06/03 -- Drone strikes close Kuwait airport as Iranian, US regimes clash in Gulf; We predict a black market arriving in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...
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Thomas L. Knapp
Jun 3, 2026, 6:07:28 AMJun 3
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 06/03/26
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Drone strikes close Kuwait airport as Iranian, US regimes clash in Gulf
2) CA: Gubernatorial primary undecided as candidates vie for “top two” runoff positions
3) Russia: Ukrainian attacks target St. Petersburg as “Putin’s Davos” gets underway
4) Bitcoin hits lowest price since February as crypto competes for liquidity with blockbuster IPOs
5) Trump signs order seeking early access to powerful AI models before release
6) France: Fourth-century coin and mysterious inscriptions found under Notre Dame cathedral
7) US Job Openings Climbed to 7.6 Million in April Despite Economic Fallout From the Iran War
8) Anthropic expands Mythos to 150 additional organizations in more than 15 countries
9) UK: London hit by severe travel disruption as underground drivers strike
10) Belgian NGO urges Indian regime to arrest Israeli reservist over alleged war crimes
11) Blue Origin says rocket explosion spared fuel tanks and key launch pad parts
12) Trump names William Pulte as acting intelligence head
13) British couple lose Iran jail sentence appeal, family says
14) Poland: Regime to Ban Phones in Schools, Restrict Access to Pornography
15) Rubio testifies before Congress for first time since start of Iran war
16) NM: Lawmakers to blast out subpoenas in Epstein investigation
17) Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ bill to be “scrutinised before approval,” says president
18) Kenya: High Court orders regime to release details of Ebola facility
19) Trump to appeal order allowing refunds to importers who paid illegal tariffs
20) NYC: Tenant disarms burglar, kills him with his own knife
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) We predict a black market arriving in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...
22) Florida Property Tax Debate: The Right Answer is Always “Cut Government Spending”
23) If Congress Wants a Raise, It Should Do Its Job
24) Interstate trade wars are a new front line in red vs. blue
25) Statesmanship and the Classical Liberal Order
26) The Iran war sparks partnership in Asia
27) Pay attention, Congress: A better model for remote work is here
28) No one is inexorably illiberal
29) Thousands Of New Yorkers Just Attended A Nazi Parade For Israel
30) “Rationalist” Dating Strategy
31) The Last Thing We Need Is Government Interference in College Sports
32) Themistocles and the Dangers of Democracy
33) AIPAC: Defending the Indefensible
34) Post-Conflagration LA
35) How To Sell a War
36) Going to Bat for Burma
37) Walgreens didn’t abandon Chicago’s South Side; we let crime drive them out
38) The Origins of Cooperation: From Evolutionary Strategy to Decentralized Coordination at Scale
39) EconLog Price Theory: Veggies or Noodles?
40) Why the plan to disarm Hamas is destined to fail
41) A World Without America?
42) Justice Clarence Thomas, Harry Jaffa, and the Declaration of Independence
43) Is the US economy headed for a bust?
44) Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker banned as the UK’s free speech backslide continues
45) Jill Biden’s tales spin a web of self-serving fantasy
46) The Case Against Mass Deportation
47) Time to Move on from the Daylight Saving Time Obsession
48) The Gulf’s Bad Gamble
49) Take This Data Center and Shove It
50) Government works so well!
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Trump Watch, 06/02/26
52) The Bryan Hyde Show, 06/02/26
53) The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen, 06/02/26
54) Cato Podcast, 06/02/26
55) Law & Liberty Podcast, 06/02/26
56) Show-Me Institute Podcast, 06/02/26
57) PropagandaWatch, 06/02/26
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/01/26
59) Real Unity, episode 15
60) Year Zero with Tommy Salmons, 06/01/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Drone strikes close Kuwait airport as Iranian, US regimes clash in Gulf
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“A drone strike on a passenger terminal in Kuwait’s international airport wounded several people Wednesday and forced air traffic to be suspended, as Iranian and US forces traded attacks in the Gulf. The attacks marked one of the more severe tests yet of a fragile April 8 ceasefire, that has largely held despite sporadic strikes after more than a month of war sparked by the US and Israeli attack on Iran. Kuwaiti officials blamed the attack on the airport on Iran, whose Revolutionary Guards accused US forces of triggering the night’s sequence of attacks by targeting a communications tower on the country’s Qeshm Island, forcing it to respond.” ()6/03/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260603-drone-strikes-close-kuwait-airport-as-iran-and-us-clash-in-gulf
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2) CA: Gubernatorial primary undecided as candidates vie for “top two” runoff positions
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]
“The primary election for California governor is too close to call, with vote counting continuing Wednesday. Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican business executive Steve Hilton lead the field with Democrat Tom Steyer in third place. In California’s unusual primary system, all candidates, regardless of party, appear on a single ballot open to any registered voter. The top two candidates then move on to the general election, even if they’re from the same party.” (06/03/26)
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/03/nx-s1-5844747/california-primary-election-results-governor
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3) Russia: Ukrainian attacks target St. Petersburg as “Putin’s Davos” gets underway
Source: CNN
“Russia said it downed hundreds of drones over its territory, including about 60 over the Leningrad region Tuesday night, in a Ukrainian attack as a major economic forum gets underway. Saint Petersburg governor Aleksandr Beglov said three districts were targeted as part of an overnight Ukrainian drone assault that wounded several people and damaged infrastructure facilities. … Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky said ‘long-range strikes’ struck ‘key targets’ including the St Petersburg oil terminal, one of the largest oil transshipment complexes in northwestern Russia. … The attacks came as the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, or SPIEF, a major business event known as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s version of Davos, gets underway in the city on Wednesday.” (06/03/26)
https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/03/europe/ukraine-drone-attack-russia-st-petersburg-intl-hnk
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4) Bitcoin hits lowest price since February as crypto competes for liquidity with blockbuster IPOs
Source: CNBC
“Bitcoin declined Wednesday to its lowest levels since February as other asset classes continued to lure investors away from cryptocurrencies. The world’s largest cryptocurrency fell to as low as $65,385, dropping 2.3%. That came after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 closed at records on Tuesday. Asian stocks mostly rose with Japan’s Nikkei 225 hitting a record high Wednesday. … Investors may be freeing up liquidity from bitcoin for opportunities in private markets or with initial public offerings such as SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic, QCP said.” (06/03/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/03/bitcoin-crypto-ipos-market.html
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5) Trump signs order seeking early access to powerful AI models before release
Source: NBC News
“President Donald Trump signed a landmark executive order Tuesday that lays the foundation for federal testing of the world’s most powerful AI systems before they are publicly released. The order, signed in private, directs federal agencies — including the Defense Department, the Treasury and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — to shore up the country’s cybersecurity defenses for critical infrastructure and charts out a mechanism for the federal government to test and vet the most powerful AI systems for safety issues before they are deployed. The testing would rely on voluntary collaboration from America’s leading AI companies, like Anthropic, OpenAI and Google.” (06/02/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/trump-ai-executive-order-rcna348072
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6) France: Fourth-century coin and mysterious inscriptions found under Notre Dame cathedral
Source: CBS News
“Wilting in the summer sun, a line of tourists waits to climb Notre Dame cathedral and meet its gargoyles. Four meters (13 feet) beneath them, a team of archaeologists is digging the other way – straight down and back in time, to Roman Paris 2,000 years ago. … a slice of Notre Dame’s forecourt has become an excavation site – an open pit ringed by barriers and crossed by a wooden walkway, a few steps from the line-up. … Among the hundreds of objects already found: a fourth-century coin stamped with the face of the Emperor Constantine, and shards of medieval pottery painted on the inside with marks no expert has yet deciphered — like a modern Da Vinci Code.” (06/02/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/notre-dame-cathedral-dig-of-the-century-treasures-found/
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7) US Job Openings Climbed to 7.6 Million in April Despite Economic Fallout From the Iran War
Source: US News & World Report
“U.S. job openings jumped in April as the labor market looked resilient despite economic uncertainty caused by the Iran war. U.S. employers posted 7.6 million job vacancies in April, the Labor Department reported Tuesday, up from 6.9 million in March and most since May 2024. Economists had forecast just 6.8 million openings. Layoffs fell but so did the number of Americans quitting their jobs – a sign of confidence in their prospects. The American job market has been recovering from a dismal 2025. Last year, companies, nonprofits and government agencies added fewer than 10,000 jobs a month, least outside a recession since 2002. This year has been better — job growth averaged 76,000 a month from January through April.” (06/02/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2026-06-02/us-job-openings-climbed-to-7-6-million-in-april-despite-economic-fallout-from-the-iran-war
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8) Anthropic expands Mythos to 150 additional organizations in more than 15 countries
Source: CNBC
“Anthropic on Tuesday said an additional 150 partners in more than 15 countries will gain access to its powerful Mythos artificial intelligence model, which has proven adept at finding software vulnerabilities. The startup said the expansion of Project Glasswing includes industries that weren’t well represented in the initial launch, such as power, water, healthcare, communications and hardware. New partners will need to meet security requirements before gaining access to the model. … Anthropic’s Mythos expansion comes a day after the AI lab said it would start offering access to the European Union. On Monday, the company also confidentially filed its initial public offering prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Commission, beating rival OpenAI to the milestone and paving the way for a significant AI share sale.” (06/02/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/02/anthropic-mythos-ai-project-glasswing.html
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9) UK: London hit by severe travel disruption as underground drivers strike
Source: United Press International
“Millions of commuters, tourists and Londoners were facing travel disruption across the center of the British capital on Tuesday after 1,700 subway drivers went on strike in a dispute over working hours, forcing the transit authority to shutter four of the city’s 11 lines. … The situation was compounded by traffic jams and engineering problems on other — non-underground — parts of the city’s rail infrastructure …. Buses were impacted by much heavier traffic than normal. Transport for London said it expected to run a normal service across the network on Wednesday before another 24-hour strike, scheduled for Thursday.” (06/02/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/06/02/London-tube-strike/5701780399270/
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10) Belgian NGO urges Indian regime to arrest Israeli reservist over alleged war crimes
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
A Belgium-based NGO has called on Indian authorities to arrest an Israeli army reservist on holiday in northern India over his alleged role in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) filed a complaint Saturday with India’s Police Service, foreign affairs ministry and Bureau of Immigration of India to demand ‘the immediate arrest’ of Eitan Gilboa, an Israeli citizen currently holidaying in Himachal Pradesh …. ‘HRF has submitted a detailed investigative report proving that Gilboa, a reservist in the Israeli army, personally carried out and celebrated the systematic demolition of entire residential blocks in Gaza as acts of revenge, constituting war crimes under the Geneva Conventions Act, 1960,’ read the website.” (06/02/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/2/belgian-ngo-urges-india-to-arrest-israeli-reservist-over-alleged-war-crimes
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11) Blue Origin says rocket explosion spared fuel tanks and key launch pad parts
Source: SFGate
“Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin said Tuesday that last week’s rocket explosion spared fuel tanks and some other critical parts of the launch pad. Critical to NASA’s Artemis moon program, the company’s massive New Glenn rocket blew up during an engine-firing test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. A lightning tower and the transporter-erector used to move and hoist the rocket were destroyed in the blast that sent shock waves across the state. CEO Dave Limp said the methane, hydrogen and oxygen tanks look to be in good shape. The water tank is also fine and the support tower that’s still standing can be repaired in place. A booster and other rocket parts housed nearby were not damaged. Overall, this was ‘a bit of good news,’ Limp said in an X update, adding: ‘We will fly again before the end of this year.'” (06/02/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/blue-origin-says-rocket-explosion-spared-fuel-22287658.php
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12) Trump names William Pulte as acting intelligence head
Source: The Hill
“President Trump named William Pulte, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to serve as the acting head of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. In tapping Pulte, Trump turns to an ally who has been behind referring several of his foes for prosecution for alleged mortgage fraud. Pulte would replace Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned last month.” (06/02/26)
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5905332-pulte-federal-housing-chief
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13) British couple lose Iran jail sentence appeal, family says
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“A British couple jailed in Iran on espionage charges have lost an appeal against their 10-year sentence, according to their family. Lindsay and Craig Foreman were arrested in January 2025 while passing through Iran on a round-the-world motorcycle trip. They were accused of spying – charges they adamantly deny – and were sentenced in February. Both are currently on hunger strike in Tehran’s Evin prison. A member of their legal team in the UK told the BBC no reason was given for the rejection of their appeal. Lindsay’s son, Joe Bennett, said they were ‘not permitted to attend their own appeal hearing’. ‘It is a serious human rights violation, and it is one more reason why two British citizens, with no other options left, are now starving themselves in protest.’ Bennett said his mother and step-father had been asked to sign documents in Farsi which they could not read, and refused.” (06/02/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjrpwxe82ypo
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14) Poland: Regime to Ban Phones in Schools, Restrict Access to Pornography
Source: US News & World Report
“Poland wants to ban under-16s from using mobile phones in schools from September 1 and plans to introduce stricter age verification rules to access pornography, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday. Countries including the Netherlands, South Korea and Italy have banned smartphones in schools due to [feigned and/or irrational] concerns over their impact on concentration and behaviour. Others have banned – or are considering banning – children’s access to social media. The proposed bill would ban children aged 7-15 from using phones on school premises, including breaks between classes, and give schools legal bases for creating deposits to store phones.” (06/02/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-06-02/poland-to-ban-phones-in-schools-restrict-access-to-pornography
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15) Rubio testifies before Congress for first time since start of Iran war
Source: SFGate
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio [faced] a litany of questions Tuesday about the Trump administration’s fragile or stalling diplomatic efforts around the world when he appears for back-to-back hearings on Capitol Hill for the first time since the Iran war began. Senate Republicans are meeting Tuesday to discuss next steps after the Justice Department said it would comply with a court order pausing the implementation of a $1.776 billion settlement fund designed to compensate President Donald Trump’s political allies. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is also set to return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for a hearing before the House Appropriations Committee. The hearing was scheduled for discussion of the Justice Department’s budget, but lawmakers will almost certainly focus their questioning on the settlement fund.” (06/02/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/the-latest-rubio-will-testify-before-congress-22287396.php
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16) NM: Lawmakers to blast out subpoenas in Epstein investigation
Source: NBC News
“New Mexico lawmakers said Monday they are demanding documents from an array of government and private institutions as the first major step in their effort to tell the full story of what Jeffrey Epstein did in the state — and whether any other people should be prosecuted for crimes there. A committee known as the New Mexico Truth Commission expects to send subpoenas this week to 14 targets. … Epstein, who bought a ranch outside Santa Fe in 1993 and typically visited several times a year, was never charged with crimes in New Mexico, despite allegations of sex crimes dating back decades. At least 10 women have alleged that Epstein groomed or abused them at the 10,000-acre ranch starting in the mid-1990s, an NBC News review of court testimony, lawsuits and other records found.” (06/01/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-mexico-lawmakers-blast-subpoenas-epstein-investigation-rcna347971
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17) Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ bill to be “scrutinised before approval,” says president
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Ghana’s new bill criminalising LGBTQ+ activities will undergo scrutiny before it is officially approved, the president has said. Speaking during a visit to the UK, John Mahama said his legal council and attorney general would ‘sit on it because it was a private members’ motion … [and] not a government bill’. The bill – passed by parliament on Friday – proposes up to three years imprisonment for identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer, and a ‘duty to report’ prohibited acts to police. ‘We will look at it and make sure that everything is in order,’ Mahama said, adding that the bill would be referred to the Council of State – his advisors – if there were any problems. Since coming into power last year, Mahama has been pressured by religious leaders to strengthen anti-gay measures, which ban same-sex relationships under laws dating from the British colonial era.” (06/02/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8pgrd50xko
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18) Kenya: High Court orders regime to release details of Ebola facility
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Kenya’s High Court has ordered the government to disclose details of a proposed United States-linked Ebola quarantine facility, a day after hundreds of people took to the streets in the central town of Nanyuki to protest about the planned site. The Reuters news agency said two people died from gunshot wounds during Monday’s unrest, citing protest organiser Patrick Wahome and a security source. The court extended conservatory orders stopping the establishment of any Ebola quarantine, isolation or treatment facility in Kenya and barred the admission of individuals exposed to the virus.” (06/02/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/2/high-court-orders-kenya-government-to-release-details-of-ebola-facility
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19) Trump to appeal order allowing refunds to importers who paid illegal tariffs
Source: SFGate
“Businesses big and small have started receiving tariff refunds after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump lacked the constitutional authority to impose higher import taxes on goods from nearly every other country. The process could grind to a halt, however, after the Trump administration said Friday that it intended to appeal a federal judge’s order to allow all companies that paid the invalidated duties to seek refunds, not just the ones that filed lawsuits. Until the Department of Justice informed the judge of its planned appeal, the refund system overseen by U.S. Customs and Border Protection had worked fairly smoothly. Refunds reached the bank accounts of the first successful applicants on May 12, about three weeks after importers and their customs brokers could start submitting claims, according to CBP.” (06/02/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/trump-plans-to-appeal-order-allowing-all-22283922.php
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20) NYC: Tenant disarms burglar, kills him with his own knife
Source: New York Daily News
“A burglar was stabbed to death with his own knife by the tenant he was trying to rob after being caught breaking into a Brooklyn apartment, the Daily News has learned. The tenant, who was stabbed in the neck during the clash, is not expected to be charged because he acted in self defense, law enforcement sources said. … When the tenant came out of the bathroom, he caught the stranger red-handed, stealing two cell phones, a laptop and other belongings, the tenant says. …[Dan] Costume bit the tenant’s hands and cheek during the struggle, then whipped a knife out of his pocket and stabbed the tenant in the back of the neck, the tenant said. The tenant managed to disarm Costume and stab him in his thigh and lower back with the crook’s own knife, sources said.” (06/01/26)
https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/06/01/shocked-nyc-tenant-disarms-burglar-kills-dan-costume-with-own-knife/
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) We predict a black market arriving in 3 … 2 … 1…
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Tim Worstall
“Some say that economics is not a predictive science. We say ‘Pish’ to that idea, even ‘Pfft,’ and here is a prediction from economics: ‘The Conservatives are planning to introduce ‘ration cards’ to prevent thousands of criminals from spending their benefits on alcohol and gambling. The party wants to reduce Britain’s ballooning welfare bill by issuing criminal claimants with cards that severely limit what their money can be spent on.’ It will take some sub-triple digit number of hours for a black market to appear and given modern social media some sub-double digit number of weeks for it to be a commonplace across the country. There will be a trade of this restricted money for the unlimited ration coupons known as cash money. Further, we’d predict that the unlimited form will be worth more than the limited.” (06/02/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/we-predict-a-black-market-arriving-in-321
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22) Florida Property Tax Debate: The Right Answer is Always “Cut Government Spending”
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“Florida home values have increased by about 150% since 2008, and that there now about 2 million more homes in Florida than there were in 2008. In other words, a lot more homeowners are paying a lot more in property taxes than used to be the case. In the meantime, average wages have only increased by about 35%, while inflation has driven up the prices of things Floridians buy by 75%. Which means those increased tax bills have become less affordable, even as county government budgets have continued to grow at or faster than the inflation rate. The state government has run budget surpluses since 2010. It seems to me that SOME kind of correction is in order. Government keeps taking, and spending, more of our money, but our earnings aren’t keeping up with either that government growth or the cost of living.” (06/02/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20639
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23) If Congress Wants a Raise, It Should Do Its Job
Source: The Daily Economy
by Romina Boccia
“A Congress that routinely misses budget deadlines and adds to an unsustainable debt burden should not expect automatic raises with no accountability.” (06/02/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/if-congress-wants-a-raise-it-should-do-its-job/
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24) Interstate trade wars are a new front line in red vs. blue
Source: Washington Post
by Ramesh Ponnuru
“Some conflicts among the states are inevitable and perhaps even healthy in our system. But rules must restrain those conflicts so that they do not undermine important national goods such as freedom of commerce among the states. … The Constitution therefore includes several restrictions on what states can do to one another and a commerce clause that hands regulatory power to Congress. For almost all of America’s history, the Supreme Court has inferred from that clause that state governments can’t regulate interstate economic activity … But the justices have, unfortunately, grown less and less willing to enforce those limits on the states.” (06/02/26)
https://archive.is/PF9SU
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25) Statesmanship and the Classical Liberal Order
Source: Independent Institute
by Alexander William Salter
“There is a tension at the heart of political economy. Is it the science of statesmanship, by which rulers manage taxation, commerce, public finance, and national prosperity? Or is it the science of self-government, meaning the study of how free people coordinate their affairs without constant management from above? These conceptions appear to conflict. Statesmanship implies centralized judgment. Self-government implies decentralized judgment. One vision emphasizes what governments do for societies, while the other emphasizes what societies can do for themselves.” (06/02/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/06/02/statesmanship-and-the-classical-liberal-order/
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26) The Iran war sparks partnership in Asia
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“More than any other region, Asia has felt the knock-on effects of the Iran war in energy supplies. Before the conflict began in February, some 80% of the oil shipped through the Strait of Hormuz went to Asian buyers. In recent weeks, as those supplies have dwindled, the region has endured blackouts, fuel rationing, and dozens of protests, from South Korea to the Philippines to India. The expectation was that each country would turn inward to protect petroleum supplies. Not so. With a population of more than half of humanity, Asia has shown a great deal of humanity in tackling the crisis together. ‘Now that they are hostage to events thousands of miles away,’ reported The Economist, ‘the squabbles that frequently break out between Asian neighbours no longer look quite such a threat.'” (06/01/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0601/The-Iran-war-sparks-partnership-in-Asia
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27) Pay attention, Congress: A better model for remote work is here
Source: The Hill
by Gleb Tsipursky
“On a weekday morning in downtown Washington, federal buildings and corporate offices still feel half-full, even as return-to-office emails pile up. At the same time, across the Atlantic, the House of Lords has treated remote work not as a culture-war skirmish but as a subject for a full inquiry on home-based working, backed by extensive evidence and formal hearings. Its Home-based Working Committee spent 10 months asking two simple questions with big consequences: First, is working from home working? And second, if so, how should governments and employers respond? The answer, detailed by researcher Jane Parry in a synthesis of five years of evidence on hybrid work, is clear enough for policymakers. Hybrid work shows only modest average effects on productivity, but it delivers meaningful gains in labor supply, employment rates, recruitment, retention and office efficiency when it is managed deliberately.” (06/02/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/labor/5904519-hybrid-work-economic-infrastructure/
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28) No one is inexorably illiberal
Source: Sex and the State
by Cathy Reisenwitz
“What’s the point of trying to civilize the barbarians? Why demonstrate what liberal democracy can offer to a fundamentally illiberal civilization? Why bother trying to make inroads with a ‘basket of deplorables?’ Why bother trying to reason with people who ‘get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations?’ The irony is that the entire argument is fundamentally illiberal. The whole point of liberalism is that your ‘civilization’ does not define you. Nor does your race, sex, nationality, or religion. The whole point of liberalism is that the world is not divided into us versus them. Creating outgroups and outgroup hostility and moral panics is the authoritarian’s playbook. It’s immiserating.” (06/02/26)
https://cathyreisenwitz.substack.com/p/no-one-is-inexorably-illiberal
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29) Thousands Of New Yorkers Just Attended A Nazi Parade For Israel
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Multiple far right Israeli ministers attended New York City’s Israel Day Parade on Sunday, including Israel’s genocidal finance minister Bezalel Smotrich. Smotrich is ideologically not significantly different from a Nazi. Which means New York City just hosted a Nazi parade that was attended by thousands of people. New York officials are acting shocked and appalled by Smotrich’s appearance at the march, but ‘I can’t believe there were Israeli officials at the Israel parade’ is kind of a hard sell. This is just what supporting Israel looks like: standing shoulder to shoulder with genocidal extremists and making common cause with them. That’s what Israel is.” (06/02/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/06/02/thousands-of-new-yorkers-just-attended-a-nazi-parade-and-other-notes/
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30) “Rationalist” Dating Strategy
Source: Bet On It
by Ilya Somin
“I will start by noting I am not an academic expert on dating and relationships, nor am I any kind of professional dating guru. Far from it. But what I learned may be useful to some people, in part for those very reasons. If I could make this strategy work, the same may be true for others.” (06/02/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/rationalist-dating-strategy
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31) The Last Thing We Need Is Government Interference in College Sports
Source: Town Hall
by Derek Hunter
“I grew up in Michigan, so even though I didn’t go to the University of Michigan (too rich for my blood), college football was all about the maize and blue. My dad loved Wolverines football and gave my brother-in-law all sorts of a hard time about his having gone to Michigan State (only way it could’ve been worse is if he’d gone to Ohio State). They’ve both passed away in the last couple of years, but the spirit of their love of their respective schools and their football teams lives on in our family. It’s getting, well, different now, however. When I was a kid, college sports were the audition for the pros and occasional scandals would see heralded universities across the country – including Michigan – penalized, both as programs and individual players for violating the NCAA rules.” [editor’s note: I wonder if Hunter’s opposition to government interference in sports extends to gender rules? – TLK] (06/02/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2026/06/02/the-last-thing-we-need-is-government-interference-in-college-sports-n2677058
-----
32) Themistocles and the Dangers of Democracy
Source: Law & Liberty
by James Diddams
“Themistocles’s unlikely rise and fall in Athens should remind us of equality’s hostility to true greatness.” (06/02/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/themistocles-and-the-dangers-of-democracy/
-----
33) AIPAC: Defending the Indefensible
Source: Common Dreams
by Masood Haque
“As the American Israel Public Affairs Committee confronts a changing political landscape, one in which support for Israel has become a liability, powerful voices are coming to the defense of AIPAC and its hold on American democracy. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is one such voice. He addressed the issue in an interview with Politico. … Shapiro lamented what he described as the ‘weaponization’ of criticism directed at AIPAC, saying it was ‘being used cynically by some to try and silence certain voices.’ Pressed on whether he meant critics were erasing the distinction between opposition to AIPAC and opposition to Jewish donors, he said yes. Shapiro is recasting the lobby’s scorched-earth tactics against politicians who do not toe the line on Israel as an attack on Jews and their right to political participation.” (06/02/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/defending-aipac
-----
34) Post-Conflagration LA
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Though Angelinos started voting early in the mayoral race, today is L.A.’s election day. It’s a race watched with varying degrees of enthusiasm and alarm across the country. Polls show no candidate close to a majority, which means the top two will likely face-off in a November runoff. Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star, has run a study-worthy campaign and could finish close to the top. He’s a former Palisades homeowner. He now lives in a trailer on his property, upon which he cannot yet re-build after the fires that swept through the area in January 2025. And he’s built his campaign around the government’s absolute failure on every level to assist — or just get out of the way — of a recovery.” (06/02/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/06/02/post-conflagration-l-a/
-----
35) How To Sell a War
Source: Reason
by Brandan P Buck
“Presidents use a web of private influence to garner support for foreign invasions.” (06/02/26)
https://reason.com/2026/06/02/how-to-sell-a-war/
-----
36) Going to Bat for Burma
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Jake Scott
“What connects Thailand’s surprisingly strong economic performance in the first quarter of 2026, and its simultaneous diplomatic push to reintegrate Myanmar into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)? On the surface, not much: one is an economic story centered on GDP figures, exports, and growing domestic demand; the other is a tense geopolitical story involving civil war, diplomacy, and regional security. Under the surface, however — and you don’t need to scratch much to get there — the two are closely connected. Thailand’s Myanmar policy is not only about ASEAN unity, but reflects a broader effort by Bangkok to stabilize the regional environment that remains more fragile than the headline figures suggest.” (06/02/26)
https://fee.org/articles/going-to-bat-for-burma/
-----
37) Walgreens didn’t abandon Chicago’s South Side; we let crime drive them out
Source: Fox News
by Corey Brooks
“Walgreens didn’t leave the South Side of Chicago because they hate Black people. They left because we made it impossible for them to stay. Just recently, another Walgreens shut down on Cottage Grove, and once again the public conversation turned in the wrong direction. People started blaming the company, blaming corporate greed, blaming everything except the conditions on the ground that made staying there untenable. But businesses do not keep stores open out of charity. They stay where people shop, where customers feel safe and where theft and disorder do not make daily operations a losing proposition. At that Cottage Grove Walgreens, the theft was off the charts. By local reports, the store lost more than a million dollars to theft in a single year.” (06/02/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/walgreens-didnt-abandon-chicagos-south-side-let-crime-drive
-----
38) The Origins of Cooperation: From Evolutionary Strategy to Decentralized Coordination at Scale
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Michael S Milano
“If natural selection rewards traits that maximize individual fitness, why doesn’t behavior collapse into constant defection? In a world shaped by selfish replicators, what explains the persistence of cooperation — and how is it sustained across animal communities and human societies?” (06/02/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-origins-of-cooperation-from-evolutionary-strategy-to-decentralized-coordination-at-scale/
-----
39) EconLog Price Theory: Veggies or Noodles?
Source: EconLog
by Bryan Cutsinger
“Consider the markets for fresh vegetables and instant noodles. Assume that fresh vegetables are a normal good, while instant noodles are an inferior good. Suppose Congress bans a commonly used fertilizer and pest-control chemical in vegetable farming. Without this input, vegetable yields fall and there is increased spoilage from pest damage.” (06/02/26)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/econlog-price-theory-veggies-or-noodles
-----
40) Why the plan to disarm Hamas is destined to fail
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Jared Hillel
“While Hamas has previously stated, on numerous occasions, that it would lay down its weapons in exchange for the creation of a Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, Israel has repeatedly rejected such an offer. In fact, the IDF has pushed deeper into Gaza since the ceasefire was signed and now occupies 60% of the strip instead of the 53% that was originally agreed on. By refusing to consider Hamas’s core demand, a mutually respected long term peace deal becomes difficult to envision.” (06/02/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/hamas-disarmament-gaza/
-----
41) A World Without America?
Source: TomDispatch
by Alfred McCoy
“While Washington’s war with Iran drags on, month after month, without any end in sight, the world is witnessing the very real limits of U.S. global power. As President Donald Trump lurches repeatedly from threats of devastation to promises of peace, it’s becoming increasingly clear that U.S. military might is no longer capable of subduing even a mid-sized power like Iran, much less holding the rest of the world in its thrall. Amid all the drama of air raids, drone strikes, and naval blockades, there are deeper geopolitical forces at play that lend a lasting historical import to events in the Persian Gulf — dynamics best seen by comparing two newspaper editorials with revealing similarities despite the 80 years separating their publication.” (06/02/26)
https://tomdispatch.com/after-america/
-----
42) Justice Clarence Thomas, Harry Jaffa, and the Declaration of Independence
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Wanjiru Njoya
“In the natural rights tradition, the rights to life, liberty, and property are inherent and inalienable. They are not “created” by the Constitution but are recognized and protected by it. It means each and every individual has these rights even if the law might deprive them of their rights. Justice Thomas explains how he learned this from his grandparents, who raised him, in Savannah, Georgia …. Justice Thomas was right to say that equality in this sense is a universal ideal, but he went astray when he attempted to ground this ideal in the Declaration of Independence.” (06/02/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/justice-clarence-thomas-harry-jaffa-and-declaration-independence
-----
43) Is the US economy headed for a bust?
Source: Cobden Centre
by Dr. Frank Shostak
“There is a high likelihood that due to the past large decline in the yearly growth rate of the money supply, the US economy is heading towards an economic bust. Note that the yearly growth rate of money supply fell from 79% in February 2021 to minus 7% by May 2023. The sharp decline in the yearly momentum of money supply is starting to hurt various activities that emerged on the back of the huge increase in the money supply yearly growth rate between August 2019 and February 2021 – from minus 1% to 79%. It is likely that the effect of this massive increase is still dominating the present state of economic activity.” (06/02/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/06/is-the-us-economy-headed-for-a-bust/
-----
44) Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker banned as the UK’s free speech backslide continues
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Angel Eduardo
“Like any country, the British government can exercise broad discretion when it comes to who it decides to let into its borders. There is currently no proof that Uygur’s and Piker’s views on Israel were the motivating factor behind their visa revocations, but if they were, it’s yet more evidence of the UK’s backsliding on free speech in recent years. Remember the UK police database tracking ‘non-crime hate incidents?’ Or the 12,000 people arrested in the UK in 2023 for their online speech? And who can forget the UK government’s ominous and Orwellian ‘Think before you post’ warning on social media back in 2024? Perhaps most disappointingly, the banning of scheduled speakers from entering your country also betrays an unwillingness or inability to engage with ideas and arguments on their merits.” (06/01/26)
https://www.fire.org/news/cenk-uygur-and-hasan-piker-banned-uks-free-speech-backslide-continues
-----
45) Jill Biden’s tales spin a web of self-serving fantasy
Source: Fox News
by Jonathan Turley
“Jill Biden’s book is not even out yet — and she’s already trying to get it displayed on both the fiction and the non-fiction shelves. From her husband’s mental decline to the pardoning of her son, the former first lady has moved from the historical to the fanciful. Thomas Jefferson once wrote that ‘honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom’ — but if her promotional interviews are any measure, that chapter appears to be entirely missing from View from the East Wing: A Memoir. Last week Biden faced a torrent of criticism, including from Democrats like her former spokesperson, over her claim to CBS News that she thought her husband’s debate meltdown meant he might have been suffering a stroke. The interviewer didn’t mention the fact that Biden famously declared at the time that her husband was brilliant in the debate, and denied he was showing signs of mental decline.” (06/01/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/06/01/opinion/jill-bidens-tales-spin-a-web-of-self-serving-fantasy/
-----
46) The Case Against Mass Deportation
Source: Checks & Balances
by Ilya Somin
“The Trump Administration’s mass deportation efforts are a cruel, violent affront to the values of our nation.” (06/01/26)
https://chkbal.substack.com/p/the-case-against-mass-deportation
-----
47) Time to Move on from the Daylight Saving Time Obsession
Source: Independent Institute
by William F Shughart II
“With the apparent support of President Donald Trump, Congress may soon pass legislation allowing states to adopt misleadingly named daylight saving time year-round. In fact, DST — now in effect from early March until early November — doesn’t save anything. Clocks merely advance an hour, shifting sunlight from the morning to the evening. The length of the day doesn’t change a single nanosecond. … Permanent daylight saving time holds a false promise of energy savings, bustling stores, and enhanced social welfare. The idea backfired in 1964 and will fail again if the Sunshine Protection Act is included in the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act.” (06/01/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/06/01/move-on-from-the-daylight-saving-time-obsession/
-----
48) The Gulf’s Bad Gamble
Source: The American Conservative
by Anik Joshi
“The recent war with Iran has been fought largely without the support of traditional European allies as well as aspirational Asian ones. Middle Eastern allies, however, have been far more willing partners. Israel is the most notable, but the Gulf states should not escape notice. They spent the last several decades sidling up to Western governments and capital, an approach that seemed broadly successful. They were able to maintain just enough interest in radical Islam to keep their people at bay, which meant the system broadly worked. But the most recent gamble of lowkey support for the war was one too far. The Gulf states planned on America taking out Iran and shielding them from the aftermath, and instead learned their place in the pecking order was far lower than imagined.” (06/01/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-gulfs-bad-gamble/
-----
49) Take This Data Center and Shove It
Source: The American Prospect
by Gabrielle Gurley
“In mid-April, a week before Virginia voters narrowly passed new congressional maps in response to Republican gerrymandering, groups of landowners and land preservationists in Northern Virginia quietly won a state appeals court battle against a deep-pocketed consortium of developers. They had sued the county over failing to follow state regulations about posting public notices involving a data center project. Between the redistricting vote, Virginia’s legislative budget impasse over data center taxation, and state and federal lawmakers caterwauling from Washington to Richmond and back again, it’s not surprising that a suburban county court case didn’t really penetrate the dystopian news cycle. But a screwup that derails what would have been the world’s largest data center is worth unpacking. Zoning applications and hearings are some of the most combative, tedious, yet vital happenings in cities and towns.” (06/02/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/06/02/jun-2026-take-this-data-center-and-shove-it/
-----
50) Government works so well!
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton
“As we are in the heat of the binneal Primary Season, while the ‘soft’ ceasefire in the Ami-Iran War staggers on, while there are rumors of a ceasefire in this phase of the Lebanese Conflict, our minds of course turn to the wonders and benefits of government. If we are honest (and love God and/or liberty), it is a pretty short list. And nothing on the list is anywhere close to balancing the immense cost and negative attributes that government enjoys.” (06/01/26)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/06/01/government-works-so-well/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Trump Watch, 06/02/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Amusement on Cuba from America’s Right Wing.” (06/02/26)
https://www.fff.org/freedom-in-motion/video/trump-watch-amusement-on-cuba-from-americas-right-wing/
-----
52) The Bryan Hyde Show, 06/02/26
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
“Eric Peters from Eric Peters Autos is my guest. We tackle timely topics that will inform, inspire and enlighten those who put a higher value on truth than on political allegiance.” (06/02/26)
https://www.podbean.com/ep/pb-achd5-1adbdf4
-----
53) The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen, 06/02/26
Source: Jeffrey Rosen
“Justice Gorsuch on The Blessings of Liberty.” (06/02/26)
https://rosenjeffrey.substack.com/p/justice-gorsuch-on-the-blessings
-----
54) Cato Podcast, 06/02/26
Source: Cato Institute
“What ‘All Men Are Created Equal’ Actually Meant.” (06/02/26)
https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-podcast/what-all-men-are-created-equal-actually-meant
-----
55) Law & Liberty Podcast, 06/02/26
Source: Law & Liberty
“The Versatile John Witherspoon.” (06/02/26)
https://lawliberty.org/podcast/the-versatile-john-witherspoon/
-----
56) Show-Me Institute Podcast, 06/02/26
Source: Show-Me Institute
“Are Data Centers Good for Communities? with Judge Glock.” (06/02/26)
https://showmeinstitute.org/article/economy/are-data-centers-good-for-communities-with-judge-glock/
-----
57) PropagandaWatch, 06/02/26
Source: The Corbett Report
“Toilet Paper Panic!!!” (06/02/26)
https://corbettreport.com/toilet-paper-panic-propagandawatch/
-----
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/01/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Ghalibaf: Iran To Confront Israel If No Lebanon Truce, US and Iran Trade More Attacks, and More.” (06/01/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9jk_Cf6vmI
-----
59) Real Unity, episode 15
Source: Free the People
“Have Americans Healed from the Pandemic? | Lauren Noone.” (06/01/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQNZMJACPj0
-----
60) Year Zero with Tommy Salmons, 06/01/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“To Baptize the State w/John Weeks.” (06/01/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/to-baptize-the-state-w-john-weeks/
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Drone strikes close Kuwait airport as Iranian, US regimes clash in Gulf
2) CA: Gubernatorial primary undecided as candidates vie for “top two” runoff positions
3) Russia: Ukrainian attacks target St. Petersburg as “Putin’s Davos” gets underway
4) Bitcoin hits lowest price since February as crypto competes for liquidity with blockbuster IPOs
5) Trump signs order seeking early access to powerful AI models before release
6) France: Fourth-century coin and mysterious inscriptions found under Notre Dame cathedral
7) US Job Openings Climbed to 7.6 Million in April Despite Economic Fallout From the Iran War
8) Anthropic expands Mythos to 150 additional organizations in more than 15 countries
9) UK: London hit by severe travel disruption as underground drivers strike
10) Belgian NGO urges Indian regime to arrest Israeli reservist over alleged war crimes
11) Blue Origin says rocket explosion spared fuel tanks and key launch pad parts
12) Trump names William Pulte as acting intelligence head
13) British couple lose Iran jail sentence appeal, family says
14) Poland: Regime to Ban Phones in Schools, Restrict Access to Pornography
15) Rubio testifies before Congress for first time since start of Iran war
16) NM: Lawmakers to blast out subpoenas in Epstein investigation
17) Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ bill to be “scrutinised before approval,” says president
18) Kenya: High Court orders regime to release details of Ebola facility
19) Trump to appeal order allowing refunds to importers who paid illegal tariffs
20) NYC: Tenant disarms burglar, kills him with his own knife
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) We predict a black market arriving in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...
22) Florida Property Tax Debate: The Right Answer is Always “Cut Government Spending”
23) If Congress Wants a Raise, It Should Do Its Job
24) Interstate trade wars are a new front line in red vs. blue
25) Statesmanship and the Classical Liberal Order
26) The Iran war sparks partnership in Asia
27) Pay attention, Congress: A better model for remote work is here
28) No one is inexorably illiberal
29) Thousands Of New Yorkers Just Attended A Nazi Parade For Israel
30) “Rationalist” Dating Strategy
31) The Last Thing We Need Is Government Interference in College Sports
32) Themistocles and the Dangers of Democracy
33) AIPAC: Defending the Indefensible
34) Post-Conflagration LA
35) How To Sell a War
36) Going to Bat for Burma
37) Walgreens didn’t abandon Chicago’s South Side; we let crime drive them out
38) The Origins of Cooperation: From Evolutionary Strategy to Decentralized Coordination at Scale
39) EconLog Price Theory: Veggies or Noodles?
40) Why the plan to disarm Hamas is destined to fail
41) A World Without America?
42) Justice Clarence Thomas, Harry Jaffa, and the Declaration of Independence
43) Is the US economy headed for a bust?
44) Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker banned as the UK’s free speech backslide continues
45) Jill Biden’s tales spin a web of self-serving fantasy
46) The Case Against Mass Deportation
47) Time to Move on from the Daylight Saving Time Obsession
48) The Gulf’s Bad Gamble
49) Take This Data Center and Shove It
50) Government works so well!
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Trump Watch, 06/02/26
52) The Bryan Hyde Show, 06/02/26
53) The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen, 06/02/26
54) Cato Podcast, 06/02/26
55) Law & Liberty Podcast, 06/02/26
56) Show-Me Institute Podcast, 06/02/26
57) PropagandaWatch, 06/02/26
58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/01/26
59) Real Unity, episode 15
60) Year Zero with Tommy Salmons, 06/01/26
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Drone strikes close Kuwait airport as Iranian, US regimes clash in Gulf
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“A drone strike on a passenger terminal in Kuwait’s international airport wounded several people Wednesday and forced air traffic to be suspended, as Iranian and US forces traded attacks in the Gulf. The attacks marked one of the more severe tests yet of a fragile April 8 ceasefire, that has largely held despite sporadic strikes after more than a month of war sparked by the US and Israeli attack on Iran. Kuwaiti officials blamed the attack on the airport on Iran, whose Revolutionary Guards accused US forces of triggering the night’s sequence of attacks by targeting a communications tower on the country’s Qeshm Island, forcing it to respond.” ()6/03/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260603-drone-strikes-close-kuwait-airport-as-iran-and-us-clash-in-gulf
-----
2) CA: Gubernatorial primary undecided as candidates vie for “top two” runoff positions
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]
“The primary election for California governor is too close to call, with vote counting continuing Wednesday. Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican business executive Steve Hilton lead the field with Democrat Tom Steyer in third place. In California’s unusual primary system, all candidates, regardless of party, appear on a single ballot open to any registered voter. The top two candidates then move on to the general election, even if they’re from the same party.” (06/03/26)
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/03/nx-s1-5844747/california-primary-election-results-governor
-----
3) Russia: Ukrainian attacks target St. Petersburg as “Putin’s Davos” gets underway
Source: CNN
“Russia said it downed hundreds of drones over its territory, including about 60 over the Leningrad region Tuesday night, in a Ukrainian attack as a major economic forum gets underway. Saint Petersburg governor Aleksandr Beglov said three districts were targeted as part of an overnight Ukrainian drone assault that wounded several people and damaged infrastructure facilities. … Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky said ‘long-range strikes’ struck ‘key targets’ including the St Petersburg oil terminal, one of the largest oil transshipment complexes in northwestern Russia. … The attacks came as the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, or SPIEF, a major business event known as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s version of Davos, gets underway in the city on Wednesday.” (06/03/26)
https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/03/europe/ukraine-drone-attack-russia-st-petersburg-intl-hnk
-----
4) Bitcoin hits lowest price since February as crypto competes for liquidity with blockbuster IPOs
Source: CNBC
“Bitcoin declined Wednesday to its lowest levels since February as other asset classes continued to lure investors away from cryptocurrencies. The world’s largest cryptocurrency fell to as low as $65,385, dropping 2.3%. That came after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 closed at records on Tuesday. Asian stocks mostly rose with Japan’s Nikkei 225 hitting a record high Wednesday. … Investors may be freeing up liquidity from bitcoin for opportunities in private markets or with initial public offerings such as SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic, QCP said.” (06/03/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/03/bitcoin-crypto-ipos-market.html
-----
5) Trump signs order seeking early access to powerful AI models before release
Source: NBC News
“President Donald Trump signed a landmark executive order Tuesday that lays the foundation for federal testing of the world’s most powerful AI systems before they are publicly released. The order, signed in private, directs federal agencies — including the Defense Department, the Treasury and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — to shore up the country’s cybersecurity defenses for critical infrastructure and charts out a mechanism for the federal government to test and vet the most powerful AI systems for safety issues before they are deployed. The testing would rely on voluntary collaboration from America’s leading AI companies, like Anthropic, OpenAI and Google.” (06/02/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/trump-ai-executive-order-rcna348072
-----
6) France: Fourth-century coin and mysterious inscriptions found under Notre Dame cathedral
Source: CBS News
“Wilting in the summer sun, a line of tourists waits to climb Notre Dame cathedral and meet its gargoyles. Four meters (13 feet) beneath them, a team of archaeologists is digging the other way – straight down and back in time, to Roman Paris 2,000 years ago. … a slice of Notre Dame’s forecourt has become an excavation site – an open pit ringed by barriers and crossed by a wooden walkway, a few steps from the line-up. … Among the hundreds of objects already found: a fourth-century coin stamped with the face of the Emperor Constantine, and shards of medieval pottery painted on the inside with marks no expert has yet deciphered — like a modern Da Vinci Code.” (06/02/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/notre-dame-cathedral-dig-of-the-century-treasures-found/
-----
7) US Job Openings Climbed to 7.6 Million in April Despite Economic Fallout From the Iran War
Source: US News & World Report
“U.S. job openings jumped in April as the labor market looked resilient despite economic uncertainty caused by the Iran war. U.S. employers posted 7.6 million job vacancies in April, the Labor Department reported Tuesday, up from 6.9 million in March and most since May 2024. Economists had forecast just 6.8 million openings. Layoffs fell but so did the number of Americans quitting their jobs – a sign of confidence in their prospects. The American job market has been recovering from a dismal 2025. Last year, companies, nonprofits and government agencies added fewer than 10,000 jobs a month, least outside a recession since 2002. This year has been better — job growth averaged 76,000 a month from January through April.” (06/02/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2026-06-02/us-job-openings-climbed-to-7-6-million-in-april-despite-economic-fallout-from-the-iran-war
-----
8) Anthropic expands Mythos to 150 additional organizations in more than 15 countries
Source: CNBC
“Anthropic on Tuesday said an additional 150 partners in more than 15 countries will gain access to its powerful Mythos artificial intelligence model, which has proven adept at finding software vulnerabilities. The startup said the expansion of Project Glasswing includes industries that weren’t well represented in the initial launch, such as power, water, healthcare, communications and hardware. New partners will need to meet security requirements before gaining access to the model. … Anthropic’s Mythos expansion comes a day after the AI lab said it would start offering access to the European Union. On Monday, the company also confidentially filed its initial public offering prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Commission, beating rival OpenAI to the milestone and paving the way for a significant AI share sale.” (06/02/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/02/anthropic-mythos-ai-project-glasswing.html
-----
9) UK: London hit by severe travel disruption as underground drivers strike
Source: United Press International
“Millions of commuters, tourists and Londoners were facing travel disruption across the center of the British capital on Tuesday after 1,700 subway drivers went on strike in a dispute over working hours, forcing the transit authority to shutter four of the city’s 11 lines. … The situation was compounded by traffic jams and engineering problems on other — non-underground — parts of the city’s rail infrastructure …. Buses were impacted by much heavier traffic than normal. Transport for London said it expected to run a normal service across the network on Wednesday before another 24-hour strike, scheduled for Thursday.” (06/02/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/06/02/London-tube-strike/5701780399270/
-----
10) Belgian NGO urges Indian regime to arrest Israeli reservist over alleged war crimes
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
A Belgium-based NGO has called on Indian authorities to arrest an Israeli army reservist on holiday in northern India over his alleged role in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) filed a complaint Saturday with India’s Police Service, foreign affairs ministry and Bureau of Immigration of India to demand ‘the immediate arrest’ of Eitan Gilboa, an Israeli citizen currently holidaying in Himachal Pradesh …. ‘HRF has submitted a detailed investigative report proving that Gilboa, a reservist in the Israeli army, personally carried out and celebrated the systematic demolition of entire residential blocks in Gaza as acts of revenge, constituting war crimes under the Geneva Conventions Act, 1960,’ read the website.” (06/02/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/2/belgian-ngo-urges-india-to-arrest-israeli-reservist-over-alleged-war-crimes
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11) Blue Origin says rocket explosion spared fuel tanks and key launch pad parts
Source: SFGate
“Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin said Tuesday that last week’s rocket explosion spared fuel tanks and some other critical parts of the launch pad. Critical to NASA’s Artemis moon program, the company’s massive New Glenn rocket blew up during an engine-firing test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. A lightning tower and the transporter-erector used to move and hoist the rocket were destroyed in the blast that sent shock waves across the state. CEO Dave Limp said the methane, hydrogen and oxygen tanks look to be in good shape. The water tank is also fine and the support tower that’s still standing can be repaired in place. A booster and other rocket parts housed nearby were not damaged. Overall, this was ‘a bit of good news,’ Limp said in an X update, adding: ‘We will fly again before the end of this year.'” (06/02/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/blue-origin-says-rocket-explosion-spared-fuel-22287658.php
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12) Trump names William Pulte as acting intelligence head
Source: The Hill
“President Trump named William Pulte, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to serve as the acting head of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. In tapping Pulte, Trump turns to an ally who has been behind referring several of his foes for prosecution for alleged mortgage fraud. Pulte would replace Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned last month.” (06/02/26)
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5905332-pulte-federal-housing-chief
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13) British couple lose Iran jail sentence appeal, family says
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“A British couple jailed in Iran on espionage charges have lost an appeal against their 10-year sentence, according to their family. Lindsay and Craig Foreman were arrested in January 2025 while passing through Iran on a round-the-world motorcycle trip. They were accused of spying – charges they adamantly deny – and were sentenced in February. Both are currently on hunger strike in Tehran’s Evin prison. A member of their legal team in the UK told the BBC no reason was given for the rejection of their appeal. Lindsay’s son, Joe Bennett, said they were ‘not permitted to attend their own appeal hearing’. ‘It is a serious human rights violation, and it is one more reason why two British citizens, with no other options left, are now starving themselves in protest.’ Bennett said his mother and step-father had been asked to sign documents in Farsi which they could not read, and refused.” (06/02/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjrpwxe82ypo
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14) Poland: Regime to Ban Phones in Schools, Restrict Access to Pornography
Source: US News & World Report
“Poland wants to ban under-16s from using mobile phones in schools from September 1 and plans to introduce stricter age verification rules to access pornography, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday. Countries including the Netherlands, South Korea and Italy have banned smartphones in schools due to [feigned and/or irrational] concerns over their impact on concentration and behaviour. Others have banned – or are considering banning – children’s access to social media. The proposed bill would ban children aged 7-15 from using phones on school premises, including breaks between classes, and give schools legal bases for creating deposits to store phones.” (06/02/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-06-02/poland-to-ban-phones-in-schools-restrict-access-to-pornography
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15) Rubio testifies before Congress for first time since start of Iran war
Source: SFGate
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio [faced] a litany of questions Tuesday about the Trump administration’s fragile or stalling diplomatic efforts around the world when he appears for back-to-back hearings on Capitol Hill for the first time since the Iran war began. Senate Republicans are meeting Tuesday to discuss next steps after the Justice Department said it would comply with a court order pausing the implementation of a $1.776 billion settlement fund designed to compensate President Donald Trump’s political allies. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is also set to return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for a hearing before the House Appropriations Committee. The hearing was scheduled for discussion of the Justice Department’s budget, but lawmakers will almost certainly focus their questioning on the settlement fund.” (06/02/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/the-latest-rubio-will-testify-before-congress-22287396.php
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16) NM: Lawmakers to blast out subpoenas in Epstein investigation
Source: NBC News
“New Mexico lawmakers said Monday they are demanding documents from an array of government and private institutions as the first major step in their effort to tell the full story of what Jeffrey Epstein did in the state — and whether any other people should be prosecuted for crimes there. A committee known as the New Mexico Truth Commission expects to send subpoenas this week to 14 targets. … Epstein, who bought a ranch outside Santa Fe in 1993 and typically visited several times a year, was never charged with crimes in New Mexico, despite allegations of sex crimes dating back decades. At least 10 women have alleged that Epstein groomed or abused them at the 10,000-acre ranch starting in the mid-1990s, an NBC News review of court testimony, lawsuits and other records found.” (06/01/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-mexico-lawmakers-blast-subpoenas-epstein-investigation-rcna347971
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17) Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ bill to be “scrutinised before approval,” says president
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Ghana’s new bill criminalising LGBTQ+ activities will undergo scrutiny before it is officially approved, the president has said. Speaking during a visit to the UK, John Mahama said his legal council and attorney general would ‘sit on it because it was a private members’ motion … [and] not a government bill’. The bill – passed by parliament on Friday – proposes up to three years imprisonment for identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer, and a ‘duty to report’ prohibited acts to police. ‘We will look at it and make sure that everything is in order,’ Mahama said, adding that the bill would be referred to the Council of State – his advisors – if there were any problems. Since coming into power last year, Mahama has been pressured by religious leaders to strengthen anti-gay measures, which ban same-sex relationships under laws dating from the British colonial era.” (06/02/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8pgrd50xko
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18) Kenya: High Court orders regime to release details of Ebola facility
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Kenya’s High Court has ordered the government to disclose details of a proposed United States-linked Ebola quarantine facility, a day after hundreds of people took to the streets in the central town of Nanyuki to protest about the planned site. The Reuters news agency said two people died from gunshot wounds during Monday’s unrest, citing protest organiser Patrick Wahome and a security source. The court extended conservatory orders stopping the establishment of any Ebola quarantine, isolation or treatment facility in Kenya and barred the admission of individuals exposed to the virus.” (06/02/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/2/high-court-orders-kenya-government-to-release-details-of-ebola-facility
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19) Trump to appeal order allowing refunds to importers who paid illegal tariffs
Source: SFGate
“Businesses big and small have started receiving tariff refunds after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump lacked the constitutional authority to impose higher import taxes on goods from nearly every other country. The process could grind to a halt, however, after the Trump administration said Friday that it intended to appeal a federal judge’s order to allow all companies that paid the invalidated duties to seek refunds, not just the ones that filed lawsuits. Until the Department of Justice informed the judge of its planned appeal, the refund system overseen by U.S. Customs and Border Protection had worked fairly smoothly. Refunds reached the bank accounts of the first successful applicants on May 12, about three weeks after importers and their customs brokers could start submitting claims, according to CBP.” (06/02/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/trump-plans-to-appeal-order-allowing-all-22283922.php
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20) NYC: Tenant disarms burglar, kills him with his own knife
Source: New York Daily News
“A burglar was stabbed to death with his own knife by the tenant he was trying to rob after being caught breaking into a Brooklyn apartment, the Daily News has learned. The tenant, who was stabbed in the neck during the clash, is not expected to be charged because he acted in self defense, law enforcement sources said. … When the tenant came out of the bathroom, he caught the stranger red-handed, stealing two cell phones, a laptop and other belongings, the tenant says. …[Dan] Costume bit the tenant’s hands and cheek during the struggle, then whipped a knife out of his pocket and stabbed the tenant in the back of the neck, the tenant said. The tenant managed to disarm Costume and stab him in his thigh and lower back with the crook’s own knife, sources said.” (06/01/26)
https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/06/01/shocked-nyc-tenant-disarms-burglar-kills-dan-costume-with-own-knife/
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) We predict a black market arriving in 3 … 2 … 1…
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Tim Worstall
“Some say that economics is not a predictive science. We say ‘Pish’ to that idea, even ‘Pfft,’ and here is a prediction from economics: ‘The Conservatives are planning to introduce ‘ration cards’ to prevent thousands of criminals from spending their benefits on alcohol and gambling. The party wants to reduce Britain’s ballooning welfare bill by issuing criminal claimants with cards that severely limit what their money can be spent on.’ It will take some sub-triple digit number of hours for a black market to appear and given modern social media some sub-double digit number of weeks for it to be a commonplace across the country. There will be a trade of this restricted money for the unlimited ration coupons known as cash money. Further, we’d predict that the unlimited form will be worth more than the limited.” (06/02/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/we-predict-a-black-market-arriving-in-321
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22) Florida Property Tax Debate: The Right Answer is Always “Cut Government Spending”
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“Florida home values have increased by about 150% since 2008, and that there now about 2 million more homes in Florida than there were in 2008. In other words, a lot more homeowners are paying a lot more in property taxes than used to be the case. In the meantime, average wages have only increased by about 35%, while inflation has driven up the prices of things Floridians buy by 75%. Which means those increased tax bills have become less affordable, even as county government budgets have continued to grow at or faster than the inflation rate. The state government has run budget surpluses since 2010. It seems to me that SOME kind of correction is in order. Government keeps taking, and spending, more of our money, but our earnings aren’t keeping up with either that government growth or the cost of living.” (06/02/26)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20639
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23) If Congress Wants a Raise, It Should Do Its Job
Source: The Daily Economy
by Romina Boccia
“A Congress that routinely misses budget deadlines and adds to an unsustainable debt burden should not expect automatic raises with no accountability.” (06/02/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/if-congress-wants-a-raise-it-should-do-its-job/
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24) Interstate trade wars are a new front line in red vs. blue
Source: Washington Post
by Ramesh Ponnuru
“Some conflicts among the states are inevitable and perhaps even healthy in our system. But rules must restrain those conflicts so that they do not undermine important national goods such as freedom of commerce among the states. … The Constitution therefore includes several restrictions on what states can do to one another and a commerce clause that hands regulatory power to Congress. For almost all of America’s history, the Supreme Court has inferred from that clause that state governments can’t regulate interstate economic activity … But the justices have, unfortunately, grown less and less willing to enforce those limits on the states.” (06/02/26)
https://archive.is/PF9SU
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25) Statesmanship and the Classical Liberal Order
Source: Independent Institute
by Alexander William Salter
“There is a tension at the heart of political economy. Is it the science of statesmanship, by which rulers manage taxation, commerce, public finance, and national prosperity? Or is it the science of self-government, meaning the study of how free people coordinate their affairs without constant management from above? These conceptions appear to conflict. Statesmanship implies centralized judgment. Self-government implies decentralized judgment. One vision emphasizes what governments do for societies, while the other emphasizes what societies can do for themselves.” (06/02/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/06/02/statesmanship-and-the-classical-liberal-order/
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26) The Iran war sparks partnership in Asia
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“More than any other region, Asia has felt the knock-on effects of the Iran war in energy supplies. Before the conflict began in February, some 80% of the oil shipped through the Strait of Hormuz went to Asian buyers. In recent weeks, as those supplies have dwindled, the region has endured blackouts, fuel rationing, and dozens of protests, from South Korea to the Philippines to India. The expectation was that each country would turn inward to protect petroleum supplies. Not so. With a population of more than half of humanity, Asia has shown a great deal of humanity in tackling the crisis together. ‘Now that they are hostage to events thousands of miles away,’ reported The Economist, ‘the squabbles that frequently break out between Asian neighbours no longer look quite such a threat.'” (06/01/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0601/The-Iran-war-sparks-partnership-in-Asia
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27) Pay attention, Congress: A better model for remote work is here
Source: The Hill
by Gleb Tsipursky
“On a weekday morning in downtown Washington, federal buildings and corporate offices still feel half-full, even as return-to-office emails pile up. At the same time, across the Atlantic, the House of Lords has treated remote work not as a culture-war skirmish but as a subject for a full inquiry on home-based working, backed by extensive evidence and formal hearings. Its Home-based Working Committee spent 10 months asking two simple questions with big consequences: First, is working from home working? And second, if so, how should governments and employers respond? The answer, detailed by researcher Jane Parry in a synthesis of five years of evidence on hybrid work, is clear enough for policymakers. Hybrid work shows only modest average effects on productivity, but it delivers meaningful gains in labor supply, employment rates, recruitment, retention and office efficiency when it is managed deliberately.” (06/02/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/labor/5904519-hybrid-work-economic-infrastructure/
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28) No one is inexorably illiberal
Source: Sex and the State
by Cathy Reisenwitz
“What’s the point of trying to civilize the barbarians? Why demonstrate what liberal democracy can offer to a fundamentally illiberal civilization? Why bother trying to make inroads with a ‘basket of deplorables?’ Why bother trying to reason with people who ‘get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations?’ The irony is that the entire argument is fundamentally illiberal. The whole point of liberalism is that your ‘civilization’ does not define you. Nor does your race, sex, nationality, or religion. The whole point of liberalism is that the world is not divided into us versus them. Creating outgroups and outgroup hostility and moral panics is the authoritarian’s playbook. It’s immiserating.” (06/02/26)
https://cathyreisenwitz.substack.com/p/no-one-is-inexorably-illiberal
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29) Thousands Of New Yorkers Just Attended A Nazi Parade For Israel
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Multiple far right Israeli ministers attended New York City’s Israel Day Parade on Sunday, including Israel’s genocidal finance minister Bezalel Smotrich. Smotrich is ideologically not significantly different from a Nazi. Which means New York City just hosted a Nazi parade that was attended by thousands of people. New York officials are acting shocked and appalled by Smotrich’s appearance at the march, but ‘I can’t believe there were Israeli officials at the Israel parade’ is kind of a hard sell. This is just what supporting Israel looks like: standing shoulder to shoulder with genocidal extremists and making common cause with them. That’s what Israel is.” (06/02/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/06/02/thousands-of-new-yorkers-just-attended-a-nazi-parade-and-other-notes/
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30) “Rationalist” Dating Strategy
Source: Bet On It
by Ilya Somin
“I will start by noting I am not an academic expert on dating and relationships, nor am I any kind of professional dating guru. Far from it. But what I learned may be useful to some people, in part for those very reasons. If I could make this strategy work, the same may be true for others.” (06/02/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/rationalist-dating-strategy
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31) The Last Thing We Need Is Government Interference in College Sports
Source: Town Hall
by Derek Hunter
“I grew up in Michigan, so even though I didn’t go to the University of Michigan (too rich for my blood), college football was all about the maize and blue. My dad loved Wolverines football and gave my brother-in-law all sorts of a hard time about his having gone to Michigan State (only way it could’ve been worse is if he’d gone to Ohio State). They’ve both passed away in the last couple of years, but the spirit of their love of their respective schools and their football teams lives on in our family. It’s getting, well, different now, however. When I was a kid, college sports were the audition for the pros and occasional scandals would see heralded universities across the country – including Michigan – penalized, both as programs and individual players for violating the NCAA rules.” [editor’s note: I wonder if Hunter’s opposition to government interference in sports extends to gender rules? – TLK] (06/02/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2026/06/02/the-last-thing-we-need-is-government-interference-in-college-sports-n2677058
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32) Themistocles and the Dangers of Democracy
Source: Law & Liberty
by James Diddams
“Themistocles’s unlikely rise and fall in Athens should remind us of equality’s hostility to true greatness.” (06/02/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/themistocles-and-the-dangers-of-democracy/
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33) AIPAC: Defending the Indefensible
Source: Common Dreams
by Masood Haque
“As the American Israel Public Affairs Committee confronts a changing political landscape, one in which support for Israel has become a liability, powerful voices are coming to the defense of AIPAC and its hold on American democracy. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is one such voice. He addressed the issue in an interview with Politico. … Shapiro lamented what he described as the ‘weaponization’ of criticism directed at AIPAC, saying it was ‘being used cynically by some to try and silence certain voices.’ Pressed on whether he meant critics were erasing the distinction between opposition to AIPAC and opposition to Jewish donors, he said yes. Shapiro is recasting the lobby’s scorched-earth tactics against politicians who do not toe the line on Israel as an attack on Jews and their right to political participation.” (06/02/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/defending-aipac
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34) Post-Conflagration LA
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Though Angelinos started voting early in the mayoral race, today is L.A.’s election day. It’s a race watched with varying degrees of enthusiasm and alarm across the country. Polls show no candidate close to a majority, which means the top two will likely face-off in a November runoff. Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star, has run a study-worthy campaign and could finish close to the top. He’s a former Palisades homeowner. He now lives in a trailer on his property, upon which he cannot yet re-build after the fires that swept through the area in January 2025. And he’s built his campaign around the government’s absolute failure on every level to assist — or just get out of the way — of a recovery.” (06/02/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/06/02/post-conflagration-l-a/
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35) How To Sell a War
Source: Reason
by Brandan P Buck
“Presidents use a web of private influence to garner support for foreign invasions.” (06/02/26)
https://reason.com/2026/06/02/how-to-sell-a-war/
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36) Going to Bat for Burma
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Jake Scott
“What connects Thailand’s surprisingly strong economic performance in the first quarter of 2026, and its simultaneous diplomatic push to reintegrate Myanmar into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)? On the surface, not much: one is an economic story centered on GDP figures, exports, and growing domestic demand; the other is a tense geopolitical story involving civil war, diplomacy, and regional security. Under the surface, however — and you don’t need to scratch much to get there — the two are closely connected. Thailand’s Myanmar policy is not only about ASEAN unity, but reflects a broader effort by Bangkok to stabilize the regional environment that remains more fragile than the headline figures suggest.” (06/02/26)
https://fee.org/articles/going-to-bat-for-burma/
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37) Walgreens didn’t abandon Chicago’s South Side; we let crime drive them out
Source: Fox News
by Corey Brooks
“Walgreens didn’t leave the South Side of Chicago because they hate Black people. They left because we made it impossible for them to stay. Just recently, another Walgreens shut down on Cottage Grove, and once again the public conversation turned in the wrong direction. People started blaming the company, blaming corporate greed, blaming everything except the conditions on the ground that made staying there untenable. But businesses do not keep stores open out of charity. They stay where people shop, where customers feel safe and where theft and disorder do not make daily operations a losing proposition. At that Cottage Grove Walgreens, the theft was off the charts. By local reports, the store lost more than a million dollars to theft in a single year.” (06/02/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/walgreens-didnt-abandon-chicagos-south-side-let-crime-drive
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38) The Origins of Cooperation: From Evolutionary Strategy to Decentralized Coordination at Scale
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Michael S Milano
“If natural selection rewards traits that maximize individual fitness, why doesn’t behavior collapse into constant defection? In a world shaped by selfish replicators, what explains the persistence of cooperation — and how is it sustained across animal communities and human societies?” (06/02/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-origins-of-cooperation-from-evolutionary-strategy-to-decentralized-coordination-at-scale/
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39) EconLog Price Theory: Veggies or Noodles?
Source: EconLog
by Bryan Cutsinger
“Consider the markets for fresh vegetables and instant noodles. Assume that fresh vegetables are a normal good, while instant noodles are an inferior good. Suppose Congress bans a commonly used fertilizer and pest-control chemical in vegetable farming. Without this input, vegetable yields fall and there is increased spoilage from pest damage.” (06/02/26)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/econlog-price-theory-veggies-or-noodles
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40) Why the plan to disarm Hamas is destined to fail
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Jared Hillel
“While Hamas has previously stated, on numerous occasions, that it would lay down its weapons in exchange for the creation of a Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, Israel has repeatedly rejected such an offer. In fact, the IDF has pushed deeper into Gaza since the ceasefire was signed and now occupies 60% of the strip instead of the 53% that was originally agreed on. By refusing to consider Hamas’s core demand, a mutually respected long term peace deal becomes difficult to envision.” (06/02/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/hamas-disarmament-gaza/
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41) A World Without America?
Source: TomDispatch
by Alfred McCoy
“While Washington’s war with Iran drags on, month after month, without any end in sight, the world is witnessing the very real limits of U.S. global power. As President Donald Trump lurches repeatedly from threats of devastation to promises of peace, it’s becoming increasingly clear that U.S. military might is no longer capable of subduing even a mid-sized power like Iran, much less holding the rest of the world in its thrall. Amid all the drama of air raids, drone strikes, and naval blockades, there are deeper geopolitical forces at play that lend a lasting historical import to events in the Persian Gulf — dynamics best seen by comparing two newspaper editorials with revealing similarities despite the 80 years separating their publication.” (06/02/26)
https://tomdispatch.com/after-america/
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42) Justice Clarence Thomas, Harry Jaffa, and the Declaration of Independence
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Wanjiru Njoya
“In the natural rights tradition, the rights to life, liberty, and property are inherent and inalienable. They are not “created” by the Constitution but are recognized and protected by it. It means each and every individual has these rights even if the law might deprive them of their rights. Justice Thomas explains how he learned this from his grandparents, who raised him, in Savannah, Georgia …. Justice Thomas was right to say that equality in this sense is a universal ideal, but he went astray when he attempted to ground this ideal in the Declaration of Independence.” (06/02/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/justice-clarence-thomas-harry-jaffa-and-declaration-independence
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43) Is the US economy headed for a bust?
Source: Cobden Centre
by Dr. Frank Shostak
“There is a high likelihood that due to the past large decline in the yearly growth rate of the money supply, the US economy is heading towards an economic bust. Note that the yearly growth rate of money supply fell from 79% in February 2021 to minus 7% by May 2023. The sharp decline in the yearly momentum of money supply is starting to hurt various activities that emerged on the back of the huge increase in the money supply yearly growth rate between August 2019 and February 2021 – from minus 1% to 79%. It is likely that the effect of this massive increase is still dominating the present state of economic activity.” (06/02/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/06/is-the-us-economy-headed-for-a-bust/
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44) Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker banned as the UK’s free speech backslide continues
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Angel Eduardo
“Like any country, the British government can exercise broad discretion when it comes to who it decides to let into its borders. There is currently no proof that Uygur’s and Piker’s views on Israel were the motivating factor behind their visa revocations, but if they were, it’s yet more evidence of the UK’s backsliding on free speech in recent years. Remember the UK police database tracking ‘non-crime hate incidents?’ Or the 12,000 people arrested in the UK in 2023 for their online speech? And who can forget the UK government’s ominous and Orwellian ‘Think before you post’ warning on social media back in 2024? Perhaps most disappointingly, the banning of scheduled speakers from entering your country also betrays an unwillingness or inability to engage with ideas and arguments on their merits.” (06/01/26)
https://www.fire.org/news/cenk-uygur-and-hasan-piker-banned-uks-free-speech-backslide-continues
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45) Jill Biden’s tales spin a web of self-serving fantasy
Source: Fox News
by Jonathan Turley
“Jill Biden’s book is not even out yet — and she’s already trying to get it displayed on both the fiction and the non-fiction shelves. From her husband’s mental decline to the pardoning of her son, the former first lady has moved from the historical to the fanciful. Thomas Jefferson once wrote that ‘honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom’ — but if her promotional interviews are any measure, that chapter appears to be entirely missing from View from the East Wing: A Memoir. Last week Biden faced a torrent of criticism, including from Democrats like her former spokesperson, over her claim to CBS News that she thought her husband’s debate meltdown meant he might have been suffering a stroke. The interviewer didn’t mention the fact that Biden famously declared at the time that her husband was brilliant in the debate, and denied he was showing signs of mental decline.” (06/01/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/06/01/opinion/jill-bidens-tales-spin-a-web-of-self-serving-fantasy/
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46) The Case Against Mass Deportation
Source: Checks & Balances
by Ilya Somin
“The Trump Administration’s mass deportation efforts are a cruel, violent affront to the values of our nation.” (06/01/26)
https://chkbal.substack.com/p/the-case-against-mass-deportation
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47) Time to Move on from the Daylight Saving Time Obsession
Source: Independent Institute
by William F Shughart II
“With the apparent support of President Donald Trump, Congress may soon pass legislation allowing states to adopt misleadingly named daylight saving time year-round. In fact, DST — now in effect from early March until early November — doesn’t save anything. Clocks merely advance an hour, shifting sunlight from the morning to the evening. The length of the day doesn’t change a single nanosecond. … Permanent daylight saving time holds a false promise of energy savings, bustling stores, and enhanced social welfare. The idea backfired in 1964 and will fail again if the Sunshine Protection Act is included in the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act.” (06/01/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/06/01/move-on-from-the-daylight-saving-time-obsession/
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48) The Gulf’s Bad Gamble
Source: The American Conservative
by Anik Joshi
“The recent war with Iran has been fought largely without the support of traditional European allies as well as aspirational Asian ones. Middle Eastern allies, however, have been far more willing partners. Israel is the most notable, but the Gulf states should not escape notice. They spent the last several decades sidling up to Western governments and capital, an approach that seemed broadly successful. They were able to maintain just enough interest in radical Islam to keep their people at bay, which meant the system broadly worked. But the most recent gamble of lowkey support for the war was one too far. The Gulf states planned on America taking out Iran and shielding them from the aftermath, and instead learned their place in the pecking order was far lower than imagined.” (06/01/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-gulfs-bad-gamble/
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49) Take This Data Center and Shove It
Source: The American Prospect
by Gabrielle Gurley
“In mid-April, a week before Virginia voters narrowly passed new congressional maps in response to Republican gerrymandering, groups of landowners and land preservationists in Northern Virginia quietly won a state appeals court battle against a deep-pocketed consortium of developers. They had sued the county over failing to follow state regulations about posting public notices involving a data center project. Between the redistricting vote, Virginia’s legislative budget impasse over data center taxation, and state and federal lawmakers caterwauling from Washington to Richmond and back again, it’s not surprising that a suburban county court case didn’t really penetrate the dystopian news cycle. But a screwup that derails what would have been the world’s largest data center is worth unpacking. Zoning applications and hearings are some of the most combative, tedious, yet vital happenings in cities and towns.” (06/02/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/06/02/jun-2026-take-this-data-center-and-shove-it/
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50) Government works so well!
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton
“As we are in the heat of the binneal Primary Season, while the ‘soft’ ceasefire in the Ami-Iran War staggers on, while there are rumors of a ceasefire in this phase of the Lebanese Conflict, our minds of course turn to the wonders and benefits of government. If we are honest (and love God and/or liberty), it is a pretty short list. And nothing on the list is anywhere close to balancing the immense cost and negative attributes that government enjoys.” (06/01/26)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/06/01/government-works-so-well/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Trump Watch, 06/02/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Amusement on Cuba from America’s Right Wing.” (06/02/26)
https://www.fff.org/freedom-in-motion/video/trump-watch-amusement-on-cuba-from-americas-right-wing/
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52) The Bryan Hyde Show, 06/02/26
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
“Eric Peters from Eric Peters Autos is my guest. We tackle timely topics that will inform, inspire and enlighten those who put a higher value on truth than on political allegiance.” (06/02/26)
https://www.podbean.com/ep/pb-achd5-1adbdf4
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53) The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen, 06/02/26
Source: Jeffrey Rosen
“Justice Gorsuch on The Blessings of Liberty.” (06/02/26)
https://rosenjeffrey.substack.com/p/justice-gorsuch-on-the-blessings
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54) Cato Podcast, 06/02/26
Source: Cato Institute
“What ‘All Men Are Created Equal’ Actually Meant.” (06/02/26)
https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-podcast/what-all-men-are-created-equal-actually-meant
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55) Law & Liberty Podcast, 06/02/26
Source: Law & Liberty
“The Versatile John Witherspoon.” (06/02/26)
https://lawliberty.org/podcast/the-versatile-john-witherspoon/
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56) Show-Me Institute Podcast, 06/02/26
Source: Show-Me Institute
“Are Data Centers Good for Communities? with Judge Glock.” (06/02/26)
https://showmeinstitute.org/article/economy/are-data-centers-good-for-communities-with-judge-glock/
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57) PropagandaWatch, 06/02/26
Source: The Corbett Report
“Toilet Paper Panic!!!” (06/02/26)
https://corbettreport.com/toilet-paper-panic-propagandawatch/
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58) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 06/01/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Ghalibaf: Iran To Confront Israel If No Lebanon Truce, US and Iran Trade More Attacks, and More.” (06/01/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9jk_Cf6vmI
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59) Real Unity, episode 15
Source: Free the People
“Have Americans Healed from the Pandemic? | Lauren Noone.” (06/01/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQNZMJACPj0
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60) Year Zero with Tommy Salmons, 06/01/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“To Baptize the State w/John Weeks.” (06/01/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/blog/to-baptize-the-state-w-john-weeks/
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