10/02 -- Mediterranean Sea: Pirates attack 14 aid boats, abduct crews; Free Speech and Its Discontents
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Thomas L. Knapp
Oct 2, 2025, 6:36:49 AMOct 2
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 10/02/25
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Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
https://news.rationalreview.com/
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Today's Freedom News:
0) Hybrid Thursday! (and Year-End Fundraiser Update)
1) Mediterranean Sea: Pirates attack 14 aid boats, abduct crews
2) Bitcoin Tops $119k, XRP, SOL, ETH Surge as US Government Shutdown Takes Effect
3) New Trump Military Policy: “Qatar First”
4) Ukrainian nuclear plant’s longest power outage since war began is “critical” moment
5) Patel cuts ties Comey’s FBI made with ADL as organization faces backlash for TPUSA criticism6) US private payrolls declined in September by 32,000 in key ADP report coming amid shutdown data blackout
6) US private payrolls declined in September by 32,000 in key ADP report coming amid shutdown data blackout
7) Pentagon plans widespread random polygraph testing, nondisclosure agreements
8) Construction worker, abducted twice, sues gang
9) US regime partially nationalizes lithium mine
10) Afghanistan: Internet and cell phone resume
11) SCOTUS says Federal Reserve’s Lisa Cook can stay in job for now
12) South Korea: Lee calls for more self-reliant military as US regime’s commitment questioned
13) New study adds to the possibility of favorable conditions for life at Saturn’s moon Enceladus
14) US mortgage refinance demand plunges 21%, as interest rates hit three-week high
15) Germany: Bomb threat temporarily closes Oktoberfest in Munich
16) Greece: General Strike Disrupts Services Across the Country
17) Twenty years later, Hunter S Thompson’s death to be reviewed
18) White House withdraws EJ Antoni’s nomination as head chef for cooking labor stats
19) Jane Goodall, 1934 – 2025
20) UN Security Council approves “Gang Suppression Force” for Haiti
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Free Speech and Its Discontents
22) Trump’s “domestic terrorism” memo chillingly targets people by ideology
23) Don’t be puppet for government
24) The Engine of Corruption In Democracies
25) Both the Far Left and the Far Right Make Excuses for Violence
26) The Trumpanyahu “Peace” Plan, And Other Notes
27) The Long History of Equality
28) Deploying Federal Troops Is Not a Sustainable Solution to Crime in American Cities
29) Congress Must Hold Out for Deal That Ends Trump’s Illegal Cuts
30) Trump, Comey, and the Long History of the Unelected Government
31) Ten Years of Censorship That Was Censored
32) Diamond and bangles to the Gulf
33) Trump Moving Swiftly to Become the First [sic] American Dictator
34) ICE agents aren’t masculine. They’re bullies.
35) Free Speech and Flag Burning
36) America’s can-do spirit needs liberation from can’t-do regulation
37) Democrats are turning themselves into the enemies of democracy
38) US weapons pipeline to Nigeria is becoming a crime against humanity
39) Bitcoin Diplomacy
40) It’s Time for the US to Recognize Palestine
41) We Obtained Thousands of New Epstein Documents
42) Tariffs Don’t Lighten the Way Forward, They Darken It
43) Go Ask Gary
44) A Libertarian Taxonomy
45) Mississippi’s reading triumph is no miracle, it’s the future of education
46) Europe Learned Nothing From the Danish Cartoon Affair
47) From Utilities to Banks: A Path Toward Less Restrictive Regulation
48) Could This Be the Best Government Shutdown Ever?
49) Gaza’s Nightmare
50) What is Barbarism?
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) The Political Orphanage, 10/01/25
52) The David Frum Show, 10/01/25
53) Reason Interview: Jenin Younes
54) The Learning Curve, 10/01/25
55) Rising, 10/01/25
56) This Won’t Fix Trillion-Dollar Deficits
57) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 10/01/25
58) SolutionsWatch, 10/01/25
59) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 10/01/25
60) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp,10/01/25
61) Bonnie Freeman’s Anarcon Speech
62) Pink Flame of Liberty, 09/30/25
63) So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, 09/30/25
64) Politics Politics Politics, 09/30/25
65) Freedom Works with Paul Molloy, 09/30/25
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0) Hybrid Thursday! (and Year-End Fundraiser Update)
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1) Mediterranean Sea: Pirates attack 14 aid boats, abduct crews
Source: Reuters
“Israeli [pirates] stopped 14 boats carrying foreign activists and aid bound for Gaza, flotilla organisers said on Thursday, but 23 boats are continuing to sail towards the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave, according to the flotilla’s tracking system. … The flotilla is the latest sea-borne attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, much of which has been turned into a wasteland by almost two years of war. The flotilla’s organisers denounced Israel’s action as a ‘war crime.’ They said the [pirates] used aggressive tactics, including the use of water cannon, but that no one was harmed. ‘Multiple vessels … were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli [pirates] in international waters,’ the organisers said in a statement.” (10/02/25)
https://archive.is/AKNf3
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2) Bitcoin Tops $119k, XRP, SOL, ETH Surge as US Government Shutdown Takes Effect
Source: CoinDesk
“Bitcoin jumped to its highest in over two months as the U.S. government shut down operations, likely setting the stage for a positive fiat liquidity impulse. The leading cryptocurrency has risen nearly 4% in the past 24 hours, with prices briefly rising to $119,455 for the first time since mid-August, CoinDesk data show. Other major tokens such as ether, XRP, solana and DOGE have risen 4% to 7%. The CoinDesk 20 Index (CD20) has jumped 5% to 4,217 points.” (10/02/25)
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/10/02/bitcoin-surges-above-usd119k-as-u-s-government-shutdown-takes-effect-btc-options-look-cheap
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3) New Trump Military Policy: “Qatar First”
Source: Politico
“The White House published an executive order on Wednesday vowing to defend Qatar in the event of an attack from another country …. The order, which President Donald Trump signed Monday, states that the White House will now consider ‘any armed attack’ on Qatar ‘as a threat to the peace and security of the United States.’ And, in the event of any attack, the U.S. would take ‘all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic and, if necessary, military — to defend the interests of the United States and the State of Qatar.’ Trump signed the executive order on the same day that he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House and orchestrated a phone call with the Qatari prime minister during which Israel’s leader apologized for missile strikes last month targeting Hamas officials while they were in Doha for ceasefire talks.” (10/01/25)
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/01/trump-promises-to-defend-qatar-in-wake-of-israeli-missile-strikes-00589638?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication
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4) Ukrainian nuclear plant’s longest power outage since war began is “critical” moment
Source: ABC News
“Concerns are again mounting over the safety of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been cut off from an external supply of electricity for more than a week. Captured by Russian forces early in the war, the facility no longer supplies power to the grid but still needs electricity to cool its six inactive reactors and spent fuel. Emergency generators are currently keeping the systems running. Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said conditions remain stable for now but warned that restoring reliable external power is vital.” (10/01/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ukrainian-nuclear-plants-longest-power-outage-war-began-126123372
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5) Patel cuts ties Comey’s FBI made with ADL as organization faces backlash for TPUSA criticism
Source: Fox News
“FBI Director Kash Patel is cutting ties with the Anti-Defamation League that the bureau forged under its former boss James Comey. ‘James Comey disgraced the FBI by writing ‘love letters’ to the ADL and embedding agents with an extreme group functioning like a terrorist organization and the disgraceful operation they ran spying on Americans. That was not law enforcement, it was activism dressed up as counterterrorism, and it put Americans in danger,’ Patel told Fox News Digital. … The ADL has recently faced backlash from Elon Musk and Republican lawmakers for listing Turning Point USA (TPUSA), Charlie Kirk’s organization, as an extremist group. As a result, the group removed its entire ‘Glossary of Extremism and Hate’ on Tuesday.” (10/01/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/patel-cuts-ties-comeys-fbi-made-adl-organization-faces-backlash-tpusa-criticism
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6) US private payrolls declined in September by 32,000 in key ADP report coming amid shutdown data blackout
Source: CNBC
“Private payrolls saw their biggest decline in 2½ years during September, a further sign of labor market weakening that compounds the data blackout accompanying the U.S. government shutdown. Companies shed a seasonally adjusted 32,000 jobs during the month, the biggest slide since March 2023, payrolls processing firm ADP reported Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for an increase of 45,000. In addition to the drop in September, the August payrolls number was revised to a loss of 3,000 from an initially reported increase of 54,000.” (10/01/25)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/01/private-payrolls-declined-in-september-by-32000-in-key-adp-report-coming-amid-shutdown-data-blackout.html
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7) Pentagon plans widespread random polygraph testing, nondisclosure agreements
Source: Reuters
“The Pentagon plans to impose strict nondisclosure agreements and random polygraph testing for scores of people in its headquarters, including many top officials, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. All military service members, civilian employees and contract workers within the office of the defense secretary and the Joint Staff would be required to sign a nondisclosure agreement that ‘prohibits the release of non-public information without approval or through a defined process,’ the Post reported, citing a draft memo.” (10/01/25)
https://archive.is/74s5R
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8) Construction worker, abducted twice, sues gang
Source: US News & World Report
“An Alabama construction worker and U.S. citizen who says he was [abducted] twice by immigration agents within just a few weeks has filed a lawsuit in federal court demanding an end to Trump administration workplace raids targeting industries with large immigrant workforces. The class-action lawsuit, filed Tuesday by concrete worker Leo Garcia Venegas with the public interest law firm Institute for Justice, demands an end to what the firm calls ‘unconstitutional and illegal immigration enforcement tactics.'” (10/01/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2025-10-01/lawsuit-filed-against-immigration-authorities-after-u-s-citizens-arrested-in-raids
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9) US regime partially nationalizes lithium mine
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The United States government is taking a minority stake in Lithium Americas, a company that is developing one of the world’s largest lithium mines in northern Nevada. The Department of Energy will take a 5 percent equity stake in the miner, which is based in Vancouver. It will also take a 5 percent stake in the Thacker Pass lithium mining project, a joint venture with General Motors. … The equity stake in Lithium Americas is the latest example of the direct intervention by President Donald Trump’s administration in private companies.” (10/01/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/10/1/us-takes-a-stake-in-another-firm-this-time-a-large-lithium-mine
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10) Afghanistan: Internet and cell phone resume
Source: Reuters
“Cell phone and internet services were restored in Afghanistan on Wednesday, local residents said, some 48 hours after diplomatic and industry sources said connectivity was abruptly cut on the orders of the Taliban administration. The cell phone services of Roshan and Etisalat companies, the foreign-owned biggest providers, came back to life in the late afternoon, residents in Kabul and other cities said. Internet access was restored, according to companies providing the service. A Taliban official from the information department said there were technical reasons for the outage and that services would be quickly restored. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the Taliban had ordered the outage.” (10/01/25)
https://archive.is/zApG4
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11) SCOTUS says Federal Reserve’s Lisa Cook can stay in job for now
Source: United Press International
“Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook will be permitted to stay on the central bank board at least through next year after legal questions over her [supposed] termination by U.S. President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Cook can remain on the job on an interim basis into 2026, and agreed to hear oral arguments in January with a likely ruling before June’s end. The nation’s high court, however, did not explain the basis of its decision in the brief ruling. In August, Trump [pretended he had the power to fire] Cook over his claims of mortgage fraud which Cook has since denied.” (10/01/25)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/10/01/Supreme-Court-Lisa-Cook-Federal-Reserve-governor-termination-Trump-constitution/5001759331862/
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12) South Korea: Lee calls for more self-reliant military as US regime’s commitment questioned
Source: ABC News
“South Korea’s president vowed Wednesday to sharply increase defense spending and build a more self-reliant military, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda raises questions about the U.S. security commitment to its Asian ally. A tariff war instigated by Trump’s administration and his transactional approach to security threaten to erode many South Koreans’ trust in the U.S. There are concerns that he may demand much higher South Korean payments for the U.S. military presence in the country or possibly downsize America’s military footprint to focus more on China. … To boost a self-reliant defense posture, Lee [Jae Myung] said his government would increase next year’s defense spending by 8.2% to introduce advanced weapons systems like AI combat robots, autonomous drones and precision-guided missiles.” (10/01/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/south-koreas-president-calls-reliant-military-questions-arise-126105157
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13) New study adds to the possibility of favorable conditions for life at Saturn’s moon Enceladus
Source: SFGate
“Scientists have uncovered new types of organics in icy geysers spouting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus, bolstering the likelihood that the ocean world may harbor conditions suitable for life. Their findings, reported Wednesday, are based on observations made by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft in 2008 during a close and fast flyby of Enceladus. The small moon, one of 274 orbiting Saturn, has long been considered a prime candidate in the search for life beyond Earth because of its hidden ocean and plumes of water erupting from cracks near its south pole. While Enceladus may be habitable, no one is suggesting that life exists. ‘Being habitable and being inhabited are two very different things. We believe that Enceladus is habitable, but we do not know if life is indeed present,’ said the University of Washington’s Fabian Klenner, who took part in the study.” (10/01/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/new-study-adds-to-the-possibility-of-favorable-21077086.php
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14) US mortgage refinance demand plunges 21%, as interest rates hit three-week high
Source: CNBC
“A brief roller coaster ride for mortgage rates caused yet another swing in demand. After dropping to a three-year low two weeks ago, rates then shot right back up again. As a result, total mortgage application volume dropped 12.7% last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. The drop was mostly driven by a pullback in refinancing. Applications to refinance a home loan fell 21% for the week and were 16% higher than the same week one year ago.” (10/01/25)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/01/mortgage-refinance-demand-plunges-21percent-as-interest-rates-hit-3-week-high.html
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15) Germany: Bomb threat temporarily closes Oktoberfest in Munich
Source: Washington Post
“Authorities temporarily closed Munich’s Oktoberfest celebration in response to a bomb threat Wednesday, local officials said. The flagship festival will remain closed until at least 5 p.m. local time, the city government announced in a statement Wednesday, after a bomb threat letter was received. Officials said they planned to conduct a thorough search for explosives. … The government said the threat might be connected to an explosion at a house in northern Munich early Wednesday morning that left at least one person dead.” (10/01/25)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/10/01/oktoberfest-bomb-threat-munich-germany/
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16) Greece: General Strike Disrupts Services Across the Country
Source: US News & World Report
“A nationwide general strike in Greece left ferries tied up in port and disrupted public transportation across the capital on Wednesday, as public and private sector workers protest changes to the country’s labor laws. No taxis in Athens or trains will run for the duration of the 24-hour strike, while buses and the city’s subway, tram and trolley services were operating on a reduced schedule. The strike was disrupting services across the country, including in schools, courts, public hospitals and municipalities. Two protest marches were planned in central Athens, with demonstrations also set for other cities. Unions representing civil servants and private sector workers called the strike to protest labor law changes that will introduce more flexibility, including allowing overtime that could stretch shifts to 13 hours in a day.” (10/01/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2025-10-01/greece-general-strike-disrupts-services-across-the-country
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17) Twenty years later, Hunter S Thompson’s death to be reviewed
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Colorado officials are reviewing the death of journalist Hunter S Thompson, 20 years after it was ruled a suicide, at the request of his widow. Thompson died at the age of 67 at his home in Woody Creek, Colorado, a small town north of Aspen, in February 2005. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation said on Tuesday that it was conducting a ‘case review’ of the 2005 investigation into his death, though the agency said this was not as a result of new evidence. ‘By bringing in an outside agency for a fresh look, we hope to provide a definitive and transparent review that may offer peace of mind to his family and the public,’ Colorado Sheriff Michael Buglione said. He added that Thompson had had ‘a profound impact’ on his community and beyond. Thompson was a renowned writer and journalist who wrote for dozens of outlets including Rolling Stone, Playboy, and ESPN.” (10/01/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrqpqe81qjo
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18) White House withdraws EJ Antoni’s nomination as head chef for cooking labor stats
Source: Politico
“The White House is withdrawing the nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics amid criticism of the pick from across the political spectrum. The decision to pull the nomination was confirmed Tuesday by two people with knowledge of the matter who were granted anonymity to discuss personnel decisions. President Donald Trump tapped Antoni, a Heritage Foundation economist, to lead the agency after he fired former Commissioner Erika McEntarfer following a soft jobs report last month. William Wiatrowski, who’s been deputy commissioner since 2015, has served as the acting commissioner at the agency since McEntarfer was removed.” (09/30/25)
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/30/white-house-withdraws-ej-antoni-nomination-lead-bls-00589289
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19) Jane Goodall, 1934 – 2025
Source: SFGate
“The Jane Goodall Institute said in a post on Instagram Wednesday that the renowned primatologist has died. While living among chimpanzees in Africa decades ago, Goodall documented the animals using tools and doing other activities previously believed to be exclusive to people, and also noted their distinct personalities. Her observations and subsequent magazine and documentary appearances in the 1960s transformed how the world perceived not only humans’ closest living biological relatives but also the emotional and social complexity of all animals, while propelling her into the public consciousness. … In her later years, Goodall devoted decades to education and advocacy on humanitarian causes and protecting the natural world.” (10/01/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/jane-goodall-conservationist-renowned-for-21078835.php
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20) UN Security Council approves “Gang Suppression Force” for Haiti
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The United Nations Security Council has voted to expand an international [occupation] force deployed to Haiti and transform it into a so-called ‘Gang Suppression Force.’ The resolution passed by the council on Tuesday provides a clear mandate for the force to work with local authorities to ‘neutralise, isolate, and deter’ [rival] gangs, secure infrastructure, and seek to secure institutional stability. It would raise the personnel ceiling from 2,500 in the current mission, first approved in 2023, to 5,550 personnel.” (09/30/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/30/un-security-council-approves-gang-suppression-force-for-haiti
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Free Speech and Its Discontents
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano
“Prior to the Warren Court, and notwithstanding the pithy language of Thomas Jefferson or the direct language of James Madison in the Bill of Rights, the federal courts equivocated in their protections of speech. In wartime, the courts often looked the other way as presidents and Congresses tried to silence and punish the words they hated or feared. Both Jefferson and Madison believed that the freedom of speech is a natural right. This view originated with Aristotle, was refined by St. Augustine, was codified by St. Thomas Aquinas, and was argued compellingly for jurists by John Locke and for the masses by John Stuart Mill. All maintained in their writings that freedom of thought is a natural absolute individual right; and the freedom of speech is expressing one’s thoughts.” (10/01/25)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2025/09/30/free-speech-and-its-discontents/
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22) Trump’s “domestic terrorism” memo chillingly targets people by ideology
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Adam Goldstein
“It may well be that some people who engage in politically motivated violence have anti-American beliefs, oppose the traditional family, or dislike organized religion. They should be prosecuted. And if there’s evidence of conspiracy or concrete steps toward violence, that may warrant an investigation. But we cannot start investigating other people simply because they happen to share those beliefs. Doing so would open the door to investigations of any political movement or ideology if any one of its adherents happened to engage in violence.” (10/01/25)
https://www.thefire.org/news/trumps-domestic-terrorism-memo-chillingly-targets-people-ideology
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23) Don’t be puppet for government
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“Long ago, someone pointed out to me that if I alter my behavior for no reason but to defy someone, they are controlling me as surely as if I were obeying their every command. I don’t want to be a puppet. Wouldn’t you feel stupid if you ended up damaging your health, the health of your child, or costing yourself extra money simply because you wanted to do the opposite of what some politician told you? It’s smarter to weigh everything someone tells you to do. If it makes sense and is good for you, do it. If it seems like it would be bad for you, do something else.” (10/01/25)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2025/10/01/voices/opinion-dont-be-puppet-for-government/231802.html
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24) The Engine of Corruption In Democracies
Source: The Findings Substack
by Paul Rosenberg
“Modern democracies have a very distinct engine driving corruption within them, and it’s not what you’d expect. There are many drivers of government corruption, of course, but this one empowers corruption in ways that others do not and cannot. Democracies and democratic republics, especially now, involve professional politicians. And politicians, to put it very directly, are the winners of popularity contests. In fact, if we’re to be honest about it, modern elections might best be described as a type of beauty pageant, or a ‘popularity pageant.'” (10/01/25)
https://thefindings.substack.com/p/the-engine-of-corruption-in-democracies
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25) Both the Far Left and the Far Right Make Excuses for Violence
Source: Persuasion
by Cathy Young
“The horrific murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on September 10 should have started a long-overdue conversation about the danger of political violence and of rhetoric that demonizes political opponents. Instead, all too predictably, it set off a cycle of finger-pointing and attempts to prove that violence is only—or primarily — a problem for the ‘other side.'” (10/01/25)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/yes-you-should-both-sides-political
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26) The Trumpanyahu “Peace” Plan, And Other Notes
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“The Trumpanyahu administration is pushing a ‘peace plan’ for Gaza which critics are saying would damn Palestinians to permanent subjugation under the thumb of Israel. The proposed plan would see Gaza supervised by Trump and by war criminal Tony Blair, and Netanyahu is already saying that the deal will allow the IDF to remain in the Palestinian territory indefinitely. The last time the US brokered a ‘peace plan’ between Israel and Hamas, the US and Israel torched it in a few weeks, laid siege to the enclave, and announced a plan for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. So even without all the major problems with the offer, there’s not going to be a whole lot of enthusiasm about it.” (10/01/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/10/01/the-trumpanyahu-peace-plan-and-other-notes/
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27) The Long History of Equality
Source: Law & Liberty
by Brian A Smith
“The principle of human equality is perhaps the most universally accepted dogma of moral life in our world. But this view is quite novel. In A Short History of Relations between Peoples, John M. Ellis crafts an argument that traces this transformation from about 1500 to the present. Ellis opens the book with an example of what he has in mind. The International Chess Federation’s motto — gens una sumus (‘we are one family’) — would have made little sense to most people before the twentieth century.” (10/01/25)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/the-long-history-of-equality/
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28) Deploying Federal Troops Is Not a Sustainable Solution to Crime in American Cities
Source: Reason
by Katherine Mangu-Ward
“The presence of federal law enforcement can drive crime down, at least in the short term. In neighborhoods where the Guard and federal police have flooded in, carjackings, assaults, and homicides dropped. Polls show that many citizens, tired of theft and violence, welcome the uniforms. To dismiss that desire for order as illegitimate is unserious. People want to be safe, or at least feel safer. And it’s popular. An August Associated Press-NORC poll found that 81 percent of respondents view crime as a ‘major problem’ in America’s large cities, while 66 percent view it as a ‘major problem’ nationwide. A full 82 percent of Republicans, and 55 percent of respondents overall, consider it ‘completely or somewhat acceptable’ for the military and National Guard to assist local police. But a military occupation of American cities is neither constitutionally sound nor fiscally viable.” (for publication 11/25)
https://reason.com/2025/10/01/cheetos-in-the-capital/
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29) Congress Must Hold Out for Deal That Ends Trump’s Illegal Cuts
Source: Center on Budget & Policy Priorities
by Sharon Parrott
“Wednesday’s government funding shutdown is fundamentally different than prior funding fights because the administration is acting outside the law. Any funding agreement must put a stop to this pattern of lawlessness. I have long opposed shutdowns and debt limit brinkmanship, but the administration’s actions will harm people, the economy, and our democracy for years to come if they are not stopped. Make no mistake, shutdowns hurt people. The federal government provides a wide range of critical public services. And the president has even implied that he will use a shutdown to impose harsher consequences than required by law, threatening to fire many federal workers and cut benefits for large numbers of people.” [editor’s note: Nothing illegal about a chief executive trimming the Executive Branch; just nobody who wanted to before – SAT] [editor’s note: Incorrect. The president’s job is to follow Congress’s instructions – TLK] (10/01/25)
https://www.cbpp.org/press/statements/congress-must-block-administrations-illegal-cuts-protect-affordable-health-care
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30) Trump, Comey, and the Long History of the Unelected Government
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Connor O’Keeffe
“McCabe’s lawyers claim that, when McCabe leaked classified information to a Wall Street Journal reporter related to that investigation, it was done with Comey’s knowledge. So the central questions in this case are whether McCabe is telling the truth and, if so, whether Comey’s allowing a subordinate to carry out leaks is legally equivalent to authorizing them. Trump’s critics are trying to paper over those details and instead depict this indictment as simply a norm-shattering case of a president weaponizing the Justice Department to go after innocent people just because he doesn’t personally like them. … However, it’s better to understand this indictment as the latest chapter in a long struggle within the American federal government between elected and unelected officials.” (10/01/25)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/trump-comey-and-long-history-unelected-government
-----
31) Ten Years of Censorship That Was Censored
Source: American Greatness
by Edward Ring
“For every conservative in America who is delighted that at least some of the purveyors of hate speech and misinformation on the woke left are at last being held accountable, there is another who still adheres to the ideals of free speech. As UFC CEO Dana White recently said on 60 Minutes, ‘Probably the most important speech to protect is hate speech.’ That diversity of opinion never surfaced among the left, however, over the nearly ten years during which alleged misinformation and hate speech were suppressed whenever they originated from conservatives.” [editor’s note: Does Mr. Ring have poor memory, a vivid imagination, or both? – TLK] (10/01/25)
https://amgreatness.com/2025/10/01/ten-years-of-censorship-that-was-censored/
-----
32) Diamond and bangles to the Gulf
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Jake Scott
“The ongoing realignment of international trade flows in the midst of the escalating tariff wars between the United States and other nations and trading blocs (principally China and the European Union) continues to ripple across the world. Yet the changes we are witnessing are by no means caused by these tariff wars; instead, they are more the catalyst to spur on such changes, perhaps irreversibly. For instance, the sudden 50% tariff slapped on Indian jewelry exports to the US in the summer has been cast as a new trade shock. In reality, it is the culmination of pressures that have been building for years, and a turning point that is already reshaping global trade patterns. The outlines of this shift can be traced through the past six months, from early warnings to the contemporary strategic pivot towards the Middle East.” (10/01/25)
https://fee.org/articles/diamond-and-bangles-to-the-gulf/
-----
33) Trump Moving Swiftly to Become the First [sic] American Dictator
Source: Common Dreams
by Thom Hartmann
“Most jobs have a ‘playbook,’ a sort of instruction manual or checklist for how to do the job right, whether it’s running an assembly line, piloting an aircraft, or redoing a house’s plumbing. Although our media seems oblivious to it, dictators have a playbook, too. It’s one that’s been carefully followed in recent times by Putin, Orbán, Erdoğon, Duterte, Bolsonaro, and numerous initially-elected leaders of other smaller nations. In previous generations the Dictator’s Playbook was followed, step-by-step, by Mussolini, Hitler, Franco, Marcos, Pinochet, Stalin, and Tojo (among others). And now it’s being followed by Donald Trump and JD Vance, who’re a bit more than halfway through the list.” [editor’s note: For starters, what were Lincoln, Wilson & FDR (and others who occupied the POTUS throne, if not “dictators?” – SAT] (10/01/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-first-american-dictator
-----
34) ICE agents aren’t masculine. They’re bullies.
Source: Sex and the State
by Cathy Reisenwitz
“I can’t stop thinking about this video of an ICE agent violently shoving a crying wife to the ground. … Here’s another video. In this one, an ICE agent slams a 79-year-old American business owner to the ground. For trying to show his workers’ paperwork, they broke his ribs and gave him head trauma. Here’s a group of (masked, of course) ICE agents running after a guy on a bicycle because he said ‘fuck Trump.’ Here’s a journalist leaving in a neck brace after ICE agents pushed him to the ground for trying to cover proceedings at an immigration court in New York City. I see all this and I think about John Wayne. Who, if I remember correctly, became a symbol of American masculinity for saving endangered women on-screen, not shoving them to the ground for crying too close to him.” (10/01/25)
https://cathyreisenwitz.substack.com/p/ice-agents-arent-masculine-theyre
-----
35) Free Speech and Flag Burning
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Laurence M Vance
“[T]he next time you see someone burn an American flag, just ask two questions: (1) Whose flag? and (2) Whose property? The real issues are theft and trespassing, not whether the sight of someone burning a flag is offensive or unpatriotic.” (10/01/25)
https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/free-speech-and-flag-burning/
-----
36) America’s can-do spirit needs liberation from can’t-do regulation
Source: Washington Post
by George F Will
“Philip K. Howard, a graduate of Taft prep school, Yale and the University of Virginia School of Law, says he never wore ‘white bucks.’ This 1950s campus fashion waned before he matriculated. Those buckskin shoes were popular among young blades destined to become ‘white-shoe lawyers’ at prestigious ‘white-shoe law firms,’ such as Covington & Burling, where Howard, 76, is senior counsel. He also is a genteel inveigher against the coagulation of American society, which is saturated with law. … When all choices by people in authority are, in Howard’s words, ‘strained through a legal sieve,’ we understand Alexis de Tocqueville’s warning from nearly 200 years ago: Minute regulations that stifle intuition, judgment and freedom perpetuate ‘a drowsy regularity,’ and the status quo.” (10/01/25)
https://archive.is/VicYl
-----
37) Democrats are turning themselves into the enemies of democracy
Source: The Telegraph
by Dan McLaughlin
“Democrats are talking themselves into forcing a government shutdown. But they can’t seem to agree on why. House Republicans have passed a bill to keep the government funded, but they need seven votes from the Democratic minority in the Senate or else there will be a shutdown tonight. In the spring, Democrat Senate leader Chuck Schumer wasn’t willing to force a shutdown; he didn’t have a message and was trying to get out of Donald Trump’s way so long as the president looked to be making enough mistakes on his own. It would also have been nonsensical to shut down the government to protest against the Department of Government Efficiency’s refusal to fund and staff the government. That’s still a risk. Trump’s Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought is openly salivating at the prospect of a shutdown, precisely because he has plans to use one to justify more government lay-offs.” (09/30/25)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/democrats-turning-themselves-enemies-democracy-160104387.html
-----
38) US weapons pipeline to Nigeria is becoming a crime against humanity
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Taiwo Hassan
“Since the 1950s, the U.S. has been the world’s leading arms-exporting nation accounting between 2019 and 2023 for 42 percent of all global arms exports. Several laws exist ostensibly to regulate and ensure that U.S. security assistance is provided to allies without undermining America’s core values. For example, Section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act expressly forbids the United States from providing security assistance to any country whose government engages in a ‘consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.’ Investigations by human rights groups and the media, including Reuters and Premium Times, have uncovered a consistent pattern of abuse by security forces that suggests that Nigeria has met this threshold.” (10/01/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/nigeria-arms-sale/
-----
39) Bitcoin Diplomacy
Source: CounterPunch
by Victoria Jones
“The recent Pakistan-El Salvador Bitcoin deal exemplifies how the adoption of cryptocurrency can allow emerging economies to circumvent mechanisms of traditional multilateral oversight, and thus represents a potential challenge to the wider architecture of global financial governance. The unprecedented agreement between these two countries symbolizes a departure from standard bilateral engagement and marks the emergence of what some have termed ‘Biplomacy,’ or the use of Bitcoin advocacy in international relations.” (10/01/25)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/10/01/bitcoin-diplomacy/
-----
40) It’s Time for the US to Recognize Palestine
Source: The American Conservative
by Leon Hadar
“The growing international momentum toward recognizing Palestine as an independent state represents a long-overdue acknowledgment of geopolitical realities that Washington has stubbornly refused to accept. As more nations move beyond the tired mantras of ‘peace process’ diplomacy, it’s time for U.S. policymakers to abandon their counterproductive approach and embrace pragmatic statecraft.” (10/01/25)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/its-time-for-the-u-s-to-recognize-palestine/
-----
41) We Obtained Thousands of New Epstein Documents
Source: The American Prospect
by Daniel Boguslaw
“The American Prospect has obtained thousands of pages of documents related to the New Mexico attorney general’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, which began in 2019 under then-Attorney General Hector Balderas. The investigation involved Epstein’s sprawling New Mexico ranch, and the documents include hundreds of pages of media reports, land records, flight logs, court documents, and interviews with witnesses to Epstein’s crimes. While the documents fail to answer many of the questions that lawmakers and the public hope will be revealed by the disclosure of files held by the Department of Justice, they also raise several new ones. The documents describe interviews with multiple attendees of Epstein’s 8,000-acre Zorro Ranch, and accusers who say they were assaulted there.” (10/01/25)
https://prospect.org/justice/2025-10-01-we-obtained-thousands-of-new-epstein-documents/
-----
42) Tariffs Don’t Lighten the Way Forward, They Darken It
Source: Libertarian Institute
by RT Hadley
“Frédéric Bastiat’s mid-nineteenth century satire exposed the folly of shielding inefficient industries, yet today’s politicians repeat the same error with tariffs that tax global trade to prop up costly domestic production. Like candlemakers demanding shuttered windows, these policies burden families, farmers, and small businesses with higher prices, stifle growth, and betray the sound economics of fiscal prudence while testing constitutional limits. If we pay attention, Bastiat’s wisdom exposed how today’s tariffs undermine American prosperity. Common sense calls for a return to free enterprise where markets, not erratic mandates, light the way.” (10/01/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/tariffs-dont-lighten-the-way-forward-they-darken-it
-----
43) Go Ask Gary
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“A mystery confounds the minds of North Dakota’s legislators. It has a fake part and a real part. The fake part itself has two parts: 1) how to learn whether voters support term limits, and 2) how to learn how a legislative body can function unless incumbents, whose advantages over challengers enable them to return to office sporting reelection rates exceeding 90 percent, may remain in place until ousted by death or scandal? The answer to the first everyone knows. The answer to the second is to write down procedures and give tutorials and guidebooks on how the legislature works to newcomers in legislative halls. The real mystery, though, is how to overthrow term limits given voters’ massive continuing support?” (10/01/25)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/10/01/go-ask-gary/
-----
44) A Libertarian Taxonomy
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“A reader commenting on my post describing different kinds of left libertarians proposed that I do the same thing for libertarians more generally. I have already covered left libertarians so this is on the rest of us, multiple lines along which we differ.” (09/30/25)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/a-libertarian-taxonomy
-----
45) Mississippi’s reading triumph is no miracle, it’s the future of education
Source: New York Post
by Rich Lowry
“A miracle defies the laws of nature. This is why ‘the Mississippi Miracle,’ the sobriquet for the extraordinary gains that students in the Magnolia State have made in reading in recent years, is a misnomer. There’s nothing miraculous about a state that adopts phonics and that sets high standards for its kids getting better results in reading instruction. This, to the contrary, is a predictable outcome, and a replicable one, as other Southern states that have taken up similar polices have shown. Mississippi went from 49th in fourth-grade reading results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress about a decade ago to ninth in 2024. Its low-income children are ranked first in the nation. Its black kids are No. 3 in the nation, and its Hispanic kids No. 1.” (09/30/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/09/30/opinion/mississippi-is-no-miracle-its-the-future-of-education/
-----
46) Europe Learned Nothing From the Danish Cartoon Affair
Source: Persuasion
by Jacob Mchangma
“On September 30, 2005, the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published an editorial titled ‘The Face of Muhammad,’ accompanied by 12 cartoons, some of which depicted the Prophet Muhammad. The publication set off a global firestorm and turned criticism of Islam into a minefield that remains deadly to traverse even in open societies. And rather than defending the principle at stake, European democracies are increasingly choosing appeasement — trading away free speech for the promise of a precarious peace.” (09/30/25)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/europe-learned-nothing-from-the-danish
-----
47) From Utilities to Banks: A Path Toward Less Restrictive Regulation
Source: Cato Institute
by Norbert Michel
“[New Hampshire’s] highly regulated electricity industry is struggling to provide consumers with the power they need. To solve the problem, the legislature came up with a simple solution: Anyone who produces electricity in New Hampshire won’t be subject to public-utility regulation provided they don’t connect to the existing grid. The financial sector can learn from this example. It is also overregulated, and something akin to a light version of this New Hampshire solution has already been a success for a slice of the banking sector. … An expanded version is exactly what’s needed in financial markets.” (09/30/25)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/utilities-banks-path-toward-less-restrictive-regulation
-----
48) Could This Be the Best Government Shutdown Ever?
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“Unfortunately, the government never really shuts down, and the two parties always work out an agreement that involves spending a lot more money. The worst that happens is that some people are inconvenienced for a few days, as the only things that really cease to function are public-facing operations such as parks and offices — deliberately so, to maintain the illusion that something important is happening. What might be different this time, though, is that there’s a chance to use the impasse to reduce the federal work force.” (09/30/25)
https://reason.com/2025/09/30/could-this-be-the-best-government-shutdown-ever/
-----
49) Gaza’s Nightmare
Source: In These Times
by Yousef Aljamal
“Since October 2023, every morning, when I wake up, I do something that is harmful to my mental health, but essential. I grab my phone and open social media groups I have from Gaza. I read the breaking news from the night before. The news is filled with horror: reports of families being killed in Gaza, tents being targeted, carpet bombardments, sometimes accompanied by graphic images and video. Often, I read the names of streets I’ve walked on and buildings I’ve passed by, and I see images of people who were once my neighbors or classmates. This has been my routine, every day, since October 7, 2023.” (10/01/25)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/gaza-yousef-aljamal-graves-genocide-israel-palestine
-----
50) What is Barbarism?
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“Maximally civilized societies don’t just scrupulously respect members’ rights to life and property; they afford exactly the same rights to all intelligent beings. Maximally barbaric societies, in contrast, see nothing wrong with murdering and robbing outsiders, even if they treat their own members well.” (09/30/25)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/what-is-barbarism
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) The Political Orphanage, 10/01/25
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Katie Herzog Gives Me Advice On My Drinking Problem.” (10/01/25)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/katie-herzog-gives-me-advice-on-my-drinking-problem
-----
52) The David Frum Show, 10/01/25
Source: The Atlantic
“Sam Harris on Silicon Valley’s turn toward authoritarian politics and the collapse of the information commons. Plus: Donald Trump’s politicization of prosecutions and Robert Proctor’s The Nazi War on Cancer.” (10/01/25)
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/archive/2025/10/the-david-frum-show-sam-harris/684424
-----
53) Reason Interview: Jenin Younes
Source: Reason
“Civil liberties attorney Jenin Younes recounts her role in Murthy v. Missouri, her opposition to pandemic mandates, and why she believes Trump poses an even greater threat to free speech than Biden.” (10/01/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/10/01/defend-speech-even-when-your-side-hates-it/
-----
54) The Learning Curve, 10/01/25
Source: Pioneer Institute
“U-Ark’s Randall Woods on John Quincy Adams: Statesman of the Early Republic.” (10/01/25)
https://pioneerinstitute.org/news/u-arks-randall-woods-on-john-quincy-adams-statesman-of-the-early-republic/
-----
55) Rising, 10/01/25
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave delivers his radar on Teachers Union President Randi Weingarten, who warns of, ‘fascistic behavior,’ against American teachers in her new book.” (10/01/25)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5530859-rising-october-1-2025/
-----
56) This Won’t Fix Trillion-Dollar Deficits
Source: Reason
“Reason‘s Peter Suderman and Eric Boehm discuss the government shutdown.” (10/01/25)
https://reason.com/2025/10/01/shutdown-livestream-this-wont-fix-trillion-dollar-deficits/
-----
57) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 10/01/25
Source: The New Republic
“Trump’s Rants to Generals Spiral into Madness as Dem Erupts: ‘Idiot!'” (10/01/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/201153/trump-rants-generals-spiral-madness-dem-erupts-idiot
-----
58) SolutionsWatch, 10/01/25
Source: The Corbett Report
“The Lost Art of ‘Yes, And …'” (10/01/25)
https://corbettreport.com/solutionswatch-yesand/
-----
59) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 10/01/25
Source: The Dispatch
“Parenting in the Modern Age | Interview: Emily Oster.” (10/01/25)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/parenting-in-the-modern-age-interview-emily-oster/
-----
60) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp,10/01/25
Source: Antiwar.com
“US Officials Intensify Push for Venezuela Regime Change, Netanyahu Edited US Gaza Plan, and More.” (10/01/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMssI-XffeY
-----
61) Bonnie Freeman’s Anarcon Speech
Source: Free Talk Live
“I was invited to speak about Ian (Ian Freeman, creator and host of Free Talk Live,) at Anarcon 2025. Anarcon is a yearly camping festival for anarchists in Virginia. I told the story of how Ian was investigated, violently arrested and then imprisoned for selling Bitcoin, and what we can learn from the ways the feds targeted him as anarchists.” (09/30/25)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/anarconspeech
-----
62) Pink Flame of Liberty, 09/30/25
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Stephen Miller — The Deceptive Face of Christian Nationalism (Kirk Memorial Speech).” (09/30/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCdKQ5JjWto
-----
63) So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, 09/30/25
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
“What is going on with the FCC?” (09/30/25)
https://www.thefire.org/news/podcasts/so-speak-free-speech-podcast/what-going-fcc
-----
64) Politics Politics Politics, 09/30/25
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Shutdown Night Arrives! With Adams Out, Who Wins NYC? (with Evan Scrimshaw).” (09/30/25)
https://www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/p/shutdown-night-arrives-with-adams
-----
65) Freedom Works with Paul Molloy, 09/30/25
Source: Freedom Works
“Jeremy Nighohossian, Competitive Enterprise Institute ‘Tylenol? Don’t Take Politicians’ Advice.'” (09/30/25)
https://internetradiopros.com/freedomworks/?name=2025-09-30_zfw09292025.mp3
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Today's Freedom News:
0) Hybrid Thursday! (and Year-End Fundraiser Update)
1) Mediterranean Sea: Pirates attack 14 aid boats, abduct crews
2) Bitcoin Tops $119k, XRP, SOL, ETH Surge as US Government Shutdown Takes Effect
3) New Trump Military Policy: “Qatar First”
4) Ukrainian nuclear plant’s longest power outage since war began is “critical” moment
5) Patel cuts ties Comey’s FBI made with ADL as organization faces backlash for TPUSA criticism6) US private payrolls declined in September by 32,000 in key ADP report coming amid shutdown data blackout
6) US private payrolls declined in September by 32,000 in key ADP report coming amid shutdown data blackout
7) Pentagon plans widespread random polygraph testing, nondisclosure agreements
8) Construction worker, abducted twice, sues gang
9) US regime partially nationalizes lithium mine
10) Afghanistan: Internet and cell phone resume
11) SCOTUS says Federal Reserve’s Lisa Cook can stay in job for now
12) South Korea: Lee calls for more self-reliant military as US regime’s commitment questioned
13) New study adds to the possibility of favorable conditions for life at Saturn’s moon Enceladus
14) US mortgage refinance demand plunges 21%, as interest rates hit three-week high
15) Germany: Bomb threat temporarily closes Oktoberfest in Munich
16) Greece: General Strike Disrupts Services Across the Country
17) Twenty years later, Hunter S Thompson’s death to be reviewed
18) White House withdraws EJ Antoni’s nomination as head chef for cooking labor stats
19) Jane Goodall, 1934 – 2025
20) UN Security Council approves “Gang Suppression Force” for Haiti
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Free Speech and Its Discontents
22) Trump’s “domestic terrorism” memo chillingly targets people by ideology
23) Don’t be puppet for government
24) The Engine of Corruption In Democracies
25) Both the Far Left and the Far Right Make Excuses for Violence
26) The Trumpanyahu “Peace” Plan, And Other Notes
27) The Long History of Equality
28) Deploying Federal Troops Is Not a Sustainable Solution to Crime in American Cities
29) Congress Must Hold Out for Deal That Ends Trump’s Illegal Cuts
30) Trump, Comey, and the Long History of the Unelected Government
31) Ten Years of Censorship That Was Censored
32) Diamond and bangles to the Gulf
33) Trump Moving Swiftly to Become the First [sic] American Dictator
34) ICE agents aren’t masculine. They’re bullies.
35) Free Speech and Flag Burning
36) America’s can-do spirit needs liberation from can’t-do regulation
37) Democrats are turning themselves into the enemies of democracy
38) US weapons pipeline to Nigeria is becoming a crime against humanity
39) Bitcoin Diplomacy
40) It’s Time for the US to Recognize Palestine
41) We Obtained Thousands of New Epstein Documents
42) Tariffs Don’t Lighten the Way Forward, They Darken It
43) Go Ask Gary
44) A Libertarian Taxonomy
45) Mississippi’s reading triumph is no miracle, it’s the future of education
46) Europe Learned Nothing From the Danish Cartoon Affair
47) From Utilities to Banks: A Path Toward Less Restrictive Regulation
48) Could This Be the Best Government Shutdown Ever?
49) Gaza’s Nightmare
50) What is Barbarism?
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) The Political Orphanage, 10/01/25
52) The David Frum Show, 10/01/25
53) Reason Interview: Jenin Younes
54) The Learning Curve, 10/01/25
55) Rising, 10/01/25
56) This Won’t Fix Trillion-Dollar Deficits
57) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 10/01/25
58) SolutionsWatch, 10/01/25
59) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 10/01/25
60) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp,10/01/25
61) Bonnie Freeman’s Anarcon Speech
62) Pink Flame of Liberty, 09/30/25
63) So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, 09/30/25
64) Politics Politics Politics, 09/30/25
65) Freedom Works with Paul Molloy, 09/30/25
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0) Hybrid Thursday! (and Year-End Fundraiser Update)
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1) Mediterranean Sea: Pirates attack 14 aid boats, abduct crews
Source: Reuters
“Israeli [pirates] stopped 14 boats carrying foreign activists and aid bound for Gaza, flotilla organisers said on Thursday, but 23 boats are continuing to sail towards the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave, according to the flotilla’s tracking system. … The flotilla is the latest sea-borne attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, much of which has been turned into a wasteland by almost two years of war. The flotilla’s organisers denounced Israel’s action as a ‘war crime.’ They said the [pirates] used aggressive tactics, including the use of water cannon, but that no one was harmed. ‘Multiple vessels … were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli [pirates] in international waters,’ the organisers said in a statement.” (10/02/25)
https://archive.is/AKNf3
-----
2) Bitcoin Tops $119k, XRP, SOL, ETH Surge as US Government Shutdown Takes Effect
Source: CoinDesk
“Bitcoin jumped to its highest in over two months as the U.S. government shut down operations, likely setting the stage for a positive fiat liquidity impulse. The leading cryptocurrency has risen nearly 4% in the past 24 hours, with prices briefly rising to $119,455 for the first time since mid-August, CoinDesk data show. Other major tokens such as ether, XRP, solana and DOGE have risen 4% to 7%. The CoinDesk 20 Index (CD20) has jumped 5% to 4,217 points.” (10/02/25)
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/10/02/bitcoin-surges-above-usd119k-as-u-s-government-shutdown-takes-effect-btc-options-look-cheap
-----
3) New Trump Military Policy: “Qatar First”
Source: Politico
“The White House published an executive order on Wednesday vowing to defend Qatar in the event of an attack from another country …. The order, which President Donald Trump signed Monday, states that the White House will now consider ‘any armed attack’ on Qatar ‘as a threat to the peace and security of the United States.’ And, in the event of any attack, the U.S. would take ‘all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic and, if necessary, military — to defend the interests of the United States and the State of Qatar.’ Trump signed the executive order on the same day that he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House and orchestrated a phone call with the Qatari prime minister during which Israel’s leader apologized for missile strikes last month targeting Hamas officials while they were in Doha for ceasefire talks.” (10/01/25)
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/01/trump-promises-to-defend-qatar-in-wake-of-israeli-missile-strikes-00589638?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication
-----
4) Ukrainian nuclear plant’s longest power outage since war began is “critical” moment
Source: ABC News
“Concerns are again mounting over the safety of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been cut off from an external supply of electricity for more than a week. Captured by Russian forces early in the war, the facility no longer supplies power to the grid but still needs electricity to cool its six inactive reactors and spent fuel. Emergency generators are currently keeping the systems running. Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said conditions remain stable for now but warned that restoring reliable external power is vital.” (10/01/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ukrainian-nuclear-plants-longest-power-outage-war-began-126123372
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5) Patel cuts ties Comey’s FBI made with ADL as organization faces backlash for TPUSA criticism
Source: Fox News
“FBI Director Kash Patel is cutting ties with the Anti-Defamation League that the bureau forged under its former boss James Comey. ‘James Comey disgraced the FBI by writing ‘love letters’ to the ADL and embedding agents with an extreme group functioning like a terrorist organization and the disgraceful operation they ran spying on Americans. That was not law enforcement, it was activism dressed up as counterterrorism, and it put Americans in danger,’ Patel told Fox News Digital. … The ADL has recently faced backlash from Elon Musk and Republican lawmakers for listing Turning Point USA (TPUSA), Charlie Kirk’s organization, as an extremist group. As a result, the group removed its entire ‘Glossary of Extremism and Hate’ on Tuesday.” (10/01/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/patel-cuts-ties-comeys-fbi-made-adl-organization-faces-backlash-tpusa-criticism
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6) US private payrolls declined in September by 32,000 in key ADP report coming amid shutdown data blackout
Source: CNBC
“Private payrolls saw their biggest decline in 2½ years during September, a further sign of labor market weakening that compounds the data blackout accompanying the U.S. government shutdown. Companies shed a seasonally adjusted 32,000 jobs during the month, the biggest slide since March 2023, payrolls processing firm ADP reported Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for an increase of 45,000. In addition to the drop in September, the August payrolls number was revised to a loss of 3,000 from an initially reported increase of 54,000.” (10/01/25)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/01/private-payrolls-declined-in-september-by-32000-in-key-adp-report-coming-amid-shutdown-data-blackout.html
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7) Pentagon plans widespread random polygraph testing, nondisclosure agreements
Source: Reuters
“The Pentagon plans to impose strict nondisclosure agreements and random polygraph testing for scores of people in its headquarters, including many top officials, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. All military service members, civilian employees and contract workers within the office of the defense secretary and the Joint Staff would be required to sign a nondisclosure agreement that ‘prohibits the release of non-public information without approval or through a defined process,’ the Post reported, citing a draft memo.” (10/01/25)
https://archive.is/74s5R
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8) Construction worker, abducted twice, sues gang
Source: US News & World Report
“An Alabama construction worker and U.S. citizen who says he was [abducted] twice by immigration agents within just a few weeks has filed a lawsuit in federal court demanding an end to Trump administration workplace raids targeting industries with large immigrant workforces. The class-action lawsuit, filed Tuesday by concrete worker Leo Garcia Venegas with the public interest law firm Institute for Justice, demands an end to what the firm calls ‘unconstitutional and illegal immigration enforcement tactics.'” (10/01/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2025-10-01/lawsuit-filed-against-immigration-authorities-after-u-s-citizens-arrested-in-raids
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9) US regime partially nationalizes lithium mine
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The United States government is taking a minority stake in Lithium Americas, a company that is developing one of the world’s largest lithium mines in northern Nevada. The Department of Energy will take a 5 percent equity stake in the miner, which is based in Vancouver. It will also take a 5 percent stake in the Thacker Pass lithium mining project, a joint venture with General Motors. … The equity stake in Lithium Americas is the latest example of the direct intervention by President Donald Trump’s administration in private companies.” (10/01/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/10/1/us-takes-a-stake-in-another-firm-this-time-a-large-lithium-mine
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10) Afghanistan: Internet and cell phone resume
Source: Reuters
“Cell phone and internet services were restored in Afghanistan on Wednesday, local residents said, some 48 hours after diplomatic and industry sources said connectivity was abruptly cut on the orders of the Taliban administration. The cell phone services of Roshan and Etisalat companies, the foreign-owned biggest providers, came back to life in the late afternoon, residents in Kabul and other cities said. Internet access was restored, according to companies providing the service. A Taliban official from the information department said there were technical reasons for the outage and that services would be quickly restored. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the Taliban had ordered the outage.” (10/01/25)
https://archive.is/zApG4
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11) SCOTUS says Federal Reserve’s Lisa Cook can stay in job for now
Source: United Press International
“Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook will be permitted to stay on the central bank board at least through next year after legal questions over her [supposed] termination by U.S. President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Cook can remain on the job on an interim basis into 2026, and agreed to hear oral arguments in January with a likely ruling before June’s end. The nation’s high court, however, did not explain the basis of its decision in the brief ruling. In August, Trump [pretended he had the power to fire] Cook over his claims of mortgage fraud which Cook has since denied.” (10/01/25)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/10/01/Supreme-Court-Lisa-Cook-Federal-Reserve-governor-termination-Trump-constitution/5001759331862/
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12) South Korea: Lee calls for more self-reliant military as US regime’s commitment questioned
Source: ABC News
“South Korea’s president vowed Wednesday to sharply increase defense spending and build a more self-reliant military, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda raises questions about the U.S. security commitment to its Asian ally. A tariff war instigated by Trump’s administration and his transactional approach to security threaten to erode many South Koreans’ trust in the U.S. There are concerns that he may demand much higher South Korean payments for the U.S. military presence in the country or possibly downsize America’s military footprint to focus more on China. … To boost a self-reliant defense posture, Lee [Jae Myung] said his government would increase next year’s defense spending by 8.2% to introduce advanced weapons systems like AI combat robots, autonomous drones and precision-guided missiles.” (10/01/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/south-koreas-president-calls-reliant-military-questions-arise-126105157
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13) New study adds to the possibility of favorable conditions for life at Saturn’s moon Enceladus
Source: SFGate
“Scientists have uncovered new types of organics in icy geysers spouting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus, bolstering the likelihood that the ocean world may harbor conditions suitable for life. Their findings, reported Wednesday, are based on observations made by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft in 2008 during a close and fast flyby of Enceladus. The small moon, one of 274 orbiting Saturn, has long been considered a prime candidate in the search for life beyond Earth because of its hidden ocean and plumes of water erupting from cracks near its south pole. While Enceladus may be habitable, no one is suggesting that life exists. ‘Being habitable and being inhabited are two very different things. We believe that Enceladus is habitable, but we do not know if life is indeed present,’ said the University of Washington’s Fabian Klenner, who took part in the study.” (10/01/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/new-study-adds-to-the-possibility-of-favorable-21077086.php
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14) US mortgage refinance demand plunges 21%, as interest rates hit three-week high
Source: CNBC
“A brief roller coaster ride for mortgage rates caused yet another swing in demand. After dropping to a three-year low two weeks ago, rates then shot right back up again. As a result, total mortgage application volume dropped 12.7% last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. The drop was mostly driven by a pullback in refinancing. Applications to refinance a home loan fell 21% for the week and were 16% higher than the same week one year ago.” (10/01/25)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/01/mortgage-refinance-demand-plunges-21percent-as-interest-rates-hit-3-week-high.html
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15) Germany: Bomb threat temporarily closes Oktoberfest in Munich
Source: Washington Post
“Authorities temporarily closed Munich’s Oktoberfest celebration in response to a bomb threat Wednesday, local officials said. The flagship festival will remain closed until at least 5 p.m. local time, the city government announced in a statement Wednesday, after a bomb threat letter was received. Officials said they planned to conduct a thorough search for explosives. … The government said the threat might be connected to an explosion at a house in northern Munich early Wednesday morning that left at least one person dead.” (10/01/25)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/10/01/oktoberfest-bomb-threat-munich-germany/
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16) Greece: General Strike Disrupts Services Across the Country
Source: US News & World Report
“A nationwide general strike in Greece left ferries tied up in port and disrupted public transportation across the capital on Wednesday, as public and private sector workers protest changes to the country’s labor laws. No taxis in Athens or trains will run for the duration of the 24-hour strike, while buses and the city’s subway, tram and trolley services were operating on a reduced schedule. The strike was disrupting services across the country, including in schools, courts, public hospitals and municipalities. Two protest marches were planned in central Athens, with demonstrations also set for other cities. Unions representing civil servants and private sector workers called the strike to protest labor law changes that will introduce more flexibility, including allowing overtime that could stretch shifts to 13 hours in a day.” (10/01/25)
https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2025-10-01/greece-general-strike-disrupts-services-across-the-country
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17) Twenty years later, Hunter S Thompson’s death to be reviewed
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Colorado officials are reviewing the death of journalist Hunter S Thompson, 20 years after it was ruled a suicide, at the request of his widow. Thompson died at the age of 67 at his home in Woody Creek, Colorado, a small town north of Aspen, in February 2005. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation said on Tuesday that it was conducting a ‘case review’ of the 2005 investigation into his death, though the agency said this was not as a result of new evidence. ‘By bringing in an outside agency for a fresh look, we hope to provide a definitive and transparent review that may offer peace of mind to his family and the public,’ Colorado Sheriff Michael Buglione said. He added that Thompson had had ‘a profound impact’ on his community and beyond. Thompson was a renowned writer and journalist who wrote for dozens of outlets including Rolling Stone, Playboy, and ESPN.” (10/01/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrqpqe81qjo
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18) White House withdraws EJ Antoni’s nomination as head chef for cooking labor stats
Source: Politico
“The White House is withdrawing the nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics amid criticism of the pick from across the political spectrum. The decision to pull the nomination was confirmed Tuesday by two people with knowledge of the matter who were granted anonymity to discuss personnel decisions. President Donald Trump tapped Antoni, a Heritage Foundation economist, to lead the agency after he fired former Commissioner Erika McEntarfer following a soft jobs report last month. William Wiatrowski, who’s been deputy commissioner since 2015, has served as the acting commissioner at the agency since McEntarfer was removed.” (09/30/25)
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/30/white-house-withdraws-ej-antoni-nomination-lead-bls-00589289
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19) Jane Goodall, 1934 – 2025
Source: SFGate
“The Jane Goodall Institute said in a post on Instagram Wednesday that the renowned primatologist has died. While living among chimpanzees in Africa decades ago, Goodall documented the animals using tools and doing other activities previously believed to be exclusive to people, and also noted their distinct personalities. Her observations and subsequent magazine and documentary appearances in the 1960s transformed how the world perceived not only humans’ closest living biological relatives but also the emotional and social complexity of all animals, while propelling her into the public consciousness. … In her later years, Goodall devoted decades to education and advocacy on humanitarian causes and protecting the natural world.” (10/01/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/jane-goodall-conservationist-renowned-for-21078835.php
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20) UN Security Council approves “Gang Suppression Force” for Haiti
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The United Nations Security Council has voted to expand an international [occupation] force deployed to Haiti and transform it into a so-called ‘Gang Suppression Force.’ The resolution passed by the council on Tuesday provides a clear mandate for the force to work with local authorities to ‘neutralise, isolate, and deter’ [rival] gangs, secure infrastructure, and seek to secure institutional stability. It would raise the personnel ceiling from 2,500 in the current mission, first approved in 2023, to 5,550 personnel.” (09/30/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/30/un-security-council-approves-gang-suppression-force-for-haiti
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Free Speech and Its Discontents
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano
“Prior to the Warren Court, and notwithstanding the pithy language of Thomas Jefferson or the direct language of James Madison in the Bill of Rights, the federal courts equivocated in their protections of speech. In wartime, the courts often looked the other way as presidents and Congresses tried to silence and punish the words they hated or feared. Both Jefferson and Madison believed that the freedom of speech is a natural right. This view originated with Aristotle, was refined by St. Augustine, was codified by St. Thomas Aquinas, and was argued compellingly for jurists by John Locke and for the masses by John Stuart Mill. All maintained in their writings that freedom of thought is a natural absolute individual right; and the freedom of speech is expressing one’s thoughts.” (10/01/25)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2025/09/30/free-speech-and-its-discontents/
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22) Trump’s “domestic terrorism” memo chillingly targets people by ideology
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Adam Goldstein
“It may well be that some people who engage in politically motivated violence have anti-American beliefs, oppose the traditional family, or dislike organized religion. They should be prosecuted. And if there’s evidence of conspiracy or concrete steps toward violence, that may warrant an investigation. But we cannot start investigating other people simply because they happen to share those beliefs. Doing so would open the door to investigations of any political movement or ideology if any one of its adherents happened to engage in violence.” (10/01/25)
https://www.thefire.org/news/trumps-domestic-terrorism-memo-chillingly-targets-people-ideology
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23) Don’t be puppet for government
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“Long ago, someone pointed out to me that if I alter my behavior for no reason but to defy someone, they are controlling me as surely as if I were obeying their every command. I don’t want to be a puppet. Wouldn’t you feel stupid if you ended up damaging your health, the health of your child, or costing yourself extra money simply because you wanted to do the opposite of what some politician told you? It’s smarter to weigh everything someone tells you to do. If it makes sense and is good for you, do it. If it seems like it would be bad for you, do something else.” (10/01/25)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2025/10/01/voices/opinion-dont-be-puppet-for-government/231802.html
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24) The Engine of Corruption In Democracies
Source: The Findings Substack
by Paul Rosenberg
“Modern democracies have a very distinct engine driving corruption within them, and it’s not what you’d expect. There are many drivers of government corruption, of course, but this one empowers corruption in ways that others do not and cannot. Democracies and democratic republics, especially now, involve professional politicians. And politicians, to put it very directly, are the winners of popularity contests. In fact, if we’re to be honest about it, modern elections might best be described as a type of beauty pageant, or a ‘popularity pageant.'” (10/01/25)
https://thefindings.substack.com/p/the-engine-of-corruption-in-democracies
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25) Both the Far Left and the Far Right Make Excuses for Violence
Source: Persuasion
by Cathy Young
“The horrific murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on September 10 should have started a long-overdue conversation about the danger of political violence and of rhetoric that demonizes political opponents. Instead, all too predictably, it set off a cycle of finger-pointing and attempts to prove that violence is only—or primarily — a problem for the ‘other side.'” (10/01/25)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/yes-you-should-both-sides-political
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26) The Trumpanyahu “Peace” Plan, And Other Notes
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“The Trumpanyahu administration is pushing a ‘peace plan’ for Gaza which critics are saying would damn Palestinians to permanent subjugation under the thumb of Israel. The proposed plan would see Gaza supervised by Trump and by war criminal Tony Blair, and Netanyahu is already saying that the deal will allow the IDF to remain in the Palestinian territory indefinitely. The last time the US brokered a ‘peace plan’ between Israel and Hamas, the US and Israel torched it in a few weeks, laid siege to the enclave, and announced a plan for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. So even without all the major problems with the offer, there’s not going to be a whole lot of enthusiasm about it.” (10/01/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/10/01/the-trumpanyahu-peace-plan-and-other-notes/
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27) The Long History of Equality
Source: Law & Liberty
by Brian A Smith
“The principle of human equality is perhaps the most universally accepted dogma of moral life in our world. But this view is quite novel. In A Short History of Relations between Peoples, John M. Ellis crafts an argument that traces this transformation from about 1500 to the present. Ellis opens the book with an example of what he has in mind. The International Chess Federation’s motto — gens una sumus (‘we are one family’) — would have made little sense to most people before the twentieth century.” (10/01/25)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/the-long-history-of-equality/
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28) Deploying Federal Troops Is Not a Sustainable Solution to Crime in American Cities
Source: Reason
by Katherine Mangu-Ward
“The presence of federal law enforcement can drive crime down, at least in the short term. In neighborhoods where the Guard and federal police have flooded in, carjackings, assaults, and homicides dropped. Polls show that many citizens, tired of theft and violence, welcome the uniforms. To dismiss that desire for order as illegitimate is unserious. People want to be safe, or at least feel safer. And it’s popular. An August Associated Press-NORC poll found that 81 percent of respondents view crime as a ‘major problem’ in America’s large cities, while 66 percent view it as a ‘major problem’ nationwide. A full 82 percent of Republicans, and 55 percent of respondents overall, consider it ‘completely or somewhat acceptable’ for the military and National Guard to assist local police. But a military occupation of American cities is neither constitutionally sound nor fiscally viable.” (for publication 11/25)
https://reason.com/2025/10/01/cheetos-in-the-capital/
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29) Congress Must Hold Out for Deal That Ends Trump’s Illegal Cuts
Source: Center on Budget & Policy Priorities
by Sharon Parrott
“Wednesday’s government funding shutdown is fundamentally different than prior funding fights because the administration is acting outside the law. Any funding agreement must put a stop to this pattern of lawlessness. I have long opposed shutdowns and debt limit brinkmanship, but the administration’s actions will harm people, the economy, and our democracy for years to come if they are not stopped. Make no mistake, shutdowns hurt people. The federal government provides a wide range of critical public services. And the president has even implied that he will use a shutdown to impose harsher consequences than required by law, threatening to fire many federal workers and cut benefits for large numbers of people.” [editor’s note: Nothing illegal about a chief executive trimming the Executive Branch; just nobody who wanted to before – SAT] [editor’s note: Incorrect. The president’s job is to follow Congress’s instructions – TLK] (10/01/25)
https://www.cbpp.org/press/statements/congress-must-block-administrations-illegal-cuts-protect-affordable-health-care
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30) Trump, Comey, and the Long History of the Unelected Government
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Connor O’Keeffe
“McCabe’s lawyers claim that, when McCabe leaked classified information to a Wall Street Journal reporter related to that investigation, it was done with Comey’s knowledge. So the central questions in this case are whether McCabe is telling the truth and, if so, whether Comey’s allowing a subordinate to carry out leaks is legally equivalent to authorizing them. Trump’s critics are trying to paper over those details and instead depict this indictment as simply a norm-shattering case of a president weaponizing the Justice Department to go after innocent people just because he doesn’t personally like them. … However, it’s better to understand this indictment as the latest chapter in a long struggle within the American federal government between elected and unelected officials.” (10/01/25)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/trump-comey-and-long-history-unelected-government
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31) Ten Years of Censorship That Was Censored
Source: American Greatness
by Edward Ring
“For every conservative in America who is delighted that at least some of the purveyors of hate speech and misinformation on the woke left are at last being held accountable, there is another who still adheres to the ideals of free speech. As UFC CEO Dana White recently said on 60 Minutes, ‘Probably the most important speech to protect is hate speech.’ That diversity of opinion never surfaced among the left, however, over the nearly ten years during which alleged misinformation and hate speech were suppressed whenever they originated from conservatives.” [editor’s note: Does Mr. Ring have poor memory, a vivid imagination, or both? – TLK] (10/01/25)
https://amgreatness.com/2025/10/01/ten-years-of-censorship-that-was-censored/
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32) Diamond and bangles to the Gulf
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Jake Scott
“The ongoing realignment of international trade flows in the midst of the escalating tariff wars between the United States and other nations and trading blocs (principally China and the European Union) continues to ripple across the world. Yet the changes we are witnessing are by no means caused by these tariff wars; instead, they are more the catalyst to spur on such changes, perhaps irreversibly. For instance, the sudden 50% tariff slapped on Indian jewelry exports to the US in the summer has been cast as a new trade shock. In reality, it is the culmination of pressures that have been building for years, and a turning point that is already reshaping global trade patterns. The outlines of this shift can be traced through the past six months, from early warnings to the contemporary strategic pivot towards the Middle East.” (10/01/25)
https://fee.org/articles/diamond-and-bangles-to-the-gulf/
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33) Trump Moving Swiftly to Become the First [sic] American Dictator
Source: Common Dreams
by Thom Hartmann
“Most jobs have a ‘playbook,’ a sort of instruction manual or checklist for how to do the job right, whether it’s running an assembly line, piloting an aircraft, or redoing a house’s plumbing. Although our media seems oblivious to it, dictators have a playbook, too. It’s one that’s been carefully followed in recent times by Putin, Orbán, Erdoğon, Duterte, Bolsonaro, and numerous initially-elected leaders of other smaller nations. In previous generations the Dictator’s Playbook was followed, step-by-step, by Mussolini, Hitler, Franco, Marcos, Pinochet, Stalin, and Tojo (among others). And now it’s being followed by Donald Trump and JD Vance, who’re a bit more than halfway through the list.” [editor’s note: For starters, what were Lincoln, Wilson & FDR (and others who occupied the POTUS throne, if not “dictators?” – SAT] (10/01/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-first-american-dictator
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34) ICE agents aren’t masculine. They’re bullies.
Source: Sex and the State
by Cathy Reisenwitz
“I can’t stop thinking about this video of an ICE agent violently shoving a crying wife to the ground. … Here’s another video. In this one, an ICE agent slams a 79-year-old American business owner to the ground. For trying to show his workers’ paperwork, they broke his ribs and gave him head trauma. Here’s a group of (masked, of course) ICE agents running after a guy on a bicycle because he said ‘fuck Trump.’ Here’s a journalist leaving in a neck brace after ICE agents pushed him to the ground for trying to cover proceedings at an immigration court in New York City. I see all this and I think about John Wayne. Who, if I remember correctly, became a symbol of American masculinity for saving endangered women on-screen, not shoving them to the ground for crying too close to him.” (10/01/25)
https://cathyreisenwitz.substack.com/p/ice-agents-arent-masculine-theyre
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35) Free Speech and Flag Burning
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Laurence M Vance
“[T]he next time you see someone burn an American flag, just ask two questions: (1) Whose flag? and (2) Whose property? The real issues are theft and trespassing, not whether the sight of someone burning a flag is offensive or unpatriotic.” (10/01/25)
https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/free-speech-and-flag-burning/
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36) America’s can-do spirit needs liberation from can’t-do regulation
Source: Washington Post
by George F Will
“Philip K. Howard, a graduate of Taft prep school, Yale and the University of Virginia School of Law, says he never wore ‘white bucks.’ This 1950s campus fashion waned before he matriculated. Those buckskin shoes were popular among young blades destined to become ‘white-shoe lawyers’ at prestigious ‘white-shoe law firms,’ such as Covington & Burling, where Howard, 76, is senior counsel. He also is a genteel inveigher against the coagulation of American society, which is saturated with law. … When all choices by people in authority are, in Howard’s words, ‘strained through a legal sieve,’ we understand Alexis de Tocqueville’s warning from nearly 200 years ago: Minute regulations that stifle intuition, judgment and freedom perpetuate ‘a drowsy regularity,’ and the status quo.” (10/01/25)
https://archive.is/VicYl
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37) Democrats are turning themselves into the enemies of democracy
Source: The Telegraph
by Dan McLaughlin
“Democrats are talking themselves into forcing a government shutdown. But they can’t seem to agree on why. House Republicans have passed a bill to keep the government funded, but they need seven votes from the Democratic minority in the Senate or else there will be a shutdown tonight. In the spring, Democrat Senate leader Chuck Schumer wasn’t willing to force a shutdown; he didn’t have a message and was trying to get out of Donald Trump’s way so long as the president looked to be making enough mistakes on his own. It would also have been nonsensical to shut down the government to protest against the Department of Government Efficiency’s refusal to fund and staff the government. That’s still a risk. Trump’s Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought is openly salivating at the prospect of a shutdown, precisely because he has plans to use one to justify more government lay-offs.” (09/30/25)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/democrats-turning-themselves-enemies-democracy-160104387.html
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38) US weapons pipeline to Nigeria is becoming a crime against humanity
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Taiwo Hassan
“Since the 1950s, the U.S. has been the world’s leading arms-exporting nation accounting between 2019 and 2023 for 42 percent of all global arms exports. Several laws exist ostensibly to regulate and ensure that U.S. security assistance is provided to allies without undermining America’s core values. For example, Section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act expressly forbids the United States from providing security assistance to any country whose government engages in a ‘consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.’ Investigations by human rights groups and the media, including Reuters and Premium Times, have uncovered a consistent pattern of abuse by security forces that suggests that Nigeria has met this threshold.” (10/01/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/nigeria-arms-sale/
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39) Bitcoin Diplomacy
Source: CounterPunch
by Victoria Jones
“The recent Pakistan-El Salvador Bitcoin deal exemplifies how the adoption of cryptocurrency can allow emerging economies to circumvent mechanisms of traditional multilateral oversight, and thus represents a potential challenge to the wider architecture of global financial governance. The unprecedented agreement between these two countries symbolizes a departure from standard bilateral engagement and marks the emergence of what some have termed ‘Biplomacy,’ or the use of Bitcoin advocacy in international relations.” (10/01/25)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/10/01/bitcoin-diplomacy/
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40) It’s Time for the US to Recognize Palestine
Source: The American Conservative
by Leon Hadar
“The growing international momentum toward recognizing Palestine as an independent state represents a long-overdue acknowledgment of geopolitical realities that Washington has stubbornly refused to accept. As more nations move beyond the tired mantras of ‘peace process’ diplomacy, it’s time for U.S. policymakers to abandon their counterproductive approach and embrace pragmatic statecraft.” (10/01/25)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/its-time-for-the-u-s-to-recognize-palestine/
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41) We Obtained Thousands of New Epstein Documents
Source: The American Prospect
by Daniel Boguslaw
“The American Prospect has obtained thousands of pages of documents related to the New Mexico attorney general’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, which began in 2019 under then-Attorney General Hector Balderas. The investigation involved Epstein’s sprawling New Mexico ranch, and the documents include hundreds of pages of media reports, land records, flight logs, court documents, and interviews with witnesses to Epstein’s crimes. While the documents fail to answer many of the questions that lawmakers and the public hope will be revealed by the disclosure of files held by the Department of Justice, they also raise several new ones. The documents describe interviews with multiple attendees of Epstein’s 8,000-acre Zorro Ranch, and accusers who say they were assaulted there.” (10/01/25)
https://prospect.org/justice/2025-10-01-we-obtained-thousands-of-new-epstein-documents/
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42) Tariffs Don’t Lighten the Way Forward, They Darken It
Source: Libertarian Institute
by RT Hadley
“Frédéric Bastiat’s mid-nineteenth century satire exposed the folly of shielding inefficient industries, yet today’s politicians repeat the same error with tariffs that tax global trade to prop up costly domestic production. Like candlemakers demanding shuttered windows, these policies burden families, farmers, and small businesses with higher prices, stifle growth, and betray the sound economics of fiscal prudence while testing constitutional limits. If we pay attention, Bastiat’s wisdom exposed how today’s tariffs undermine American prosperity. Common sense calls for a return to free enterprise where markets, not erratic mandates, light the way.” (10/01/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/tariffs-dont-lighten-the-way-forward-they-darken-it
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43) Go Ask Gary
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“A mystery confounds the minds of North Dakota’s legislators. It has a fake part and a real part. The fake part itself has two parts: 1) how to learn whether voters support term limits, and 2) how to learn how a legislative body can function unless incumbents, whose advantages over challengers enable them to return to office sporting reelection rates exceeding 90 percent, may remain in place until ousted by death or scandal? The answer to the first everyone knows. The answer to the second is to write down procedures and give tutorials and guidebooks on how the legislature works to newcomers in legislative halls. The real mystery, though, is how to overthrow term limits given voters’ massive continuing support?” (10/01/25)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/10/01/go-ask-gary/
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44) A Libertarian Taxonomy
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“A reader commenting on my post describing different kinds of left libertarians proposed that I do the same thing for libertarians more generally. I have already covered left libertarians so this is on the rest of us, multiple lines along which we differ.” (09/30/25)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/a-libertarian-taxonomy
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45) Mississippi’s reading triumph is no miracle, it’s the future of education
Source: New York Post
by Rich Lowry
“A miracle defies the laws of nature. This is why ‘the Mississippi Miracle,’ the sobriquet for the extraordinary gains that students in the Magnolia State have made in reading in recent years, is a misnomer. There’s nothing miraculous about a state that adopts phonics and that sets high standards for its kids getting better results in reading instruction. This, to the contrary, is a predictable outcome, and a replicable one, as other Southern states that have taken up similar polices have shown. Mississippi went from 49th in fourth-grade reading results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress about a decade ago to ninth in 2024. Its low-income children are ranked first in the nation. Its black kids are No. 3 in the nation, and its Hispanic kids No. 1.” (09/30/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/09/30/opinion/mississippi-is-no-miracle-its-the-future-of-education/
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46) Europe Learned Nothing From the Danish Cartoon Affair
Source: Persuasion
by Jacob Mchangma
“On September 30, 2005, the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published an editorial titled ‘The Face of Muhammad,’ accompanied by 12 cartoons, some of which depicted the Prophet Muhammad. The publication set off a global firestorm and turned criticism of Islam into a minefield that remains deadly to traverse even in open societies. And rather than defending the principle at stake, European democracies are increasingly choosing appeasement — trading away free speech for the promise of a precarious peace.” (09/30/25)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/europe-learned-nothing-from-the-danish
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47) From Utilities to Banks: A Path Toward Less Restrictive Regulation
Source: Cato Institute
by Norbert Michel
“[New Hampshire’s] highly regulated electricity industry is struggling to provide consumers with the power they need. To solve the problem, the legislature came up with a simple solution: Anyone who produces electricity in New Hampshire won’t be subject to public-utility regulation provided they don’t connect to the existing grid. The financial sector can learn from this example. It is also overregulated, and something akin to a light version of this New Hampshire solution has already been a success for a slice of the banking sector. … An expanded version is exactly what’s needed in financial markets.” (09/30/25)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/utilities-banks-path-toward-less-restrictive-regulation
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48) Could This Be the Best Government Shutdown Ever?
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“Unfortunately, the government never really shuts down, and the two parties always work out an agreement that involves spending a lot more money. The worst that happens is that some people are inconvenienced for a few days, as the only things that really cease to function are public-facing operations such as parks and offices — deliberately so, to maintain the illusion that something important is happening. What might be different this time, though, is that there’s a chance to use the impasse to reduce the federal work force.” (09/30/25)
https://reason.com/2025/09/30/could-this-be-the-best-government-shutdown-ever/
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49) Gaza’s Nightmare
Source: In These Times
by Yousef Aljamal
“Since October 2023, every morning, when I wake up, I do something that is harmful to my mental health, but essential. I grab my phone and open social media groups I have from Gaza. I read the breaking news from the night before. The news is filled with horror: reports of families being killed in Gaza, tents being targeted, carpet bombardments, sometimes accompanied by graphic images and video. Often, I read the names of streets I’ve walked on and buildings I’ve passed by, and I see images of people who were once my neighbors or classmates. This has been my routine, every day, since October 7, 2023.” (10/01/25)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/gaza-yousef-aljamal-graves-genocide-israel-palestine
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50) What is Barbarism?
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“Maximally civilized societies don’t just scrupulously respect members’ rights to life and property; they afford exactly the same rights to all intelligent beings. Maximally barbaric societies, in contrast, see nothing wrong with murdering and robbing outsiders, even if they treat their own members well.” (09/30/25)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/what-is-barbarism
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) The Political Orphanage, 10/01/25
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Katie Herzog Gives Me Advice On My Drinking Problem.” (10/01/25)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/katie-herzog-gives-me-advice-on-my-drinking-problem
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52) The David Frum Show, 10/01/25
Source: The Atlantic
“Sam Harris on Silicon Valley’s turn toward authoritarian politics and the collapse of the information commons. Plus: Donald Trump’s politicization of prosecutions and Robert Proctor’s The Nazi War on Cancer.” (10/01/25)
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/archive/2025/10/the-david-frum-show-sam-harris/684424
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53) Reason Interview: Jenin Younes
Source: Reason
“Civil liberties attorney Jenin Younes recounts her role in Murthy v. Missouri, her opposition to pandemic mandates, and why she believes Trump poses an even greater threat to free speech than Biden.” (10/01/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/10/01/defend-speech-even-when-your-side-hates-it/
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54) The Learning Curve, 10/01/25
Source: Pioneer Institute
“U-Ark’s Randall Woods on John Quincy Adams: Statesman of the Early Republic.” (10/01/25)
https://pioneerinstitute.org/news/u-arks-randall-woods-on-john-quincy-adams-statesman-of-the-early-republic/
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55) Rising, 10/01/25
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave delivers his radar on Teachers Union President Randi Weingarten, who warns of, ‘fascistic behavior,’ against American teachers in her new book.” (10/01/25)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5530859-rising-october-1-2025/
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56) This Won’t Fix Trillion-Dollar Deficits
Source: Reason
“Reason‘s Peter Suderman and Eric Boehm discuss the government shutdown.” (10/01/25)
https://reason.com/2025/10/01/shutdown-livestream-this-wont-fix-trillion-dollar-deficits/
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57) The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 10/01/25
Source: The New Republic
“Trump’s Rants to Generals Spiral into Madness as Dem Erupts: ‘Idiot!'” (10/01/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/201153/trump-rants-generals-spiral-madness-dem-erupts-idiot
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58) SolutionsWatch, 10/01/25
Source: The Corbett Report
“The Lost Art of ‘Yes, And …'” (10/01/25)
https://corbettreport.com/solutionswatch-yesand/
-----
59) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 10/01/25
Source: The Dispatch
“Parenting in the Modern Age | Interview: Emily Oster.” (10/01/25)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/parenting-in-the-modern-age-interview-emily-oster/
-----
60) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp,10/01/25
Source: Antiwar.com
“US Officials Intensify Push for Venezuela Regime Change, Netanyahu Edited US Gaza Plan, and More.” (10/01/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMssI-XffeY
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61) Bonnie Freeman’s Anarcon Speech
Source: Free Talk Live
“I was invited to speak about Ian (Ian Freeman, creator and host of Free Talk Live,) at Anarcon 2025. Anarcon is a yearly camping festival for anarchists in Virginia. I told the story of how Ian was investigated, violently arrested and then imprisoned for selling Bitcoin, and what we can learn from the ways the feds targeted him as anarchists.” (09/30/25)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/anarconspeech
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62) Pink Flame of Liberty, 09/30/25
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Stephen Miller — The Deceptive Face of Christian Nationalism (Kirk Memorial Speech).” (09/30/25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCdKQ5JjWto
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63) So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, 09/30/25
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
“What is going on with the FCC?” (09/30/25)
https://www.thefire.org/news/podcasts/so-speak-free-speech-podcast/what-going-fcc
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64) Politics Politics Politics, 09/30/25
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Shutdown Night Arrives! With Adams Out, Who Wins NYC? (with Evan Scrimshaw).” (09/30/25)
https://www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/p/shutdown-night-arrives-with-adams
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65) Freedom Works with Paul Molloy, 09/30/25
Source: Freedom Works
“Jeremy Nighohossian, Competitive Enterprise Institute ‘Tylenol? Don’t Take Politicians’ Advice.'” (09/30/25)
https://internetradiopros.com/freedomworks/?name=2025-09-30_zfw09292025.mp3
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