05/15 -- Russian regime's choice of low-level delegation puts Ukraine talks in doubt; Trump's "Deal" With China Leaves American Consumers and Exporters Facing Higher Tariffs Than Before
7 views
Skip to first unread message
Thomas L. Knapp
May 15, 2025, 6:26:55 AM5/15/25
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 05/15/25
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Presented by the Liberty International
https://liberty-intl.org/
Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
https://news.rationalreview.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's Freedom News:
1) Russian regime’s choice of low-level delegation puts Ukraine talks in doubt
2) WI: Dugan files motion to dismiss federal obstruction case, citing judicial immunity
3) Top Iranian official says Tehran would forgo highly enriched uranium in nuclear deal
4) Netanyahu whines over Macron’s criticism of Gaza blockade
5) Cartel Family Members Cross Border in Apparent Deal With US regime, Official Says
6) US judge orders release of Badar Khan Suri from immigration custody
7) Germany: Regime arrests three over suspected Russian bomb plot and espionage
8) MD: Regime loses triple-A bond rating from Moody’s rating agency
9) UK: Lineker apologizes for sharing “offensive” Zionism post with rat image
10) CA: Newsom seeks to scale back free [sic] healthcare for migrants
11) Court rules in favor of New York Times over texts between EU chief and a pharma boss
12) Relief on China’s factory floors as US tariffs put on hold
13) Libertarian National Committee treasurer proposes motion to censure Colorado, New Hampshire affiliates
14) MA: Karen Read murder trial resumes after sudden one-day break
15) CA: CBP gang steals 749 cartons of cigarettes
16) Mali: Regime bans French TV channel over coverage of pro-democracy protest
17) Abductees at ICE gang lair barricade themselves, threaten to take hostages
18) EU unveils Russia sanctions targeting “shadow” oil fleet and cyberattackers
19) Trump surgeon general pick praises psychedelic therapy, says mushrooms helped her find love
20) First judge approves Trump invoking Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Trump’s “Deal” With China Leaves American Consumers and Exporters Facing Higher Tariffs Than Before
22) My $100 Tomato: Is Self-Sufficiency Overrated?
23) Religious Freedom or a Threat to America? The Debate Explodes in Texas.
24) The High Cost of America’s Immigration Control System
25) Continental Divide
26) The Most Fun Presidency Ever
27) Israel Is Still Deliberately Starving Gaza to Death
28) Maybe, in 2025, a feminist looks like a gender abolitionist
29) In Norway, more voices, better solutions
30) Fewer Rules, Better People: Discretion and Dispersed Information
31) The Left’s [sic] sudden epiphanies were obvious to normal folks all along
32) Israel Admits It Bombed A Hospital To Kill A Journalist For Doing Journalism
33) Zelensky’s Big Istanbul Gamble
34) We can resolve litter problem — for free
35) What the UK Deal Reveals about Trump’s Trade Strategy
36) How shady Democratic Party lawyer Marc Elias is thwarting voters’ will
37) Back to Istanbul! Key nodes for US-Russia-Ukraine talks
38) The Department of Injustice
39) The Deep State’s Favorite Columnist Just Turned on Bibi
40) The Trumpian Nightmare Must End Before It Gets Worse
41) Mexico and China didn’t take the Rust Belt’s jobs. The Sun Belt did.
42) US overdose deaths fell 27% last year, the largest one-year decline ever seen
43) How AI Can Support Self-Government
44) If This Be Price Control
45) ICE deports a bunch of criminals [sic]
46) The evergreen model for long-term care: A state-level strategy for a persistent social policy problem
47) Due Process Is a Right, Not a Privilege You Get for Being Good
48) Trump Called Price Controls “Communist.” Now He’s Ordering Them for Prescription Drugs.
49) Trump Would Torch Magna Carta
50) On Iran, Trump Should Resist the Zero-Enrichment Fantasy
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) The Science of Politics, 05/14/25
52) Reason Interview: Richard Dawkins
53) The Fifth Column, 05/14/25
54) Conflicts of Interest, episode 798
55) The Learning Curve, 05/14/25
56) The Good Fight, 05/14/25
57) Mean Age Daydream, 05/14/25
58) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 05/14/25
59) Fountainhead Forum, episode 310
60) Nonzero, 05/13/25
61) Political Theater, 05/13/25
62) System Update, episode 454
63) What Then Must We Do?, 05/13/25
64) Politics Politics Politics, 05/13/25
65) Freakonomics Radio, 05/13/25
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
ONE IDENTITY FOR ALL YOUR CRYPTO
https://fioprotocol.io/
SAMUEL EDWARD KONKIN III REVOLUTIONARY FRIEND BY WENDY MCELROY
https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Edward-Konkin-Revolutionary-Friend-ebook/dp/B0DP7B6127
SHOP ONLINE, COLLECT A REBATE IN BITCOIN!
https://www.lolli.com/share/MZB4cCpheL
THE CONSTITUTION OF NON-STATE GOVERNMENT: FIELD GUIDE TO TEXAS SECESSION, by TL Hulsey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1947660853
Tyranny Demands AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE: A NOVEL BY ERNE LEWIS
https://tinyurl.com/actofselfdefense
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Russian regime’s choice of low-level delegation puts Ukraine talks in doubt
Source: Washington Post
“Ukrainian and Russian delegations arrived in Turkey on Thursday, yet it remains unclear whether the first direct talks between warring sides since the spring of 2022 will take place after Russia revealed it would send only a low-level delegation of deputy ministers and experts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s challenge to Russian leader Vladimir Putin to meet him in Istanbul — and President Donald Trump’s statements that he was open to flying in — provoked a flurry of intense speculation that Putin could meet with Trump for the first time since the U.S. president’s election, and potentially Zelensky for the first time since before invading his country. … Putin’s most recent stalling tactic runs the risk that Russia could drag out talks over the summer while attempting another offensive in Ukraine after months of a grueling war of attrition, sidestepping U.S. and European calls for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire.” (05/15/25)
https://archive.is/BGb25
-----
2) WI: Dugan files motion to dismiss federal obstruction case, citing judicial immunity
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan, indicted on charges of helping an undocumented immigrant elude federal authorities, filed a motion May 14 to dismiss her case, citing judicial immunity and federal overreach by prosecutors. The motion, coming less than 24 hours after Dugan was indicted by a federal grand jury, sets the stage for a legal battle ahead. The action comes even before Dugan has entered a plea, which is expected May 15. Usually, motions come later in a case, but her legal team is arguing that the issues of immunity and federalism need to be resolved immediately. … The motion makes two arguments: that Judge Dugan cannot be prosecuted because she is entitled to judicial immunity for her official acts and that prosecutors were exceeding federal authority in the case.” (05/14/25)
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2025/05/14/hannah-dugan-moves-to-dismiss-obstruction-case-on-judicial-immunity/83624812007/
-----
3) Top Iranian official says Tehran would forgo highly enriched uranium in nuclear deal
Source: NBC News
“Iran is ready to sign a nuclear deal with certain conditions with President Donald Trump in exchange for lifting economic sanctions, a top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader told NBC News on Wednesday. Ali Shamkhani, a top political, military and nuclear adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is one of the most senior Iranian officials to speak publicly about the ongoing discussions. He said Iran would commit to never making nuclear weapons, getting rid of its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium which can be weaponized, agree to enrich uranium only to the lower levels needed for civilian use, and allow international inspectors to supervise the process, in exchange for the immediate lifting of all economic sanctions on Iran.” [editor’s note: Other than “immediate” lifting of “all” sanctions, that was the previous deal that Trump broke during his first term, and has been the Iranian position ever since – TLK] (05/14/25)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/iran-enriched-uranium-nuclear-deal-trump-rcna206833
-----
4) Netanyahu whines over Macron’s criticism of Gaza blockade
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday accused French President Emmanuel Macron of siding with a ‘murderous Islamist terrorist organisation’ after Macron criticised Israel’s blocking of aid to Gaza. … In a televised interview on Tuesday, Macron accused Netanyahu’s government of ‘unacceptable’ and ‘shameful’ behaviour over its aid blockade on Gaza, which has been in force since March 2. The United Nations and aid organisations have repeatedly warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in the war-ravaged territory as famine again looms.” (05/14/25)
https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20250514-netanyahu-slams-macron-over-criticism-of-gaza-aid-blockade
-----
5) Cartel Family Members Cross Border in Apparent Deal With US regime, Official Says
Source: New York Times
“A group of family members of Sinaloa Cartel leaders crossed into the United States last week, likely as part of a deal with the Trump administration, Mexico’s secretary of security said on Tuesday evening. For days, rumors had spread that 17 relatives, including one of the ex-wives of the crime boss known as El Chapo, had flown from a cartel stronghold to Tijuana, Mexico, and then crossed into the United States. A news outlet, Pie de Nota, reported that they had surrendered to U.S. federal authorities there, citing anonymous sources. … The movement of the family members to the United States — and the speculation that it could mean a plea agreement with the U.S. government — has fueled high-profile discussion in Mexico about who might be implicated by imprisoned cartel leaders.” (05/14/25)
https://archive.is/3w6mS
-----
6) US judge orders release of Badar Khan Suri from immigration custody
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“A federal judge has ordered Georgetown University scholar Badar Khan Suri released from immigration detention, in the latest victory for US visa holders targeted by the administration of President Donald Trump for pro-Palestine stances or advocacy. The ruling on Wednesday by US District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles comes shortly after two other prominent students targeted for deportation, Columbia University Student Mohsen Mahdawi and Tufts University PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk, were ordered released from detention as their deportation cases move forward. … As with similar cases where visa holders have been targeted for deportation related to their pro-Palestine views and advocacy, lawyers for Suri Khan – who has Indian citizenship and a US student visa – argued ICE agents unlawfully [abducted] him outside his Virginia home in March for speech that should have been constitutionally protected.” (05/14/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/14/us-judge-orders-release-of-badar-khan-suri-from-immigration-custody
-----
7) Germany: Regime arrests three over suspected Russian bomb plot and espionage
Source: Politico
“German police have arrested three people accused of working for Russian intelligence to plan bomb attacks inside Germany. The suspects, two men and one woman, were detained in separate operations in the western city of Cologne, the southern city of Konstanz and in Switzerland. All three are Ukrainian nationals and are being held on suspicion of espionage and preparing acts of sabotage. According to federal prosecutors, the group allegedly planned to send parcel bombs designed to explode during shipment — a tactic aimed at creating public fear and undermining trust in Germany’s infrastructure.” (05/14/25)
https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-arrests-three-suspected-russia-bomb-plot
-----
8) MD: Regime loses triple-A bond rating from Moody’s rating agency
Source: Orange County Register
“Maryland lost its triple-A bond rating from Moody’s on Wednesday, a rating the state has cited for more than 50 years as a sign of strong fiscal stewardship. Moody’s downgraded the state’s credit rating to Aa1. Maryland had received a triple-A bond rating from Moody’s since 1973. The state has benefitted from the higher rating by paying the lowest rates when it sells bonds to pay for infrastructure, likes roads and schools. ‘The downgrade was driven by economic and financial underperformance compared to Aaa-rated states, which is expected to continue given the state’s heightened vulnerability to shifting federal policies and employment, and its elevated fixed costs,’ Moody’s said. Gov. Wes Moore and other leading Maryland Democrats blamed President Donald Trump’s mass layoffs of federal workers, which is having a big impact on the region. The District of Columbia also recently received a credit-rating downgrade.” (05/14/25)
https://archive.is/qLJ4q
-----
9) UK: Lineker apologizes for sharing “offensive” Zionism post with rat image
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Gary Lineker has ‘apologised unreservedly’ after being criticised for sharing a social media post about Zionism that included an illustration of a rat. ‘On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references,’ he said in a statement. ‘I very much regret these references. I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in.’ The Match of the Day presenter said he deleted the post ‘as soon as I became aware of the issue.’ A rat has historically been used as an antisemitic insult, referring to language used by Nazi Germany to characterise Jews.” (05/14/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c365ernrnlyo
-----
10) CA: Newsom seeks to scale back free [sic] healthcare for migrants
Source: Reuters
“California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday will announce a budget proposal to scale back a free [sic] healthcare program for low-income undocumented migrants, his office said, citing an expected $16 billion dent in state revenues from President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The change forms part of Newsom’s budget presentation to be released on Wednesday. The governor’s office projected that sharply lower revenues after Trump’s tariffs would require the state ‘to take corrective action that balances fiscal responsibility while preserving core tenets of key investments.’ Trump’s administration has targeted immigrant-friendly policies in Democratic-dominated states, such as California, pressuring them to end benefits programs for undocumented migrants. Newsom’s office said that the governor will call for undocumented adults to pay $100 monthly premiums to receive Medi-Cal healthcare coverage. He would also call to block all new adult applicants for the program starting on January 1, 2026.” (05/14/25)
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/california-governor-newsom-seeks-scale-back-free-healthcare-migrants-2025-05-14/
-----
11) Court rules in favor of New York Times over texts between EU chief and a pharma boss
Source: ABC News
“A top European court ruled on Wednesday that the European Commission was wrong to refuse the New York Times access to text messages sent between President Ursula von der Leyen and a pharmaceutical boss during the COVID-19 pandemic, spurring further calls for reform from transparency advocates. The U.S. newspaper’s lawyers ‘succeeded in rebutting the presumption of non-existence and of non-possession of the requested documents,’ according to a statement from the European Union’s General Court in Luxembourg. The case highlights ongoing questions about oversight of the commission, which insists that text messages and other ‘ephemeral’ electronic communications do not necessarily constitute documents of interest that should be saved or made public.” (05/14/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/court-rules-favor-new-york-times-texts-eu-121785131
-----
12) Relief on China’s factory floors as US tariffs put on hold
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“There’s a vast empty space in the middle of the factory floor in Foshan in southern China where workers should be welding high-end air fryers for the US market. Derek Wang says his American customers were wowed by his air fryer models — which are controlled via smartphones and can also bake, roast and grill. But then on 2 April, Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs hit all Chinese goods entering the US, eventually reaching 145% — and his clients asked him to pause production. … On Wednesday, as a deal to ease the trade war came into effect, Mr Wang said his US buyers were back on the phone. Both countries still face some tariffs. There is at least a 30% tax on all Chinese goods entering the US and Beijing has kept a 10% levy on American goods coming into the country, down from 125%.” (05/14/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8d9ygd4yqo
-----
13) Libertarian National Committee treasurer proposes motion to censure Colorado, New Hampshire affiliates
Source: Independent Political Report
“The treasurer of the Libertarian National Committee is requesting that the organization censure the party’s New Hampshire and Colorado state affiliates in two motions proposed for its in-person meeting this month. One of the motions also asks the New Hampshire affiliate to consider disaffiliating itself from the national party. LNC Treasurer Bill Redpath requested Monday night that both motions be added to the standing agenda for the committee’s upcoming in-person meeting in Michigan. Each motion cites recent social media activity by the respective affiliates, arguing that their conduct has brought negative attention to the party.” (05/13/25)
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2025/05/lnc-treasurer-proposes-motion-to-censure-colorado-and-new-hampshire-affiliates/
-----
14) MA: Karen Read murder trial resumes after sudden one-day break
Source: USA Today
“The retrial of Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman accused of hitting her police officer boyfriend with her car and leaving him for dead, will resume following an abrupt one-day break in court proceedings. … Prosecutors say 45-year-old Read deliberately hit John O’Keefe with her SUV outside the home of a fellow cop and left him for dead in January 2022. Read’s lawyers say she was framed for O’Keefe’s murder and suggested someone inside the home killed him. Her first trial ended in a hung jury.” (05/14/25)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/05/14/karen-read-trial-live-updates-day-15/83619287007/
-----
15) CA: CBP gang steals 749 cartons of cigarettes
Source: United Press International
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Wednesday that 749 cartons of illegally imported cigarettes were discovered aboard a cruise ship at the Long Beach Cruise Ship Terminal in April. According to CBP officers assigned to the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport, 10 pieces of luggage full of cigarettes belonging to two female passengers was found. … The 749 cartons [stolen] will be destroyed under CBP supervision.” (05/14/25)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2025/05/14/CBP-seizes-illegal-cigarettes-Long-Beach-cruise-ship/8491747243495/
-----
16) Mali: Regime bans French TV channel over coverage of pro-democracy protest
Source: Seattle Times
“Mali’s media regulatory body said it is banning a French television channel in the country due to ‘defamatory remarks’ it made about a pro-democracy demonstration in the capital earlier this month. … The decision was the latest move by Malian authorities that targeted media outlets. The signals of France 24 and Radio France Internationale (RFI) have been blocked for three years, and Mali’s private TV channel, Djoliba TV News, had its signal cut off for six months last December over a debate questioning the official version of a thwarted coup attempt in neighboring Burkina Faso.” (05/14/25)
https://archive.is/epyXR
-----
17) Abductees at ICE gang lair barricade themselves, threaten to take hostages
Source: New York Post
“Nearly two dozen [alleged] Tren de Aragua gangbangers in an ICE detention center in Texas have barricaded themselves and threatened to take hostages in a major uprising — days after migrants spelled out ‘SOS’ in the prison yard. [Supposed m]embers of the Venezuelan gang threatened to hold ICE [thugs] captive and injure them on April 26 as they barricaded the doors of their unit with their cots, covered surveillance cameras, blocked windows, and flooded the unit by clogging the toilets, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The takeover attempt lasted ‘several hours,’ with the [abductees] ignoring the orders of ICE [thugs]. Alleged Tren de Aragua gangbangers were seen begging to be sent home by flashing a banner reading ‘Help, we want to be deported. We are not terrorists. SOS’ to a drone overhead this week at the same facility.” (05/14/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/05/14/us-news/tren-de-aragua-gangbangers-at-ice-facility-barricade-themselves-threaten-to-take-hostages-after-spelling-out-sos-in-prison-yard/
-----
18) EU unveils Russia sanctions targeting “shadow” oil fleet and cyberattackers
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“The EU has approved a fresh package of sanctions on Russia, clamping down on its ‘shadow’ oil fleet as Europe threatens further punishment if Moscow does not agree to a Ukraine ceasefire. The United States and Europe should use ‘devastating’ sanctions to ‘take Russia by the throat’ to make it agree to a truce, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in an interview with BFM TV early on Wednesday. The new measures against the Kremlin – the 17th round of EU sanctions since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine – were in the pipeline before European leaders issued their latest ultimatum to Moscow over US-led peace efforts. Diplomats representing the EU’s 27 member states approved the package at a meeting in Brussels, according to the Polish presidency of the bloc.” (05/14/25)
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20250514-eu-unveils-new-sanctions-on-russia-targeting-shadow-oil-fleet-and-cyberattackers
-----
19) Trump surgeon general pick praises psychedelic therapy, says mushrooms helped her find love
Source: SFGate
“President Donald Trump’s new pick for surgeon general wrote in a recent book that people should consider using unproven psychedelic drugs as therapy and in a newsletter suggested her use of mushrooms helped her find a romantic partner. Dr. Casey Means’[s] recommendation to consider guided psilocybin-assisted therapy is notable because psilocybin is illegal under federal law. It’s listed as a Schedule 1 drug, defined as a substance ‘with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.’ Oregon and Colorado have legalized psychedelic therapy, though several cities in Oregon have since banned it. The surgeon general’s job is to provide Americans with the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and reduce their risk of illness and injury.” (05/14/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/trump-surgeon-general-pick-praised-unproven-20327366.php
-----
20) First judge approves Trump invoking Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans
Source: The Hill
“A federal judge ruled Tuesday that President Trump can invoke the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to remove Tren de Aragua members but determined the administration has provided insufficient notice before carrying out the deportations. U.S. District Judge Stephanie Haines’s ruling contrasts with several other federal judges who have ruled Trump illegally invoked the wartime statute. She says Trump is within his rights to deport members of a foreign terrorist organization — a designation he has made for Tren de Aragua. … Judges in three other jurisdictions have found Trump does not have the power to use the AEA to target gang members, saying the law was not meant to be used outside of an invasion or incursion.” (05/13/25)
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5298369-trump-alien-enemies-act-venezuelans
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Trump’s “Deal” With China Leaves American Consumers and Exporters Facing Higher Tariffs Than Before
Source: Reason
by Eric Boehm
“[T]he deal struck Monday between the U.S. and China to de-escalate the trade war is undeniably a positive development. As part of the deal, the U.S. will temporarily lower tariffs on Chinese imports from 145 percent to 30 percent (which will be applied on top of other tariffs imposed by the first Trump administration). That may be enough to stave off the worst consequences of the tariffs …. More broadly, however, the deal is a tidy illustration of how President Donald Trump has conducted his global trade war. With China, Trump hiked tariffs to astronomical levels while promising those taxes (which are paid by Americans) would unleash prosperity and create jobs. Then, the White House celebrated the agreement that reduced those tariffs as ‘the art of the deal.’ They are literally doing the meme. But the ‘deal’ means that imports from China will be subjected to significantly higher tariffs than when Trump took office.” (05/14/25)
https://reason.com/2025/05/14/trumps-deal-with-china-leaves-american-consumers-and-exporters-facing-higher-tariffs-than-before/
-----
22) My $100 Tomato: Is Self-Sufficiency Overrated?
Source: The Daily Economy
by Michael Munger
“[Adam] Smith discussed how households decide what to make for themselves, and what to buy in the marketplace. The paradox is that it can cost much more to make something yourself, if someone else can make it more cheaply. You may have had this experience yourself. To ‘save money,’ I decided to grow tomatoes. I spent a lot of money and time preparing the ground and cultivating the plants, and then spraying bugs and trying to prevent rot when it rained too much. My wife calculated the total costs, including my time, and to this day laughingly refers to my ‘$100 tomatoes.’ I didn’t save money at all; in fact, by making the thing instead of buying it, I lost both the expense of the making, and the value of whatever I could have been doing instead. Smith recognized that the principle is very general, and extends beyond the household.” (05/14/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/make-or-buy-the-100-tomato/
-----
23) Religious Freedom or a Threat to America? The Debate Explodes in Texas.
Source: Chasing Liberty
by Jeff Charles
“A group of Muslims in Texas bought land to build a peaceful community. The state responded by launching criminal investigations before they even broke ground.” (05/14/25)
https://www.libertychasers.com/p/religious-freedom-or-a-threat-to
-----
24) The High Cost of America’s Immigration Control System
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“Given the Trump administration’s use of immigration-control enforcement to engage in a massive assault on civil liberties, the question naturally arises for any American who still wants to live in a free society: Is this immigration-control system worth it? Is a system of immigration controls worth the destruction of the civil liberties of the American people?” (05/14/25)
https://www.fff.org/2025/05/14/the-high-cost-of-americas-immigration-control-system/
-----
25) Continental Divide
Source: The Dispatch
by Yascha Mounk
“Largely unnoticed by the general public on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean is a particular way America has pulled away from Europe: The average American is now vastly more affluent than the average European. The difference is not only reflected in the overall sizes of their respective economies but by the much more practical metrics of disposable income, living space, and accessibility to basic services. Despite the overwhelming evidence, though, the idea that Americans are better off than their European counterparts is an unpopular sentiment. I casually mentioned on a recent episode of Paul Krugman’s interview show that, whereas both continents were similarly affluent a few decades ago, America is now nearly twice as rich as Europe. Cue a flood of outraged emails.” (05/14/25)
https://thedispatch.com/article/united-states-wealth-europe-gdp-prosperity/
-----
26) The Most Fun Presidency Ever
Source: Town Hall
by William Marshall
“Okay, I am a conservative, so I like just about everything the Trump administration has done to date. I make no bones about that. From a policy standpoint, I cannot think of a president in my lifetime who has ever truly tried to ‘make America great again’ the way Donald Trump has, apart from the great Ronald Reagan. But when I speak of ‘fun,’ I am not just talking about policies. I’m talking about entertainment value. About Trump’s showmanship. His ability to dazzle, amuse and to drive his political opponents insane. It’s worth the price of admission as an American citizen.” [editor’s note: Marshall says he’s a “conservative,” but then lauds the policies of a life-long progressive Democrat who’s acting like (checks notes) a life-long progressive Democrat. Weird – TLK] (05/14/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/williammarshall/2025/05/14/the-most-fun-presidency-ever-n2657027
-----
27) Israel Is Still Deliberately Starving Gaza to Death
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“One of the most horrifying things about the famine stalking Gaza is that it is entirely man-made and it could be stopped at any time, but the world’s governments look on and just let it happen. Our government is even worse than that. Our government is no mere bystander. It is an accomplice in the destruction of the population of Gaza. Starvation is a particularly cruel and dehumanizing weapon to use against a population. It is prohibited under international law because it is such an atrocious and degrading thing to do to other people. It is one of the most evil things that one group of people can do to another, and Israel has been doing it to the Palestinians of Gaza for more than a year and a half.” (05/14/25)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/israel-is-still-deliberately-starving
-----
28) Maybe, in 2025, a feminist looks like a gender abolitionist
Source: Sex and the State
by Cathy Reisenwitz
“I, once again, find myself unable to stop thinking about a question Cartoons Hate Her recently asked. This time, it’s What Does a Feminist Look Like in 2025? Returning to Alabama and Trump 2.0 have changed my opinions on this, and other elements of ‘wokeness.’ (I’m hardly alone in re-evaluating wokeness, it should be said.) I think my attitude, before, was essentially, ‘Shoot for the moon, land among the stars.’ Even if occasionally ham-fisted and ineffectual, woke shit is generally better than throwing up our hands and simply accepting current levels of racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. Having now lived in red, blue, and then red again areas, I’m much more sympathetic to the idea that maybe wokeness impacted redder areas and communities in fundamentally worse and more alienating ways than bluer areas.” (05/14/25)
https://cathyreisenwitz.substack.com/p/maybe-in-2025-a-feminist-looks-like
-----
29) In Norway, more voices, better solutions
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“Last year, leaders in Norway were shocked to learn that less than half of citizens trusted government. The falloff in trust was 16 percentage points in only two years. To help patch up public faith in democracy, 40,000 people were picked at random from all walks of life, and then 66 were chosen to deliberate together over four months on a ‘citizens’ assembly,’ or what was called the Future Panel. This group of everyday folks was given a broad assignment: What values should guide the use of Norway’s immense wealth from oil for ‘the good of the world, ourselves, and future generations?’ They were asked to give advice on how to spend the country’s $1.8 trillion in oil riches, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund.” (05/13/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/0513/In-Norway-more-voices-better-solutions
-----
30) Fewer Rules, Better People: Discretion and Dispersed Information
Source: EconLog
by Kevin Corcoran
“In a previous post, I described some cases of the use of discretion in law enforcement from Barry Lam’s book Fewer Rules, Better People. But while citing individual cases can be useful for illustrating an idea, coming to a decision on whether or when discretion should take precedence over legalism can’t be made by citing individual anecdotes. What is needed is a second-order consideration of what kinds of circumstances make it more likely for discretion to bring about better results than legalism in general, rather than pointing to individual instances of rules or discretion bringing about good or bad outcomes.” (05/14/25)
https://www.econlib.org/fewer-rules-better-people-discretion-and-dispersed-information/
-----
31) The Left’s [sic] sudden epiphanies were obvious to normal folks all along
Source: Fox News
by David Marcus
“It has been roughly six months since President Donald Trump trampled former Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democrats on Election Day, and in that time the liberal [sic] news media have arrived at some epiphanies as to how and why they got everything so wrong. From Biden’s steep mental decline, the origins of COVID, the ‘unfixable’ border to children undergoing sex changes [sic], the liberal [sic] media was on the incorrect side of all of it. Suddenly, many are claiming to have seen the light. Or more precisely, to see that what they gaslit the rest of us about for the last few years was as true as it was obvious.” (05/14/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/david-marcus-lefts-sudden-epiphanies-were-obvious-normal-folks-all-along
-----
32) Israel Admits It Bombed A Hospital To Kill A Journalist For Doing Journalism
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“The IDF has admitted to bombing a hospital in order to assassinate a prominent Palestinian journalist in Gaza, explicitly stating that they assassinated him for engaging in journalistic activities. The official Israel Defense Forces account made the following post on Twitter: ‘Don’t let Aslih’s press vest fool you: Hassan Abdel Fattah Mohammed Aslih, a terrorist from the Hamas Khan Yunis brigade, was eliminated along with other terrorists in the ‘Nasser’ hospital in Khan Yunis. Aslih participated in the brutal October 7 massacre under the guise of a journalist and owner of a news network. During the massacre, he documented acts of murder, looting, and arson, posting the footage online. Journalist? More like terrorist.’ Documenting newsworthy acts and posting the footage online is also known as journalism. It’s the thing that journalism is.” (05/14/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/05/14/israel-admits-it-bombed-a-hospital-to-kill-a-journalist-for-doing-journalism/
-----
33) Zelensky’s Big Istanbul Gamble
Source: Washington Monthly
by Tamar Jacoby
“As he heads to Turkey for high-stakes negotiations with Russia this week, the Ukrainian leader is betting that Trump will soon realize that Putin doesn’t want peace.” (05/14/25)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/05/14/zelenskys-big-istanbul-gamble/
-----
34) We can resolve litter problem — for free
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“Every cent spent by government is money wasted. You have more influence over your family and friends than a stranger or government would. Use your influence for good. Don’t litter and don’t ask government to spend money on things you believe would be a benefit. Don’t ignore littering by people you know, and pick up after them if they litter in your presence.” (05/14/25)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2025/05/14/voices/opinion-we-can-resolve-litter-problem-for-free/230839.html
-----
35) What the UK Deal Reveals about Trump’s Trade Strategy
Source: Cato Institute
by Scott Lincicome
“Last week, the Trump administration announced a ‘historic trade deal’ with the United Kingdom. If by this the White House meant that the agreement is the first instance of a country reaching a deal to get out of President Donald Trump’s worldwide ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs, then yes — it is, technically, historic. In colloquial terms, however, the only historic thing about this agreement is its flimsiness. If the U.K. deal is a model for deals yet to be struck with other nations, Trump will have little to show for the chaos and disruptions that his tariffs have unleashed — especially when compared with what America could have had instead.” (05/14/25)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/what-uk-deal-reveals-about-trumps-trade-strategy
-----
36) How shady Democratic Party lawyer Marc Elias is thwarting voters’ will
Source: New York Post
by Betsy McCaughey
“A left-wing legal group with a deceptive name is proving to be the biggest obstacle to translating President Donald Trump’s massive [sic] 2024 election victory into real change. The mission of Democracy Forward: thwarting the choices of the 77 million voters who supported Trump for president. The group sues the Trump administration repeatedly, venue-shopping for sympathetic district court judges — the lowest federal jurists on the totem pole — who then act as stooges, issuing national injunctions to halt Trump’s agenda. Never mind how flimsy or outright false the legal claims. The brain behind Democracy Forward is the scandal-plagued Democratic lawyer Marc Elias, who chairs the group. He’s the same culprit whose fingerprints were all over the fake anti-Trump Steele Dossier in 2016, launching the ‘Russia collusion’ narrative.” [editor’s note: Weird that McCaughey feels she has to pretend Trump’s “by the skin of his teeth” election victory was some kind of landslide when writing on a different topic that relies on no such lie – TLK] (05/13/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/05/13/opinion/how-shady-dem-lawyer-marc-elias-is-thwarting-voters-will/
-----
37) Back to Istanbul! Key nodes for US-Russia-Ukraine talks
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Anatol Lieven
“Direct talks between senior Ukrainian and Russian representatives, if they do take place in Istanbul on Thursday, will be a real step forward and a significant achievement by the Trump administration. It is worth remembering that only three months ago the Ukrainian government was still rejecting even the idea of talks with the Putin administration as illegal, and demanding prior Russian withdrawal from all the occupied areas of Ukraine as a precondition for negotiations. Putin’s apparent rejection of Zelensky’s challenge to a face to face meeting is a disappointment, but not a crucial setback. It is very rare for real progress in peace talks to be made in meetings between leaders themselves, and the Russians have some reason to see this as a maneuver, or stunt, by Zelensky to gain Trump’s favor rather than a serious proposal.” (05/14/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/ukraine-russia-talks-istanbul/
-----
38) The Department of Injustice
Source: CounterPunch
by David S D’Amato
“Today, it would be nearly impossible to overstate the extent to which justice for the criminal defendant in the U.S. has been compromised by prosecutorial misconduct of the most serious kinds. A growing body of evidence from journalistic investigations, scholarly studies, and reports from civil liberties groups reveals a startling pattern of serious misconduct, lack of transparency and accountability, and politicized and racialized enforcement. At the center of this system of injustice and impunity is the Department of Justice. Prosecutors, especially in the federal government, wield immense power and exercise broad discretion. In criminal litigation, the government has a host of tools that are unavailable to others and that far overshadow the Bill of Rights in terms of their practical importance to real-world outcomes.” (05/14/25)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/05/14/the-department-of-injustice/
-----
39) The Deep State’s Favorite Columnist Just Turned on Bibi
Source: Antiwar.com
by John Mac Ghlionn
“Thomas Friedman’s message to President Trump, published in The New York Times, cuts sharper than most of the foggy, ideologically neutered op-eds that clutter that paper. It is, quite simply, one of the most brutally honest assessments of America’s relationship with Israel in years – from Thomas Friedman, of all people: an institutionalist and a stalwart of all things Zionist. What makes his message so urgent is not just what he says, but who he says it to, and why it matters now. Let’s start with the heart of it: ‘This Israeli government is not our ally.’ That line, once unspeakable in polite Washington company, is now printed in black and white on the pages of the Times. And Friedman is right to say it.” (05/14/25)
https://original.antiwar.com/john_mac_ghlionn/2025/05/13/the-deep-states-favorite-columnist-just-turned-on-bibi/
-----
40) The Trumpian Nightmare Must End Before It Gets Worse
Source: Common Dreams
by CJ Polychroniou
“We are nearly four months into the Trump administration, but sometimes it feels like the orange man has been president forever. This is because Donald Trump’s second term is a nightmare that keeps getting worse and worse. First, you have the chaos that Trump has unleashed around the world with his uninformed and simplistic views on international trade and trade policy and threats to Greenland, Canada, Panama, and Mexico; then his all-out assault on civil society and the very fundamental principles of U.S. democracy; and then the daily and exhausting bullshit that comes out of his ignorant mouth, which he uses as a diversion to distract citizens and the media alike from his actions. But it is the horrible combination of lawlessness and incompetence, fear and cruelty of Trump 2.0 that creates the feeling that time has stopped.” (05/14/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/end-the-trump-nightmare
-----
41) Mexico and China didn’t take the Rust Belt’s jobs. The Sun Belt did.
Source: Washington Post
by Gary Winslett
“There’s a popular story that politicians in both parties like to tell us: The Rust Belt was a thriving region until China, Mexico and their American business allies tore their manufacturing jobs away with lopsided trade deals. Whether through President Donald Trump’s tariffs or some Democratic alternative, it’s now up to Washington to get them back. It’s a politically convenient tale for courting voters in key swing states, pining for the way things once were. The problem is that it’s not true — and it is leading to some terrible policy decisions. A big missing part of the story: Interstate competition. The Rust Belt’s manufacturing decline isn’t primarily about jobs going to Mexico. It’s about jobs going to Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee.” (05/14/25)
https://archive.is/jiI1J
-----
42) US overdose deaths fell 27% last year, the largest one-year decline ever seen
Source: SFGate
“There were 30,000 fewer U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before — the largest one-year decline ever recorded. An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses last year, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Wednesday. That’s down 27% from the 110,000 in 2023. The CDC has been collecting comparable data for 45 years. The previous largest one-year drop was 4% in 2018, according to the agency’s National Center for Health Statistics. All but two states saw declines last year, with Nevada and South Dakota experiencing small increases. Some of the biggest drops were in Ohio, West Virginia and other states that have been hard-hit in the nation’s decades-long overdose epidemic.” (05/14/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/us-overdose-deaths-fell-27-last-year-but-remain-20326855.php
-----
43) How AI Can Support Self-Government
Source: Law & Liberty
by Ray Nothstine
“While applying artificial intelligence to problems of government carries risks, it could also help decentralize power in reinvigorating ways.” (05/14/25)
https://lawliberty.org/forum/how-ai-can-support-self-government/
-----
44) If This Be Price Control
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Now that President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at ‘Delivering Most-Favored Nation Prescription Pricing to American Patients,’ you have probably heard complaints that Trump’s plan amounts to ‘price controls,’ which Republicans say they are against, and Trump, too, says he adamantly opposes. But the The Wall Street Journal editorial that mounted this case, and Joe Lancaster’s argument in Reason, assume that the current order makes sense. The present system is in no way a free market in drugs. It’s the result of patent policy, massive subsidies to consumers, an insane approach to insurance regulation, and abridgements to free trade.” (05/14/25)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/05/14/if-this-be-price-control/
-----
45) ICE deports a bunch of criminals [sic]
Source: The Pamphleteer
by Davis Hunt
“The Daily Wire got some more information on the ICE operation in Nashville. According to DHS, ICE has detained 196 illegal [sic] immigrants since May 3. Of the arrestees, 95 already had criminal convictions or pending charges, and 31 had illegally [sic] reentered the U.S. after deportation — a felony [sic]. So, that’s the crew Metro has thrown its weight behind. Additionally, reports are circulating about restaurants and businesses closing. Fox17 vaguely reported that ‘at least two’ honky tonks on Broadway have closed amidst rumors that ICE is targeting businesses in the area. The Plaza Mariachi parking lot is empty. I’ve heard about landscaping crews not showing up for work and housekeepers going on strike.” [editor’s note: According to the US Constitution, it is literally impossible to “illegally” enter (or re-enter) the US – TLK] (05/14/25)
https://pamphleteer.co/newsletter/ice-deported-a-bunch-of-criminals/
-----
46) The evergreen model for long-term care: A state-level strategy for a persistent social policy problem
Source: Niskanen Center
by Robert Saldin
“The biggest breakthrough in the search for solutions to America’s long-term care challenge has come not in Washington, D.C., but in Washington State. After decades of failed efforts on Capitol Hill, the Evergreen State has succeeded in establishing the nation’s first social insurance program for long-term care. While the Washington State Cares Fund (or simply WA Cares), was established by state law back in 2019, its future only became secure last November when voters rejected a ballot initiative that, if passed, would have fatally undermined the program.” (05/13/25)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/the-evergreen-model-for-long-term-care-a-state-level-strategy-for-a-persistent-social-policy-problem/
-----
47) Due Process Is a Right, Not a Privilege You Get for Being Good
Source: The Atlantic
by Adam Serwer
“If Kilmar Abrego Garcia is guilty of the crimes he is accused of, then the Trump administration could simply follow the law. Why won’t it?” (05/13/25)
https://archive.is/FXKdi
-----
48) Trump Called Price Controls “Communist.” Now He’s Ordering Them for Prescription Drugs.
Source: Reason
by Joe Lancaster
“This week, President Donald Trump issued an order he says will bring down Americans’ prescription drug prices. The order will likely have little effect, but it’s a perfect example of the government price controls that Trump and members of his administration once compared to socialism and fascism.” (05/13/25)
https://reason.com/2025/05/13/trump-called-price-controls-communist-now-hes-ordering-them-for-prescription-drugs/
-----
49) Trump Would Torch Magna Carta
Source: The American Prospect
by James Baratta
“Under the Constitution and federal law, individuals may challenge the legality of their detention in a court of law by filing a writ of habeas corpus. It is perhaps the most important protection preventing state actors from arbitrarily tossing people in jail indefinitely. At its core, habeas corpus provides a structural ballast in the preservation of liberal democratic values, and extends to both citizens and noncitizens. In addition to being one of the few rights mentioned explicitly in the original body of the Constitution, habeas is one of the oldest rights in the Anglo-American common-law tradition, dating back to before the Magna Carta of 1215, and supported by hundreds of years of legal precedent. On May 9, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said the Trump administration is ‘actively looking at’ whether to suspend habeas corpus.” (05/14/25)
https://prospect.org/civil-rights/2025-05-14-trump-would-torch-magna-carta/
-----
50) On Iran, Trump Should Resist the Zero-Enrichment Fantasy
Source: The American Conservative
by Trita Parsi
“Shutting down Iran’s more than 20,600 centrifuges is not required to achieve Trump’s stated goal of preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon. Nonetheless, it remains a long-standing demand of hardliners such as George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Nikki Haley, Mike Pompeo, and John Bolton. Many of them understood that insisting on total Iranian capitulation was the quickest path to derailing diplomacy and laying the groundwork for war. There are several reasons why Trump should not allow himself to be pushed into pursuing the zero-enrichment fantasy.” (05/13/25)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/on-iran-trump-should-resist-the-zero-enrichment-fantasy/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) The Science of Politics, 05/14/25
Source: Niskanen Center
“Can liberals stop Trump in the courts?” (05/14/25)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/can-liberals-stop-trump-in-the-courts/
-----
52) Reason Interview: Richard Dawkins
Source: Reason
“Why Atheism Is Winning.” (05/14/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/05/14/richard-dawkins-why-atheism-is-winning/
-----
53) The Fifth Column, 05/14/25
Source: The Fifth Column
“UNLOCKED: David Zweig, on How Media and Public Health Failed Our Kids.” (05/14/25)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/unlocked-david-zweig-on-how-media
-----
54) Conflicts of Interest, episode 798
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Trump’s Saudi Speech.” (05/14/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-798-trumps-saudi-speech
-----
55) The Learning Curve, 05/14/25
Source: Pioneer Institute
“Pulitzer Winner Rick Atkinson on the American Revolution’s 250th Anniversary.” (05/14/25)
https://pioneerinstitute.org/featured/pulitzer-winner-rick-atkinson-on-the-american-revolutions-250th-anniversary/
-----
56) The Good Fight, 05/14/25
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Pratap Mehta on the Global Crisis of Legitimacy.” (05/14/25)
https://yaschamounk.substack.com/p/pratap-mehta-on-the-global-crisis
-----
57) Mean Age Daydream, 05/14/25
Source: Lions of Liberty
“A Hogg to the Slaughter / A Bibi Shunned.” (05/14/25)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/madd-a-hogg-to-the-slaughter-a-bibi-shunned
-----
58) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 05/14/25
Source: The Dispatch
“Reagan Rolls Over.” (05/14/25)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/reagan-rolls-over/
-----
59) Fountainhead Forum, episode 310
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Lady Astor on doing public relations for Javier Milei and La Libertad Avanza.” (05/14/25)
https://rumble.com/v6tcuvr-ff-310-lady-astor-on-doing-public-relations-for-javier-milei-and-la-liberta.html
-----
60) Nonzero, 05/13/25
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“Trump Flips on Bibi, Putin, and Xi | Robert Wright, Derek Davison, and Daniel Bessner.” (05/13/25)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/68670
-----
61) Political Theater, 05/13/25
Source: Roll Call
“Call it the Most Not Invulnerable List.” (05/13/25)
https://chrt.fm/track/D3F8DG/traffic.megaphone.fm/FISCAL7755115283.mp3?updated=1747163938
-----
62) System Update, episode 454
Source: System Update
“Jake Tapper Pretends He Didn’t Know About Biden’s Decline; Trump’s Saudi Arabia Speech: A New Foreign Policy?” (05/13/25)
https://rumble.com/v6tc8pp-system-update-show-454.html
-----
63) What Then Must We Do?, 05/13/25
Source: Bretigne Shaffer
“What’s So Scary About Self-Amplifying RNA? With Dr. Jessica Rose.” (05/13/25)
https://pdcn.co/e/www.buzzsprout.com/756260/episodes/17145850-what-s-so-scary-about-self-amplifying-rna-with-dr-jessica-rose.mp3
-----
64) Politics Politics Politics, 05/13/25
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Is Trump’s Qatari Plane Deal Brazen Corruption or a Non-Story? Exploring the Big Beautiful Bill (with Matt Laslo).” (05/13/25)
https://www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/p/is-trumps-qatari-plane-deal-brazen
-----
65) Freakonomics Radio, 05/13/25
Source: Freakonomics
“How to Succeed at Failing, Part 2: Life and Death (Update).” (05/13/25)
https://freakonomics.com/podcast/how-to-succeed-at-failing-part-2-life-and-death-update/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FND is published every weekday except on holidays. Forward freely.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit:
http://groups.google.com/group/freedom-news-daily
Support the Liberty International (tax deductible)
https://liberty-intl.org/join-the-movement/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Presented by the Liberty International
https://liberty-intl.org/
Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
https://news.rationalreview.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's Freedom News:
1) Russian regime’s choice of low-level delegation puts Ukraine talks in doubt
2) WI: Dugan files motion to dismiss federal obstruction case, citing judicial immunity
3) Top Iranian official says Tehran would forgo highly enriched uranium in nuclear deal
4) Netanyahu whines over Macron’s criticism of Gaza blockade
5) Cartel Family Members Cross Border in Apparent Deal With US regime, Official Says
6) US judge orders release of Badar Khan Suri from immigration custody
7) Germany: Regime arrests three over suspected Russian bomb plot and espionage
8) MD: Regime loses triple-A bond rating from Moody’s rating agency
9) UK: Lineker apologizes for sharing “offensive” Zionism post with rat image
10) CA: Newsom seeks to scale back free [sic] healthcare for migrants
11) Court rules in favor of New York Times over texts between EU chief and a pharma boss
12) Relief on China’s factory floors as US tariffs put on hold
13) Libertarian National Committee treasurer proposes motion to censure Colorado, New Hampshire affiliates
14) MA: Karen Read murder trial resumes after sudden one-day break
15) CA: CBP gang steals 749 cartons of cigarettes
16) Mali: Regime bans French TV channel over coverage of pro-democracy protest
17) Abductees at ICE gang lair barricade themselves, threaten to take hostages
18) EU unveils Russia sanctions targeting “shadow” oil fleet and cyberattackers
19) Trump surgeon general pick praises psychedelic therapy, says mushrooms helped her find love
20) First judge approves Trump invoking Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Trump’s “Deal” With China Leaves American Consumers and Exporters Facing Higher Tariffs Than Before
22) My $100 Tomato: Is Self-Sufficiency Overrated?
23) Religious Freedom or a Threat to America? The Debate Explodes in Texas.
24) The High Cost of America’s Immigration Control System
25) Continental Divide
26) The Most Fun Presidency Ever
27) Israel Is Still Deliberately Starving Gaza to Death
28) Maybe, in 2025, a feminist looks like a gender abolitionist
29) In Norway, more voices, better solutions
30) Fewer Rules, Better People: Discretion and Dispersed Information
31) The Left’s [sic] sudden epiphanies were obvious to normal folks all along
32) Israel Admits It Bombed A Hospital To Kill A Journalist For Doing Journalism
33) Zelensky’s Big Istanbul Gamble
34) We can resolve litter problem — for free
35) What the UK Deal Reveals about Trump’s Trade Strategy
36) How shady Democratic Party lawyer Marc Elias is thwarting voters’ will
37) Back to Istanbul! Key nodes for US-Russia-Ukraine talks
38) The Department of Injustice
39) The Deep State’s Favorite Columnist Just Turned on Bibi
40) The Trumpian Nightmare Must End Before It Gets Worse
41) Mexico and China didn’t take the Rust Belt’s jobs. The Sun Belt did.
42) US overdose deaths fell 27% last year, the largest one-year decline ever seen
43) How AI Can Support Self-Government
44) If This Be Price Control
45) ICE deports a bunch of criminals [sic]
46) The evergreen model for long-term care: A state-level strategy for a persistent social policy problem
47) Due Process Is a Right, Not a Privilege You Get for Being Good
48) Trump Called Price Controls “Communist.” Now He’s Ordering Them for Prescription Drugs.
49) Trump Would Torch Magna Carta
50) On Iran, Trump Should Resist the Zero-Enrichment Fantasy
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) The Science of Politics, 05/14/25
52) Reason Interview: Richard Dawkins
53) The Fifth Column, 05/14/25
54) Conflicts of Interest, episode 798
55) The Learning Curve, 05/14/25
56) The Good Fight, 05/14/25
57) Mean Age Daydream, 05/14/25
58) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 05/14/25
59) Fountainhead Forum, episode 310
60) Nonzero, 05/13/25
61) Political Theater, 05/13/25
62) System Update, episode 454
63) What Then Must We Do?, 05/13/25
64) Politics Politics Politics, 05/13/25
65) Freakonomics Radio, 05/13/25
vvvvv SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS vvvvv
ONE IDENTITY FOR ALL YOUR CRYPTO
https://fioprotocol.io/
SAMUEL EDWARD KONKIN III REVOLUTIONARY FRIEND BY WENDY MCELROY
https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Edward-Konkin-Revolutionary-Friend-ebook/dp/B0DP7B6127
SHOP ONLINE, COLLECT A REBATE IN BITCOIN!
https://www.lolli.com/share/MZB4cCpheL
THE CONSTITUTION OF NON-STATE GOVERNMENT: FIELD GUIDE TO TEXAS SECESSION, by TL Hulsey
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1947660853
Tyranny Demands AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE: A NOVEL BY ERNE LEWIS
https://tinyurl.com/actofselfdefense
^^^^^ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ^^^^^
_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Russian regime’s choice of low-level delegation puts Ukraine talks in doubt
Source: Washington Post
“Ukrainian and Russian delegations arrived in Turkey on Thursday, yet it remains unclear whether the first direct talks between warring sides since the spring of 2022 will take place after Russia revealed it would send only a low-level delegation of deputy ministers and experts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s challenge to Russian leader Vladimir Putin to meet him in Istanbul — and President Donald Trump’s statements that he was open to flying in — provoked a flurry of intense speculation that Putin could meet with Trump for the first time since the U.S. president’s election, and potentially Zelensky for the first time since before invading his country. … Putin’s most recent stalling tactic runs the risk that Russia could drag out talks over the summer while attempting another offensive in Ukraine after months of a grueling war of attrition, sidestepping U.S. and European calls for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire.” (05/15/25)
https://archive.is/BGb25
-----
2) WI: Dugan files motion to dismiss federal obstruction case, citing judicial immunity
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan, indicted on charges of helping an undocumented immigrant elude federal authorities, filed a motion May 14 to dismiss her case, citing judicial immunity and federal overreach by prosecutors. The motion, coming less than 24 hours after Dugan was indicted by a federal grand jury, sets the stage for a legal battle ahead. The action comes even before Dugan has entered a plea, which is expected May 15. Usually, motions come later in a case, but her legal team is arguing that the issues of immunity and federalism need to be resolved immediately. … The motion makes two arguments: that Judge Dugan cannot be prosecuted because she is entitled to judicial immunity for her official acts and that prosecutors were exceeding federal authority in the case.” (05/14/25)
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2025/05/14/hannah-dugan-moves-to-dismiss-obstruction-case-on-judicial-immunity/83624812007/
-----
3) Top Iranian official says Tehran would forgo highly enriched uranium in nuclear deal
Source: NBC News
“Iran is ready to sign a nuclear deal with certain conditions with President Donald Trump in exchange for lifting economic sanctions, a top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader told NBC News on Wednesday. Ali Shamkhani, a top political, military and nuclear adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is one of the most senior Iranian officials to speak publicly about the ongoing discussions. He said Iran would commit to never making nuclear weapons, getting rid of its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium which can be weaponized, agree to enrich uranium only to the lower levels needed for civilian use, and allow international inspectors to supervise the process, in exchange for the immediate lifting of all economic sanctions on Iran.” [editor’s note: Other than “immediate” lifting of “all” sanctions, that was the previous deal that Trump broke during his first term, and has been the Iranian position ever since – TLK] (05/14/25)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/iran-enriched-uranium-nuclear-deal-trump-rcna206833
-----
4) Netanyahu whines over Macron’s criticism of Gaza blockade
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday accused French President Emmanuel Macron of siding with a ‘murderous Islamist terrorist organisation’ after Macron criticised Israel’s blocking of aid to Gaza. … In a televised interview on Tuesday, Macron accused Netanyahu’s government of ‘unacceptable’ and ‘shameful’ behaviour over its aid blockade on Gaza, which has been in force since March 2. The United Nations and aid organisations have repeatedly warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in the war-ravaged territory as famine again looms.” (05/14/25)
https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20250514-netanyahu-slams-macron-over-criticism-of-gaza-aid-blockade
-----
5) Cartel Family Members Cross Border in Apparent Deal With US regime, Official Says
Source: New York Times
“A group of family members of Sinaloa Cartel leaders crossed into the United States last week, likely as part of a deal with the Trump administration, Mexico’s secretary of security said on Tuesday evening. For days, rumors had spread that 17 relatives, including one of the ex-wives of the crime boss known as El Chapo, had flown from a cartel stronghold to Tijuana, Mexico, and then crossed into the United States. A news outlet, Pie de Nota, reported that they had surrendered to U.S. federal authorities there, citing anonymous sources. … The movement of the family members to the United States — and the speculation that it could mean a plea agreement with the U.S. government — has fueled high-profile discussion in Mexico about who might be implicated by imprisoned cartel leaders.” (05/14/25)
https://archive.is/3w6mS
-----
6) US judge orders release of Badar Khan Suri from immigration custody
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“A federal judge has ordered Georgetown University scholar Badar Khan Suri released from immigration detention, in the latest victory for US visa holders targeted by the administration of President Donald Trump for pro-Palestine stances or advocacy. The ruling on Wednesday by US District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles comes shortly after two other prominent students targeted for deportation, Columbia University Student Mohsen Mahdawi and Tufts University PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk, were ordered released from detention as their deportation cases move forward. … As with similar cases where visa holders have been targeted for deportation related to their pro-Palestine views and advocacy, lawyers for Suri Khan – who has Indian citizenship and a US student visa – argued ICE agents unlawfully [abducted] him outside his Virginia home in March for speech that should have been constitutionally protected.” (05/14/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/14/us-judge-orders-release-of-badar-khan-suri-from-immigration-custody
-----
7) Germany: Regime arrests three over suspected Russian bomb plot and espionage
Source: Politico
“German police have arrested three people accused of working for Russian intelligence to plan bomb attacks inside Germany. The suspects, two men and one woman, were detained in separate operations in the western city of Cologne, the southern city of Konstanz and in Switzerland. All three are Ukrainian nationals and are being held on suspicion of espionage and preparing acts of sabotage. According to federal prosecutors, the group allegedly planned to send parcel bombs designed to explode during shipment — a tactic aimed at creating public fear and undermining trust in Germany’s infrastructure.” (05/14/25)
https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-arrests-three-suspected-russia-bomb-plot
-----
8) MD: Regime loses triple-A bond rating from Moody’s rating agency
Source: Orange County Register
“Maryland lost its triple-A bond rating from Moody’s on Wednesday, a rating the state has cited for more than 50 years as a sign of strong fiscal stewardship. Moody’s downgraded the state’s credit rating to Aa1. Maryland had received a triple-A bond rating from Moody’s since 1973. The state has benefitted from the higher rating by paying the lowest rates when it sells bonds to pay for infrastructure, likes roads and schools. ‘The downgrade was driven by economic and financial underperformance compared to Aaa-rated states, which is expected to continue given the state’s heightened vulnerability to shifting federal policies and employment, and its elevated fixed costs,’ Moody’s said. Gov. Wes Moore and other leading Maryland Democrats blamed President Donald Trump’s mass layoffs of federal workers, which is having a big impact on the region. The District of Columbia also recently received a credit-rating downgrade.” (05/14/25)
https://archive.is/qLJ4q
-----
9) UK: Lineker apologizes for sharing “offensive” Zionism post with rat image
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Gary Lineker has ‘apologised unreservedly’ after being criticised for sharing a social media post about Zionism that included an illustration of a rat. ‘On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references,’ he said in a statement. ‘I very much regret these references. I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in.’ The Match of the Day presenter said he deleted the post ‘as soon as I became aware of the issue.’ A rat has historically been used as an antisemitic insult, referring to language used by Nazi Germany to characterise Jews.” (05/14/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c365ernrnlyo
-----
10) CA: Newsom seeks to scale back free [sic] healthcare for migrants
Source: Reuters
“California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday will announce a budget proposal to scale back a free [sic] healthcare program for low-income undocumented migrants, his office said, citing an expected $16 billion dent in state revenues from President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The change forms part of Newsom’s budget presentation to be released on Wednesday. The governor’s office projected that sharply lower revenues after Trump’s tariffs would require the state ‘to take corrective action that balances fiscal responsibility while preserving core tenets of key investments.’ Trump’s administration has targeted immigrant-friendly policies in Democratic-dominated states, such as California, pressuring them to end benefits programs for undocumented migrants. Newsom’s office said that the governor will call for undocumented adults to pay $100 monthly premiums to receive Medi-Cal healthcare coverage. He would also call to block all new adult applicants for the program starting on January 1, 2026.” (05/14/25)
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/california-governor-newsom-seeks-scale-back-free-healthcare-migrants-2025-05-14/
-----
11) Court rules in favor of New York Times over texts between EU chief and a pharma boss
Source: ABC News
“A top European court ruled on Wednesday that the European Commission was wrong to refuse the New York Times access to text messages sent between President Ursula von der Leyen and a pharmaceutical boss during the COVID-19 pandemic, spurring further calls for reform from transparency advocates. The U.S. newspaper’s lawyers ‘succeeded in rebutting the presumption of non-existence and of non-possession of the requested documents,’ according to a statement from the European Union’s General Court in Luxembourg. The case highlights ongoing questions about oversight of the commission, which insists that text messages and other ‘ephemeral’ electronic communications do not necessarily constitute documents of interest that should be saved or made public.” (05/14/25)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/court-rules-favor-new-york-times-texts-eu-121785131
-----
12) Relief on China’s factory floors as US tariffs put on hold
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“There’s a vast empty space in the middle of the factory floor in Foshan in southern China where workers should be welding high-end air fryers for the US market. Derek Wang says his American customers were wowed by his air fryer models — which are controlled via smartphones and can also bake, roast and grill. But then on 2 April, Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs hit all Chinese goods entering the US, eventually reaching 145% — and his clients asked him to pause production. … On Wednesday, as a deal to ease the trade war came into effect, Mr Wang said his US buyers were back on the phone. Both countries still face some tariffs. There is at least a 30% tax on all Chinese goods entering the US and Beijing has kept a 10% levy on American goods coming into the country, down from 125%.” (05/14/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8d9ygd4yqo
-----
13) Libertarian National Committee treasurer proposes motion to censure Colorado, New Hampshire affiliates
Source: Independent Political Report
“The treasurer of the Libertarian National Committee is requesting that the organization censure the party’s New Hampshire and Colorado state affiliates in two motions proposed for its in-person meeting this month. One of the motions also asks the New Hampshire affiliate to consider disaffiliating itself from the national party. LNC Treasurer Bill Redpath requested Monday night that both motions be added to the standing agenda for the committee’s upcoming in-person meeting in Michigan. Each motion cites recent social media activity by the respective affiliates, arguing that their conduct has brought negative attention to the party.” (05/13/25)
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2025/05/lnc-treasurer-proposes-motion-to-censure-colorado-and-new-hampshire-affiliates/
-----
14) MA: Karen Read murder trial resumes after sudden one-day break
Source: USA Today
“The retrial of Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman accused of hitting her police officer boyfriend with her car and leaving him for dead, will resume following an abrupt one-day break in court proceedings. … Prosecutors say 45-year-old Read deliberately hit John O’Keefe with her SUV outside the home of a fellow cop and left him for dead in January 2022. Read’s lawyers say she was framed for O’Keefe’s murder and suggested someone inside the home killed him. Her first trial ended in a hung jury.” (05/14/25)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/05/14/karen-read-trial-live-updates-day-15/83619287007/
-----
15) CA: CBP gang steals 749 cartons of cigarettes
Source: United Press International
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Wednesday that 749 cartons of illegally imported cigarettes were discovered aboard a cruise ship at the Long Beach Cruise Ship Terminal in April. According to CBP officers assigned to the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport, 10 pieces of luggage full of cigarettes belonging to two female passengers was found. … The 749 cartons [stolen] will be destroyed under CBP supervision.” (05/14/25)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2025/05/14/CBP-seizes-illegal-cigarettes-Long-Beach-cruise-ship/8491747243495/
-----
16) Mali: Regime bans French TV channel over coverage of pro-democracy protest
Source: Seattle Times
“Mali’s media regulatory body said it is banning a French television channel in the country due to ‘defamatory remarks’ it made about a pro-democracy demonstration in the capital earlier this month. … The decision was the latest move by Malian authorities that targeted media outlets. The signals of France 24 and Radio France Internationale (RFI) have been blocked for three years, and Mali’s private TV channel, Djoliba TV News, had its signal cut off for six months last December over a debate questioning the official version of a thwarted coup attempt in neighboring Burkina Faso.” (05/14/25)
https://archive.is/epyXR
-----
17) Abductees at ICE gang lair barricade themselves, threaten to take hostages
Source: New York Post
“Nearly two dozen [alleged] Tren de Aragua gangbangers in an ICE detention center in Texas have barricaded themselves and threatened to take hostages in a major uprising — days after migrants spelled out ‘SOS’ in the prison yard. [Supposed m]embers of the Venezuelan gang threatened to hold ICE [thugs] captive and injure them on April 26 as they barricaded the doors of their unit with their cots, covered surveillance cameras, blocked windows, and flooded the unit by clogging the toilets, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The takeover attempt lasted ‘several hours,’ with the [abductees] ignoring the orders of ICE [thugs]. Alleged Tren de Aragua gangbangers were seen begging to be sent home by flashing a banner reading ‘Help, we want to be deported. We are not terrorists. SOS’ to a drone overhead this week at the same facility.” (05/14/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/05/14/us-news/tren-de-aragua-gangbangers-at-ice-facility-barricade-themselves-threaten-to-take-hostages-after-spelling-out-sos-in-prison-yard/
-----
18) EU unveils Russia sanctions targeting “shadow” oil fleet and cyberattackers
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“The EU has approved a fresh package of sanctions on Russia, clamping down on its ‘shadow’ oil fleet as Europe threatens further punishment if Moscow does not agree to a Ukraine ceasefire. The United States and Europe should use ‘devastating’ sanctions to ‘take Russia by the throat’ to make it agree to a truce, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in an interview with BFM TV early on Wednesday. The new measures against the Kremlin – the 17th round of EU sanctions since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine – were in the pipeline before European leaders issued their latest ultimatum to Moscow over US-led peace efforts. Diplomats representing the EU’s 27 member states approved the package at a meeting in Brussels, according to the Polish presidency of the bloc.” (05/14/25)
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20250514-eu-unveils-new-sanctions-on-russia-targeting-shadow-oil-fleet-and-cyberattackers
-----
19) Trump surgeon general pick praises psychedelic therapy, says mushrooms helped her find love
Source: SFGate
“President Donald Trump’s new pick for surgeon general wrote in a recent book that people should consider using unproven psychedelic drugs as therapy and in a newsletter suggested her use of mushrooms helped her find a romantic partner. Dr. Casey Means’[s] recommendation to consider guided psilocybin-assisted therapy is notable because psilocybin is illegal under federal law. It’s listed as a Schedule 1 drug, defined as a substance ‘with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.’ Oregon and Colorado have legalized psychedelic therapy, though several cities in Oregon have since banned it. The surgeon general’s job is to provide Americans with the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and reduce their risk of illness and injury.” (05/14/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/trump-surgeon-general-pick-praised-unproven-20327366.php
-----
20) First judge approves Trump invoking Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans
Source: The Hill
“A federal judge ruled Tuesday that President Trump can invoke the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to remove Tren de Aragua members but determined the administration has provided insufficient notice before carrying out the deportations. U.S. District Judge Stephanie Haines’s ruling contrasts with several other federal judges who have ruled Trump illegally invoked the wartime statute. She says Trump is within his rights to deport members of a foreign terrorist organization — a designation he has made for Tren de Aragua. … Judges in three other jurisdictions have found Trump does not have the power to use the AEA to target gang members, saying the law was not meant to be used outside of an invasion or incursion.” (05/13/25)
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5298369-trump-alien-enemies-act-venezuelans
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Trump’s “Deal” With China Leaves American Consumers and Exporters Facing Higher Tariffs Than Before
Source: Reason
by Eric Boehm
“[T]he deal struck Monday between the U.S. and China to de-escalate the trade war is undeniably a positive development. As part of the deal, the U.S. will temporarily lower tariffs on Chinese imports from 145 percent to 30 percent (which will be applied on top of other tariffs imposed by the first Trump administration). That may be enough to stave off the worst consequences of the tariffs …. More broadly, however, the deal is a tidy illustration of how President Donald Trump has conducted his global trade war. With China, Trump hiked tariffs to astronomical levels while promising those taxes (which are paid by Americans) would unleash prosperity and create jobs. Then, the White House celebrated the agreement that reduced those tariffs as ‘the art of the deal.’ They are literally doing the meme. But the ‘deal’ means that imports from China will be subjected to significantly higher tariffs than when Trump took office.” (05/14/25)
https://reason.com/2025/05/14/trumps-deal-with-china-leaves-american-consumers-and-exporters-facing-higher-tariffs-than-before/
-----
22) My $100 Tomato: Is Self-Sufficiency Overrated?
Source: The Daily Economy
by Michael Munger
“[Adam] Smith discussed how households decide what to make for themselves, and what to buy in the marketplace. The paradox is that it can cost much more to make something yourself, if someone else can make it more cheaply. You may have had this experience yourself. To ‘save money,’ I decided to grow tomatoes. I spent a lot of money and time preparing the ground and cultivating the plants, and then spraying bugs and trying to prevent rot when it rained too much. My wife calculated the total costs, including my time, and to this day laughingly refers to my ‘$100 tomatoes.’ I didn’t save money at all; in fact, by making the thing instead of buying it, I lost both the expense of the making, and the value of whatever I could have been doing instead. Smith recognized that the principle is very general, and extends beyond the household.” (05/14/25)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/make-or-buy-the-100-tomato/
-----
23) Religious Freedom or a Threat to America? The Debate Explodes in Texas.
Source: Chasing Liberty
by Jeff Charles
“A group of Muslims in Texas bought land to build a peaceful community. The state responded by launching criminal investigations before they even broke ground.” (05/14/25)
https://www.libertychasers.com/p/religious-freedom-or-a-threat-to
-----
24) The High Cost of America’s Immigration Control System
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“Given the Trump administration’s use of immigration-control enforcement to engage in a massive assault on civil liberties, the question naturally arises for any American who still wants to live in a free society: Is this immigration-control system worth it? Is a system of immigration controls worth the destruction of the civil liberties of the American people?” (05/14/25)
https://www.fff.org/2025/05/14/the-high-cost-of-americas-immigration-control-system/
-----
25) Continental Divide
Source: The Dispatch
by Yascha Mounk
“Largely unnoticed by the general public on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean is a particular way America has pulled away from Europe: The average American is now vastly more affluent than the average European. The difference is not only reflected in the overall sizes of their respective economies but by the much more practical metrics of disposable income, living space, and accessibility to basic services. Despite the overwhelming evidence, though, the idea that Americans are better off than their European counterparts is an unpopular sentiment. I casually mentioned on a recent episode of Paul Krugman’s interview show that, whereas both continents were similarly affluent a few decades ago, America is now nearly twice as rich as Europe. Cue a flood of outraged emails.” (05/14/25)
https://thedispatch.com/article/united-states-wealth-europe-gdp-prosperity/
-----
26) The Most Fun Presidency Ever
Source: Town Hall
by William Marshall
“Okay, I am a conservative, so I like just about everything the Trump administration has done to date. I make no bones about that. From a policy standpoint, I cannot think of a president in my lifetime who has ever truly tried to ‘make America great again’ the way Donald Trump has, apart from the great Ronald Reagan. But when I speak of ‘fun,’ I am not just talking about policies. I’m talking about entertainment value. About Trump’s showmanship. His ability to dazzle, amuse and to drive his political opponents insane. It’s worth the price of admission as an American citizen.” [editor’s note: Marshall says he’s a “conservative,” but then lauds the policies of a life-long progressive Democrat who’s acting like (checks notes) a life-long progressive Democrat. Weird – TLK] (05/14/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/williammarshall/2025/05/14/the-most-fun-presidency-ever-n2657027
-----
27) Israel Is Still Deliberately Starving Gaza to Death
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison
“One of the most horrifying things about the famine stalking Gaza is that it is entirely man-made and it could be stopped at any time, but the world’s governments look on and just let it happen. Our government is even worse than that. Our government is no mere bystander. It is an accomplice in the destruction of the population of Gaza. Starvation is a particularly cruel and dehumanizing weapon to use against a population. It is prohibited under international law because it is such an atrocious and degrading thing to do to other people. It is one of the most evil things that one group of people can do to another, and Israel has been doing it to the Palestinians of Gaza for more than a year and a half.” (05/14/25)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/israel-is-still-deliberately-starving
-----
28) Maybe, in 2025, a feminist looks like a gender abolitionist
Source: Sex and the State
by Cathy Reisenwitz
“I, once again, find myself unable to stop thinking about a question Cartoons Hate Her recently asked. This time, it’s What Does a Feminist Look Like in 2025? Returning to Alabama and Trump 2.0 have changed my opinions on this, and other elements of ‘wokeness.’ (I’m hardly alone in re-evaluating wokeness, it should be said.) I think my attitude, before, was essentially, ‘Shoot for the moon, land among the stars.’ Even if occasionally ham-fisted and ineffectual, woke shit is generally better than throwing up our hands and simply accepting current levels of racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. Having now lived in red, blue, and then red again areas, I’m much more sympathetic to the idea that maybe wokeness impacted redder areas and communities in fundamentally worse and more alienating ways than bluer areas.” (05/14/25)
https://cathyreisenwitz.substack.com/p/maybe-in-2025-a-feminist-looks-like
-----
29) In Norway, more voices, better solutions
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“Last year, leaders in Norway were shocked to learn that less than half of citizens trusted government. The falloff in trust was 16 percentage points in only two years. To help patch up public faith in democracy, 40,000 people were picked at random from all walks of life, and then 66 were chosen to deliberate together over four months on a ‘citizens’ assembly,’ or what was called the Future Panel. This group of everyday folks was given a broad assignment: What values should guide the use of Norway’s immense wealth from oil for ‘the good of the world, ourselves, and future generations?’ They were asked to give advice on how to spend the country’s $1.8 trillion in oil riches, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund.” (05/13/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/0513/In-Norway-more-voices-better-solutions
-----
30) Fewer Rules, Better People: Discretion and Dispersed Information
Source: EconLog
by Kevin Corcoran
“In a previous post, I described some cases of the use of discretion in law enforcement from Barry Lam’s book Fewer Rules, Better People. But while citing individual cases can be useful for illustrating an idea, coming to a decision on whether or when discretion should take precedence over legalism can’t be made by citing individual anecdotes. What is needed is a second-order consideration of what kinds of circumstances make it more likely for discretion to bring about better results than legalism in general, rather than pointing to individual instances of rules or discretion bringing about good or bad outcomes.” (05/14/25)
https://www.econlib.org/fewer-rules-better-people-discretion-and-dispersed-information/
-----
31) The Left’s [sic] sudden epiphanies were obvious to normal folks all along
Source: Fox News
by David Marcus
“It has been roughly six months since President Donald Trump trampled former Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democrats on Election Day, and in that time the liberal [sic] news media have arrived at some epiphanies as to how and why they got everything so wrong. From Biden’s steep mental decline, the origins of COVID, the ‘unfixable’ border to children undergoing sex changes [sic], the liberal [sic] media was on the incorrect side of all of it. Suddenly, many are claiming to have seen the light. Or more precisely, to see that what they gaslit the rest of us about for the last few years was as true as it was obvious.” (05/14/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/david-marcus-lefts-sudden-epiphanies-were-obvious-normal-folks-all-along
-----
32) Israel Admits It Bombed A Hospital To Kill A Journalist For Doing Journalism
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“The IDF has admitted to bombing a hospital in order to assassinate a prominent Palestinian journalist in Gaza, explicitly stating that they assassinated him for engaging in journalistic activities. The official Israel Defense Forces account made the following post on Twitter: ‘Don’t let Aslih’s press vest fool you: Hassan Abdel Fattah Mohammed Aslih, a terrorist from the Hamas Khan Yunis brigade, was eliminated along with other terrorists in the ‘Nasser’ hospital in Khan Yunis. Aslih participated in the brutal October 7 massacre under the guise of a journalist and owner of a news network. During the massacre, he documented acts of murder, looting, and arson, posting the footage online. Journalist? More like terrorist.’ Documenting newsworthy acts and posting the footage online is also known as journalism. It’s the thing that journalism is.” (05/14/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/05/14/israel-admits-it-bombed-a-hospital-to-kill-a-journalist-for-doing-journalism/
-----
33) Zelensky’s Big Istanbul Gamble
Source: Washington Monthly
by Tamar Jacoby
“As he heads to Turkey for high-stakes negotiations with Russia this week, the Ukrainian leader is betting that Trump will soon realize that Putin doesn’t want peace.” (05/14/25)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/05/14/zelenskys-big-istanbul-gamble/
-----
34) We can resolve litter problem — for free
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“Every cent spent by government is money wasted. You have more influence over your family and friends than a stranger or government would. Use your influence for good. Don’t litter and don’t ask government to spend money on things you believe would be a benefit. Don’t ignore littering by people you know, and pick up after them if they litter in your presence.” (05/14/25)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2025/05/14/voices/opinion-we-can-resolve-litter-problem-for-free/230839.html
-----
35) What the UK Deal Reveals about Trump’s Trade Strategy
Source: Cato Institute
by Scott Lincicome
“Last week, the Trump administration announced a ‘historic trade deal’ with the United Kingdom. If by this the White House meant that the agreement is the first instance of a country reaching a deal to get out of President Donald Trump’s worldwide ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs, then yes — it is, technically, historic. In colloquial terms, however, the only historic thing about this agreement is its flimsiness. If the U.K. deal is a model for deals yet to be struck with other nations, Trump will have little to show for the chaos and disruptions that his tariffs have unleashed — especially when compared with what America could have had instead.” (05/14/25)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/what-uk-deal-reveals-about-trumps-trade-strategy
-----
36) How shady Democratic Party lawyer Marc Elias is thwarting voters’ will
Source: New York Post
by Betsy McCaughey
“A left-wing legal group with a deceptive name is proving to be the biggest obstacle to translating President Donald Trump’s massive [sic] 2024 election victory into real change. The mission of Democracy Forward: thwarting the choices of the 77 million voters who supported Trump for president. The group sues the Trump administration repeatedly, venue-shopping for sympathetic district court judges — the lowest federal jurists on the totem pole — who then act as stooges, issuing national injunctions to halt Trump’s agenda. Never mind how flimsy or outright false the legal claims. The brain behind Democracy Forward is the scandal-plagued Democratic lawyer Marc Elias, who chairs the group. He’s the same culprit whose fingerprints were all over the fake anti-Trump Steele Dossier in 2016, launching the ‘Russia collusion’ narrative.” [editor’s note: Weird that McCaughey feels she has to pretend Trump’s “by the skin of his teeth” election victory was some kind of landslide when writing on a different topic that relies on no such lie – TLK] (05/13/25)
https://nypost.com/2025/05/13/opinion/how-shady-dem-lawyer-marc-elias-is-thwarting-voters-will/
-----
37) Back to Istanbul! Key nodes for US-Russia-Ukraine talks
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Anatol Lieven
“Direct talks between senior Ukrainian and Russian representatives, if they do take place in Istanbul on Thursday, will be a real step forward and a significant achievement by the Trump administration. It is worth remembering that only three months ago the Ukrainian government was still rejecting even the idea of talks with the Putin administration as illegal, and demanding prior Russian withdrawal from all the occupied areas of Ukraine as a precondition for negotiations. Putin’s apparent rejection of Zelensky’s challenge to a face to face meeting is a disappointment, but not a crucial setback. It is very rare for real progress in peace talks to be made in meetings between leaders themselves, and the Russians have some reason to see this as a maneuver, or stunt, by Zelensky to gain Trump’s favor rather than a serious proposal.” (05/14/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/ukraine-russia-talks-istanbul/
-----
38) The Department of Injustice
Source: CounterPunch
by David S D’Amato
“Today, it would be nearly impossible to overstate the extent to which justice for the criminal defendant in the U.S. has been compromised by prosecutorial misconduct of the most serious kinds. A growing body of evidence from journalistic investigations, scholarly studies, and reports from civil liberties groups reveals a startling pattern of serious misconduct, lack of transparency and accountability, and politicized and racialized enforcement. At the center of this system of injustice and impunity is the Department of Justice. Prosecutors, especially in the federal government, wield immense power and exercise broad discretion. In criminal litigation, the government has a host of tools that are unavailable to others and that far overshadow the Bill of Rights in terms of their practical importance to real-world outcomes.” (05/14/25)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/05/14/the-department-of-injustice/
-----
39) The Deep State’s Favorite Columnist Just Turned on Bibi
Source: Antiwar.com
by John Mac Ghlionn
“Thomas Friedman’s message to President Trump, published in The New York Times, cuts sharper than most of the foggy, ideologically neutered op-eds that clutter that paper. It is, quite simply, one of the most brutally honest assessments of America’s relationship with Israel in years – from Thomas Friedman, of all people: an institutionalist and a stalwart of all things Zionist. What makes his message so urgent is not just what he says, but who he says it to, and why it matters now. Let’s start with the heart of it: ‘This Israeli government is not our ally.’ That line, once unspeakable in polite Washington company, is now printed in black and white on the pages of the Times. And Friedman is right to say it.” (05/14/25)
https://original.antiwar.com/john_mac_ghlionn/2025/05/13/the-deep-states-favorite-columnist-just-turned-on-bibi/
-----
40) The Trumpian Nightmare Must End Before It Gets Worse
Source: Common Dreams
by CJ Polychroniou
“We are nearly four months into the Trump administration, but sometimes it feels like the orange man has been president forever. This is because Donald Trump’s second term is a nightmare that keeps getting worse and worse. First, you have the chaos that Trump has unleashed around the world with his uninformed and simplistic views on international trade and trade policy and threats to Greenland, Canada, Panama, and Mexico; then his all-out assault on civil society and the very fundamental principles of U.S. democracy; and then the daily and exhausting bullshit that comes out of his ignorant mouth, which he uses as a diversion to distract citizens and the media alike from his actions. But it is the horrible combination of lawlessness and incompetence, fear and cruelty of Trump 2.0 that creates the feeling that time has stopped.” (05/14/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/end-the-trump-nightmare
-----
41) Mexico and China didn’t take the Rust Belt’s jobs. The Sun Belt did.
Source: Washington Post
by Gary Winslett
“There’s a popular story that politicians in both parties like to tell us: The Rust Belt was a thriving region until China, Mexico and their American business allies tore their manufacturing jobs away with lopsided trade deals. Whether through President Donald Trump’s tariffs or some Democratic alternative, it’s now up to Washington to get them back. It’s a politically convenient tale for courting voters in key swing states, pining for the way things once were. The problem is that it’s not true — and it is leading to some terrible policy decisions. A big missing part of the story: Interstate competition. The Rust Belt’s manufacturing decline isn’t primarily about jobs going to Mexico. It’s about jobs going to Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee.” (05/14/25)
https://archive.is/jiI1J
-----
42) US overdose deaths fell 27% last year, the largest one-year decline ever seen
Source: SFGate
“There were 30,000 fewer U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before — the largest one-year decline ever recorded. An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses last year, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Wednesday. That’s down 27% from the 110,000 in 2023. The CDC has been collecting comparable data for 45 years. The previous largest one-year drop was 4% in 2018, according to the agency’s National Center for Health Statistics. All but two states saw declines last year, with Nevada and South Dakota experiencing small increases. Some of the biggest drops were in Ohio, West Virginia and other states that have been hard-hit in the nation’s decades-long overdose epidemic.” (05/14/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/us-overdose-deaths-fell-27-last-year-but-remain-20326855.php
-----
43) How AI Can Support Self-Government
Source: Law & Liberty
by Ray Nothstine
“While applying artificial intelligence to problems of government carries risks, it could also help decentralize power in reinvigorating ways.” (05/14/25)
https://lawliberty.org/forum/how-ai-can-support-self-government/
-----
44) If This Be Price Control
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Now that President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at ‘Delivering Most-Favored Nation Prescription Pricing to American Patients,’ you have probably heard complaints that Trump’s plan amounts to ‘price controls,’ which Republicans say they are against, and Trump, too, says he adamantly opposes. But the The Wall Street Journal editorial that mounted this case, and Joe Lancaster’s argument in Reason, assume that the current order makes sense. The present system is in no way a free market in drugs. It’s the result of patent policy, massive subsidies to consumers, an insane approach to insurance regulation, and abridgements to free trade.” (05/14/25)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/05/14/if-this-be-price-control/
-----
45) ICE deports a bunch of criminals [sic]
Source: The Pamphleteer
by Davis Hunt
“The Daily Wire got some more information on the ICE operation in Nashville. According to DHS, ICE has detained 196 illegal [sic] immigrants since May 3. Of the arrestees, 95 already had criminal convictions or pending charges, and 31 had illegally [sic] reentered the U.S. after deportation — a felony [sic]. So, that’s the crew Metro has thrown its weight behind. Additionally, reports are circulating about restaurants and businesses closing. Fox17 vaguely reported that ‘at least two’ honky tonks on Broadway have closed amidst rumors that ICE is targeting businesses in the area. The Plaza Mariachi parking lot is empty. I’ve heard about landscaping crews not showing up for work and housekeepers going on strike.” [editor’s note: According to the US Constitution, it is literally impossible to “illegally” enter (or re-enter) the US – TLK] (05/14/25)
https://pamphleteer.co/newsletter/ice-deported-a-bunch-of-criminals/
-----
46) The evergreen model for long-term care: A state-level strategy for a persistent social policy problem
Source: Niskanen Center
by Robert Saldin
“The biggest breakthrough in the search for solutions to America’s long-term care challenge has come not in Washington, D.C., but in Washington State. After decades of failed efforts on Capitol Hill, the Evergreen State has succeeded in establishing the nation’s first social insurance program for long-term care. While the Washington State Cares Fund (or simply WA Cares), was established by state law back in 2019, its future only became secure last November when voters rejected a ballot initiative that, if passed, would have fatally undermined the program.” (05/13/25)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/the-evergreen-model-for-long-term-care-a-state-level-strategy-for-a-persistent-social-policy-problem/
-----
47) Due Process Is a Right, Not a Privilege You Get for Being Good
Source: The Atlantic
by Adam Serwer
“If Kilmar Abrego Garcia is guilty of the crimes he is accused of, then the Trump administration could simply follow the law. Why won’t it?” (05/13/25)
https://archive.is/FXKdi
-----
48) Trump Called Price Controls “Communist.” Now He’s Ordering Them for Prescription Drugs.
Source: Reason
by Joe Lancaster
“This week, President Donald Trump issued an order he says will bring down Americans’ prescription drug prices. The order will likely have little effect, but it’s a perfect example of the government price controls that Trump and members of his administration once compared to socialism and fascism.” (05/13/25)
https://reason.com/2025/05/13/trump-called-price-controls-communist-now-hes-ordering-them-for-prescription-drugs/
-----
49) Trump Would Torch Magna Carta
Source: The American Prospect
by James Baratta
“Under the Constitution and federal law, individuals may challenge the legality of their detention in a court of law by filing a writ of habeas corpus. It is perhaps the most important protection preventing state actors from arbitrarily tossing people in jail indefinitely. At its core, habeas corpus provides a structural ballast in the preservation of liberal democratic values, and extends to both citizens and noncitizens. In addition to being one of the few rights mentioned explicitly in the original body of the Constitution, habeas is one of the oldest rights in the Anglo-American common-law tradition, dating back to before the Magna Carta of 1215, and supported by hundreds of years of legal precedent. On May 9, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said the Trump administration is ‘actively looking at’ whether to suspend habeas corpus.” (05/14/25)
https://prospect.org/civil-rights/2025-05-14-trump-would-torch-magna-carta/
-----
50) On Iran, Trump Should Resist the Zero-Enrichment Fantasy
Source: The American Conservative
by Trita Parsi
“Shutting down Iran’s more than 20,600 centrifuges is not required to achieve Trump’s stated goal of preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon. Nonetheless, it remains a long-standing demand of hardliners such as George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Nikki Haley, Mike Pompeo, and John Bolton. Many of them understood that insisting on total Iranian capitulation was the quickest path to derailing diplomacy and laying the groundwork for war. There are several reasons why Trump should not allow himself to be pushed into pursuing the zero-enrichment fantasy.” (05/13/25)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/on-iran-trump-should-resist-the-zero-enrichment-fantasy/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) The Science of Politics, 05/14/25
Source: Niskanen Center
“Can liberals stop Trump in the courts?” (05/14/25)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/can-liberals-stop-trump-in-the-courts/
-----
52) Reason Interview: Richard Dawkins
Source: Reason
“Why Atheism Is Winning.” (05/14/25)
https://reason.com/podcast/2025/05/14/richard-dawkins-why-atheism-is-winning/
-----
53) The Fifth Column, 05/14/25
Source: The Fifth Column
“UNLOCKED: David Zweig, on How Media and Public Health Failed Our Kids.” (05/14/25)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/unlocked-david-zweig-on-how-media
-----
54) Conflicts of Interest, episode 798
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Trump’s Saudi Speech.” (05/14/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-798-trumps-saudi-speech
-----
55) The Learning Curve, 05/14/25
Source: Pioneer Institute
“Pulitzer Winner Rick Atkinson on the American Revolution’s 250th Anniversary.” (05/14/25)
https://pioneerinstitute.org/featured/pulitzer-winner-rick-atkinson-on-the-american-revolutions-250th-anniversary/
-----
56) The Good Fight, 05/14/25
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Pratap Mehta on the Global Crisis of Legitimacy.” (05/14/25)
https://yaschamounk.substack.com/p/pratap-mehta-on-the-global-crisis
-----
57) Mean Age Daydream, 05/14/25
Source: Lions of Liberty
“A Hogg to the Slaughter / A Bibi Shunned.” (05/14/25)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/madd-a-hogg-to-the-slaughter-a-bibi-shunned
-----
58) The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 05/14/25
Source: The Dispatch
“Reagan Rolls Over.” (05/14/25)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/reagan-rolls-over/
-----
59) Fountainhead Forum, episode 310
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Lady Astor on doing public relations for Javier Milei and La Libertad Avanza.” (05/14/25)
https://rumble.com/v6tcuvr-ff-310-lady-astor-on-doing-public-relations-for-javier-milei-and-la-liberta.html
-----
60) Nonzero, 05/13/25
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“Trump Flips on Bibi, Putin, and Xi | Robert Wright, Derek Davison, and Daniel Bessner.” (05/13/25)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/68670
-----
61) Political Theater, 05/13/25
Source: Roll Call
“Call it the Most Not Invulnerable List.” (05/13/25)
https://chrt.fm/track/D3F8DG/traffic.megaphone.fm/FISCAL7755115283.mp3?updated=1747163938
-----
62) System Update, episode 454
Source: System Update
“Jake Tapper Pretends He Didn’t Know About Biden’s Decline; Trump’s Saudi Arabia Speech: A New Foreign Policy?” (05/13/25)
https://rumble.com/v6tc8pp-system-update-show-454.html
-----
63) What Then Must We Do?, 05/13/25
Source: Bretigne Shaffer
“What’s So Scary About Self-Amplifying RNA? With Dr. Jessica Rose.” (05/13/25)
https://pdcn.co/e/www.buzzsprout.com/756260/episodes/17145850-what-s-so-scary-about-self-amplifying-rna-with-dr-jessica-rose.mp3
-----
64) Politics Politics Politics, 05/13/25
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Is Trump’s Qatari Plane Deal Brazen Corruption or a Non-Story? Exploring the Big Beautiful Bill (with Matt Laslo).” (05/13/25)
https://www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/p/is-trumps-qatari-plane-deal-brazen
-----
65) Freakonomics Radio, 05/13/25
Source: Freakonomics
“How to Succeed at Failing, Part 2: Life and Death (Update).” (05/13/25)
https://freakonomics.com/podcast/how-to-succeed-at-failing-part-2-life-and-death-update/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FND is published every weekday except on holidays. Forward freely.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit:
http://groups.google.com/group/freedom-news-daily
Support the Liberty International (tax deductible)
https://liberty-intl.org/join-the-movement/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages