07/15 -- Somalia: Car bomb targets busy cafe; Gambling In Casablanca
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Thomas L. Knapp
6:32 AM (16 hours ago) 6:32 AM
to Freedom News Daily
Freedom News Daily, 07/15/24
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Produced by the staff of Rational Review News Digest
https://news.rationalreview.com/
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Somalia: Car bomb targets busy cafe
2) Bitcoin soars to two-week high after assassination attempt on disgraced former president
3) Ukraine war: Russian Forces Claim Control of Urozhaine Village in Donetsk
4) Google parent in talks to buy cybersecurity startup Wiz for $23 billion
5) China: Communist Party set for third plenum that could prove a “defining moment” of Xi Jinping era
6) UK: Labour to introduce AI bill in King’s Speech
7) Nepal: Leader of largest communist party named new prime minister
8) CA: Once worth $2.9 billion, carmaker Fisker scrambles to dump cars
9) Former fire chief who died at Trump rally used his body to shield family from gunfire
10) “Fragile Political Moment” No Time to Silence Concerns Over Biden, Say Progressives
11) UK: King Charles III to visit Australia & Samoa as he recovers from cancer
12) Goldman challenges Fed’s demand it hold more capital after stress test
13) Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle facing mounting calls to resign after “total security breakdown” at Trump rally
14) Palestine: Hamas says Gaza cease-fire talks haven’t paused and claims military chief survived Israeli strike
15) CA report: Almost half of Berkeley restaurants weren’t inspected last year
16) Falcon 9 program grounded as FAA, SpaceX investigate launch failure
17) Dem congressman says staff member no longer employed for “don’t miss next time” post
18) Pakistan: Acquittal for Khan and Wife in Illegal Marriage Case
19) CA: Lawyer for Oakland mayor says FBI raid will “unfairly” influence recall
20) NM: Judge dismisses involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin in “Rust” shooting
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Gambling In Casablanca
22) Amendments Convention a trap
23) Texas: Staring Down the Beryl of the Government Utility Monopoly’s Gun
24) Supreme Court Left the Door Open for a Wealth Tax. But It’s Still a Terrible Idea.
25) Our history of hiding presidents’ health problems must end today
26) US Came Close To Having TWO Presidential Candidates With No Brain
27) Bahamians Didn’t Want CBDCs — So Now They’re Being Forced to Use Them
28) In Wake of Trump Shooting, We Need Clarity & Caution
29) Republicans Will Regret a Second Trump Term
30) Who’s the real threat to democracy?
31) Why Older Politicians Often Rise to the Top
32) Property Rights in Space
33) The Background Hum of Political Violence
34) The Fraught Relationship between Science and Power
35) With presidential immunity ruling, the Supreme Court just brought back the monarchy
36) Culture without Romance
37) RNC, Trump must go on with convention, just as Thatcher did
38) A State of Anti-Nature
39) Wilson Didn’t Resign. The World Suffered. Biden Need Not Repeat That Mistake
40) Spray-Painting Stonehenge
41) Onward, Christian Soldiers … To War!
42) The past is a foreign country
43) Activism and Institutional Gresham’s Law
44) Unbundling Zoning
45) Joe Biden’s Hospice Presidency
46) La Singularidad Social
47) The End of Restaurants as We Know Them?
48) A Dark Chapter Closes: Julian Assange Goes Free
49) Political Violence: From “Hang Mike Pence” to the Failed Assassination of Donald Trump
50) NATO’s Bridge to Nowhere
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 07/13/24
52) Politics Politics Politics, 07/13/24
53) Anarcho Agenda, episode 121
54) Free Talk Live, 07/13/24
55) The Anarchist Experience, eppisode 484
56) Unattended Baggage, episode 253
57) Vital Dissent, episode 274
58) The Fifth Column, episode 436
59) Kyle Anzalone on The Scott Horton Show
60) The Bryan Hyde Show, 07/12/24
61) Conflicts of Interest, episode 634
62) Nonzero, 07/12/24
63) Environment and Climate News Podcast, episode 771
64) Rising, 07/12/24
65) Free Talk Cast, episode 6
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Somalia: Car bomb targets busy cafe
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“A car bomb has exploded outside a cafe in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, killing at least nine and injuring several others as patrons were watching the final of the Euro 2024 football tournament on TV, the government said. The al-Qaeda-linked armed group, al-Shabab, has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s deadly attack via an affiliated radio station, saying the bombing targeted a place where security and government workers meet at night. … Al-Shabab has been fighting to topple the fragile central government in Mogadishu for more than 17 years, carrying out numerous bombings and other attacks in the capital and other parts of the country.” (07/15/24)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/15/deadly-car-bomb-targets-busy-cafe-in-the-somali-capital
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2) Bitcoin soars to two-week high after assassination attempt on disgraced former president
Source: Reuters
“Bitcoin surged to a two-week high on Monday after the attempted assassination of U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump raised the odds of the former president, who has presented himself as a champion of cryptocurrency, winning the upcoming election. Trump said he was shot in the ear during the attack at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. His campaign said he was doing well. Some investors said the attack bolstered his chances of winning back the White House and trades betting on his victory are expected to increase this week. Bitcoin rose 8.6% to $62,508, touching a two-week high of $62,698 earlier in the session, taking its year-to-date gains to 47%. Ether was also up 6.8%% at $3,322. Trump is running against Democratic President Joe Biden in November’s U.S. election and has slammed Democrats’ attempts to regulate the crypto sector.” (07/15/24)
https://archive.is/hyg9t
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3) Ukraine war: Russian Forces Claim Control of Urozhaine Village in Donetsk
Source: US News & World Report
“Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Sunday that its forces had taken control of the village of Urozhaine in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, which if confirmed would be the latest in a series of gains since capturing the strategic town of Avdiivka in February. Ukrainian bloggers said that Kyiv’s forces had relinquished control of the village, southwest of the Russian-held city of Donetsk. Ukraine’s military said fighting was still going on in the area. … Reuters was not able to independently confirm the Ukrainian or Russian reports. The village came under Russian control early in the February 2022 invasion, but Ukraine retook the settlement near the Mokri Yaly river in July 2023.” (07/14/24)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-07-14/russia-claims-control-of-urozhaine-village-in-ukraines-donetsk-region
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4) Google parent in talks to buy cybersecurity startup Wiz for $23 billion
Source: Yahoo! News
“Google parent Alphabet is in advanced talks to acquire cybersecurity startup Wiz for roughly $23 billion, a person familiar with the matter said on Sunday, in a deal that would represent the technology giant’s biggest acquisition ever. The deal, being funded mostly in cash, could come together soon, the source added, speaking on condition of anonymity. Wiz, founded in Israel and now headquartered in New York, is one of the fastest-growing software startups globally, providing cloud-based cybersecurity solutions with real-time threat detection and responses powered by artificial intelligence. If Alphabet moves ahead with the deal, it would be a rare example of a major technology company attempting a mega-deal amid heightened regulatory scrutiny of the sector under U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration.” (07/14/24)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/google-parent-close-23-billion-172218882.html
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5) China: Communist Party set for third plenum that could prove a “defining moment” of Xi Jinping era
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“China’s ruling Communist Party will begin a key meeting on Monday that may determine the country’s course for the next decade. … The main focus of the meeting of more than 370 full and alternate members of the party’s Central Committee is expected to be deciding the best strategy for coping with the economic challenges facing the country. The event, formally known as the third plenum of the 20th Central Committee, is also likely to offer more details about the road map for reaching a series of interim industrial and technological goals to be reached by 2035 and the target of becoming a technology superpower with a world-class military by 2049.” (07/14/24)
https://archive.is/ZoZmx
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6) UK: Labour to introduce AI bill in King’s Speech
Source: Financial Times [UK]
“Sir Keir Starmer is expected to introduce a long-awaited artificial intelligence bill this week as he seeks to follow through on Labour’s manifesto pledge to create binding rules to govern development of the most advanced machine-learning models. The AI bill, one of 35 bills currently set to be included in the King’s Speech on Wednesday, will seek to enhance the legal safeguards surrounding the most cutting-edge AI technologies, according to people briefed on the plans. The legislation is likely to focus on the production of large language models, the general-purpose technology that underlies AI products such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT.” (07/14/24)
https://archive.is/KCR3R
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7) Nepal: Leader of largest communist party named new prime minister
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The leader of Nepal’s largest communist party, Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, has been named the prime minister after shaping a new alliance in the country’s turbulent parliament. A statement on Sunday by the office of the president said the 72-year-old Oli will take his oath of office on Monday, the fourth time he is becoming the prime minister. He is replacing Pushpa Kamal Dahal, whose 18-month-old government collapsed on Friday after Oli’s party, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist, agreed to a new coalition with the centre-left Nepali Congress party. Oli will now have to succeed where his predecessor failed earlier this week, securing a vote of confidence in parliament to continue in office within a month.” (07/14/24)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/14/leader-of-nepals-largest-communist-party-named-new-prime-minister?traffic_source=rss
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8) CA: Once worth $2.9 billion, carmaker Fisker scrambles to dump cars
Source: SFGate
“Fisker, the California carmaker that spiraled from a $2.9 billion valuation to a complete collapse, is now going through bankruptcy proceedings, and they aren’t pretty. In a last-ditch effort to keep paying its remaining employees, the company is selling its stock of luxury vehicles at a massive discount. By declaring bankruptcy on June 17, the electric vehicle designer pivoted from striving for profitability to arranging the difficult payout of its sizable debts. It’s already crunch time, because Fisker is running out of money to pay the workers who are helping to wrap up the company’s business — in fact, it’s started missing severance payments. Hence the fire sale. Back in 2023, the company was selling three versions of its Ocean SUV for $69,000, $50,000 and $39,000. Fisker slashed prices earlier this year as bankruptcy loomed, but they still hovered around the cost of other new bargain vehicles. Now, they might as well be high-end go-karts.” (07/12/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/california-fisker-fire-sale-dump-cars-19570318.php
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9) Former fire chief who died at Trump rally used his body to shield family from gunfire
Source: SFGate
“The former fire chief who was killed at a Pennsylvania rally for Donald Trump spent his final moments diving down in front of his family, protecting them from the gunfire that rang out Saturday during an assassination attempt against the former president. Corey Comperatore’s quick decision to use his body as a shield against the bullets flying toward his wife and daughter rang true to the close friends and neighbors who loved and respected the proud 50-year-old Trump supporter, noting that the Butler County resident was ‘a man of conviction’. ‘He’s a literal hero. He shoved his family out of the way, and he got killed for them,’ said Mike Morehouse, who lived next to Comperatore for the last eight years. ‘He’s a hero that I was happy to have as a neighbor.'” (07/14/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/former-fire-chief-who-died-at-trump-rally-used-19573178.php
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10) “Fragile Political Moment” No Time to Silence Concerns Over Biden, Say Progressives
Source: Common Dreams
“Progressives on Sunday pushed back against calls from ‘top Democratic sources’, via CBS News, who said the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump demanded that those pushing to replace President Joe Biden in the presidential race ‘stand down.’ Sources within the Democratic Party, said CBS News correspondent Robert Costa, ‘believe that those Democrats who have concerns about President Biden are now standing down politically [and] will back President Biden because of this fragile political moment. All of that talk about the debate faded almost instantly’ after one person was killed and a bullet grazed Trump’s right ear at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, according to Costa.” (07/14/24)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/replace-biden
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11) UK: King Charles III to visit Australia & Samoa as he recovers from cancer
Source: SFGate
“King Charles III is preparing to visit Australia and Samoa in October, an itinerary that will span 12 time zones and test the monarch’s stamina as he recovers from cancer treatment. The trip, announced on Sunday by Buckingham Palace, marks a watershed moment for the 75-year-old king, who has been slowly returning to public duties after taking a break following his cancer diagnosis in early February. … The trip will mark the first time since he ascended the throne that Charles will visit one of the 14 countries outside the United Kingdom where the British monarch remains head of state, a link that is a source of pride for some but an unwelcome reminder of Britain’s colonial dominance for others.” (07/14/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/king-charles-iii-to-visit-australia-and-samoa-as-19573469.php
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12) Goldman challenges Fed’s demand it hold more capital after stress test
Source: Financial Times [UK]
“Goldman Sachs has lodged an appeal with the US Federal Reserve challenging its result in the regulator’s most recent ‘stress test, which is set to force the Wall Street bank to hold a greater amount of capital, according to people familiar with the matter. The appeal advances the issues that Goldman chief executive David Solomon expressed publicly two weeks ago, when he argued the Fed’s results did not reflect the work the bank had done to make its business more stable. Goldman and the Fed declined to comment.” (07/14/24)
https://archive.is/QCxSE
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13) Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle facing mounting calls to resign after “total security breakdown” at Trump rally
Source: New York Post
“Calls are mounting for the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Critics claim Cheatle dropped the ball on security measures at Saturday’s Trump rally — saying she has been too focused on woke ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’ policies, such as making sure the department is 30 percent women by 2030, to take care of the agency’s more crucial business. They note she even allowed a YouTube influencer to train with agents last year. Cheatle, 53, served 28 years in the Secret Service and was part of its protective detail guarding then-Vice President Dick Cheney before she left to become head of global security at PepsiCo. She returned to the agency when President Biden appointed her to its top post in 2022.” [editor’s note: I vuss juss following zee orders … – SAT] (07/14/24)
https://nypost.com/2024/07/14/us-news/secret-service-chief-kimberly-cheatle-facing-mounting-calls-to-resign-after-total-security-breakdown-at-trump-rally/
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14) Palestine: Hamas says Gaza cease-fire talks haven’t paused and claims military chief survived Israeli strike
Source: ABC News
“Hamas said Sunday that Gaza cease-fire talks continue and the group’s military commander is in good health, a day after the Israeli military targeted Mohammed Deif with a massive airstrike that local health officials said killed at least 90 people, including children. Deif’s condition remained uncertain after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday night ‘there still isn’t absolute certainty’ he was killed. Hamas representatives gave no evidence to back up their assertion about the health of a chief architect of the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war. … Hamas rejected the idea that mediated cease-fire discussions had been suspended after the strike.” (07/14/24)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/hamas-gaza-cease-fire-talks-paused-claims-military-111927427
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15) CA report: Almost half of Berkeley restaurants weren’t inspected last year
Source: SFGate
“An audit report published Wednesday revealed that almost half of Berkeley’s restaurants were not inspected for food safety last year due to a ‘chronically understaffed’ inspection team. The report evaluated Berkeley’s Environmental Health Division and its ability to comply with food facility inspection requirements. The city came in second in the state for the highest percentage of uninspected food facilities, trailing only San Francisco, which neglected 51% of its inspections in 2023. According to the audit, 45% of Berkeley’s food facilities, including 193 restaurants, were not inspected at all last year. Though restaurants are the largest uninspected group, the percentage also includes food markets, catering operations, temporary food facilities and boarding houses. Berkeley’s low inspection rate drastically differs from the rest of Alameda County, where only 3% of the food facilities went uninspected last year. Berkeley has its own health department and food inspection program, separate from the county, the report states.” (07/14/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/berkeley-restaurants-not-inspected-2023-19569625.php
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16) Falcon 9 program grounded as FAA, SpaceX investigate launch failure
Source: United Press International
“SpaceX’s prolific Falcon 9 rocket was grounded after a rare malfunction resulted in a failed satellite mission in California. The reusable Falcon 9 booster, which has powered numerous Starlink missions as well as crewed flights for NASA and the International Space Station, experienced an issue during the launch Thursday night of 20 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, according to a thread on X. During flight, the Falcon 9’s second-stage booster did not complete its second burn as intended, causing the batch of satellites to be deployed into a lower than desirable orbit, SpaceX said. The Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday the missions are halted, including in Florida, as the agency and SpaceX investigate.” (07/14/24)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2024/07/14/spacex-faclon9-rocket-failure/7631720901298/
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17) Dem congressman says staff member no longer employed for “don’t miss next time” post
Source: Fox News
“A staff member of Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson is ‘no longer’ in the congressman’s employment after allegedly posting ‘don’t miss next time,’ after the apparent assassination attempt on former President Trump on Saturday evening. ‘I was made aware of a post made by a staff member and she is no longer in my employment,’ Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson said in a statement. The post, which has since been deleted, was allegedly posted by Thompson’s now-former field director Jacqueline Marsaw. The post read, ‘I don’t condone violence but please get you some shooting lessons so you don’t miss next time ooops that wasn’t me talking.'” (07/14/24)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dem-congressman-says-staff-member-no-longer-employed-dont-miss-next-time-post-after-trump-shooting
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18) Pakistan: Acquittal for Khan and Wife in Illegal Marriage Case
Source: New York Times
“Former Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan and his wife were acquitted on Saturday in a case that accused them of unlawful marriage, the latest in a string of legal victories for the embattled leader ousted from power two years ago. However, he is unlikely to be immediately released from prison, where he has been held for nearly a year, as the authorities have recently suggested that he will face new charges. Earlier in the week, his prospects for bail dimmed in a case over accusations that he had incited violent riots and that his supporters had ransacked several military installations last May.” (07/13/24)
https://archive.is/cKmHe
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19) CA: Lawyer for Oakland mayor says FBI raid will “unfairly” influence recall
Source: SFGate
“Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is back in the spotlight. Only this time, she’s on offense. Her attorney, Jeff Tsai, released a statement Friday that criticized the FBI for the timing of its raid on Thao’s home in Oakland’s Lincoln Highlands neighborhood on June 20, saying the agency’s actions could influence voters in the mayor’s upcoming recall election. ‘[T]he Justice Department’s dramatic step – without any public explanation or justification – just months before a major recall election has now unquestionably affected the election and unfairly influenced the decision voters will have this November,’ Tsai said. Days before the raid, a group attempting to recall Thao announced that it had gathered enough signatures to place a recall election on a ballot later this year” (07/12/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/oakland-mayor-says-fbi-raid-will-influence-recall-19570483.php
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20) NM: Judge dismisses involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin in “Rust” shooting
Source: NBC News
“In a stunning turn of events, the judge in Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial dismissed the case Friday, agreeing with the actor’s lawyers that prosecutors hid evidence that may have been linked to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western movie ‘Rust’ in 2021. … Baldwin’s lawyers asserted that the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office took possession of live rounds of ammunition as evidence but did not record them in the official case file or reveal their existence to the actor’s defense team. Kari Morrissey, the special prosecutor in the case, insisted the disputed ammunition was not linked to the case or hidden from Baldwin’s lawyers.” (07/12/24)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/judge-alec-baldwins-involuntary-manslaughter-trial-dismisses-case-rcna161536
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Gambling In Casablanca
Source: The Reframe
by AR Moxon
“Well I’m given to understand that today and for an extremely limited time, the members of our nation’s political violence party are shocked — shocked! — to learn that we currently live in a world of easy massacres and normalized political violence, and would like very much to know who is to blame. I’m kidding, of course. They’ve already decided who is to blame. It’s the same culprit they hold at fault for every other real and imaginary problem in their lives: Everybody except them. … Assassination attempts are indeed political violence, if a rare type. Violence committed by government against citizens is far more common, and far more popular, too, is something one could have observed at Trump’s Pennsylvania violence-instigation rally, until it was interrupted by a less common form of political violence.” (07/14/24)
https://www.the-reframe.com/gambling-in-casablanca
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22) Amendments Convention a trap
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“Roosevelt County has stepped into a trap. Convening a U.S. Amendments Convention would be a mistake. The Bill of Rights already contains the most important Constitutional amendments and the federal government usually disobeys it. The feds interpret those amendments into nothingness any time one would stand in the way of government doing something it wants to do.” (07/14/24)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2024/07/14/voices/opinion-amendments-convention-a-trap/178916.html
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23) Texas: Staring Down the Beryl of the Government Utility Monopoly’s Gun
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“As I write this, on the afternoon of June 13, nearly 650,000 homes and businesses in Texas remain without utility-provided electricity due to the effects of Hurricane Beryl. Naturally, Texas politicians know where to put the blame. No, not on a massive storm which, at times, hit Category 5 — the top of the Saffir-Simpson wind scale — wreaking havoc on power delivery to millions across the Caribbean, Mexico, and across a wide swath of the United States, but on the private sector and government utilities which actually generate and deliver electricity.” (07/13/24)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/18822
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24) Supreme Court Left the Door Open for a Wealth Tax. But It’s Still a Terrible Idea.
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“Progressives have long imagined that vast riches could be infused into government coffers if only they could tax Americans not just on their income, but on estimates of their total wealth. Treat people as if they’d cashed in all their holdings at today’s value and make ’em cough up a share to Uncle Sugar and politicians could just roll in the proceeds. Last month, the Supreme Court threw a lifeline to such dreamers with a decision granting the federal government broad authority to consider money that has yet to be received as taxable income. The idea of a wealth tax lives on, but so do its many flaws.” (07/12/24)
https://reason.com/2024/07/12/supreme-court-left-the-door-open-for-a-wealth-tax-but-its-still-a-terrible-idea/
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25) Our history of hiding presidents’ health problems must end today
Source: The Hill
by Marc Siegel
“The American presidency has never been known for its health transparency, just the opposite. Yet transparency is essential for the American public to assess its leader’s fitness, justify voting for him or her and feel confident that this leader can fulfill the duties he or she was elected for. … Unfortunately, there is a long history of presidents and their staffs hiding their health from the public. But this obfuscation undermines the very foundation of our democracy.” (07/12/24)
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/4766337-american-presidential-health-transparency/
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26) US Came Close To Having TWO Presidential Candidates With No Brain
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Donald Trump is now on the receiving end of a deluge of sympathy and support throughout the western world after surviving an assassination attempt, despite the fact that he himself is an open and unapologetic perpetrator of assassination. Seems like everyone’s got a theory about what happened and why right now. As of this writing I’m content to just sit back and not know until more information comes in. … Now the same US officials who are responsible for overseeing the single most murderous power structure on the face of this planet are standing united in saying ‘There is no place for violence in America!’ … The western political-media class hasn’t been this sympathetic and supportive toward Trump since he bombed Damascus.” (07/14/24)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2024/07/14/the-us-came-close-to-having-two-presidential-candidates-with-no-brain/
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27) Bahamians Didn’t Want CBDCs — So Now They’re Being Forced to Use Them
Source: Cato Institute
by Nicholas Anthony
“The Bahamian government will soon start forcing commercial banks to distribute its central bank digital currency (CBDC). Known locally as the Sand Dollar, the CBDC accounts for less than 0.41 percent of the currency in circulation and the Central Bank of The Bahamas reported that the CBDC has been used less and less as time goes on. Facing similar circumstances, any private business would likely be preparing to go out of business. The central bank, however, seems to have other plans in mind.” (07/12/24)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/bahamians-didnt-want-cbdcs-so-now-theyre-being-forced-use-them
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28) In Wake of Trump Shooting, We Need Clarity & Caution
Source: The Nation
by Jeet Heer
“On Saturday night, Donald Trump was the victim of a shooting in a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. One thing that makes political violence of this sort upsetting is the sheer uncertainty that follows the initial act for many hours, even days. It’s reasonable to assume this was an attempted political assassination, but police and public officials are rightly cautious about making that judgement, merely saying it is being investigated as a ‘possible assassination attempt.’ In the coming days we’ll learn more about the alleged gunman, who killed one bystander and seriously injured two before being killed by the Secret Service. Of course, the dearth of facts hasn’t prevented a flood of unwarranted speculation and scapegoating.” (07/13/24)
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-shooting-facts-disinformation/
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29) Republicans Will Regret a Second Trump Term
Source: New York Times
by Bret Stephens
“Now is the summer of Republican content. The G.O.P. is confident and unified. Donald Trump has held a consistent and widening lead over President Biden in all the battleground states. Never Trumpers have been exiled, purged or converted. The Supreme Court has eased many of Trump’s legal travails while his felony convictions in New York seem to have inflicted only minimal political damage — if they didn’t actually help him. Best of all for Republicans, a diminished Joe Biden seems determined to stay in the race, leading a dispirited and divided party that thinks of its presumptive nominee as one might think of a colonoscopy: an unpleasant reminder of age. … In short, Republicans have good reason to think they’ll be back in the White House next January. Only then will the regrets set in.” (07/13/24)
https://archive.is/bfRcu
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30) Who’s the real threat to democracy?
Source: The American Spectator
by Roger Kimball
“Last week at a fundraiser, Joe Biden said that it was time to get beyond his poor performance at his June 27 debate with Donald Trump. Now, said Biden, ‘it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.’ Politico described that as a ‘forceful message from Biden.’ I guess someone was paying attention. Shortly after 6 p.m. ET last night, just minutes after Donald Trump took the stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, several shots rang out. One person was killed, two were seriously wounded. The real target, of course, was the former president.” (07/14/24)
https://thespectator.com/politics/real-threat-democracy-trump-assassination-attempt/
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31) Why Older Politicians Often Rise to the Top
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Peter Jacobsen
“After the debate, it seems there is no denying that Joe Biden has experienced significant decline over the last four years. There’s no need to devolve into diagnostics or gossip, but the fact of the matter is that Biden clearly isn’t as sharp as he was when he took office in 2020. This has left many people perplexed about how this could have happened. The United States is the most powerful government in world history, and it’s dominated by just two political parties. How could it be that the best representative of one of the parties is unable to debate coherently for 90 minutes? Some basic economic logic can help us figure out this puzzle.” (07/13/24)
https://fee.org/articles/why-older-politicians-often-rise-to-the-top/
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32) Property Rights in Space
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“There are at least two ways in which substantial amounts of economic activity could move to space. One is if we find some way of drastically reducing the cost of getting things off Earth. That might mean constructing a space elevator, an ingenious idea first proposed by Yuri Artsutanov, a Leningrad engineer, in 1960 and independently invented about half a dozen times since by others. You let a cable down from a satellite in geosynchronous orbit, a counterweight out the other way to balance the pull, attach the cable to the ground, run an elevator up it; for details see the description in my Future Imperfect. An elevator is a much more efficient way of lifting things than a rocket.” (07/13/24)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/property-rights-in-space
-----
33) The Background Hum of Political Violence
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“One of the best books I’ve read this decade was called Break It Up, by Richard Kreitner, which reframes American history as a history of perpetual disunion that, practically from the founding, has been on the verge of cracking apart. In fact, it did break apart under the Articles of Confederation, after 4,000 Massachusetts rebels nearly took over the Springfield Armory and the federal government realized it had no means to stop it. (We sing the praises of our Constitution and only stage-whisper that it was our second attempt.) And it broke apart at Fort Sumter, triggering four years of civil war that in Kreitner’s retelling were more a culmination of events since the Revolution than anything out of character. The assassination attempt on Donald Trump yesterday adds another data point in Kreitner’s favor, another example of the United States of Division.” (07/14/24)
https://prospect.org/politics/02024-07-14-background-hum-political-violence-trump-shooting/
-----
34) The Fraught Relationship between Science and Power
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Toby Rogers
“I would like to start a conversation on the relationship between science and power. By ‘science’ I mean the field of study (trying to figure out how the world works) and the people doing the studying (scientists, and, in an earlier era, priests and philosophers). By ‘power’ I mean the ruling elite and the set of ideas, laws, and structures that allow them to exert control over society. This is just a kernel of an idea that I would like to expand with your help.” (07/13/24)
https://brownstone.org/articles/the-fraught-relationship-between-science-and-power/
-----
35) With presidential immunity ruling, the Supreme Court just brought back the monarchy
Source: Orange County Register
by Rafael Perez
“Last week the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Trump v United States that presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution that includes any and all ‘official acts’ and by extension, that Trump likely has at the very least presumptive immunity from prosecution for election interference.
The consequences of this decision are vast and unacceptable — it makes it so it is virtually impossible to hold a president accountable, irrespective of how evil and corrupt they are. Whether you’re a Democrat or Republican or whether you think that Trump should or shouldn’t have been convicted for unlawfully influencing the election, it’s not unwarranted or hysterical to claim that this is a direct attack on our federal republic.” (07/12/24)
https://archive.is/5EkuC
-----
36) Culture without Romance
Source: Free Association
by Sheldon Richman
“‘The entire history of the human race, the rise of man from the caves, has been marked by transfers of cultural advances from one group to another and from one civilization to another.’ So said economist, social philosopher, and historian Thomas Sowell in a 1990 speech titled ‘Cultural Diversity.’ … By cultural diversity Sowell did not mean the still-fashionable sense of that term. He has in mind what might be called culture without romance, echoing James Buchanan and the Public Choice school’s economics without romance. What does Sowell mean?” (07/12/24)
https://sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com/2024/07/tgif-culture-without-romance.html
-----
37) RNC, Trump must go on with convention, just as Thatcher did
Source: Fox News
by Steve Hilton
“Sunday morning on NBC, former Biden White House Communications Director Jen Psaki, now a host on MSNBC, made an extraordinary and inflammatory demand. Looking ahead to the GOP Convention in Milwaukee that begins on Monday, she claimed that ‘Unless the programming changes, the rhetoric and how the programming is set up is not actually calming the tone, or restoring civility.’ She then issued a veiled threat: ‘We’ll see if that programming changes but if it stays the same, that is escalating it. It is not a civil approach to a convention.’ First of all, what is she even talking about? The ‘programming’ that Psaki seems to think is so unacceptably lacking in civility consists of four themes: ‘Make America Wealthy Again,’ ‘Make America Safe Once Again,’ ‘Make America Strong Once Again’ and (on the final day) ‘Make America Great Once Again.'” (07/14/24)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/rnc-trump-must-go-convention-just-thatcher-did-when-she-narrowly-escaped-assassination-attempt
-----
38) A State of Anti-Nature
Source: Law & Liberty
by Dylan Pahman
“Isaac Asimov believed that science fiction is more of a setting than a genre. He sought to prove this thesis in his works — The Caves of Steel, for example, is a murder mystery. While there’s nothing original about pointing to science fiction’s potential as a means for political philosophy, one critically acclaimed but popularly obscure author deserves more attention from those looking to use fiction as a framework for exploring freedom, morality, and meaning. David R. Bunch’s short story collection Moderan, brought back into print with a new edition in 2018, may best encapsulate this potential of science fiction settings for finding insight into human nature and society.” (07/12/24)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/david-r-bunchs-state-of-anti-nature/
-----
39) Wilson Didn’t Resign. The World Suffered. Biden Need Not Repeat That Mistake
Source: Washington Monthly
by Bill Scher
“Wilson hid an incapacitating stroke from the public and fatally compromised his mission to establish a functional League of Nations. Once again, global peace and democracy precariously rely on a president reluctant to face a personal health crisis.”(07/12/24)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2024/07/12/wilson-didnt-resign-and-the-world-suffered-biden-need-not-repeat-that-mistake/
-----
40) Spray-Painting Stonehenge
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Last month, members of Just Stop Oil, devoted to ‘climate activism’ — a way of coping with weather that goes way beyond using shelter, culverts, coats and umbrellas — were arrested for an unsolicited paint job. They spray-painted Stonehenge. The group says that mankind is doomed unless we stop using fossil fuels. Not instantly! That would be crazy. By 2030. … You can wash the paint off Stonehenge. Bringing irrational fantasists to reason is a much tougher job.” (07/12/24)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2024/07/12/spray-painting-stonehenge/
-----
41) Onward, Christian Soldiers … To War!
Source: In These Times
by Hamilton Nolan
“It would be wrong to say that the entire ’national conservatism’ movement is a product of repressed psychosexual urges. Some of it is about tariffs. Most of it, though, seems to be what happens when you mix strict religious morality with QAnon, internet porn, Donald Trump’s need for mewling adoration and the American urge to land a high quality internship.” (07/14/24)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/national-conservatism-conference-2024-trump-gop
-----
42) The past is a foreign country
Source: spiked
by Patrick West
“Last month, Camden Council in London attached a QR code to a statue of modernist author Virginia Woolf. On scanning it, you are informed all about her supposedly ‘offensive opinions,’ ‘imperialist attitudes’ and ‘unacceptable views.’ It aroused a question that constantly re-emerges these days: can and should we judge the behaviour and attitudes of those who lived in different times? After all, Woolf was born in the 19th century and died 83 years ago. Most sensible and intelligent people would answer that we can’t and we shouldn’t. Those who think we can and should tend to be driven by a peculiarly confused and perverse malice towards Western civilisation.” ()07/12/24)
https://www.spiked-online.com/2024/07/12/the-past-is-a-foreign-country/
-----
43) Activism and Institutional Gresham’s Law
Source: EconLog
by Patrick West
“In economics, Gresham’s Law describes the tendency of bad money to drive good money out of circulation, when there is a fixed exchange rate between the two that prevents the situation from moving towards an equilibrium. If exchange rates are allowed to adjust freely on the market, the effects of Gresham’s Law are prevented. Anthony de Jasay described Institutional Gresham’s Law as the tendency for bad institutions to drive out good ones over time. Institutions that prioritize their own growth and survival over being socially beneficial will drive out institutions that prioritize being socially beneficial over their own growth and survival. Unlike with money, there is nothing that serves as an exchange rate that can keep this process in check.” (07/12/24)
https://www.econlib.org/activism-and-institutional-greshams-law/
-----
44) Unbundling Zoning
Source: American Institute for Economic Research
by Jason Sorens
“This paper investigates the case for abolishing zoning. Recent arguments for zoning abolition maintain that local governments can adequately regulate land use without the strict separation of permitted uses that characterizes modern zoning. The harms of zoning are consequential, and the case for abolishing zoning is stronger than it appears at first, because it does not imply abolishing other forms of land-use regulation.” (07/12/24)
https://www.aier.org/article/unbundling-zoning/
-----
45) Joe Biden’s Hospice Presidency
Source: Town Hall
by Derek Hunter
“Joe Biden’s presidency is in hospice care. If you’ve ever known anyone who’s gone into hospice care, you know the end can come at any moment. Sometimes, it’s a matter of hours …. There are several ways Biden’s regime can end. He can bow out now, caving to pressure and suffering the humiliation of being tossed out by his party because everyone believed he’d suffer a humiliating loss and take down the entire party with him. He can be tossed out by the party at the convention because they think he’ll take down everything they’ve worked for. He can win the election and have the humiliation of the 25 Amendment being invoked by his own Cabinet because he’s simply not capable of doing the job. Or he can just lose to Donald Trump while Republicans sweep the House and Senate.” (07/14/24)
https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2024/07/14/joe-bidens-hospice-presidency-n2641829
-----
46) La Singularidad Social
Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders
“Decentralization could seed countries like Peru with prosperity zones. Some Latin American countries are already showing the way.” (07/12/24)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/la-singularidad-social
-----
47) The End of Restaurants as We Know Them?
Source: Independent Institute
by Peter C Earle
“Since the start of 2024, numerous well-known restaurant chains have announced sizable closures and incrementally more drastic restructuring efforts. … COVID lockdowns significantly weakened chain restaurants by drastically reducing their customer base and revenue streams. This disruption made it difficult for many restaurants to sustain operations, some of which took on more debt in the face of depleted financial reserves. … Since January 2021, core CPI has risen just over 17 percent, while food-away-from-home prices have risen over 22 percent. Those higher prices have translated into falling foot traffic. As costs of living have risen and pandemic savings have dissipated, eating outside the home has become more costly. Where meals continue to be purchased, order sizes are falling, or cheaper items are purchased.” (07/12/24)
https://blog.independent.org/2024/07/12/the-end-of-restaurants-as-we-know-them/
-----
48) A Dark Chapter Closes: Julian Assange Goes Free
Source: CounterPunch
by Eve Ottenberg
“The dust has finally settled over Julian Assange’s release from jail, but it may never settle over what the U.S. state did, to him and to a free press. He is now in Australia, with his family, where he belongs, beginning the hopefully not too long process of healing from his ordeal, from being driven nearly out of his mind by official torture at the hands of British ghouls acting on behalf of American ones. … Above all, the Assange case sets a lousy precedent, not so much his guilty plea precedent, but something much worse, the precedent for how the American government may pursue, hound, persecute and prosecute a journalist.” (07/12/24)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/07/12/a-dark-chapter-closes-julian-assange-goes-free/
-----
49) Political Violence: From “Hang Mike Pence” to the Failed Assassination of Donald Trump
Source: Informed Comment
by Juan Cole
“American politics has entered the most dangerous phase of its nearly 250-year existence, with the assassination attempt on Donald J. Trump on July 13 in Pennsylvania. As of this writing, the gunman and one audience member are being reported dead, and two other audience members are in critical condition. One is grateful that Trump appears to have suffered only minor injuries and that his doctors say he is well. Political violence is always fatal to democracy, which is a big political argument. As soon as people get out their guns, it isn’t a democracy anymore, it is a war. Trump and his partisans will inevitably attempt to use the incident to drive further polarization and grievance-based politics. They should be denied ammunition for any such efforts. The political violence could not have come at a worse time.” (07/14/24)
https://www.juancole.com/2024/07/shooting-political-democracy.html
-----
50) NATO’s Bridge to Nowhere
Source: The American Conservative
by James W Carden
“This week’s summit showed that NATO is bound and determined to continue on as though the alliance operates in a world shaped by its successes — manifesting a blind insistence that the alliance is not only necessary but has been right all along. NATO’s principal institutional prerogative at this point is not the defeat of Russia nor the collective defense of the West — whatever that means. It is its own survival — and as such, in Washington the alliance kept busy inventing ever-more reasons to justify its relevance, and ultimately its very existence.” (07/12/24)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/natos-bridge-to-nowhere/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 07/13/24
Source: Antiwar.com
“The Plight of Gaza’s Christians With Khalil Sayegh.” (07/13/24)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4_D-_PpSSE
-----
52) Politics Politics Politics, 07/13/24
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Trump survives assassination attempt at rally.” (07/13/24)
https://shows.acast.com/politicspoliticspolitics/episodes/breaking-president-trump-survives-assassination-attempt-at-r
-----
53) Anarcho Agenda, episode 121
Source: Anarcho Agenda
“The Authentic Lord Reverend Dr. Captain Kickass Buckshot Esquire if you will LLC joins me to discuss his path to liberty and much more.” (07/12/24)
https://anarchoagenda.libsyn.com/anarcho-agenda-ep-121-2024-07-13
-----
54) Free Talk Live, 07/13/24
Source: Free Talk Live
“Trump shot at rally in Pennsylvania :: IQ and what it affects :: Is religion good for teaching morality? :: Wars caused by gun control :: Control tactics used by people in society on all levels :: Evolutionary Capitalism has already ‘solved’ morality :: Mises'[s] brilliant concept of honest history :: Is hell real? :: Lawsuit culture :: History in school was a lie :: 2024-07-13 Hosts: Bonnie, Lori, Peakless Mountaineer.” (07/13/24)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/free-talk-live-2024-07-13
-----
55) The Anarchist Experience, eppisode 484
Source: The Anarchist Experience
“Rich, MC, and briefly KS discuss MC’s trip to Freedom Fest in Las Vegas, is listening to Tom Woods enough to be a good steward of liberty, Getting positioned, Climate Change, and should we be worried about Project 2025.” (07/13/24)
https://theanarchistexperience.wordpress.com/2024/07/13/the-anarchist-experience-484/
-----
56) Unattended Baggage, episode 253
Source: International Guild of Professional Anarchists
“You’ve Been Pwned.” (07/13/24)
https://alexandersnitker.substack.com/p/unattended-baggage-episode-253-youve
-----
57) Vital Dissent, episode 274
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Israel’s Secret War Against the International Criminal Court.” (07/12/24)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/uncategorized/israels-secret-war-against-the-international-criminal-court-ep-274/
-----
58) The Fifth Column, episode 436
Source: The Fifth Column
“Forget It. Joe Biden Has Been Cured Of Being Super Old.” (07/12/24)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/436-forget-it-joe-biden-has-been
-----
59) Kyle Anzalone on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Kyle Anzalone on Biden, Netanyahu and the Suffering They Are Causing in Gaza.” (07/12/24)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/7-11-24-kyle-anzalone-on-biden-netanyahu-and-the-suffering-they-are-causing-in-gaza/
-----
60) The Bryan Hyde Show, 07/12/24
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
“Paul Rosenberg deserves so much more recognition than he gets. His explanation on why simply being a placeholder in life isn’t enough, is pure gold.” (07/12/24)
https://www.podbean.com/ep/pb-rpwq4-1667bc6
-----
61) Conflicts of Interest, episode 634
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Netanyahu Fears Getting Arrested for War Crimes.” (07/12/24)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-634-netanyahu-fears-getting-arrested-for-war-crimes
-----
62) Nonzero, 07/12/24
Source: Bloggingheads.tv
“Biden Presses On | Robert Wright & Andrew Day.” (07/12/24)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/67800
-----
63) Environment and Climate News Podcast, episode 771
Source: Heartland Institute
“Climate Lawfare Heats Up.” (07/12/24)
https://heartland.org/podcasts/climate-lawfare-heats-up/
-----
64) Rising, 07/12/24
Source: The Hill
“President Biden’s slip-ups continue in NATO presser.” (07/12/24)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/4768285-rising-july-12-2024/
-----
65) Free Talk Cast, episode 6
Source: Free Talk Live
“Prison Recovery & Chevron Deferrence.” (07/12/24)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/free-talk-cast-006-prison-recovery-chevron-deferrence
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Today's Freedom News:
1) Somalia: Car bomb targets busy cafe
2) Bitcoin soars to two-week high after assassination attempt on disgraced former president
3) Ukraine war: Russian Forces Claim Control of Urozhaine Village in Donetsk
4) Google parent in talks to buy cybersecurity startup Wiz for $23 billion
5) China: Communist Party set for third plenum that could prove a “defining moment” of Xi Jinping era
6) UK: Labour to introduce AI bill in King’s Speech
7) Nepal: Leader of largest communist party named new prime minister
8) CA: Once worth $2.9 billion, carmaker Fisker scrambles to dump cars
9) Former fire chief who died at Trump rally used his body to shield family from gunfire
10) “Fragile Political Moment” No Time to Silence Concerns Over Biden, Say Progressives
11) UK: King Charles III to visit Australia & Samoa as he recovers from cancer
12) Goldman challenges Fed’s demand it hold more capital after stress test
13) Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle facing mounting calls to resign after “total security breakdown” at Trump rally
14) Palestine: Hamas says Gaza cease-fire talks haven’t paused and claims military chief survived Israeli strike
15) CA report: Almost half of Berkeley restaurants weren’t inspected last year
16) Falcon 9 program grounded as FAA, SpaceX investigate launch failure
17) Dem congressman says staff member no longer employed for “don’t miss next time” post
18) Pakistan: Acquittal for Khan and Wife in Illegal Marriage Case
19) CA: Lawyer for Oakland mayor says FBI raid will “unfairly” influence recall
20) NM: Judge dismisses involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin in “Rust” shooting
Today's Freedom Commentary:
21) Gambling In Casablanca
22) Amendments Convention a trap
23) Texas: Staring Down the Beryl of the Government Utility Monopoly’s Gun
24) Supreme Court Left the Door Open for a Wealth Tax. But It’s Still a Terrible Idea.
25) Our history of hiding presidents’ health problems must end today
26) US Came Close To Having TWO Presidential Candidates With No Brain
27) Bahamians Didn’t Want CBDCs — So Now They’re Being Forced to Use Them
28) In Wake of Trump Shooting, We Need Clarity & Caution
29) Republicans Will Regret a Second Trump Term
30) Who’s the real threat to democracy?
31) Why Older Politicians Often Rise to the Top
32) Property Rights in Space
33) The Background Hum of Political Violence
34) The Fraught Relationship between Science and Power
35) With presidential immunity ruling, the Supreme Court just brought back the monarchy
36) Culture without Romance
37) RNC, Trump must go on with convention, just as Thatcher did
38) A State of Anti-Nature
39) Wilson Didn’t Resign. The World Suffered. Biden Need Not Repeat That Mistake
40) Spray-Painting Stonehenge
41) Onward, Christian Soldiers … To War!
42) The past is a foreign country
43) Activism and Institutional Gresham’s Law
44) Unbundling Zoning
45) Joe Biden’s Hospice Presidency
46) La Singularidad Social
47) The End of Restaurants as We Know Them?
48) A Dark Chapter Closes: Julian Assange Goes Free
49) Political Violence: From “Hang Mike Pence” to the Failed Assassination of Donald Trump
50) NATO’s Bridge to Nowhere
Today's Freedom Podcast and Video:
51) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 07/13/24
52) Politics Politics Politics, 07/13/24
53) Anarcho Agenda, episode 121
54) Free Talk Live, 07/13/24
55) The Anarchist Experience, eppisode 484
56) Unattended Baggage, episode 253
57) Vital Dissent, episode 274
58) The Fifth Column, episode 436
59) Kyle Anzalone on The Scott Horton Show
60) The Bryan Hyde Show, 07/12/24
61) Conflicts of Interest, episode 634
62) Nonzero, 07/12/24
63) Environment and Climate News Podcast, episode 771
64) Rising, 07/12/24
65) Free Talk Cast, episode 6
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_____ Today's Freedom News _____
1) Somalia: Car bomb targets busy cafe
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“A car bomb has exploded outside a cafe in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, killing at least nine and injuring several others as patrons were watching the final of the Euro 2024 football tournament on TV, the government said. The al-Qaeda-linked armed group, al-Shabab, has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s deadly attack via an affiliated radio station, saying the bombing targeted a place where security and government workers meet at night. … Al-Shabab has been fighting to topple the fragile central government in Mogadishu for more than 17 years, carrying out numerous bombings and other attacks in the capital and other parts of the country.” (07/15/24)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/15/deadly-car-bomb-targets-busy-cafe-in-the-somali-capital
-----
2) Bitcoin soars to two-week high after assassination attempt on disgraced former president
Source: Reuters
“Bitcoin surged to a two-week high on Monday after the attempted assassination of U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump raised the odds of the former president, who has presented himself as a champion of cryptocurrency, winning the upcoming election. Trump said he was shot in the ear during the attack at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. His campaign said he was doing well. Some investors said the attack bolstered his chances of winning back the White House and trades betting on his victory are expected to increase this week. Bitcoin rose 8.6% to $62,508, touching a two-week high of $62,698 earlier in the session, taking its year-to-date gains to 47%. Ether was also up 6.8%% at $3,322. Trump is running against Democratic President Joe Biden in November’s U.S. election and has slammed Democrats’ attempts to regulate the crypto sector.” (07/15/24)
https://archive.is/hyg9t
-----
3) Ukraine war: Russian Forces Claim Control of Urozhaine Village in Donetsk
Source: US News & World Report
“Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Sunday that its forces had taken control of the village of Urozhaine in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, which if confirmed would be the latest in a series of gains since capturing the strategic town of Avdiivka in February. Ukrainian bloggers said that Kyiv’s forces had relinquished control of the village, southwest of the Russian-held city of Donetsk. Ukraine’s military said fighting was still going on in the area. … Reuters was not able to independently confirm the Ukrainian or Russian reports. The village came under Russian control early in the February 2022 invasion, but Ukraine retook the settlement near the Mokri Yaly river in July 2023.” (07/14/24)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-07-14/russia-claims-control-of-urozhaine-village-in-ukraines-donetsk-region
-----
4) Google parent in talks to buy cybersecurity startup Wiz for $23 billion
Source: Yahoo! News
“Google parent Alphabet is in advanced talks to acquire cybersecurity startup Wiz for roughly $23 billion, a person familiar with the matter said on Sunday, in a deal that would represent the technology giant’s biggest acquisition ever. The deal, being funded mostly in cash, could come together soon, the source added, speaking on condition of anonymity. Wiz, founded in Israel and now headquartered in New York, is one of the fastest-growing software startups globally, providing cloud-based cybersecurity solutions with real-time threat detection and responses powered by artificial intelligence. If Alphabet moves ahead with the deal, it would be a rare example of a major technology company attempting a mega-deal amid heightened regulatory scrutiny of the sector under U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration.” (07/14/24)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/google-parent-close-23-billion-172218882.html
-----
5) China: Communist Party set for third plenum that could prove a “defining moment” of Xi Jinping era
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“China’s ruling Communist Party will begin a key meeting on Monday that may determine the country’s course for the next decade. … The main focus of the meeting of more than 370 full and alternate members of the party’s Central Committee is expected to be deciding the best strategy for coping with the economic challenges facing the country. The event, formally known as the third plenum of the 20th Central Committee, is also likely to offer more details about the road map for reaching a series of interim industrial and technological goals to be reached by 2035 and the target of becoming a technology superpower with a world-class military by 2049.” (07/14/24)
https://archive.is/ZoZmx
-----
6) UK: Labour to introduce AI bill in King’s Speech
Source: Financial Times [UK]
“Sir Keir Starmer is expected to introduce a long-awaited artificial intelligence bill this week as he seeks to follow through on Labour’s manifesto pledge to create binding rules to govern development of the most advanced machine-learning models. The AI bill, one of 35 bills currently set to be included in the King’s Speech on Wednesday, will seek to enhance the legal safeguards surrounding the most cutting-edge AI technologies, according to people briefed on the plans. The legislation is likely to focus on the production of large language models, the general-purpose technology that underlies AI products such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT.” (07/14/24)
https://archive.is/KCR3R
-----
7) Nepal: Leader of largest communist party named new prime minister
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The leader of Nepal’s largest communist party, Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, has been named the prime minister after shaping a new alliance in the country’s turbulent parliament. A statement on Sunday by the office of the president said the 72-year-old Oli will take his oath of office on Monday, the fourth time he is becoming the prime minister. He is replacing Pushpa Kamal Dahal, whose 18-month-old government collapsed on Friday after Oli’s party, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist, agreed to a new coalition with the centre-left Nepali Congress party. Oli will now have to succeed where his predecessor failed earlier this week, securing a vote of confidence in parliament to continue in office within a month.” (07/14/24)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/14/leader-of-nepals-largest-communist-party-named-new-prime-minister?traffic_source=rss
-----
8) CA: Once worth $2.9 billion, carmaker Fisker scrambles to dump cars
Source: SFGate
“Fisker, the California carmaker that spiraled from a $2.9 billion valuation to a complete collapse, is now going through bankruptcy proceedings, and they aren’t pretty. In a last-ditch effort to keep paying its remaining employees, the company is selling its stock of luxury vehicles at a massive discount. By declaring bankruptcy on June 17, the electric vehicle designer pivoted from striving for profitability to arranging the difficult payout of its sizable debts. It’s already crunch time, because Fisker is running out of money to pay the workers who are helping to wrap up the company’s business — in fact, it’s started missing severance payments. Hence the fire sale. Back in 2023, the company was selling three versions of its Ocean SUV for $69,000, $50,000 and $39,000. Fisker slashed prices earlier this year as bankruptcy loomed, but they still hovered around the cost of other new bargain vehicles. Now, they might as well be high-end go-karts.” (07/12/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/california-fisker-fire-sale-dump-cars-19570318.php
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9) Former fire chief who died at Trump rally used his body to shield family from gunfire
Source: SFGate
“The former fire chief who was killed at a Pennsylvania rally for Donald Trump spent his final moments diving down in front of his family, protecting them from the gunfire that rang out Saturday during an assassination attempt against the former president. Corey Comperatore’s quick decision to use his body as a shield against the bullets flying toward his wife and daughter rang true to the close friends and neighbors who loved and respected the proud 50-year-old Trump supporter, noting that the Butler County resident was ‘a man of conviction’. ‘He’s a literal hero. He shoved his family out of the way, and he got killed for them,’ said Mike Morehouse, who lived next to Comperatore for the last eight years. ‘He’s a hero that I was happy to have as a neighbor.'” (07/14/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/former-fire-chief-who-died-at-trump-rally-used-19573178.php
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10) “Fragile Political Moment” No Time to Silence Concerns Over Biden, Say Progressives
Source: Common Dreams
“Progressives on Sunday pushed back against calls from ‘top Democratic sources’, via CBS News, who said the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump demanded that those pushing to replace President Joe Biden in the presidential race ‘stand down.’ Sources within the Democratic Party, said CBS News correspondent Robert Costa, ‘believe that those Democrats who have concerns about President Biden are now standing down politically [and] will back President Biden because of this fragile political moment. All of that talk about the debate faded almost instantly’ after one person was killed and a bullet grazed Trump’s right ear at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, according to Costa.” (07/14/24)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/replace-biden
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11) UK: King Charles III to visit Australia & Samoa as he recovers from cancer
Source: SFGate
“King Charles III is preparing to visit Australia and Samoa in October, an itinerary that will span 12 time zones and test the monarch’s stamina as he recovers from cancer treatment. The trip, announced on Sunday by Buckingham Palace, marks a watershed moment for the 75-year-old king, who has been slowly returning to public duties after taking a break following his cancer diagnosis in early February. … The trip will mark the first time since he ascended the throne that Charles will visit one of the 14 countries outside the United Kingdom where the British monarch remains head of state, a link that is a source of pride for some but an unwelcome reminder of Britain’s colonial dominance for others.” (07/14/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/king-charles-iii-to-visit-australia-and-samoa-as-19573469.php
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12) Goldman challenges Fed’s demand it hold more capital after stress test
Source: Financial Times [UK]
“Goldman Sachs has lodged an appeal with the US Federal Reserve challenging its result in the regulator’s most recent ‘stress test, which is set to force the Wall Street bank to hold a greater amount of capital, according to people familiar with the matter. The appeal advances the issues that Goldman chief executive David Solomon expressed publicly two weeks ago, when he argued the Fed’s results did not reflect the work the bank had done to make its business more stable. Goldman and the Fed declined to comment.” (07/14/24)
https://archive.is/QCxSE
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13) Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle facing mounting calls to resign after “total security breakdown” at Trump rally
Source: New York Post
“Calls are mounting for the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Critics claim Cheatle dropped the ball on security measures at Saturday’s Trump rally — saying she has been too focused on woke ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’ policies, such as making sure the department is 30 percent women by 2030, to take care of the agency’s more crucial business. They note she even allowed a YouTube influencer to train with agents last year. Cheatle, 53, served 28 years in the Secret Service and was part of its protective detail guarding then-Vice President Dick Cheney before she left to become head of global security at PepsiCo. She returned to the agency when President Biden appointed her to its top post in 2022.” [editor’s note: I vuss juss following zee orders … – SAT] (07/14/24)
https://nypost.com/2024/07/14/us-news/secret-service-chief-kimberly-cheatle-facing-mounting-calls-to-resign-after-total-security-breakdown-at-trump-rally/
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14) Palestine: Hamas says Gaza cease-fire talks haven’t paused and claims military chief survived Israeli strike
Source: ABC News
“Hamas said Sunday that Gaza cease-fire talks continue and the group’s military commander is in good health, a day after the Israeli military targeted Mohammed Deif with a massive airstrike that local health officials said killed at least 90 people, including children. Deif’s condition remained uncertain after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday night ‘there still isn’t absolute certainty’ he was killed. Hamas representatives gave no evidence to back up their assertion about the health of a chief architect of the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war. … Hamas rejected the idea that mediated cease-fire discussions had been suspended after the strike.” (07/14/24)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/hamas-gaza-cease-fire-talks-paused-claims-military-111927427
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15) CA report: Almost half of Berkeley restaurants weren’t inspected last year
Source: SFGate
“An audit report published Wednesday revealed that almost half of Berkeley’s restaurants were not inspected for food safety last year due to a ‘chronically understaffed’ inspection team. The report evaluated Berkeley’s Environmental Health Division and its ability to comply with food facility inspection requirements. The city came in second in the state for the highest percentage of uninspected food facilities, trailing only San Francisco, which neglected 51% of its inspections in 2023. According to the audit, 45% of Berkeley’s food facilities, including 193 restaurants, were not inspected at all last year. Though restaurants are the largest uninspected group, the percentage also includes food markets, catering operations, temporary food facilities and boarding houses. Berkeley’s low inspection rate drastically differs from the rest of Alameda County, where only 3% of the food facilities went uninspected last year. Berkeley has its own health department and food inspection program, separate from the county, the report states.” (07/14/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/berkeley-restaurants-not-inspected-2023-19569625.php
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16) Falcon 9 program grounded as FAA, SpaceX investigate launch failure
Source: United Press International
“SpaceX’s prolific Falcon 9 rocket was grounded after a rare malfunction resulted in a failed satellite mission in California. The reusable Falcon 9 booster, which has powered numerous Starlink missions as well as crewed flights for NASA and the International Space Station, experienced an issue during the launch Thursday night of 20 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, according to a thread on X. During flight, the Falcon 9’s second-stage booster did not complete its second burn as intended, causing the batch of satellites to be deployed into a lower than desirable orbit, SpaceX said. The Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday the missions are halted, including in Florida, as the agency and SpaceX investigate.” (07/14/24)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2024/07/14/spacex-faclon9-rocket-failure/7631720901298/
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17) Dem congressman says staff member no longer employed for “don’t miss next time” post
Source: Fox News
“A staff member of Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson is ‘no longer’ in the congressman’s employment after allegedly posting ‘don’t miss next time,’ after the apparent assassination attempt on former President Trump on Saturday evening. ‘I was made aware of a post made by a staff member and she is no longer in my employment,’ Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson said in a statement. The post, which has since been deleted, was allegedly posted by Thompson’s now-former field director Jacqueline Marsaw. The post read, ‘I don’t condone violence but please get you some shooting lessons so you don’t miss next time ooops that wasn’t me talking.'” (07/14/24)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dem-congressman-says-staff-member-no-longer-employed-dont-miss-next-time-post-after-trump-shooting
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18) Pakistan: Acquittal for Khan and Wife in Illegal Marriage Case
Source: New York Times
“Former Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan and his wife were acquitted on Saturday in a case that accused them of unlawful marriage, the latest in a string of legal victories for the embattled leader ousted from power two years ago. However, he is unlikely to be immediately released from prison, where he has been held for nearly a year, as the authorities have recently suggested that he will face new charges. Earlier in the week, his prospects for bail dimmed in a case over accusations that he had incited violent riots and that his supporters had ransacked several military installations last May.” (07/13/24)
https://archive.is/cKmHe
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19) CA: Lawyer for Oakland mayor says FBI raid will “unfairly” influence recall
Source: SFGate
“Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is back in the spotlight. Only this time, she’s on offense. Her attorney, Jeff Tsai, released a statement Friday that criticized the FBI for the timing of its raid on Thao’s home in Oakland’s Lincoln Highlands neighborhood on June 20, saying the agency’s actions could influence voters in the mayor’s upcoming recall election. ‘[T]he Justice Department’s dramatic step – without any public explanation or justification – just months before a major recall election has now unquestionably affected the election and unfairly influenced the decision voters will have this November,’ Tsai said. Days before the raid, a group attempting to recall Thao announced that it had gathered enough signatures to place a recall election on a ballot later this year” (07/12/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/oakland-mayor-says-fbi-raid-will-influence-recall-19570483.php
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20) NM: Judge dismisses involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin in “Rust” shooting
Source: NBC News
“In a stunning turn of events, the judge in Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial dismissed the case Friday, agreeing with the actor’s lawyers that prosecutors hid evidence that may have been linked to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western movie ‘Rust’ in 2021. … Baldwin’s lawyers asserted that the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office took possession of live rounds of ammunition as evidence but did not record them in the official case file or reveal their existence to the actor’s defense team. Kari Morrissey, the special prosecutor in the case, insisted the disputed ammunition was not linked to the case or hidden from Baldwin’s lawyers.” (07/12/24)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/judge-alec-baldwins-involuntary-manslaughter-trial-dismisses-case-rcna161536
_____ Today's Freedom Commentary _____
21) Gambling In Casablanca
Source: The Reframe
by AR Moxon
“Well I’m given to understand that today and for an extremely limited time, the members of our nation’s political violence party are shocked — shocked! — to learn that we currently live in a world of easy massacres and normalized political violence, and would like very much to know who is to blame. I’m kidding, of course. They’ve already decided who is to blame. It’s the same culprit they hold at fault for every other real and imaginary problem in their lives: Everybody except them. … Assassination attempts are indeed political violence, if a rare type. Violence committed by government against citizens is far more common, and far more popular, too, is something one could have observed at Trump’s Pennsylvania violence-instigation rally, until it was interrupted by a less common form of political violence.” (07/14/24)
https://www.the-reframe.com/gambling-in-casablanca
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22) Amendments Convention a trap
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“Roosevelt County has stepped into a trap. Convening a U.S. Amendments Convention would be a mistake. The Bill of Rights already contains the most important Constitutional amendments and the federal government usually disobeys it. The feds interpret those amendments into nothingness any time one would stand in the way of government doing something it wants to do.” (07/14/24)
https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2024/07/14/voices/opinion-amendments-convention-a-trap/178916.html
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23) Texas: Staring Down the Beryl of the Government Utility Monopoly’s Gun
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“As I write this, on the afternoon of June 13, nearly 650,000 homes and businesses in Texas remain without utility-provided electricity due to the effects of Hurricane Beryl. Naturally, Texas politicians know where to put the blame. No, not on a massive storm which, at times, hit Category 5 — the top of the Saffir-Simpson wind scale — wreaking havoc on power delivery to millions across the Caribbean, Mexico, and across a wide swath of the United States, but on the private sector and government utilities which actually generate and deliver electricity.” (07/13/24)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/18822
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24) Supreme Court Left the Door Open for a Wealth Tax. But It’s Still a Terrible Idea.
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille
“Progressives have long imagined that vast riches could be infused into government coffers if only they could tax Americans not just on their income, but on estimates of their total wealth. Treat people as if they’d cashed in all their holdings at today’s value and make ’em cough up a share to Uncle Sugar and politicians could just roll in the proceeds. Last month, the Supreme Court threw a lifeline to such dreamers with a decision granting the federal government broad authority to consider money that has yet to be received as taxable income. The idea of a wealth tax lives on, but so do its many flaws.” (07/12/24)
https://reason.com/2024/07/12/supreme-court-left-the-door-open-for-a-wealth-tax-but-its-still-a-terrible-idea/
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25) Our history of hiding presidents’ health problems must end today
Source: The Hill
by Marc Siegel
“The American presidency has never been known for its health transparency, just the opposite. Yet transparency is essential for the American public to assess its leader’s fitness, justify voting for him or her and feel confident that this leader can fulfill the duties he or she was elected for. … Unfortunately, there is a long history of presidents and their staffs hiding their health from the public. But this obfuscation undermines the very foundation of our democracy.” (07/12/24)
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/4766337-american-presidential-health-transparency/
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26) US Came Close To Having TWO Presidential Candidates With No Brain
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Donald Trump is now on the receiving end of a deluge of sympathy and support throughout the western world after surviving an assassination attempt, despite the fact that he himself is an open and unapologetic perpetrator of assassination. Seems like everyone’s got a theory about what happened and why right now. As of this writing I’m content to just sit back and not know until more information comes in. … Now the same US officials who are responsible for overseeing the single most murderous power structure on the face of this planet are standing united in saying ‘There is no place for violence in America!’ … The western political-media class hasn’t been this sympathetic and supportive toward Trump since he bombed Damascus.” (07/14/24)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2024/07/14/the-us-came-close-to-having-two-presidential-candidates-with-no-brain/
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27) Bahamians Didn’t Want CBDCs — So Now They’re Being Forced to Use Them
Source: Cato Institute
by Nicholas Anthony
“The Bahamian government will soon start forcing commercial banks to distribute its central bank digital currency (CBDC). Known locally as the Sand Dollar, the CBDC accounts for less than 0.41 percent of the currency in circulation and the Central Bank of The Bahamas reported that the CBDC has been used less and less as time goes on. Facing similar circumstances, any private business would likely be preparing to go out of business. The central bank, however, seems to have other plans in mind.” (07/12/24)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/bahamians-didnt-want-cbdcs-so-now-theyre-being-forced-use-them
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28) In Wake of Trump Shooting, We Need Clarity & Caution
Source: The Nation
by Jeet Heer
“On Saturday night, Donald Trump was the victim of a shooting in a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. One thing that makes political violence of this sort upsetting is the sheer uncertainty that follows the initial act for many hours, even days. It’s reasonable to assume this was an attempted political assassination, but police and public officials are rightly cautious about making that judgement, merely saying it is being investigated as a ‘possible assassination attempt.’ In the coming days we’ll learn more about the alleged gunman, who killed one bystander and seriously injured two before being killed by the Secret Service. Of course, the dearth of facts hasn’t prevented a flood of unwarranted speculation and scapegoating.” (07/13/24)
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-shooting-facts-disinformation/
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29) Republicans Will Regret a Second Trump Term
Source: New York Times
by Bret Stephens
“Now is the summer of Republican content. The G.O.P. is confident and unified. Donald Trump has held a consistent and widening lead over President Biden in all the battleground states. Never Trumpers have been exiled, purged or converted. The Supreme Court has eased many of Trump’s legal travails while his felony convictions in New York seem to have inflicted only minimal political damage — if they didn’t actually help him. Best of all for Republicans, a diminished Joe Biden seems determined to stay in the race, leading a dispirited and divided party that thinks of its presumptive nominee as one might think of a colonoscopy: an unpleasant reminder of age. … In short, Republicans have good reason to think they’ll be back in the White House next January. Only then will the regrets set in.” (07/13/24)
https://archive.is/bfRcu
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30) Who’s the real threat to democracy?
Source: The American Spectator
by Roger Kimball
“Last week at a fundraiser, Joe Biden said that it was time to get beyond his poor performance at his June 27 debate with Donald Trump. Now, said Biden, ‘it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.’ Politico described that as a ‘forceful message from Biden.’ I guess someone was paying attention. Shortly after 6 p.m. ET last night, just minutes after Donald Trump took the stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, several shots rang out. One person was killed, two were seriously wounded. The real target, of course, was the former president.” (07/14/24)
https://thespectator.com/politics/real-threat-democracy-trump-assassination-attempt/
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31) Why Older Politicians Often Rise to the Top
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Peter Jacobsen
“After the debate, it seems there is no denying that Joe Biden has experienced significant decline over the last four years. There’s no need to devolve into diagnostics or gossip, but the fact of the matter is that Biden clearly isn’t as sharp as he was when he took office in 2020. This has left many people perplexed about how this could have happened. The United States is the most powerful government in world history, and it’s dominated by just two political parties. How could it be that the best representative of one of the parties is unable to debate coherently for 90 minutes? Some basic economic logic can help us figure out this puzzle.” (07/13/24)
https://fee.org/articles/why-older-politicians-often-rise-to-the-top/
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32) Property Rights in Space
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“There are at least two ways in which substantial amounts of economic activity could move to space. One is if we find some way of drastically reducing the cost of getting things off Earth. That might mean constructing a space elevator, an ingenious idea first proposed by Yuri Artsutanov, a Leningrad engineer, in 1960 and independently invented about half a dozen times since by others. You let a cable down from a satellite in geosynchronous orbit, a counterweight out the other way to balance the pull, attach the cable to the ground, run an elevator up it; for details see the description in my Future Imperfect. An elevator is a much more efficient way of lifting things than a rocket.” (07/13/24)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/property-rights-in-space
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33) The Background Hum of Political Violence
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen
“One of the best books I’ve read this decade was called Break It Up, by Richard Kreitner, which reframes American history as a history of perpetual disunion that, practically from the founding, has been on the verge of cracking apart. In fact, it did break apart under the Articles of Confederation, after 4,000 Massachusetts rebels nearly took over the Springfield Armory and the federal government realized it had no means to stop it. (We sing the praises of our Constitution and only stage-whisper that it was our second attempt.) And it broke apart at Fort Sumter, triggering four years of civil war that in Kreitner’s retelling were more a culmination of events since the Revolution than anything out of character. The assassination attempt on Donald Trump yesterday adds another data point in Kreitner’s favor, another example of the United States of Division.” (07/14/24)
https://prospect.org/politics/02024-07-14-background-hum-political-violence-trump-shooting/
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34) The Fraught Relationship between Science and Power
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Toby Rogers
“I would like to start a conversation on the relationship between science and power. By ‘science’ I mean the field of study (trying to figure out how the world works) and the people doing the studying (scientists, and, in an earlier era, priests and philosophers). By ‘power’ I mean the ruling elite and the set of ideas, laws, and structures that allow them to exert control over society. This is just a kernel of an idea that I would like to expand with your help.” (07/13/24)
https://brownstone.org/articles/the-fraught-relationship-between-science-and-power/
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35) With presidential immunity ruling, the Supreme Court just brought back the monarchy
Source: Orange County Register
by Rafael Perez
“Last week the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Trump v United States that presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution that includes any and all ‘official acts’ and by extension, that Trump likely has at the very least presumptive immunity from prosecution for election interference.
The consequences of this decision are vast and unacceptable — it makes it so it is virtually impossible to hold a president accountable, irrespective of how evil and corrupt they are. Whether you’re a Democrat or Republican or whether you think that Trump should or shouldn’t have been convicted for unlawfully influencing the election, it’s not unwarranted or hysterical to claim that this is a direct attack on our federal republic.” (07/12/24)
https://archive.is/5EkuC
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36) Culture without Romance
Source: Free Association
by Sheldon Richman
“‘The entire history of the human race, the rise of man from the caves, has been marked by transfers of cultural advances from one group to another and from one civilization to another.’ So said economist, social philosopher, and historian Thomas Sowell in a 1990 speech titled ‘Cultural Diversity.’ … By cultural diversity Sowell did not mean the still-fashionable sense of that term. He has in mind what might be called culture without romance, echoing James Buchanan and the Public Choice school’s economics without romance. What does Sowell mean?” (07/12/24)
https://sheldonfreeassociation.blogspot.com/2024/07/tgif-culture-without-romance.html
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37) RNC, Trump must go on with convention, just as Thatcher did
Source: Fox News
by Steve Hilton
“Sunday morning on NBC, former Biden White House Communications Director Jen Psaki, now a host on MSNBC, made an extraordinary and inflammatory demand. Looking ahead to the GOP Convention in Milwaukee that begins on Monday, she claimed that ‘Unless the programming changes, the rhetoric and how the programming is set up is not actually calming the tone, or restoring civility.’ She then issued a veiled threat: ‘We’ll see if that programming changes but if it stays the same, that is escalating it. It is not a civil approach to a convention.’ First of all, what is she even talking about? The ‘programming’ that Psaki seems to think is so unacceptably lacking in civility consists of four themes: ‘Make America Wealthy Again,’ ‘Make America Safe Once Again,’ ‘Make America Strong Once Again’ and (on the final day) ‘Make America Great Once Again.'” (07/14/24)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/rnc-trump-must-go-convention-just-thatcher-did-when-she-narrowly-escaped-assassination-attempt
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38) A State of Anti-Nature
Source: Law & Liberty
by Dylan Pahman
“Isaac Asimov believed that science fiction is more of a setting than a genre. He sought to prove this thesis in his works — The Caves of Steel, for example, is a murder mystery. While there’s nothing original about pointing to science fiction’s potential as a means for political philosophy, one critically acclaimed but popularly obscure author deserves more attention from those looking to use fiction as a framework for exploring freedom, morality, and meaning. David R. Bunch’s short story collection Moderan, brought back into print with a new edition in 2018, may best encapsulate this potential of science fiction settings for finding insight into human nature and society.” (07/12/24)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/david-r-bunchs-state-of-anti-nature/
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39) Wilson Didn’t Resign. The World Suffered. Biden Need Not Repeat That Mistake
Source: Washington Monthly
by Bill Scher
“Wilson hid an incapacitating stroke from the public and fatally compromised his mission to establish a functional League of Nations. Once again, global peace and democracy precariously rely on a president reluctant to face a personal health crisis.”(07/12/24)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2024/07/12/wilson-didnt-resign-and-the-world-suffered-biden-need-not-repeat-that-mistake/
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40) Spray-Painting Stonehenge
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Last month, members of Just Stop Oil, devoted to ‘climate activism’ — a way of coping with weather that goes way beyond using shelter, culverts, coats and umbrellas — were arrested for an unsolicited paint job. They spray-painted Stonehenge. The group says that mankind is doomed unless we stop using fossil fuels. Not instantly! That would be crazy. By 2030. … You can wash the paint off Stonehenge. Bringing irrational fantasists to reason is a much tougher job.” (07/12/24)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2024/07/12/spray-painting-stonehenge/
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41) Onward, Christian Soldiers … To War!
Source: In These Times
by Hamilton Nolan
“It would be wrong to say that the entire ’national conservatism’ movement is a product of repressed psychosexual urges. Some of it is about tariffs. Most of it, though, seems to be what happens when you mix strict religious morality with QAnon, internet porn, Donald Trump’s need for mewling adoration and the American urge to land a high quality internship.” (07/14/24)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/national-conservatism-conference-2024-trump-gop
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42) The past is a foreign country
Source: spiked
by Patrick West
“Last month, Camden Council in London attached a QR code to a statue of modernist author Virginia Woolf. On scanning it, you are informed all about her supposedly ‘offensive opinions,’ ‘imperialist attitudes’ and ‘unacceptable views.’ It aroused a question that constantly re-emerges these days: can and should we judge the behaviour and attitudes of those who lived in different times? After all, Woolf was born in the 19th century and died 83 years ago. Most sensible and intelligent people would answer that we can’t and we shouldn’t. Those who think we can and should tend to be driven by a peculiarly confused and perverse malice towards Western civilisation.” ()07/12/24)
https://www.spiked-online.com/2024/07/12/the-past-is-a-foreign-country/
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43) Activism and Institutional Gresham’s Law
Source: EconLog
by Patrick West
“In economics, Gresham’s Law describes the tendency of bad money to drive good money out of circulation, when there is a fixed exchange rate between the two that prevents the situation from moving towards an equilibrium. If exchange rates are allowed to adjust freely on the market, the effects of Gresham’s Law are prevented. Anthony de Jasay described Institutional Gresham’s Law as the tendency for bad institutions to drive out good ones over time. Institutions that prioritize their own growth and survival over being socially beneficial will drive out institutions that prioritize being socially beneficial over their own growth and survival. Unlike with money, there is nothing that serves as an exchange rate that can keep this process in check.” (07/12/24)
https://www.econlib.org/activism-and-institutional-greshams-law/
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44) Unbundling Zoning
Source: American Institute for Economic Research
by Jason Sorens
“This paper investigates the case for abolishing zoning. Recent arguments for zoning abolition maintain that local governments can adequately regulate land use without the strict separation of permitted uses that characterizes modern zoning. The harms of zoning are consequential, and the case for abolishing zoning is stronger than it appears at first, because it does not imply abolishing other forms of land-use regulation.” (07/12/24)
https://www.aier.org/article/unbundling-zoning/
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45) Joe Biden’s Hospice Presidency
Source: Town Hall
by Derek Hunter
“Joe Biden’s presidency is in hospice care. If you’ve ever known anyone who’s gone into hospice care, you know the end can come at any moment. Sometimes, it’s a matter of hours …. There are several ways Biden’s regime can end. He can bow out now, caving to pressure and suffering the humiliation of being tossed out by his party because everyone believed he’d suffer a humiliating loss and take down the entire party with him. He can be tossed out by the party at the convention because they think he’ll take down everything they’ve worked for. He can win the election and have the humiliation of the 25 Amendment being invoked by his own Cabinet because he’s simply not capable of doing the job. Or he can just lose to Donald Trump while Republicans sweep the House and Senate.” (07/14/24)
https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2024/07/14/joe-bidens-hospice-presidency-n2641829
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46) La Singularidad Social
Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders
“Decentralization could seed countries like Peru with prosperity zones. Some Latin American countries are already showing the way.” (07/12/24)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/la-singularidad-social
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47) The End of Restaurants as We Know Them?
Source: Independent Institute
by Peter C Earle
“Since the start of 2024, numerous well-known restaurant chains have announced sizable closures and incrementally more drastic restructuring efforts. … COVID lockdowns significantly weakened chain restaurants by drastically reducing their customer base and revenue streams. This disruption made it difficult for many restaurants to sustain operations, some of which took on more debt in the face of depleted financial reserves. … Since January 2021, core CPI has risen just over 17 percent, while food-away-from-home prices have risen over 22 percent. Those higher prices have translated into falling foot traffic. As costs of living have risen and pandemic savings have dissipated, eating outside the home has become more costly. Where meals continue to be purchased, order sizes are falling, or cheaper items are purchased.” (07/12/24)
https://blog.independent.org/2024/07/12/the-end-of-restaurants-as-we-know-them/
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48) A Dark Chapter Closes: Julian Assange Goes Free
Source: CounterPunch
by Eve Ottenberg
“The dust has finally settled over Julian Assange’s release from jail, but it may never settle over what the U.S. state did, to him and to a free press. He is now in Australia, with his family, where he belongs, beginning the hopefully not too long process of healing from his ordeal, from being driven nearly out of his mind by official torture at the hands of British ghouls acting on behalf of American ones. … Above all, the Assange case sets a lousy precedent, not so much his guilty plea precedent, but something much worse, the precedent for how the American government may pursue, hound, persecute and prosecute a journalist.” (07/12/24)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/07/12/a-dark-chapter-closes-julian-assange-goes-free/
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49) Political Violence: From “Hang Mike Pence” to the Failed Assassination of Donald Trump
Source: Informed Comment
by Juan Cole
“American politics has entered the most dangerous phase of its nearly 250-year existence, with the assassination attempt on Donald J. Trump on July 13 in Pennsylvania. As of this writing, the gunman and one audience member are being reported dead, and two other audience members are in critical condition. One is grateful that Trump appears to have suffered only minor injuries and that his doctors say he is well. Political violence is always fatal to democracy, which is a big political argument. As soon as people get out their guns, it isn’t a democracy anymore, it is a war. Trump and his partisans will inevitably attempt to use the incident to drive further polarization and grievance-based politics. They should be denied ammunition for any such efforts. The political violence could not have come at a worse time.” (07/14/24)
https://www.juancole.com/2024/07/shooting-political-democracy.html
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50) NATO’s Bridge to Nowhere
Source: The American Conservative
by James W Carden
“This week’s summit showed that NATO is bound and determined to continue on as though the alliance operates in a world shaped by its successes — manifesting a blind insistence that the alliance is not only necessary but has been right all along. NATO’s principal institutional prerogative at this point is not the defeat of Russia nor the collective defense of the West — whatever that means. It is its own survival — and as such, in Washington the alliance kept busy inventing ever-more reasons to justify its relevance, and ultimately its very existence.” (07/12/24)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/natos-bridge-to-nowhere/
_____ Today's Freedom Podcast and Video _____
51) Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 07/13/24
Source: Antiwar.com
“The Plight of Gaza’s Christians With Khalil Sayegh.” (07/13/24)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4_D-_PpSSE
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52) Politics Politics Politics, 07/13/24
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Trump survives assassination attempt at rally.” (07/13/24)
https://shows.acast.com/politicspoliticspolitics/episodes/breaking-president-trump-survives-assassination-attempt-at-r
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53) Anarcho Agenda, episode 121
Source: Anarcho Agenda
“The Authentic Lord Reverend Dr. Captain Kickass Buckshot Esquire if you will LLC joins me to discuss his path to liberty and much more.” (07/12/24)
https://anarchoagenda.libsyn.com/anarcho-agenda-ep-121-2024-07-13
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54) Free Talk Live, 07/13/24
Source: Free Talk Live
“Trump shot at rally in Pennsylvania :: IQ and what it affects :: Is religion good for teaching morality? :: Wars caused by gun control :: Control tactics used by people in society on all levels :: Evolutionary Capitalism has already ‘solved’ morality :: Mises'[s] brilliant concept of honest history :: Is hell real? :: Lawsuit culture :: History in school was a lie :: 2024-07-13 Hosts: Bonnie, Lori, Peakless Mountaineer.” (07/13/24)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/free-talk-live-2024-07-13
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55) The Anarchist Experience, eppisode 484
Source: The Anarchist Experience
“Rich, MC, and briefly KS discuss MC’s trip to Freedom Fest in Las Vegas, is listening to Tom Woods enough to be a good steward of liberty, Getting positioned, Climate Change, and should we be worried about Project 2025.” (07/13/24)
https://theanarchistexperience.wordpress.com/2024/07/13/the-anarchist-experience-484/
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56) Unattended Baggage, episode 253
Source: International Guild of Professional Anarchists
“You’ve Been Pwned.” (07/13/24)
https://alexandersnitker.substack.com/p/unattended-baggage-episode-253-youve
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57) Vital Dissent, episode 274
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Israel’s Secret War Against the International Criminal Court.” (07/12/24)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/uncategorized/israels-secret-war-against-the-international-criminal-court-ep-274/
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58) The Fifth Column, episode 436
Source: The Fifth Column
“Forget It. Joe Biden Has Been Cured Of Being Super Old.” (07/12/24)
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/436-forget-it-joe-biden-has-been
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59) Kyle Anzalone on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Kyle Anzalone on Biden, Netanyahu and the Suffering They Are Causing in Gaza.” (07/12/24)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/7-11-24-kyle-anzalone-on-biden-netanyahu-and-the-suffering-they-are-causing-in-gaza/
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60) The Bryan Hyde Show, 07/12/24
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
“Paul Rosenberg deserves so much more recognition than he gets. His explanation on why simply being a placeholder in life isn’t enough, is pure gold.” (07/12/24)
https://www.podbean.com/ep/pb-rpwq4-1667bc6
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61) Conflicts of Interest, episode 634
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Netanyahu Fears Getting Arrested for War Crimes.” (07/12/24)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-634-netanyahu-fears-getting-arrested-for-war-crimes
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62) Nonzero, 07/12/24
Source: Bloggingheads.tv
“Biden Presses On | Robert Wright & Andrew Day.” (07/12/24)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/67800
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63) Environment and Climate News Podcast, episode 771
Source: Heartland Institute
“Climate Lawfare Heats Up.” (07/12/24)
https://heartland.org/podcasts/climate-lawfare-heats-up/
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64) Rising, 07/12/24
Source: The Hill
“President Biden’s slip-ups continue in NATO presser.” (07/12/24)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/4768285-rising-july-12-2024/
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65) Free Talk Cast, episode 6
Source: Free Talk Live
“Prison Recovery & Chevron Deferrence.” (07/12/24)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/free-talk-cast-006-prison-recovery-chevron-deferrence
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