of Teachers, the country’s second largest teachers’ union.” [editor’s note: Stock up on popcorn and ice cream; this should be at least amusing for the next month or so and beyond – SAT] (07/21/24)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/biden-harris-seiu-uaw-trump-2024-election
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Reason Roundtable, 07/22/24
Source: Reason
"Biden's Out. Harris Is In. Everyone Else Is Screwed." (07/22/24)
https://reason.com/podcast/2024/07/22/bidens-out-harris-is-in-everyone-else-is-screwed/
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52) The Chris Spangle Show, episode 452
Source: We Are Libertarians
“Kamala Harris’s Record.” (07/22/24)
https://www.chrisspangle.com/p/452-kamala-harriss-record
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53) Conflicts of Interest, episode 640
Source: Libertarian Institute
“On the March to Nuclear War.” (07/22/24)
https://rumble.com/v57yhx9-on-the-march-to-nuclear-war-coi-640.html
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54) The Bryan Hyde Show, 07/22/24
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
“You may not have noticed but it’s an election year. Adam De Gree explores the question, what are presidential elections about?” (07/22/24)
https://www.podbean.com/ep/pb-wiwed-16765cf
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55) EconTalk, 07/22/24
Source: EconTalk
“Does Parenting Make You a Better Person? (with Erik Hoel).” (07/22/24)
https://www.econtalk.org/does-parenting-make-you-a-better-person-with-erik-hoel/
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56) Finding Freedom, episode 447
Source: Lions of Liberty
“The Forgotten Man is Forgotten No More with Remso Martinez.” (07/22/24)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/the-forgotten-man-is-forgotten-no-more-with-remso-martinez
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57) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 07/22/24
Source: Antiwar.com
“Houthis Vow Response to Israeli Strike on Yemen, US Denounces Ruling on Israeli Occupation, and More.” (07/22/24)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxTpn9p8WsE
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58) Unattended Baggage, episode 254
Source: International Guild of Professional Anarchists
“Vote for Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho.” (07/21/24)
https://alexandersnitker.substack.com/p/unattended-baggage-episode-254-vote
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59) Politics Politics Politics, 07/21/24
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Emergency stream reacting to the news that Joe Biden will not seek a second term as president.” (07/22/24)
https://shows.acast.com/politicspoliticspolitics/episodes/joe-biden-drops-out
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60) Free Talk Live, 07/21/24
Source: Free Talk Live
“Biden drops out :: Who will be the next President? :: Ridley calls to talk about nukes :: Gigi airs her grievances :: Footloose (Frank Staples) for Governor :: Goldilocks zone for pooping :: Skeeter has no emotions :: Christians not being very Christ-like :: DCYF is an abomination :: Onlyfans doesn’t pay that well :: 2024-07-21 Hosts: Lori, Bonnie, Steve Classic.” (07/21/24)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/free-talk-live-2024-07-21
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