07/09 -- US, Iranian regimes exchange intensifying fire across Persian Gulf; LPR cameras are watching you
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Thomas L. Knapp
6:10 AM (9 hours ago) 6:10 AM
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 07/09/26
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Today's Freedom News:
1) US, Iranian regimes exchange intensifying fire across Persian Gulf
2) Russia: Ukrainian drones batter oil facilities, set more tankers ablaze
3) ME: Platner drops out of Senate race, allowing Democrats to replace him
4) Trump to ask SCOTUS for new hearing on whether he can repeal constitutional provisions by executive order
5) Judge orders sexual assailant to pay $5.8 million he owes to victim
6) Germany: Berlin court sentences a doctor to life for murdering 15 patients under palliative care
7) Waymo goes driverless in Las Vegas, with Denver, San Diego, Tampa next
8) Sudan: Drone strikes on civilian vehicles kill at least 20, rights groups say
9) Bezos’s Blue Origin valued at $130 billion in first public fundraising round
10) PM says Denmark’s regime will defend Greenland as Trump threatens to revive NATO crisis
11) Conditional pardon granted for Ruth Ellis, last woman executed in UK
12) Sources: Hegseth Cancels Meeting With Netanyahu Over Possible Sale of F-35s to Turkey
13) ME: Platner trying to put “thumb on the scale” vis a vis replacement Senate candidate, Democratic Party claims
14) Singapore: Changes underway in smaller opposition parties as leaders quit
15) Nigeria: President demands to know how fake agency was allegedly set up in his office
16) Senile reality TV star babbles about halting US trade with Spain
17) Brazil: Parents face prison sentence for homeschooling after court accuses them of “intellectual neglect”
18) NYC: Highrise deemed stable after officials earlier warned it could collapse
19) UT: DNA evidence from Charlie Kirk assassination disputed by defendant’s lawyers
20) Iraq’s holy cities host funeral processions for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) LPR cameras are watching you
22) The Economic Morality of Rotisserie Chicken
23) Warren’s Plan To “Fix” Social Security Would Be Largest Tax Increase in Over 40 Years
24) A Song of FIRE and ICE
25) Don’t Lock Young Americans Into Social Security
26) We Must Have a Rebirth of Instinctive Patriotism
27) The Resilience Paradox: How Military Strikes Are Bolstering Iran’s Cohesion
28) Why Americans Choose Domestic Travel in 2026
29) Why Are Democrats So Evil?
30) New Data Show Rising Demand for Innovative Schooling Models
31) Rebuilding the bedrock for NATO security
32) How to Make the CDC Great Again
33) Cure For Despair: Awe, Wonder & Humility
34) The Seeing Stones of Modern Warfare
35) Perhaps the Nazi Tattoo Was a Clue
36) The Indestructible Aspiration Toward Freedom
37) Dems ignored every warning sign in Graham Platner’s Senate disaster
38) Tom Blanton, Awesome Antiwar Artist, RIP
39) Inside the growing religious revolt against Christian Zionism
40) “Guns Versus Butter”: Tracing the Dark Origins of a Classic Economic Model
41) What I Saw When I Stopped Pretending
42) Far-Left Dem Says 9/11 Was Blowback. So Did Pat Buchanan
43) Is This Country Having Its Socialist Moment?
44) A Nonpartisan Cure for a Partisan Supreme Court
45) Mamdani’s AC warning revealed NY power grid in big trouble, and it’s a problem he helped cause
46) Automated Moderation Is Here to Stay
47) Gigless in Seattle
48) How Section 702’s Lapse Is an Opportunity for Congress
49) The Great AI Repricing Isn’t Going Well
50) Sixteen Fun Facts About Me
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) The Science of Politics, 07/08/26
52) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 07/08/26
53) Homeschool Workshop, 07/08/26
54) Rising, 07/08/26
55) Reasonably Optimistic, 07/08/26
56) Reason Interview: Clark Neily
57) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 07/08/26
58) The Fifth Column, episode 565
59) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 07/07/26
60) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 07/07/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) US, Iranian regimes exchange intensifying fire across Persian Gulf
Source: Associated Press
“The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar in crossfire that again threatened an interim deal intended to help end the war in the Persian Gulf. The strikes came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of the fragile ceasefire. The U.S. struck a variety of military sites and port facilities early Wednesday after Iran targeted several merchant vessels off the coast of Oman, sparking Iranian fire then as well. But Thursday’s attacks appeared bigger all around, with sirens sounding at least three times in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters. There was no immediate word of damage in the three Gulf Arab countries from attacks claimed by Iran’s military.” (07/09/26)
https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-war-oil-july-9-2026-0472764b119d7aa204de4f7f5e44a9bf
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2) Russia: Ukrainian drones batter oil facilities, set more tankers ablaze
Source: AOL
“Ukrainian drones on Thursday hit more Russian oil facilities and set two oil tankers ablaze in the Sea of Azov, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to grant Ukraine a license to manufacture the Patriot air defense systems. … Early Thursday, a Ukrainian drone strike triggered a fire at an oil depot in the city of Tver in western Russia, according to acting regional Gov. Vitaly Korolyov. And in the southern Stavropol region, Gov. Vladimir Vladimirov said oil reservoirs has been set ablaze by Ukrainian drones in Vyazniki. … In the Sea of Azov, Ukrainian drones set two oil tankers ablaze, according to Rostov Gov. Yuri Slusar, who said that one of the ships was still burning and the crews were evacuated.” (07/09/26)
https://www.aol.com/articles/ukrainian-drones-batter-russian-oil-075400000.html
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3) ME: Platner drops out of Senate race, allowing Democrats to replace him
Source: NBC News
“Graham Platner announced Wednesday he’s ending his Senate campaign, capping a chaotic few days of uncertainty and Democratic infighting and leaving the party without a candidate in the vitally important Maine race this fall. The announcement by the populist [sic] progressive [sic] came after a woman he dated accused him of sexual assault in 2021, causing his support to hemorrhage even among top Democratic allies, who rescinded their endorsements and called on him to drop out.” (07/08/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/graham-platner-drops-senate-bid-maine-rcna353199
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4) Trump to ask SCOTUS for new hearing on whether he can repeal constitutional provisions by executive order
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“US President Donald Trump says he plans to ask the United States Supreme Court to rehear a recent case which struck down his order to end birthright citizenship for all individuals born in the US. The court last month rejected Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship in the US, but speaking on Wednesday, the president said he will ask for the case to be heard again. … Trump called the latest ruling ‘too bad for our country’ and appealed to Republicans in Congress to pass legislation constricting birthright citizenship. That will likely prove to be an uphill battle, with public opinion polls regularly showing strong public support for the practice and the Supreme Court’s majority opinion [noting that] a constitutional amendment would be required.” (07/09/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/9/trump-to-ask-us-supreme-court-for-new-hearing-on-birthright-citizenship
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5) Judge orders sexual assailant to pay $5.8 million he owes to victim
Source: The Hill
“A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the release of $5.8 million to E. Jean Carroll three years after the jury awarded payment for damages caused by President Trump. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said Carroll should receive the funds, which were placed in an escrow account while Trump appealed a verdict that found him liable for defaming Carroll. During his first term in the Oval Office, Trump said Carroll’s claims that he sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in Manhattan were a ‘con job’ and ‘hoax.’ A jury determined his statements were defamatory and negatively impacted Carroll professionally. The Supreme Court declined to hear Trump’s appeal to overturn the case without an explanation or reasoning last week. … Trump’s lawyers appealed Kaplan’s ruling less than an hour after it was issued.” (07/08/26)
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5959559-judge-orders-5m-release-carroll
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6) Germany: Berlin court sentences a doctor to life for murdering 15 patients under palliative care
Source: Associated Press
“A Berlin court on Wednesday convicted and sentenced a German doctor to life in prison on charges of murdering 15 of his patients who were under palliative care, in a case involving allegations he torched the homes of victims to try to cover up the crimes. The 41-year-old doctor, who has only been identified as Johannes M. in line with Germany’s privacy rules, went on trial nearly a year ago at a Berlin state court. Part of an end-of-life care team at a nursing service in Berlin, he was initially suspected of the deaths of four patients. Prosecutors eventually accused him of the deaths of 15 people between September 2021 and July 2024. The Berlin court found the physician administered a lethal mixture of various medications to 12 women and three men, German news agency dpa reported.” (07/08/26)
https://apnews.com/article/germany-berlin-doctor-trial-patients-deaths-palliative-a0cf1ff36954af7dd1ce51120dc6933d
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7) Waymo goes driverless in Las Vegas, with Denver, San Diego, Tampa next
Source: Electrek
“Waymo has activated fully driverless operations in Las Vegas, its riders will now see vehicles with no human at the wheel, and the Alphabet unit says Denver, San Diego, and Tampa are next in line. The move adds four new markets to Waymo’s driverless footprint and pushes the company deeper into its target of 1 million paid rides per week by the end of 2026. … Waymo now operates a fleet of roughly 3,500 robotaxis and has surpassed 20 million trips. It was providing around 500,000 paid rides per week across its existing markets earlier this year, which include Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando.” (07/08/26)
https://electrek.co/2026/07/08/waymo-driverless-las-vegas-four-new-cities
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8) Sudan: Drone strikes on civilian vehicles kill at least 20, rights groups say
Source: ABC News
“Drone strikes on civilian vehicles headed to social gatherings in Sudan have killed over 20 people in recent day, according to rights groups, as the use of unmanned aircraft becomes increasingly common in the north eastern African country’s war. A drone hit the outskirts of Khartoum killing 10 civilians, including five women from the same family, as they drove to a wedding, the Sudan Doctors Network said Wednesday. The medical aid group, which has been tracking violence between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces throughout the war — which is in its fourth year — blamed Tuesday’s attack on a road west of Omdurman, the sister city of the capital, Khartoum, on the RSF. All of those on the vehicle, which caught fire, were killed.” (07/08/26)
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/drone-strikes-civilian-vehicles-kill-20-sudan-rights-134576979
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9) Bezos’s Blue Origin valued at $130 billion in first public fundraising round
Source: CNBC
“Jeff Bezos’[s] Blue Origin is raising about $10 billion, in its first outside funding round that will value the rocket company at $130 billion, sources told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin. Bezos is set to contribute $2 billion into the round, along with about $4 billion from hedge fund Coatue Management, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the details are private. The remaining $4 billion has seen significant demand, with several major investors expected to participate, the people said. … Bezos has in the past funded Blue Origin solely through sales of his Amazon stock. In 2024, Bezos said he believed Blue Origin will one day be a bigger company than Amazon.” (07/08/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/08/blue-origin-bezos-fundraising.html
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10) PM says Denmark’s regime will defend Greenland as Trump threatens to revive NATO crisis
Source: Washington Post
“Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declared at a NATO summit on Wednesday that her country would defend its territory as President Donald Trump revived his longtime demand for control of Greenland. Earlier this year, Trump sharply raised tensions with allies and seemed to push NATO to a breaking point with his threats to seize Greenland …. Allies stood up to the president and Trump backed down, saying at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he had reached the framework of a deal brokered by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. But almost as soon as he arrived to meet NATO counterparts in Turkey, Trump restarted the fight, telling reporters that Greenland ‘should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark.’ … Asked if Denmark would defend its territory from friend or foe alike, Frederiksen said, ‘Of course we will defend the kingdom of Denmark.'” (07/08/26)
https://archive.is/8d9lR
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11) Conditional pardon granted for Ruth Ellis, last woman executed in UK
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the UK, has been granted a posthumous conditional pardon. Ellis was hanged at London’s Holloway Prison in 1955 after being convicted of murdering her lover David Blakely. Her family have campaigned for her murder conviction to be overturned, arguing she was a victim of domestic abuse and was physically and emotionally abused by Blakely before shooting him. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told MPs the King had granted the pardon, saying that the death penalty had been replaced with a sentence of life imprisonment.” (07/08/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crel4rj801do
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12) Sources: Hegseth Cancels Meeting With Netanyahu Over Possible Sale of F-35s to Turkey
Source: US News & World Report
“U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth canceled a meeting that had been scheduled for Wednesday to discuss the possible sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an Israeli source told Reuters. Any such sale would likely anger Israeli officials. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Hegseth had also been scheduled to meet Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on a trip to Israel and that Iran would feature in their discussions. … In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Netanyahu said he opposed the sale of F-35s to Turkey, and that he had made his opposition clear to Trump.” (07/08/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-07-08/hegseth-to-meet-netanyahu-over-possible-sale-of-f-35s-to-turkey-source-tells-reuters
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13) ME: Platner trying to put “thumb on the scale” vis a vis replacement Senate candidate, Democratic Party claims
Source: New York Post
“Graham Platner seems not to like taking no for an answer. The head of the Maine Democratic Party accused the embattled Senate candidate and alleged rapist late Tuesday of trying to put his ‘thumb on the scale’ as the party scrambles to find a replacement ahead of the November election. … ‘We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner’s team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the US Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like,’ [MDP Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson said]. ‘We have also reiterated that Graham Platner must drop out of this race, so that Democrats in Maine can focus on defeating Susan Collins this November. ‘We look forward to making this process public as soon as Graham Platner formally withdraws from this race.'” (07/08/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/07/08/us-news/graham-platner-trying-to-put-his-thumb-on-the-scale-as-maine-democrats-look-for-replacement-senate-candidate-state-party-claims/
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14) Singapore: Changes underway in smaller opposition parties as leaders quit
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“A year since the dust settled on the Singapore general election, leadership resignations in two small opposition parties signal a period of post-poll recalibration after disappointing results. The once-promising Progress Singapore Party (PSP), led by ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) defector Tan Cheng Bock, was dealt an ‘existential blow’ on Monday, analysts say, following the resignations of two central executive committee members. … Also on Monday, People’s Power Party (PPP) announced its secretary general, Goh Meng Seng, had been replaced by William Lim Lian Chin. Goh had said he would step down after his team’s dismal showing in the four-way contest in the Tampines constituency.” (07/08/26)
https://archive.is/3I0LD
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15) Nigeria: President demands to know how fake agency was allegedly set up in his office
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Nigeria’s president has ordered a corruption investigation into allegations that a fictitious government agency was set up within his own office, complete with public funding worth $950,000 (£700,000). According to the presidency, the letter from the president’s chief of staff creating the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) had been forged. The police have launched a manhunt for Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who had been presenting himself as the ‘PFIPC director general’, on suspicion of forgery, impersonation and related offences. Before going into hiding, Adeyemi told local media that he was innocent and now feared for his life. He also promised to show up in court to clear his name, saying the body was lawfully established. He accused senior government officials of demanding bribes during the process of his appointment and later attempting to take control of the council’s funds.” (07/08/26)
https://archive.is/u5qVE
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16) Senile reality TV star babbles about halting US trade with Spain
Source: Politico
“U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was cutting off trade with Spain over defense spending — reviving a long-running feud between Washington and Madrid. ‘I didn’t speak to Spain. Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore,’ he told reporters ahead of a meeting with fellow NATO leaders in Ankara. ‘By the way, I’d like you to cut it off,’ he added, appearing to address U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. … However, it’s unclear how Trump’s idea would work as Spain is a member of the EU, which is in charge of trade policy for all of its member countries.” (07/08/26)
https://archive.is/2YHxC
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17) Brazil: Parents face prison sentence for homeschooling after court accuses them of “intellectual neglect”
Source: Fox News
“A Brazilian court has sentenced a couple to 50 days in prison for ‘intellectual neglect’ after they homeschooled their two daughters without a state-approved curriculum. A São Paulo criminal court ruled against Audato and Ieda Denardi, alleging they had failed to include programs on ‘gender and sex education’ and ‘tolerance and diversity’ in the curriculum for their daughters, aged 15 and 11, Alliance Defending Freedom (‘ADF’) International said. According to the legal group, the court also ruled that the parents failed to properly integrate their children into Brazilian culture, citing the girls’ preference for religious and classical music over popular trap or ‘sertanejo’ (folk) music. Isabel Monteiro, the defense attorney representing the family, said the judge made an ‘ideological decision to convict them’ based largely on the older daughter’s preference for sacred music over mainstream music that often features explicit lyrics.” (07/08/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/media/brazil-parents-face-prison-sentence-homeschooling-court-accuses-intellectual-neglect
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18) NYC: Highrise deemed stable after officials earlier warned it could collapse
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“An under-construction Manhattan highrise at risk of collapse was stabilized late Tuesday and some evacuations of nearby buildings were lifted. ‘We’ve been monitoring the building for many hours and have not seen any movement,’ Ahmed Tigani, commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings, said during a news conference Tuesday. By nighttime, residents were allowed back into several of the seven buildings that were evacuated as a precaution. The scene unfolded throughout the day after the precarious conditions were spotted in the morning at the 1970s-era building, which is being converted into luxury apartments. Construction workers at the site and people in nearby buildings — including a school, diplomatic offices and several hotels — in the busy corridor of midtown were rushed out after firefighters were called there around 8 a.m. ET.” (07/07/26)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/new-york-city-high-rise-danger-9.7261602
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19) UT: DNA evidence from Charlie Kirk assassination disputed by defendant’s lawyers
Source: SFGate
“Lawyers for the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk are expected to keep questioning the reliability of DNA testing that prosecutors said links the defendant to the suspected murder weapon when a weeklong hearing continues Wednesday. A member of Tyler Robinson’s defense team interrogated a DNA analyst from the FBI on Tuesday about the techniques she used to connect Robinson to a rifle found wrapped inside a towel at Utah Valley University, where Kirk was shot in September while speaking to a crowd. Defense lawyer Michael Burt cast doubt on the analyst’s conclusions — a theme that’s likely to come up again during the five-day preliminary hearing. ‘She can’t match Mr. Robinson to the questioned samples,’ Burt concluded. Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride countered that the reliability of the DNA testing could be examined if the case goes to trial.” (07/08/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/dna-evidence-from-charlie-kirk-assassination-22336853.php
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20) Iraq’s holy cities host funeral processions for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei
Source: The New Arab [UK]
“Thousands thronged the streets of Najaf on Wednesday as the coffin of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, moved through the holy city in a procession devoted to Iraq, home to Shia Islam’s most sacred shrines. … After a massive procession in Iran’s holy city of Qom, Iraqi officials and senior politicians received Khamenei’s remains on Tuesday night at Najaf International Airport, in the presence of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and one of the late leader’s sons. … Khamenei’s final burial will take place on Thursday in his hometown of Mashhad in northeast Iran.” (07/08/26)
https://www.newarab.com/news/iraqs-holy-cities-host-funeral-processions-irans-khamenei
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) LPR cameras are watching you
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“One of the most important fights in our lifetime, a fight for the future of America, is shaping up right over our heads. It’s the fight against license plate reader cameras and the related spyware that is already being used against you and your liberty. This may even be more important and urgent than defending the natural human right to own and to carry weapons without government interference. These data collectors will be used to violate your right to bear arms and all your other rights as well. If this is to be stopped, it must be stopped now. Before long, it will be too entrenched to stop.” (07/08/26)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2026/07/08/voices/opinion-lpr-cameras-are-watching-you/233796.html
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22) The Economic Morality of Rotisserie Chicken
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Angelo Monaco
“Inflation has hit grocery bills hard over the last four years, making it incredibly difficult for middle- and lower-income families to stretch a budget. For $4.99, a family can provide a meal by buying a whole, fully cooked, three pound chicken. Pound for pound, it is one of the most efficient, nutritious, and accessible sources of lean protein available in the modern marketplace; it costs significantly less than one Big Mac while providing vastly superior nutritional value. … When describing my observation to a group of academics, rather than commenting on the economics of this phenomenon they angrily asked, ‘Do you consider the treatment of all those chickens to be fair?’ Huh?” (07/08/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-economic-morality-of-rotisserie-chicken
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23) Warren’s Plan To “Fix” Social Security Would Be Largest Tax Increase in Over 40 Years
Source: Reason
by Eric Boehm
“Her plan is being pitched as a tax on the wealthy, but half the burden would fall on businesses. That would have dire consequences for the economy.” (07/08/26)
https://reason.com/2026/07/08/warrens-plan-to-fix-social-security-would-be-largest-tax-increase-in-over-40-years/
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24) A Song of FIRE and ICE
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson
“Can we all agree that Todd Lyons is kind of a sissy? The former acting director of ICE, the immigration enforcement agency that Donald Trump uses as his personal, occasionally homicidal goon squad, received an email nastygram from the author of Best Bike Rides Connecticut, David Streever, who is exactly the kind of imposing, Jason Statham-esque tough guy you’d figure the author of Best Bike Rides Connecticut is going to be. The email was pretty mild stuff—Shame on you, basically. Compared him to a Nazi, etc. Lyons, who has 22,000 armed agents at his disposal, was so freaked out that he sent ICE agents to Streeter’s house and then tracked him down while he was traveling with his 7-year-old daughter.” (07/08/26)
https://archive.is/ghK0C
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25) Don’t Lock Young Americans Into Social Security
Source: RealClearPolitics
by Sam Raus
“The Social Security trust fund is projected to run out of money by 2032. Without legislative reforms, retirement benefits for tens of millions of Americans could face significant cuts. As lawmakers debate how to preserve the program, most proposals focus on raising payroll tax revenue or making other budgetary adjustments. But these discussions miss a larger point: The program itself is increasingly ill-suited for younger generations. Rather than forcing Americans into a system that may not deliver on its promises, policymakers should allow young workers to opt out and prepare for retirement in their own way.” (07/07/26)
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2026/07/07/dont_lock_young_americans_into_social_security_154307.html
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26) We Must Have a Rebirth of Instinctive Patriotism
Source: American Greatness
by Ned Ryun & Ed McFadden
“On the nation’s 250th anniversary, the mayor of the country’s largest city sat at a desk once used by George Washington and told Americans what was wrong with American exceptionalism. The story of this country, he said, has too often been written by people told they did not belong. Its achievements were really won by the excluded, in spite of America. Dissent, not gratitude, he intoned, is the truest form of patriotism. It was a deceptive speech, and it deserves a response grounded in facts because the argument now runs well beyond one mayor. A rising movement has made the critique of exceptionalism something close to a creed. And it rests on a lie so foundational that, once revealed, the falsehood collapses. The lie is this: that American exceptionalism means Americans are exceptional people.” (07/08/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/07/08/we-must-have-a-rebirth-of-instinctive-patriotism/
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27) The Resilience Paradox: How Military Strikes Are Bolstering Iran’s Cohesion
Source: Antiwar.com
by Peter Rodgers
“Wars are seldom judged fairly in the immediate aftermath. Generals and analysts often focus on tallies of destroyed sites, intercepted projectiles, and tactical wins. Yet the deeper political fallout usually surfaces later – and it has a habit of defying the expectations of those who started the fight. History offers plenty of examples where short-term military victories sowed the seeds of longer-term strategic setbacks. This reality merits close attention when evaluating the recent U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran. The central issue may not be simply how much Iranian military hardware was damaged. More important is whether the conflict has reshaped Iran’s internal politics in ways that run counter to what Washington and its partners hoped. If the goal of prolonged sanctions, isolation, and military action was to erode the Islamic Republic’s governing strength, the picture that’s emerging looks more nuanced than many anticipated.” (07/08/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/peter_rodgers/2026/07/07/the-resilience-paradox-how-military-strikes-are-bolstering-irans-cohesion/
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28) Why Americans Choose Domestic Travel in 2026
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey
“Economic pressures and strict travel rules force Americans to cut back on international trips to places like the Bahamas and Jamaica. People choose to spend their money at home. They take vacations within the United States. We see this shift happening right now. The data show Americans changing their travel habits. Travelers from other countries do the same when visiting the United States.” (07/08/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/why-americans-choose-domestic-travel
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29) Why Are Democrats So Evil?
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis
“Recent Breitbart headline: ‘Report: Graham Platner Accused of Breaking Into Woman’s House, Sexually Assaulting Her; Campaign Canceled Multiple Events Over Weekend; Source: Platner Dropping Out This Week?!’ Well, let’s hope that this accusation against Platner proves to be false. It would be nice to see him drop out, but that is really irrelevant; the Democrats would just nominate somebody who, philosophically and politically, is equally rotten, but who maybe could avoid all the accusations of misconduct that have plagued Platner. Regardless of that, my question for this article is how did the Democrats become so vile as to get to a point where they would nominate people like Graham Platner in the first place? How did they sink to the putrid immoral depths they have degenerated to? And screaming, ‘Look how terrible Donald Trump is!’ is not an answer.” (07/08/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2026/07/08/why-are-democrats-so-evil-n2678997
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30) New Data Show Rising Demand for Innovative Schooling Models
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Kerry McDonald
“Demand for new schooling models continues to climb, and entrepreneurial educators plan to grow to meet that demand. That is the key takeaway from a recent survey of school founders conducted by our team here at FEE’s Education Entrepreneurship Lab. This spring, we asked the 200+ applicants to last year’s FEE Enterprising Founding Award to complete a survey about the status of their innovative schools and learning spaces, including private schools, microschools, hybrid schools, homeschooling collaboratives, and online learning platforms. More than 70 school founders responded, offering eye-opening insights about the current landscape of emerging schooling models and its future direction.” (07/08/26)
https://fee.org/articles/new-data-show-rising-demand-for-innovative-schooling-models/
-----
31) Rebuilding the bedrock for NATO security
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“This week, many eyes – at least when not glued to the World Cup soccer matches onscreen – are on Ankara, Turkey. There, the heads of NATO’s 32 member countries are gathered for the transatlantic alliance’s annual summit, amid a rather fractious atmosphere. Some 1,400 miles away, in Geneva, thousands of representatives from the United Nations’ 190-plus members are attending the first all-nations Global Dialogue on AI Governance. The mood there, in the search for shared approaches to safeguard against potentially negative impacts from artificial intelligence, is rather more collegial. And this same week, out of the limelight, it has emerged that quiet coordination among 59 countries has produced yet another successful crackdown on global human trafficking. The BBC reported Monday that 1,024 people were arrested and at least 2,070 individuals were aided through an operation led by Interpol, the international law enforcement network.” (07/07/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0707/Rebuilding-the-bedrock-for-NATO-security
-----
32) How to Make the CDC Great Again
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Joseph Marine
“Afew months ago, I was one of several candidates under consideration for Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While I did not make the final cut, I was honored to be considered for such an important position. The administration has nominated a highly qualified team to lead the CDC and I wish them well. The experience gave me the opportunity to reflect on what reforms I would like to see at the CDC as it faces a pivot point in the history of medicine and public health. Here are six themes that I see as most important and urgent.” (07/08/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/how-to-make-the-cdc-great-again/
-----
33) Cure For Despair: Awe, Wonder & Humility
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“It is true that there is unfathomable cruelty in this world that will bring you crashing to your knees. And it is true that we are ruled by monsters with deeply entrenched power. But it is also true that we live in a mysterious universe whose ways are almost entirely unknown to us. And it is also true that we don’t really have any idea where humanity’s adventure is headed. … Our best scientists have produced no answers to any of life’s most significant questions, having to content themselves with a humble shrug over the most basic inquiries like why anything exists, what matter is, and what is the nature of consciousness.” (07/08/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/07/08/the-cure-for-despair-is-awe-wonder-and-humility/
-----
34) The Seeing Stones of Modern Warfare
Source: Law & Liberty
by Henry T Edmondson III
“Would J. R. R. Tolkien be pleased to see new military technology named in honor of Middle-earth?” (07/08/26)
https://lawliberty.org/the-seeing-stones-of-modern-warfare/
-----
35) Perhaps the Nazi Tattoo Was a Clue
Source: The Atlantic
by Mike Nelson
“Why was this horrific allegation the threshold when [Graham] Platner had so obviously transgressed so many times before? Perhaps Platner’s Nazi tattoo should have been a sufficient indicator that he lacked the character to be a senator. Perhaps maintaining that SS logo for two decades, covering it up only when it became politically inconvenient, demonstrated that he lacked the judgment for national office. Perhaps a multiyear history of not just having abhorrent views about women and minorities, but feeling the need to post them for the world to see, could have told us that he is not the person to be Maine’s voice in Washington. Maybe a well-documented history of contemptible behavior in his personal life should have been enough, when taken with everything else, for Democrats to conclude that Platner was exactly the person he appeared to be.” (07/08/26)
https://archive.is/g32yt
-----
36) The Indestructible Aspiration Toward Freedom
Source: Mindset Shifts
by Barry Brownstein
“Can the transformation of America into a ‘State without freedom’ be stopped? Is it possible to learn of the dangers to freedom and human progress without first living through our own bitter experiences? I know it is fashionable to believe that the new wave of communist/Islamist candidates is hardly a threat to become mainstream outside of blue urban centers in the United States. History says we are one economic crisis away from that view being proven wrong.” (07/08/26)
https://mindsetshifts.substack.com/p/the-indestructible-aspiration-toward
-----
37) Dems ignored every warning sign in Graham Platner’s Senate disaster
Source: Fox News
by Mark Penn
“Federalist No. 62, written by James Madison, outlines the nature of the Senate and the qualifications of senators — they were older, more removed from politics, with six-year staggered terms, and meant to cool the hot-tempered passions of the House of Representatives. Guess Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner and the party organizers didn’t read that one. They are recruiting senators with exactly the opposite qualifications — inexperienced, reckless, flamboyant and unstable. Platner was unqualified from Day One — he had zero life accomplishments of any note, his political viewpoints were extreme, and he had no understanding of the complex issues that a senator would need to be effective. No matter — Democratic leaders showered him with support as a new kind of TikTok Democrat. And that is typically what the left is recruiting and selling to its voters.” (07/08/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/mark-penn-democrats-ignored-every-warning-sign-graham-platner-senate-disaster
-----
38) Tom Blanton, Awesome Antiwar Artist, RIP
Source: JimBovard.com
by James Bovard
“One of America’s most talented antiwar artists and political satirists passed away last week. Tom Blanton did one of the best daily roundups of government oppression and outrages stories on the Internet. His Project for a New American Revolution was an inspiration for me and thousands of other folks over the years. Tom was also one of the best and funniest headline writers I knew. He was principled, courageous, and talented as the day is long. He was 68 years old and a lifetime resident of Richmond, Virginia. His Flickr page showcases his political art and other smackdowns of contemporary culture from the last 15 years. His artwork is shareable under a C.C. 4.0 license.” (07/08/26)
https://jimbovard.com/blog/2026/07/08/tom-blanton-awesome-antiwar-artist-rip/
-----
39) Inside the growing religious revolt against Christian Zionism
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Connor Echols
“Faith groups battled over Israel Tuesday during a marathon day of lobbying on Capitol Hill.” (07/08/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/christians-united-for-israel-lobbying/
-----
40) “Guns Versus Butter”: Tracing the Dark Origins of a Classic Economic Model
Source: The Daily Economy
by Daniel J Smith
“The phrase’s apparent origins in Nazi Germany—and its grim use during the 1930s and 1940s—highlight a basic truth: prioritizing guns over butter ultimately imposes the cost of lower living standards on ordinary citizens.” (07/08/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/guns-versus-butter-tracing-the-dark-origins-of-a-classic-economic-model/
-----
41) What I Saw When I Stopped Pretending
Source: Common Dreams
by Mercedez
“Some of the most peaceful moments of my life were spent standing on the deck of a US Navy aircraft carrier just before dawn. It feels like looking over the entire ocean, into endless blue water. An aircraft carrier is massive—like a floating city on the sea—and yet you can still feel the gentle rocking from the ocean’s waves through the soles of your feet. When you breathe into this moment—the salty air filling your lungs—you’re reminded of how incredibly small you are in the grand scheme of things. The realization causes a sort of lightness and fluttering within the chest, an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all that you cannot understand. Then the day begins. The launch of the first F/A-18 fighter jet tears a sonic hole through the silent morning.” (07/08/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/seeing-truth-of-us-military
-----
42) Far-Left Dem Says 9/11 Was Blowback. So Did Pat Buchanan
Source: The American Conservative
by Jack Hunter
“Last week, far-left Democrat Melat Kiros won her Denver, Colorado, U.S. House primary against 15-term incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette, making the 29-year-old the latest in a slew of democratic socialists to have defeated establishment Democrats in this midterm election cycle. … Kiros in particular has come under fire, particularly from some conservatives, for depicting Islamic terrorism as blowback from American and Israeli policies. … The neocons used to insinuate the same about Pat Buchanan, a cofounder of this magazine, because he too explained terrorist attacks by reference to U.S. and Israeli policies.” (07/08/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/far-left-dem-says-9-11-was-blowback-so-did-pat-buchanan/
-----
43) Is This Country Having Its Socialist Moment?
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Connor O’Keeffe
“Despite the surface-level rhetoric used by all sides, the growing popularity of ‘socialism’ or ‘populism’ is primarily a non-ideological phenomenon. That becomes obvious if we look back in time. Because there was a period in the early twentieth century when the intellectual battle between advocates of socialism and capitalism was as rigorous and intellectual as many like to pretend it still is.” (07/08/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/country-having-its-socialist-moment
-----
44) A Nonpartisan Cure for a Partisan Supreme Court
Source: Checks & Balances
by Gary J Simson
“Rather than trying to neutralize the partisan results of a politicized appointment process, the Democrats would have done well to focus on depoliticizing the process that produced those partisan results. Court expansion threatens to make the process even more political, and although term limits – the other possible Supreme Court reform featured in a report commissioned by President Biden early in his term – is unlikely to make the process any more political, there’s no reason to expect it to make the process any less. A third possibility, however, holds a great deal of potential in this regard: Change the proportion of senators needed to confirm a Supreme Court nominee from a simple majority to two-thirds.” (07/07/26)
https://chkbal.substack.com/p/a-nonpartisan-cure-for-a-partisan
-----
45) Mamdani’s AC warning revealed NY power grid in big trouble, and it’s a problem he helped cause
Source: New York Post
by Ken Girardin
“As temperatures hit 100 degrees last week, New York City’s unconventional mayor did something pretty conventional: He urged people to use less electricity. But when Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged residents to set their air conditioners to 78 degrees (a past practice of both Democrats and Republicans alike), he revealed something far more harmful than the heat index: how much Albany’s policies have driven New York City’s power grid to the point of collapse. Several factors are at play every summer. About 90% of homes today have air conditioning; as recently as the 1980s, most didn’t. Portions of the electric system are extremely old by national standards, and the sheer physics of generating and distributing the appropriate voltage and amperage to every corner of such a dense and diverse cityscape borders on the miraculous.” (07/08/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/07/08/opinion/mamdanis-ac-warning-accidentally-revealed-a-problem-he-helped-cause/
-----
46) Automated Moderation Is Here to Stay
Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation
by Jillian C York & Corynne McSherry
“Six years ago—one month into a global pandemic—we argued that the automated moderation processes many platforms were rapidly adopting should be highly transparent, easily appealable, and temporary. We warned that ‘protocols adopted in times of crisis often persist when the crisis is over.’ That warning proved prescient. The use of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to identify, flag, and moderate content has become the new norm—a permanent feature of how platforms govern speech online. In this two part series, we’re take stock of this new norm, and considering what platforms can and should do to ensure that AI serves online expression rather than stifling it.” (07/07/26)
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/part-1-automated-moderation-here-stay
-----
47) Gigless in Seattle
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“A few years ago, Seattle imposed what amounted to a $26 an hour minimum wage for persons who deliver food for app-based services like DoorDash. Unfortunately for drivers, they don’t get paid this wage while waiting for the next order they can deliver. Thanks to the new costs, customers say things like ‘I ordered a $12 sandwich. $12 grew to $32! I just deleted the app.’ Drivers say things like ‘Work has become slow because of the new law.’ DoorDash reports 1.7 million fewer orders in Seattle in 2024. The new law took effect in January of that year.” (07/07/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/07/07/gigless-in-seattle/
-----
48) How Section 702’s Lapse Is an Opportunity for Congress
Source: Independent Institute
by Ella Reed
“Congress recently allowed Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to lapse, now giving them until March 2027 before surveillance authority ends to extend, reform, or completely eliminate the program. If 702 is to be continued, Congress needs to use this eight-month window to revise 702 to meet constitutional standards that protect Americans’ privacy, a standard that each reform attempt thus far has consistently fallen short of.” (07/07/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/07/07/section-702s-lapse-opportunity/
-----
49) The Great AI Repricing Isn’t Going Well
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“Artificial intelligence firms initially justified their extreme capital investment (the four largest tech companies expect to spend more than $750 billion for AI infrastructure just this year) by saying that the technology would replace all human workers. They’ve since recognized what an unbelievably bad PR pitch that was, and have pivoted to promote a sunnier scenario where ‘we’re going to be able to keep people at the center of everything’, as OpenAI’s Sam Altman said in May. But there’s a sobering reality underneath the rhetorical shift: AI is turning out to be more expensive for businesses than paying their workers. And that could be one of the many triggers that collapses the fragile economic edifice that the dreams of AI are propping up. The news has mostly been relegated to the business pages, but AI firms repriced their product for business customers in recent months.” (07/08/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/07/08/great-ai-repricing-isnt-going-well/
-----
50) Sixteen Fun Facts About Me
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“I cannot remember a time when I wasn’t extraordinarily arrogant by disposition. Even when I was five years old, I felt like my mom was making glaring mistakes and should take orders from me. And I bluntly told her so! When I started collecting minor accomplishments, my inner sense of self-satisfaction grew stronger and stronger. Now it’s sky high.” (07/07/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/sixteen-fun-facts-about-me
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) The Science of Politics, 07/08/26
Source: Niskanen Center
“The rise of small donors is mostly making politics worse.” (07/08/26)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/the-rise-of-small-donors-is-mostly-making-politics-worse/
-----
52) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 07/08/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Can We Stop The Military Merger With Israel? With Guest Dennis Kuciinich.” (07/08/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1NGarrpNRElJj
-----
53) Homeschool Workshop, 07/08/26
Source: Homeschool Workshop
“Fixing up the lawn mower with the boys.” (07/08/26)
https://rumble.com/v7cfssm-fixing-up-the-lawn-mower-with-the-boys.html
-----
54) Rising, 07/08/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on the new allegations against Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, which have led to many Democrats calling for him to drop out.” (07/08/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5951300-rising-july-8-2026/
-----
55) Reasonably Optimistic, 07/08/26
Source: Washington Post
“How populists turn distrust into power.” (07/08/26)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/impromptu/how-populists-turn-distrust-into-power/
-----
56) Reason Interview: Clark Neily
Source: Reason
“Can the Supreme Court Still Restrain Executive Power?” (07/08/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/07/08/can-the-supreme-court-still-restrain-executive-power/
-----
57) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 07/08/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Pick-and-Choose Isolationism | Interview: Aaron MacLean.” (07/08/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/pick-and-choose-isolationism-interview-aaron-maclean/
-----
58) The Fifth Column, episode 565
Source: The Fifth Column
“Are We the Baddies? The Graham Platner Reckoning (w/ Kat Rosenfield).” (07/07/26)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/are-we-the-baddies-the-graham-platner
-----
59) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 07/07/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“As the American Empire Collapses, Can We Salvage a Republic?” (07/07/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/the-kyle-anzalone-show-as-the-american-empire-collapses-can-we-salvage-a-republic/
-----
60) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 07/07/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Ukraine: The Dark Specter Haunting The NATO Summit.” (07/07/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1RKjppqLQvNJw
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Today's Freedom News:
1) US, Iranian regimes exchange intensifying fire across Persian Gulf
2) Russia: Ukrainian drones batter oil facilities, set more tankers ablaze
3) ME: Platner drops out of Senate race, allowing Democrats to replace him
4) Trump to ask SCOTUS for new hearing on whether he can repeal constitutional provisions by executive order
5) Judge orders sexual assailant to pay $5.8 million he owes to victim
6) Germany: Berlin court sentences a doctor to life for murdering 15 patients under palliative care
7) Waymo goes driverless in Las Vegas, with Denver, San Diego, Tampa next
8) Sudan: Drone strikes on civilian vehicles kill at least 20, rights groups say
9) Bezos’s Blue Origin valued at $130 billion in first public fundraising round
10) PM says Denmark’s regime will defend Greenland as Trump threatens to revive NATO crisis
11) Conditional pardon granted for Ruth Ellis, last woman executed in UK
12) Sources: Hegseth Cancels Meeting With Netanyahu Over Possible Sale of F-35s to Turkey
13) ME: Platner trying to put “thumb on the scale” vis a vis replacement Senate candidate, Democratic Party claims
14) Singapore: Changes underway in smaller opposition parties as leaders quit
15) Nigeria: President demands to know how fake agency was allegedly set up in his office
16) Senile reality TV star babbles about halting US trade with Spain
17) Brazil: Parents face prison sentence for homeschooling after court accuses them of “intellectual neglect”
18) NYC: Highrise deemed stable after officials earlier warned it could collapse
19) UT: DNA evidence from Charlie Kirk assassination disputed by defendant’s lawyers
20) Iraq’s holy cities host funeral processions for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) LPR cameras are watching you
22) The Economic Morality of Rotisserie Chicken
23) Warren’s Plan To “Fix” Social Security Would Be Largest Tax Increase in Over 40 Years
24) A Song of FIRE and ICE
25) Don’t Lock Young Americans Into Social Security
26) We Must Have a Rebirth of Instinctive Patriotism
27) The Resilience Paradox: How Military Strikes Are Bolstering Iran’s Cohesion
28) Why Americans Choose Domestic Travel in 2026
29) Why Are Democrats So Evil?
30) New Data Show Rising Demand for Innovative Schooling Models
31) Rebuilding the bedrock for NATO security
32) How to Make the CDC Great Again
33) Cure For Despair: Awe, Wonder & Humility
34) The Seeing Stones of Modern Warfare
35) Perhaps the Nazi Tattoo Was a Clue
36) The Indestructible Aspiration Toward Freedom
37) Dems ignored every warning sign in Graham Platner’s Senate disaster
38) Tom Blanton, Awesome Antiwar Artist, RIP
39) Inside the growing religious revolt against Christian Zionism
40) “Guns Versus Butter”: Tracing the Dark Origins of a Classic Economic Model
41) What I Saw When I Stopped Pretending
42) Far-Left Dem Says 9/11 Was Blowback. So Did Pat Buchanan
43) Is This Country Having Its Socialist Moment?
44) A Nonpartisan Cure for a Partisan Supreme Court
45) Mamdani’s AC warning revealed NY power grid in big trouble, and it’s a problem he helped cause
46) Automated Moderation Is Here to Stay
47) Gigless in Seattle
48) How Section 702’s Lapse Is an Opportunity for Congress
49) The Great AI Repricing Isn’t Going Well
50) Sixteen Fun Facts About Me
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) The Science of Politics, 07/08/26
52) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 07/08/26
53) Homeschool Workshop, 07/08/26
54) Rising, 07/08/26
55) Reasonably Optimistic, 07/08/26
56) Reason Interview: Clark Neily
57) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 07/08/26
58) The Fifth Column, episode 565
59) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 07/07/26
60) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 07/07/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) US, Iranian regimes exchange intensifying fire across Persian Gulf
Source: Associated Press
“The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar in crossfire that again threatened an interim deal intended to help end the war in the Persian Gulf. The strikes came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of the fragile ceasefire. The U.S. struck a variety of military sites and port facilities early Wednesday after Iran targeted several merchant vessels off the coast of Oman, sparking Iranian fire then as well. But Thursday’s attacks appeared bigger all around, with sirens sounding at least three times in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters. There was no immediate word of damage in the three Gulf Arab countries from attacks claimed by Iran’s military.” (07/09/26)
https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-war-oil-july-9-2026-0472764b119d7aa204de4f7f5e44a9bf
-----
2) Russia: Ukrainian drones batter oil facilities, set more tankers ablaze
Source: AOL
“Ukrainian drones on Thursday hit more Russian oil facilities and set two oil tankers ablaze in the Sea of Azov, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to grant Ukraine a license to manufacture the Patriot air defense systems. … Early Thursday, a Ukrainian drone strike triggered a fire at an oil depot in the city of Tver in western Russia, according to acting regional Gov. Vitaly Korolyov. And in the southern Stavropol region, Gov. Vladimir Vladimirov said oil reservoirs has been set ablaze by Ukrainian drones in Vyazniki. … In the Sea of Azov, Ukrainian drones set two oil tankers ablaze, according to Rostov Gov. Yuri Slusar, who said that one of the ships was still burning and the crews were evacuated.” (07/09/26)
https://www.aol.com/articles/ukrainian-drones-batter-russian-oil-075400000.html
-----
3) ME: Platner drops out of Senate race, allowing Democrats to replace him
Source: NBC News
“Graham Platner announced Wednesday he’s ending his Senate campaign, capping a chaotic few days of uncertainty and Democratic infighting and leaving the party without a candidate in the vitally important Maine race this fall. The announcement by the populist [sic] progressive [sic] came after a woman he dated accused him of sexual assault in 2021, causing his support to hemorrhage even among top Democratic allies, who rescinded their endorsements and called on him to drop out.” (07/08/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/graham-platner-drops-senate-bid-maine-rcna353199
-----
4) Trump to ask SCOTUS for new hearing on whether he can repeal constitutional provisions by executive order
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“US President Donald Trump says he plans to ask the United States Supreme Court to rehear a recent case which struck down his order to end birthright citizenship for all individuals born in the US. The court last month rejected Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship in the US, but speaking on Wednesday, the president said he will ask for the case to be heard again. … Trump called the latest ruling ‘too bad for our country’ and appealed to Republicans in Congress to pass legislation constricting birthright citizenship. That will likely prove to be an uphill battle, with public opinion polls regularly showing strong public support for the practice and the Supreme Court’s majority opinion [noting that] a constitutional amendment would be required.” (07/09/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/9/trump-to-ask-us-supreme-court-for-new-hearing-on-birthright-citizenship
-----
5) Judge orders sexual assailant to pay $5.8 million he owes to victim
Source: The Hill
“A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the release of $5.8 million to E. Jean Carroll three years after the jury awarded payment for damages caused by President Trump. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said Carroll should receive the funds, which were placed in an escrow account while Trump appealed a verdict that found him liable for defaming Carroll. During his first term in the Oval Office, Trump said Carroll’s claims that he sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in Manhattan were a ‘con job’ and ‘hoax.’ A jury determined his statements were defamatory and negatively impacted Carroll professionally. The Supreme Court declined to hear Trump’s appeal to overturn the case without an explanation or reasoning last week. … Trump’s lawyers appealed Kaplan’s ruling less than an hour after it was issued.” (07/08/26)
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5959559-judge-orders-5m-release-carroll
-----
6) Germany: Berlin court sentences a doctor to life for murdering 15 patients under palliative care
Source: Associated Press
“A Berlin court on Wednesday convicted and sentenced a German doctor to life in prison on charges of murdering 15 of his patients who were under palliative care, in a case involving allegations he torched the homes of victims to try to cover up the crimes. The 41-year-old doctor, who has only been identified as Johannes M. in line with Germany’s privacy rules, went on trial nearly a year ago at a Berlin state court. Part of an end-of-life care team at a nursing service in Berlin, he was initially suspected of the deaths of four patients. Prosecutors eventually accused him of the deaths of 15 people between September 2021 and July 2024. The Berlin court found the physician administered a lethal mixture of various medications to 12 women and three men, German news agency dpa reported.” (07/08/26)
https://apnews.com/article/germany-berlin-doctor-trial-patients-deaths-palliative-a0cf1ff36954af7dd1ce51120dc6933d
-----
7) Waymo goes driverless in Las Vegas, with Denver, San Diego, Tampa next
Source: Electrek
“Waymo has activated fully driverless operations in Las Vegas, its riders will now see vehicles with no human at the wheel, and the Alphabet unit says Denver, San Diego, and Tampa are next in line. The move adds four new markets to Waymo’s driverless footprint and pushes the company deeper into its target of 1 million paid rides per week by the end of 2026. … Waymo now operates a fleet of roughly 3,500 robotaxis and has surpassed 20 million trips. It was providing around 500,000 paid rides per week across its existing markets earlier this year, which include Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando.” (07/08/26)
https://electrek.co/2026/07/08/waymo-driverless-las-vegas-four-new-cities
-----
8) Sudan: Drone strikes on civilian vehicles kill at least 20, rights groups say
Source: ABC News
“Drone strikes on civilian vehicles headed to social gatherings in Sudan have killed over 20 people in recent day, according to rights groups, as the use of unmanned aircraft becomes increasingly common in the north eastern African country’s war. A drone hit the outskirts of Khartoum killing 10 civilians, including five women from the same family, as they drove to a wedding, the Sudan Doctors Network said Wednesday. The medical aid group, which has been tracking violence between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces throughout the war — which is in its fourth year — blamed Tuesday’s attack on a road west of Omdurman, the sister city of the capital, Khartoum, on the RSF. All of those on the vehicle, which caught fire, were killed.” (07/08/26)
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/drone-strikes-civilian-vehicles-kill-20-sudan-rights-134576979
-----
9) Bezos’s Blue Origin valued at $130 billion in first public fundraising round
Source: CNBC
“Jeff Bezos’[s] Blue Origin is raising about $10 billion, in its first outside funding round that will value the rocket company at $130 billion, sources told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin. Bezos is set to contribute $2 billion into the round, along with about $4 billion from hedge fund Coatue Management, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the details are private. The remaining $4 billion has seen significant demand, with several major investors expected to participate, the people said. … Bezos has in the past funded Blue Origin solely through sales of his Amazon stock. In 2024, Bezos said he believed Blue Origin will one day be a bigger company than Amazon.” (07/08/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/08/blue-origin-bezos-fundraising.html
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10) PM says Denmark’s regime will defend Greenland as Trump threatens to revive NATO crisis
Source: Washington Post
“Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declared at a NATO summit on Wednesday that her country would defend its territory as President Donald Trump revived his longtime demand for control of Greenland. Earlier this year, Trump sharply raised tensions with allies and seemed to push NATO to a breaking point with his threats to seize Greenland …. Allies stood up to the president and Trump backed down, saying at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he had reached the framework of a deal brokered by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. But almost as soon as he arrived to meet NATO counterparts in Turkey, Trump restarted the fight, telling reporters that Greenland ‘should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark.’ … Asked if Denmark would defend its territory from friend or foe alike, Frederiksen said, ‘Of course we will defend the kingdom of Denmark.'” (07/08/26)
https://archive.is/8d9lR
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11) Conditional pardon granted for Ruth Ellis, last woman executed in UK
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the UK, has been granted a posthumous conditional pardon. Ellis was hanged at London’s Holloway Prison in 1955 after being convicted of murdering her lover David Blakely. Her family have campaigned for her murder conviction to be overturned, arguing she was a victim of domestic abuse and was physically and emotionally abused by Blakely before shooting him. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told MPs the King had granted the pardon, saying that the death penalty had been replaced with a sentence of life imprisonment.” (07/08/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crel4rj801do
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12) Sources: Hegseth Cancels Meeting With Netanyahu Over Possible Sale of F-35s to Turkey
Source: US News & World Report
“U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth canceled a meeting that had been scheduled for Wednesday to discuss the possible sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an Israeli source told Reuters. Any such sale would likely anger Israeli officials. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Hegseth had also been scheduled to meet Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on a trip to Israel and that Iran would feature in their discussions. … In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Netanyahu said he opposed the sale of F-35s to Turkey, and that he had made his opposition clear to Trump.” (07/08/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-07-08/hegseth-to-meet-netanyahu-over-possible-sale-of-f-35s-to-turkey-source-tells-reuters
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13) ME: Platner trying to put “thumb on the scale” vis a vis replacement Senate candidate, Democratic Party claims
Source: New York Post
“Graham Platner seems not to like taking no for an answer. The head of the Maine Democratic Party accused the embattled Senate candidate and alleged rapist late Tuesday of trying to put his ‘thumb on the scale’ as the party scrambles to find a replacement ahead of the November election. … ‘We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner’s team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the US Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like,’ [MDP Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson said]. ‘We have also reiterated that Graham Platner must drop out of this race, so that Democrats in Maine can focus on defeating Susan Collins this November. ‘We look forward to making this process public as soon as Graham Platner formally withdraws from this race.'” (07/08/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/07/08/us-news/graham-platner-trying-to-put-his-thumb-on-the-scale-as-maine-democrats-look-for-replacement-senate-candidate-state-party-claims/
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14) Singapore: Changes underway in smaller opposition parties as leaders quit
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“A year since the dust settled on the Singapore general election, leadership resignations in two small opposition parties signal a period of post-poll recalibration after disappointing results. The once-promising Progress Singapore Party (PSP), led by ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) defector Tan Cheng Bock, was dealt an ‘existential blow’ on Monday, analysts say, following the resignations of two central executive committee members. … Also on Monday, People’s Power Party (PPP) announced its secretary general, Goh Meng Seng, had been replaced by William Lim Lian Chin. Goh had said he would step down after his team’s dismal showing in the four-way contest in the Tampines constituency.” (07/08/26)
https://archive.is/3I0LD
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15) Nigeria: President demands to know how fake agency was allegedly set up in his office
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Nigeria’s president has ordered a corruption investigation into allegations that a fictitious government agency was set up within his own office, complete with public funding worth $950,000 (£700,000). According to the presidency, the letter from the president’s chief of staff creating the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) had been forged. The police have launched a manhunt for Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who had been presenting himself as the ‘PFIPC director general’, on suspicion of forgery, impersonation and related offences. Before going into hiding, Adeyemi told local media that he was innocent and now feared for his life. He also promised to show up in court to clear his name, saying the body was lawfully established. He accused senior government officials of demanding bribes during the process of his appointment and later attempting to take control of the council’s funds.” (07/08/26)
https://archive.is/u5qVE
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16) Senile reality TV star babbles about halting US trade with Spain
Source: Politico
“U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was cutting off trade with Spain over defense spending — reviving a long-running feud between Washington and Madrid. ‘I didn’t speak to Spain. Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore,’ he told reporters ahead of a meeting with fellow NATO leaders in Ankara. ‘By the way, I’d like you to cut it off,’ he added, appearing to address U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. … However, it’s unclear how Trump’s idea would work as Spain is a member of the EU, which is in charge of trade policy for all of its member countries.” (07/08/26)
https://archive.is/2YHxC
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17) Brazil: Parents face prison sentence for homeschooling after court accuses them of “intellectual neglect”
Source: Fox News
“A Brazilian court has sentenced a couple to 50 days in prison for ‘intellectual neglect’ after they homeschooled their two daughters without a state-approved curriculum. A São Paulo criminal court ruled against Audato and Ieda Denardi, alleging they had failed to include programs on ‘gender and sex education’ and ‘tolerance and diversity’ in the curriculum for their daughters, aged 15 and 11, Alliance Defending Freedom (‘ADF’) International said. According to the legal group, the court also ruled that the parents failed to properly integrate their children into Brazilian culture, citing the girls’ preference for religious and classical music over popular trap or ‘sertanejo’ (folk) music. Isabel Monteiro, the defense attorney representing the family, said the judge made an ‘ideological decision to convict them’ based largely on the older daughter’s preference for sacred music over mainstream music that often features explicit lyrics.” (07/08/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/media/brazil-parents-face-prison-sentence-homeschooling-court-accuses-intellectual-neglect
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18) NYC: Highrise deemed stable after officials earlier warned it could collapse
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“An under-construction Manhattan highrise at risk of collapse was stabilized late Tuesday and some evacuations of nearby buildings were lifted. ‘We’ve been monitoring the building for many hours and have not seen any movement,’ Ahmed Tigani, commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings, said during a news conference Tuesday. By nighttime, residents were allowed back into several of the seven buildings that were evacuated as a precaution. The scene unfolded throughout the day after the precarious conditions were spotted in the morning at the 1970s-era building, which is being converted into luxury apartments. Construction workers at the site and people in nearby buildings — including a school, diplomatic offices and several hotels — in the busy corridor of midtown were rushed out after firefighters were called there around 8 a.m. ET.” (07/07/26)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/new-york-city-high-rise-danger-9.7261602
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19) UT: DNA evidence from Charlie Kirk assassination disputed by defendant’s lawyers
Source: SFGate
“Lawyers for the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk are expected to keep questioning the reliability of DNA testing that prosecutors said links the defendant to the suspected murder weapon when a weeklong hearing continues Wednesday. A member of Tyler Robinson’s defense team interrogated a DNA analyst from the FBI on Tuesday about the techniques she used to connect Robinson to a rifle found wrapped inside a towel at Utah Valley University, where Kirk was shot in September while speaking to a crowd. Defense lawyer Michael Burt cast doubt on the analyst’s conclusions — a theme that’s likely to come up again during the five-day preliminary hearing. ‘She can’t match Mr. Robinson to the questioned samples,’ Burt concluded. Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride countered that the reliability of the DNA testing could be examined if the case goes to trial.” (07/08/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/dna-evidence-from-charlie-kirk-assassination-22336853.php
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20) Iraq’s holy cities host funeral processions for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei
Source: The New Arab [UK]
“Thousands thronged the streets of Najaf on Wednesday as the coffin of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, moved through the holy city in a procession devoted to Iraq, home to Shia Islam’s most sacred shrines. … After a massive procession in Iran’s holy city of Qom, Iraqi officials and senior politicians received Khamenei’s remains on Tuesday night at Najaf International Airport, in the presence of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and one of the late leader’s sons. … Khamenei’s final burial will take place on Thursday in his hometown of Mashhad in northeast Iran.” (07/08/26)
https://www.newarab.com/news/iraqs-holy-cities-host-funeral-processions-irans-khamenei
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) LPR cameras are watching you
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“One of the most important fights in our lifetime, a fight for the future of America, is shaping up right over our heads. It’s the fight against license plate reader cameras and the related spyware that is already being used against you and your liberty. This may even be more important and urgent than defending the natural human right to own and to carry weapons without government interference. These data collectors will be used to violate your right to bear arms and all your other rights as well. If this is to be stopped, it must be stopped now. Before long, it will be too entrenched to stop.” (07/08/26)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2026/07/08/voices/opinion-lpr-cameras-are-watching-you/233796.html
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22) The Economic Morality of Rotisserie Chicken
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Angelo Monaco
“Inflation has hit grocery bills hard over the last four years, making it incredibly difficult for middle- and lower-income families to stretch a budget. For $4.99, a family can provide a meal by buying a whole, fully cooked, three pound chicken. Pound for pound, it is one of the most efficient, nutritious, and accessible sources of lean protein available in the modern marketplace; it costs significantly less than one Big Mac while providing vastly superior nutritional value. … When describing my observation to a group of academics, rather than commenting on the economics of this phenomenon they angrily asked, ‘Do you consider the treatment of all those chickens to be fair?’ Huh?” (07/08/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-economic-morality-of-rotisserie-chicken
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23) Warren’s Plan To “Fix” Social Security Would Be Largest Tax Increase in Over 40 Years
Source: Reason
by Eric Boehm
“Her plan is being pitched as a tax on the wealthy, but half the burden would fall on businesses. That would have dire consequences for the economy.” (07/08/26)
https://reason.com/2026/07/08/warrens-plan-to-fix-social-security-would-be-largest-tax-increase-in-over-40-years/
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24) A Song of FIRE and ICE
Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson
“Can we all agree that Todd Lyons is kind of a sissy? The former acting director of ICE, the immigration enforcement agency that Donald Trump uses as his personal, occasionally homicidal goon squad, received an email nastygram from the author of Best Bike Rides Connecticut, David Streever, who is exactly the kind of imposing, Jason Statham-esque tough guy you’d figure the author of Best Bike Rides Connecticut is going to be. The email was pretty mild stuff—Shame on you, basically. Compared him to a Nazi, etc. Lyons, who has 22,000 armed agents at his disposal, was so freaked out that he sent ICE agents to Streeter’s house and then tracked him down while he was traveling with his 7-year-old daughter.” (07/08/26)
https://archive.is/ghK0C
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25) Don’t Lock Young Americans Into Social Security
Source: RealClearPolitics
by Sam Raus
“The Social Security trust fund is projected to run out of money by 2032. Without legislative reforms, retirement benefits for tens of millions of Americans could face significant cuts. As lawmakers debate how to preserve the program, most proposals focus on raising payroll tax revenue or making other budgetary adjustments. But these discussions miss a larger point: The program itself is increasingly ill-suited for younger generations. Rather than forcing Americans into a system that may not deliver on its promises, policymakers should allow young workers to opt out and prepare for retirement in their own way.” (07/07/26)
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2026/07/07/dont_lock_young_americans_into_social_security_154307.html
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26) We Must Have a Rebirth of Instinctive Patriotism
Source: American Greatness
by Ned Ryun & Ed McFadden
“On the nation’s 250th anniversary, the mayor of the country’s largest city sat at a desk once used by George Washington and told Americans what was wrong with American exceptionalism. The story of this country, he said, has too often been written by people told they did not belong. Its achievements were really won by the excluded, in spite of America. Dissent, not gratitude, he intoned, is the truest form of patriotism. It was a deceptive speech, and it deserves a response grounded in facts because the argument now runs well beyond one mayor. A rising movement has made the critique of exceptionalism something close to a creed. And it rests on a lie so foundational that, once revealed, the falsehood collapses. The lie is this: that American exceptionalism means Americans are exceptional people.” (07/08/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/07/08/we-must-have-a-rebirth-of-instinctive-patriotism/
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27) The Resilience Paradox: How Military Strikes Are Bolstering Iran’s Cohesion
Source: Antiwar.com
by Peter Rodgers
“Wars are seldom judged fairly in the immediate aftermath. Generals and analysts often focus on tallies of destroyed sites, intercepted projectiles, and tactical wins. Yet the deeper political fallout usually surfaces later – and it has a habit of defying the expectations of those who started the fight. History offers plenty of examples where short-term military victories sowed the seeds of longer-term strategic setbacks. This reality merits close attention when evaluating the recent U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran. The central issue may not be simply how much Iranian military hardware was damaged. More important is whether the conflict has reshaped Iran’s internal politics in ways that run counter to what Washington and its partners hoped. If the goal of prolonged sanctions, isolation, and military action was to erode the Islamic Republic’s governing strength, the picture that’s emerging looks more nuanced than many anticipated.” (07/08/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/peter_rodgers/2026/07/07/the-resilience-paradox-how-military-strikes-are-bolstering-irans-cohesion/
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28) Why Americans Choose Domestic Travel in 2026
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey
“Economic pressures and strict travel rules force Americans to cut back on international trips to places like the Bahamas and Jamaica. People choose to spend their money at home. They take vacations within the United States. We see this shift happening right now. The data show Americans changing their travel habits. Travelers from other countries do the same when visiting the United States.” (07/08/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/why-americans-choose-domestic-travel
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29) Why Are Democrats So Evil?
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis
“Recent Breitbart headline: ‘Report: Graham Platner Accused of Breaking Into Woman’s House, Sexually Assaulting Her; Campaign Canceled Multiple Events Over Weekend; Source: Platner Dropping Out This Week?!’ Well, let’s hope that this accusation against Platner proves to be false. It would be nice to see him drop out, but that is really irrelevant; the Democrats would just nominate somebody who, philosophically and politically, is equally rotten, but who maybe could avoid all the accusations of misconduct that have plagued Platner. Regardless of that, my question for this article is how did the Democrats become so vile as to get to a point where they would nominate people like Graham Platner in the first place? How did they sink to the putrid immoral depths they have degenerated to? And screaming, ‘Look how terrible Donald Trump is!’ is not an answer.” (07/08/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2026/07/08/why-are-democrats-so-evil-n2678997
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30) New Data Show Rising Demand for Innovative Schooling Models
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Kerry McDonald
“Demand for new schooling models continues to climb, and entrepreneurial educators plan to grow to meet that demand. That is the key takeaway from a recent survey of school founders conducted by our team here at FEE’s Education Entrepreneurship Lab. This spring, we asked the 200+ applicants to last year’s FEE Enterprising Founding Award to complete a survey about the status of their innovative schools and learning spaces, including private schools, microschools, hybrid schools, homeschooling collaboratives, and online learning platforms. More than 70 school founders responded, offering eye-opening insights about the current landscape of emerging schooling models and its future direction.” (07/08/26)
https://fee.org/articles/new-data-show-rising-demand-for-innovative-schooling-models/
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31) Rebuilding the bedrock for NATO security
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“This week, many eyes – at least when not glued to the World Cup soccer matches onscreen – are on Ankara, Turkey. There, the heads of NATO’s 32 member countries are gathered for the transatlantic alliance’s annual summit, amid a rather fractious atmosphere. Some 1,400 miles away, in Geneva, thousands of representatives from the United Nations’ 190-plus members are attending the first all-nations Global Dialogue on AI Governance. The mood there, in the search for shared approaches to safeguard against potentially negative impacts from artificial intelligence, is rather more collegial. And this same week, out of the limelight, it has emerged that quiet coordination among 59 countries has produced yet another successful crackdown on global human trafficking. The BBC reported Monday that 1,024 people were arrested and at least 2,070 individuals were aided through an operation led by Interpol, the international law enforcement network.” (07/07/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0707/Rebuilding-the-bedrock-for-NATO-security
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32) How to Make the CDC Great Again
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Joseph Marine
“Afew months ago, I was one of several candidates under consideration for Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While I did not make the final cut, I was honored to be considered for such an important position. The administration has nominated a highly qualified team to lead the CDC and I wish them well. The experience gave me the opportunity to reflect on what reforms I would like to see at the CDC as it faces a pivot point in the history of medicine and public health. Here are six themes that I see as most important and urgent.” (07/08/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/how-to-make-the-cdc-great-again/
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33) Cure For Despair: Awe, Wonder & Humility
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“It is true that there is unfathomable cruelty in this world that will bring you crashing to your knees. And it is true that we are ruled by monsters with deeply entrenched power. But it is also true that we live in a mysterious universe whose ways are almost entirely unknown to us. And it is also true that we don’t really have any idea where humanity’s adventure is headed. … Our best scientists have produced no answers to any of life’s most significant questions, having to content themselves with a humble shrug over the most basic inquiries like why anything exists, what matter is, and what is the nature of consciousness.” (07/08/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/07/08/the-cure-for-despair-is-awe-wonder-and-humility/
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34) The Seeing Stones of Modern Warfare
Source: Law & Liberty
by Henry T Edmondson III
“Would J. R. R. Tolkien be pleased to see new military technology named in honor of Middle-earth?” (07/08/26)
https://lawliberty.org/the-seeing-stones-of-modern-warfare/
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35) Perhaps the Nazi Tattoo Was a Clue
Source: The Atlantic
by Mike Nelson
“Why was this horrific allegation the threshold when [Graham] Platner had so obviously transgressed so many times before? Perhaps Platner’s Nazi tattoo should have been a sufficient indicator that he lacked the character to be a senator. Perhaps maintaining that SS logo for two decades, covering it up only when it became politically inconvenient, demonstrated that he lacked the judgment for national office. Perhaps a multiyear history of not just having abhorrent views about women and minorities, but feeling the need to post them for the world to see, could have told us that he is not the person to be Maine’s voice in Washington. Maybe a well-documented history of contemptible behavior in his personal life should have been enough, when taken with everything else, for Democrats to conclude that Platner was exactly the person he appeared to be.” (07/08/26)
https://archive.is/g32yt
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36) The Indestructible Aspiration Toward Freedom
Source: Mindset Shifts
by Barry Brownstein
“Can the transformation of America into a ‘State without freedom’ be stopped? Is it possible to learn of the dangers to freedom and human progress without first living through our own bitter experiences? I know it is fashionable to believe that the new wave of communist/Islamist candidates is hardly a threat to become mainstream outside of blue urban centers in the United States. History says we are one economic crisis away from that view being proven wrong.” (07/08/26)
https://mindsetshifts.substack.com/p/the-indestructible-aspiration-toward
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37) Dems ignored every warning sign in Graham Platner’s Senate disaster
Source: Fox News
by Mark Penn
“Federalist No. 62, written by James Madison, outlines the nature of the Senate and the qualifications of senators — they were older, more removed from politics, with six-year staggered terms, and meant to cool the hot-tempered passions of the House of Representatives. Guess Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner and the party organizers didn’t read that one. They are recruiting senators with exactly the opposite qualifications — inexperienced, reckless, flamboyant and unstable. Platner was unqualified from Day One — he had zero life accomplishments of any note, his political viewpoints were extreme, and he had no understanding of the complex issues that a senator would need to be effective. No matter — Democratic leaders showered him with support as a new kind of TikTok Democrat. And that is typically what the left is recruiting and selling to its voters.” (07/08/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/mark-penn-democrats-ignored-every-warning-sign-graham-platner-senate-disaster
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38) Tom Blanton, Awesome Antiwar Artist, RIP
Source: JimBovard.com
by James Bovard
“One of America’s most talented antiwar artists and political satirists passed away last week. Tom Blanton did one of the best daily roundups of government oppression and outrages stories on the Internet. His Project for a New American Revolution was an inspiration for me and thousands of other folks over the years. Tom was also one of the best and funniest headline writers I knew. He was principled, courageous, and talented as the day is long. He was 68 years old and a lifetime resident of Richmond, Virginia. His Flickr page showcases his political art and other smackdowns of contemporary culture from the last 15 years. His artwork is shareable under a C.C. 4.0 license.” (07/08/26)
https://jimbovard.com/blog/2026/07/08/tom-blanton-awesome-antiwar-artist-rip/
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39) Inside the growing religious revolt against Christian Zionism
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Connor Echols
“Faith groups battled over Israel Tuesday during a marathon day of lobbying on Capitol Hill.” (07/08/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/christians-united-for-israel-lobbying/
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40) “Guns Versus Butter”: Tracing the Dark Origins of a Classic Economic Model
Source: The Daily Economy
by Daniel J Smith
“The phrase’s apparent origins in Nazi Germany—and its grim use during the 1930s and 1940s—highlight a basic truth: prioritizing guns over butter ultimately imposes the cost of lower living standards on ordinary citizens.” (07/08/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/guns-versus-butter-tracing-the-dark-origins-of-a-classic-economic-model/
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41) What I Saw When I Stopped Pretending
Source: Common Dreams
by Mercedez
“Some of the most peaceful moments of my life were spent standing on the deck of a US Navy aircraft carrier just before dawn. It feels like looking over the entire ocean, into endless blue water. An aircraft carrier is massive—like a floating city on the sea—and yet you can still feel the gentle rocking from the ocean’s waves through the soles of your feet. When you breathe into this moment—the salty air filling your lungs—you’re reminded of how incredibly small you are in the grand scheme of things. The realization causes a sort of lightness and fluttering within the chest, an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all that you cannot understand. Then the day begins. The launch of the first F/A-18 fighter jet tears a sonic hole through the silent morning.” (07/08/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/seeing-truth-of-us-military
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42) Far-Left Dem Says 9/11 Was Blowback. So Did Pat Buchanan
Source: The American Conservative
by Jack Hunter
“Last week, far-left Democrat Melat Kiros won her Denver, Colorado, U.S. House primary against 15-term incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette, making the 29-year-old the latest in a slew of democratic socialists to have defeated establishment Democrats in this midterm election cycle. … Kiros in particular has come under fire, particularly from some conservatives, for depicting Islamic terrorism as blowback from American and Israeli policies. … The neocons used to insinuate the same about Pat Buchanan, a cofounder of this magazine, because he too explained terrorist attacks by reference to U.S. and Israeli policies.” (07/08/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/far-left-dem-says-9-11-was-blowback-so-did-pat-buchanan/
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43) Is This Country Having Its Socialist Moment?
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Connor O’Keeffe
“Despite the surface-level rhetoric used by all sides, the growing popularity of ‘socialism’ or ‘populism’ is primarily a non-ideological phenomenon. That becomes obvious if we look back in time. Because there was a period in the early twentieth century when the intellectual battle between advocates of socialism and capitalism was as rigorous and intellectual as many like to pretend it still is.” (07/08/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/country-having-its-socialist-moment
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44) A Nonpartisan Cure for a Partisan Supreme Court
Source: Checks & Balances
by Gary J Simson
“Rather than trying to neutralize the partisan results of a politicized appointment process, the Democrats would have done well to focus on depoliticizing the process that produced those partisan results. Court expansion threatens to make the process even more political, and although term limits – the other possible Supreme Court reform featured in a report commissioned by President Biden early in his term – is unlikely to make the process any more political, there’s no reason to expect it to make the process any less. A third possibility, however, holds a great deal of potential in this regard: Change the proportion of senators needed to confirm a Supreme Court nominee from a simple majority to two-thirds.” (07/07/26)
https://chkbal.substack.com/p/a-nonpartisan-cure-for-a-partisan
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45) Mamdani’s AC warning revealed NY power grid in big trouble, and it’s a problem he helped cause
Source: New York Post
by Ken Girardin
“As temperatures hit 100 degrees last week, New York City’s unconventional mayor did something pretty conventional: He urged people to use less electricity. But when Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged residents to set their air conditioners to 78 degrees (a past practice of both Democrats and Republicans alike), he revealed something far more harmful than the heat index: how much Albany’s policies have driven New York City’s power grid to the point of collapse. Several factors are at play every summer. About 90% of homes today have air conditioning; as recently as the 1980s, most didn’t. Portions of the electric system are extremely old by national standards, and the sheer physics of generating and distributing the appropriate voltage and amperage to every corner of such a dense and diverse cityscape borders on the miraculous.” (07/08/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/07/08/opinion/mamdanis-ac-warning-accidentally-revealed-a-problem-he-helped-cause/
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46) Automated Moderation Is Here to Stay
Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation
by Jillian C York & Corynne McSherry
“Six years ago—one month into a global pandemic—we argued that the automated moderation processes many platforms were rapidly adopting should be highly transparent, easily appealable, and temporary. We warned that ‘protocols adopted in times of crisis often persist when the crisis is over.’ That warning proved prescient. The use of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to identify, flag, and moderate content has become the new norm—a permanent feature of how platforms govern speech online. In this two part series, we’re take stock of this new norm, and considering what platforms can and should do to ensure that AI serves online expression rather than stifling it.” (07/07/26)
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/part-1-automated-moderation-here-stay
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47) Gigless in Seattle
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“A few years ago, Seattle imposed what amounted to a $26 an hour minimum wage for persons who deliver food for app-based services like DoorDash. Unfortunately for drivers, they don’t get paid this wage while waiting for the next order they can deliver. Thanks to the new costs, customers say things like ‘I ordered a $12 sandwich. $12 grew to $32! I just deleted the app.’ Drivers say things like ‘Work has become slow because of the new law.’ DoorDash reports 1.7 million fewer orders in Seattle in 2024. The new law took effect in January of that year.” (07/07/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/07/07/gigless-in-seattle/
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48) How Section 702’s Lapse Is an Opportunity for Congress
Source: Independent Institute
by Ella Reed
“Congress recently allowed Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to lapse, now giving them until March 2027 before surveillance authority ends to extend, reform, or completely eliminate the program. If 702 is to be continued, Congress needs to use this eight-month window to revise 702 to meet constitutional standards that protect Americans’ privacy, a standard that each reform attempt thus far has consistently fallen short of.” (07/07/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/07/07/section-702s-lapse-opportunity/
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49) The Great AI Repricing Isn’t Going Well
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“Artificial intelligence firms initially justified their extreme capital investment (the four largest tech companies expect to spend more than $750 billion for AI infrastructure just this year) by saying that the technology would replace all human workers. They’ve since recognized what an unbelievably bad PR pitch that was, and have pivoted to promote a sunnier scenario where ‘we’re going to be able to keep people at the center of everything’, as OpenAI’s Sam Altman said in May. But there’s a sobering reality underneath the rhetorical shift: AI is turning out to be more expensive for businesses than paying their workers. And that could be one of the many triggers that collapses the fragile economic edifice that the dreams of AI are propping up. The news has mostly been relegated to the business pages, but AI firms repriced their product for business customers in recent months.” (07/08/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/07/08/great-ai-repricing-isnt-going-well/
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50) Sixteen Fun Facts About Me
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“I cannot remember a time when I wasn’t extraordinarily arrogant by disposition. Even when I was five years old, I felt like my mom was making glaring mistakes and should take orders from me. And I bluntly told her so! When I started collecting minor accomplishments, my inner sense of self-satisfaction grew stronger and stronger. Now it’s sky high.” (07/07/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/sixteen-fun-facts-about-me
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) The Science of Politics, 07/08/26
Source: Niskanen Center
“The rise of small donors is mostly making politics worse.” (07/08/26)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/the-rise-of-small-donors-is-mostly-making-politics-worse/
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52) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 07/08/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Can We Stop The Military Merger With Israel? With Guest Dennis Kuciinich.” (07/08/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1NGarrpNRElJj
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53) Homeschool Workshop, 07/08/26
Source: Homeschool Workshop
“Fixing up the lawn mower with the boys.” (07/08/26)
https://rumble.com/v7cfssm-fixing-up-the-lawn-mower-with-the-boys.html
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54) Rising, 07/08/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on the new allegations against Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, which have led to many Democrats calling for him to drop out.” (07/08/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5951300-rising-july-8-2026/
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55) Reasonably Optimistic, 07/08/26
Source: Washington Post
“How populists turn distrust into power.” (07/08/26)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/impromptu/how-populists-turn-distrust-into-power/
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56) Reason Interview: Clark Neily
Source: Reason
“Can the Supreme Court Still Restrain Executive Power?” (07/08/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/07/08/can-the-supreme-court-still-restrain-executive-power/
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57) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 07/08/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Pick-and-Choose Isolationism | Interview: Aaron MacLean.” (07/08/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/pick-and-choose-isolationism-interview-aaron-maclean/
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58) The Fifth Column, episode 565
Source: The Fifth Column
“Are We the Baddies? The Graham Platner Reckoning (w/ Kat Rosenfield).” (07/07/26)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/are-we-the-baddies-the-graham-platner
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59) The Kyle Anzalone Show, 07/07/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“As the American Empire Collapses, Can We Salvage a Republic?” (07/07/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/the-kyle-anzalone-show-as-the-american-empire-collapses-can-we-salvage-a-republic/
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60) Ron Paul Liberty Report, 07/07/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Ukraine: The Dark Specter Haunting The NATO Summit.” (07/07/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1RKjppqLQvNJw
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